Oh, man, where to begin? Quite a book, that Jane Eyre was. I'll be the first to admit, I didn't like the book at first. It took a while to develop, and I'm the kind of guy that doesn't really get into a book until it really takes off.
The book was a good one, but to be honest, if the unit is about coming of age, I really didn't think that Jane Eyre fit with the unit very well. Sure, she does grow up and change as the story moves along, and maybe it's just me, but as I read the book, I wasn't really instilled with this sense of coming of age. That would really only come afterward in the loosest sense, and only sometimes, when we discussed the book as a class. If the meaning was about coming of age, I got totally lost in what I was reading about and didn't see anything about that.
Perhaps this book just shouldn't be taught in the class. Again, maybe it's just me, but I didn't really get much out of the book other than "Well, I guess it was a good book." That and its being almost too much of a read for us to get through...I think the class would be better off choosing a different book. It was, however, the kind of book I might suggest for an independent reading. I know I sound like a broken record when I say I'm not sure about the theme of the class as a whole, or if all the independent readings connect to a larger idea, but if those books don't exactly have anything in common, Jane Eyre would be a good one to add to the independent reading list.
One other thing. About the ending. I didn't mind it, really, except for the little bit about Jane and Rochester hearing each other's voices. The ending would have been perfectly fine without that little tidbit, and it seemed to be just a little bit too much. Jane was going to find out what happened to Rochester anyway, so it's not as if she needed that little extra "Jane, Jane, Jane!" to get her going. It struck me almost like a bit of a deus ex machina, and personally, I think Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre at a level that should have been above such trivialities. But I digress.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A Martian's Point of View
Even if you've never read the book, seen the movie, or heard the radio broadcast, you've likely heard of The War of the Worlds. It's told from the perspective of one man who survives the apocalypse of martian attack, and though he is by no means the only one, most people that he meets are killed by the martians at some point or another. The problem is that the point of view tells us that the martians are bloodthirsty demons with no principles. Yet how are we to know that's true? As the reader, we are left with little to no actual evidence of the reasoning behind believing that the martians are evil apart from the fact that they try to eliminate the human race, which, I might add, is one thing we could even say about ourselves sometimes.
So get this. How about a War of the Worlds from the point of view of one of the martians? They came to Earth, and though they started the hostilities, they clearly didn't expect any fight back, which was something they got in parts of the book (but to be honest, the martians did most of the dominating). How would the book sound if it were told by a martian? We might get a completely different argument from this, such as the reason why the martians came in the first place. Perhaps they had a legitimate reason for invading the third rock from the sun.
So get this. How about a War of the Worlds from the point of view of one of the martians? They came to Earth, and though they started the hostilities, they clearly didn't expect any fight back, which was something they got in parts of the book (but to be honest, the martians did most of the dominating). How would the book sound if it were told by a martian? We might get a completely different argument from this, such as the reason why the martians came in the first place. Perhaps they had a legitimate reason for invading the third rock from the sun.
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Many Quirks of Rochester
He has a bit of a comic relief character feel to him, don't you think? If it weren't for the fact that he plays such a vital role in the book both as Jane's new employer as well as the deepest, most secret desire of her heart, I would have cast him as such. But what do we know of him so far? Let's recap.
Rochester has had issues with those who have been close to him in the past, including an apparently wicked brother (and possibly father, though he may have just been helpless) who contrived to steal his inheritance from under him and an unfaithful lover who claims that her child is his: whether or not this is actually true, we are not entirely sure, though most believe the child is his.
He also believes that witchcraft could be afoot. When he meets Jane at Thornfield (after his incident at the stile), he blames his fall on her and her "men in green." Upon reflection, this is likely just a joke on his part, in order that he might not be his own reason for falling, or rather the ice being the reason. Yet some who live at Thornfield suggest that it could be haunted, or at least go so far as to identify the haunt of a ghost were there such a thing at Thornfield, which might lead one to believe that there is such a being in residence at Thornfield.
He even seems to be just a shade bipolar. Intensely telling a story one minute, deep in conversation with his fate the next, his mood swings are unpredictable, and this is not exactly typical of a man rapidly approaching his forties, as we soon learn from Mrs. Fairfax. Fortunately, it seems as though this is a trait that allows for getting used to, so we shall soon see as the story progresses even further. Jane already seems to be prepared for most of his eccentricities, but we have half the book yet to go. Time will tell.
