Carnival Post

     In the last section of American Literature, the theme of societal expectations kept coming up.  Ralph Ellison refers to it in "Invisible Man."  With an image of a naked woman wearing an American flag painted on her stomach, Ellison symbolizes the "American Dream."  The woman is desirable, yet frustrating to the narrator.  It's as if an opportunity is being dangled in front of his face with no promise of the future.  This notion of an "American Dream" is questioned by this image in Ellison's work.  American society has standards set in place for its citizens to meet--people tend to think that the "American Dream" is attainable if they just work a little harder, yet their work always seems to fall short.
     "Howl" by Ginsberg gives us another image of an unattainable American dream.  The speaker talks about the U.S. as a child would talk about a parent tucking them into bed: "where we hug and kiss the United States under our bedsheets."  This image of a child showing love and affection to its parent is immediately countered by the next line, the "United States that coughs all night and won't let us sleep."  This line gives us the image of a parent that won't let their child sleep, or possibly has such high expectations of their child that the child can't sleep at night for fear of disappointing the parent.  The unrealistic expectations society puts on its members are laid out with the personification of the United States.
     Their Eyes Were Watching God by Hurston has several examples of the theme dealing with societal expectations.  Janie's life is constantly examined by the eyes of those around her.  Every decision Janie makes is met with scrutiny by people in her society that think they know best.  These people have expectations, shaped by societal norms, for how Janie is supposed to behave, and when she goes against those expectations, people become extremely judgmental.  Janie herself has expectations for how life and her role in society is supposed to be.  She thinks that getting married will solve her problems, but it turns out that doing so causes even more problems.  When her expectations are not met, Janie realizes that her ideas on what is the norm in society don't work in practice, so she tells people to live life for themselves and figure out what works.
   The "American Dream" and other societal expectations are questioned in the post-modernist literature we read for American Lit II.  These themes, even in small ways, come up in several of the works covered.  Authors express what many have questioned but kept quiet about for so long.  The opportunity to see that others feel the same way about the unrealistic expectations placed on them allows readers to think differently and look for other options.

Forgetfulness

     Even though the poem wasn't assigned specifically for class, I really liked "Forgetfulness" by Billy Collins.  After reading and enjoying "The Night House," I wanted to read more by this author, and "Forgetfulness" did not disappoint.  The imagery that is conveyed with the word choice makes the poem relatable and beautiful.  Here are a few examples of my favorite lines: "the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel / which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of," (lines 3-4) "Long ago you kissed the names of the nine Muses goodbye," (line 8) "whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall," (line 17) and finally the last stanza, "No wonder you rise in the middle of the night / to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war. / No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted out of a love poem that you used to know by heart" (lines 20-24).
     Collins describes forgetting in a way that I personally can relate to.  I think of books I've read with "heartbreaking conclusions" that left me with tears, yet I can't quite remember the main characters anymore. I think of the important historical figures I learned about in school that seemed so necessary to store away for tests, yet now can't even remember what their name begins with.  The way Collins ends the poem is very romantic, with the image of the moonlight coming through window.  It suggests that remembering is a special gift that comes to us at the most unexpected of times.  We want to hold onto memories and store them away.  I also suspect that "Forgetfulness" is not so much about the little memories, like the 9 Muses or the name of a book, but about bigger memories.  I would venture to say that this poem is a love poem, and the speaker is reflecting on a relationship or a person that he has forgotten about--or maybe he is the one that has been forgotten about himself.  And I wonder if he wants his audience to remember this "love poem" by heart, so that maybe the moon through the window is a reminder of him.

Persimmons

     So I realize that these next few posts are going to be out of order, but I just realized I forgot to blog about them so bear with me.

