Posts

Feminism in "Mrs. Dalloway"

One of the discussions brought up in class that struck my attention and interest was that some people thought that Virginia Woolf did not have specific instances of feminism.   I disagree with this though.   After reading the first few pages I had already found a few specific lines that stuck out at me as directly feminist and challenging the social spheres and obligations of women and in some cases the sexism that went on during that time. It seemed obvious to me that Woolf wanted to get her feminist ideology across (being one of the main themes of the novel), but I will say, I have a feeling it was subtler than what I imagine in “A Room of One’s Own.” The two lines that really stuck out to me are as follows: “She would marry a Prime Minister and stand at the top of a staircase; the perfect hostess he called her (she had cried over it in her bedroom), she had the makings of the perfect hostess, he said” (7) and “And her old Uncle William used to say a lady is known by her sh...
2 comments
Read more

The True Theme of "Death and the King's Horseman"

     As I read Death and the King’s Horseman, I wondered what Soyinka really wanted the main theme of the book to be since it was not race relations as stated by Soyinka himself.   While race relations were a huge part of the book, I think Soyinka wanted the main theme to be that death can be viewed differently by different cultures, groups, and people.   There are two views of death in this book.   The first being the white people that fear death so much and avoid it at all costs.   The second being the views of the Nigerians who take pride in offering up a person’s life to save the rest of the village.   There is actually some irony in the fear white people have about death, and Soyinka covers it when he discusses the wars raging on in Europe.   Basically, the white people that are so afraid of death are the ones that inflict pain and start wars that lead to the death of populations much larger than any village in Nigeria. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Perfect Meal at Chick-fil-a

     I go to Chick-fil-a often and every time I am torn between what to get without seeming like I am feeding a whole family.  If I could get whatever I wanted at Chick-fil-a without any shame or remorse for spending too much money, I would order my perfect Chick-fil-a meal.  Of course, I would get the eight-count chicken nugget meal with 3 barbeque sauces.  I would get a side of medium fries with that, but I would also get a fruit cup.  I only eat the mandarin oranges and strawberries, but it is worth the expense of buying the whole fruit cup.  I also love their chicken wraps, but I would only want a half of one because I would be somewhat full from my chicken nuggets.  I would order the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing to put on top of the wrap.   I never eat the ends of the wrap because it is too much tortilla wrapped up on itself, so I would order it with less tortilla on the ends if that is even possible.   T...
3 comments
Read more

All the Light We Cannot See

One book that I have always wanted to read but can never find the time to do so is "All the Light We Cannot See."  One of my favorite books, "The Book Thief," is a historical fiction book that takes place during World War II, and I think I would enjoy this book as well because of its similar genre.  "All the Light We Cannot See" seems especially interesting because of the different point of view than most other World War II books.  I don't know much about the plot, but I do know that there are two main characters who come from two different lives and the book is about how their stories converge.  I like the fact that you get two different perspectives, one from a little girl who is blind and living in Paris, which is later occupied by the Nazis, and a young boy from Germany who becomes a part of the Hitler Youth.  I can't wait until I have time to read this book that so many people have enjoyed and spoke highly of already.
Post a Comment
Read more

Foolish Masters and Naive Slaves

     One thing that really caught my attention in the play was that Trinculo and Stephano, the two drunk, foolish characters, were the ones who took Caliban as their slave and guide on the island.  I think this has a lot of meaning if you look deeper into it.  I think that Trinculo and Stephano were meant to symbolize nobility.  The two men argued sometimes but were never fully sane during the play because they drank the whole time.  This was similar to nobility because while they didn't drink all the time, they did act as if they were not sane in some of their actions.  They would fight over colonization, power, money, and greed.  Shakespeare used the two comedic characters to represent the foolishness of the actions of nobility at the time.  Caliban willingly led Trinculo and Stephano around and obeyed their commands.  This was similar to colonizers and slaves during that time.  The native people would obey the nobi...
1 comment
Read more

Play First, Movie Second

     I have always been told, "Read the book before you watch the movie!"  I think this advice is very important for The Tempest and the movie made from it.  While reading the play, I had images in my head of what the island looked like, how Caliban acted, the songs of Ariel, and the power of Prospero.  Quite honestly, the movie did not match up with my idea of The Tempest.    I will admit having faces that I could associate with names was very beneficial in my understanding of the plot, but I feel that the play was enough to bring me to Shakespeare's main messages in his writing.       Besides not matching up with my original image of the play, the movie was a lot less theatrical than I would have liked.  I did not like the movie effects of Ariel and the music that would play in the background.  It took away from the purpose of a play, which is to take out all the extraneous sounds and actions in the background...
Post a Comment
Read more

Imperialism and Miranda's Naivety

Miranda has never seen men before besides Prospero and Caliban.  She is also the only woman in the play and is very naive and innocent.  I connected this naivety with imperialism, which was a huge topic in the 17th century.  Near the end of the play when Miranda sees men other than the ones above and Ferdinand, her response is one of amazement: "How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, / That has such people in't!" (Act 5, Scene 1).  The fact that Miranda stated these lines is very significant because she was naive and said the men were amazing and brave.  Imperialism involved exploitation and was a controversial topic during Shakespeare's time because it involved murdering native people for the benefit of one's country.  Shakespeare seemed to be adding his views into the discussion on imperialism by making the naive young girl be the one to call these men brave and show excitement towards them.  He is telling his audience that he does not have the...
Post a Comment
Read more