Monica's Blog

2006-05-01T20:56:00.000-04:00

Bastard Out of Carolina was definitely my favorite book that we read this semester. It was such a good book, I could not put it down. The ending was a total shock. Anney and Bone were so close throughout the book, but their relationship started to dwindle towards the end, and after the rape it was as if Anney was a stranger to Bone. Bone was so scared to tell her mother about what Daddy Glen had been doing to her for so many years, she was scared that Daddy Glen would hurt her even more, or that her mother might abandon her. Bone being so young also did not really know what was going on. She knew it was not normal, but could not even explain what Daddy Glen had been doing to her in the bathroom for so many years, she just knew it was wrong. The scene where Daddy Glen raped Bone (280-291) was so detailed, I wanted to jump into the book and make him stop. I could not imagine being in Bone's position, I got chills reading this scenes and was so disgusted by Daddy Glen. Allison did a great job with details and emotions that it definitely affected me. I was so upset that he was doing this to her. What I could not believe was that Anney gave into him again, she let his crying and weeping and saying that he loved her so much stop her from caring for her daughter. This totally shocked me and made me so angry. Anney was always telling Bone that she loved her, but her actions definitely did not show that she did. Bone was so scared and felt so unloved she did not know what to do with herself. I can not imagine being in her place, and I would probably act the same way. She hated herself so much for what happened to her, how Daddy Glen treated her, and how her mother just gave into Glen's love and left her, when she needed her most. I can not imagine my mom leaving me in a time that I needed her most, why did Anney do this? I know she loved Glen so much, but how can you love someone who has been hurting your daughter for so many years, and not do anything about it? Yes, Daddy Glen was a strong, controlling character, but Anney could have taken the girls away from his hatred. How can you continue loving someone after you see them rape your daughter? Or, how could you stand behind a closed, locked bathroom door when you know your daughter is on the other side being beaten? I am not a mother, but I think that I would be so furious and disgusted that I would not ever be able to look at that person again, and would definately not stay with that person no matter how much I loved them. Was anyone else affected by the end of the book? Did anyone else feel like they just wanted to reach through and slap some sense into Anney?? I am glad we saved this book for last, because it was definately the best. I think Allison did such a great job with descriptions and details, a lot of the times I felt like I was standing next to Bone and seeing and feeling what was going on. Did anyone else like her style of writing?
It was a pleasure blogging with all of you. Good luck with the rest of your semester and with your exams. Have a great summer~

2006-05-01T20:44:00.000-04:00

Bastard Out of Carolina was definitely my favorite book that we read this semester. It was such a good book, I could not put it down. The ending was a total shock. Anney and Bone were so close throughout the book, but their relationship started to dwindle towards the end, and after the rape it was as if Anney was a stranger to Bone. Bone was so scared to tell her mother about what Daddy Glen had been doing to her for so many years, she was scared that Daddy Glen would hurt her even more, or that her mother might abandon her. Bone being so young also did not really know what was going on. She knew it was not normal, but could not even explain what Daddy Glen had been doing to her in the bathroom for so many years, she just knew it was wrong. The scene where Daddy Glen raped Bone (280-291) was so detailed, I wanted to jump into the book and make him stop. I could not imagine being in Bone's position, I got chills reading this scenes and was so disgusted by Daddy Glen. Allison did a great job with details and emotions that it definitely affected me. I was so upset that he was doing this to her. What I could not believe was that Anney gave into him again, she let his crying and weeping and saying that he loved her so much stop her from caring for her daughter. This totally shocked me and made me so angry. Anney was always telling Bone that she loved her, but her actions definitely did not show that she did. Bone was so scared and felt so unloved she did not know what to do with herself. I can not imagine being in her place, and I would probably act the same way. She hated herself so much for what happened to her, how Daddy Glen treated her, and how her mother just gave into Glen's love and left her, when she needed her most. I can not imagine my mom leaving me in a time that I needed her most, why did Anney do this? I know she loved Glen so much, but how can you love someone who has been hurting your daughter for so many years, and not do anything about it? Yes, Daddy Glen was a strong, controlling character, but Anney could have taken the girls away from his hatred. How can you continue loving someone after you see them rape your daughter? I am not a mother, but I think that I would be so furious and disgusted that I would not be able to speak to them or even look at them ever again. I also do not think that I could stand outside the bathroom door knowing that my daughter was being beaten on the other side. Was anyone else affected by the end of the book? I was just furious with the way that Anney acted toward Bone, and how she left her to go back to a man that had been so hurtful to her daughter. I wanted to reach through the book and slap some sense into Anney!! I am glad we saved this book for last, because it was by far the best, and I am definately going to recommend it to friends and family. It was such a shocking, emotional book, but Allison did such a great job, you felt like you were right there with Bone through the whole story.
It was a pleasure Blogging with everyone. Good luck with the rest of the semester and your exams. Have a great summer~

