«In the preface of the second edition of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne discusses the “unprecedented excitement” generated by the publication of his novel (5). Ironically, this public excitement, and more importantly, the ensuing public...» Document abstract
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Language : english
literature
school essay
date published
19/10/2007
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level : Advanced
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SummaryIn the preface of the second edition of The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne discusses the “unprecedented excitement” generated by the publication of his novel (5). Ironically, this public excitement, and more importantly, the ensuing public discontent, originated not in the novel itself but in Hawthorne’s cleverly devised Custom-House introduction, a light-hearted sketch about his position at the Salem, Massachusetts Custom House. According to Hawthorne in Salem, a website funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the Peabody Essex Museum, “The Scarlet Letter was not a best seller, but the publicity surrounding Hawthorne's dismissal as surveyor at the Custom House was the equivalent of an interview on the "Today" show and boosted initial sales” (Whitney). Early readers, curious as to the circumstances surrounding such a prominent figure’s fall from grace, purchased the book initially for Hawthorne’s perception of the events before even realizing the merit of the story itself. Yet in his preface, Hawthorne seemingly minimizes the importance of the sketch, claiming it can be “wholly admitted, without loss to the public, or detriment to the book” (5). Since its original publication in 1850, numerous editors have shared his opinion, choosing to omit the Custom-House introduction altogether with the rationale that the “chapter [is] merely Hawthorne taking revenge on his political enemies and [has] no relevance to the story,” but as Terri Whitney concludes, “nothing [can] be further from the truth” (“Introduction”). Regardless of his claims, Hawthorne both realized and expected the implications of his introduction, at least on a political and social scale; the conscious and calculated decision to include the sketch and its subsequent popularity cannot be attributed solely to dumb luck.
Father, Forgive Them: A Review of Simon Wiesenthal’s The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness
«There is a basic purpose to the literature of Holocaust survivors: to bare witness. Many believe they survived to perform such a duty, to fulfill such a debt to those who did not. As witnesses, they record living history, for they record the...» Document abstract
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Language : english
literature
book review
date published
19/10/2007
review : not yet assessed
level : Advanced
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SummaryThere is a basic purpose to the literature of Holocaust survivors: to bare witness. Many believe they survived to perform such a duty, to fulfill such a debt to those who did not. As witnesses, they record living history, for they record the history of their own lives. But what happens when a witness does more than witness? When a witness not only questions the Holocaust, but questions the state of the world? In The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness, Simon Wiesenthal questions. And the world answers.
«One can wonder whether William Shakespeare’s sonnets would be memorized in every classroom across the Western world if they were anything other sonnets. So inseparable are the two ideas that they barely have separate identities: Shakespeare’s...» Document abstract
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Language : english
literature
school essay
date published
12/10/2007
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level : Advanced
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SummaryOne can wonder whether William Shakespeare’s sonnets would be memorized in every classroom across the Western world if they were anything other sonnets. So inseparable are the two ideas that they barely have separate identities: Shakespeare’s sonnets are accepted without question, and most analytical commentaries approach from the angle of content rather than form. His sonnets just are, and one rarely questions the “why” of his sonnets. Sadly, Emily Dickinson has been equally discriminated, passed off as a “genre” poet: as Shakespeare is the sonnet, Dickinson is the ballad. Yet such a generalization is destructively misleading. Dickinson is other forms as well; she is even poetic freedom. She is not defined so easily, and neither are her poems. And when she does use the ballad form, that very use must be explored as thoroughly as the meaning behind her words, for, to steal the cliché, there is a method to her madness.
«In the sixteenth century, the ideal was inseparable from the ruling class: it was a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, the aristocracy establishing itself as the ideal while simultaneously defining the ideal. The members of the nobility lived in...» Document abstract
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Language : english
literature
school essay
date published
12/10/2007
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level : Advanced
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SummaryIn the sixteenth century, the ideal was inseparable from the ruling class: it was a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, the aristocracy establishing itself as the ideal while simultaneously defining the ideal. The members of the nobility lived in tightly-monitored roles. Idealism was not about the individual but about the preservation of the entire image, for this image of power and money subordinated the lower classes. A role is an expectation, a state of identity foreclosure, and individuality is lost in the midst of societal expectation. These lords and ladies, courtiers and princes, idolized for their fortune and influence, were secretly stripped of any freedom, of any choice, for the sake of the whole. It would be decades before the very essence of humanity, free will, would be remembered in both literature and society. Baldesar Castiglione realizes the necessity of roles in European life during this period.
