This is the last quarter of my senior year. As a final assignment, Mr. Gallagher, my English teacher, wants us to write a fifteen-page research paper. This research paper is based on an artist. As a first step, I was asked to choose an artist who I am interested in and who have artwork that is able to attract my attention the most. Mr. Gallagher has given us a list of artist in which we can choose from. After roaming through the pages and artworks of these artists, I decide to choose the last name on the list—Jerry Uelsmann. He is a photographer who creates unique pieces of artwork. His photographs are motivating and inspiration. Most of his photographs are related to nature in some way. The unrealistic, and yet, real images in his photographs has caught my attention. I am interested in knowing the method he used in order to create such an effect in his photographs. Now, I am onto Step Three, where I must choose one to three pieces of his artwork. I must then try to describe them to the best of my ability and to make my reader see what I am seeing by painting a replica of the image with my own words.
I have only chosen one piece to write about because I can find a lot of information on this single piece. This confirms the declaration that “an image is worth a thousand words.” The piece that I choose does not have a title. It shows the image of a rectangular room that does not have a roof. We can only see three sides—two long and one short—of this room. The readers face the shorter wall. Because there is no roof, the sky can be seen. The sky is overwhelmed with clouds that range from light gray to dark gray. The clouds are puffy. The sky and the room take up a forty-sixty proportions. At about one inch away from the top and one inch way from the left side of the photograph, there is a sun-like object that casts blinding-white light. On the bottom left corner of the photograph, there is a door. The doorway is totally black. On the wall that faces the readers, there is a painting of a couple standing in front of a curtain. In the painting, they appear to stand on a balcony. Also, on that wall, there is a rectangular door. A light is hanging off from the top of this door. It is turned on and the light is white. On the right-hand side wall, there is a fireplace. There is a clock-like image above the mantel. It is circular and it is made up of two concentric circles with a point in the center. The clock is white; the light of the sun-like object has cast its light onto the clock. Near the bottom left hand side of the photograph, there is a table. On the table, there is a stand, which holds several sheets of paper. The paper on the top of the stand is filled with words and pencil marks. The stand and the paper are tilted by approximately sixty degrees Northwest. The table has six legs, three on each side. Two of the legs are connected on each side. There is a long white candle on the table; it is placed into a metal candle holder. On the top of these sheets of paper, there is a little white note. It is rectangular and it is the only object in the whole photograph that is actually white—pure white. And a person-like figure is standing on the white note. The person is a miniature. He is dressed in a black suit. A room-length carpet spreads on the room’s floor. The carpet has abstract patterns on it and it has a white embroidered border with black dots. In the fireplace, there are a few objects. However, since the photograph is in black and white, it is difficult to identify what the objects really are. Four blocks of wooden log are lying on the floor on the right hand side of the fireplace. They lie horizontally against the fireplace. Three of the logs have the same size while one of them is very narrow and flat. The flat and narrow log lies farthest away from the fireplace. On this side of the wall, there is a framed painting of a female character that is hung approximately half a inch above the black cabinet. On top of the cabinet, there is person-like figure dressed in white. She seems to be holding a brown teddy bear.
The first thing I noticed when I looked at this photograph for the first time is the cloudy sky and the sheets of white paper that is on the stand. In real life, there would not be a house that is open sky. However, in Jerry Uelsmann’s unrealistic photograph, there is. The reason the paper caught my attention is that it is white and that there is a note, that is whiter, lying on it. A miniature man dressed in black is standing on the note. This fascinates me and fills me with wonders. Because the photograph is in black and white, it is difficult to identify the identity of an object in the image. Therefore, the colors—black and white—plays a major role in Uelsmann’s photographs. The painting on the wall that faces the reader does not seem to be a painting. The couple seems to be real; they appear as if they are really standing on a balcony in the room. This is the strange part about the painting. A balcony supposed to be facing the outside with the curtains behind them. However, the balcony faces inward instead of outward. This is very interesting for me to research about and to explore. How does Uelsmann manage to do that. After carefully viewing the entire photograph, I find something interesting about it that is also similar in the other photographs that Uelsmann has taken. There are faces of different people in the photographs. In the fireplace, there are two faces—one of a man and one of a woman. The woman’s face is smaller in size compared to the man’s face. The sky is filled with faces—large and small in sizes. On the carpet that is on the floor, there appears to be an image of a lady at every corner. She appears to be wearing a crown. The only face that is actually large enough in size and specific facial expression is the face of a man who lies at the bottom right hand corner of the wall facing the readers. It appears to be sad and angry. It has beard hanging from his chin and he appears to be an elder.
*Note: all the person-like figure has been given a pronoun of she or he because she or he appears to be a female or male, although I had not specify
Showing posts with label Blog Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog Writing. Show all posts
Monday, April 14, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 26, 2007
The passage Jessica has chosen is also one I would have chosen to talk about and to share.
“They were together in silence like an old married couple wary of life, beyond the pitfalls of passion, beyond the brutal mockery of hope and the phantoms of disillusion: beyond love. For they had lived together long enough to know that love was always love, anytime and anyplace, but it was more solid the closer it came to death”(345).
