Engl Comp II: Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis

You might want to get comfortable before starting to read this one, cause it's pretty darn long. The Metamorphosis is about Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one morning to discover that he has been turned into a giant insect.... That's a heck of a way to start the day if you ask me. The story then proceeds to mention that has slept late, and will be late for work. Strangely, even after realizing that he is a giant insect, Gregor still has the same trivial worries and concerns he had before when he was human, such as catching the train so that he can make it to work on time. We find out that Gregor is the main source of income for his struggling family, and now since he cannot work his family has to all get jobs to make ends meet. Eventually, Gregor's physical form becomes too much for his parents to take, waning the health of his mother and causing his father to erupt into violent outbursts, one of which injures Gregor, slowly bringing about his demise. This is a great read, but like I said earlier, clear your schedules and get confortable before sitting down in front of this one.

Amercan Lit II: Robert Frost

Today, we went over some peotry by Robert Frost. Frost was one of many of a movement in literature history known as transcendentalists. Transcendentalists believe that humans could be one with nature by transcending (looking past) the physical realities of our world and tapping into the spiritual forces around us. One of Frost's peoms showing us this is "The Mending Wall." In this poem, two neighbors meet to make repairs to a fence dividing their property. The narrator believes that since neither own any property that has the ablility to cross over property lines that no fence is needed. The neighbor believes that "good fences make good neighbors," which is a long outdated belief. The narrator continues to try to draw information from his neighbor on why he believes this, but is unsuccessful. Although his poetry may need to be re-read to gather full clarity, Frost's work is a mind-opening experience.

English Comp. II: Amy Tan, A Pair of Tickets

Amy Tan's "A Pair of Tickets" is a great story about the personal struggles of a young woman to find out who she truly is and fully embrace her heritage. Jing-Mei, the narrator and main character of the story, is a Chinese-American who is born in America. At the beginning of the story during part of a conversation between Jing-Mei and her mother, we see Jing-Mei fervently deny that she has any Chinese in her at all. At the end of this conversation, we see a bit of foreshadowing when Jing-Mei's mother tells her that her Chinese ancestry is "in her blood, waiting to be let go." After Jing-Mei's mother dies, her family receives a letter from her half-sisters in China asking about their mother. After responding to the letter, Jing-Mei's family decides to travel to China to visit family. To make a long story short, Jing-Mei eventually meeets her sisters for the first time and realizes and embraces the fact the she is Chinese.

American Lit II: Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar is a very different type of poet. Dunbar wrote most of his poems, short stories, essays and novels about the struggles of the African American race at the time he was alive (1872-1906). While Dunbar write many of his poems and stories in standard English dialect, he also wrote many of these in the African dialect spoken at this time. Dunbar's work is very interesting. It may take a little time and effort to fully understand some of his works, but they are literary pieces of gold. Sadly, Dunbar died at the age of 34, leaving us to wonder what he would truly be capable of if he had lived to continue to write and perfect his craft.

English Comp II: James Baldwin: Sonny's Blues

Sonny's Blues is a very well written story about the relationship of two brothers. The story opens with the narrator reading in the newspaper of his brother Sonny's arrest for the crime of possessing heroin. The narrator has an encounter with a friend of Sonny's who also is an addict. Later in the story, the narrator flashbacks to a conversation that takes place between him and his mother. After telling the narrator about his uncle, the mother then asks the narrator to watch over Sonny and be there for him. Sonny moves in with his brother's wife's family, but eventually runs away and joins the navy. After this, he comes home, which is when he gets busted for possession. When Sonny is released from rehab/prison, he continues to work at developing his skill as a piano player. He succeeds, and at the end of the story manages to get a gig playing blues at a club. It seems that Sonny's Blues transformed from drug addiction to the actual blues music itself by the end of the story. This is a good read which I would recommend to anyone.

American Lit II: W.E.B. Dubois, From The Souls of Black Folk

The Souls of Black Folk is an eary twentieth century take on what Dubois calls the problem of the color line. Dubois' views on how one views themselves through the eyes of others, particularly through someone of another race, is called double consciousness. Since The Souls of Black Folk has been published, double consciousness has become an important tool to judge the progress of race relations in America. In Souls, Dubois offers his thoughts on potential obstacles to progress for the African-American race, and also speaks of the possible progress the race can make as the nation entered the 20th century. Throughout this story, Dubois speaks about the years after the civil war, relates some life experiences as a teacher, and speaks of the opinions of Booker T. Washinton and others like Washington. This was a very informative read.

American Lit II: Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery

Booker T. Washington's Up From Slavery is a very interesting read and an almost non-conventional take on the issue of slavery. In Up, Washington tells about his life, beginning as an enslaved child. Washington tells about his mother, how she worked and took care of her children. He relates to us some of his day to day tasks as a slave, and tells us of the jubilation felt when the slaves find out that they are free at last. Washington also tells of the relationship between master and slave, how, if not treated completely like or worse than animals, many slaves felt a close personal connection to some of their owners, and even felt sad when one of their owners fell ill or even died. Washington then goes on to tell more about his life, including events such as his speech to the Atlanta Exposition and meeting President Grover Cleveland. This story just goes to show that no matter what hand you are dealt in life, with hard work and determination, you can achieve almost anything.

English Comp II: Edgar Allen Poe: The Tell Tale Heart

Edgar Allen Poe: literary genius; The Tell Tale Heart is a great example of this. In The Tell Tale Heart, we see one man's (the narrator's) struggle with his sanity. The story begins with the narrator telling the reader that he is dreadfully nervous, and because of that, he could hear all sounds in heaven, earth, and hell. This is a continuing example throughout the story of the narrator's attempts to twist obvious signs of insanity into signs of sanity. After this, the narrator develops a plan to kill the old man because of the old man's eye, something by which the narrator is troubled. After a week of spying on the old man during the night, the narrator acts on his plan to kill the old man, which he does, and proceeds to bury the dismembered corpse under the boards of the house in which the old man lived. The old man yelled once, which attracted cops to the scene. The cops questioned the narrator and appear deceived by the narrator's actions. At the end of the story, the completely slips into madness, and admits to killing the old man after "hearing" the beating of the old man's heart. This is a definite must read for everybody.