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Despite its shallowness and cliche-ness, I am still determined about Mr. Darcy. Admittedly, whenever I watch the movie with my sisters, we spend the first half hour yelling at the TV. The book Darcy is even worse. I was actually thinking about the bouncy Mr. Bingley, but he’s not as rich as Darcy. Plus, Darcy has a sister who could hopefully teach me how to play the piano. If everyone hates Darcy so much, how did P & P become a classic? Why did Lizzie end up with him? Too many questions without any answers. There is no real solution, so can’t I be in it for the money? He’s just a fictional character. Maybe my shallowness is showing. Oops. 

AND, he can buy my Prom ticket for me. Didn't you know? He’s rich!

[annahorton123-blog]

And yet, when I take breaks, it seems even harder to get back into the working part. I decided to give myself a break yesterday, telling myself that I would work some more today. But have I? No, and I probably won't. Ask  me tomorrow. I will tell you, "No, I did not, but thanks for asking." I'm not sure if I should be stressed or relieved about what I've done so far. I mean, Spring Break is next week, so hopefully I can finish it then. 

Research/Writing

I have no idea how to even start writing this thing. I have a blank word document open and minimized. Every time I open it, I stare at the white screen and then remember the more important things in my life like Pinterest and my refrigerator. I have very little motivation to do this project. I can feel the pressure building up. This project is as irritating as a mosquito bite in the middle of your back and no matter how far you stretch, for the life of you, you can’t reach it. So instead you distract yourself just like I am doing now. Really I could have been done with a lot by this time but instead I am ranting on Tumblr and making weird analogies/similes. Although…this feels a little productive because it is part of the assignment. That means I deserve another 50 minute break.

[annahorton123-blog]

This is Goethe, the author of Faust, and his friend Schiller. The tow are basically best friends. While all of my literary criticism are specifically about Goethe, they all have references to Schiller and his works in them. Both of them were heavily involved in philosophical and intellectual debates of the time in Germany. They both worked together and drew off of each others work. Can I research the friendship and use that as a background research and sources?

[annahorton123-blog]

I forgot we had to three draft read them until I read this. How are you approaching this? Are you looking for a different topic each time? One of my articles is thirty pages, and I'm not super enthusiastic about reading it three times. What should I do differently each time I read it? Also, some of them use words so big I can't even pronounce them. I have to keep my phone open to the dictionary each time I try to read because I have no clue what's going on.

Shima and I forgot to take a picture at the U of M library while getting our criticisms (SO I REALLY HOPE KREINBRING DOESNT MAKE US GO ALL THE WAY BACK THERE) so here is my picture with them. The internet database was down or something so I got 2/3 of mine from books. I made copies of them and now I am trying to three draft read them, which is VERY painful, I might add. I really hope that these criticisms are okay because I started annotating them but cant ask Kreinbring if they’re okay until tomorrow. yay ap lit!

[annahorton123-blog]

As I’m reading some of my literary criticisms, it seems like I missed a bunch when I was reading. For example, a motif throughout Faust, is weaving. It’s an extended metaphor throughout the novel. It’s a metaphor for life. One’s life cannot be viewed as a single strand or choice. It has to be viewed as a whole, and only then can you see its true value. Like, that’s super insightful, but it went completely over my head.

Strangely, the motif was presented in the hands of the fates, similar to Macbeth. In the same way, the fates were debating the value of life, and whether or not they should let people live to make mistakes. There are also several female characters that are knitting or weaving. They are all relevant to choices being made by Faust. These choices later on changed his life.

I’m thankful that I get to learn more about my book, but I’m afraid I missed more! I guess I’ll just keep on reading to see!

ALSO, half of the criticism and articles I found were in German, and I'm not sure if I'm missing some valuable German information.

