Thursday, February 26, 2009

#16 Mark Twain - Letters from the Earth

Bila Lee
English 48B
February 27, 2009
Journal #16 Letters from the Earth

Quote
“He saved out Noah and his family, and arranged to exterminate the rest. He planned an Ark, and Noah built it. Neither of them had ever built an Ark before, nor knew anything about Arks; and so something out of the common was to be expected” (Twain 314).

Summary
Honestly, the above quote is arbitrary excerpted (actually not that arbitrary, but “the Ark” recalls my high school memory which I will further explain in the “Responses” section) because I feel this piece of literary work is hilariously interesting, in which I wish to include at least twenty inspiring quotes in the journal. In short, it requires both bravery and encourages, rather than any talented writing skills, for Mark Twain to publish the “Letters from the Earth.” Twain risks himself from exasperating Christians and challenging the mighty religious doctrine. He employs Satan, and archangels Gabriel and Michael, to demonstrate his disappointment of humans, and hence their creator, the God. Twain discloses how ugly, selfish the nature of human beings is by listing examples aplenty.

Responses
Mark Twain is undoubtedly one of the most influential writers in human history, yet some of his work is incredibly controversial (at least I think both assigned readings are controversial). Suggested in Wikipedia, Mark Twain was facing a hard time when he decided to write “Letters from the Earth” that “he was deep in debt and had lost his wife and one of his daughters” (Wikipedia). So I guess the obstacles he was facing were the rationales for Twain to write this piece of writing.

Prior to making any comment on the compilation of letters, it is better for me to state my religious view and background. I am not a Christian but my life is tightly tied to Christianity. I have attended Christian schools for thirteen years, my ex-girlfriend is a pious Christian and I have been occasionally participating in church functions. In other words, I am flooded with the positive perspectives of Christianity. The quote reminds me one of the sweetest moments in high school when I played in the musical “The Ark” (though I forgot which role I was starring), and yes, everyone tells me that Jesus Christ sacrifices himself for all mankind and so we should resemble his well-doing to love each other. In fact, I am never skeptical to the holy and pure Christian; yet I do really understand some of Mark Twain’s standpoints and truly appreciate his bravery to point out something that not everyone dares to say.

Twain tactically employs Satan to address his central idea. On one hand, it displays his imaginative and skillful writing techniques; on the other hand, it helps neutralizing the tension between himself and Christians, as he might argue Satan holds the contradictory values. Anyhow, I especially like he mocks humans’ immorality – the interesting ideas really encourage and motivate me to think deeper, and perhaps have to think beyond any religious beliefs. Sometimes I am tired to discuss discrimination in my assignment, but nearly all of my classes required critical thinking touch this issue because unfairness is undeniably real in our society. Not only does discrimination reflect unfairness but natural disasters, income gap between developed and developing countries, or simply personal traits also are signs of unfairness. Today it is frustrating to compare my returns to yours, and perhaps tomorrow it is heartbreaking for you to compare your situation to mine. Is this fate or the God’s intention? If it is the God’s intention, Mark Twain is somehow justified to conclude the God does not treat everyone equally.

Monday, February 23, 2009

#15 Mark Twain - Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences

Bila Lee
English 48B
February 26, 2009
Journal #15 Mark Twain

Quote
“If Cooper had been an observer, his inventive faculty would have worked better, not more interestingly, but more rationally, more plausibly. Cooper’s proudest creations in the way of ‘situations’ suffer noticeably from the absence of the observer’s protecting gift. Cooper’s eye was splendidly inaccurate. Cooper seldom saw anything correctly. He saw nearly all things as through a glass eye” (Twain 297).

Summary
As its title, “Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offences,” has already suggested, its writer Mark Twain relentlessly criticizes James Fenimore Cooper and denies his contribution in Literature. Twain picks “The Pathfinder” and “The Deerslayer,” in which both literary works are regarded as Cooper’s famous masterpiece, to illustrate how Cooper violates eighteen literary rules and “has scored 114 offences against literary art out of a possible 115” (Twain 295). With an eye to the given statistics, as well as the comments and examples provided by the legendary Mark Twain, it has every strong reason to believe Fenimore Cooper is the most horrible writer ever. Yet, is it the truth?

Responses
Wow. I always suppose we should show our greatest respect to others, even though we think either that person is bizarre or his work is ridiculous, or both. Wow, I could never imagine a literary writer criticizes another writer in such a relentless manner. It does really broaden my horizons to a very large extent. Yet, it is subjective to judge and evaluate others’ work, like some think Fenimore Cooper is brilliant whereas Mark Twain thinks in an opposite way; similarly, some may agree Twain’s criticism and think his analysis helps the contemporary Literature world; while some may disagree with Twain’s perspectives.

