Semester Reflection

After my second semester with Professor Brady, I realized I have learned more in this class than I have in any other. I did not only learn how to think critically and compare different works of literature, but also valuable lessons that I will remember for the rest of my life. Before my first semester with Professor Brady, my grades would have been all C’s under her rubrics. Throughout the first semester I received mostly B’s but knew my work was improving. By the end of the second semester, I have now received mostly A’s. This steady improvement is a testament to Professor Brady’s teaching skills. Whether or not someone in this class understands the material will show in their work and it can definitely be seen in mine.

My advanced critical thinking skills were virtually non existent before this class. I’ve never had a teacher that made me think outside the box as much as Professor Brady has. My vocabulary has expanded so much that I find myself in disbelief at some of the words I use in my writing. My favorite thing about this class is definitely how entertaining it was. No boring lectures or fights with myself to stay awake. The fishbowls allowed students to interact which made the entire vibe of the room much more comfortable than any other college class I’ve taken. 

I will definitely take away numerous lessons from this class but most importantly, I will always be sure to express myself. Being forced to analyze writing by myself then share my work on a public forum has made it second nature for myself to try harder and be unique. These two things are a necessity to be successful in life. Hard work and being different is how to get ahead in this world no matter what field of work someone is in. This is why in 5 years from now, I know I will be ahead of all my other peers that didn’t have the pleasure and opportunity to learn from Professor Brady.

PUB 5

What Will Your Verse Be?

Themes and tones are often shared in different pieces of writing. The theme of time is evident in the poems Last Advice by Jeffery Harrison and Working Late by Louis Simpson. The song Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin shares the theme of time as well. Each example involves time passing by as a son grows up and a father grows old. In all three of these works, the tone can be best described as gloomy. 

In Last Advice by Jeffery Harrison, the main character dreams back to being a young boy before his father dies. “The night before my father died, I dreamed he was back home, and I in my old room on the third floor, and he was calling up to me from the bottom of the stairs some advice I couldn’t hear” (Harrison 1). When he was a young boy, he didn’t put in effort to hear his father since he knew his father was there. He thought it was okay to not listen because he could always just find out what his father was saying later on. But once his father died, everything changed. “When, standing over him back in the ICU full of the chirping of machines we had decided to unplug, I remembered the dream and heard him call my name” (Harrison 1). Now years later, the main character realizes he shouldn’t have taken things for granted because unfortunately now he can never talk to his father again.

In Working Late by Louis Simpson, the main character grows up to realize he has become his father. As a young boy, he would always see a light on at night which meant his father was awake and working. “Yet, nothing in nature changes, from that day to this, she is still the mother of us all” (Simpson 1). He briefly mentions the hard work his father did and explains nothing changed as time went by.  “And the light that used to shine at night in my father’s study now shines as late in mine” (Simpson 1). This showed as time passed, things stayed the same from generation to generation. Now the son is awake at night working just like his father did.

In Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin, a boy grows up wanting to be like his father and gets his wish but not exactly how he wanted. The father is busy working right after his son is born. “He learned to walk while I was away, and he was talking before I knew it and as he grew, he'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad, you know, I'm gonna be like you" (Chapin 1). This was foreshadowing of the son wanting to be like his dad while growing up. The chorus of the song repeats, “When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when, we’ll get together then, son, you know we'll have a good time then.” The son continues to grow and ask his dad to spend time with him. Eventually, the roles reverse and by the end of the song the father calls his son to make plans. Now his son is the one that doesn’t know when he will be available. “And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me. He'd grown up just like me, my boy was just like me” (Chapin 1). The son ended up being like his father which is what he wanted but not necessarily how he thought it would be.

The tone in each example can be best described as gloomy. In Last Advice, the main character’s father dies and he regrets not listening to him when he had the chance to. There is nothing more depressing than this. In Working Late, the main character best knows his father by the work he does late at night. In this instance, the night is used as a symbol to represent the darkness that is displayed in the poem. In Cats in the Cradle, the relationship between the father and son is made up of trying to make spend time together but it never happens. The dramatic irony of the son wanting to be like then becoming is father who doesn’t have time for him shows this is certainly not a happy ending. 

The theme of time has a strong presence in all three works of writing. In Last Advice, the main character didn’t appreciate time with his father while he could. In Working Late, the main character explains how nothing changes over time, then finds himself doing the same thing his father did all his life. As time passes in Cats in the Cradle, the father and son both don’t realize they are never seeing each other like they say they would. The gloomy tone shared in each example shows these are not ideal relationships. 

References:
Chapin, Harry. Cats in the Cradle. Rec. 24 Aug. 1974. Paul Leka, 1973. Vinyl recording.

