Journal for Dope

The reading for today is "Dope" by Leroi Jones. This is another poem from the beat movement so needless to say the poem neglects the refinements of traditional poetic form. The big difference from other poetry we have read is that this poem is meant to be heard as a performance more so than read. when not read out loud the poem losses a bit of its meaning and appeal. i like how Jones calls out the American government, the concept of capitalism, and religion for having betrayed the black man but I also like how he calls out the black man himself for being so blind to the obstacles around himself.

Reaction to Howl

The reading for today is the poem "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg,. This is a poem from a writer of the beatnik generation and as such it should be immediately stated this sort of poem exhibits a total neglect of form in its writing. This poem is actually one of my more favoured beat poems after I was able to ascertain its meaning and progress past the neglect of form in its writing. The poem is in its own way a sad salute to Ginsberg's friend at the psychiatric ward that he stayed in. The poem mentions periods of Ginsberg's life and he does use extremely lewd words and images that actually push me away but I feel that he does make a point in the end. It is just difficult to determine what that point in.

Journal for "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

The reading for today is  "A Good man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor. To begin, I do not condone violence, especially the type shown in this story, but there was just something about the character of the Misfit that made me unable to dislike him for what he does to the family. In a strange way I felrt as though the family, while not deserving to be killed, was in some way not better people than the Misfit just because they were not killers like he was. The way that O'Connor actually drew my attention away from the happenings in the story is a clever bit of writing, because it made me focus on the formality of each character in such a trying and horrific moment.

Reaction to Hills Like White Elephants

The reading for today is "Hill Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway is by far my second favourite author after F. Scott Fitzgerald. In this short story Hemingway constructs the stories and backgrounds of his characters in the mind of the reader without extended details or writing. This story constructs a relationship between a man and a young American woman that together have a decision to make. Hemingway shows their relationship in the few things the two girls say to one another. He shows the happiness of the relationship in the past and its possible failure in the future. Then in the end of the story Hemingway leaves an interpretation of the story's future to the reader. The manner in which Hemingway says so much in such concise writing is outstanding.

Journal on The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The reading for today is the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot. This is a modernist poem that at times seems very confusing. The poem has tweo interpretations of it. One could potentially take it for its obvious mneaning and say this is a love poem in which the character of Prufrock merely wishes to talk to a woman amidst his insecurity and the judging eyes of others. One could also say that under that surface this is a poem about a man who feels that he is living a false life where he has conformed to the monotony of it all while deep down he wishes to break away from this and actually speak as he wants and debate some philosophical point or ask some overwhelming question to those around him.

Journal for Dubois

The reading for today is The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Dubois. As an activist Dubois is much more militant and full speed ahead than his contemporary Booker T. Washington. As I mentioned before this is, to me, the opposite of the expected case based on their different upbringings. I do not agree with Dubois' teachings as much as I do with Washington's. While learning intellectual things is helpful I find that when immediately slavery ended practical trades and skills were the most important things for the Negro. Also, I do not believe in his idea of the talented tenth. Choosing which persons should be capable of empowering the race is offensive in that it takes into account the upbringing and education of persons (something that Dubois had an advantage in). In my opinion it should be the responsibility of the entire race to empower the race and not the responsibility of some ten percent.

Journal for Washington

The reading for today is Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington. The title of the autobiography displays how far in life Washington managed to come just so that he could achieve his dreams of going to college. Yet while reading the story I notice how in truth Washington still had many obstacles to overcome even after many people would say he accomplished his goal. While going to give his speech Washington notes how perhaps many white folks were in attendance just to hope that Washington would make a fool of himself. In reading Washington, despite the obvious racism rampant around him, he exhibits a much less militaristic style of DuBois and I find this strange when one thinks about how Washington had been throw a lower upbringing than DuBois and perhaps had less to lose in his failure as an activist.

Journal for Hughes

The reading for today is the poetry of Langston Hughes. As a writer I love the style of Hughes in how he paints a picture. In "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" it's easy to imagine the rivers of which eh speak. Also I find it clever how each of the rivers are a part of some area that is important in the history of the Negro. Three of the rivers are in Africa where a tribe may set its home along the banks of, because during this time in history water represented life. Then the Mississippi represents the line that separates the Jim Crow territory from the states that exhibit at least a slight higher form of equality.

