Yearly Archives: 2024

Hello professor, So if I had to write a story that is less about socio-economic issues I would title it “Nothing on me” and it would reflect on the being proud of where you come from and who you can be aspect of the story. I would choose this title and theme because in the way the narrator tells the story, it is spoken from a very proud and strong minded stand point that I admire. I am sure many people can relate to this so that is another good reason why I would choose this topic. I find it draws your audience in more if you make your story relatable. I would keep the urban vibe to my story as well. I’d like to keep this dialect because it adds texture and realism to the text; so you can understand the characters and the setting. The whole point for me choosing to write about this specific topic is because it has so many interesting and important details you can include which will make for an informative story.

Something that I’ve found very interesting in the “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara is he narrator’s attitude through the whole story. She’s very proud and loud, and what I mean by that is she speaks her mind no matter what. If I were to write an essay off of this story I’d title it “Coming of Age” because I feel like the whole premise of what was happening in the story was Miss Moore teaching the young kids about the reality they lived in and what their circumstances really entailed. You see that some the kids like Sylvia and her friend Sugar were sort of grasping what Miss Moore wanted to teach them. The essay would explore the ignorance and naïveté of the kids to them learning through Miss Moore what life really is like and them gradually gaining understanding and growth. An analysis of our life compared to Sylvia and the other kids could helps us also realize when was our Coming of Age” moment in our lives; When did childlike view of the world disappeared and replaced with an actual view of how things really are in the world.

I would title this story “The Harsh Realities of Life”.  Miss Moore was teaching life lessons to these kids in the neighborhood.  They all come from different backgrounds, and they all live in Harlem.  Silivia being the leader of the friend group, she seemed confident in her surroundings before Miss Moore started showing them different things in life. She taught them about money. What money can buy.  She took them on trips to different places other than Harlem where they lived.  When they realized how other people live, well Silivia felt ashamed when she couldn’t afford what she wanted to buy.  She has always been really tough and sarcastic, but now she wasn’t the leader. She always wanted to do what she wanted to do, and nobody was going to tell her any different.  Maybe her home life wasn’t the best, and that’s the way she dealt with it.  Miss Moore was trying to show them the situation they were living in, and that you don’t have to stay in that situation if you get your education and work really hard the sky is the limit.

Instead of going for a lofty, vague sense of a meaningful topic like ChatGPT would, I’d actually be more disposed towards analyzing the “side characters” of this short story as a collective. It’d be fun to think about why they react how they do to the plot’s events, or glean info about what their lives might be like from what we see of them. Tentatively, I’d call this theoretical paper “The Young and Foolish of ‘The Lesson'”, in a reference to that very first line of the text. Through Sylvia’s viewpoint, observant as she is, readers get a great deal of insight into these children already. From Little Q.T. who is often targeted for ribbing because his smallness keeps him from fighting back, but is “liable to come up behind you years later and get his licks in when you half expect it”; to “Fat Butt,” usually called “Big Butt” everywhere but here, as if to further emphasize the disparagement that he’s probably confronted with all the time, “already wasting his peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich like the pig he is”; to Flyboy who’ll take pity over bullying and is even deemed effeminate by our narrator for reasons that may be related; we have a whole crew’s worth of young boys, all facing mildly less principled forms of social pressure. A whole day could be made out of cataloging individual descriptions and interactions between those characters!

I would name the story “The Real World” and how Miss Moore feels that she has to educate the kids  as it will be useful to them and don’t have to live the way they do anymore if they pursue to continue their education the way she did. It will also focus about how Sylvia’s view of the world changed as the story goes. The story focuses more about Sylvia’s point of view while Miss Moore wants the best for her students. Sylvia’s view of the world changes when she finds out that the real world is actually hard. Miss Moore is teaching them the importance it is to have a education since they can move forward in life the way she did. Living in a poor neighborhood doesn’t mean it always has to be like that as long as you have your education, you can keep moving forward in life.

