AP Prompt

In Lahiri's story, Nobody's Business, what is the purpose of only mentioning the Bengali character Sang's culture once? What literary devices does she use to convey this purpose?

Unaccustomed Earth - 7

This story is a big step back into the Bengali-American clash theme that Lahiri has made so prominent in her stories. But the change is narration to first person (sort of omnicient) was a significant change. This time though, the change is for the better I feel. This different point-of-view shows that Lahiri is able to write in many ways and convey the same sympathy for her characters also. While I don't necessarily prefer this story over the previous one's (but prefer it over Nobody's Business) it shows her great variety in writing ability.

Unaccustomed Earth - 6

I feel that this story doesn't really belong with the rest of these. It's nothing like any of the other stories. The only Bengali culture appearances are all of Sang's suitors and when they mention how she rarely speaks Bengali adn when she does it sounds weird. Most of this story didn't even have to do with the Bengali characters Sang and Farouk - they were more like obstacles or plot points in the story about Paul. With the constant that has ben going along for almost the whole story, I don't understnad this one and I think if it was cut out of the book it wouldn't make that much of a difference. I don't know if Lahiri's stories are going to change all of a sudden in Part 2 but if they're like this I dont what to read them.

Unaccustomed Earth - 5

Sudha seems to be a bit different from the typical characters that have appeared so far. Sudha does not seem resentful of her American-Bengali up bringing. She mentions that she watned her houshold to mirror those of her friends with younger siblings and once her brother was born it was. She's respectful towards her parents - I guess buying her younger brother alchohol is going against them a bit but she never does it to spite them. Even Sudha's rebellious stage when she's in college isn't that bad. Sudha is different fromteh other chacaracters we've seen so far because of her respect and working relaionship with her parents, her not rejecting Bengali culture, and her embracement of the fact that she was brought up as a Bengali-American. She has no time to focus on these things it seems because she's too focused on the younger brother of hers who does seem to embody these qualites of Lahiri's characters thta Sudha doesn not. 

Unaccustomed Earth - 4

This fourth story seems very different from Lahiri's other stories, but it also has many similarities. While it still has a Bengali protagonist who resents their parents and their upbringing, I feel that it mostly focuses on the relationships between Amit and the other characters. Amit is still the typiccal main character who is a bit whiney, grey, and sad. But he's never outrightly rejecting or upset about his Bengali culture or the fact that he was always a little different from everyone else. He is resentful towards his parents, but that's more because they just weren't present verses the other stories where the paretns are always there. He also has the same sort of relationship with his spouse as the other stories have. It's a marriage where the love is still there but children adn life are in the way and there isn't as much passion in their relationship anymore, and that's been pretty consistant through every story. 

Unaccustomed Earth - 3

Jhumpa Lahiri's stories seem to follow a consistant theme of family, and saddness. Both of the first two stories focus on family relations, and both concentrate on the relationship between the child and a parent also. The relationship between the two different sets of families are simlimar in that the parent seems to be a bit reserved and teh child becomes rebellious but eventually begins to understand their parent and form a positive relationship with them. Both stories hold sad elements in them with the breaking of relationships, and loss of life. Writer's are supposed to write what they know - and taking into consideration that Lahiri has never lost a loved one or experienced most of this first hand he writing is really impressive and to me feels realistic. 

Unaccustomed Earth - 2

I believe the first story Unaccustomed Earth dealt with all different types of love. It focused on many aspects of love between a husband and wife, mother and child, father and child, grandparent and grandchild love. The husband and wife love is shown in two different ways, the relationship between Ruma's parents and her own with her husband. The love her parents shared seemed to be that of a gradual love, there are hints throughout the story that their marriage was arranged, and I believe that their love was more gradual and was a more appreciative type of love that came from their shared life experiences. Ruma's own marital love is by her own choice, she chooses to follow her own path and found her husband and they share a different relationship than her parents did. The love and relationship between a mother and child is played on through the whole story. The need for a mother and missing her own mother is constantly brought up by Ruma. Ruma's mother hasa very established and comfortable role with her daughter and is very involved with her and with her grandchild. And once she passes there is a void that seems hard to fill for Ruma. The relationship between Ruma and her father is completely different.  There is a constraint and wall between them almost their whole lives and an almost professionalism to their relationship. They never needed each other until the mother passes away which after a while forces them together. The many different types of love are shown through this story and also are shown to change as they did with the relationship between Ruma and her father.  

Unaccustomed Earth - 1

When first reading Unaccustomed Earth I wasn't very interested. The writing seemed a little dull to me and I didn't know where the story was going to go. But by a little over half way through I was completely invested and in love with this short story. The tone the author writes with for both the daughter and father are so different but at the same time the style of writing doesn't change. Every sentence conveys the emotions of that character and I felt completely connected with the characters through the authors words. I felt the tired, awkward, and unsure ness of Ruma and I felt the fatherly,watchful thinkng of her father through out the story. And once I became invested in those characters and I felt as they did I began to see the story develop and hope for a new leaf to turn in the father/daughter relationship, and I loved once the grandson and father became inseparable and bonded in a way that he never did with his own children. This story was amazing. 