2006-05-01T20:09:00.000-04:00

Bastard Out of Carolina was definitely my favorite book that we read this semester. It was such a good book, I could not put it down. The ending was a total shock. Anney and Bone were so close throughout the book, but their relationship started to dwindle towards the end, and after the rape it was as if Anney was a stranger to Bone. Bone was so scared to tell her mother about what Daddy Glen had been doing to her for so many years, she was scared that Daddy Glen would hurt her even more, or that her mother might abandon her. Bone being so young also did not really know what was going on. She knew it was not normal, but could not even explain what Daddy Glen had been doing to her in the bathroom for so many years, she just knew it was wrong. The scene where Daddy Glen raped Bone (280-291) was so detailed, I wanted to jump into the book and make him stop. I could not imagine being in Bone's position, I got chills reading this scenes and was so disgusted by Daddy Glen. Allison did a great job with details and emotions that it definitely affected me. I was so upset that he was doing this to her. What I could not believe was that Anney gave into him again, she let his crying and weeping and saying that he loved her so much stop her from caring for her daughter. This totally shocked me and made me so angry. Anney was always telling Bone that she loved her, but her actions definitely did not show that she did. Bone was so scared and felt so unloved she did not know what to do with herself. I can not imagine being in her place, and I would probably act the same way. She hated herself so much for what happened to her, how Daddy Glen treated her, and how her mother just gave into Glen's love and left her when she needed her most. I can not imagine my mom leaving me in a time that I needed her most, why did Anney do this? I know she loved Glen so much, but how can you love someone who has been hurting your daughter for so many years, and not do anything about it? Yes, Daddy Glen was a strong, controlling character, but Anney could have taken the girls away from his hatred. How can you continue loving tsomeone after you see them rape your daughter? I am not a mother, but I think that I would be so furious and disgusted that I would not be able to ever look at that person again and definitely could not stand outside of the bathroom door while my daughter was being beaten. Was anyone else totally furious with the ending of the book? I was so upset and affected by what happened, I wish I could have reached through the pages and knocked some sense into Anney!! This book definitely was my favorite, and I am going to recommend it to people. I am glad we read this one last, it was a good end to the semester!

It was a pleasure blogging with all of you. I hope everyone has a good end of the semester, good luck on your exams! Have a great summer~

2006-04-26T20:34:00.000-04:00

The one poem of Dickey's that we did not get to that I enjoyed was Sun. It was about two people who were badly sunburned and in love. Dickey does an excellent job with the description of how bad the burns really were you and we see that in "I peeled off Her bathing suit like her skin..." "in agony even at holding hands the blisters On our shoulder shifting crackling." I have had a really bad sunburn that blistered, and that is exactly what it feels like while undressing. It feels like you are actually peeling your skin off, it is kind of gross! The end of the poem is a scene where the man and woman are engaging in sex. Dickey does a good job of comparing the sex to the sunburns. The woman was screaming for water because of the intimacy of sex, but also to help her stay hydrated from her awful sun burn. I really liked the last line of the poem "As we lay, O Lord, In Hell, in love. They were in hell because they were in so much pain and were so hot from the burns, but even that awful pain could not stop the two from sharing their love for one another. I think this line shows that if you truly love someone, together you can get through whatever comes your way.

2006-04-19T20:38:00.000-04:00

After discussing Revelation in class today I was able to understand it a lot better. I was very confused with Mary and what she had to do with the story. Also, I really did not pay attention to the pigs, other than when Mrs. Turpin was called a hog. I can not believe that I read over one of the most important symbols in the story.

This weekend I read the James Dickey poems. I found them to be very confusing, but noticed that they all had to deal with nature. These are the first poems that we have read, but the style is like something I've never seen before. Did anyone else notice the run on sentences and the miscapitalizations in the poems? My favorite poem was Falling. I thought the description was amazing and I actually felt like I was falling out of the sky right along with the character. Poetry has always been fun to read, and I am excited to read more selections!

