Stop Go Analysis

GO (I like this): Within the syllabus in this class, i like how the reading for each day is posted, so prior to class all you have to do is look in the syllabus on each specific day. The grading scale is posted and easy to understand, and the blog directions are clear and to the point, showing what needs to be done to receive full credit. I personally enjoy blogging, as it allows me to express my own thoughts about the reading rather than just listen to a teachers perspective or someone elses views in class. The books we are reading are very interesting, giving me many chances to expand my own knowledge on interesting scenarios and storylines that are presented. I also enjoy the way the actual class if formated, as more of a open lecture about the assigned reading for the day. It allows students to say how they felt towards the book, rather than hearing the perspective of the teacher alone. I feel eliminating the Music of Chance was a good idea, as it allows us more time to focus on the other books at hand.

YIELD (things we should do more often): I feel things we should do more often is watch the movies of the books we are reading. In my opinion, watching the movie shows the similarities and differences of the storyline i formed in my head, bringing about new thoughts and ideas based on the content.

STOP (please, no more!): I feel that reading aloud in class is somewhat pointless. If the student did not read at home as the syllabus assinged, i feel they should be punished for it by not understanding what is going on in class. Also, i feel the reading segments that are assigned for homework need to be shortened. Some assignments are to read fifty pages, including homework and studying from other classes. Sometimes the workload is just too much, proving insufficient knowledge of the readings both in discussions in class and in the blog. In my opinion, the book Lolita was hard to understand and somewhat vulgar. I did not like reading about the interaction and love affair between the older man and young girl, so if i had the chance i would eliminate it from the syllabus.

River of Names

"River of Names" by Dorothy Allison was an unfortunate story of a man's family, a family which was. By this i mean that nearly every member of his family died in some horrible accident, some intentional and some unintentional. The entirety of the story is quite simply based on the title "River of Names." After reading the story, the river is not water but composed of blood, and the names are the members of his family that are deceased. In the story the man's lover Jesse is always speaking about her family, continually noting positive aspects of each family member and funny and memorable stories. The narrator and main character is too ashamed to tell her the truth about his family, as he is forced to lie in reassuring her that he comes from a good background. "I come from an enormous family but i cannot tell half their stories."

In the story, multiple family members are described as dying in appalling ways. Kids and wives are beaten, raped, stabbed, and ruthlessly murdered, done so usually by older males. To me, dying in this case would be better than living. In many instances throughout the book, young children are raped and treated as pieces of meat. On page six it states "it wasnt funny for me in my mothers bed with my stepfather, not for my cousin Billie in the attic with my uncle, nor for Lucille in the woods with another cousin..." This list continues with many more cousins and siblings, showing the negative situation they all were forced to be in.

Due to the fact the narrator has seen so much death and heartache, he refuses to have a kid of his own. He states, "I can't have children. I never wanted children." In my opinion, this shows his kind heartedness. He is saving the child from a world of abuse, from his old family members and himself. In my opinion i feel he is scared he would hurt the child himself. Due to all the memories he has and all the pain he has incurred throughout his life, i feel the child could be an outlet to take his anger out on. This act would continue the trend in his family, continuing the appalling treatment of family and specifically children.

Emergency and Home

The short story "Emergency" by Dennis Johnson i found to be very interesting due to the fact it kept my attention throughout its entirety. In part, i felt i enjoyed it so much because the way in which Dennis Johnson wrote it made me feel as if i was there, somewhat of a third person party. The details, situations, and various scenarios (from hospital, to the road, to the woods) made the story easily understandable, easy to picture, and easy to relate with. Majority of people have been in a hospital and the woods at one point in their life, allowing this story to give out a picturesque mental image.

In the story, i felt the potential positives and negatives of drug use were portrayed, as both the narrator and the orderly Georgie were on pills the entire time. Many negatives were seen towards the beginning of the story, as Georgie was seen trembling and weeping while attempting to mop up blood that was not even there. In this situation, Georgie states "There's so much goop inside of us man...and it all wants to get out." This quotation may be seen as a "bad trip" as Georgie is tying in all the deaths and injury seen within the hospital, making it seem as if its normal and supposed to happen. Drug use in the story also kept me on the edge of my seat, particularly in the instance where the narrator and Georgie are asked to perform surgery on Terrence Webber. Because they were inebriated, i was very anxious to see how the surgery was going to pan out, and if anything wrong and traumatic was going to occur. Drugs in this situation, after continuing to read, may have actually been beneficial. The head doctor when seeing the injury states "Im not touching that head. Im just going to watch this one. I know my limits." This quote shows signs of nervousness and pressure. Beacause Georgie was in a "high" however, he had no fear of the situation, and eventually went in to prep the patient and came out with the hunting knife in his left hand. After inspecting the patient, "it turned out that he had excellent vision in the one good eye, and acceptable motor and reflex" proving Georgie did a good job.

Drugs were also reprented in a negative light, making individuals take part in weird and abnormal activites. Some in the book included cutting the rabbit open and trying to save the babbies, picturing the drive in movie theatre as a military grave yard, and simply driving around aimlessly throughout the night.