After reading “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, I would write more about details in character development regarding Sylvia and how she came to be more aware of her socio-economic situation with little conversation. Sylvia was the leader of her group, smarter than the rest, and was afraid to go into the store but at first was unaware why. She was able to realize that she did not have the types of funds to pay for expensive toys. The price of those toys was the price to feed her entire family. She did not ask her mother about the money, but was knew exactly what she would say, showing that she understood that her family could not afford those kinds of luxuries. Miss Moore knew this about Sylvia, and by directing her questions at her, she showed the reader that she wanted Sylvia to realize the true lesson she was trying to teach the group without speaking further on it. From there, she was able to piece her future together and decide that she would not feel that way again when she grew up. The title that I would give this essay is “Character Analysis of Sylvia in ‘The Lesson’”.

I will tittle the story as “Unfair Life” . Ms. Moore is portrayed as someone who possesses a profound understanding of the contrasting realities between the “poor black neighborhood” and the affluent life of Manhattan. She recognizes that education is the key to transcending these disparities. Having pursued higher education herself, she feels compelled to extend a helping hand to others from her community, regardless of their standing in society. The story vividly illustrates the disparities between economic classes, showcasing how even the smallest luxuries for the wealthy could mean survival for those less fortunate. Yet, it emphasizes that such assistance is seldom given freely. Instead, the narrative underscores the transformative power of education as the primary means of breaking the cycle of poverty and injustice.

  I think that for this easy I would focus my thesis on analyzing the variation of characters that we have in the story. I would start with Silvia which I think we can agree could be one of the main characters of the story. I would focus my opinion on the fact that she may be a good girl that is trying to not be seen as someone vulnerable. I think that her personality is a product of that behavior too. I think that I will also write about Miss. Moore because she is very important in the story too. I think that my title for this essay could be “A reality shock Story.” This could (not that is going to be my actual title) be my title for this essay. I think that can help me to explain some of what happened in this story. Maybe later I’ll come up with something better but for now, I think that could work as a title for this essay. 

After reading the article “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, I came to feel some kind of resemblance to the young man. It’s clear to me that the young man may have been much of a people pleaser since he had to lie for others to enjoy themselves. Growing up, I have classified myself as a people pleaser due to placing the wants and needs of other individuals before myself, not because I want to gain something out of it, but because of the big love that I have for those that I care for. In this world that we live in now, everyone is out for themselves, so it is extremely hard to find an individual that genuinely wears their heart on their sleeve and expects nothing in return. This young man in this article was aware that if he were to be truthful to himself, it would affect the perspective of how the church and others would view him.

I believe that the reason why Professor Conway assigned “The Most Handsome Drown Man” as our first article to read was for us to get a glimpse of how different perspectives can play a part in people’s beliefs and understanding. In the article, everyone who came across the Handome Drown Man had a different answer or idea as to where he may have come from since they had never experienced or seen a man like him before come across their village. So everyone there came up with an idea of where this man must’ve originated from. While reading this article, has given me a meaning that as we partake in this course, lots of us are going to have different perspectives on the articles that we read from here on out.

I can relate to the young narrator in “Salvation” because I can understand the pressure and expectation to have a transformative religious experience. It’s tough when reality doesn’t align with what you were hoping for. As for “Araby”, the feeling of the excitement of going to a special event resonates with me. Its that mix of hope and disappointed that I can relate too.

In ” The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World ,”García Márquez tells the story of a little seaside town significantly impacted by the appearance of a departed outsider. At first confused with a hostile boat or a whale, the townspeople find the huge body of a suffocated man. As they interface with the body and set it up for internment, they are spellbound by his unprecedented size and excellence, naming him Esteban. The residents’ impression of themselves and their environmental elements are changed by Esteban’s presence, driving them to envision a more excellent, more lively presence. Through clear symbolism and otherworldly authenticity, García Márquez investigates subjects of magnificence, local area, and the human condition. “An Exceptionally Elderly person with Huge Wings” presents a comparative investigation of the phenomenal inside the common, as an older man with wings shows up in a town, provoking reflections on trust, empathy, and the idea of supernatural occurrences.

