In the novel The Pearl the main character, Kino, is described as being very simple, light-hearted, and devoted to his family. He is a loving husband to his wife Juana and his sonCoyotito, he is constantly looking out for the better of his village people and his family. The setting of this book takes place in a small village that is being controlled by Europeans. Along with his people Kino is very outraged with the way they are being treated and in attempts to do something about it he goes in search of a pearl. He does this out of the love for his family and village people.
He thought if he could find a great pearl he could sell it for money to support his family and villagepeople. In trying to acheive this goal Kino also comes off as selfish, even though he is doing this for his family he often seems greedy and self-centered. As a result of all the corruption within his village his village people become greedy also, by trying to steal Kino's pearl when he is safe at home sleeping. His house was even set on fire by village people who were upset with Kino's finding of the great pearl. It is very interesting to see how Kino's character quickly changed from being content with his surroundings to being scared for the life of his family. Not only does Kino put himself in danger, with all the violence that came with his discovery of the pearl, but he put everyone else in danger also.
Another aspect was that Kino was very close with nature and by the end of the novel it seemed as if nature had turned against him because of his selfishness. Kino's character can similarily be compared to people of today who are swept away by the bitterness of wealth. It seems as if back then things were the same as they are today, people reduce to violence to get what they want. Kino's character can be compared to many who believe in the "American Dream" of today. In the beginning of the novel Kino is a well rounded family and by the end of the book he is violent and completely consumed by greed and lust.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thesis Statement:
American author (Lula) Carson McCullers was known for stories that examined the isolation of lonley people, in which she used her own life hardships, and converted them into relatable novels for many living with the emotions of solitude.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Book Review: The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding, written by Carson McCullers, is an interesting book about a confused girl named Frankie Addams. In the beginning of the novel she is sitting down with her cousin and housekeeper discussing her brothers soon approaching wedding. Even though Frankie is only twelve years old she tries to act much older in attempts to be more mature. She is a troubled girl who only longs to find her place in the world, and to find some meaning in life. As the story progresses she finds herself in a sexual situation with a Soldier she met up with at a local bar. She later attempts to run away with her father's pistol but is soon found by the police. Towards the end of the book things begin to look up for Frankie, she meets a new friend and her housekeeper leaves to get married.
Carson McCullers, also known as Lula Carson McCullers, was born in Columbus, Georgia, as the daughter of a well-to-do watchmaker and jeweller. McCullers is an American author who carefully examined the psychology of alienated and lonely people. Although McCuller's only published eight books she made a great impact on many people who read her books. One of her best known novels is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter which she wrote at the age of twenty-two. In 1937 she married Reeves McCullers, a failed author. Before the wedding she told her parents that she did not want to marry him until she first had experienced sex with him. McCullers's marriage turned out to be unlucky. They both had homosexual relationships and separated in 1940.
I beleieve this book is of literary merit beacuse young adults can easily relate to this book. In the book Frankie is a confused girl who doesn't know where to turn, like many young adults who are struggling in life everyday. Another issue that is brought up in the book is sex. In this book Frankie almost has sex with a soldier and soon after falls into depression. Sex before marriage is a major issue that McCullers writes about and also dealt with in real life. In my opininon, even though the book was hard to follow at times, it is a book I believe is worth reading. It is an easily relatable book and touches on issues young adults deal with everyday.
The Memeber of the Wedding is an easily relatable, worth reading book. Once in awhile I myself start to feel alone and isolated, reading this book reassured me that I am not alone in this world. It assured me that there are other people who feel the same as I do. In retrospect, this book is of literary merit because young adults can relate to it and reassure themselves that they are not alone in this world.