Journal for Mckay

The reading for today is the poetry of Claude McKay. McKay was a Jamaican poet during the Harlem Renaissance era with a very militant style of activism. His poems also exhibit this same militant attitude within them. Many of his poems, like others of the Harlem Renaissance era, are about African Americans standing up for their rights. Personally I find the poem "If We Must Die" to be the most powerful of these poems in how it is written. McKay expresses an attitude of doing everything in one's power to gain rights and equality. Yet throughout the poem McKay neglects to mention race thus making this poem capable of being used in many situations where one is fighting for freedom or right e.g. World War II. This neglect of mentioning race makes the African American struggle more synonymous with the struggles of all men and women.

Journal for Hurston

The reading for today is "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston. The story is about the relationship of an abused woman and her abusive husband. The story brings up some questions about the main character Delia. I find it strange that she would put up with a person like Syke for so long despite how abusive he is and how seemingly useless he is when it comes to earning a livelihood. On the other hand, I find it sad how Delia regains her love for Syke at the worst possible time, immediately before his death. The symbolism in this last scene I find interesting in that Syke is a man who has spent many years poisoning Delia with his venom and in the end he dies at he fangs of a snake that he himself brought into his home. I actually do not like either of the main character, because Delia possesses a self limiting timidness and Syke possesses sadistic mannerisms.

William Carlos William

The reading for today is Danse Russe by William Carlos Williams. This poems falls into the genre of work by the imagists. Danse Russe is a story of a man admiring himself in a mirror as he dances in front of it naked at night. I think that this poem is in some way an admiration of the human form as the narrator admires his body in the mirror. I also like the final line of the poems in that it questions the validity of the thoughts of others. While everyone else in the house sleeps the narrator is capable of performing this dance. It is as though he is fearful of the judging thoughts of the other members of the household if they were to witness this dance. However, at night, despite his body's imperfections and the strangeness of his actions the narrator believes in the genius and correctness of his actions.

Journal for Richard Wright

The reading for today is "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright.
In reading this story I notice the lack of usual racist at the beginning of the story as the young protagonist is shown conversing with a white man that he is working for. The latter scenes in the story where white and black men stand together shows a strange lack of racism found in many of the other stories read so far.
I think the main character is a bit of a sinister character in the way that he manages to get into his mother's heart so that he can receive the money to buy the gun from the store. Also, later in the story the manner in which the character finds the gun that he hid just so that he can fire it again and feel more like a man. The main character is a strange one in how he deserves to be a man so much and yet he at times acts like a child to get out of situations.

Journal for "The Second Choice"

The reading for today is "The Second Choice" by Theodore Dreiser.
In reading this story I am immediately struck by the character of Shirley and how she reminds me of many people in life that often believe that safe equates to boring and thus if a person does not necessarily have stability they are an exciting person. It brings up the idea of why people often have affairs and Shirley actual reminds me of characters from novels such as "The Awakening" and "Fences" that have characters that desire and respect safety but are also tired of the boredom they feel and wish for more excitement. I think this contrast between safety and freedom and the desire for both is a very common archetype that offers a lot of thought to why people have this idea. I like the story though I must admit none of the characters within it appeal to me very much.

Journal for "South of the Slot"

As we move into a naturalist background the reading for today is "South of the Slot" by Jack London.
This story is a strange and interesting one indeed. The main character can be said to have a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde complex as he wrestles with the beast that is within himself. Taking from his naturalistic roots, London does eventually have the wild and natural man win out in the end even though he can be said to be the created persona.
This story offers up great philosophical ideas such as whether or not a man can create a second persona that becomes so real and so much a part of him/herself that they can no longer control it. The story shows the naturalistic love for wilderness and freedom and its contempt for the mundane and humdrum lives of controlled people within society. I think this story creates a great debate about what is more real and better: a wild persona or a controlled one.

