Blog 8 -Social Movements 1960s-80s & the Emergence of Minority and Ethnic Literatures

 The reading which we covered during this course, Tim O'Brien's “The Things They Carried,” could be considered both a post-war and modernist novel. The story contains loss, fragmentation, and other, modernist elements, giving the reader a closer look at the inhumanities of the Vietnam War. It was also written by a veteran of the Vietnam War, giving it the proper history to be considered post-war.

 In the story, O'Brien's closest friend, Kiowa, is killed after their group mistakenly camps in a sewage field. This represents the characteristic of loss, which O'Brien uses to show the uncertainty and cruelty of the war. This is an element of modernist literature because it covers a controversial topic which would not be present in most stories. There is also a deep sense of loss of memory The characters in the story each carry a thing to remind them of the world outside the war.

 In my opinion, American identity is what a person chooses to identify as, no matter what anyone else tries to tell them. I think that “American” is an unnecessary addition to the definition, as I believe both “identity” and “American identity” are exactly the same, and that race would only blur the freedom of choice. I think that literature is any written text, and that it can be expressed through any medium as long as it was written or typed at any point. “American Literature,” on the other hand, is any literature that was written by someone that identifies as “American,” as put forth by our course readings and provocations. I might consider a piece of work about America, but not necessary by an American, American Literature.

 I believe that the American Literary Canon is a collection of the greatest works that our country has produced. Therefore, I don't see how I couldn't have a positive opinion on it. I think that all of the readings that we have covered in this class, especially “Smoke, Lillies and Jade” and “The Things They Carried,” could be considered part of the American Literary Canon because of their historical and artistic significance. In regard to deeper, ideological concepts and philosophies that I understand at a deeper level now than before I started this course, I would consider identity soothing that I know more about now. Because this course has spent so much time on identity, I can see now that it plays a great role in our lives and represents how we express ourselves to others every day.

Blog 7 - Reflections on Essay and Creative Final

 In the process of writing and researching my Literary Analysis Essay, I spent most of my time on Jstor and Google searching for any information on the Vietnam War. I found that Jstor aided me in forming an opinion on my topic by providing me with the educated and sourced arguments of professors and analyzers, whereas Google allowed me to find supporting facts and evidence for the arguments which I attempted to articulate in my Literary Analysis Essay. Many of the sources which I found on Google were biased and unfit to be used in my essay, so I had to be careful which information I could trust.

 My thesis was that the Vietnam War should be taught in classrooms in order for the future generations of our country to avoid repeating the same mistakes and atrocities committed during this time. I developed my thesis over time after being exposed to varying opinions through Jstor journals. I originally had planned to only argue against the Vietnam War, but after learning the basis of America's involvement, I could see that there was a possible rationale for going to war. Although I don't personally think that “Communism might spread” is an excuse to kill over a million people in a foreign country, there are still two, clear sides to the argument.

 In regard to my essay, I was particularly excited to learn about the history of the Vietnam War. I was never taught much about the war in my previous classes, and did not even know that there were more than two countries involved until I began to research for this project. I feel particularly confident about my background information, preceding the body of my essay.

 I think that my essay could have been stronger if I made my paragraphs much longer. I felt that some of the arguments that I made during my essay were cut somewhat short. I think that I did this because I was worried that there wouldn't be enough background information to properly justify my arguments. Although after re-reading it, it does not seem like this is as big of an issue as I had previously thought. My arguments are fairly clear, and I use evidence to support any claims that I make.

 In conclusion, I think that the Literary Analysis essay went well. I am confident that I clearly and purposefully stated my arguments and rationales after providing the proper background information.

 For my final project, I will be recounting my experience going through a near-fatal head injury that happened to me in Bulgaria when I was 8. I will do this through the same writing style used in "Smoke, Lillies and Jade." I believe that this will better explain all the time that I had spent waiting in the hospital. 

Blog 6- Holy, Holy, Holy- The Pursuit of the Spiritual and Living the Liminal in the Poetry of the Beats

  In comparison to the other beat poets, Amiri Baraka uses a combination of persuasive disputation, colloquial composition and familiar, ambiguous elements. These elements are often present in other, beat poetry, although Amiri Baraka seems to use them more often that his peers.

  Amiri Baraka often fills his poetry with the same, ambiguous elements that can be seen in other beat poetry. This allows for the reader to infer their own meaning from the text. For example, the following passage reflects this:

“Like giant rhesus monkeys;

picking their skulls,

with ingenious cruelty

sucking out the brains.

No use for beauty

collapsed, with moldy breath

done in. Insidious weight

of cankered dreams. Tiresias'

weathered cock.”

  This passage is rather unusual, because it does not seem to have any discernible meaning. Although, because the poem is titled “WAY OUT WEST”, and because this beat author often spoke with Jack Kerouac, I can infer that this might be about Kerouac's novel “On The Road”. Although I can't understand why it would be about Kerouac's novel, it does seem to touch on the emotion of exhaustion, which was extremely present in Kerouac's journey across America.

  Amiri Baraka also used a somewhat colloquial method to get his meaning across. He used sentences such as “Am I a sage or something?”, “Love is an evil word. Turn it backwards/see, see what I mean?” and “I certainly wouldn't like to go out on that kind of limb.” This is interesting, because I have not seen it to this extent in other beat poetry. It gives the feeling that the author is attempting to communicate directly to the reader. It makes the poetry feel more natural and inspired to me.

  In conclusion, Amiri Baraka uses similar elements to other beat poets, but also introduces his own, regular patterns. For example, he often speaks directly to the reader, giving them a more personal feeling towards the text. He also uses ambiguous elements, much like other beat poets. Finally, he often uses his writing as a method to show his opinions, again, much like other beat poets.

  (Bonus Point)

On a different topic, musician Bob Dylan, winner of a Nobel Prize in Literature, has been under the spotlight for a controversial debate about whether or not music can be considered literature. I think that it can, because literature is merely the concept of getting your ideas across. The medium should not matter, and therefore, music can be literature.

  Some might argue that literature must be written. And alas, Google definitions seem to agree, stating that literature is “written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit.” But, if an author reads their work and records it, is it still literature? In much the same manner, I'm sure that at some point, Bob Dylan wrote down his lyrics. Is singing literature not the same as speaking it?