When I started this English class I did not think I was going to be writing a blog. To be honest, I was expecting the diversity of writing projects available (papers, discussion leader, projects, etc.). I’ve never written a blog before, so this was definitely a learning experience. The entire process was. Here are some of my thoughts.

1. What were your expectations when you began writing this blog? How did you think it would work?
My expectations when starting a blog were pretty pessimistic. I don’t consider myself a great writer and pretty much thought that people would only read for the grade as I assumed I would (I was surprised to find that I genuinely enjoyed many blogs/posts). I eventually found that my expectations were not reality and that while my writing isn’t great that it improved throughout the semester and that people engaged in discussion at times.

2. Did writing the blog work as you had hoped it would? Why or why not? What would you do the same? What would you do differently?
When writing the blog, I think it worked as expected: I write, people respond. I found it to be a fairly simple system. More specifically, I think I would keep my level of references and topics, but what could have gone differently would be to stay more to the theme of the blog and not make the posts so formal.

3. What blog posts, either yours or another group’s, did you particularly learn from or enjoy? Why?
Overall, I enjoyed many blog posts and loved getting different views from people and seeing different perspectives that I could never have thought of. While none come directly to mind, I know they’re out there. From my blog though, I enjoyed my blog partner Hannah’s posts, especially ones where she analyzed poems like in her “America” post about McKay. I’m not usually one for poems but her breakdown and analysis of them was very interesting to read!

4. Overall, what did you learn from this blog assignment?
From the entirety of the blog assignment, I’ve learned it’s actually fairly difficult to come up with original (or semi-original) ideas on a biweekly basis and think I can understand content creators better for what they put out. The entire blogging process was learning about what you can do, learning what you cannot do, and then improving on the parts you’re lacking on. I learned quite a bit about my writing and writing process in the time of writing this blog.

5. Other thoughts and comments?
I’ve largely shared my thoughts in the previous questions, but something I didn’t exactly touch on was that writing itself was a very fun process for me. I love to write and have not done so in months because schoolwork takes up most of my time, so having an excuse to write about topics that I want was fantastic. It’s not exactly in line with the other questions, but that’s my only other thought. Writing the blog has been a wonderful learning experience that I genuinely enjoyed.

Good luck with the rest of the semester, everyone!

Walking into class on the first day I had no idea what to expect in terms of content or what a college literature class would consist of within the realm of Washington State University. Enrolling in an American Literature class during my summer session of orientation seemed like a fun option and an even better opportunity to better my knowledge and further develop my love for the subject of English all together. As this course comes to a close and the end of my first semester as a freshman draws near I take this post as a space to reflect on not only my experience in the course overall, but how my perceptions have evolved through the class readings and the pieces of American literature discussed throughout. Pieces from this class that have touched me the most would be works authored by Mark Twain, Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins, and more recently, Tara Westover. I can say that I probably wouldn’t have willingly grabbed the things required for the course right off the shelves had there not been an an alternative purpose, however the deeper meanings found within the inspiration it took to assemble these works of art has greatly impacted me. 

Going into this course with the intentions of one day becoming a English teacher I knew I would find enjoyment and clarification in my choice in targeted subject. This course has not only been something I look forward to attending, but has shifted my perception of the subject as a whole. From analyzing twenty page passages to breaking down shakespearean sonnets, my love has only grown. The selected pieces meticulously chosen by my professor have shifted my preconceived dissatisfaction with required course readings into an appreciation and curiosity that I hadn’t dealt with in prior literature courses. Furthermore, this course has shown me that between both intentionally selected, sufficient readings and a quality professor who has passion and knowledge in regards to the subject at hand, make the most effective impact on students.  Elements that made up the course grade such as this blog and the focused essays pushed me to challenge interpretations, all together putting me out of my former comfort zone, thus giving way to an opportunity to grow. Utilizing passion as a driving force in a world that does all it can to tear you down is an action the pieces of this course have inspired me to use amidst combat.

When watching the episode “It’s a Good Life” of “The Twilight Zone” in class, I found the entire episode unsettling for many reasons. Among those were the subtle warnings of dictators, propaganda, and more. One that I don’t remember being mentioned in class was surveillance. For me, I found Anthony to be the embodiment of the aforementioned societal fears, but specifically surveillance through the story’s use of the mind-reading. I found this one detail to be eerily similar to many events going on today, like data stealing and the NSA, for example. It’s unsurprising today to be told that our information is watched and gathered. But what I found out while doing some research was that this has been going on for decades. Which, when watching this episode of “The Twilight Zone,” it begins to make much more sense.