Journal for No Name Woman

The journal reading for today is "No Name Woman" by Maxine Hong Kingston.
In reading the story I find it impressive how Kingston analyses her aunt throughout it and her possible reasons for her actions. In the story it is revealed that Kingston's aunt is possibly raped, discovered to be pregnant while her husband is gone, brings shame to her family, and then kills herself by throwing herself and her child into the town's well. Kingston analyses if whether or not perhaps her aunt knew the man who raped her and instead loved him and gave herself to him. This idea creates an idea of free sexual will that I do not find common in most Asian culture and I find that interesting that Kingston brings this point up.
Also, she brings up the idea of honoring her aunt's memory despite how she brought shame to her family and her family tries to forget her. It is strange how strongly this family feels about this aunt and how much shame she brought to the family despite her pregnancy not possibly being her fault. In reading this story it offers a deep look in Chinese culture and beliefs and one is able to see how patriarchal the society is.

Journal for Chinese Poetry

The journal reading for today is from Carved on the Walls: Poetry by Early Chinese Immigrants.
To give context on these poems, they were all written on the walls of the holding centers at Angel Island. Angel Island was called during its time "the Easter Island of the West" and many Chinese immigrants would wait here during the process to come into America.
While reading these poems I notice the varying views towards America, but all of them observe some sort of idea of working hard in order to achieve stability and a better life in America. It shows how far the idea of the American dream has reached throughout the world. On the other hand, while many poems show approval towards America and excitement to come into the countries other poems show contempt and anger towards Americans for putting the immigrants through this process. I think these poems are great views into history and the ideas of the people at the time. They are also great explanations towards determining why people would continually willingly come to America despite the dangers and hostility.

Journal for "Mrs. Spring Fragrance"

The journal reading for today is an excerpt from "Mrs. Spring's Fragrance", a novel by Sui Sin Far.
In reading the story one can immediately see the racist and trials and tribulations inherent within the life of the Chinese that came to America. The story could be described as a plea towards readers' sympathies as the reader reads about the things that the mother has to suffer as she waits for her son to be returned to her and her confidence and resolve slowly wither away. I think Far creates a strikingly painful story with the last scene as the reader sees how all of the mother's patience is rewarded. This racist and trials within the lives of the Chinese immigrants to America reveals a hard time that provides the context for the poems found in my next journal entry about Chinese poems found at Angel Island. The stories from Far and these Chinese poems show that coming to America, while a dream for most Chinese, was not without things that disillusioned many to what America had to offer or really was.

Journal for Sa

The reading for today is The School Days of an Indian Girl. To begin, this reading is a bit confusing a person without background to the passage such as myself. This explain I will reiterate that the passage is confusing.
The main character, who I assume is Sa, must withstand many trials and aggravation  of herself as she intends a school that she makes very apparent is not the kindest place to be.
This story could be read as a story of racism and the imposing of will and values on the youth of a culture. I would agree with this reading as the main character endures losing her hair and having to learn the routines of a new and strange land after being taken away from her mother.
Speaking of the snatching of the protagonist from her mother I think I should mention that the actually occurrence is not detailed within the story and thus I would claim this is a very important fact to be noted. I cannot say for sure if the mother loved the protagonist as the mother is said as having "never made a plaything of her wee daughter" and standing motionless when said daughter exhibited extreme fright at a man who entered the home. This said I think it can be said with a good amount of certain that the protagonist loved her daughter. What the latter means for the storytelling is clear as the mother is often compared to the adult figures at the school.

Journal for Mary Antin

The reading for today is a passage from The Promised Land by Mary Antin. Antin is an immigrant to the U.S. from Russia and this story tells about some of her first thoughts and experience about the story. I find it interesting that this story may come off as a pro America writing, but it can also be read as a testament to the racism in the country at the time.
Also Antin presents a very touching scene between her sister and herself and how her sister was the one chosen to work while Antin was the one chosen to go to school. I think this scene is important, because it adds a dose of reality to the American dream as Antin discovers that an education may be the only way an immigrant can progress in life; but a free education is not always obtainable by all. This story contains many subtext that can be extracted though close reading such as the slum conditions Antin had to live in, the lost of identity she may have had to sustain, the racism of the citizen, and her disagreements about religion and what it meant for her father.

