My English 102 Experience

             This semester has definitely been a challenge for me as a writer, and as a thinker.  During the first few weeks of class I quickly learned that I cannot just have a concrete thought pattern. I needed to expand my mind and develop ideas that were more outside the box.   With the help of group discussions and fishbowls I gradually began to formulate new thought patters that were more insightful.  It also became easier to make outside connections to what we read or talked about in class.  Contributing to class discussions also became easier because I began to construct my own ideas with much more ease.

                Along with discussions in class, I think the blog assignments pertaining to each new topic we learned helped improve my writing skills.  The guiding questions I found very useful in supporting the main argument I was making.  It encouraged me to be as accurate and to the point as possible.  These assignments, I believe, helped me have a better understanding of what we were reading or discussing in class at the time.  They even helped me come to my own conclusions about certain characters or situations in the story, which I don’t recall always having an easy time doing.

                I really enjoyed connecting our paper topics to modern day society.  I think I learned more about what I like because I found a deeper meaning.  It may have been something I would have never known if I hadn’t applied it to my paper.  It allowed for me to explore a topic that I was interested in to what we were currently learning and show a connection between the two.        

Empathy v. Sympathy

              The discussion that we had on empathy v. sympathy, even if it wasn’t very much, definitely helped me better distinguish between the two.  Sympathy has to do with recognizing that someone else is suffering.  It's noticing that pain and feeling compassion towards the other person.  Empathy, however, is suffering alongside with the person.  You do not just recognize the pain but you are living through it.  As we determined the difference between the two we briefly read a poem called “Alzheimers” by Kelly Cherry.  After reading this poem I felt empathetic towards the speaker.  My late grandfather had suffered with dementia for a very long time.  One time when we came to a dance performance of mine as he was watching he said, “Who’s that tall girl? I like her.” It’s sad when the ones you love don’t even recognize you.  At the end of the poem when it says “Thing he must do, now that he is home, is decide who this woman is….standing here in his doorway, welcoming him in.” I really connected with the speaker.  I wasn’t very close with my grandpa but it was scary hearing my parents often talk of how easily he got confused as to who people were and where he was.

Introduction to Poetry

              I haven’t always been very fond of poetry, but the Introduction to Poetry lecture was very intriguing.  The clip from Dead Poets Society was really interesting and honestly made me rethink  my dislike for poetry.  The quote “We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute.  We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race.  Poetry, beauty, romance and love, these are what we stay alive for,” is profound.  It is a very true statement because I think all of that is almost like the closest things we have to magic.  They are things in life that are special and hard to live without.  I also realized that songs are poetry put to music.  When the song Perfect by Pink was recited in class, I recognized the poetic aspects it contained.   When Professor Brady explained that poetry is an evocation of human emotion it made me think of my dancing.  Just like poetry, dance is the expression of oneself and our connection to our emotions and the world we live in.  It is powerful and exposing because with both dance and poetry you are put in a very vulnerable state.  Both portray how you feel and what you really think and put it out in the open for everyone to hear or see.

            I also really enjoyed the poem "P.O.W" by Alicia Keys.  Her words were very profound and you could really see the pain she was experiencing.

Desire: Created v. Inherent

            One class discussion that I found interesting was focused on desire.  First we were asked what we thought made up desire.  Next we needed to specifically think about our own desires and how we got there.   Lastly were challenged to think about whether or not there were other concepts or ideas associated with desire.  How do we develop desire? Is it something that develops, and by what? As we began to share our ideas another question developed.  Is desire created or inherent? I personally believe that desire is created and different for everyone.  It depends on who you are, where or what you’re going to do with your life.  It is something that can be controlled if you choose to control it.  It also is affected by outside sources.  People influence each other every day in many ways.  It could be that you helped your little sister with her math homework, and upon seeing how eager you were to help, she develops this desire to be a teacher.  All in all I believe desire is something that gradually develops and is constantly changing.

Finding Freedom

             Songs are poetry set to music.  More often than not if you isolate the words of a song you can find a rhyme scheme, and patterns that are found in poetry.  The theme of the song “The Hills Are Alive” from “The Sound of Music” relates directly to pieces of poetry, “Identity” by Julio Noboa Polanco and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, in that it talks of freedom.  “My heart wants to beat, like the wings of the birds, that rise from the lake to the trees.” (Hammerstein II 9-11)The lyricist wants to escape from whatever it is that’s holding them back from doing what they want.  The desire is to be set free of limitations.  We also see this in the poem by Julio Noboa Palanco called “Identity.”  “To be swayed by the breezes of the ancient sea, carrying my soul, my seed, beyond the mountains of time or into the abyss of the bizarre.” (Palanco 10-11)Both the song and poem describe feelings of desire to “fly” high above any constraints.  This theme is also present in the poem “I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou.  The third stanza describes the caged bird singing, hopelessly but still for the freedom he knows little of but wants so desperately “But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams, his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream.”(Angelou 26-27) 

                The tone that I saw exhibited not only in the song but in both poems as well is that of confidence.    The lyricist expresses this strive for freedom proudly and with joy “I go to the hills, when my heart is lonely, I know I will hear what I’ve heard before.”(Hammerstein II 21-24) Here the lyricist exhibits confidence of knowing that they will once again feel the independence that they already have.  In the first poem, “Identity”, the poet expresses clearly what he or she wants.  They are confident in the fact that being a weed is more freeing than a flower.  This can be seen in the last stanza where the poet says “I’d rather smell of musty, green stench than of sweet, fragrant lilac.  If I could stand alone, strong and free, I’d rather be a tall, ugly weed.” (Polanco 19-22) Although the feeling of the second poem is rather sad, I find that the almost hopeless feeling of the bird is related to some form of confidence.   Even though he is restrained from going anywhere other than the cage he still sings his song.  He cannot not do much else because, as it describes in the poem, his wings are clipped and his feet are tied.  It may seem that he would have no confidence for his future, however as it says in the poem “the caged bird sings of freedom.”  He has no experience with it but if he singing for it, it shows he has the confidence that one day he will know it. 