“Salvation” by Langston Hughes depicts a little fellow’s battle with confidence and similarity during a congregation recovery. Hughes describes his experience of going to the occasion with the assumption for experiencing Jesus and being saved. In spite of the intense environment and the tension from his family and local area, he doesn’t encounter the groundbreaking second he had expected. Feeling segregated and frantic to fit in, Hughes at last creates his salvation, troubled by the heaviness of his double dealing and the deficiency of his confidence. The paper mirrors Hughes’ impactful investigation of blamelessness, realness, and the intricacies of strict experience, especially inside the African American people group. Through his own account, Hughes reveals insight into the difficulties of exploring confidence, cultural assumptions, and individual personality despite social and strict tensions.

In what way do you personally relate to the young narrator in “Salvation” Similar to the narrator in “Salvation” I grew up in a christian-centric household. I also remember feeling perplexed when I never “saw” the physical embodiment of God or the Holy Trinity. Why? Refer to specific scenes or language in the story. The reason I personally relate to the narrator in “Salvation” is specifically because I attended a parochial school for the majority of my academic career and experienced virtually the exact dilemma as the story’s protagonist.  Similar to the narrator’s church, there usually is a yearly ceremony in my protestant school, where we had to kneel in front of this railing of sorts and if my memory serves me, pray until we felt to lord come to us. Like the narrator, I did not see any embodiments of Christ coming down to greet me and was gravely concerned by it. During our English class discussion, I thought about that incident, and looking back on it, I too recall the memory with a sort of irony and humor because of how impressionable I was. Growing up, I tended to take things literally, so I was concerned about eternal damnation because I didn’t “see the Lord” during my ceremony. Thankfully for me, in spite of my guilt for not seeing God, I was able to talk to my mom about it and have her explain the concept of an omnipresent God.

I can surely relate to the young narrator in “Araby” as his experiences resonate with my memories of youth. When I reflect on my younger years, I remember the overpowering emotions that would often leave me thinking about someone a lot, similar to the narrator’s fixation with Mangan’s sister. The longing to catch a glimpse of that special someone and the intense emotions that get along such moments are imprinted in my memory. Thinking back to my youthful crushes brings to mind the rollercoaster of emotions the narrator describes. The rising hopes and dreams followed by the abrupt and heartbreaking disappointments hit a familiar chord. Like the narrator, I’ve struggled with the frustration and sense of disillusionment that arises when reality fails to meet our expectations. These emotions were specifically sensitive to life’s early limitations and challenges, which often felt impossible to my young mind. The narrator’s journey in “Araby” is a bitter but also amusing reminder of my youthful struggles and growth. Through his experiences, I see my journey toward self-awareness and understanding, making the story deeply relatable and intense.

I relate to the narrator in “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, due to the reason that as a child my family was extremely religious and they wanted me to follow in the same footsteps. They fed me so many ideas of how good is our savior our hope and the important part that he would help us in times of need you just have to pray. As I grew older I started to question religion but my family went through a rough patch and we needed help so I prayed asking for help from god but nothing happened noting worked and I was left disappointed and all my faith was gone. For example the character in Salvation Westley where he did the following “Finally Westley said to me in a whisper: “God damn! I’m tired o’ sitting here. Let’s get up and be saved” (Hughes). Westley actions shows that he too questioned the entire ceremony but due to the pressure of everyone in the church he gave in and just got up to get it over with.

“Salvation” by Langston Hughes is a coming of age story about a boy having an experience in church that changed his whole perspective on faith. Young Langston and his family go to church and his aunt tells him he would be saved when he saw the light and Jesus comes into your life. After Langston sits in church waiting for this miracle to happen he realizes it won’t “And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting – but he didn’t come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me, but nothing happened” (Hughes). I personally relate to this because growing up my parents were not heavily religious but we still were involved in some practices. We were Catholic so we went to church on Easter, Communion, and we were baptized. As I got older and I started learning about history and how Christianity was used against Black people it caused a lot of questions about religion, how I view it and where I stand in having a relationship with God. I am still discovering that relationship and defining it everyday.

I personally relate to the young narrator in salvation in the sense that he was willing to lie in order for people to have a great time. In my life i’ve been put in situations where I had to lie in order for people to enjoy themselves and not to worry about other things that may be going on. Although the young narrator is a people pleaser, I don’t necessarily think thats a bad thing at all it just shows that he cares and has a heart. It’s very hard to find someone who actually cares about others in a way that they would put aside what they believe in order to help others. The young narrator could have easily disregarded everything going on in the church and not stand up, but he didn’t because of the fact that he cares about how his actions may affect others not just his.