Response to 3 Lectures

The three class lectures that impacted me the most were the lectures on desire, human condition, and the final fishbowl about reacting to the rap/poetry. The lecture about desire was my favorite because it really put things in perspective. Everyone knows the difference between wants and needs but its always good to be reminded of what’s really important in life. Instead of the basic food vs money, this lecture went more in-depth by comparing inherent desires vs created ones. I just wish more people in this world understood intimacy and acceptance is more important than materialism and promiscuity. The lecture about human condition was great because it connected everything we read throughout the semester. Human condition basically is what our lives are made of since it is the way we all behave. Seeing the themes of every story written down together and realizing they all relate to the way humans behave was great. Lastly, I enjoyed the final fishbowl because of how much I enjoyed the rap and poetry videos. As I said in the fishbowl, I changed my mind about poetry. I thought I wouldn’t like anything we did in class relating to poetry but it was the opposite. I enjoyed the videos so I looked forward to hearing everyone’s input and I was satisfied. 

Paper 1

Jake Mango

Professor Mignano Brady

English 102

3 March 2016

            Males have oppressed females for thousands of years. Gender inequality was prominent in ancient Greece throughout the play Antigone by Sophocles. As well as in the famous play from the 1940’s A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams. Furthermore, it still takes place in many countries around the world today with one major example being Iran. Each of these instances involve cultures that promote women having a lower social status than men, The women living in these time periods all deal with this oppression in different ways.

            The play Antigone took place in ancient Greece where women’s rights were culturally unheard of. In the play, the absolutist ruler known as Creon refused to give anyone that disobeys his order. Everyone was expected to follow Creon’s rules without question. Antigone’s sister Ismene said, “Shall we not perish wretchedness of all, if in defiance of the law we cross a monarch’s will?—weak women, think of that, Not framed by nature to contend with men. Remember this too that the stronger rules; We must obey his orders, these or worse” (Ismene, 58). This showed Ismene was not going to be the orders because Creon gave them, but specifically because she is a woman that believed she didn’t have the right to disagree. Antigone decided being a woman wouldn’t stop her from accomplishing what she believed needed to be done. After Creon became aware of her decision to rebel, he said to her “No woman shall be the master while I live” (Creon 524). This shows that it is not only a belief shared by women during this time, but also Creon himself makes his decisions based on misogyny. Ultimately, Antigone overcame this oppression by going against her ruler’s orders and gave her brother a proper burial even though it led to her own death.

            The play A Streetcar Named Desire took place is the 1940’s where it was culturally expected that men were more important than women in relationships. In the play, Stanley takes this assumption too far by abusing Stella in their relationship. Stanley says “Remember what Huey Long said – “Every Man is a King!” And I am the King around here, so don’t forget it!” (Stanley 1850). This quote made it clear that Stanley believed the man having more power than the woman is how things should be. Stella’s sister Blanche is characterized by being extremely delusional throughout the play but even she understands this is not how a relationship should work. Stanley abused Stella verbally and physically on multiple occasions. Stella shared with Blanche, “Why on our wedding night—soon as we came in here—he snatched off one of my slippers and rushed about the place smashing light bulbs with it” (Stella 1829). After hearing this example of abuse, Blanche responded in disbelief by asking “And you—you let him? Didn’t run, didn’t scream? (Blanche 1829). Stella admitted she was thrilled by Stanley’s inappropriate actions. Stella submitted to Stanley’s abuse in this time because in this time period it was difficult for women to get by without a man. Blanche coped with Stanley’s abuse while interacting with him by living in her own fantasy world by not allowing anything he said or did affect her negatively. (change this to not letting him control her life)

            The modern example of gender inequality takes place in Iran. The culture in this country revolves around the extremely popular religion of Islam. According to the International Journal of Middle East Studies, people follow this religion so strictly that it is believed to play a role in the female oppression that takes place there. “Instead, Kazemzadeh (A political science major from California) deems Islam to be a “contributing factor” to gender inequality where the patriarchy in Islamic countries in general and in Iran in particular has used and abused the tenets of Islam to perpetuate such inequities. Ultimately, he lays blame not with Islam but with Islamic fundamentalists who have manipulated the religion to pursue their own misogynist policies” (Vakil 1). This means Islam is not the only reason for gender inequality but it is a contributing factor. Islamic fundamentalists abuse religious women in various ways to force them to give into their personal beliefs that women should not have the freedom they deserve in today’s society. “Moreover, all previous gains with regards to polygyny, divorce, hijab, Sigheh, and education were ultimately reversed. Women were relegated to a subordinate position in society” (Vakil 1). Women believe all of these examples are justified simply because their religion historically infers it. “Using diversity of tactics ranging from revoking gender protection in the workplace to with drawing social services and nullifying the family protection laws, Khomeini and his supporters forced women out of the public sphere and back into their “natural” role of motherhood” (Vakil 1). It is also inferred that Islam pushed women’s progression backwards to the time of women only needing to be mothers and nothing more. Women can overcome this oppression today by immigrating to other countries with more opportunities for women and it is becoming more common to find occurrences of women doing exactly that.