Journal for the Yellow Wallpaper

The journal entry for today is about The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The short story seems to be partially inspired by the time that Gilman was sick and was unable to write and went through a situation much like this one. The problem with the character within the Yellow Wallpaper is that she is feeling ill and while it would be presumed that she is adult enough to care for her own well being her husband, a medical doctor, has complete control over her. I think that the yellow wallpaper in the story actually represents this control that the main character's husband has over her. As the wallpaper peels away the main character seems to be more insane, but the end of this journey seems to be reached when the main character peels off all of the wallpaper and apparently has managed to escape the control her husband has over her.

Journal for William Dean Howells

The reading for today is Editha by William Dean Howells. To be clear I think that the female protagonist was very naive and impressionable. I see the usage of propaganda during the time and how the character falls for it, but I do not agree how she feels her husband must fight in the war to show his love for her. I feel more for the male character as his beliefs are being compromised and he feels as though he is being forced to choose between his beliefs of non aggression and his love for Editha. I think that this is a thoughtful story. The story is a moral questioning about the good of war it would seem and the costs of it and also a stab at the unenlightened thoughts of many people about war during the time.

Journal for "The Goophered Grapevine"

The reading for today is "The Goophered Grapevine" by Charles Waddell Chestnutt. This a frame story. To begin the frame narrator is nameless, does not have his race discussed, and the story does not dwell much on him. I find this actually peculiar since a story coming from a time where race is such an important would be expected to make some mention of the race of the narrator. I also find it curious that in the story the character that seems to be duped the most is apparently a white man. I like how this story goes against the normal race stereotypes and breaks away from them.

Journal for "At the Station"

The reading for today is "At the Station" by Davis. This story is a slow moving tale set in a town where nothing happens, but the train coming through twice a day. This story is really just for entertainment value it felt like and unlike the early stories this story has no twists. Perhaps the fact that it has no twists is what makes this story so strange in comparison to pass readings. As a reader the story is a very believable one which I think shows the movement of story writing from sentimental fiction in the past. I think it does require some suspended belief but this is a story that I liked and I like how the diction managed to show the slow moving lifestyle of the people in the town.

Journal for Louisa May Alcott

Today's reading is "My Contraband" by Louis May Alcott. Immediately into the story it can be seen the influences of Alcott's life on her writing. The main protagonist is a single female nurse, a position and status Alcott held in her life. Also the nurse's feelings of attractions to the 'contraband' shows Alcott's approval of interracial marriages. This story goes against the set boundaries of taboo of Alcott's time such as slaves being treated as persons, interracial marriages, and etc. In the story Alcott uses the protagonist as a white person showing respect towards a slave and treating him as an equal. Alcott shows the righteous and humanity of blacks when a black woman in the story takes her own life after being raped. By having a black woman do such a thing it shows how the righteous and humanity of blacks was on par with that of whites.

Journal for Alice Dunbar-Nelson

In reading Alice Dunbar-Nelson's "The Carnival Jangle" it is a bit surprising how in the span of so few words she displays the festive nature of New Orleans and displays a character that, while not having obvious reasons for their actions do exhibit the live life persona commonly associated with those of New Orleans.
In "Little Miss Sophie" the story like "The Carnival Jangle" also ends sadly. It is a bit telling that in both stories the protagonists can be said to be women who have much trust or love for a man they meet. I cannot say if this is a staple in the works of Alice Dunbar-Nelson but I am curious as to why this is the case in these stories.
Also the contrast in the adjectives in the stories is worth noting as "Little Miss Sophie" uses somber adjectives like miserable, sad, small, dark in contrast to "The Carnival jangle" which, while set during a celebration, uses brighter brighter adjectives like wild, bright, white, and merry.

Journal Entry for Kate Chopin

The stories required for reading by Kate Chopin are "Desiree's Baby" and "The Story of an Hour". In reading "Desiree's Baby" the first thing I notice is the blurring of race lines. The face of the characters is not explicitly said though the last sentence of the story clearing gives the race of the male protagonist. Also in this story unlike many of Chopin's other stories the conflict is not about the wife trying to juggle freedom versus martial status. It is more so a story of the male protagonist fighting a battle within himself about his race. Which brings up my question of why Chopin had this conflict and why did she end the story in such a way that no conflict seems resolved?
In reading "The Story of an Hour" this story returns to the more common concept of the wife's conflict with her freedom in marriage. However, the story creates an appearance as though a wife cannot possibly be happy while in a marriage because the will of the husband will always be imposed upon the wife.