One way I personally relate to the young narrator in “Salvation” is with his love for honesty and truth. That is a personality trait I can say I’ve carried on with me since childhood into my adulthood. If we look at the last paragraph of the story “Salvation”, we see the narrator crying and feels totally distraught because he lied to his aunt and “deceived everybody in the church” that he had seen Jesus. I feel I can relate to how he must have felt. There has been times when I’ve told lies that felt so wrong, I just couldn’t bear caring on the lie, I wanted to tell the truth. All the day long I’d just be thinking about the lie I told and think about how much better I’d feel, how much a load would feel lifted off my chest if I just admitted the truth. Also I can see how much he values when other people speak the truth to him. For instance his aunt had told him “that when you were saved you saw a light, and something happened to you inside! And Jesus came into your life! And God was with you from then on!” He felt it was all a lie because at the night of the big revival when the children were going to the altar “and were saved” he knew the kid Westley had lied; he knew he didn’t see Jesus but lied just to get over with the ceremony. The narrator wondered why God didn’t struck Westley right there and then for lying. In that moment the narrator felt like everything he had been told about Jesus by his aunt and all the old people had told were lies and that dwindled his faith in Jesus. I’ve had similar experiences where […]

In the narration of “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, I personally relate to the young narrator because, I decided as a young adult that I wanted to convert to Christianity (Born again Christian) in a Pentecostal church. This church was very lively. It had a live band, the words to the songs were on a large screen so that everyone could sing along. Everyone would raise their hands and shout to the Lord, Praise you, Lord! I had never experienced this kind 0f church. It was very different. At the end of the sermon, the Pastor would say, won’t you come? won’t you come to Jesus?  This is where I really relate to that 12-year-old boy, because I felt the same way he did. Everyone was going up to the alter and I just sat there. Not knowing how I was feeling about coming to Jesus in this way. I think new things and different things make us have questions and make us scared, even as young adults..

Hello professor. I have always considered myself to be a hopeless romantic. I can see my self personally relating to the young narrator in “Araby” as opposed to the young narrator in Salvation. My reasoning for this is because of two reasons. One is because my mother always made it very clear to me that god is not someone you can psychically see or touch . She explained to me that it has to do with faith and that the presence of god comes from within the soul. The boy in this text however took his aunts words literally, therefore breaking his trust and faith. I can not relate to this simply because I have never gone through this experience. I can relate more to the      “Araby” story because although I didn’t stalk anyone like he did or have never went to the lengths he did to pursue the thought of being with this woman, but I understand the feeling of wanting/craving someone the way he craved for her. That feeling can be bliss , if the crave is reciprocated. But If it is not . . . your story will most likely end up like his.

I personally relate to the young narrator in “Araby” because some people at some point would feel the same way the narrator was feeling when he had a crush on this girl and wanted her to notice him. The girl ended up approaching him and started talking about him going to a bazaar . This young narrator was capable of doing anything for this girl that he realized that at the end of the day it was all just child’s play. I can relate to this because it proves that if you truly love someone you’re capable of doing anything for that person. The young narrator still chose to go to the bazaar even though it was already late, he was impatiently waiting for his uncle and still went even though his uncle forgot. Love will make you do things you thought you were incapable of doing. This young narrator didn’t hesitate and took off to the bazaar.

In the narration of “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, I related to him since I remember my childhood when I didn’t truly believe in religion, but my family did. There was a time when at least one day a week, it was church morning with my aunts and cousins. I liked going only because there were snacks for the children, and they separated us into like grades to teach us religious things the cool thing about is that i was able to play with those kids. But my favorite part was the juice with the sandwich.