                In order to get their point across lyricists and poets communicate ideas of themes through appealing to human emotion.  In the song “The Hills are Alive” the lyricist focuses on happy thoughts of freedom.  “To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls,” (Hammerstein II 15-16) these two lines indicate the free falling motion of a small body of water.  It provides a clear picture for the listener as well as utilizes key words like “laugh” to indicate joy.  The happiness of being independent could encourage people to strive for their goals.   “Identity” refers to individuality and the freedom of being different.  “If I could stand alone, strong and free, I’d rather be a tall, ugly weed” (Polanco 21-22) This indicates the ability to be one’s self freely, rather than confined to one way of life.  It appeals to people's emotions because no one wants to be seen as weak or incapable.  In “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” a feeling of sadness is represented.  It evokes emotion from people to want to help the confined bird.  “…can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opened his throat to sing.” (Angelou 10-14)People can connect to this poem because it describes a bird that is indeed trapped but has still found a spark of hope, through his song.  It lets us know that whatever situation we are as long as we make the best of it we’ll be okay in the end.         

                Freedom isn't something we easily come by.  It can be taken away just as fast as it can be given.  “The Hills are Alive” expresses the happiness of freedom and what it can offer.  The lyricist is describing how they wish to far from constraints of any sort.  To soar like a bird and flow like a river.  When we read “Identity,” we see freedom as a source of individuality.  Without it, the poet fears they will be just like everyone else.  The flower represents society as a whole, and the weed is the one person who chooses to go their own way.  That is true freedom for the poet.  Finally in “I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings” the poet describes freedom as hope.  Unfortunately the bird is confined and all he can count on for his future freedom is his song.  He holds onto that in the hopes that one day he can live like the free bird.

                

Post Modernism and "Interpreter of Maladies"

            Post Modernism is all about interpretation: that of the individual character and of the reader.  The main character, Mr. Kapasi, while pointing out certain details of the Das family, helps the reader’s interpretation develop.  Details like the argument over taking the girl to the bathroom, and then Mrs. Das holding the girl’s hand, even the fact that Mr. Das referred to his wife’s first name when speaking with his child.  From this it seems the relationship between the parents, and the parents and the children, is a casual one.  “As soon as the car began to move the little girl began to play with the lock on her side, clicking it with some effort forward and backward, but Mrs. Das said nothing to stop her. She sat a bit slouched at one end of the back seat, not offering her puffed rice to anyone.” (Lahiri 47)  They don’t play the typical role of protective, loving, authoritative figure that parents often embody.  It’s almost as if they could care less what their children do.  Mr. Kapasi comes to a similar conclusion saying they seem more like siblings.  Mr. and Mrs. Das acted like an older brother and sister, rather than mother and father.

            Later on in the story Mrs. Das proclaims Kapasi’s job as an interpreter to be “romantic.”  After this Mr. Kapasi begins to misinterpret everything Mrs. Das says or does.  The fact that Mrs. Das praised his job, unlike his wife who merely referred to his position as “doctors assistant,” encouraged Mr. Kapasi to misconstrue her intentions.  Noticing the similarities between the Das marriage and his own as well as her sudden interest in him only fed his imagination.  He began to notice her femininity and talks with her as if they were having their own private conversation.  Though when he does get alone time with Mrs. Das, he discovers the truth to her fondness towards him.  She confided in him a secret she had not told anyone in hopes that he could advise her.  “I was hoping you could help me feel better, say the right thing. Suggest some kind of remedy” (Lahiri 65).  Mrs. Das needed guidance and was seeking it through him.  This is where the concept of reality coming into the light through our interpretations and how we view the world.  The true meaning behind Mrs. Das’ friendly nature towards Mr. Kapasi becomes known when she explained her situation.  Her individual view opened Mr. Kapasi’s eyes to what was really going on.  They both misinterpreted the situation.  Both Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi’s emotional imbalance stood in the way of reality.  Her carefree attitude towards her decisions and his failures in life.

            The complicated aspects of the human condition, referring to relationships as well as behavior, are deeply reflected within this post modern piece.  The relationships with the lives of Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das are complex each in their own way.  Mr. Kapasi and his wife have become distant due to his failure as a father and her resentment towards his job.  When he meets Mrs. Das, Mr. Kapasi forms a relationship in his mind that exists completely differently in her mind he makes life more difficult for him.  He develops these feelings for Mrs. Das as a result of his desire for affection that he doesn’t receive from his wife.  In the end he learns all Mrs. Das needed was guidance for decisions she has previously made.  He’s living in a fantasy world because the reality of his complex relationship with his wife is hard to live through.  Mrs. Das’ cheating behavior in the past stems from her long term relationship with her husband.  They grew up together and she’s been with him her whole life.  Her actions could be a result of the lack of complications in her life.  She married a man her parents approved of and had children with him, which is probably exactly what they had planned for her.  She could have had a deep seeded desire to maker her simple life more complex.  Mrs. Das is human and it’s probable that she became bored with how her adult life was turning out and wanted to add complications.