[annahorton123-blog]

This is Julie and I. We went to Wayne State to do our research. It would’ve been a great time, except our whole family came with us. My dad is back at school and he wanted to do some research, too. He wanted to go to the graduate library instead of the undergraduate library (Wayne State has 5 libraries), and I told him to deal with it because me and Julie needed to do some research. When we showed up, all the librarians were gone, so I was mad. My dad kept telling us to look it up on the computers, but I had no idea what I was looking for. I really just wanted him to go away. So, finally, I asked a lady at the circulation desk for help. Turns out, she was the supervisor. She had a high enough degree so that she could be a librarian, but Wayne State was refusing to promote her. She helped us out a great deal. Also, apparently the Librarian’s union at Wayne State is demanding raises, so this lovely lady copied everything for us for free. She said it was because we were doing homework on a Friday night and she didn’t want to be there. She was the nicest lady ever, and if I do end up at Wayne State, I’m only going to ask her for help, not the librarian.

[annahorton123-blog]

A beautiful and fabulous artist influenced by Billie Holiday would be my favorite Frank Sinatra. Both of them have a deep soulful sound. Both artists are slow singing. It’s like they make sure that each word is packed with as much emotion as possible.

Billie Holiday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs

Frank Sinatra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs

Obviously both artists are distinctly different in their content. But then again, both artists are very different people. It’s just their sound that makes me want to fall asleep.

[annahorton123-blog]

I'm going to be honest in that I actually don't like the book so far. I am interested in Janie's struggle with independence and wanting to be loved, but I wish she would take care of herself and become with ouh the love of a man. Its frustrating to me, and I just want to skip to the end. I already know the end because of the framing structure of he book, but I hope she finds out who she is with Tea Cake. I also hope that while she does learn and grow, that Tea Cake won't be horrible to her like Killicks and Starks.

Reflection of the first few chapters...

Reading the first chapter I was lost. I didn’t like it at all. It didn’t help that former students gave this book a bad opinion too. To my surprise…I LIKE THIS BOOK. I never like books so this is a big deal everyone. I feel like I’m taking this journey with Janie as she navigates difficult relationships and struggles with finding herself. I’m rooting for her to come out happy. Hopefully that’s how this book ends.

[annahorton123-blog]

When I read it out loud, it also sort of forces me to speak in an accent. So, I can pretty much actually hear what the characters are saying. unless I actually spoke like this, or I knew someone that I could just listen to them speak. But the real struggle would be writing it so that people would get the accent with it.

Chapters 1-5 Reflection

For the first five chapters, I was struggling to get through the reading. I couldn’t stand the dialog and I would skip over large chunks of it. It was taking me so long to read because I was thinking so hard about what the characters were saying. Once I finished the chapters, I decided to go back and try a new approach to reading this book since the dialog was going to be this way through the whole novel and I didn’t want to dread reading it. I started to read the dialog out loud, which made reading ten times easier and more fun to do. I saw how much I was missing from the dialog and now I absolutely love it. I also enjoy the figurative language throughout the novel so far. It is such beautiful writing, like I would give anything to be able to write like Hurston does. There is just so much to picture in my mind while reading its like watching a movie. I’m really excited to continue reading. 

[annahorton123-blog]

Whenever I read a book or speak French, I slowly adapt to the language that is being spoken. So when I read The Scarlet Letter, after a while, I could understand what was being said. I started to read faster and then I even picked up a few words. When I speak French, after having a quick ten minute conversation, I start to have a better accent and I speak faster. It’s almost embarrassing because my accent will change if I go to the south. Anyways, what I mean to say is that in Their Eyes Were Watching God, I’m starting to understand it. In chapters 1-5, it was difficult, but as I read on, it gets easier.

I’m also having a hard time liking Janie as a character. When she left Logan Killicks, I was so excited. I was so glad she finally stood up for herself, but then she goes and marries Starks. I had a feeling he was too good to be true. I just wonder what happens to him that she later ends up with Tea Cake.

[annahorton123-blog]

I like the struggle you have with your morality and what you would do. There is a large amount of integrity when you admit that you struggle with the idea of whether or not you think the murder is justified. Also, I know you asked me if this made you sound like a murderer, and it doesn't. So, you go girl.