I conducted a research via answers.com, and I found an extremely accurate point to the issue:

“Hilarious though Twain's essay is, it is valid only within its own narrow and sometimes misapplied criteria. Whether Twain is attacking Cooper's diction or Hawkeye's tracking feats, his strategy is to charge Cooper with one small inaccuracy, reconstruct the surrounding narrative or sentence around it, and then produce the whole as evidence that Cooper's kind of English would prevent anyone from seeing reality” (http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/HNS/Indians/critic.html)

Diction is perhaps the soul of all literary work. However, the preference of using one particular vocabulary over another may reflect an embedded meaning that only the author knows. In our text page 302, Mark Twain proposes a list of “approximate word” (Twain 302) and how they should be replaced by Twain’s perfect words. Honestly, I did not read those words one by one because it would not help unless comparing to the original text (and I was too lazy to google the Deerslayer…) I assume Mark Twain’s revision is better, but I think some modern English majors may also be able to challenge his dictions. In addition, his another evident to demonstrate Cooper’s literary offence goes, “as nobody had missed it yet, the ‘also’ was not necessary” (Twain 300). In his own work, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Ch. XXXI,” I can easily find he commits some careless mistake as well. But, of course, those mechanical mistakes like “says I” (Twain 245) are intended to match the content; yet, I think “also” in Cooper’s work is also not a big deal.

Recently, I am having a cold war with my best friend because I made a negative comment on her essay (well, actually not that negative, I just said “it seems the last one is better and I see room of improvement for this one.”) She gets mad at me, of course plus some personal reasons, and both of us are upset about it. The incident gives me a valuable lesson that we should respect others and their effort made in each work, and hence I think Mark Twain is over-reacted in this particular case.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

#14 Edith Wharton - The Other Two

Bila Lee
English 48B
February 20, 2009
Journal #14 Edith Wharton

Quote
“’There’s just one thing you can do, Mr. Waythron,’ he said. ‘You can remind Mrs. Waythron that, by the decree of the courts, I am entitled to have a voice in Lily’s bringing-up. […] I’m not the kind to talk about enforcing my rights, Mr. Waythron. I don’t know as I think a man is entitled to rights he hasn’t known how to hold on to; but this business of the child is different. I’ve never let go there – and I never mean to’” (Wharton 839).

Summary
It is indeed an extremely interesting story about a very complicated family. Alice Waythron has divorced twice and newly marries to a successful businessman, Mr. Waythron. The couple’s honeymoon is ended earlier because Lily, the daughter of Alice and Mr. Haskett, is diagnosed with typhoid. The above quotation is extracted from a private conversation between Mr. Waythron and Haskett, and it is basically about Haskett’s rights to visit his biological daughter. He uses laws as well as emotional appeal to ask for a visit. To an extent, the conversation discloses the complication for Alice to deal with her ex-husbands, and yes, it causes quite a number of disputes and arguments between the newly-married couple.

Responses
Honestly, I am a bit confused and puzzled when reading Edith Wharton’s “The Other Two.” I sometimes mix up Mr. Waythron, Mr. Haskett and Mr. Varick and have to re-read back-and-forth to get a better understanding of the story. Nevertheless, in general, it is a great story with a common sociological issue – divorce and the relationship between the divorced couple and their children. Yet, it was uncommon to have divorce case in the nineteenth century and thus it somehow sounds weird for Alice Waythron to have this experience twice.

As Wikipedia and our author introduction suggest, Edith Wharton had a very unhappy marriage but did not get divorced until ten years after the novel, “The Other Two,” was published. So it might be true that Wharton employed her pen to express her eagerness to get divorced. In fact, their lives (I mean both Waythron and Haskett) are very complicated and difficult when compared to normal people. For example, a kid should receive the quietest environment and the warmest parental care when they are sick, not to mention some big illnesses like typhoid. However, when Lily gets that illness, the adults are solving the dispute whether her biological father has the rights to visit Lily and when is the fittest time for him to visit.

Not only is the normal business of Wharton interfered but his mood is also adversely affected. No one would feel happy when his wife is harassed by her pervious lovers are frequently in contact with her. And I think these three are the worst consequences for this particular story. In Hong Kong, some lawsuits about how the properties should be divided are occasionally reported – and those cases usually involve celebrities and a huge amount of money.