            The culture during the time period is the main reason for the gender inequality in each example. Each of the three cases involved women that naturally accepted the imbalances of women’s rights because they believed it was normal. However, the women that attempted to overcome the oppression were each aware of their respective unfair situations and did whatever they could do to overcome the oppression. Antigone rebelled against Creon because she had to in order to accomplish her goal of burying her brother. If she didn’t rebel, her brother would’ve never received the traditional burial he deserved. Stella dealt with Stanley’s abuse because she believed she needed him in order to live a satisfying life in this time period. If she didn’t stay with him, she most likely would have ended up having a tough time living on her own. Women in Iran have the option in today’s world to travel to destinations that encourage freedom rather than having to follow unfair standards. If they stay where they are it may take decades to receive their freedom as it already has. If all women throughout history just accepted the oppression they received, feminism would never be alive like it is today.

Paper 2

Jake Mango

Professor Mignano Brady

English 102

21 April 2016

Oscar Wilde once said, “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” This means there is a distinct difference between someone putting himself or herself first compared to them being selfish. Everyone wants to improve their well-being so making choices to benefit oneself is not selfish. However, once someone starts interfering with other people’s lives in order benefit themselves, then they are being nothing but selfish. The theme of selfishness is displayed throughout the short stories “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway and “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, as well as the movie Project Almanac which was directed by Dean Israelite. In all three of these examples, the main characters wish to benefit themselves but interfere with others lives while attempting to do so which makes their actions selfish.

In “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, a man selfishly tries to convince a woman to have an abortion. The man wanting her to have this abortion is not selfish. It’s the fact that she didn’t want to have it so him having to pressure her to try getting what he wanted made this selfish. While arguing, the woman asks him if he really thinks they will be happy if she has the procedure and he answers, "I know we will. You don't have to be afraid. I've known lots of people that have done it” (Hemingway 2). This shows even though she doesn’t want to have it, he tries convincing her anyway. It is his lack of caring for her opinion and more importantly her well-being that is selfish. Another circumstance that wouldn’t have made this selfish is if she expressed willingness to have the abortion. But it was evident that she didn’t want to hear him out after he tells her she must realize his view and she responds, “I realize. Can’t we maybe stop talking?” (Hemingway 3). This made it clear that both during the argument and in the long run he was interfering with how she wished to live which is what made him selfish.

In “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a man named Aylmer selfishly attempts to remove a birthmark on his wife Georgiana’s face. Hawthorne shares how Aylmer feels about the birthmark by saying, “It was the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature, in one shape or another, stamps ineffaceably on all her productions, either to imply that they are temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought by toil and pain” (Hawthorne 2). This meant Aylmer thought the birthmark took away from everything else that was perfect about her. But Aylmer wishing his wife did not have the birthmark is not what made him selfish. It is the fact that he interfered with Georgiana’s life in the worst way possible that did. Aylmer created a potion and gave it to her to remove the birthmark. This potion was actually successful but not without horrible consequence. “As the last crimson tint of the birthmark—that sole token of human imperfection—faded from her cheek, the parting breath of the now perfect woman passed into the atmosphere, and her soul, lingering a moment near her husband, took its heavenward flight” (Hawthorne 15). The worst way someone could interfere with another’s life is by taking it away from them which is exactly what Aylmer did. This exemplifies why his actions were selfish.

In the movie Project Almanac the main character, David, is a genius high school student that makes a selfish decision, which ends up negatively affected innocent people all around the world. David and his friends built a time machine together and all agreed on one promise, to never time travel alone. At first, they used the machine together to go back in time to change test grades and embarrass bullies. There were no problems until David selfishly broke the vow they made. He time traveled alone to redo an experience with a girl he had a crush on to win back her affection. When David returned to the present, he happily discovered that she is now his girlfriend but shortly after he found out out this decision interfered with several innocent people’s lives. After checking the news he realized his decision led to his friend breaking his leg, a plane crashing in his city, along with several other catastrophes around the world such as natural disasters. David tried convincing himself that his decision didn’t cause these events but things would only get worse and worse. Eventually, his friends found out he broke their promise and David realized the only way to solve everything was to undo it all. His friends had to go back to ordinary which meant the good grades were taken away and bullies were back. This all could’ve been avoided if David didn’t make the selfish decision.
Oscar Wilde’s quote conveyed that someone is only selfish with their actions if they obstruct the lives of others. In “Hills Like White Elephants” the man trying to force the woman to change her view was selfish. In “The Birthmark” Aylmer killing his wife to get rid of the birthmark was selfish. In Project Almanac, David ruining innocent peoples lives to get a girl was selfish. Therefore, these actions were all selfish not because these main characters wanted something better for themselves, but because they affected the lives of others in their attempts to achieve what they wanted.