Indeed, although they have not been married for a long time. The time they had spend in thinking about each other, even after Fermina marries Dr. Urbino and during Florentino’s affairs with different women, is so lengthy that makes them feel like they are old married couple. They are indeed wary of life. They have been through many things throughout their lives being together and being separate. They supposed to be together in the beginning of the book. However, due to Fermina’s disillusionment, they separated. They are wearied of the way they have to be separated and to be back together in the end. They lose many time and chance to be together. The close they come to death, the older they get, and the higher the understanding they have of each other and their relationship. They did not or were not sure of their relationship throughout the book. However, in the end, they understand and realize that they are destined to make up one whole. This quote really moves me in its language and the voice is so demanding that I can actually feel how they are feeling at the moment.
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 26, 2007
The following passage is very strong. It creates so many images and questions inside me.
"We men are the miserable slaves of prejudice, he had once said to her. But when a woman decides to sleep with a man, there is no wall she will not scale, no fortress she will not destroy, no moral consideration she will not ignore at its very root: there is no God worth worrying about”(329-330).
Before a woman sleeps with a man, she will look over everything about the man to see if the man actually is worthy of her love. If she sees something negative about the man, she will say no to him and destroy their relationship. If a man is bad and is unworthy, she would not think about anything else and would just “dump” him. She would not consider the happy days that they have had together.
I believe that this is true about all women and even men. Both men and women are the miserable slaves of prejudice. Once they are seen as unworthy, the will be isolated from their beloved. Sometimes, people give chance to other people who did something wrong. However, when these people are related to them by love, they do not hesitate to separate themselves from them. They worried that they will be hurt and that they do not want to be hurt.
Still, there are those who would fall into these traps. I know someone who likes a boy who takes drugs. This boy is kind, but the only problem with him is that he likes almost every girl he sees and that he lives a “bad-boy” life. He smokes and he drinks. This person I know is almost the exact opposite; she works hard in school, and she had not had a boyfriend before. She falls into the trap of loving him even though he is unworthy of her love. I believe that there are many different types of women and men in the world and that each one of them thinks differently.
"We men are the miserable slaves of prejudice, he had once said to her. But when a woman decides to sleep with a man, there is no wall she will not scale, no fortress she will not destroy, no moral consideration she will not ignore at its very root: there is no God worth worrying about”(329-330).
Before a woman sleeps with a man, she will look over everything about the man to see if the man actually is worthy of her love. If she sees something negative about the man, she will say no to him and destroy their relationship. If a man is bad and is unworthy, she would not think about anything else and would just “dump” him. She would not consider the happy days that they have had together.
I believe that this is true about all women and even men. Both men and women are the miserable slaves of prejudice. Once they are seen as unworthy, the will be isolated from their beloved. Sometimes, people give chance to other people who did something wrong. However, when these people are related to them by love, they do not hesitate to separate themselves from them. They worried that they will be hurt and that they do not want to be hurt.
Still, there are those who would fall into these traps. I know someone who likes a boy who takes drugs. This boy is kind, but the only problem with him is that he likes almost every girl he sees and that he lives a “bad-boy” life. He smokes and he drinks. This person I know is almost the exact opposite; she works hard in school, and she had not had a boyfriend before. She falls into the trap of loving him even though he is unworthy of her love. I believe that there are many different types of women and men in the world and that each one of them thinks differently.
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 26, 2007
I completely agree with Jessica when she said that Florentino Ariza almost hoped that Dr. Urbino had not die. He is used to the carefree lifestyle he has without owning Fermina Daza physically, but instead, thinking about her mentally. He seems like he does not want this to change. Also, with the death of Dr. Urbino, his ability to renew his relationship with Fermina will be easier. He may have thought that this is not challenging enough and that the hope and desire he chases after for so many years will be gone forever. His hope of being with Fermina will be gone forever if he reunites with Fermina.
I agree with Jessica when she said that Dr. Urbino’s death is quite ironic. He die in hopes of saving something he despised, a parrot. The parrot is like a companion to him. He teaches it how to talk and they share more time together than he does with his wife.
Florentino Ariza is in many ways like a child. He sleeps in his mother’s bed when he is in a state of solitude. This is an act to help him relieve his pain and resolve his problems mentally, although not physically. Also, the way he has affair with many women is another childish act of being disobedient and to show his love towards Fermina.Like Jessica, I wonder why the Florentino’s driver’s name has never been mentioned throughout the book. And since it has never been mentioned previously, why does Gabriel Garcia Marquez mention it near the end of the book?
I agree with Jessica when she said that Dr. Urbino’s death is quite ironic. He die in hopes of saving something he despised, a parrot. The parrot is like a companion to him. He teaches it how to talk and they share more time together than he does with his wife.
Florentino Ariza is in many ways like a child. He sleeps in his mother’s bed when he is in a state of solitude. This is an act to help him relieve his pain and resolve his problems mentally, although not physically. Also, the way he has affair with many women is another childish act of being disobedient and to show his love towards Fermina.Like Jessica, I wonder why the Florentino’s driver’s name has never been mentioned throughout the book. And since it has never been mentioned previously, why does Gabriel Garcia Marquez mention it near the end of the book?
