I, like many youth my age, have seen the viral video about "Kony 2012" and how we are supposed to make the child soldiers visible. I have heard about how Kony is a terrible guy, forcing children to kill their parents and join his army. I have also heard about how the group that runs Kony 2012 could be a little shady, and how the guy who made the video was arrested for what I like to call "extreme public indecency." I get that many people still want to fight for this cause, and that it is a big international... Continue reading

The ending to Song of Solomon is a bit confusing. It's not very clear whether or not Milkman lives or Guitar lives or if they both live. It just talks about Guitar standing up and Milkman flying. Of course, this all happens after Guitar shoots Pilate in the neck and Milkman finally understands why he admired her: because she could fly without leaving the ground. It's all just a big mess. I first interpreted flying as a way to transcend all obstacles. Then I started thinking about it more, and now I think that the motif is more specific. I... Continue reading

Frankly, I don't know what to make of Song of Solomon. I couldn't even come up with a clever title for this post. This book is unlike any other that I have read, in or out of the class. The only book that I can think of that comes anywhere close to this one is Light in August. The content is intense, and also extremely graphic. There are parts that are a bit disturbing. All of the characters seem to be messed up in some way; Mr. Smith thinking he could fly, Milkman and his relationships with most of the... Continue reading

I definitely think we're kind of like Marlow's Aunt in terms of the situation with the labor practices in China. We tend to not think about how our products are made. We accept that they exist and move forward, taking for granted the work that goes into them and not really questioning it. We are at least a little bit ignorant. Yet I would say that we are worse than just ignorant. We now have a small sense as to how bad things are in the factories in China. It is horrifying and hard to think about, yet I'm typing... Continue reading

I think that Kurtz's painting is interesting. The possible meanings that it has are interesting. Of course, these possible meanings are what we talked about in class. Personally, I think that the painting symbolizes the overall effect of European imperialism in Africa. The dark background would be the wild and unpredictability of Africa. The torch that the woman is holding is like the light of civilization that the woman is bringing to Africa. The sinister light that it casts on her face are the dark motives of the European imperialists and the severe affects that it has on the Africans.... Continue reading

For my contemporary tragedy, I immediately thought of Dr. Horrible from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. For those of you who don't know what that is, I highly recommend you watch it. It is a short movie (only about 45 minutes) that stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. I'm pretty sure the whole thing is on Youtube, and I know that you can stream it on Netflix. It is the story of Dr. Horrible, a villain. He is attempting to get into the Evil League of Evil, but is constantly thwarted by his nemesis, Captain Hammer, a hero.... Continue reading

King Lear has really shot himself in the foot over the course of the first two Acts. He has forsaken his one daughter that actually loved him, and has divided up his kingdom among his two daughters who would much rather have him out of the way. Now he has to stay with those daughters, who don't actually love him. His love of power is what did this to Lear. He wanted to make sure that his kingdom was divided fairly while he was still alive, and then he had his daughters tell him how much they "love" him. This... Continue reading

Did anyone get what the poem "My Grandmother's Bed" was about? I found that one confusing. I ended up concluding that it was about dreams being like a boat ride at night. The author uses a lot of references to seafaring things, such as the line "filling her tiny apartment like the ocean," and "it felt good to be ashore again after sleeping on rocky, unfamiliar waves." It made me think of the bed as a boat, and that sleeping and dreaming were like a long and unfamilar voyage into the unknown. The dreams could be nightmares too, because the... Continue reading

Frankly, I found The Awakening to be an irritating book. Actually, to be more accurate, I found it a tiring book. Whoever it was that said this novel was one of the sleepiest novels in America, they were right. I could barely read this book without falling asleep. The book was only part of it. I also didn't like the main protagonist, Edna Pontellier. There's just something about her that annoys me. Maybe it's just what she does with men. She marries one man, Mr. Pontellier, who is completely devoted to her. She is the love of his life, and... Continue reading

I don't think that Faulkner likes religion. Well, more like the people of Christianity. At least, it seems that way after reading Light in August. Most, if not all, of the "Christian" figures in the novel seem to be serving their own agendas. Half the time, they seem to be using Christianity to push their own racist ideals across. I think the only person who does not really use his Christianity as a form of pushing his own ideals across is Hightower. But with Hightower, it seems like he used Christianity as a tool. He used it to get to... Continue reading

To be honest, the more I learned about Joe Christmas, the more I thought about there being the possibility that he was gay. I think it may be a bit far-fetched, but I thought it could have been a possibility. Whenever Joe would comment on the difference between men and women, he would always say he prefered the ways of men. Things were simple and direct. Then when he would talk about women, he seemed to be repulsed by them. He did not like them, they were confusing, and could not be trusted. He was just disgusted by women. It... Continue reading

I'm interested in what happened to Hightower's wife-what really happened, not what the town says happened. I'm sure Faulkner will reveal it at a later point, as he seems to be going back in time at regular intervals. Anyways, Hightower's wife. The town said that she was cheating on Hightower when she went to Memphis, but I don't think that is the case. She would go to Memphis at regular intervals of time, and Hightower would always say that she was visiting her family. Yet someone in town saw her staying at a hotel, which doesn't make sense. Then, you... Continue reading

I see two characters in "Trust" that are similar to two characters that are in "The Stranger." Matthew Slaughter is similar to Meursault, and Maria is similar to Marie. Matthew is similar to Meursault. Both characters are seemingly detached from everything. Both seem to only care about certain things. Both seem incapable of lying. It almost seems that Matthew's character was based on Meursault. Maria and Marie are also quite similar. For one thing, their names are almost exactly identical. They also both fall in love with a man who can never love them back. Meursault thinks that it isn't... Continue reading

Money has always lead to problems in society. A great example in The Stranger is the story of the Czechoslovakian man, where he leaves his village and makes a great deal of wealth, returns to his village and shows off his money, and then is subsequently killed by his mother and sister. It is a tragic story, which Meursault brushes off by saying it was the man's fault for flaunting his money without telling his mother and sister who it was. This story made me wonder: what's so special about money? Especially nowadays, where our money is just basic cotton... Continue reading

Monsier Meursault is kind of a weird guy. He doesn't appear to feel strong emotions, and he seems distant and doesn't really connect with others. It's disconcerting and refreshing at the same time. It's refreshing because I haven't read any kind of book that has a character that is remotely similar to Meursault. He has a need for organization and structure, and is seemingly indifferent to the world. He can come across as harsh at times, like when the old lady is sobbing at his mother's funeral. He just gets annoyed with her and wants her to shut up. Which... Continue reading