«“Dyke,” hiss the schoolboys, to the girls with grass-stained knees and dirt-streaked cheeks. To the girls who run faster, throw further, tackle harder than the prides of fatherhood manifest. A word, but so much more a performance. A stereotype,...» Document abstract
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Language : english
literature
school essay
date published
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level : Advanced
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Summary“Dyke,” hiss the schoolboys, to the girls with grass-stained knees and dirt-streaked cheeks. To the girls who run faster, throw further, tackle harder than the prides of fatherhood manifest. A word, but so much more a performance. A stereotype, but so much more an expectation. Sometimes, these girls are wronged. Sometimes, these boys are right. Playground dykes: a first acknowledgment of sexual beings, independent of sex, distorting the being.
I find it impossible to live separate from the homosexual lifestyle. To pass as straight is to deny gay culture, but to embrace gay culture for the sake of camaraderie is to perpetuate a false image. Sexuality and gender are not interchangeable ideals, nor do they obey the certain analogous formula of normal is to normal as abnormal is to abnormal. I can be gay and still be female.
I find it impossible to live separate from the homosexual lifestyle. To pass as straight is to deny gay culture, but to embrace gay culture for the sake of camaraderie is to perpetuate a false image. Sexuality and gender are not interchangeable ideals, nor do they obey the certain analogous formula of normal is to normal as abnormal is to abnormal. I can be gay and still be female.
«All literary texts are both political and aesthetic. Words in and of themselves are innately sensual, inseparable from the emotions they evoke in a reader. They are also political, pieces of language steeped in history and theory. However, writers...» Document abstract
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Language : english
literature
presentation
date published
12/10/2007
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SummaryAll literary texts are both political and aesthetic. Words in and of themselves are innately sensual, inseparable from the emotions they evoke in a reader. They are also political, pieces of language steeped in history and theory. However, writers often plan toward one extreme, selecting their words either for contextual or libidinal value. Beyond a doubt, most first-world authors embrace the aesthetic foremost; in the West, reading has become an activity of leisure, performed for pleasure, not for knowledge. The beauty of these works is literally derived from their otherwise purposeless existence, a feature of aesthetic judgment that Immanuel Kant calls “final without end” (69). But this does not mean that the opposite is true of third-world texts: while the written word still has the power to give birth to revolution in these regions, non-Western authors are still concerned with the aesthetic value of literature. Nor do all first-world texts exist separate from the political world. It is only Western bias that leads individuals such as Fredric Jameson to believe that libidinal texts are solely a product of industrialized nations. Aesthetic techniques, the affects of wordplay and structure, do not ensure an aesthetically-pleasing text. There must be a relationship between form and context. As Christian Wiman states, “form itself has no inherent political meaning, but that [does not] mean that a [writer’s] treatment of the form [cannot] give it a political meaning” (212). If form itself can be given into a role within the realm of politics, then surely politics can become a thing of beauty. When aesthetics are manipulated into vehicles for the political message of the text, only then can those aesthetics be considered beautiful. Third-world writers, regardless of first-world opinion, write with both libidinal and political intentions, for they understand that aesthetic value depends on the innate harmony between context and form.
«Christianity. It sounds innocent enough. But, with that religion comes a dogma with a dark side; an aspect of oppression for minorities. The Christian faith was never the choice for Africans and Native Americans. The word of God was on the lips of...» Document abstract
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literature
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SummaryChristianity. It sounds innocent enough. But, with that religion comes a dogma with a dark side; an aspect of oppression for minorities. The Christian faith was never the choice for Africans and Native Americans. The word of God was on the lips of white Europeans who wanted to spread their religion to the primitive cultures in far away lands. The Native American’s and African’s pagan religion offended the white land conquerors in a disturbing turn of events. It was Christianity that embellished the minds of white males –that it was fine to perceive people of color as inferior. Oppression of Native Americans and Africans came in many forms; including the guise of Christian faith that put non-whites and women in a lesser place. The image of God was a white male; further pressing on the enslaved races that even in death they still are under the white male’s authority. The character Celie in Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple and Pauline in the novel Tracks by Louise Erdrich, exemplify the harmful effects for Native Americans and African Americans to believe Christianity.