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 26, 2007
I do not agree with Jessica when she said that Florentino Ariza has been decent throughout the book with his endless love affairs. It is true that he has a feeling of emptiness without Fermina Daza. It is also true that he hopes to live his normal routine life without always thinking about Fermina. However, by having relationships with endless women does not agree with me. Also, not only in this part of the book has he take it too far in his relationship with a fourteen-years-old girl but also in previous incidents.
Only because America Vicuna has almost a blood relationship with Florentino Ariza, he takes advantage of this. He takes her out of school when he is pleased. This passage also shows the haughtiness and disobedient of human beings, rather they are young or old. Both Florentino Ariza and America Vicuna disregard other people’s advice at not being too close with each other.
Another time when Florentino Ariza went too far is when he accidentally leads to the death of a woman. The name of this woman is Olimpia Zuleta. The following passage helps to support what I said.
“Six months after their first meeting, they found themselves at last in a cabin on a riverboat that was being painted at the docks. It was a marvelous afternoon. Olimpia Zuleta had the joyous love of a startled pigeon fancier, and she preferred to remain naked for several hours in a slow-moving repose that was, for her, as loving as love itself. The cabin was dismantled, half painted, and they would take the odor of turpentine away with them in the memory of a happy afternoon. In a sudden inspiration, Florentino Ariza opened a can of red paint that was within reach of the bunk, wet his index finger, and painted the pubis of the beautiful pigeon fancier with an arrow of blood pointing south, and on her belly the words: This pussy is mine. That same night, Olimpia Zuleta undressed in front of her husband, having forgotten what was scrawled there, and he did not say a word, his breathing did not even change, nothing, but he went to the bathroom for his razor while she was putting on her nightgown, and in a single slash he cut her throat” (217).
Only because America Vicuna has almost a blood relationship with Florentino Ariza, he takes advantage of this. He takes her out of school when he is pleased. This passage also shows the haughtiness and disobedient of human beings, rather they are young or old. Both Florentino Ariza and America Vicuna disregard other people’s advice at not being too close with each other.
Another time when Florentino Ariza went too far is when he accidentally leads to the death of a woman. The name of this woman is Olimpia Zuleta. The following passage helps to support what I said.
“Six months after their first meeting, they found themselves at last in a cabin on a riverboat that was being painted at the docks. It was a marvelous afternoon. Olimpia Zuleta had the joyous love of a startled pigeon fancier, and she preferred to remain naked for several hours in a slow-moving repose that was, for her, as loving as love itself. The cabin was dismantled, half painted, and they would take the odor of turpentine away with them in the memory of a happy afternoon. In a sudden inspiration, Florentino Ariza opened a can of red paint that was within reach of the bunk, wet his index finger, and painted the pubis of the beautiful pigeon fancier with an arrow of blood pointing south, and on her belly the words: This pussy is mine. That same night, Olimpia Zuleta undressed in front of her husband, having forgotten what was scrawled there, and he did not say a word, his breathing did not even change, nothing, but he went to the bathroom for his razor while she was putting on her nightgown, and in a single slash he cut her throat” (217).
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 26, 2007
With the passage noted by Jessica, I relate Fermina Daza to one of those Afghanistan women who wear their burka to cover themselves up and hide themselves from the eyes of the men. However, this is not the reason for Fermina Daza to wear a mantilla. She wore it in order to protect her from the stench and germs of the corpses that are laying everywhere.
Before responding to Jessica’s blog, I do not know the meaning of the phrase coup de grace. This is because I do not take French. After reading it, I understand that it means stroke of grace. I just want to say Thank You to Jessica. It never occurs to me that Fermina speaks French. However, now that I realize her knowledge, I am able to see Fermina’s intelligence and her distinction from other people around her. This is one of the many reasons that creates her fame among the social group she is in. She is an intelligent woman with distinct characteristics. I agree with Jessica that many people in the book may have underestimated Fermina. They thought that she becomes wealthy and has the fame she has only because she married the wealthy and well-famed Dr. Urbino.
In the passage, the officer said, “Even God improves His methods” (252). It does not surprise me when the officer uses “His” instead of “his” because this is how most people refers to God in writing. This is a religious part of the book that refers to God’s place among the society. This quote refers to how God kills people through an epidemic instead of through the hands of other people. God is improving his methods in killing people. This is in a way saying that God likes to kill people and wants people to die off. We are improving with our technology and God is improving in his way of killing off people. What supposedly can kill off a person at a time can now kill off a bunch of people at a time, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez calls this improving. This really catches my attention. Is Marquez saying that God has no feeling for its people.