He also dresses as a woman. Just saying.
Rochester has had issues with those who have been close to him in the past, including an apparently wicked brother (and possibly father, though he may have just been helpless) who contrived to steal his inheritance from under him and an unfaithful lover who claims that her child is his: whether or not this is actually true, we are not entirely sure, though most believe the child is his.
He also believes that witchcraft could be afoot. When he meets Jane at Thornfield (after his incident at the stile), he blames his fall on her and her "men in green." Upon reflection, this is likely just a joke on his part, in order that he might not be his own reason for falling, or rather the ice being the reason. Yet some who live at Thornfield suggest that it could be haunted, or at least go so far as to identify the haunt of a ghost were there such a thing at Thornfield, which might lead one to believe that there is such a being in residence at Thornfield.
He even seems to be just a shade bipolar. Intensely telling a story one minute, deep in conversation with his fate the next, his mood swings are unpredictable, and this is not exactly typical of a man rapidly approaching his forties, as we soon learn from Mrs. Fairfax. Fortunately, it seems as though this is a trait that allows for getting used to, so we shall soon see as the story progresses even further. Jane already seems to be prepared for most of his eccentricities, but we have half the book yet to go. Time will tell.
He also dresses as a woman. Just saying.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Ending of Ghost World
This was something we already touched on in class, but I was hoping to have a bit more of a discussion about it, maybe get more explanations as to why some people thought the ending represented what it did. I believe I've already stated my opinion, but just in case I'll put it out there again: I think that the ending of the movie was about Enid's realization of her dream with her departure to somewhere random, just like she had told Seymour was her deepest darkest fantasy.
Others have said that the ending is more of a representation of death. Norman, who normally sat at the bus stop, was a really old guy, so it wouldn't be so far-fetched to believe that he would die. It might be a bit of a stretch saying that Enid killed herself, because there really wasn't an obvious indication that that would be the case, but we can't exactly rule it out entirely, either. She was dealing with a lot by the end of the film, so it's possible that she could have killed herself.
These two views were the ones I heard the most of in class (one, of course, being my own), so I hope we can prompt a little more discussion about this. Has anyone else a different opinion of the ending? Or do you have a reason why you might stand behind one interpretation over the other?
Others have said that the ending is more of a representation of death. Norman, who normally sat at the bus stop, was a really old guy, so it wouldn't be so far-fetched to believe that he would die. It might be a bit of a stretch saying that Enid killed herself, because there really wasn't an obvious indication that that would be the case, but we can't exactly rule it out entirely, either. She was dealing with a lot by the end of the film, so it's possible that she could have killed herself.
These two views were the ones I heard the most of in class (one, of course, being my own), so I hope we can prompt a little more discussion about this. Has anyone else a different opinion of the ending? Or do you have a reason why you might stand behind one interpretation over the other?
Friday, November 19, 2010
Visions of Teenhood
It seems a little bit open-ended. It wouldn't be fair to say that they didn't get it right, because obviously some of them did and some of them didn't. I think the more recent films and books did a better job of describing the modern teen, probably because they can compare it to teen life in this day and age. The books and movies from the 50s did a fine job of describing teen life in the 50s, I'm sure, but they don't work for these days. While there was clearly teen angst like there is today, it was usually about some totally different things, and films and books from the 50s are hardly comparable to films and books from the here and now, just as teen life from the 50s is hardly comparable to teen life now.
In keeping with the idea that the newer films portray modern teen life better, I would say that either Ellen Page or Jonah Hill best exemplify teen life these days simply because their characters more accurately deal with the kind of problems that teenagers face. But, like I said, comparing movies about teenagers from the 50s with movies about teenagers today is about as fair as comparing teenage life in the 50s to today's teenage life.
