IUP Humanities Literature Entry's

"Problem that has no Name"

2005-09-07T23:08:00.000-05:00

In the short article “the Problem that has no Name”, Freidan takes us for a closer look at the lives of women in the nineteen fifths. The problem that Freidan is talking about can best be described as lack of self fulfillment, in women’s lives. She tells us of how these women could have everything they wanted as long as they got it from their husbands. The who irony of this happening in American history is, that in post world war that women were more likely to go out and become active members in working society. It was not until after World War II that many women felt no need to go to college, but thought and were told being a stay at home house wife was the best thing that they could do.
The descriptions in this article differ from that of Miner or Rosaldo, in that Freidan was actually a woman who once was one of these house wives. Miner and Rosaldo looked at the situations that they were in, from an outsider’s perspective, while Freidan actually experienced what she was writing about.
I think what Freidan was trying to discern about everyday life with women, was that there was something artificial about it. Life is full of twists and turns, but to these women, they did not feel them. They were in the same routine with really no way out. Though every once and awhile they were able to throw a party for their husbands business friends or maybe go out to eat, they were basically journeying through life on the backs of their husbands. In turn have not felt self fulfillment and not being able to complain because they could have everything they wanted.

Things Fall Apart

2005-05-04T10:26:00.000-05:00

The story Things fall apart, is about a native African man (Okonkwo), who aims for perfection. Throughout the novel you can see how by him constantly trying to do everything right, or be perfect, that it only leads to disaster. The story is definitely different from anyone that I have ever read before. About half way through the book it takes a twist. Christian missionaries enter the town and start trying to convert people. Some of the people do convert but others like Okonkwo refuse to change. It is because of Okonkwo always wanting to perfect and or do the right thing, that his kills his leader. But just like everything else, things fall apart, and he kills himself.

INVISIBLE MAN

2005-04-21T23:53:00.000-05:00

The Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison is a novel about racism, culture and politics. The story starts from the end, with the narrator (IM), recollecting how he came about living underground. IM states that he is invisible, not physically but because he refuses to let others see him. In his living quarters under ground, he steals electricity, to light his room, with lights on every wall, and listens to Louie Armstrong. It is here that he decides to tell his story how he became about being invisible.
The story starts with IM growing up in the south in the 1920’s. It is during a boxing match called the “battle royal”, were several African American men are blind folded and stuck in a ring until the last man is standing, that IM is rewarded a brief case with a scholarship to a black college. IM goes to this college but gets into trouble, because he is unable to see racial differences. IM is expelled from the college and is sent to New York City, with seven letters of recommendation, to search for a job.
Once in New York, IM is unable to find a job with his letters of recommendation and eventually ends up working at a paint manufacturing plant. But because of certain circumstances, both IM and his work partner get into a fight which leads to there being an explosion. IM wakes up in a hospital with no memory and an inability to talk. The doctor uses electro shock therapy on him. IM is finally released from the hospital and left with out a job. He passes out in the street and awakes in the house of Mary, a woman who takes in people of need.
It is now that the IM becomes apart of the Black Brotherhood, after one of their head members hears him giving a speech. The Black Brotherhood wants to use IM as a spokes person for them, delivering speeches throughout certain parts of town. From IM being with them he learns what they are really about. Not for equality but for political purposes. Many of the brothers break apart because of disagreements. While IM is trying to find out more information about the Black Brotherhood, he receives a phone call telling him to come to Harlem right away. Once he gets there, to his surprise he is in the mists of a riot. IM participates in setting fire to business. He is spotted with his briefcase and is accused by the police of looting. When running from the police he falls down a man hole, the police laugh at him and cover the hole over. It is here at the end of his story that the book begins. After writing down his story, IM feels no need to longer be invisible, and decides to return to society.

THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS

2005-04-21T23:02:00.000-05:00

The book The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende, is about several generations of a South American family. In this book we see love, hate, envy, mysticism, and a lot of other things. The book is narrated by both Estaban Truaba, and Alba, they represent the beginning and end of the book.
One of the main characters we stick with throughout the book is Estaban Truaba. Estaban first started out with hardly any money and only a noble name. He was eventually able to change this and reopen a family plantation, Tres Marias. During his times hear, he raped a number of girls and mistreated a lot of his workers. Estaban eventually wanted to settle down, get married and start a family; this is when he meets Clara. Clara was no ordinary women, she was clairvoyant. For a long time ever since her childhood, Clara was able to make predictions and have visions. One of the visions that she had, was that she would merry Estaban. Although Estaban was in love with Clara, she never felt the same way towards him.
They eventually had kids, two boys and a girl, raising them both in the city and Tres Marias. Estaban became more and more involved in politics, becoming a Senator, and a key social figure. Years pass and their daughter, Blanca falls in love with one of the field workers, eventually getting pregnant. This was a total out rage to Estaban, and he forbids them from being together.
Blanca gives birth to her daughter Alba, who is one of the only people Estaban has a good relationship with. Clara eventually dies, leaving Estaban devastated. In the country that they were living in, the government was over thrown by the military. There were some supporters, like Estaban and there were some revolutionists like Alba and her boyfriend. Alba is eventually taken away and tortured by Estaban Garcia, Estaban Truaba’s illegitimate son. Alba makes it out, but in the end she is pregnant.

