Assignments
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post 5
Powers refers to the ability to influence or control others, while control represents the authority of situations. Control on the other hand, involves exerting influence over something to achieved a desired outcome. When I watched the adaptation of “The Tempest” for my paper, I focused on the theme of power and control. One scene that really stood out to me was when Prospero confronts Caliban. It’s a powerful moment where Prospero asserts his authority over Caliban and shows his control. The way Prospero uses his words and his magical abilities really emphasizes his power in the situation. It made me think about how power can be used to manipulate and…
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Blog #4 – Liseivet Zapata
While reading the story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin, I made some annotations of places of the story I was interested in but also in passages of the story where a dilemma in a “perfect” society began to be explored. In my annotations, I focused on identifying key turning points and themes from the narrative. One of the passages I first marked was the turning point where the narrator introduces the darker side of the “perfect” society, revealing the existence of a suffering child. As stated in the story, where the disclosure first stated, “Do you believe? Do you accept the festival, the…
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Prompt: Paper 2
Link to assignment
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Prompt: Annotations for Morrison’s “Recitatif”
This story uses ambiguity to represent the problem of racial difference. Where do you see Morrison using ambiguity to represent race and what is the significance of these moments in the story?
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Prompt: Annotations for Ursula K. Le Guin’s Story
This is a story that explores an ethical dilemma. The dilemma is that the “perfect” happiness of the Omelas society depends upon the suffering of a vulnerable individual. Where in the story do you see Le Guin introducing and exploring this dilemma?
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Blog #3 – Liseivet Zapata
The story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin is a powerful, touching short story that explores various significant themes and issues such as family dynamics, artistic expression, redemption and hope, drug addiction and escapism, and many more. This story is significant as it explores complex human emotions, societal issues, and the power of art, in this case, music is the art. Based on the annotations I made while reading the story, the patterns that I identified were family dynamics, personal goals, separation, and the art of perceiving music. As some of the themes were mentioned at the beginning of this blog, the patterns I identified relate to the overall significance of…
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Blog post 3
The patterns in “Sonny’s Blues” come together to paint a vivid picture of life’s struggles and the beauty that can emerge from them. Through the relationship between the brothers, we see how family can be both a source of conflict and comfort. Jazz music isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a lifeline for Sonny, a way to communicate and process his experiences. It’s also a symbol of the African American experience, reflecting the community’s creativity and resilience in the face of hardship. New York with all its vibrancy and challenges, acts like a crucible where all these elements mix. The story is really about finding light in the darkness, and how…
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Blog #2 – Liseivet Zapata
By the “paradox of literature” at the end of the chapter, Culler means that literature can either be specific, resonate, and feel personal for the reader, but at the same time, the same piece of literature can be something many people understand at different times and places. In other words, it means that literature could only be for one person or everyone. In this week’s readings, in the poem “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” by Walt Whitman, there are exhibitions of the kinds of paradoxes Culler describes. For example, the author states, “What is it then between us? What is the count of the scores or hundreds of years between us?” In…
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Blog Post #1 – Liseivet Zapata
After reading Emily Dickinson’s poems, two instances where her writing required me to complete the thought were “The Soul Selects Her Own Society — Then — shuts the Door —” from “The Soul Selects Her Own Society (303)” and “The Brain is just the weight of God—” from “The Brain—is Wider than the Sky.” In the poem “The Soul Selects Her Own Society (303)” by Emily Dickinson, the instance that got my attention was “The Soul Selects Her Own Society — Then — shuts the Door —,” and I interpreted this line as how our soul has the power to choose the people and connection it wants for life, hence…
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Prompt: Annotations for “Sonny’s Blues”
Make 5 annotations across James Baldwin’s story “Sonny’s Blues” that comment on and identify a theme that appears throughout the story. This could be a single idea that the story returns to again and again or a use of imagery that Baldwin develops as the story unfolds. (Remember, these don’t need to be formal responses or anything. You are writing short notes that could be incomplete thoughts and questions. You should think of them as representative of your reading experience: noting the things you recognize as well as the aspects of the text that might cause you to be curious.)