C&P part 5 and 6

At this point, I have finished the book. I only have the epilogue to read. In the end, Rodia turns himself in. He goes to the police and admits his crime. I wasn’t sure he would end up doing the right thing because of his justification, but he did. I’ve come to admire him greatly. Rodia is a murderer, but his justification, to be honest, doesn’t seem very unreasonable to me.

He says, “I killed a vile noxious insect, an old pawnbroker woman, of no use to anyone!… Killing her was an atonement for forty sins. She was sucking the life out of poor people. Was that a crime? I am not thinking of it and I am not thinking of atoning for it…” (Dostoevsky 491).

This is where I see Dostoevsky bring in the morality. I find myself battling this as well. Did Rodia do the right thing? Did the pawnbroker deserve murder? Could another action have been taken? Was what Rodia did worth her life? Is his justification enough? If I were in his situation, would I have done the same or something similar?

I don’t know.

I don’t want to even think about it. Would I murder someone to feed my family and to help those in desperate need?

I DONT KNOW.

Is it bad that I’m struggling to answer these questions? I don’t think I would ever kill someone, no matter what reason… But Rodia was a good person, too. He was known to be self-sacrificial and give and serve those who needed it. Could this be what he felt like was his last resort?

There’s a lot of thought that I need to put into this. Rodia turned himself in because his actions were literally destroying him. He was ill all the time, he was angry and sad, and he hurt his family. Yet, I could sympathize with him. He was desperate to take care of others. He didn’t want anyone to suffer for his actions either, as he turned himself in so the suspect they had wouldn’t face life in prison.

Who are we to make the decision as to whether someone deserves to live or not, anyways? There’s a lot I’m probably going to learn about myself with this book. I wish the answer was easy, but I understand why Rodia did what he did. I don’t think I would do it, but Rodia probably never thought he would do anything like that either. Overall, Rodia took the law into his own hands. What he did was wrong. In the end though, he did do what was right by turning himself in. I feel conflicted. I think I need to process this more. I sympathize and understand Rodia, but I know that it’s wrong to take another’s life.

[annahorton123-blog]

While your book and story seems mostly about self-sacrificial people who suffer under the influence of selfish manipulative people, my story was solely about a selfish man. He wanted to live his life for his own betterment. I wish I could've seen some of the responses of people whom he stepped on to get where he was at the end of the story. I wonder what those people would say about the fact that he ended up as a redeemed man that got to enter heaven, free of charge. People always bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. Has there been redemption for the selfish manipulators? Do their see their horribleness? Have characters like Dunia been able to get something good out of her unwanted marriage? I don't like seeing bad people win, and Lucifer did lose in my story, but Faust, the human won.

Crime and Punishment Part III

"That’s man’s one privilege over all creation. Through error you come to the truth… To go wrong in your own way is better than to go right in someone else’s." (Dostoevsky 194).

Rodia’s former roommate, Razumikhin, doesn’t strike me as the smartest type of student, yet his understanding of human nature and compassionate heart makes up for his frequent lack of perception. Razumikhin ends up liking Rodia’s sister, Dunia with a ‘sudden drunken infatuation.’ He ends up doing a lot for Rodia and his family, defending them, providing for them, and taking care of them when Rodia flees.

We also see in this part the beginnings of Dunia’s characterization. She ends up getting engaged to a man she doesn’t love so that she may provide for her mother and brother. She is selfless in this moment, sacrificing her own happiness (perhaps a life with Razumikhin?) to help Rodia and her mother. Rodia feels ashamed in this moment, as it was his responsibility to provide, but Dunia takes that burden. Her engagement eventually gets broken due to her fiancé being rude and insensitive, but it’s mostly the principle of the thing.

In part III, we meat Sonia for the first time. She eventually becomes very close to Rodia. In this part of the book, her father, Semion Zaharovich Marmeladocv, has just passed. He was the first person in the book we see Rodia interact with after he meets with Aliona Ivanova, the woman Rodia murders. From Sonia, we also notice self-sacrifice in that she sells her body as a prostitute in order to support her family and her father’s alcoholism (which is what ends up killing him). Both her and Dunia have a lot in common in their personalities. They both care deeply for their families.

