D.W. Harding

D.W. Harding’s analysis of Jane Austin’s timeless novel Pride and Prejudice brilliantly describes Austin’s literary use of caricatures as a method of connecting fictional characters to real life people that Jane Austin disapproves of. Austin’s inspiration for her exaggerated characters developed from her real life encounters in society. The hyperbole expressed in characters such as Mrs. Bennett allows readers who share common characteristics with the character to unknowingly laugh at themselves. Harding clarifies it best when he says, “She found people eager to laugh at faults they tolerated in themselves and their friends, so long as the faults were exaggerated… as the assault on society could be regarded as a mock assault and not genuinely disruptive.” Had Pride and Prejudice been considered a realistic attack on society, few people would have read the novel because at the time so many believed society to be reasonable and just. Those who accepted society as it was read the novel for its comedic mocking rather than as a proposal for change.

The caricatures amplify the comedy in the novel but do not go too far as to lose complete reality in the novel. The novel is strategically balanced with exaggerated characters (Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Collins) as well as realistic characters (Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy). According to Harding, some of the novel’s most influential scenes take place when the contrast of exaggeration and reality meet. According to Harding, Jane Austin expressed her beliefs through Elizabeth. Elizabeth proves to be very critical of society throughout the novel, which in itself speaks for Jane Austin’s views on society. 

Darkness.

Darkness. It holds a sense of insecurity to man. What is it about the dark that makes man feel so uncomfortable? Dark shadows are often left unexplored by man. The word is often associated with evil. Religious texts have used darkness to cast a point or punishment. The contrast between darkness and light holds many deep meanings between man's emotions.

Anne K. Mellor

. Mary Shelley's novel expresses the frequent anxieties of a young pregnant woman
"What if my child is born deformed, a freak, a 'hideous' thing? Could I still love it, or would i be horrified and wish it were dead again."

. A mother's doubt about being a good parent and raising a child

. Frankenstein educates a male reader about the ways in which pregnant woman or new mothers may not desire their own babies, and shows to other woman that their fears are all shared by other woman

. Victor Frankenstein represents the total failure of a parent
Victor flees from the child (the monster) the moment it opened its eyes

. Creature's pain at the recognition that he will be alone leads to the creature's anger

Blog entry #4--Draft 1 of paper #2

A knight’s morals, even during times of tremendous hardship must never be broken, for when the protector breaks his morals, those who live under the protector no longer have a model to live under. A good leader is chosen by his strong understanding of morals and his ability to keep these morals from being penetrated. The importance of knightly hood is found throughout history, whether it is in older or modern texts. The 14^th century tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the 21^st century film The Dark Knight both depict the ideal morals in a knight, and the difficulties in keeping them.

 In order for a knight to rise, he must face a challenge where he is capable of falling. In both Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Dark Knight the protectors, Sir Gawain and Batman, face antagonist, but both the Green Knight and the Joker are not simply trying to physically punish Sir Gawain and Batman. A physical fight between the two is much too boring; instead the real conflict is a mental game.

The Green Knight tests Sir Gawain’s morals to see if he is worthy of being a protector. Sir Gawain proves to the Green Knight that he will not give into his temptations of sleeping with the young beautiful lady. Sir Gawain is spared his life not because of his physical strength, but instead he proves to the Green Knight that he is truly the most-fair knight because of his humbleness and respect. The Green Knight tests Sir Gawain three different times. The first was the honor of the deal they made a year ago, and Sir Gawain courageously acted on the agreement despite the fact that he was likely to die. Sir Gawain was given the temptation to run away and never be seen again by Gringolet, but Sir Gawain was no coward. Secondly, the temptation of the Green Knights wife does not get in the way of Sir Gawain’s morals. He accepts the kisses out of respect and does not act further on the lady because she is married. Sir Gawain is only punished for the third test, in which he failed to mention the green girdle to the host at the castle. Sir Gawain acted courageously and respectfully during a time of great fear, which proves that Sir Gawain is truly a protector of the people. Much like the Green Knight, the Joker tests Batman’s honor.

The Joker finds Batman fascinating not because of his brute strength, but the fact that he does not break his morals while fighting against evil. The Joker’s objective is not to steal the most money or kill the most people. Rather the Joker wants to corrupt Batman, which would in turn break Gotham City. Gotham is a city plagues with crime, but Batman has always been the bright light, and by dimming that light with darkness, the Joker would take away the one honorable thing the city has to offer. Batman, like Sir Gawain, is fighting a battle against his temptations and morals to prove that there are good people in this world. 