So I think we should really think twice or even thrice before getting married.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

#13 Henry James - Daisy Miller: A Study

Bila Lee
English 48B
February 19, 2009
Journal #13 Henry James

Quote
“At last he said, ‘She was the most beautiful young lady I ever saw, and the most amiable.’ And then he added in a moment, ‘And she was the most innocent.’” (James 428).

Summary
The above quote is extracted at the very ending of the story, “Daisy Miller: A Study.” It is indeed the final part because the protagonist, who is also the experimental subject in the study, dies because of malaria. The quote is taken from a conversation between two loving rivalries, Winterbourne and Giovanelli, during Daisy’s funeral landscape. It is not quite surprising for them to discuss their common friend, but the content in the conversation is extraordinary significant and it leaves a big question mark for the entire novel. Is Daisy a virgin when she dies? Does she fall for either Winterbourne or Giovanelli, or both? For all these flirting questions will never have a concrete and recognized answers – that’s why we spent a large amount of lesson time to discuss her purity and innocence – we really wish to know whether she is a virgin.

Responses
Above all, I have to say it is the most entertaining story in the course so far. It refreshes my memory back to my junior Literature class in high school, and recalls one of my favorite novels, “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier. Both novels depict some romantic love affair between charming gentlemen and attractive fair ladies – and the chief male characters named Maxim de Winter and Winterbourne respectively. The coincidence impresses me at first glance, and I am thinking if I should name me future son as “Winter” to inject some romantic and charming element into him.

I like the story mainly because the physical beauty and classical feminine instinct displayed by Daisy Miller. As illustrated in the section, “Daisy Miller,” in Wikipedia, it is exactly right to address the story as “confused courtship of the eponymous American girl” (Wikipedia). To a very small extent, I personally am also attracted to her based on the textual description and how she verbally seduces males, like she praises Giovanelli as “the handsomest man in the world – except Mr. Winterbourne!” (James 412) and “I don’t want you to come for your aunt, I want you to come for me” (James 408). Daisy Miller possesses two strong weapons: the inborn beauty and the acquired flirting techniques, in which it is incredibly easy for her to conquer the hearts of Winterbourne and Giovanelli. Hence, critics raise a question to challenge if Daisy is as innocent as what Winterbourne claims, “she’s very innocent” (James 415).

I think she is both innocent and intelligent in dealing with males. Though she likes to hang around with different males, I believe she does not mean any sexual purpose but only intend to verify her popularity. Yes, some of my female friends always play this trick, and sometimes I think they wish examine if any boys who love them would feel jealous. Thereby, I guess it may be simply an illusion for critics to doubt the purity and innocence of Daisy Miller – I bet it is only her feminine instinct to get so close with Giovanelli to examine Winterbourne, the one she really falls for.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

#12 Stephen Crane - The Open Boat

Bila Lee
English 48B
February 13, 2009
Journal #12 Stephen Crane

Quote
“During this dismal night, it may be remarked that a man would conclude that it was really the intention of the seven mad gods to drown him, despite the abominable injustice of it. For it was certainly an abominable injustice to drown a man who had worked so hard, so hard. The man felt it would be a crime most unnatural. Other people had drowned at sea since galleys swarmed with painted sails, but still – ” (Crane 1011).

Summary
The four men in the short story were in a very dangerous situation, and they were nearly drowned to death. The above quote was extracted from Chapter VI of “The Open Boat,” in which I guess was murmured by the correspondent because he was ambiguously employed by Stephen Crane to narrate the entire story. I pick this quote partly because it developed an arguable dispute if Crane had injected some religious matters into his text, and partly because it brought a philosophical matter to investigate the internal struggle of a person when he/she knew he/she had a high probability to die soon. Though Billie the Oiler died eventually when the Captain, the Cook and the Correspondent survived, it was indeed a naturalistic and masterpiece story which followed Crane’s style.

Responses
Stephen Crane was raised in a family with a Methodist minister father and a social reform-minded mother. However, Crane was an individual who “systematically rejected religious and social traditions” (Wikipedia). Yet, one of the most heated debate topics in today’s class meeting was whether religious matters were added to his famous novel, “The Open Boat.” I advocate the side that Crane held no intentions to get involved in Christianity, and I think it was only his and his fellows’ instinct to blame God when they were facing danger. It was particularly remarkable that Crane wrote the story based on a recent experience of his steamer, “The Commodore,” sank off the coast of Florida.