2006-04-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

I think that all the presentations were fantastic, each and every one was very informational. Today, I learned about Cajun and Creole food, which was very interesting. I'm a picky eater, but a lot of the foods that Debbie and Desiree talked about sounded delicious. After hearing Rachel and Amber's presentation on Gone with the Wind, I think I am going to rent it this weekend. The movie that they chose really related to a lot of themes that we have talked about this year. I think it is interesting to see Scarlett, a southern belle, shoot a Yankee, because this is totally out of character for southern ladies. I thought it was interesting to find from Nolan and Elizabeth that the media played a huge part in the stereotyping of blacks. Today, the media plays a huge role in many things, but I have never seen it to play a part in stereotyping, has anyone else? I had a question for Tara and James about the differences between food in the north and in the south. Is there anything other than a few spices that make the southern food different than that of the North? Are there certain ingredients that they use more frequently? Like we discussed in class one day, did you find that a lot of restaurant chains even have different ingredients in their foods?

2006-04-03T19:30:00.000-04:00

I think that Flannery O'Connor is a very interesting writer. She shows a lot of serious thoughts, but finds a way to make them kind of humorous. After reading her blurb in the book, I think that many of the events that occur in her stories are real life to her. O'Connor owned peacocks, which were discussed in The Displaced Person. While reading Revelation I found many comparisons to The Displaced Person and to a Good Man is Hard to Find. In both Revelation and The Displaced Person, Mrs. Turpin and Mrs. McIntyre own a farm with working blacks. In all three of O'Connors stories that we have read, there is a significance with religion. O'Connor herself was very religious and brought her own beliefs out in her writings. I think the young girl that attacked Mrs. Turpin in the doctor's office, Guziac, the displaced person, and the misfit all play the same role. They are the characters that go against the strong religious beliefs of the main characters and are thought to maybe believe in or represent the devil. Mrs. Shortley, in The Displaced Person, and Mrs. Turpin, in Revelation, both see visions. On page 826 Mrs. Turpin has a vision of the girl throwing a book at her. I was a little bit confused here, did this really happen or was it just a vision? Mrs. Shortley always looks passed people in the far off distance and sees many visions, like O'Connor did when she was younger. Both Mrs. Turpin and the grandmother, in A Good Man in Hard to Find, act like they are better than others. On page 118, the grandmother is depicted as being the perfect lady, dressed to please. While in the doctors office, Mrs. Turpin looks around at everyone and is very critical and stereotypical, in her mind, towards the others.

In the endings of The Displaced Person and A Good Man is Hard to Find, O'Connor has very tragic deaths happen. Guziac is killed by a tractor falling on top of him, and Mrs. McIntyre finally dies in her old age, and the grandmother and her family are all shot. I wonder if something this tragic happened in her own life. Mrs. McIntyre was not as religious as the other two main characters, Mrs. Turpin and the grandmother. I think her death symbolizes her old age and her being run down. She had been in charge of the finances on her farm for many years since she was without a husband, after three marriages. Also, I think that it was symbolic that Guziac died because she did not want to fire him, she was scared. She had never fired anyone, they had always left her. He also did not have anywhere to go if she fired him, and he was a very good, hard worker that she needed. Even though she was not very religious, I think God helped her out in a way, even though death is a tragic thing. I think the death of the grandmother and her family symbolized the end of the grandmother faith. She had been very religious all of her life, and had prayed for everyone and thought that everyone was nice and a good person. When she was encouraging the misfit to pray, page 132, she felt compassion and hope for him. If these characters were so religious, why do you think that O'Connor had them die? Did the grandmother not show enough compassion and faith toward the misfit? Did O'Connor do this to show the devil coming out of the misfit and killing the grandmother and her family because they were religious? Was the girl really the devil lashing out at Mrs. Turpin for being so critical, or was it because she was so religious and very Christian?
In all three stories, the endings are all alike. All their lives are interrupted by the devil, whether is be by death, or a black eye.

