Avery AP Lit

1. Do you think Pilkings ever understands why Elesin and the rest of his people are upset about being hindered in carrying out their ritual? What about his wife? 2. Do you think it's fair that Iyaloja and Olunde are mad at Elesin for failing in his duty/not following through with his execution? Does Elesin get a pass because he was "interrupted". . .?

I strongly believe that Addie's narration was well-crafted as well as an eye-opener for the reader and ultimately, the best chapter in the novel. I believe the reader gained the most knowledge out of her chapter and received the majority of the answers for any lingering questions from the novel prior to Addie's chapter. Each siblings' relationship with Addie was highlighted and interestingly this depiction had nothing to do in regard to her death but in fact her time spent living. In Darl's chapter, Anse claims none of Addie's sons never "pure loved her" (228). This so heavily contradicts my last blog post because out of all people, Jewel who I claimed was once so non communicative and unresponsive seems to take the greatest offense. However, I question why Faulkner shows to only write about his response to Pa's statement. Furthermore, this sheds light on the relationship between Jewel and Addie considering Jewel was conceived from an affair Addie had...

1.  What is the significance of Vardaman still believing his mother is a fish during the move to Jefferson when the wagon turns over in the water, making Addie's coffin tip over into the river as well? 2. Does Vardaman use a mental or physical coping mechanism to mourn his mother's death in regard to the fish analogies? 3. Can it be further explained how Cash's construction of his mother's coffin helps him cope with her death? 

In this section of reading for William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, I appreciate the further development of the Bundren siblings through their mother, Addie's death. Vardaman- harder to depict but Faulkner exploits his childishness and he seems almost lost through his childlike imagination Jewel- lacks expression and communication; hence, his narrative was interrupted by Addie's death Cash- insensitive; despite the fact he constructs the coffin in front of Addie, he has a lists of reasons for deciding to make the coffin on a sloping surface (bevel) Dewey Dell- communicative, however her pregnancy doesn't allow her to engage fully in the death of her mother as she would like—for she knows this is something she cannot control In addition, I believe Faulkner does a great job with the characterization and development of Vardaman. Considering that Vardaman's first chapter was the most brief, I think it's fair to say it left the reader a little confused and perhap...

As I Lay Dying: 1) Why did Faulkner choose to write this novel with an unconventional narrative approach? 2) Why does Faulkner give Darl the power of being an omniscient character? Why is he different from the rest of the characters so far? 3) What is the significance of Vardaman stating his mother is a fish? What does her death mean? And why couldn't he just say "dead"?

As of "In The Field" of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, the motif of storytelling seems to be expanding its occurrences. In  “Speaking of Courage” we get the perspective of  Bowker on Kiowa’s death. In “Notes” we get O’Brien’s perspective. In “In the Field” we get the comments of the other company members. Both “Speaking of Courage” and “In the Field” are told in the third person. An omniscient point of view to be exact. This is effective because it gives many different points of view instead of focusing on one character’s account of Kiowa’s death. We can relive the situation not only from Norman Bowker’s point of view but also from that of Lieutenant Cross, Azar, and a young soldier whose name has not been revealed. The significance is that the reader eventually gets a gist of what the death did or what like to each character — but the story is different in each account in different ways. This does nothing but deepen O'Brien's presentation of storyt...

So far in the reading of William Timothy O'Brien's The Things They Carried,  the character of Jimmy Cross (especially after Lavender's death) has caught my attention. I actually feel for the guy. As an officer in war, I know certainty and brotherhood is really important.Therefore, I strongly believe that Lavender's death will take a toll on Cross and his actions later in the novel. From a reader's perspective and for the sake of a prediction I think Cross blames himself. In addition, it makes it no better that Cross was distracted by the thoughts of Martha. Unfortunately, it seems as if he chose a girl over his men. This is so unfortunate because Cross seems like a nice guy.