     The poem "Persimmons" by Li-Young Lee really resonated with me.  I am very interested in other cultures, languages, and want to work with English Language Learners in the future.  So I empathized with the speaker when he talked about mixing up words like "fight" and "fright" and "wren" and "yarn."  Vocabulary is one of the most difficult part of learning a new language, and native speakers who have never had to learn a second language don't understand that.  I loved how Lee compared these words that seem to have no relation to one another.  Another part I empathized with was when the speaker described Mrs. Walker cutting up the persimmon for the class to share.  The speaker knew that the persimmon wasn't ripe and would taste bitter, but the teacher and the students didn't know that.  "I didn't eat / but I watched the other faces" (lines 44-45).  I assume his classmates made sour faces at tasting the persimmon, which was supposed to be sweet.  This part of the poem further emphasized the gap in understanding of other cultures.

Mao 2: Chapters 7-9

     "She was thin-boundaries.  She took it all in, she believed it all, pain, ecstasy, dog food, all the seraphic matter, the baby bliss that falls from the air.  Scott stared and waited.  She carried the virus of the future.  Quoting Bill" (119).  This was one of my favorite quotes about Karen from the reading.  Karen is someone that feels deeply the pain and passion of others.  She is very empathetic, and desires to understand others.  This is what I like about Karen; she's not someone that goes through life unaffected by other people.  Karen also seems to be very hopeful--carrying the "virus of the future."  Even when things seem dismal and people disappoint, Karen tries to see the best in situations.  Where Scott thinks Bill have forgotten about them altogether, Karen reminds him that Bill loves them, and asks Scott to give Bill a chance to call.  Karen tries to understand what others are going through and give them the benefit of the doubt.

Mao 2: Chapter 4-6

     While I was reading chapter 5, I could relate to Bill somewhat--which is something I never thought I would say.  I don't consider myself a recluse writer by any means, but I connected with some of his ideas.  One of those instances was when Bill is having dinner with Karen, Scott, and Brita.  He says, "It's interesting how 'guest' and 'host' are words that intertwine.  The etymologies are curious.  Converging, mixing, reciprocating.  Like the human groupings marked by the words.  Guests bring ideas from outside" (67).  After writing an etymology paper for Grammar this year, I think a lot about the origins of words, how they used to be used, and how they came to be as they are now.  I sometimes find myself thinking about things that would never come up in other's minds, and when I try to explain my thoughts to people, they give me strange looks.  Bill also seems to think deeply about ideas that others would dismiss without a second thought, which would explain why he admires Brita for her work photographing writers.  I also liked what Scott says a little later in the conversation: "the withheld work of art is the only eloquence left" (67).  He understands Bill's passion and dedication to writing, just as he understands Brita's passion for photography.  It doesn't matter so much to them that everyone sees their work.  But the fact that they continue to do work that goes unseen proves their dedication and passion.

At Yankee Stadium-Part One, Chapter 3

     "Cultish" and "mass crowds" are not words that one would typically use to describe weddings, but they are certainly appropriate for Karen's wedding.  When I think of a wedding, I imagine a special, personal, sometimes intimate event.  I think of close friends and family coming together to celebrate a special union, not parents searching with binoculars just to catch a glimpse of their daughter--"like looking for the body of a loved one after a typhoon (9).  The theme of the individual vs. mass identity manifests itself in Karen's thoughts.  Just as the reader gets wrapped up with the image of this huge, chanting crowd, we get a glimpse into Karen's thoughts: "It will take some getting used to, a husband named Kim.  She has known girls named Kim since she was a squirt in a sunsuit....My husband, as weird as it sounds" (16).  Her thoughts remind us of the individual identity within the crowds.  The last paragraph of "At Yankee Stadium" also reminded us of the individuals within a crowd.  It pointed out all of the daily activities of individuals that get lost within the hustle and bustle of crowds.  But this section also pointed out how crowds can cause excitement--"He leads them out past religion and history, thousands weeping now, all arms high.  They are gripped by the force of a longing.  They know at once, they feel it, all of them together, a longing deep in time, running in the earthly blood" (15-16).  The people are more emotional and worked up when they are a part of a crowd, and their chant becomes more powerful.  People tend to feel more empowered when they are a part of something bigger than themselves, and moved to do something or make a difference.  They are more hopeful and things seem more exciting.  Perhaps that is why "the future belongs to crowds" (16).