Week Three: Blog Response

I genuinely enjoyed the readings this week. These samples by women were very relatable and all of the issues they mentioned are still occurring in today's society. My favorite was "There Once Was" by Margret Atwood. Her message was very straightforward and clear. I was able to relate because I am typically stereotyped myself because I am African-American and the stereotypes/prejudices used against me have existed for decades. They make me wonder if society has changed throughout time but then I realized that it is the people who have not progressed along with society. These are the same people against gender equality, same-sex marriage, etc. I am not surprised that this message was communicated by a woman because women are usually accepting of all. As discussed in "She Unnames Them" by Ursula Le Guin, Eve strived to connect with nature rather than separating herself. She aimed for equality throughout the entire animal kingdom rather than just throughout the human race. The sad truth however is that as humans, we are unable to establish equality with our own people which makes the goal of Eve seem idealistic and impossible. Although that it may be idealistic, I believe seeking equality is essential because it assures that everyone is given a fair chance. I would say these samples by women accomplish their mission of opening the many narrow minds in today's society. Women's literature deserves more exposure because they give people a different perspective of viewing the problems of this world. Thank you for giving us this opportunity!

Week Three: Interpretation Response

In my opinion, I believe Calvino's way using magic realism is a more successful example. He incorporated more magic in his story, so much that it could be considered fantasy. However, he used a lot of factual research done by many scientists to create more of a balance between the realism and the magic. Another reason why this approach is successful is because it succeeding at grabbing the attention of the reader due to the influx of magic. The plethora of adjectives used in this Calvino's story played a key role in distinguishing this story as a true example of magic realism. Compared to Borges, who's work only displayed a few traits of magic realism, Calvino's work displayed a majority of those same traits, making it a successful example of magic realism.

Week Two: Magic Realism

Magic Realism is a style used in contemporary literature for authors to display their messages to the readers in a unique way and for readers to interpret the author's story in a unique fashion. It was a term that was originally used in painting. The German artist Otto Dix first coined it in the 20^th century. This term referred to a style of painting, now called New Objectivism, in which the paintings were made to show the devastating horrors of World War I. Magic Realism was also used by another artist Giorgio de Chirico. He used it as a new way of looking at the world that will help discover the many mysteries of this world. Now, Magic Realism is now commonly used in literature as a style in which authors are able to use magic and fantasy and infuse with the real, authentic characteristic of life. The elements include the use of many adjectives to describe real objects, real elements such as setting and where these mystical events take place, metaphors that are taken literally, as well as catalogs, or a long list of real objects to give the readers an essence of realism. One thing that is unique about magic realism is that in the stories, everything that occurs is accepted with no question. This is what separates magic realism from fantasy. The characters in the story know what is occurring, however, they perceive it to be reality and in fact, it is their reality. Another characteristic of magic realism is that the events that occur cannot be explained psychologically meaning that things do not occur because of something in their brain or something that affects their mental capacity. Magic realism is also used politically to explain current events in this world. This is possible because realism is used to describe the event and magic or fantasy is used to subvert the event. This is what makes magic realism so powerful in today's society. Although I do not have much experience with it, I see the potential. This style can be used throughout many arts: literature, paintings, movies, TV shows, etc. The possibilities are endless when it comes to using this style. I hope in the future, it is less ridiculed and used more to actually discover the many mysteries in this world.

Week Two: Interpretation Response

I believe in the contemporary world, both of these stories are useful and both are relatable for me personally. If I were to choose one however, I would say Tolstoy's story is more "useful" mainly because greed in something we encounter daily. Many people in this country have some dream or goal they aim to achieve but their motivation is to acquire money. This is dangerous due to the fact that money is paper and once one perishes, they cannot use that worthless paper anymore. People work so hard for money and it only displays the greed in them. I believe this is Tolstoy's message to his readers. Instead of working towards acquiring money, strive for happiness because that will spread throughout the people you interact with daily. Money is only used temporarily and once it is spent, it is gone forever but happiness will never leave the heart.

Week One

I believe Kafka wanted to show the readers that silence can be as deadly as screaming. The sirens were known for their vicious noises but this did not stop them from controlling themselves. This is how we should treat others. We should have a sense of control towards the people we care about. Kafka used silence as a way of portraying people not getting the attention they need from a higher power. I believe Kafka was in a situation where he did not receive any love; the only thing he was conditioned to was silence and this silence broke him down. He used Ulysses as a way of showing the readers that if you are strong willed and well prepared, you can overcome any peril in front of you. Tolstoy focused more on greed and how being greedy can lead to your death. Although Pathom was poor, he had ambition to make himself better. Unfortunately, he was very unappreciative of the progress he made so much that he went on and on to acquire as much land as possible when in reality, the only land he attained was the six feet of his grave. I would say the story by Tolstoy is more relevant to a contemporary reader because greed is something we all have shown in some point of our lives. Especially in modern day society where the only goals people set are based on acquiring wealth. What many do not realize is that money is just paper and it can only buy material goods. I believe that if more people sought out happiness and appreciated what they have rather than continuously going out of their way to accumulate money, there will be less people similar to Pathom who died because of his greed. Although Kafka's story was enjoyable, I loved Tolstoy's story a lot because it was more relatable to modern day society. A lot of people seek money and they never seek true happines. Pathom based his happiness off of the land he acquired. This only led to his death and all the time he spent on acquiring land went to waste. Material goods do not fuel happiness whatsoever in my opinion because once you die, you have no use for it anymore.

Introduction

Hello! My name is Akahyl Henry. I am a rising sophomore here at Rutgers. My intended major(s) is/are Computer Science and/or Math. I enjoy literature when I am able to establish a personal connection with a certain character in the work or when I am able to relate to the work in general. At the times I do not establish this connection, the work is less enjoyable because I am unable to learn anything which prevents me from applying it to my life.