To a certain extent, humans are the strangest organism in terms of our mind. We tend to point a finger at some unknown externalities when we are trapped in difficulty, problems, and in this very story, a serious sinking which might cause deaths. Apparently, the narrator desperately thought it was injustice to him, his friends and the boat; he blamed the God for creating this unfair incident. But with an eyes to his following statement, “Yes, but I love myself,” (Crane 1011) I think he was in an insensational mode that he was thinking irrationally. The correspondent did not want to die too soon, or in such an innocent way, and hence he wanted to blame someone and excused some being ought to accountable for the tragedy. I further believe Crane used “God” rather than “Mohammed” nor “Allah” simply because Christianity had been the most widely-distributed religion in the world, and human beings are thereby dependent on God. It is common to hear “Oh My God” when you did something wrongly or “Thanks God” when you did something pleasingly – yet, it has nothing to deal with religion.

To conclude, I think the narrator was so desperate and helpless that he wished to express his internal mood, and did not relate to any religious matter.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

#11 Stephen Crane - Maggie

Bila Lee
English 48B
February 12, 2009
Journal #11 Stephen Crane

Quote
“He found his mother raving. Maggie had not returned home. The parent continually wondered how her daughter could come to such a pass. She had never considered Maggie as pearl dropped unstained into Rum Alley from Heaven, but she could not conceive how it was possible for her daughter to fall so low as to bring disgrace upon her family. She was terrific in denunciation of the girl’s wickedness” (Crane 985).

Summary
It was a heartbreaking story which reflected the very genuine social darkness. The quote was extracted from Chapter XIII of “Maggie,” and was accurately yet coldly demonstrated how Mary, mother of Maggie, reacted when Mary was informed her daughter became a prostitute. I chose this short quote for analysis because it covered two important ideas: Mary was a drunken mother that she even did not concern how her children were doing outside, she did not even notice Jimmie and Maggie “had not returned home.” Moreover, Maggie stayed in astray not because of her wicked mother instead of Pete. She did rarely, if ever, receive maternal love from Mary and Mary was only aware of the “disgrace upon her family” and how they were viewed by neighbors when she knew the cruel truth.

Responses
Stephen Crane was one of the best-known naturalistic writers. As stated in the section, “Naturalism,” in Wikipedia, “Naturalist fiction in the United States often concentrated on the non-Anglo, ethnically marked inhabitants of the growing American cities, many of them immigrants and most belonging to a class-spectrum ranging from the destitute to the lower middle-class” (Wikipedia). In fact, Crane used his pen to desperately describe the hardship of Irish immigrants in the novel “Maggie.”

The novel ran smoothly and naturally in the sense that it was not a fairy tale but portrayed some realistic plots. Maggie was raised in a broken family that her parents were both indulged in alcoholic drinks, it was commonly observed among the Irish immigrants population because they could barely participate in the discriminating community and hence lost their direction in life, and consequently expressed an extent of indifference to their children. Maggie was literally a natural victim who got acquaintance to Pete, and finally got trapped into the world of prostitution and darkness.

Mary was a typical and conventional mother who believed her children were existed to glorify their parents; yet they were some “wicked children” if they behaved in some disgraceful way. For example, it was undoubtedly a negative thing to have a prostitute in the family, and deserved every reason to have the bad reputation circulated around the neighborhood. Yet, Mary should protect rather than to join the bad-mouthing neighbors to address her daughter. The story followed naturalism to have a sad ending, and it was heartbroken for me to read how Mary reacted when she was informed her daughter’s death, “She continued her meal. When she finished her coffee she began to weep” (Crane 999). It is horrible to imagine how calm Mary was at that very moment.

An old saying goes like parents will tolerate the faults that their children have committed. Yes, Mary ends the story by saying, “Oh yes, I’ll forgive her! I’ll forgive her,” (Crane 1000) but I doubt how sincere when compared with my beginning quote.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

#10 Ruiz Burton - The Squatter and the Don

Bila Lee
English 48B
February 6, 2009
Journal #10 Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton

Quote
“You are too good business men to suppose that I should not reserve some slight advantage for myself, when I am willing you should have many more yourselves. All I want to do is to save the few cattle I have left” (Burton 96).

Summary
The quote was extracted from a negotiation between the Don and the squatters. The Don was the Spanish landowner who owned lands and raised cattles; however his properties were lost partly because of human factors, and partly because of governmental policies. In fact, the U.S. government established some discriminative policies against immigrants to protect its local residents; in her most famous novel, “The Squatter and the Don,” Ruiz Burton explicitly employed the Don (a.k.a. Senor Alamar) and his loss to point a finger at the “no fence law”; but Burton also ironically defended her people from being discriminated. The quote summarized how the Don struggled to achieve what he deserved.

