Greenblatt and Will need real jobs.

I have no idea what these articles are talking about, but I will try my best to give myself the benefit of the doubt and explain.

George Will's point of view is purely based on politics as he states, "All literature is, whether writers are concious of it or not, political."  I do not understand the big deal with Iannoue, are they too afraid of change? They say she lacked scholarly credentials but it was really because of her conservative political learnings. This goes to show that they seem to insecure to provide their own opinions about anything so they need political evidence to show that they are correct and that politics are correct. Pffffff.  "...Political responses to literature makes literature primarily interesting as a mere index of who had power and whom the powerful victimized." I think this statement is very degrading.  The "victimized" have no opinion in to whatever is presented to induviduals that seek interest in whatever topic is presented.  Take Caliban for example, he never has a say in what he wants to do he is always following orders and never gets what he wants, there is no change, he is not progressing.  In order to progress we need to deviate away from the political backbone and speak our minds. It's called an opinion? Criticism?

Thats why I choose to side with Greenblatt...

He presents an induvidualistic approach to literature, I THINK he is trying to say that people need to speak up and not be set in "the nation's social cement." I like how he stated, "The best way to kill our literary inheritence is to turn it into a decorous liturgical celebration of the new world order. Poets cannot soar when their feet is stuck in social cement."  I think he is saying we need to gather various amounts of unique perspectives in order to learn from things and not just be set in one way.  People need opinions and advice to further their knowledge and expand their own views.  The art of persuasion? ahhhhh?  Greenblatt is saying question what is being told to you, now if you questioned Will he would say you are trying to deculture literature.  No, youre simply wanting more insight to the subject being handed to you.



Now, I barely understood what I was talking about.

If you can.....congratulations.

The Tempest, so tempting to read.

So as I am trying to contain myself on how happy I was to spend my day reading The Tempest and Postcolonialism excerpts, my allergies decided to distract me. Benadryl was given to me by my lovely grandmother who did not inform me that it would make me drowsy. I fell asleep. Nice. I just thought everyone should know.


The contrast between Caliban and Colonization was very easy for me to find. In the article, "Cultural Studies," by Charles Bressler, I found that Frantz Fanon commented something that caught my attention and I think it relates to Caliban very well, he comments, "As a result of colonialism (the other-that is, any person defined as "different from") [suffers] "psychic warping" often causing what Fanon describes as "a collapse of the ego." Were forced to speak the language of the colonizer, the colonized either accepted or were coerced into accepting the collective consciousness, therefore indentifyng blackness with evil and sin and whiteness with purity and righteousness." As Prospero is bashing Caliban for everything that he is saying to him, Caliban says, "You taught me language, and all I can do is curse. Damn you for teaching me your language!" I think that this is a very typical thing, Prospero came and influenced Caliban to let him explore his island, an unknown territory, and try and convert him and teach him his own ways and then later on Caliban regreted everything he let Prospero accomplish, because Prospero later turns on him calling him "savage" and other rude names. Caliban had to accept and not try to reject any order that was givin to him because he was made into the person he was by Prospero.  Later on in Act II, Caliban meets Trinculo and Stephano and he assumes that they are spirits sent to "torture" him and adds "You havent hurt me much yet, but you will soon, I can tell by your trembling." The whole "collapse of the ego" ties in when Caliban thinks they are a "gift from God" and wants to serve them. It's kind of like WOW, be your own person. I dont think he can comprehend that because really he has served along someone pretty much his whole life. I also dont think that being called a monster, savage, stinky fish, or creature boosts his ego either. Trinculo and Stephano make him "kiss the Bible" which is referring to their whatever type of alcohol they are consuming, and Caliban adds that he will "fish for [them] and get [them] plenty of firewood. The tyrant im serving now can go to hell!!" So he is pretty much willing to get bossed around by two drunk men who dance around together?


In the cultural studies article there is also a comment that follows, "As diverse as these topics appear, they draw attention to postcolonialism's major concern: highlighting the struggle that occurs when one culture is dominated by another." Caliban is pretty much a one man band, his culture is adapted to whatever influences, better yet, WHO influences him. He is taken advantage of and dominated. All he knows is to serve and no one is on his side to defend him. He agrees to most of what is told of him and lives to serve. He is the "Other." Im looking forward to seeing how his character folds out along the course of the play.  


Id like to add one last quote from the "Cultural Studies," article, "How one treats people who are so defined does not really matter, they said, because many Westerners subscribed to the Colonists idealogy that all races other than the white were inferior or subhuman. These subhumans or "savages" quickly became the inferior and equally "evil."


Caliban is singled out, thus him being a subhuman that is treated like crap just because Prospero is a real malicious induvidual. Everyone other than Prospero and Miranda are not worthy. Hopefully things change.