In an article by the Smithsonian, it’s noted that wiretapping has been in existence since the late 1800s, but was first seen as a major, national problem in the 1950s, which was when “The Twilight Zone” first began to air. It’s no stretch to assume that the decade’s fears of being surveyed and their words judged and its consequences could make it into a television show about showcasing societal fears.

I think this is also why it resonated with me and made me feel so uncomfortable: It’s still happening today. When watching old shows, I don’t tend to feel much watching them because the times and cultures are very different, but this one episode made me feel anxious for the characters because I could relate to something unsettling that they were going through. In today’s world, many people post their lives online but put up personas that are usually more positive than their true selves. While not exactly correlated to the surveillance, it makes them less likely targets, much like the people in “It’s a Good Life” who put on masks of cheer to avoid the consequences of Anthony’s mind reading.

Overall, I found it very interesting that an episode from 60 years ago could instill such negative feelings in me and that despite different technologies and circumstances, the times have not essentially changed regarding human and societal fears.

Sources:
(1) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/brief-history-surveillance-america-180968399/

Deep rooted culture and meaningful family relationships are what drive Sherman Alexie in his quest to retrieve his grandmother’s regalia. Being a member of a family whose native blood runs strong in an evolving culture seems to be difficult when searching for a sort of identity or place to fit. In short story titled “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” Alexie details his life as a homeless man in Washington state, which takes off when he identifies an object that appears meaningless to many, but draws him closer to a sense of what feels like home. The pawnshop owner tells Alexie he has twenty four hours to turn his five dollars into nearly one thousand if he intends on purchasing this piece of his past back. Alexie knows this will be difficult, but he sets out to do so anyway. Throughout the story he comes in contact with various people who he tries to get to help him, however, his deep desire to help others finds it hard to keep what little he has to himself, especially when he sees people who he thinks could do more with it than he. Introducing this narrative, the author allows a contrast to be drawn between the worldly idea of greed and lust for wealth and Alexie’s cultural values of sharing. As the twenty four hours goes on, Alexie begins to run out of time. He returns to the shop with five dollars to his name once more, emotional but yet somewhat still determined. Upon entrance, he is greeted by the same pawnshop worked who he met originally. Asking for the price one last time, he realizes he has no other option to admit that he does not have enough to cover the requested amount. But this time the worker asked him if he worked hard for the money, to which he responds with a quick yes. Considering that it wasn’t the same five dollars and that he did indeed work hard to regain this heirloom, the worker retrieves the regalia and tells the narrator to take it and that he doesn’t want his money any longer. This story expresses a contrast in cultures, roots of identity, and shifts of perception. The pawnshop worker responded out of greed and with a lack of understanding when first consulting with the narrator desiring to purchase the regalia. But when shown the lengths to which someone would go to within the short time period of twenty four hours, influences a shift of perception within the worker, ultimately allowing the narrator to receive what he wanted. Coming from a place of pure intentions and motivated by a longing for a sense of home resulted in the retrieval of the regalia.

Alice Waythorn is one of the main characters of “The Other Two,” a story about a man caught up in the difficulties of encountering his new wife’s two ex-husbands. While an important character, her actions and motives are never made crystal clear and require a deep-dive into the details.

Personally, I interpreted Alice’s motives as unethical when it came to her husbands. From what I could garner from the story, I think it likely stems from her first marriage to Haskett. As part of Alice’s background on page 283, it’s revealed that she was part of a “socially reigning family” but that at 17 she ran away to marry Haskett. To me, it seems like she eventually regretted marrying someone from a middle class or lower standing and eventually divorced him. Although it’s not explicitly divulged, she likely divorced him for the lack of wealth. While this marriage could be chalked up to young naivete, with the second marriage it looks like a pattern is presenting itself.

With Varick, she knew he was wealthy. While this might be an arbitrary fact, it was likely not when it came to divorce. Again, though, ambiguity strikes because there were two possible reasons for divorce: (1) Varick had “champions” and wasn’t marriage material or (2) a lack of money so severe he couldn’t pay his bills. Looking at it, the first option would simply be another mistake Alice made, but the second presents the idea that Alice once again divorced a man for monetary instability. Because of the ambiguity, it’s uncertain of her true motives, but evidence suggests that money at least plays a part in her marriages, maybe even in her third one.

In her marriage with Waythorn, because they are newlyweds, it’s even more unclear whether she married him for love or money. They moved into his house, he has a respectable job, and it’s known that he’s a part of the circles of the city’s rich. Because Alice’s thoughts are still uncertain, no exact conclusion can be drawn about her marriage to Waythorn, although other evidence of her behavior may lend credence.