I think I personally relate to the narrator in “Salvation”. I relate to him on the fact of realizing reality and the effects that, that can have on you as a child. Langston Hughes was very naive, as so was I and many children his age in his story was. He was naive because he took the adults in the story word for what will happen to him when he is saved. He expected like a magical feeling and see “God” which as adults, we know this not to be true, but telling this to a child he took it very literal. This reminded me of a time when I was younger and my cousin told me my mother was not coming back home after work because, she ran away. Now as a child I did not know that they were joking but just like the narrator, I was naive and took them very literal. I was very sad and confused. So I was able to relate to him on this through this.

I can personally relate to the narrator in Araby as I too, was once desperately in love with someone who much likely saw nothing else but a 10 year-old young girl. He was a maybe 16 or 17 year old boy working at the nearby supermarket that I regularly visited. I remember the feeling of excitement when my mom would tell me to go buy an item missing from her pantry for dinner. The questions running through my head: would he be working? Should I change what I was wearing? What could I do to catch his attention, without being too obvious? My visit at the store, although mundane, was sort of meticulously planned – just like the narrator in Araby who purposely left his home as he saw Mangan’s sister leave hers. The calculated speeding to pass her – a seemingly innocent act that ensured that he was noticed – seems to have been taken out of my playbook. Despite the thrill, the planning and the anxiety, the reality was that I would go to the store, get what was needed, pay at the register and leave. A rather underwhelming conclusion. A disappointment. While in the story, the narrator’s dismay is initially caused by his uncle’s tardiness, which in turn led him to be late to the bazaar and unable to fulfill his objective, he and I both end up with the same result: not in any way closer to the object of our affection.

Some ways that I relate to the young narrator in “Salvation” is because I also journal my experiences as they happen, and when I write, the language I use is informal and the tone is direct. In “Salvation,” the narrator is conversational and informal, and I feel that it enhances the authenticity of the narrative and allows readers to empathize. An example of this is when the young narrator starts off the story with “I was saved from sin when I was going on thirteen. But not really saved. It happened like this.” (Hughes). This portrays the writer’s innocence and the sincerity of a child while maintaining straightforward sentence structures to show us that informal and direct tone. Another way I relate to the young narrator is that he is a people pleaser. The definition of a people pleaser is the want/need to please others even at their own expense. This can be seen twice when the narrator is at church and says “I began to be ashamed of myself, holding everything up so long… I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I’d better lie.” (Hughes). Another example of this can be viewed toward the end of the story when Jesus did not come to the narrator, and he states “But I was really crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church.” (Hughes). I feel like these two quotes give some insight into a people pleaser’s mind  and how complex it is because he went from pleasing everybody by pretending to be saved to crying about lying to everybody that he got saved and let his aunt push the narrative that he was crying because he saw Jesus, which was ironic. While reading this story, it really […]

I believe that “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was strategically chosen as the first reading for our course for several reasons. Firstly, Marquez incorporates various themes, notably beauty and identity, throughout the narrative. By diving into these themes during class discussions, both my classmates and I have the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and gain deeper insights into the complexities of the human mind. Moreover, the story has captivating imagery that immerses readers in its world, allowing us to visualize the coastal village and presence of the drowned man. This vivid imagery not only enhances our reading experience but also serves as a door opening for deeper analysis and interpretation. Additionally, Marquez’s narrative style demands active engagement from readers. The portrayal of the narrator and the layers of meaning scattered within the text forces us to approach the story with an open mind. By initiating our course with “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World,” our professor has set a tone of curiosity and exploration. This text encourages us to delve into the depths of literature with open minds and keen insights, which I feel like transforms us in the world of literature.

The story “Araby” by James Joyce is about a little boy who has a crush on this girl, he decides to buy something for her but it didn’t go as what he expected. The meaning of the story overall is everything that you want may not be what you intended to be. In my perspective, I had always had situations in which the outcome wasn’t planned to happen.