Never go into reading something new with a negative attitude, it will never work.

Shakespeare's, "Tempest,"  presents an out of the ordinary plot line and creates an imaginitive outline in Act I. We are presented with the character, Prospero, who seems some what vindictive towards his brother Antonio for taking aways his authority in the goverment because Prospero was "[neglecting] practical matters, being totally dedicated to solitude and improving [his] mind with subjects more valuable than most people imagine, [he] was so shut away from the world that [he] unwittingly stirred up evil wishes [towards his] disloyal brother." Antonio took his ambiotion and paid no attention to his brother for any time being and made sure that he was rising up.

Prospero is able to manipulate characters to his own satisfying and is very selfish in his decision making. He acts in a way such as that everyone needs to make him happy and feel sorry for him and he does not care about the outcome. An example may be when he told the story of how his daughter is in the place that she is now; therefore saying that she does not remember much but continues to tell anyways. Miranda states that, "You’ve often started to tell me who I am, but then suddenly stopped, leaving me asking questions that never get answered, telling me, “Wait. Not yet.” Is that because he is making it up along the way and wants to make himself seem like he is the better person? He says that his brother Antonio is "like some liar who begins to believe in his own lie" or is that Prospero? Like in 1984 the bad guy will always portray himself as the product of good until you then start to realize what bad they can produce; but when you start to comprehend that you must then be set in your place. It is hard to tell this early on but you can kind of see the trends already. Also, Miranda starts to get "sleepy" while her father is telling her the story of how she came to be but Prospero has his magic cloak, so was she actually sleepy or did he maybe make her fall asleep? Maybe he did that so next time when she asks or when he is good and ready to tell her more he doesnt have to pick up where he left off, he can tell what he wants to tell.

Another example is the way he talks to Ferdinand and how he sees that he has feelings for Miranda. Miranda procalims that, "[he] is the third man I’ve ever seen in my life, and the first one I’ve felt romantic feelings for. I hope my father takes pity on me and treats him well for my sake!" Prospero feels that he is a "spy" that was sent to the island and starts feeling a little insecure. When Miranda is in the defense of Ferdinand her father gets hesitant and calls for Ariel and it seems that he was a trick up his sleeve and something in line for Ferdinand. If Prospero can produce a massive storm to scare men of a boat; imagine what he can do to break the train of focus that Ferdinand has for Miranda. Hmmmmm, things might get interesting.

Im excited.

and tired.

Response to "Single Story"

Chimamanda Adichie brings forth an important issue I think that is relevant in today's society. Sterotyping induviduals, cultures, countries and how people are being portrayed under a negative light. Adichie comments that "the problem with sterotypes is that they are not untrue, but they are incomplete." Her "single story" simply refers to that we as human beings are "influenced" to become what we are exposed to and keep that same mind set. Adichie tells her story on how her family had taken care of this boy named Faday and how he was poor and did not have much. When she went to visit Fadays village she found it hard to believe that his family was innovative because all she knew was that he was poor. This runs with the thought that we really think what we want to believe and sterotyoe people based on what we have knowledge on. You may see who they are but you have no idea what they are about.

If you think about our socratic circle this week and all the things we have talked about with the textbooks and so forth you can see how this may relate. In the history books they only wanted their students to be exposed to what they wanted them to know and soak in what was set in front of you. Yeah, you see whats in front of you and you learn what they tell you but do you even know what has happened before or after that? What possible roadblocks that were put forth and overcome to get to where they are today?

When Adichie arrived in the United States her roomate was "surprised" that she had no African tribal music to share. Sterotypical much? Her roomate was exposed to the single story of Africans, the "popular images", the "pity" , the "incomprehensible people" and all the things we know of Africans. Another example is that when Adichie had wanted to publish her novel she was told that it did not achieve "African authencity" and that he was unaware Africans were educated and "drove cars" he expected them to be "starving" and "waiting to be saved." Wow. I wonder how people see Americans? People must deviate away from the single stories it "robs people of their dignity."

When you portray people what they are put out there to be and you do not let them have any say in how they are being represented you start to believe in what is being told to you over and over again. That is the only way of how you will ever see somebody and/or something. When you start stories off in a neative way that shuns the opposing subject you are going to have a whole new outlook on what is brought to your attention, "you see an entirely different story."

As in 1984 when the entire population is exposed to one single idea the rest of their thought process will only fall in guidelines to what is presented. If you must abide by the "Party", you better abide by what "Africans" are put out their to be. It is unfair, cruel, and demeaning. When all you believe is all you can see and you do not search within yourself or out of the box you are setting yourself up for a one track mind that can never be exposed to anything else. Challenge yourself to read between the lines and not to judge.

Chimamanda Adichie gives hope for the future.

Hopefully we can realize what this world is set out to be.

And that is only what you can percieve.