Before responding to Jessica’s blog, I do not know the meaning of the phrase coup de grace. This is because I do not take French. After reading it, I understand that it means stroke of grace. I just want to say Thank You to Jessica. It never occurs to me that Fermina speaks French. However, now that I realize her knowledge, I am able to see Fermina’s intelligence and her distinction from other people around her. This is one of the many reasons that creates her fame among the social group she is in. She is an intelligent woman with distinct characteristics. I agree with Jessica that many people in the book may have underestimated Fermina. They thought that she becomes wealthy and has the fame she has only because she married the wealthy and well-famed Dr. Urbino.
In the passage, the officer said, “Even God improves His methods” (252). It does not surprise me when the officer uses “His” instead of “his” because this is how most people refers to God in writing. This is a religious part of the book that refers to God’s place among the society. This quote refers to how God kills people through an epidemic instead of through the hands of other people. God is improving his methods in killing people. This is in a way saying that God likes to kill people and wants people to die off. We are improving with our technology and God is improving in his way of killing off people. What supposedly can kill off a person at a time can now kill off a bunch of people at a time, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez calls this improving. This really catches my attention. Is Marquez saying that God has no feeling for its people.
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 26, 2007
Like Jessica, I find it interesting the way Gabriel Garcia Marquez describes Fermina Daza’s sense of smell. The way she smells her clothes to see if they are dirty and find a lost child by her sniff is very interesting. When I read this passage, it creates a feeling in me that Fermina is like an animal. However, I do not think that Dr. Urbino believes this to be true, as Jessica had. The following passage helps to reinforce my belief.
“For this occurred after she interrupted his afternoon reading to ask him to look at her, and he had the first indication that his hellish circle had been discovered. But he did not know how, because it would have been impossible for him to conceive of Fermina Daza’s learning the truth by smell alone. In any case, for a long time this had not been a good city for keeping secrets. Soon after the first home telephones were installed, several marriages that seemed stable were destroyed by anonymous tale-bearing calls, and a number of frightened families either canceled their service or refused to have a telephone for many years. Dr. Urbino knew that his wife had too much self-respect to allow so much as an attempt at anonymous betrayal by telephone, and he could not imagine anyone daring to try it under his own name” (247-8).
I believe that Fermina is sure that she is in charge of the family and the house because only she has been able to manage the house perfectly. However, she believes that she is just like a maid, who serves her husband and who has complete power over the house.In this passage, the technology has advanced to indoor telephones. The positive and negative sides of telephones are seen. The positive side is that people are able to communicate more frequently and with ease. The negative side is that it allows anonymous call, which can be dangerous. This is important because it shows the defect of the thought-to-be-perfect technology.
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 12, 2007
I agree with Jessica that the word “fairy” has symbolic meaning that demonstrates Florentino’s similiarity with a winged creature that fly around everywhere. Florentino Ariza lives an unstable life and that he never stays in the same place for too long.
When I first read that passage in the book about the “secret society,” I did not really understand its meaning. Thanks to Jessica, I do understand much more than I did. I do no think that the people from the secret society are all like Florentino, in the sense that they are all struggling to find their soul mates. Some people might be like that. However, I do believe that there are other reasons as well. There are those people who like to disobey the morals of the society. There are also those who just like to waste their time to wander around. Still, there are others who just want to “devastate” themselves in order to release their emotional problems.
As a dream, Fermina wants to have a love that is romantic. However, the truth is that she is married to a doctor who worries more about his patients more than he does to his wife. Doctor Urbino thinks that she is happy because she is having everything that she wants and that she “came to be the women most loved [and] most catered to” (221). This is not the love Femina seeks, but the fact proves that she must stick to it. She appears to be the happiest woman in the world. But the fact is that, she is only a “deluxe servant” (221). She serves his husband in all he wants and never actually have the chance to do what she likes—owning various pets.
Did Fermina become pregnant after about a month? (TO JESSICA)Urbino if I am Fermina Daza. It is true that her relationship with her husband “dims” as time went by. However, the moment before Doctor Urbino’s death and the moment they married, their determination in having a desirable life with each other is so high that it is not possible for the love to just leak away as Fermina had said it has been. Also, I am the type of people who he more rational. Leaving him if my children would just leads to pain in everyone li
In my opinion, things were different after Fermina’s marriage to Doctor Urbino. Her life is much more leisure. In the beginning, people criticize their marriage because Fermina comes from a lower social class. However, time proves to these people that Fermina is much appropriate and suitable for Dr. Urbino.
As a respond to Jessica’s question, I would not leave Doctor ves. Without Fermina, Doctor Urbino would not be able to leave physically and mentally. By leaving Doctor Urbino, Fermina has no where else to go. Also, if I married someone, this person must be someone I love. Since I loved him, I would not leave him just because I serve him like a servant more than a wife, because I would feel that it is my duty and that I am glad to do anything for who I love. Also, Doctor Urbino loves Fermina even until the day of his death. I would not be able to leave someone who loves me more than I love him. Time can devastate a love relationship but it can also make it sprout. The following passage strike me emotionally.
“He was aware that he did not love her. He had married her because he liked her haughtiness, her seriousness, her strength, and also because of some vanity on his part, but as she kissed him for the first time he was sure there would be no obstacle to their inventing true love. They did not speak of it that first night, when they spike of everything until dawn, nor would they ever speak of it. But in the long run, neither r of them had made a mistake” (159).