2006-03-29T20:34:00.000-05:00

After starting to watch A Streetcar named Desire, I am beginning to like it more than when we read the play. I feel like while watching the play, you are able to read and understand the characters better then just reading their lines. In the play, Stanley's masculinity and sexuality are really played well. He walks around in mostly tee-shirts and is always sweaty. Also, I think Blanche's character is played well. She is always covering her face, trying to hide from reality and I think also trying to hide her age. She walks around with a certain posture, I feel she is trying to show that she is better than Stella. In the movie, you are able to see how Blanche reacts to the train noises, and how the noise gets louder as she gets more and more frustrated. I don't understand how Stella puts up with all of Blanche's rude comments, she just takes them in and says nothing. Do you agree with Blanche's comment that Stanley and Stella's relationship is based on desire? I do, because Stanley shows no emotion towards Stella, and when he does its sexual. He treats her like crap in front of the guys, and is very short tempered. I feel like Stella is trapped behind her shell and is scared to show everyone the real her, she lives life to please Stanley. I think Stella and Janie, when she was with Jody, are a lot alike in characters. They both live their lives for their husbands. I don't really understand it all that much. If you love someone, you should be able to show your true self and not be scared to be who you are, right?

2006-03-21T18:12:00.000-05:00

After reading the first 5 scenes in "A Streetcar Named Desire" I think that Blanche, Stella's sister is very suspicious. She showed up at Stella's house in New Orleans from Mississippi very randomly, claming that the house in Belle Reve was gone. I agree with Stanley that Blanche has something up her sleeve and just is not telling Stella. Blanche is very snooty and speaks her mind and acts like she is too good for Stella and Stanley. Tennessee Williams definately portrays sexuality through masculinty throughout her piece. The line that stuck out at me the most was on p. 639 "Since earliest manhood the center of his life has been pleasure with women, the giving and taking of it, not with weak indulgence, dependently, but with the power and pride of a richly feathered male bird among hens.......He sizes women up at a glance, with sexual classifications, crude images flashing into his mind and determining the way he smiles at them." Sexuality is also portrayed on 657 when Blanche compares Stella's relationship with Stanley to that of the streetcar, Desire.

It seems that most of the pieces we have read this year have dealt with sexuality and or masculinity. Do these charactersistics still appear in many readings today or were they just popular in the time frames we have been reading? If they are not portrayed as much today, why? What made them "disappear"?

2006-03-15T20:19:00.000-05:00

"Their Eyes Were Watching God" is a huge switch from reading Faulkner. Hurston's text is a lot easier to understand, even though it is broken english. I feel bad for Janie, because as soon as her grandmother found out she was interested in boys, she wanted her to go off and get married. Janie was not ready to spend her life with someone, she did not even know who she was at the age of sixteen. When Janie met Jody, she felt that her whole life was going to change, for the better. Everything was fine, until Jody decided to become mayor of a town. Janie became last in everything that he did, and they did not get to connect with each other as a married couple should. As the years went on, Janie and Jody grew further and further apart. Now that Jody is dead, do you think that Janie will remarry someone that she can connect and enjoy life with? Will she stay the sheltered, non-sociable woman that Jody made her into or will she find herself? At the end of chapter 8, Janie let down her hair, I wonder if this means that she is going to literally let down her hair and live the rest of her life to the fullest and do things that make her happy. I am very excited to continue reading this novel and to see what happens and how Janie turns out.

2006-03-01T19:47:00.000-05:00

I think that "The Ethics of Living Jim Crow" and "How it Feels to be Colored Me" are total opposites. In "The Ethics of Living Jim Crow" Richard knows that there blacks and there are whites. He sees the difference between them everyday, whether in work or just in everyday life. Richard had a bad experience with whites when he was little and it scarred him for life. Do you think that the fight he had when he was a boy affected the rest of his life? It does up until the story stops, but do you think that he will always have that fear of the different race? In "How it Feels to Be Colored Me" the girl talked about how she felt to be a black. She did not see any difference between herself and the whites. When she is in a room full of whites, she feels different, but doesn't feel that she is any less of a person. I think it is odd that "How it Feels to Be Colored Me" was written after "The Ethics of Living Jim Crow." Why do you think the attitudes of these two stories are so different? Was it the how and where the two were raised, or were black men treated more poorly than black women?