In the story of ” Araby” by James Joyce it was around the young boy and his friend’s sister. Like how he promised that his friend’s sister whom he was attracted that he will bring gift for her from Araby bazaar. Firstly, he was just thinking about Mangan’s sister but now he started thinking about the Araby bazaar.He was so excited to go there and see because according to his thinking he thought that bazaar would be big and fancy. But one day when he went there he get disappointed by looking at the bazaar because that place normal. So, his feelings got hurt. I personally linked to this story. I ordered one dress from India. In the picture the dress looks so beautiful and pretty. SO, I ordered without even thinking of a second. When that dress arrived. Then I got disappointed because in the picture it looks good but not in real. It means when things are not upto are expectations we always get hurt,

In the short story, “Salvation,” The author introduces a naive little boy attempting to make his Aunt happy. In doing so, he loses trust in people and begins questioning what others tell him.  As a child, everything you are told you believe, especially from your loved ones. When I was little, I had a similar experience with religion. My family are Jehovah’s Witnesses and I was raised to not celebrate any holidays. Although, In school, they would have birthday parties and holiday parties. I would always feel left out because I wouldn’t participate. My teacher was told by my Mom to have me sit out. One day at a birthday party during school, a boy came up to me and asked me why I never participated. I had no answer, I had no idea why I wasn’t allowed to celebrate holidays. After that day, I began to question my Mom about this and she gave me answers. Although the answers didn’t make sense to me. In fact, the next birthday in class, I participated. Unfortunately, guilt began to form and I felt the urge to tell my Mom. Instead of telling her, I continued to do the same at every party at school. In “Salvation,” At the end of the story, he feels guilty and feels as if he left everyone down which was exactly how I felt at that age. “Salvation,” is relatable because the way the boy thinks is exactly how I felt as a child, naive and gullible.

James Joyce’s story “Araby” tells a story of a boy who goes to a Bazaar named Araby hoping to buy a girl he likes a gift. Though he paints a picture of the Bazaar as a magnificent place, his actual experience there is unimpressive. The story illustrates how growing up can be frustrating and demoralizing, and how occasionally the things we truly want don’t live up to our expectations. It’s about knowing that our dreams and realities differ at times and yet yearning for something greater. I personally can relate to this because it’s similar to recalling an occasion when you had a strong need for something and, when it arrived, it didn’t meet your expectations. It’s about realizing that our expectations need to be adjusted because life doesn’t always turn out the way we had hoped.

I believe that the reason that professor Conway chose “the most handsomest drowned man in the world” was because the main themes of this story had to do with compassion and imagination. This is because throughout the story we see the way all the characters wonder so much about this man. They are curious about a complete stranger who they have no genuine idea where in the hell he came from. And they all make up and imagine what this mans life and experiences must have been like. They imagine what it would have been like being so tall, so large, and so much different compared to all of the villagers/neighboring villagers that they are so used to seeing. And even though they do not know who he is, they care for his corpse and try their best to give his corpse as close to a proper burial as possible.

Going through young life in a daze, consumed by a love that doesn’t make sense and making unsound decisions that are regretted later… it sounds a great deal like my years in high school! For that reason — and because I’ve been a rather insular person for as long as I can remember, unlike little Langston in “Salvation”‘s scenario — I personally relate to the speaker of “Araby”. Besides the obvious justification that is “lack of a name making projection easier”, I remember having an obsession with a particular piece of fiction (too particular to elaborate on, my Internet history is semi-public and fully embarrassing) that rewrote my pubescent brain in precisely the wrong place at the wrong time. It led me to choose a Media Arts major at *Brooklyn Technical H.S.*, a choice that I only refrain from mentally hitting myself for today because I was book-smart, but street-dumb. Truly, every course that I took and didn’t do well in, as “I wished to annihilate the tedious intervening days” that stood between me and maladaptive daydreaming that bordered on idolatry, “converged in a single sensation of life for me”. My own chalice brimmed with misguided, derivative creative expression in a world of starving artists. Not to say that it was wrong of me to talk that talk, it’s an admirable hill to try to conquer — I just couldn’t walk the walk of the actual “work put into art besides the ideas” and died on it, unfortunately. This all links back strongly to what I wrote about myself in Week 1, really; I suppose without very much time alive, this can happen. I can’t say that I don’t enjoy recalling my life as a well-pared short story, though.