In keeping with the idea that the newer films portray modern teen life better, I would say that either Ellen Page or Jonah Hill best exemplify teen life these days simply because their characters more accurately deal with the kind of problems that teenagers face. But, like I said, comparing movies about teenagers from the 50s with movies about teenagers today is about as fair as comparing teenage life in the 50s to today's teenage life.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Secret Novels of J. D. Salinger
It's hard to imagine, at least for me, what these books would have been about. I suppose he probably wrote some things about the Glass family, those seemed to be really big hits when he wrote about them, even if none of them were considered classics like The Catcher in the Rye. Maybe he did something related to The Catcher itself, though. That sounds like something Salinger might do. That is exactly what he did with the Glass family when his short story about Seymour Glass was published in The New Yorker. But it's still hard to tell, not knowing Salinger personally. If I did know him personally, I'd probably ask him about those books.
Even though he didn't like his books being turned into movies, I wonder if he would have gotten over that by the time he got around to writing some of his later works. Obviously, he didn't want to ruin The Catcher, seeing as it was considered a classic. Still, maybe some of the other supposedly secret novels that he may or may not have written would have made good movies, or at least be easier to make into a movie. Salinger might have even made good screenplays, if he put his mind to it. The Catcher isn't exactly the best book I've ever read, but it's pretty good, and even if you don't like The Catcher, you'd probably be able to tell that Salinger is a talented writer.
It would be great if someone found these secret novels, assuming Salinger did write them. I'm assuming he did, though, because writing is something that Salinger does. He writes well, and I can't really imagine someone just not doing something they're good at, unless he had no doubt that The Catcher would eclipse everything else he would ever write. Who knows, though? Maybe someday someone will find these novels and they'll turn out even better than The Catcher. That would be an interesting day.
Even though he didn't like his books being turned into movies, I wonder if he would have gotten over that by the time he got around to writing some of his later works. Obviously, he didn't want to ruin The Catcher, seeing as it was considered a classic. Still, maybe some of the other supposedly secret novels that he may or may not have written would have made good movies, or at least be easier to make into a movie. Salinger might have even made good screenplays, if he put his mind to it. The Catcher isn't exactly the best book I've ever read, but it's pretty good, and even if you don't like The Catcher, you'd probably be able to tell that Salinger is a talented writer.
It would be great if someone found these secret novels, assuming Salinger did write them. I'm assuming he did, though, because writing is something that Salinger does. He writes well, and I can't really imagine someone just not doing something they're good at, unless he had no doubt that The Catcher would eclipse everything else he would ever write. Who knows, though? Maybe someday someone will find these novels and they'll turn out even better than The Catcher. That would be an interesting day.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Visions of Childhood
Remember that old show Recess? You better. It was awesome. You have the six characters, from TJ to Gus, Vince to Mikey, Spinelli to Gretchen, all representing a little slice of childhood as we remember it from the good old days. Vince, you may remember, was the sporty kid who was good at everything he did, and he had a little bit of a competitive spirit as well. Mikey was the kid who just wanted to get along with everyone, but with a dark side and a hidden talent to balance him out. Gretchen was the overachieving honor roll student who always had the answer to get out of a jam. Spinelli was Mikey's opposite, a rough-and-tumble tomboy who was always looking for a fight, but she did have a soft side to go with the tough girl front. Gus was the awkward new kid with just getting to know everyone. His father had been an officer in the army, and it showed in the way that Gus acted around his friends. And finally, there was TJ, the man with the plan, the little hellraiser who always had a new way to make mischief. Each of these six characters almost literally defined every aspect of childhood imaginable when combined, and there were even more supplementary characters to fill in any gaps left by this group of characters.
The short stories themselves, I think, might give a more accurate picture of childhood (in my opinion) if they were more relatable to my life. In such stories as The Sutton Pie Safe and Every Little Hurricane, I have no idea what it's like to live on a reservation or a farm in the country, so I couldn't possibly understand what the childhood of a person who did was like. However, these stories more often than not relate stories that aren't typical of most children. Most kids can't say that they live on farms out in the middle of nowhere or in HUD housing on an Indian reservation, so these stories don't really seem to properly demonstrate childhood. The authors may have gotten the feeling and experience right of children who live in such conditions, but as far as describing a typical childhood, they seem to be a little bit off the mark.