The story "Home" by Jayne Anne Phillips i found to be depressing. To me, i found both characters (the mother and daughter) to be living in the past and living vicariously in the present through the news and events outside of their home. They show no sense of adventure of action, doing the same things everyday, which include the daughter watching the news and reading books in her room and the mother watching television and knitting afghans. Both characters show many signs of heartache. The first one in the mothers point of view included her bad marriage. "She married him in two weeks. It took twenty years to divorce him." This quote shows how she jumped into the marriage, due to her sick mother, and how the marriage was not enjoyable and was headed towards divorce the entire time. A heartache experienced by the daughter was seen in a description of one of her dreams. On page 414, it describes a dream of her father, and fear and remembrance of being molested by him. I came to this conclusion by the description of what the father was wearing (a towel) and the fear and attempt of avoidance by the daughter.

Due to her father molesting her, this in turn my have caused the narrator to be afraid of relationships with other men. In the beginning of the book, it states that she came home because she was not in love. But after seeing a class ring at the garage sail, and once again reminiscing about the past, she thinks about Jason and how much she misses him. She then begins to spend time with Daniel, which leads to further heartbreak for the mother. Her mother throughout her life urges her to wait till marriage to have sex. This apparently was not understood or taken to heart, as she has sex with Daniel in her mothers house, leading to controversy and uneasiness between the mother and daughter. Overall, the story "Home" is full of remembrance of unfortunate and painstaking events and the creation of new ones.

Lolita 179 to 236

Although the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov is very hard for me to understand and follow, i still enjoy reading it, as it is written in an intricate way and the main character Humbert is of a different nature than any other character i have read about. The way in which his mind thinks, the way in which he interacts with others, and his goals and motives are peculiar and in most cases perverted and somewhat disgusting. In this specific segment of the book, i once again found traces of Humbert being embarrassed and ashamed of his desire for Lo, but also showing no signs of stopping. On page 180, he states that he felt like he "lived in a lighted house of glass, and that any moment some tin-lipped parchment face would peer through." This line shows that he is scared of being caught and accused for his obsession with Lo, showing that he recognizes it is wrong.

One of Humbert's refuges in this section of the book is Gaston Godin. Although he does not tell Gaston of his obsession and unlawful acts, he feels as if Gaston is the only person that does not judge him in a negative fashion, accepting him for who he truly is. On page 181 he states, "the main reason why i enjoyed- or at least tolerated with relief- his company was the spell of absolute security that his ample person cast on my secret. " By definition, ample means generally sufficient, so in my opinion Gaston satisfies him as a friend not because they get along but because of Gaston's lack of interest in Humbert's "secret life". For instance, Humbert later states, "he was much too self centered and abstract to notice or suspect anything that might lead to a frank question on his part." Overall, Gaston serves as his "good herald".

While playing a game of chess with Gaston, Humbert's mind is fixed upon Lo, and her "bare feet practicing dance techniques in the living room downstairs." This line once again shows his deep obsession for the young girl, taking his mind off everything he is doing and focusing his attention on his "formidable Queen." Once again, his love for Gaston as a friend is also seen as he states "Gaston's outgoing senses were comfortably dulled, and he remained unaware of those naked rhythyms." Gaston's lack of attention for the girl provides comfort and sercurity for Humbert, not only allowing him to think he will not get caught but also giving him no further competition in the girl. As seen earlier in the book, Humbert tends to get very jealous when other men give the girl attention, even boys her own age. Overall, throughout this segment of the book, Humbert's "passion, tenderness, and torture" continually increase.

Lolita pages 62 to 109

Lolita in my perspective is a very interesting work of art. Although the content and overall setting of the book is very wrong and somewhat disgusting, the way in which the piece is written is remarkable. To me i find the technical part of the book to be very impressive, as the details and way of expressing thoughts and situations is different than any other work i have ever read before. Throughout these pages of the book, i found the first few pages to be most interesting. Humbert, the narrator, is contradicting himself whether his actions are good and moral or wrong. At first, it states "The child knew nothing. I had done nothing to her." Due to the fact the child went about as nothing was wrong, Humbert tries to justify his actions, believing the child would act hurt and tarnished if something bad happened to her. Because to himself his actions are somewhat justified, he then states "nothing prevented me from repeating a performance." Performing bad deeds until one is caught is known as a bad habit, this being one of a serious degree. These quote shows his intentions for the future, proving he intends to continue his actions.

Later in the chapter, Humbert shows signs of recognition of his bad habit, somewhat chastising himself for his actions. When referring to the girl, he represents his feelings by saying "I adore her so horribly." Although he does love her, the way in which he shows it is wrong and simply immoral. He goes on to "qualify it as pathetic" realizing his wrong actions and showing some remorse for the past. Throughout this section of the book he goes back and forth, trying to decide whether he should act morally and normal, or act immorally and fulfill his "hunger".

After going back and forth on the direction he is going to take, he states "I intended, with the most fervent force and foresight, to protect the purtiy of that twelve year old child." In my opinion, his addiction and habit will overcome his goal, leading to a path of filth and dishonesty.