«Temptation preys upon what we wish for and what we dream for. Want a flashy car: a cherry red, nitrous infused Lamborghini with leather seats, a thumping sound system and a set of wicked hydraulics? Sure it sounds good, but how possible is that on...» Document abstract
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Language : english
literature
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SummaryTemptation preys upon what we wish for and what we dream for. Want a flashy car: a cherry red, nitrous infused Lamborghini with leather seats, a thumping sound system and a set of wicked hydraulics? Sure it sounds good, but how possible is that on such a measly salary? Maybe, but only after working 60 hour work weeks and cutting your budget so that you’re surviving on toast and ramen noodles. Do this for the next decade or more, working to the break point and sacrificing everything comfortable, and only then would you be able to afford your dream car. But that is why your dream car is still a dream; the plausibility of purchasing it is so far out of your reach that you can only imagine it and dream about one day owning it. You continue to dream and hope, thinking about your fantasy becoming true, but you are positive the closest you will get to owning a Lamborghini is when you ogle it at the dealership as you drive by. What would happen if a person just offered a Lamborghini to you? That mysterious new guy from accounting approaches you and tells you he can grant you anything you want…all you have to do, is wish for it. Would you do it? Of course you would! If someone could offer you your dream car for doing no work at all, automatically, your first response would be “yes!”, but after a minute, you would remember nobody offers anything for free and you would ask: “Ok, what’s the catch?”
«With experience comes knowledge. Sometimes, the experience might not make sense, and it helps to have a guiding hand. No, this is not the introduction to Chicken Soup for the Soul, but more like an intro for Chicken Soup for the Soulless. The...» Document abstract
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Language : english
literature
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date published
11/10/2007
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level : General public
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SummaryWith experience comes knowledge. Sometimes, the experience might not make sense, and it helps to have a guiding hand. No, this is not the introduction to Chicken Soup for the Soul, but more like an intro for Chicken Soup for the Soulless. The spiritual world is difficult for the hardened realist to understand, there are many questions but few answers. In particular horror stories, there is a character that helps as a “Dark-Forces Mentor”, someone to explain and inform characters about the mysterious, sometimes evil, ways of spirituality. In Pet Sematary by Stephen King, the character Jud Crandall fulfills this role by teaching his neighbor, Louis Creed, about the power of the Micmac burial ground. However, this is just one aspect of Jud, as mentoring is just one aspect of being a father. He represents a father figure for Louis Creed, a man who grew up without a father. Jud is a source of information, he is wise beyond his years, and can explain things that Louis cannot possibly fathom. Although Jud knows and understands the dark ways of spirituality, he is a good man, whose character is more concerned with helping Louis than acting as an agent of the dark forces.
«Influence comes in many forms – religion, music, books, and authors. By experiencing different people’s views, we gain a sense of understanding the world through their eyes. We take cues from others, how they think, act and do in the world, and...» Document abstract
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Language : english
literature
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date published
11/10/2007
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level : General public
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SummaryInfluence comes in many forms – religion, music, books, and authors. By experiencing different people’s views, we gain a sense of understanding the world through their eyes. We take cues from others, how they think, act and do in the world, and internalize their beliefs. The religious zealot thinks Jesus’ way of life is best – they try to internalize his lessons. The new age musician looks to his contemporaries – he believes certain groups play music more in-tune to the way he thinks of the world. Authors are also influenced by their contemporaries. Where would Roddy Doyle be without James Joyce? Where would Toni Morrison be without Faulkner? Would Virgil’s the Aeneid be the same story if it wasn’t influenced by Homer’s Odyssey? Influence has us accept the influential person’s beliefs, but we may not agree with all of those beliefs. Homer was a great poet in Virgil’s mind, but Odysseus was a bastard Achaean. Homer detailed the hero’s win in battle while Virgil wondered more about the victim. The Aeneid echoes a similar plot line in The Odyssey – a sea-farer wandering from land to land after the Trojan War in hope of going home. Virgil, however, differed in some of his episodes. In Book VI of The Odyssey, Odysseus meets Princess Nausikaa, who, by the gods’ will, falls in love with him so that she may give him aid. Odysseus eventually leaves, and Nausikaa is left alone. Virgil proffered a question to the encounter: what if Odysseus had stayed in Skheria with Nausikaa? The poet answers his own question in Book IV of The Aeneid with the passionate Queen Dido (Nausikaa) and the main character Aeneas (Odysseus). The love of Dido for Aeneas is tragic and a hindrance in The Aeneid, but in The Odyssey love is a helpful tool for Odysseus to finally go home.
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