" Find one example of intertextuality in a story from  The Thing Around Your Neck , be it from Shakespeare, the Bible, a fairy tale, mythology, or another text you're familiar with. Then explain how this example of intertextuality offers insight into the text." The chapter named, "Cell One" in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's The Thing Around Your Neck could possibly be shaped in a way to resemble Luke 15:11-32's "The Parable of the Lost Son" in the Bible. In the first chapter of the novel, I feel as if the mother represents the father,  Nnamabia represents the younger brother, and the narrator represents the older brother  in  "The Parable of the Lost Son". Nnamabia gets into trouble and seems as if he's the least responsible out of the siblings. However, his mother always comes to his rescue and this is noted by the narrator who speaks on the defense in which their mother takes for the older brother. However, at the end of the cha...

"Does this story remind you of anything in your own life or in something you've read about in the news? What connections can you make to outside events?"  Ironically, however specifically, in the chapter  The Thing Around Your Neck  I immediately could relate with what was going on in the first few pages on false advertisement of diversity. In this case, the uncle's company paid him more than the average salary because they wanted to appear diverse to outsiders. The uncle agreed to be in a picture of every brochure, even the ones that had nothing to do with his field of work. I have visited multiple institutions, websites, and college fairs that will have photos of people of color or people from multiple cultural backgrounds on the front page and advertise diversity but, when I actually visit the actual campus or workplace or talk to someone who is more familiar with the place, it's the complete opposite.

Initially, I was quite eager to read E.M. Forster's A Passage to India until I realized how thick the novel appeared. I feared I would lose interest and the story would eventually feel long-winded. I strongly dislike a drag or slow start in literature works. However, I applaud the manner in which Forster wrote this novel. I believe it played an intricate role in keeping me interested and ultimately, finishing the book. Forster uses an unnamed third-person narrator from an omniscient point of view, attuned to both the physical world and the inner states of the characters. Forster's often poetic and sometimes ironic or philosophical tone contributed to the lack of boredom in reading  A Passage to India.

In E.M. Forster's A Passage to India, I particularly took interest in the theme in which he portrays in regard to the difficulty of English-Indian friendship. I thought this was a different approach considering it went beyond the concept of British colonization but rather a personal level for the two cultures. However, he uses the friendship between Aziz and Fielding as framework to explore the general issues of Britain's political control over India. Perhaps the friendship between the two will never correlate with the way Indians are treated under British rule due to the lack of liberal humanism in the government.

In Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor, I   really appreciated the section about intertextuality. Intertextuality is the connection shared between literary works and texts. Before reading this section, I thought I had been developing this skill long enough therefore, this section of the book would be more irrelevant than not. However, that was false. Intertextuality goes beyond the simple comparison and contrast of novels. Understanding intertextuality and how to use it in analysis of literature is a very useful skill to have, and one that is steadily developed over time through practice, extensive reading, and knowing what one should be looking for. While this isn't crucial to enjoy a work of literature, it nonetheless allows for a deeper understanding of how complex and rich a story can be.

I highly encourage others to read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's The Thing Around Your Neck because most students I know might be apprehensive to reading the novel if they read the back of the book first or maybe even the first 50 pages due to the format and themes. However, I strongly feel that Adichie tells each story with a distinct voice and purpose. The voice of Adichie that does not change through the entire novel is honesty. I believe the rawness in which she tells each story works in the favor of the reader as well as gives respect to Adichie as an author. Overall, with the consideration of Adichie's writing style,  The Thing Around Your Neck is a perfect book to guide readers to a higher level of consciousness, especially those who are stuck in their own niche when it comes to literature.

"How would this novel compare to novels you've read previously? Is like another story you've studied or just read?" While reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche's The Thing Around Your Neck , I immediately compared this novel to two novel that I read during my sophomore year. The first novel was Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart due to the African culture in both novels and more specifically, the Igbo language. The second novel was Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies due to the similar format. Each chapter is a different chapter in both novels except Adiche explores the relationship between African and American cultures while Lahiri explores the relationship between the culture of immigrant Indians and first-generation Americans.