Sources:
This site provides backround information about Carson McCullers and her life. It tells about her novels, her marriage, and her childhood. I found this website very helpful in giving information about this author.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/carsonmc.htm
This website also provides information about McCuller's life and childhood. One aspect about this site that I found interesting was that it talked about McCuller's literary reputation, her honors, and her final works.
http://www/.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-557
Carson McCullers, also known as Lula Carson McCullers, was born in Columbus, Georgia, as the daughter of a well-to-do watchmaker and jeweller. McCullers is an American author who carefully examined the psychology of alienated and lonely people. Although McCuller's only published eight books she made a great impact on many people who read her books. One of her best known novels is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter which she wrote at the age of twenty-two. In 1937 she married Reeves McCullers, a failed author. Before the wedding she told her parents that she did not want to marry him until she first had experienced sex with him. McCullers's marriage turned out to be unlucky. They both had homosexual relationships and separated in 1940.
I beleieve this book is of literary merit beacuse young adults can easily relate to this book. In the book Frankie is a confused girl who doesn't know where to turn, like many young adults who are struggling in life everyday. Another issue that is brought up in the book is sex. In this book Frankie almost has sex with a soldier and soon after falls into depression. Sex before marriage is a major issue that McCullers writes about and also dealt with in real life. In my opininon, even though the book was hard to follow at times, it is a book I believe is worth reading. It is an easily relatable book and touches on issues young adults deal with everyday.
The Memeber of the Wedding is an easily relatable, worth reading book. Once in awhile I myself start to feel alone and isolated, reading this book reassured me that I am not alone in this world. It assured me that there are other people who feel the same as I do. In retrospect, this book is of literary merit because young adults can relate to it and reassure themselves that they are not alone in this world.
Sources:
This site provides backround information about Carson McCullers and her life. It tells about her novels, her marriage, and her childhood. I found this website very helpful in giving information about this author.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/carsonmc.htm
This website also provides information about McCuller's life and childhood. One aspect about this site that I found interesting was that it talked about McCuller's literary reputation, her honors, and her final works.
http://www/.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-557
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
What The Future Holds...
Have you honestly thought about your future? Lately all I can think about is the fact that i am a junior and that next year I'm done and gone! What saddens me is that I will be away from my family and friends..I will be out of my normal routine and i will have to learn a new one at college. The positive aspects of leaving is that I can get away from the gossiping town of Redfield and start fresh and new in a completely different town. I am excited to be on my own and have to rely on nobody but myself and God. I can't wait to settle down with the man I love and start a family. I can't wait to hold my own child in my arms, spend weekends doing nothing but coloring and playing, teach them things that my parents have taught me. But I am also scared of having a family. Will I be as good of a parent as my parents were for me? Will I be able to love and care for them as much as they need to be? The only thing I know is that I will have to dig deep inside myself to find what I need to find to make my future the best it can possibly be. And what I have to remember is that I always have my friends and family behind me whenever I need them!!...I love you Mom, Dad, Joe, Drew, and all my friends!...thanks for everything you have ever done for me.....this is for you!!!
Monday, October 29, 2007
The Crucible, The Red Scare and other Witch Trials
1.What was Miller's point in writing the Crucible?
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_CRU.HTM
This website gives information as to why Miller wrote the Crucible and how it relates to SenatorMcCarthy and the supposed communist sympathizers.
http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Lab/4191/MILLER/millers.html#Why_did_Arthur_Miller_write_the_Crucible
This is a very through website containing reasonings for why Miller wrote the Crucible and and how he thought it to be similar to what was happening in the fifties. When he visited Salem he realized what was happening there in the seventeeth century was happening now and he had to write about it. Actors were replacing Salem citizens and Communists were replacing witches.
2. How are McCarthyism, the Red Scare, Arthur Miller and The Crucible interrelated?
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/mccarthyism.html
This site explains McCarthyism and how it came to be.
http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/dl/McCarthy/Mccarthydocuments.html
This website is an excellent site if you are confused about what the Red Scare is. I was confused about what it was, but after reading through this site I understand it better. McCarthyism, The Red Scare, and The Crucible are all related in a similar way. In the Crucible it explains the Witch hunt and trials of innocent people. Arthur Miller was one of the men tried during the Red Scare, he was thought to be a communist. Arthur Miller was severely questioned about his envolment with the communists. He related himself to the people who were thought to be witches in the town of Salem. After visiting the town he knew he had to write about it because he thought it to be similar to the Red Scare and McCarthyism.
