Hi, My name is Corey Lei, my ethnicity is Chinese, and My major is Business Administration. I am taking this class because it’s a required course for my degree. This Fall 2022 will be my second semester here at BMCC. I hope to acquire the skills of Critical reading and thinking from ENG201 to be prepared for advanced literature courses to pass the Writing Intensive courses that are required to graduate. Some of my hobbies are Badminton, Traveling, and hanging out with friends. I am Currently President of the Badminton Club here in BMCC and would like to invite anyone interested in joining, we will be hosting games and mini-tournaments and also teaching club members how to play badminton. you can also contact me if you have any questions regarding Badminton Club. https://bit.ly/Fall22JoinAClub
Discussion Boards
As i was reading Araby, I realized this was a sad story. This young boy who was in love for his friends sister but have no idea what those feelings were, she wasn’t even paying any attention to him, she spoke to him once because she was asking him if he will go to Araby, but he fantasizes about her and wanted to buy her a gift if she goes to the bazaar. He said “her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance” I think that he daydream about her a lot, he couldn’t get her out of his head. He was so excited to go to the bazaar to buy her a gift, but he was also depending on his uncle for money and a ride. His uncle forgot about the bazaar got back late but he still went but everything was closing but the things he was looking at as a gift for her were to much money.
In reading Toni Cade Bambaras “The Lesson” the two characters that stuck out to me the most were Sugar and Mercedes. I chose these two because I feel that their final outlook on the lesson contrasted the most. It is subtly made clear that Mercedes is more affluent than the other children by her comments of “My father’d buy it for me If I wanted it” and the fact that she has things the other kids do not (A desk & stationery). Despite being taught the lesson of class disparity she still exudes an heir of superiority which is cemented when she expressed desire to return to the toy store on her birthday completely unfazed by the lesson After her visit to the toy store, it is clear to Sugar that there is a financial gap between those from her neighborhood and others. Made apparent when she compares the price of the toy sailboat to the combined total their parents have to feed them every year which is probably low because of income disparities even going as far as to musing about the logic of a society where some people can frivolously spend the equivalent of what others depend on for survival. This gives her character some form of growth/development Side note: In my opinion, Sugars character development (realization of class injustice) is overshadowed by her desire to frivolously spend the money Sylvia unjustly obtained
I think the teacher might have assigned ”The Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Gabriel García Márquez as the first story of the course because we can realize that we don’t choose how we want to be in the world. Therefore, the fact that men consider making houses with much wider doors, understanding that this helps us to have empathy for human beings, Esteban was a tall, handsome and strong man. However, as time passes in Latin cultures, phallocracy predominates and in the situation of having found a drowned man, the men of the town showed solidarity with him. We live in a society where they make you feel present for being famous, and /or have money etc. However, this story helps us understand the power of our imagination because as I read it, I wonder about the uncertainties that the people who found the drowned man must have had and still gave him a dignified burial without knowing his life and education.
“The Handsomest Drowned Man” a short story by Garcia Marquez was a very inspiring read and I think that might be one of the reasons professor chose it as a first read of the class. The arrival of the dead body of the handsomest man totally changed the village and it’s citizens for the best. As the story progresses we can witness the villagers discovering all these attributes about Esteban that ultimately broadened their horizons in a matter of a day and changed their mindsets forever. The appearance of this handsome man really turned their worlds upside down by how different he seemed to them, the fact that he had a huge body and their honest attempts to visualize and sympathize with the discomfort of his existence where everything was designed for smaller people. I think there is an irony in a fact of what an overwhelming positive influence this man had on the village and it’s many generations and he wasn’t even alive when he came into their lives. The village blossomed with flowers and beautiful colorful homes, it’s citizens learned a lot from Esteban and this story shows that keeping an opened mind is key to grow and expand.
I think the Professor Conway assigned this story to see how we all interpret the writing. I took a literal approach to it. I read into the fantasy a bit, almost like a collective day dream within the town. I can’t say I am a huge fan of fiction but, i’ve experienced moments where I found myself imaging something grand and broad and unique out of common experiences so it was very relatable. However, I did enjoy the imagery the story provided. A provincial town with old customs and a desire for something new to happen. I believe that’s why something as natural and common as death and even coming across a man who drowned, can spark excitement.
At any time during the course, please post any questions or concerns about the course that you may have. If you have question, it’s likely that others may be wondering the same thing, so please feel comfortable to post here. Of course, you can also raise questions or concerns privately via email.