At this both Rodia is a mess of physical illness, emotional turmoil, and mental confusion. At this point, I am unsure what the outcome of this mess could be. So far, Rodia hasn’t even done anything with the money he has stolen. What does he intend to do in order to recompense what he has done? Will he ever even heal from what he has done? The toll has been huge. And finally, will he get caught? Will he even feel guilty enough to turn himself in?

[annahorton123-blog]

I experienced the same problem. Except, my book is technically a play and the entire thing is dialogue. I'm going to have to watch the movie to really understand what is going on, but whenever the line switches, I sometimes forgot to look at who the new speaker was. As a result, I get lost in the story and have to start from a point I remember. However, after a while, I sort of started recognizing voices. Like, the main character has a different voice than that of his companion. So, I sort of got used to it, but there were so many characters in the play that I was basically meeting new characters and voices throughout the entire play.

P&P part 2

Something different about Pride and Prejudice is that there is lengthy dialogue rather than description. This makes sense considering that it is written in third person, but it’s easier to get lost in the dialogue and forget who is talking. 

One thing I love about Elizabeth is that she seems to not care about her reputation as much as other characters. I think the concept of judging people is something that Austen is going to explore throughout this novel. For example, when Elizabeth visited her sick sister at the Bingley’s household, Charles’s sisters were quick to judgment and prideful attitude towards Elizabeth. Elizabeth on the other hand, could care less, I think this is why Darcy is attracted to her. 

[annahorton123-blog]

In my book there was a ton of Greek Mythology allusions that I didn't get. Maybe you previously knew them, but did you find yourself Googling weird names or terms? Like Laestrygonians and Telekines came up in my book. It was almost like reading multiple stories just to understand the one, and many times, I didn't really get the allusion or the purpose of the allusion at all. 

Reading the Work 3 - The Odyssey

Books 9-12 focus on Odysseus’ journey between the end of the Iliad and where the Odyssey picks back up. This is the important information that I was missing at the beginning which made it hard to understand where I was and what was going on. These stories definitely cleared things up for me and helped me to understand what was happening as well as the amount of time that was passing. I liked that Homer put this section of exposition after you already started the story so that you don’t begin with exposition being shoved down your throat. Usually I have to get into the book before I can fully understand what is happening so I was glad I had time to get into the story before I was given important background information. I also liked that it was given in the format of Odysseus telling the story instead of just the narrator telling it. He tells the Phaeacians as well as the reader that he has gone to the island of the Cicones, he encounters the lotus eaters, Polyphemus, the Laestrygonians, and Circe. Odysseus’ cunning is displayed when he outwits Polyphemus, however he shouts his name which gives him bad luck with Poseidon in the future. Odysseus becomes Circe’s lover and him and the remainder of his crew stay with her for a year. Odysseus is given a bag of winds, but his crew thinks that it is riches and try to open it, thus sending them back to where they came from. Throughout these books, more and more of his crew die. Odysseus also has to pass Scylla and Charibdis in order to get home. In this section, I had a lot more fun reading the story. Most of these adventures are stories that I was already familiar with so rereading them made more sense to me about what exactly was happening. This section was definitely an easier read than the others have been. Also, Homer repeats phrases a lot so sometimes when I am reading I feel like I’m accidentally rereading a sections even though I’m not. Pretty weird déjà Vu feeling. I read the spark notes on this section too, but it was just to recap because I really did understand the plot that was being revealed in these 4 books.

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Contrarily, Faust, in my play, was forgiven at the end of the story. Other renditions of the story detail that Faust is eternally condemned to hell. I like my story best because Faust is forgiven. God deems him redeemable because Faust, in the end, realized that the meaning of life is not going to be found in physical realms. However, Faust turns away from God throughout the play because Lucifer/Mephistopheles influences him to do so. At the beginning of the story, Mephistopheles makes a deal with God to tempt Faust. It's similar to the Biblical story of Job in that Lucifer asks for God's permission to tempt Faust. The biggest differences between the stories is that Lucifer was actually present throughout Faust's journey. He was, on the other hand, absent in Job's story. So, do you think Adam and Eve still would've left the garden and disobeyed God's orders if Lucifer wasn't there to influence them? If Lucifer wasn't in the garden, would Eve still want to eat the fruit? In Paradise Lost, how did Lucifer influence Adam and Eve? Was it similar to the Biblical story?