The short stories themselves, I think, might give a more accurate picture of childhood (in my opinion) if they were more relatable to my life. In such stories as The Sutton Pie Safe and Every Little Hurricane, I have no idea what it's like to live on a reservation or a farm in the country, so I couldn't possibly understand what the childhood of a person who did was like. However, these stories more often than not relate stories that aren't typical of most children. Most kids can't say that they live on farms out in the middle of nowhere or in HUD housing on an Indian reservation, so these stories don't really seem to properly demonstrate childhood. The authors may have gotten the feeling and experience right of children who live in such conditions, but as far as describing a typical childhood, they seem to be a little bit off the mark.
Childhood Memories
A long, long time ago, way back in the golden age of preschool, I had a friend named Bradley. Bradley was really the first friend I had ever made by myself. I had other friends, but I knew them from playdates and other random things like that over which I had little or no control, which isn't to say that I didn't like them, but there's something different about a personal friend. Bradley and I played every day in preschool, and he was the one I talked to about all kinds of random things, especially Star Wars. He was a huge fan of Star Wars, and I believe I had seen it at the time, or if I hadn't, I knew enough about it to talk to him about it. Though Bradley had a huge influence on me when we were young, though, the thing about getting to know him that really changed me was after all the experiences I had with him, and I even think as recently as within the last year or two. He died some time into our foray into preschool.
At the time, I really didn't know anything about death. My mom tried to explain it to me, but not being able to understand how permanent it was, I always felt like he was still around somewhere. Who knows, maybe he really was? That feeling disappeared a long time ago, but recently I've been thinking about it a lot more. Mostly I wonder how things might have turned out differently if he were still here. Would he have moved a long time ago? Would we still be friends? If he were still alive and for some reason we weren't friends anymore, would the future even feel any different?
What I've taken away from the whole experience has been a relatively recent transformation. In Bradley's name, I strive to be a better person to everyone around me, knowing that I could have as much of an impact on somebody else as Bradley has had on me someday. If that's the case, I want that impact to be positive. Someday, someone may remember me for the good I did and work to pay it forward to the next person they meet. Treating one's neighbors well is the first step toward keeping the chain alive. Pay it forward, my friends.
At the time, I really didn't know anything about death. My mom tried to explain it to me, but not being able to understand how permanent it was, I always felt like he was still around somewhere. Who knows, maybe he really was? That feeling disappeared a long time ago, but recently I've been thinking about it a lot more. Mostly I wonder how things might have turned out differently if he were still here. Would he have moved a long time ago? Would we still be friends? If he were still alive and for some reason we weren't friends anymore, would the future even feel any different?
What I've taken away from the whole experience has been a relatively recent transformation. In Bradley's name, I strive to be a better person to everyone around me, knowing that I could have as much of an impact on somebody else as Bradley has had on me someday. If that's the case, I want that impact to be positive. Someday, someone may remember me for the good I did and work to pay it forward to the next person they meet. Treating one's neighbors well is the first step toward keeping the chain alive. Pay it forward, my friends.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
About Me
Hello, all! Let me be the first to welcome you to the Blogocube, one of THE places for posting your insights on College Literature.
As I will be hosting this site, allow me to let you know a little bit about myself so we might become a little better acquainted. I consider myself to be something of a jazz man, and though I'm by no means a professional, I would be the first to tell you that I do play a mean saxophone. I always enjoy the opportunity to go out and hit a round of golf, despite my very apparent lack of skill at the game. Oh well, it will get better as time goes on. I am not a very active man, and I don't participate in any sports, but I do take part in the local Academic Decathlon team, and last year's team, I am proud to say, competed well enough to come in first place nationally in an online competition. I also owe each individual member of that team a lot of thanks, as it was through their influence that I became the person that I am today.
That's a little bit about myself. Pleased to meetcha!
As I will be hosting this site, allow me to let you know a little bit about myself so we might become a little better acquainted. I consider myself to be something of a jazz man, and though I'm by no means a professional, I would be the first to tell you that I do play a mean saxophone. I always enjoy the opportunity to go out and hit a round of golf, despite my very apparent lack of skill at the game. Oh well, it will get better as time goes on. I am not a very active man, and I don't participate in any sports, but I do take part in the local Academic Decathlon team, and last year's team, I am proud to say, competed well enough to come in first place nationally in an online competition. I also owe each individual member of that team a lot of thanks, as it was through their influence that I became the person that I am today.
That's a little bit about myself. Pleased to meetcha!
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