3. Document other times in American history when 'witch hunts' were conducted and discuss the outcomes of the Salem witch hunt and the other witch hunts you find. What do they all have in common?
http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/witch/werror.html#cruelty
This site gives information about how all witch hunts have something in common. It also explains of witch hunts for Jew, Homosexuals, Socerers, and foreigners. The outcome of these witch hunts is after several people are hanged or killed the chaos of it all normally dies out. People are often consumed by the very thought of witches that they will convict anyone just to get answers or to convince themselves they have caught this supposive "witch."
http://www.curriculumunits.com/crucible/whunts/huntable2.htm
This site explains other witch hunts that have been conducted. It says even though we call them witch hunts they don't always mean looking for witches. Look at other campaigns, some of which have happened in our century, where groups of human beings were persecuted because of race, religion, or political beliefs. There are no witches here. The site talks about witch hunts such as: the holocaust, pograms (witch hunt of Jews), the McCarthy Hearings and others. It explains how McCarthyism has become synonomous with the word witch hunt. It talks of Puritans, churches, and laws. Are any of these possible reasonings for the beginnings of these "witch hunts?"
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_CRU.HTM
This website gives information as to why Miller wrote the Crucible and how it relates to SenatorMcCarthy and the supposed communist sympathizers.
http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Lab/4191/MILLER/millers.html#Why_did_Arthur_Miller_write_the_Crucible
This is a very through website containing reasonings for why Miller wrote the Crucible and and how he thought it to be similar to what was happening in the fifties. When he visited Salem he realized what was happening there in the seventeeth century was happening now and he had to write about it. Actors were replacing Salem citizens and Communists were replacing witches.
2. How are McCarthyism, the Red Scare, Arthur Miller and The Crucible interrelated?
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/mccarthyism.html
This site explains McCarthyism and how it came to be.
http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/dl/McCarthy/Mccarthydocuments.html
This website is an excellent site if you are confused about what the Red Scare is. I was confused about what it was, but after reading through this site I understand it better. McCarthyism, The Red Scare, and The Crucible are all related in a similar way. In the Crucible it explains the Witch hunt and trials of innocent people. Arthur Miller was one of the men tried during the Red Scare, he was thought to be a communist. Arthur Miller was severely questioned about his envolment with the communists. He related himself to the people who were thought to be witches in the town of Salem. After visiting the town he knew he had to write about it because he thought it to be similar to the Red Scare and McCarthyism.
3. Document other times in American history when 'witch hunts' were conducted and discuss the outcomes of the Salem witch hunt and the other witch hunts you find. What do they all have in common?
http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/witch/werror.html#cruelty
This site gives information about how all witch hunts have something in common. It also explains of witch hunts for Jew, Homosexuals, Socerers, and foreigners. The outcome of these witch hunts is after several people are hanged or killed the chaos of it all normally dies out. People are often consumed by the very thought of witches that they will convict anyone just to get answers or to convince themselves they have caught this supposive "witch."
http://www.curriculumunits.com/crucible/whunts/huntable2.htm
This site explains other witch hunts that have been conducted. It says even though we call them witch hunts they don't always mean looking for witches. Look at other campaigns, some of which have happened in our century, where groups of human beings were persecuted because of race, religion, or political beliefs. There are no witches here. The site talks about witch hunts such as: the holocaust, pograms (witch hunt of Jews), the McCarthy Hearings and others. It explains how McCarthyism has become synonomous with the word witch hunt. It talks of Puritans, churches, and laws. Are any of these possible reasonings for the beginnings of these "witch hunts?"
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
My Life
My life is always full of fun and exciting events that keep me busy. Right now I am involved in Volleyball, Band, FCCLA and several other activities. Even though school has only begun it has already sucked everything out of me. In the mornings I'm so tired of school I don't even want to get out of bed! My family is very important to me and they always keep my life exciting. Although my life is very hectic I love it and I wouldn't trade it for anything!
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