Other behaviors Alice exhibits may add to her potentially deceptive nature. The first is lying to her husband about speaking with Haskett (291). It’s just overall suspicious that she lied about it, even if she knew Waythorn wouldn’t like it. The next one is that when confronted, she “burst into tears, and he saw that she expected him to regard her as a victim” (292). Crying to manipulate people’s feelings is extremely deceptive. While it could have been a jaded view from Waythorn’s perspective, it can still be read as manipulation by Alice.

Overall, Alice Waythorn is an ambiguous character; either she’s a woman defiant of societal norms or is a woman manipulating the men she’s in a relationship with to garner some kind of monetary gain. Either way, I find her to be a fascinating character.

Upon first glance, some pieces of art appear simple, lacking meaning or a larger purpose to serve. To those not looking for  a concept to draw from a piece, things like linguistic art, such as poetry, seem to only be oddly phrased sentences with no story to logically follow. In Claude Mckay’s poem, “America”, the nation is represented in various ways, however by reading through it briefly you wouldn’t quite grasp all that McKay has to say. With the knowledge of the types of poems, readers can break down this piece into three quatrains and a couplet, one of many things characterizing it as a Shakespearean sonnet. Knowing how the poem is broken down gives way to the three main ideas McKay tries to represent as the powers of America, giving way to the so called love-hate relationship he has with the country.

The author presents America’s power in relation to an animalistic source, natural, and societal. In terms of animalistic power, America is referred to as a tiger with teeth that sink into the citizens of color within the nation, stealing their “breath of life”. Following this, the power of nature is displayed through the flowing of water and alluded to unstoppable force used to describe the ocean; It’s power is difficult to contain and nearly impossible to stop. Lastly, the societal power of America is displayed when McKay refers to “king in state” and “standing within her walls”, showing the restraining capabilities a king, in this case America, would have over the people in his land. Breaking down a poem into smaller sections allows reader’s perceptions to change, showing them the deeper meaning than what they would get if they simply read over the text once.

Concluding “America” McKay utilizes a couplet to develop the idea of America’s future demise, which would come about if the nation keeps traveling down the path of toxicity in which the nation was treading upon during the time period this poem was written. This piece was written during the Harlem Renaissance, which sadly was a time in which there was a lot of gang violence, but murders of those within the African American community. These murders, and general negativity, could be seen as being alluded to by McKay in the end of his poem “America”, although it is not explicitly stated. The poem concludes with the sentence “Beneath the touch of Time’s unerring hand, Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.”, in a way stating that time is of the essence and if nobody realizes this or works to make some changes then the future prosperity of the country will be swallowed up and forgotten about,  along with the dreams of eradicating racial segregation. McKay provides insight on the topics plaguing his mind through his various sonnets, including the one discussed throughout this post, as well as “Outcast” and “Africa”, comment down below which of the three sonnets provoked the most feeling while reading them.

In the story, The Ice Palace, two of the most important things are the Sally Carrol/Harry relationship and their respective settings. For each character, they’re each at the end of two extremes: warmth, brightness, and familiarity for Sally Carrol; cold, gloomy, and foreign for Harry. All of this from Sally Carrol’s point of view. Within the story, I noticed that as Sally Carrol’s relationship with Harry progressed, it also followed the same general pattern as her experiencing the shift in locations. 

At the beginning of the story, Sally Carrol has only known Harry from summers in North Carolina. This shows that their relationship, from Sally Carrol’s perspective, is bright, warm, and happy. She and the relationship have never experienced the extreme cold and negativeness. Everything is optimistic: the relationship has no cracks in it and Sally Carrol points out that she wants to travel and learn things (pp. 921). 

After that, the relationship is still positive for the most part but is at the beginning of the end. It starts in part two. Harry Bellamy has come down to the south in November (cold, negativity). While neither of these things immediately signals the souring relationship, they’re the beginning as Sally Carrol begins to face different situations, challenging her “call to adventure.”

The story progresses and the relationship is still solid, but Sally Carrol now experiences much harsher cold. This parallels her relationship with Harry as she experiences the formal and uptight people from the dance who refuse to be playful with her, the negativity of thoughts towards the south and north, and Harry’s stiff parents and his mother who disrespects her. The setting becomes harsher and colder and gloomier, and Sally Carrol’s situation follows that same thread as her relationships with the citizens of the north mostly begin to sour. 