PARADISE LOST BOOK X

The first interesting point brought up in book x is the idea that the fall was not preventable, that God believed man armed with free will was completely capable of overcoming his enemy. In reality this is very true, but the question becomes is this fair? God is supposed to be wise, just, and merciful, but he is also omnipotent and has the ability to project every future event that will occur according to his will. Therefore everything was planned out right from the beginning and although man was armed with free will, we never really had a chance in the first place. God even comments that the angels guarding the garden could not have prevented this, bringing up the question of why even send them their in the first place? To give man some false sense of security and hope?

In the meantime God sends Jesus to judge man for his crime, since Jesus is the bridge between God and man. Contrary to God’s wrathful punishment of Satan, Jesus is actually quite mild when he approaches man, even seeming to pity them. As I’ve mentioned in a few of my reblogs about the similarities between human-like and Satan-like qualities, here is the description of Adam and Eve as they approach God: “…but apparent guilt, and shame, and perturbation, and despair, anger, and obstinacy, and hate, and guile.” These are things that basically describe Satan as well, things man is now capable of since he has the knowledge of evil added to his knowledge of good. Adam actually accuses Eve to be at fault, that he was mentally overpowered by her charms, and that he was ironically unsuspecting of her ability to do so (liar), but God sees through this in a somewhat mysogynistic way, reaffirming Eve’s inferiority and telling Adam that she is not the God of him, not his controller, but he is the sole controller of her and the rest of this world, and therefore he is to blame for his own actions. Eve, instead making excuses, just admits to what she did…something that again shows her higher maturity level. In reality I think Eve was created with the power, and his way more capable of complex acts whereas Adam is not.

The focus switches a big metaphorical description of Sin and Death, and how they are suddenly freed from the gates of hell by their newfound strength, and they know that Satan has succeeded. The fact that their journey from hell to earth is so simple can only symbolize that it is all too easy to disobey God and fall prey to sin and death, dooming yourself to hell. Once death and Sin reunite with Satan, Satan is portrayed as a hero, and almost rightly so, since as a reader he’s a character you secretly feel bad for and can’t help but root for throughout the poem. As I was reading, it’s not like I wanted man to fall, but in the end Satan deserved revenge, as his punishment seemed unjust and overly harsh, quite similar to man’s, but I think man actually benefitted from the fall as well. We acquired so many of the characteristics, desires, and thought processes that make us who we are today…anything less than that and life would again seem pretty boring. Satan commands Sin and Death saying as long as you can have the earth subdued, our dominion will never cease to encompass mankind.

The focus eventually switches back to Adam contemplating his own punishment, and he actually deems it fair and just. I think his opinion shifts slightly when he realizes that his spirit does not die, since his spirit is not made of earthly matter. This is the point where he realizes that his punishment will be relentless, eternal, that his spirit will suffer for all time. He brings up the critical question of why all of mankind must suffer for one man’s wrongdoing, and again God’s punishment comes across as extremely harsh and over-encompassing for the act that was committed - we ate an apple from a tree and decided to exercise a little free will that he gave us. Adam once again resorts to accusing Eve.

Eve, realizing what’s done is done, decides to stop blaming each other and figure out a way to overcome this punishment. She recommends they not have children, so that when they die no one else needs to suffer for their mistakes. In essence they talk of suicide, of hastening their own death. However, Adam is still skeptical of Eve and her motives, although her ideas are good. He decides that God would only worsen their punishment if they try to evade it, and brings up the point that eventually one day man will have his revenge upon the serpent, as promised by God. Knowing this, they try to appeal to God’s good side, which brings up the first time man ever asked for forgiveness or repentance. Adam suspects that a God that took such pleasure in them before will certainly show mercy and grace on his beloved creation if they are sorry. Based on the wrathful God I see throughout the entire old testament, I think it took God a pretty long time to offer that forgiveness. 