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 9, 2007
I do not think that Florentino Daza has realized that his dreams for Fermina Daza are too ambitious. In fact, I believe that he is so stuck up with it that he cannot seem to get rid of it. He understands as a fact that Fermina is not going to be with him for the time being so he tries to keep himself busy from feeling lonely through random women he meets on the street.
I do agree with Jessica with what she thinks about the phrase “furtive hunter” (174). Marquez is trying to say that Florentino tries to conceal his love affairs and that he does this in order to avoid public sentiment and further damage to his emotional state. However, I have another review toward this phrase. By being a “furtive hunter” (174), it means that he is not paying for his love. His love is not paid for; he sleeps with ladies without paying them. To Florentino Ariza, love that is not due to love but to money is not something he favors. He does not just choose random women on the street to be his mate for the night. He chooses those that he believes love him and that they would do it out for love and want rather than money.
“He rejected her from his live, because he could not conceive of anything more contemptible than paying for love: he had never done it” (182).
I like how Jessica analyzes the words “little birds.” The women he chooses is indeed like birds, which stay in a nest with him for a few moments and then decide to fly away. Also, the word “little” shows how immature the women’s minds are.
I do agree with Jessica with what she thinks about the phrase “furtive hunter” (174). Marquez is trying to say that Florentino tries to conceal his love affairs and that he does this in order to avoid public sentiment and further damage to his emotional state. However, I have another review toward this phrase. By being a “furtive hunter” (174), it means that he is not paying for his love. His love is not paid for; he sleeps with ladies without paying them. To Florentino Ariza, love that is not due to love but to money is not something he favors. He does not just choose random women on the street to be his mate for the night. He chooses those that he believes love him and that they would do it out for love and want rather than money.
“He rejected her from his live, because he could not conceive of anything more contemptible than paying for love: he had never done it” (182).
I like how Jessica analyzes the words “little birds.” The women he chooses is indeed like birds, which stay in a nest with him for a few moments and then decide to fly away. Also, the word “little” shows how immature the women’s minds are.
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 9, 2007
I like the way Jessica talks about Florentino Ariza’s love is like a fire that will burn out if he did not do anything to it and that it would become a dark state of loneliness. It is true that Florentino Ariza’s dream and hope are based on Fermina Daza and that they are only imaginary because they are unreachable. However, I believe that the love and feeling Florentino Ariza has for Fermina Daza is so “magical, true, and romantic.” However, a frequent question often arises in me. If Florentino loves Fermina so much, why would he have relationships with other people? The following passage relates to this.
“No sooner did he leave his office at five in the afternoon than he began to hunt like a chicken hawk. At first he was content with what the night provided. He picked up serving girls in the parks, black women in the market, sophisticated young ladies from the interior on the beaches, gringas on the boats from New Orleans. He took them to the jetties where half the city also went after nightfall, he took them wherever he could and sometimes even where he could not, and not infrequently he had to gurry into a dark entryway and do what he could, however he could do it, behind the gate” (175).
I understand that he has been trying to recover himself from the wound he has due to his broken up with Fermina. He tries to forget her by having relationship constantly with other ladies. However, is this the right way to forget something?
“No sooner did he leave his office at five in the afternoon than he began to hunt like a chicken hawk. At first he was content with what the night provided. He picked up serving girls in the parks, black women in the market, sophisticated young ladies from the interior on the beaches, gringas on the boats from New Orleans. He took them to the jetties where half the city also went after nightfall, he took them wherever he could and sometimes even where he could not, and not infrequently he had to gurry into a dark entryway and do what he could, however he could do it, behind the gate” (175).
I understand that he has been trying to recover himself from the wound he has due to his broken up with Fermina. He tries to forget her by having relationship constantly with other ladies. However, is this the right way to forget something?
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 4, 2007
I do agree with Thespina about the atmosphere of the quote. It made me long for love too. The intriguing love between Florentino and Fermina is romantic. Although it is true that the routine lives brings boredom into their lives and causes them to break up in the end. However, the process is so romantic and so unbelievable. The way Florentino never gives up is the thing that causes emotion inside me. It is true that the title does not seem to match up with the events in the beginning of the book. However, as the story moves on, we can see signs of love moving in. It is more than a description of two people growing old together and who depend of each other. The twists in Marquez’s story are so interesting that it make me want to read on and on without stopping.
I love the part when Dr. Urbino falls and dies. I like it because he is finally able to express and show his feeling for Fermina. The imagery in the passage is so strong that the image stays in my mind for so long. I can feel tears pouring from my heart when I read this passage.
“She dropped the tasting spoon and tried her best to run despite the invincible weight of her age,, screaming like a madwoman without knowing yet what has happened under the mango leaves, and her heart jumped inside her ribs when she saw her man lying on his back I n the mud, dead to this life but still resisting death’s final blow for one last minute so that she would have time to come to him. He recognized her despite the uproar, through his tears of unrepeatable sorrow at dying without her, and he looked at her for the last and final time with eyes more luminous, more grief-stricken, more grateful than she had ever seen them in half a century of a shared life, and he managed to say to her with his last breath: ‘Only God knows how much I loved you’” (43-4).