#4 Frankenstein Rough Draft

Good versus Evil

Good versus evil has been the basis for stories since the beginning of mankind. As man's evolution grew and stories became more and more elaborate, the simplicity of evil became more and more difficult to understand. Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein asks the question are all monsters evil? Good versus evil is no longer black and white, but grey and cloudy. The reader gets to feel and understand the monster's feelings and emotions, something that alters the reader’s initial reaction towards the monster. Personally, I am not a fan of horror films and novels. Ever since I first watched Birds directed by Alfred Hitchcock, I tried to stand clear of horror pieces because I preferred my piece of mind and my sleep. However, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is by no means the typical horror novel. It is much more than the story of a monster. Frankenstein is more than a good versus evil, man verse monster novel; it uses emotion to asks questions and get the reader thinking in great depth about humanity, which is why readers such as myself are fascinated by Mary Shelley's work.

One of man's greatest strengths is also one of his greatest weaknesses. Curiosity has led to marvelous vaccines and, at the same time, poisoned the world with nuclear weapons. Science is capable of plaguing the world with modern inventions. The obsession with pushing the boundaries has given man the ability to play god. Victor Frankenstein acts as god when he realizes the key to bringing man back from the cold darkness of death. Victor Frankenstein's obsession with his work is the bane of his existence. Ironically, the one object that he works so hard to create turns out to be the one object that he continuously tries to destroy. The monster, however, learned his cruelty from the world. The monster’s hideous figure caused the public to shun him and avoid him at all costs by throwing rocks and beating him until he fled from their sight. The cruelty of the public is what filled him with range and envy, the monster was taught to be corrupt by man. The monster describes man's cruelty to Victor during the monster’s heroic rescue attempt of a young girl who slipped and fell into a rapid stream. The monster jumped into the stream grabbed the girl and pulled her to shore, but a rustic made the assumption that the creature was trying to harm the girl and so the rustic fired a shot into the monster’s arm, hurting him emotionally and physically. The monster said, "Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind." (p. 143) Just as the young learn from their parents, the monster learned cruelty from the man that stood with him. Man is the true monster. 

The creature that rose from the soil cold and dead soon evolved into a living man with feelings, while the scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who was so fond of life that he decided to bring it back to the dead soon found himself without the will to live. The dead soon was given life, while the soul of the living died. Victor says, "I shunned the face of man; all sound of joy or complacency was torture to me; solitude was my only consolation- deep, dark, deathlike solitude." (p. 93) Life is no longer in Victor. It pains him to see his creation breathing and living as if he were stealing Victor's air from him.   

James Barranco #2

Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina- This was the first book I ever read on my own when I was younger. I was so proud of myself that I could read that I must have read the story to my mom and dad 20 times. It wasn't until I realized how many other books were out there that I finally decided to move on to other books.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie- This book scared me to death, but I was unable to put it down. I read it when I was 13 years old, and I admit that I had to read it when it was lightest outside. Reading this book at night was ludicrous; I would get zero hours of sleep and have a restless mind.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger- This book absolutely hit me emotionally and intellectually. As a teenager I felt strongly connected to the reality of society.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair- This was the first journalistic novel I have ever read. It honestly made my ID paper a breeze and even got me thinking about journalism and the power of the pen.

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel- The plot was brilliant as was the connection between Pi and Peter Parker. This is a true story in the sense that it is all imagination and the ability to envision something and put it on paper.

The Life of Pie: Yann Martel

The moment the reader finishes the novel the reader is filled with two ultimately opposing feelings; part of the reader feels completely satisfied and content while the other half of the reader is pained to see that the wonderful novel has finally come to an end. It can be difficult to separate a good book from a excellent book, but this is not the case when dealing with Yann Martel's Life of Pi. The novel clearly stands in the top tier of 21st century books. The emotion captured in the novel was felt deeply in both my heart and mind. A boy's fear rides within the reader himself as if he were in the rescue boat with the bengal tiger himself. The mutual respect between Richard Parker, the bengal tiger, and Pi Patel fascinates me in the sense that an understanding of such a strong magnitude is extremely rare. Even more captivating is that the respect comes from two animals that are completely opposite on the spectrum. Think about it. Pi Patel is a boy full of fear and  Richard Parker is an animal that prides himself on his fearsome attitude in the wild. It was the connection of the two that to me made the novel excellent. One of my favorite passages was at a time when failure and death seemed so close to both Pi and Parker. Neither had eaten anything for several days and both felt weak as if any minute they could drift into death without knowing it. Richard Parker easily could have settled his hunger and attack Pi, but respect prevented Richard Parker from attacking.
"I peered into his eyes. They looked no different from any other day. Perhaps there was a little more discharge in the inner corners, but it was nothing dramatic, certainly not as dramatic as his overall appearance. The ordeal has reduced us to skin and bones. I was staring into his eyes as if I were an eye doctor, while he was looking back vacantly. Only a blind cat would fall to react to such a stare."
Richard Parker was by no means blind, in fact for the first time he was seeing things clearly. He understood that Pi had tried his hardest to keep him alive by catching him fish and providing him with protection. Richard Parker was starring into the eyes of a friend and he came to the conclusion that he could not hurt Pi, even if it meant he would have to die of hunger. This novel made me feel the connection and to me that is simply excellent.