2006-02-22T20:44:00.000-05:00

After completing Go Down Moses we found out that the book was dedicated to Faulkner's Mammy, which is the name that symbolizes Mollie throughout the text. I think Faulkner did this, because his mammy was born into slavery, but opened her arms to the children and loved them with all her heart, whether they were black or white. I think the dedication is very important to the story. Throughout the whole story Faulkner is trying to show that family ties were not as strong as they are today. Just because someone had the same blood, did not mean that they showed an emotion toward whoever they shared that blood with.
I was not crazy about reading Faulkner, I found it very confusing at times and hard to follow. I'm still not sure why he chose the chapters that he did, and why he put them in the order that he did. Delta Autumn symbolizes the growth of industry in the world. It showed that it took longer to find the woods, because of all the train tracks, factories, paved roads, and ship yards. It also shows that the Indian population was dying off, and new groups of people are evolving. I was confused when Roth and Isaac were talking about "does," I did not realize that they were talking about women. On page 323, Isaac talks about how men are supposed to take care of the women and children, and protect them from all the dangers of the world. I think this comment shows that the world, at this time, was changing into what it is today. Men are the protectors of families and need to do whatever it takes to keep them safe.
Throughout the book Faulkner shows that Isaac is trying to change his families actions of the connections between the blacks and whites. All his ancestors were connected through blood, but not emotionally connected with love. Does anyone think that Faulkner succeeded in changing the ways of his ancestors, or does he too only show conncetions with the blacks through being blood-related?? Does Faulkner act like his mammy, opening his heart to everyone with open arms?

2006-02-12T22:35:00.000-05:00

Pantaloon in Black was a little bit difficult to understand. The language of the black man and his aunt got confusing at times. I do not really understand the crap game scence. The black man went back to the mill drunk, where the workers were playing. He got in the game and then all of a sudden attacked the white night-watchman? Did he kill him by punching him in the throat? Or did he stab him with the razor? Why did he kill him? Then in chapter 2 it says that they found the prisoner hanging from a rope at the schoolhouse. So was the black man a prisoner or is this a different person, because then it says that they found the black man laying under his porch at his house. I'm very confused. If someone could maybe explain to me what happened if they understood, I would greatly appreciate it!

2006-02-08T22:09:00.000-05:00

After struggling to get through "Was" in Go Down Moses, I was able to actually start to enjoy the book. I think Faulkner is an amazing writer. I like how in pages 3 and 4 you are able to figure out the many different themes that will be brought up in the book. I was not able to pick up on the humor in the book until we discussed that in class today. Also, the family history is still a little bit confusing, but the family tree helps a lot. I can not wait to finish reading the book, I look forward to seeing the different tones and styles that Faulkner uses throughout the different chapters. At the end of "Was" we find out that the dog's name is Moses. What do you think happens to Moses, do you think he dies? Moses and the fox represent the chase in the beginning and end of "Was" and symbolize how chaotic the chase is. I wonder if the title symbolizes a chase that ends badly. I look forward to finding out how the title relates to the book.

2006-02-02T17:37:00.000-05:00

After reading Frederick Douglass's autobiography, I realized how bad the slaves really were treated. I knew that they were not treated well, but the random whippings, just because the master felt like it, disturbed me. Douglass went into such details when talking about his aunt being whipped, it was a very emotional few pages, and made me want to just reach out and save her. I think Douglass did an excellent job in conveying his message, to his audience, that slavery was cruel and wrong. I never really have stopped to think about how thankful I am for my freedom, until after reading this passage. Freedom comes to us so naturally these days, I can not even imagine being "owned" by someone, and not be allowed to do anything but work the fields and listen to my "master." I give Douglass and all the other slaves a lot of credit for living the lives that they did. Personally, I do not think that I could have dealt with all that they did, and stay as strong as most of them did.

2006-01-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

In class discussion today while talking about Jefferson I was very shocked. I find it very odd that in Jefferson's readings he talks about how miscesenation is wrong and should not be allowed. He totally contradicts himself, seeing that he had an affair with his slave, Sally Hemings, and not just that, he produced offspring! Jefferson also states that an intermixed child is better off in life than a 100% nationality. Once again he is contradicting himself, why does he do this? Was he trying to cover up the "rumor" that he had an affair by telling the people that he thought it was wrong?
Also during class today we mentioned some sterotypes that Jefferson made. I very much disagree with these sterotypes. I feel that no matter what color, race, relgion, or nationality someone is, they should all be treated equal. I think it is intersting to see how over the years people's views on these certain issues have changed so much. In the eighteenth century, it came naturally to think of the blacks and whites as different people, and to assume that the white man was more reasonable and always in charge. Is that how they were raised, or was it drilled into their heads from the time that they were little that there were different kinds of people in the world, and the white men were always the "power house" in the families?

2006-01-22T22:22:00.000-05:00

Just testing this out!!