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 2, 2007
After reading only one third of the book, I feel that I have fallen in love with it. I like the book in the way it is organized. First, it tells us about what is happening at the time. Then, it goes back to half-a-century ago when Fermina was in love with Florentino. Each session of the book is divided up into the histories of the different characters in the book. It is well organized and I am able to follow through the book with deep understanding of what is happening.
In all cases I liked the book, the only thing I dislike about the book is its overly graphic discussion about women.
Throughout the book, I find quotes that I really like. Here is one of the quotes:
“Panic-stricken, she told her Aunt Escolastica, who gave her advice with the courage and lucidity she had not had when she was twenty and was forced to decide her own fate. ‘Tell him yes,’ she said. ‘Even if you are dying of fear, even if you are sorry later, because whatever you do, you will be sorry all the rest of your life if you say no’” (71).
Aunt Escolastica has been in the same situation back when she was young. However, she did not have the courage to do what she wants and to be with who she likes. So now, she supports Fermina in accepting Florentino’s plead to be her husband so that she would not regret for the rest of her life, like she had. I really love Aunt Escolastica in the way that she is so selfless. She wants her niece to have what she didn’t have and to be happy just because she wasn’t. Also, I agree with her in the way that one should do whatever they want without moving back due to fear. She said that if Fermina agrees with Florentino, she might be happy. Even if everything turns out to be bad, she can still choose again. But if she disagrees, she would never know the result and may regret for the rest of her life.
In all cases I liked the book, the only thing I dislike about the book is its overly graphic discussion about women.
Throughout the book, I find quotes that I really like. Here is one of the quotes:
“Panic-stricken, she told her Aunt Escolastica, who gave her advice with the courage and lucidity she had not had when she was twenty and was forced to decide her own fate. ‘Tell him yes,’ she said. ‘Even if you are dying of fear, even if you are sorry later, because whatever you do, you will be sorry all the rest of your life if you say no’” (71).
Aunt Escolastica has been in the same situation back when she was young. However, she did not have the courage to do what she wants and to be with who she likes. So now, she supports Fermina in accepting Florentino’s plead to be her husband so that she would not regret for the rest of her life, like she had. I really love Aunt Escolastica in the way that she is so selfless. She wants her niece to have what she didn’t have and to be happy just because she wasn’t. Also, I agree with her in the way that one should do whatever they want without moving back due to fear. She said that if Fermina agrees with Florentino, she might be happy. Even if everything turns out to be bad, she can still choose again. But if she disagrees, she would never know the result and may regret for the rest of her life.
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 2, 2007
I strongly agree with Jessica’s idea about segregated love. Families who are poor would most likely wish to become wealthy and to suffer less. They hope to do this by marrying their daughters off to wealthy men. They do not wish to suffer anymore so they look towards a rich future-son-in-law. They believe that the key to happiness is being wealthy. They do not take the time to understand the desires their daughters.
I like Jessica’s idea when she said that the parrot has been a symbol throughout the book. I also believe that the parrot has a special meaning throughout the book. After all, the parrot indirectly leads to Dr. Urbino’s death. The parrot’s disobedience and knowledge symbolizes a typical human being. Everyone has his or her own specific knowledge and that he or she is disobedient at some specific time. The parrot, in a way, shows us the flaws in human beings. Also, parrot is not the only animal that can be found in the house; there is also a purple.
I like Jessica’s idea when she said that the parrot has been a symbol throughout the book. I also believe that the parrot has a special meaning throughout the book. After all, the parrot indirectly leads to Dr. Urbino’s death. The parrot’s disobedience and knowledge symbolizes a typical human being. Everyone has his or her own specific knowledge and that he or she is disobedient at some specific time. The parrot, in a way, shows us the flaws in human beings. Also, parrot is not the only animal that can be found in the house; there is also a purple.
Love in the Time of Cholera: Dec 1, 2007
Lorenzo has always been a caring man throughout the book. There are how much I loved you’” (43). Dr. Urbino has saved his last breath so that he can say this to Fermina. Their relationship has been horrible throughout their half-a-century shared life. However, in the end, he finds the courage to show his love towards Fermina. I just thought that this line is beautifully written and so I want to share it with you guys. It is very true that god is the one who knows everything, because what a person said may not always be true and that he or she might be lying.
Fermina responds to this by praying to God “to give him at least a moment so that he would not go without knowing how much times when he over-reacted to the situation, but his love and hope for his daughter never fail. Lorenzo did not immediately confront Florentino after finding out about his love with Fermina. He only went to confront Florentino because Fermina had refused to eat and to talk to him. This shows his care and love for his daughter. He care about his daughter so much that he did not care about losing his dignity when he went to talk to Florentino. The passage that Jessica found is one that I love also. In the passage, it is said that Lorenzo had been doing the same thing Fermina is doing today. However, he does not allow his daughter to do the same thing. I believe that he thinks that it had been a mistake for him and his wife, and so he does not want Fermina to commit the same mistake and to regret later on. If the relationship between Fermina’s parent is a mistake, this gives the reason to why Fermina mother has not been mentioned in the book frequently. To me, Lorenzo loves his daughter and he cares about her. I do not know if this is due to his love towared his wife and that Fermina resembles her or it is due to his want in becoming rich through his beautiful daughter.