Even further, it’s shown that there are snow and extreme cold. Sally Carrol says she “scarcely recognized” (pp. 930) which mirrors the fight with Harry about stereotypes in which he insults southerners. It’s a stark contrast from the beginning of the story which was a warm summer with a head-over-heels in love couple. 

In part five, the next-to-last part of the story, the dichotomy is clear. The part opens with “It was a particularly cold night” (pp. 932) and contains the eponymous ice palace. In this part, it’s extremely cold and contains the ice palace which is surrounded in freezing ice with no sun and eventually no light. This is also the part in which Harry abandons her in the ice palace. This shows that all warmth and happiness has left Sally Carrol, in her surroundings and relationship. 

Overall, the parallels of Sally Carrol’s relationship and its symbolism within the settings of the story show how each of the two components develops throughout the story and affect each other. The components illustrate the conflict, both environmental and interpersonal. All of it shows the changing thoughts and perceptions Sally Carrol has regarding change and her love of Harry.

For many immigrants, coming to America appears to be a great step in their future in a new place with great promises. However sadly, in many cases this appears to be untrue, especially for the family migrating from China to America in Sui Sin Far’s In The Land of The Free, who travel with optimism and hope. The passage opens with the mother, Lae Choo, who is conversing with her son, Little One, about the journey they are about to embark upon. When Lae Choo arrives to San Francisco with her young son, they meet up with her husband, who has been making a living for them whilst she was pregnant in China. Leaving the boat, they come in contact with a customs officer who asks where the child was born, and once told he quickly beckons to a fellow officer. The newly reunited family laughs with joy and doesn’t see the issue they will momentarily be faced with. Following this quick encounter with the customs officer, the family decides to try and walk away because they don’t understand the need for paperwork to bring their own son into the foreign land. The custom officers promise that retrieving the paper will be quick, but for now they must take their child. This is where we see the perception of America being a welcoming, hopeful, new home, shift into a place that seizes children and plants seeds of bitterness and greed in the hearts of its inhabitants. After many efforts, and ten months without seeing their child, the family, especially Lae Choo, become depressingly unsatisfied and at a complete loss. There is nobody here that will help them or even tell them what they need to do unless they are willing to pay some sort of unnecessary fee. A sense of loss at what to do next can be expected, as well as the severe depressive state that the child’s mother is put into when she faces the fact that she may never see her child again. Eventually Lae Choo comes to a point of desperation when her husband tells the lawyer that they cannot afford the five hundred dollars it will take for a piece of paper granting them access to their son, so Lae gives the man all of her gold jewelry and precious items in hopes that this form of payment will suffice. The lack of emotion the lawyer feels for the family and the sentiment within the jewelry given shows how truly greedy and driven by money the people in America are. After being taken advantage of and going through hell and back, the family finally approaches their son, only to be met by a completely changed boy who no longer wants his family anymore. In a way the shift in the boy parallels the families’ shift in perception of America and the people within.

When first reading “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell, I immediately categorized the characters by their initial actions. I thought that the men, while condescending, were being fairly logical when it came to the farmhouse murder. Conversely, I thought that the women were just there to stand around and be meek. Once I got to page 786, my thoughts on Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters quickly changed and I became slightly surprised as they began to become more thorough with the investigation than the male professionals.
At first, I thought that they were just there to fill some side roles and so, were not given many lines in the beginning and that is what caused me to think of them as demure. As they got to page 786 and beyond, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were able to find better evidence through the cage and dead canary as well as a potential motive to the murder. I found all of that very interesting and it made me more interested in them as characters. My thoughts on them changed as the story progressed from that point on, especially at the end when they didn’t tell the men about the evidence and potential motive. That decision most definitely sealed the deal on my changing opinion of them. I went from thinking they were shy side characters to being complex protagonists. I’m glad my views changed regarding them and that I enjoyed the story.
For the men, my views also changed throughout the story. But, in contrast to how my views changed regarding the women, my view of the men went negatively. At first, I found them to be arrogant in their positions but still logical, but as they kept talking within the play, I found them to be frustrating because of their condescension and probable unwillingness to believe that Mrs. Wright could have had a reason to murder her husband. I grew to dislike their jibes at women as they kept dissing “womanly” things like being clean, running the farmhouse, and sewing. I also found it ironic that their downfall in effectively solving the case from their own blindness to look beyond their own perceived notions. That’s fairly obvious but I still found it interesting.
Overall, I found my views from the beginning of “Trifles” to be entirely switched by the end. The story itself was very interesting, but I found how the characters were presented and developed to be more riveting than the actual murder case itself.