Responses
The novel consolidated the influential status of Ruiz Burton in the Mexican American Literature because her work encouraged a reflection among “the multiple groups under attack by white, capitalist corporate entities” (Burton). In addition to context, the novel is absolutely a pleasure to read because of her excellent writing technique; for instance, Burton created an illusion that each squatter was highly respect to the Don at the beginning of the discussion. The squatters showed their warmest greetings to Alamar, appreciated Alamar’s English pronunciation (it sounds interesting to see the native speakers praise an ESL speaker) and the general meeting atmosphere was harmonious. The entire setting twisted not until the Don proposed his business plan to lease his cattles and the corresponding terms.












His business plan was very generous in the sense that he proposed to share his wealth with the squatters. The act was suspectical and Mathews was the first one to express his concerns, “Pshaw! I knew there was to be something behind all that display of generosity” (Burton 96). Basically, his doubt was raised inaudibly reasonable because most humans make decision for self-interest and there had only a few, if any, altruistic persons existed in reality. The intention of the Don was exceedingly questionable provided that his properties were recently lost, and his cattles were stolen because his squatters refused to build protecting fences. Hence, the squatters possessed every reason to hold reservations for the Don and his “unsuspected hero” behavior.

It was believed that it was a defensive tactic for the Don to introduce these attractive clauses to the squatters, because some governmental policies were suppressing him. The Don was wise to make a concession to share his benefits with his potential enemies – the squatters might play a crucial role in the Don’s loss, as there was an ambiguous statement in the novel, “‘Exactly, we want to look after our cows, too,’ said the Don, laughing. All saw the fine irony of the rejoinder, and laughed heartily.” (Burton 95). I interpret the line as the Don already knew the squatters’ trick in enraging him, but he was well-prepared to fight-back. Instead of any harmful retaliation, the Don calmly chose to propose a practicable method to the squatters, in a hope to retain his most handsome profit. I think he was clever because he pierced the humans’ mind that everyone is self-interest and strive for the biggest returns.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

#9 Sarah Orne Jewett - A White Heron

Bila Lee
English 48B
February 5, 2009
Journal #9 Sarah Orne Jewett

Quote
“Sylvia still watched the young man with loving admiration. She had never seen anybody so charming and delightful; the woman’s heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love” (Jewett 526).

Summary
Though the length of the story is comparatively short, it covers many critical themes and I am especially fascinated in discussing gender roles. Sylvia and Mrs. Tilley interdependently live in a rural woods, and they are isolated from males until the hunter emerges. As the only male character in the story (even the cow is female), his emergence sharply brings the feminist criticism – the above quotation depicts the Sylvia’s internal feeling towards the hunter that she seems like sexually attracted by him; nevertheless, the plot of the story demonstrates that female also possess the privilege to celebrate bravery, freedom and strength. So I believe one of the central themes is to challenge the genders norm.

Responses
Jewett skillfully employs Sylvia as the protagonist. Wikipedia reminds me the significance of nine-year-old for a girl that she “is close to puberty, she begins to have new kinds of feelings toward this young hunter,” (A White Heron) which strengthens the feminist criticism for the entire story. It is also important to set the story in 1886 at the time when male was always predominant over female. Sociologically speaking, gender roles is a concept for what the society expects men/women do and not to do; for instance men are expected to provide manpower whereas women are likely take some gentler tasks. Sylvia, a nine-year-old girl who is possibly an orphan, symbolizes a pure and innocent female who challenges gender roles.

Hunting is supposedly a manly activity but the young girl displays her exceptional bravery and strength to hunt. Jewitt intentionally energizes Sylvia as the female representative to create an idea that women can be as strong as men. Some boy friends of mine are scared of dogs, cockroaches, darkness and ghosts, but Sylvia is oppositely brave to kill with her bloody hands. In addition, Sylvia also expresses a sense of freedom when she follows a stranger hunter. Not only is it awkward to hang out with a strange man but it is also inappropriate to let him enter the house to live. The plot reflects Sylvia, or perhaps Jewitt, is attempting to get rid of the social restriction, and voices that female should also have the privilege to enjoy freedom and to practice what they think appropriate.

The male hunter is interested in hunting and collecting the white heron, he proposes to “give ten dollars to anybody who could show it to me” (Jewett 525). Prior to our class discussion, I did not arrive at an important point that the extravagant “ten dollars” are spent to but Sylvia for some sexual purposes. It is absolutely a sexist criticism that male always believe money and their physical power can help achieving whatever they wish. But the feminist short story asserts and makes a fight-back to deny the hunter from getting the white heron – Jewett wants to exhibit the truth that a little girl is powerful enough to turn a man down, and make him feel frustrated.