There is a line that appears early in the book and that I loved a lot. Dr. Urbino said it before he fell off the tree and die. He said ‘“Only god knows she had loved him despite all their doubts, and she felt an irresistible longing to begin life with him over again so that they could say what they had left unsaid and do everything right that they had done badly in the past” (47). This sudden realization leads me into thinking about the flaws of human beings. Is it true that people only realize their mistakes and that they only see the truth when they are facing deaths? I have been wondering about this throughout my reading career.
Fermina responds to this by praying to God “to give him at least a moment so that he would not go without knowing how much times when he over-reacted to the situation, but his love and hope for his daughter never fail. Lorenzo did not immediately confront Florentino after finding out about his love with Fermina. He only went to confront Florentino because Fermina had refused to eat and to talk to him. This shows his care and love for his daughter. He care about his daughter so much that he did not care about losing his dignity when he went to talk to Florentino. The passage that Jessica found is one that I love also. In the passage, it is said that Lorenzo had been doing the same thing Fermina is doing today. However, he does not allow his daughter to do the same thing. I believe that he thinks that it had been a mistake for him and his wife, and so he does not want Fermina to commit the same mistake and to regret later on. If the relationship between Fermina’s parent is a mistake, this gives the reason to why Fermina mother has not been mentioned in the book frequently. To me, Lorenzo loves his daughter and he cares about her. I do not know if this is due to his love towared his wife and that Fermina resembles her or it is due to his want in becoming rich through his beautiful daughter.
There is a line that appears early in the book and that I loved a lot. Dr. Urbino said it before he fell off the tree and die. He said ‘“Only god knows she had loved him despite all their doubts, and she felt an irresistible longing to begin life with him over again so that they could say what they had left unsaid and do everything right that they had done badly in the past” (47). This sudden realization leads me into thinking about the flaws of human beings. Is it true that people only realize their mistakes and that they only see the truth when they are facing deaths? I have been wondering about this throughout my reading career.
Scoring the Parable of the Blind
Kevin's thesis statement is "William Carlos William uses blindness to portray the failures that society will create through the blind dependence on one another." I think that this is a wonderful thesis statement. He further backs up his thesis statement with evidence from the text. He explains and analyzes his evidence. He tells the reader that Williams creates his meaning through symbols and irony. His conclusion supports his thesis. (A)
Christina's thesis statement at the end of her introduction tells us about Williams' purpose. Her thesis is "In 'The Parable of the Blind,' Williams uses imagery and diction to reveal the flaws of human nature and the importance of faith." She further explains this in her body paragraphs through evidence from the text. However, there are some places in her explication where it is left off "hanging in the air." For example, in the introduction, she wrote, "His careful choices of detail in each poem focus on the main ideas of each of the paintings. He hints that the viewers should focus on these details as well." She did not finish this thought, but instead, just continue on with her topic. I think that she needs to explain more in parts of her explication and not just leave it hanging. She made a mistake in her explication by saying that the poem is the "eighth" poem in Williams' collection, but it was actually the ninth. I love how she explain the meaning of the basin. Her integrating of evidence is great. Overall, she did great. (B)
Christina's thesis statement at the end of her introduction tells us about Williams' purpose. Her thesis is "In 'The Parable of the Blind,' Williams uses imagery and diction to reveal the flaws of human nature and the importance of faith." She further explains this in her body paragraphs through evidence from the text. However, there are some places in her explication where it is left off "hanging in the air." For example, in the introduction, she wrote, "His careful choices of detail in each poem focus on the main ideas of each of the paintings. He hints that the viewers should focus on these details as well." She did not finish this thought, but instead, just continue on with her topic. I think that she needs to explain more in parts of her explication and not just leave it hanging. She made a mistake in her explication by saying that the poem is the "eighth" poem in Williams' collection, but it was actually the ninth. I love how she explain the meaning of the basin. Her integrating of evidence is great. Overall, she did great. (B)
Camus: Post Class Discussion
During our first discussion, Linda Y. has mentioned the importance of the jail. She said that the jail is where Meursault reflects on his life in the past. It is where Meursault realizes the mistakes he had make in the past and where he feels regretful of the past.
The jail has a great impact on Meursault. The normal Meursault, before going to the jail, is emotionless. He did not care about anything or anyone around him. However, the Meursault who went through a series of trials in court and who had been in jail was “softened.” In the book, Meursault was “for the first time in years [having a] stupid urge to cry, because [he] could feel how much all these people hated [him]” (90 Camus).