ANTIGONE

2005-04-21T22:25:00.000-05:00

The play Antigone by Bertolt Brecht, is a 20th century adaptation of the ancient greek play. The play is about a young women (Antigone), who against a rolyal decree, decided to burrie her brother, whom was hanged for deserting the army. The royal decree was that any man who deserted his army would be killed and not aloud to be burried like a human should, but should be left in the street and eaten by the birds in the sky and the beasts on land. The reason why Antigones brother deserted the army was because, both he and his people were fighting a unjust war, they were in it for money, and for this lots of men were dieing.
When the king, Kreon heard of Antigone braking his decree, he became outraged. Both Kreon and Antigone felt strong about their own ideas, and neither one would agree with the other. This posed a probely, especilly since Antigone was ingaged to his son Hamon. Kreon would not listen to anyone and senteced her to be inclosed in a cave. During this whole time the war was still going on, unbenonst to the elders. It was after hearing of his other sons death(Megareus), Keron started to see his wrong doings and asked for his other son to be sumend, but it was to late. After Hamon going into the cave and seeing that Antigone had hanged herself, he too killed him self.

The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

2005-02-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

The ballad of Gregorio Cortez, was a Mexican legend that would be sung around camp fires. I personally would compare it to American legends such a Johnny Apple Seed, or Paul Bunyan. The plot of the story goes something like, Gregorio Cortez a Mexican farmer, is convinced by his brother Roman to move up north to settle. While getting adjusted to the new settings, Roman decided to have some fun with the locals, which ended up getting him shot and killed by the sheriff. It was there by Roman's side, that in "self defense" Gregorio Cortez killed the sheriff. From here on in is a wild goose chase, with Cortez being followed to Mexico by Sheriffs, Major Sheriffs, the Taxes Rangers, and even a one point the Army. The rest of the story has Cortez being in sticky situations but always being able to get out of them.
I thought the Ballad was alright, but I think what Dr. Sherwood said in class was right. That us not really be exposed to the Mexican/Texan culture, hampered our perception or understanding of the poem. But for the most part the story's were not bad.

Blood Wedding

2005-02-14T00:02:00.000-05:00

I am going to discuss the play Blood Wedding in two different Thoughts. The first one being my own personal thoughts that I had when I first read the play, and Second the thoughts that I had about the play after reading the textbook chapter on Subjectivity. Personally I thought the play was pretty good and I didn't mind reading. One of the best things that did like about it was the author I thought didn't really try to sway the reader choose of was suppose to be the good guy (Leonardo or the Bridegroom). In the end I was rooting for the Leonardo and the Bride, I got down with the fact that they were going against everyone else no matter what the consequences were, just to be with each other. I know that the Bridegroom got did over in the end, both by Leonardo and the Bride, but tuff luck!
Now after I read the textbook chapter on Subjectivity and listen to Fridays lecture on subject and self, I was think about the play in a different way. That being weather the characters were acting the way they really are (self). Or were they acting the way society stereotyped them (subject). The bridegroom for example I think would be a example of be a "Subject". I say this because he chase after Leonardo and the Bride with a knife and the intent to kill. Yeah who wouldn't chase after their run away bride and lover, but I hope to god there not a lot that would chase after the with a knife. I think the mother had a lot with getting he going and all worked up, ("who has a horse? Right away! Who has a Horse? I'll give him all I have-my eyes, my tongue even...), I mean come on!
And for a example of "Self", the Bride. I think I would be safe to say that no one at the wedding thought that the Bride should run away, except maybe Leonardo. The bride running away represented what she really thought and how she felt. The fact that she acted on these thoughts and Feeling, shows that she was be her self and not what society thought she should be.

The Yellow Wallpaper

2005-01-24T22:05:00.000-05:00

After first reading the story, The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Gilman, I was left just thinking that it was a story about some crazy lady. I know that it sounds pathetic, but I sure a lot of you felt the same exact way. It was really until we started discussing the story in class, that I opened my eyes to other interpretations of what the author could be saying.
So I started thinking about how the narrator was specking about her husband. She said that he was a practical man, didn’t believe faith, and wouldn’t hear about anything to do with superstition. I interpreted this as her husband always having to be right. It also goes on in the story about how the narrator is yearning for something, but everyone around her is saying that she needs to reset and not do anything that requires thinking or concentration. If that doesn’t sound like a man trying to put a woman in her place, I don’t know what does. This was when I came up with the idea that the story was not really about a women going insane but perhaps the women’s suffrage movement. Also the fact that the narrator mentioned her brother being a physician like her husband and his wife also being in the same intuition, helped concrete this theory in my mind. I saw this use of her brother and sister in-law as a methopher for the many of women who are dictated over by men.
And then do you know what happened? In class we find out that the author was not really trying to speak out for the women’s suffrage movement, but was arguing about practices of physicians. I know that the authors interpretation of his or her own work is always right, but I saw this story loss a valuable meaning when ever I found out its true purpose.

Frederick Douglas

2005-01-20T22:44:00.000-05:00

The reason why I believe this book was so important for that time in American history was because of the raising of awareness of slavery. To many southerners slavery was a thing of every day; there was nothing wrong with it. In the north, there were people that were against it, but they only had a limited understanding of the life of a slave. In other words people were only receiving a censored view of slavery. But with the publication of Frederick Douglas’s book, Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglas, an American slave, it allowed people to see and realize the true horrors of slavery in the south.
A person writing about slavery was not something new, but it was the fact that an actual slave wrote about it. The fact that an actual slave wrote this book ties into the theory toolbox reading about the author being a authority on what he or she writes. It was no longer a sympathetic white man taleing the tragic story of slavery but an actual victim. If any other person would have wrote this book other then a black slave, it would have totally lost its meaning. Not that the subject would no longer be important but that fact of how would we know what they were saying to be true.