[annahorton123-blog]

I read Lord of the Flies a couple summers ago, and it still freaks me out. It forced me to question what I would do if I was stranded on an island. Would I follow Jack or Ralph? I like to think that I would keep my head and think. I like to think that I would try to get everyone to work together and maybe somehow we would survive. But when human beings are placed under extreme stress, they either rise to the occasion or they fail and try to save themselves.

I thought another important theme was simple morals and ethics. Do you think Jack and Ralph had different upbringings? One here Ralph new it was important to work together, and Jack who believed savagery and dominance was the way to survive. In the end, who was right? With Ralph, I don't think there would have been so much violence or pig killing, but jack was the one that ultimately saved everyone with his evident gusto for fire and burning things.

Reading The Work

So I finished Lord of the Flies and I wish I would have read this earlier or in class because I would love to Harkness about it or just have a group discussion. I know this book is a little, how would you say it, young or more of a youth book but I think the underlying themes and ideas are great. Like the theme of innocence, are we all born innocent? Or are some people just born evil, born with hate? The children start off on the island with their innocence intact, ready to work together to survive. But soon they fall into chaos after their first kill of a pig. Is this a trigger that sets off their wild animalistic nature? The nature that has always been inside of them. I love how golding shows the constant battle between civilization, which is portrayed through Ralph, and the primitive animalistic nature of people which is portrayed through Jack. Ralphs only goal is to get off the island and return to civilization and at first he convinces the other children of the importance of this too but throughout the book Jack convinces them too let out their savage nature and forget civilization. Jack finally gains full control over the children when they see the dead pilot which they think is the beast. He controls them with fear and the belief that he can protect them. The entire book the boys try to keep a signal fire going to try and let someone know they are on the island, to them it is their only hope of being rescued. Ironically they are only saved when Jack attempts to burn down the entire jungle to try and catch Ralph. In the end Ralph cries not because he has been rescued but because he knows that things will never be the same after being on the island. Now that I have finished I’ll be looking for criticism and I think I want to find a movie version of the book so I can watch that and see the differences and similarities.

[annahorton123-blog]

Ultimately, I meant to ask, what makes life worth living for you? Where do you find your happiness or reason for living? Do you live for the hope that you might gain fortune and live a life for luxury? Do you live for the hope that you might become famous? What's your motivation for living and keeping on? I think Goethe says something about human nature when Faust's original motivations for living was love and then later on: power and status.

In the end, Faust, is just a struggle for a man, a privileged and educated man. He’s trying to find enlightenment or whatever you want to call it. I thought it sounded like he was trying to find what makes life worth living. In the first part of Faust, the main character, Faust, falls in love. Admittedly, the girl only fell in love with him because Mestopheles, the antagonist, makes her fall in love with him. He casts a spell on her. For a while, Faust has found what he is looking for, but then, she dies, and we have to start over again.

In the second part of the play, Faust is more spiritually mature. He grew up a lot since he fell in love. Now, he tries to find satisfaction in worldly honor/respect, fame, power, and sovereignty. In the end, none of these pursuits satisfy Faust.

Ironically, Faust discovers the meaning of life when he is about to die. From the way I understood it, Faust and ultimately Goethe, determine that the meaning of life is to simply live. Make the most of what you have.

Faust was an excellent play in that the main character was relatable. His flaws and contemplations were extreme enough that I almost felt bad for him. In order to achieve his desire for understanding of life, Faust steps outside the realm of physical man. He enters an almost fantasy world derived from Greek and Roman mythology, a stark contrast to the Christian writing and influences also present in the novel. I believe Goethe did this to encourage the reader that the meaning of live is no going to be found on earth.

In the end, Faust was deemed forgivable by the “eternal woman.” A female deity on equal standing with God. He was determined forgivable due to his relentless search for the meaning of life. This is also encouraging to the reader. We don’t have to know the purpose of life or mankind’s existence. It is in fact OK to not know why you exist. As long as you try to live the best you can, it should all be okay.