The prosecutor tries to prove to the juries that Meursault was guilty through a series of evidence that proved Meursault’s evil nature. Meursault thinks that these evidences were, indeed, accurate. This means that he, too, believes that he, himself, is evil by nature. This is shown in the following passage:
“He [the prosecutor] reminded the court of my insensitivity; of my ignorance when asked Maman’s age; of my swim the next day—with a woman; of the Fernandel movie; and finally of my taking Marie home with me. It took me a few minutes to understand the last part because he kept saying ‘his mistress’ and to me she was Marie. Then he came to the business with Raymond. I thought his way of viewing the events had a certain consistency. What he was saying was plausible. I had agreed with Raymond to write the letter in order to lure his mistress and submit her to mistreatment by a man ‘of doubtful morality.’ I had provoked Raymond’s adversaries at the beach. Raymond had been wounded. I had asked him to give me his gun. I had gone back alone intending to use it. I had shot the Arab as I planned” (99).
While waiting for his sentence, Meursault was locked up in the jail. There, he “was assailed by memories of a life that wasn’t [his] anymore, but one in which [he’d] found the simplest and most lasting joys: the smells of summer, the part of town I loved, a certain evening sky, Marie’s dresses and the way she laughed” (104). He regrets for him being careless, and for over looking those things that are important to him. His Maman is important to him, but he didn’t pay much respect to her at her funeral. Marie is important to him, but he said that he “probably didn’t love her” (41). He overlooked the importance of those around him and he regrets it.
The jail is not the only thing that had influence on Meursault. He was also influenced by the fact that he was “on the edge of the cliff.” Knowing that he will be given a death sentence if he was proven guilty has a great effect on him. He does not want to die. Knowing that his chance of being given a death sentence is fairly high, he thinks back to what has happened to him in the past to see if he has “missed” anything.
If I am suffering from an extremely serious illness and I know that I will die soon, I would think about my past. I would “look” through it carefully to see if I had missed anything and to see if I want to fix something that I did wrong. The problem with us is that we never think about those things that had happen to us until the day we die. I believe that Camus is trying to convey the idea that we should always care about things and people around us before it’s too late.
The jail has a great impact on Meursault. The normal Meursault, before going to the jail, is emotionless. He did not care about anything or anyone around him. However, the Meursault who went through a series of trials in court and who had been in jail was “softened.” In the book, Meursault was “for the first time in years [having a] stupid urge to cry, because [he] could feel how much all these people hated [him]” (90 Camus).
The prosecutor tries to prove to the juries that Meursault was guilty through a series of evidence that proved Meursault’s evil nature. Meursault thinks that these evidences were, indeed, accurate. This means that he, too, believes that he, himself, is evil by nature. This is shown in the following passage:
“He [the prosecutor] reminded the court of my insensitivity; of my ignorance when asked Maman’s age; of my swim the next day—with a woman; of the Fernandel movie; and finally of my taking Marie home with me. It took me a few minutes to understand the last part because he kept saying ‘his mistress’ and to me she was Marie. Then he came to the business with Raymond. I thought his way of viewing the events had a certain consistency. What he was saying was plausible. I had agreed with Raymond to write the letter in order to lure his mistress and submit her to mistreatment by a man ‘of doubtful morality.’ I had provoked Raymond’s adversaries at the beach. Raymond had been wounded. I had asked him to give me his gun. I had gone back alone intending to use it. I had shot the Arab as I planned” (99).
While waiting for his sentence, Meursault was locked up in the jail. There, he “was assailed by memories of a life that wasn’t [his] anymore, but one in which [he’d] found the simplest and most lasting joys: the smells of summer, the part of town I loved, a certain evening sky, Marie’s dresses and the way she laughed” (104). He regrets for him being careless, and for over looking those things that are important to him. His Maman is important to him, but he didn’t pay much respect to her at her funeral. Marie is important to him, but he said that he “probably didn’t love her” (41). He overlooked the importance of those around him and he regrets it.
The jail is not the only thing that had influence on Meursault. He was also influenced by the fact that he was “on the edge of the cliff.” Knowing that he will be given a death sentence if he was proven guilty has a great effect on him. He does not want to die. Knowing that his chance of being given a death sentence is fairly high, he thinks back to what has happened to him in the past to see if he has “missed” anything.
If I am suffering from an extremely serious illness and I know that I will die soon, I would think about my past. I would “look” through it carefully to see if I had missed anything and to see if I want to fix something that I did wrong. The problem with us is that we never think about those things that had happen to us until the day we die. I believe that Camus is trying to convey the idea that we should always care about things and people around us before it’s too late.
Independent Reading Book
A Lesson Before Dying is the book I choose to read for my independent reading. It is written by Ernest Gaines. The title is the first thing that captures my attention. After reading a summary of the book, I feel that it is just the right book for me. Through its captivating and interesting story, I will be able to have a higher appreciation of the importance of being responsible. With the story, I will be able to see the injustice that is in our society more clearly. I believe that this is the book that can help me in the future; it will bring to me lessons I’ve never learned and which I will appreciate.I love reading books that can help me in gaining new appreciations.
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