Macbeth - Why read Shakespeare?

I've read the speach given called Why read Shakespeare? Now, after reading the first few scenes of Macbeth I can say that while I truely do appreciate Shakespeare and I have no want to read it in my free time. It is incredibly hard to understand (for me anyways). When we are reading it in class I have abolutely no idea what's happening I only know when Ms. Maxey stops to explain inbetween scenes. I'm sure something really interesting is developing in teh stroy and I have completely no clue. I understood Romeo & Juliet when I read it and I understood two other ones that I've had to read, but this story is just not clicking with my mind. I don't know if this is happening for anyone else in the class but I feel like I just sit there listening and redaing and it just goes right over my head! 

Macbeth - Opening Scenes

The opening scenes of Macbeth really establish the characters, themes, and tones of the play. The first two scenes establish that the play is quite dark and will not be happy, as one scene opens on a stormy beach and the other on a grisly battlefield. The addition of the witches in these opening scenes also adds the supernatural theme to the play. The witches set into motion the desires and feelings of the characters by telling them about their future vaugley. And we see that begin to unfold for Macbeth when they say he will be king and soon he is lusting after the throne and plotting to kill Duncan and believeing Malcom is in his way. When Macbeth pulls Lady Macbeth into his plan and she becomes the driving force behind this plot to kill Duncan another theme of strong women behind strong men is also introduced. 

Why read Shakespeare? - The Most Convincing Argument

I feel that the most best argument that Mack proposes is A Time for Developing Interests. He tries comparing Shakepeare to music, there's music you like and music you don't like, and there is music that you're uncertain about but after giving it a chance you start to warm up to it. What was once strange to you becomes interesting. I think Shakespeare is just like that. The first time I read his work it was because I chose to, and boy did I struggle. I read Romeo and Juliet and A Mid Summer Nights Dream. Sure I had to read sections over multiple times and maybe I didn't understand it all the time. But after I got over how much I hated myself for choosing to read Shakespeare I came to see that his work had some very interesting aspects to it and was more interesting than I had originally concieved. Sure, I had to watch a movie and read SparkNotes to understand what was happening sometimes but in the end it was worth it because I left the experience with a new interest. If I hadn't read it then I don't know if I would appreciate Shakespeare the way I do now. 

Why read Shakespeare? - Five convincing arguments

1 - Shakespeare can be difficult to read. But I think that's a reason why it should be read. It's a challange and if a reader pushes through to read the story and finishes it it can feel so rewarding. Plus it can expand your mind and reading abilities. 

2 - Global connections. Shakespeare has been translated into tons of different languages. And people from all cultures take advantage of that and read his works. By all these people from all walks of life reading it all over the world, it becomes a sort of global connector. An American student could have a conversation with a Japanese student just because both of them have read Shakepeare.

3 - Generation connector. Because Shakespeare's writing has been around for over hundreds of years so many people have either chosen or been required to read it. It's a way to connect a young and old generations because it hasn't changed and peoples attitudes towards it probably havent changed much either. But now someone who has read it can bring it up in conversation with almost anybody because almost everyone at some point in their lives has had to read it. 

4 - Because Shakespeare wrote so sophisticatedly readers have to analyze and attempt to understand his writing. And by analyzing it the reader begins to try and asses the characters and events. This can help with real life because its a social skill that does not always come naturally. By analyzing Shakepeare's literature readers can begin to also analyze reality itself. 

5 - Although Shakespeare is old and can be difficult to understand it still hold a high level of entertainment value. The plays he wrote continue to be acted out today and I think that really speaks for itself. Not many plays and writers are as celebrated as Shakepeare is and his work has been able to stand the test of time as it will continue too. 

Why read Shakespeare? - What do you get?

Mack presents many answers to this question. His first answer to this question is that as you learn to read Shakepeare, you learn to read the world. Because his works (and I think most works) are considered a mirror of our world it gives the reader a opportunity to reflect upon the their world and begin to understand how to interpret people and situations as they would in a story. The scond answer is that Shakespeare allows us to get to know ourselves and where our ideas come from. Many of our owns traits are found in Shakespeares characters. We can follow them and learn from them because we relate. He also says here that many of our ideas can be traced back to Shakespeare's writing, and having that origin point is important. Another point he makes is that reading Shakespeare is like a skill and no matter what your profession is, this one is universal. It can help you no matter your major of profession because it is a skill that aims to sharpen the mind. Mack's last point states that reading Shakespeare helps you learn about the head and the heart. You can begin to understand how they are connected. Why you have feelings, have others had these feelings, and what did they do about it are all questions that can be answered once the connections to Shakspeare are made. 

Why read Shakespeare? - Students Problems with Shakepeare

Most students read Shakespeare because its assigned to them and sometimes that makes reading a book become a very gruesome process because its not something that peaked your interest its just something that required. That was not a reason Mack listed in his speech but I feel that it is a vadil reason Shakepeare can be difficult. In his speech Mack said that student find Shakepeare difficult because the first time they read his work, its not easy and its not very rewarding, his writing is difficult, but as Shakespeares own partners John Heminge and Henry Condell stated, "Read him, therefore; and again and again. And if then you do not like him, surely you are in some manifest danger, not to understand him." Even they knew that his work took some effort to push through and understand, but they said it was worth it. The second  problem that Mack addresses is the question of what do you get out of reading Shakepeare? He states that his writing (and I think most writing too) is like a mirror, allowing the readers to reflect upon themselves and the world around them. He states that as you navigate a book it is similar and practice for navigating life. As you learn abou the various chracters, issues, and complexities in a book it is excellent practice for the real world. His third issue is that students outside of an english major don't think they need to read works like Shakpeare because it will not relate to their collection of skills as they prepare to enter the professional world. But reading great works of literature absolutly relates to all practices. He says that everyone needs som basic skills because you never know where your job can take you or what may change with your profession in the future. 

Solomon's Song

In chapter thirteen we see Milkman listening to a song the some children are singing. Milkman realizes that the song is about his great grandfather, Solomon, who abandons his wife Ryna is the cotton fields.  The song focuses on the novels main themes of flight and abandonment. There are many paralells between Milkman and Solomon. Solomon left his wife to wither in the hot cotton fields, and Milkman left Hagar to destroy herself and die. Morrison draws on the conditions for blacks during the slavery era where men were ripped away from plantations without notice, destroying families and tearing them apart. Morrison shows that it is not by choice that men leave, but rather forced upon them by their society. Solomon existed during the slavery era and was ripped away from his home a left. Milkman has left to understand his race and find his people. Both left due to pressures from their societies and both reflect the different era's. 

Rebirth

In Part II of Song of Solomon reader see the rebirth and change of Milkman. As he is being strangled by Guitar he breathes what he believes is his last breath and part of his life flashes before his eyes. But Guitar does not kill him and Milkman lives. Before this event we notice some changes in the character of Milkman, like when he sheds his nice suit for the military hunting clothes he dons for his bobcat hunt. He is leaving his sheltered, rich, fancy world and entering a new world. Entering the new towns too effect his view of himself, he begins to enter a new realm of understand of himself, issues, the world, and the people around him. When Guitar brings on Milkman's new life by murdering Milkman's past self, Milkman finally enters the world as a caring, selfless, human. This we see in his interactions with the prostitue Sweet. Compared to his relations with Hagar (which he refkects on and realizes his wrong doings), the events with Sweet have a give and take and an equality/appreciation for each other aspect. Sweet bathes Milkman, Milkman bathes Sweet, she cleans his wounds and he gives her a back massage, she cooks and he cleans the bathroom. Through their relationship we begin to see how Milkman had changed and acknowlages his poor treatment of Hagar. 

Doctor Foster was a strange man

Doctor Foster was a really strange man. He was close in a way that no one is really sure to his daughter Ruth, and kept her away from many different social areas because he felt that no one was good enough for her, but then desperately wanted to marry her off and get some distance between them. He also delivered Ruth's child, which under all circumstances is strange and very uncomfortable for every party involved with either character. Doctor Foster was also strangely racist against his own people, being the only black doctor in his town. Wouldn't you think as one of the more highly educated black people within his area he would try and elevate other black people's statuses? I really can't find any motive behind this behavior, all I can think of is how backwards it is that he would act like that. Almost every black intellectual in history has tried to further black's statuses, why wouldn't Doctor Foster?

Macon Dead Junior needs to wake up

Macon Dead Jr. seems to be in serious trouble of demolishing all of his relationships. He is trying to badly to keep up this image he has attained but his family would just rather be comfortable with themselves then with the rest of the world. Money does not seem to matter as much to the rest of them as it does to MDJ. I don't necessarily think this whole money obsession is something he was born with though. It seems to be an effort in a strange way to emulate his fathers success within his community. But instead of reaching out and treating all people as equals and family he tries to keep himself at a different elevated level. And he is also pushing his family member to the absolute limit when it comes to what they will deal with. Corinthians may just get up and leave after what he has put her through in meddling with her life, and Lena just wants her other family members happy so she might do whatever it takes for them. Ruth is clearly unhappy and has been for years, and Milkman respects his father but wishes to be as different from him as possible. All this pushing might just break the family and MDJ's image that he has tried so hard to achieve. If he doesn't try and create some love and warmth for any member soon, that "perfection" he has strained for may just fall apart.