In the narration of “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, I related to him also as a kid in church expecting a miracle or Jesus to arrive. During my childhood to teen years my mother had me attend church most Sundays. So I’m familiar with the atmosphere within a church. To point out Langston Hughes gave a good description of what happens in church. “A great many old people came and knelt around us and prayed, old women with jet black faces and braided hair, old men with work-gnarled hands”(Hughes). A sight and experience that I have seen and felt many times. Being surrounded in church with hands placed on you, everyone praying asking Jesus to touch you. The feeling of waiting for something to happen, waiting to feel something different, waiting to see Jesus right in front of you. Its a feeling that I have also felt like the narrator. As a kid its hard to really feel or believe in what you can’t see or really understand.

In what way do you personally relate to the young narrator in “Salvation” or “Araby?” I personally relate to “Salvation” , All the pressure come up for him, because he believed on his aunt and all the elder’s lie. He was embarrassed for the naive, he was mad on the traitor of god ‘Westely’,and he was sitting on the chair and acting like a man who was just meet with the god. In my hometown China, I was “saved” too. There is hundreds temple, every new year we will went in to the temple and blow the candle to try to having good luck for next year. My mother, she told me when i light up the candle, I will meet with gods, they will tell me how will the life go on correctly. Every child were exciting for the meet with god, that will represent them are the “Choice”,that mean god chose them to be the future. I didn’t meet with god, but I lied, like Langston, We have no choice but to accept the cruel reality.

In the story salvation I personally relate to Langston. I relate to Langston because in the story he has a very naive understanding of his religion. He takes everything literally and at face value. In the story the author mentions that Langston is around the age of 13 when the incident of him being saved took place. I also was “saved” around the same age and i also had the same view as Langston. I thought that being saved was a massive sacred holy event where i would really be meeting god. After the entire ceremony took place I was disappointed that I felt the same way as before the event took place. Growing up I also heard a lot about peoples experiences with being saved and i was confused on why i felt like i didn’t get the same experience similar to Langston.  As i grew older and now looking back I realized how silly it was taking everything I was hearing so literally.

I think that Professor Conway assigned ” The Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as the first story of the course because she wanted us to see other people’s perspectives on how a character would describe someone and the details they would show from it. Also shows how the villagers are captivated by the man’s extraordinary beauty and decide to give him a burial, as if he were royal figure to them.

One way I personally relate to the young narrator in “Salvation” or “Araby?” was when he was excited the whole week to go to the fair and was expecting it to be something super big and grand, and overall had high expectation just for all those expectations to be let down on the day he was supposed to go on the fair. It reminds me of when I was smaller and would ask my mom or dad to buy me like a toy or candy when they came back from work or the store, and they would say okay. So, the whole day I was super excited and made plans of what I was going to do with my new toy. But when they came home, they said they forgot to get it and then just like the narrator at the end of the story I was sad, angry and disappointed.

I  can relate to the young narrator’s journey through the intense pressure to conform to societal or familial expectations, the confusion of navigating one’s own beliefs amidst those pressures, and the profound sense of loss that comes with the realization that faith cannot be forced. The story captures a pivotal moment of innocence lost and the painful but necessary transition into personal understanding and skepticism. It’s a poignant reflection on the complexities of growing up, challenging authoritative narratives, and the quest for personal truth. This narrative can resonate with anyone who has faced the difficult passage from childhood innocence to the more nuanced understanding of adulthood, where beliefs and truths are often more complicated than they seem. Salvation serves as a poignant exploration of faith, the journey towards self-awareness, and the realization that personal beliefs and truths are complex and often diverge from those around us. It’s these universal themes of growth, disillusionment

I think the reason why professor Conway might have assigned the “Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as the first story/reading of the course might have to do with the main idea of this story which is about change. In the story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” wee see the inhabitants of the village undergo a change of attitude and character when Esteban washes up shore their village. Esteban revealed their flaws and pushed them to be better; to do better.  I believe professor Conway is trying to invoke in us a desire to look into ourselves and see if there isn’t anything that demand changing. I think this story as the first story of the course can helps us to want set up goals for ourselves on what we can do to succeed not only at this course but also all of our courses this academic year. We should look for our “Esteban” so to speak to motivate and encourage us to change ourselves and become the better versions of ourselves we can be.

“The most handsome drowned man” by Gabriel Garcia makes a reader understand the use of imagination/ imagery. The village women use their sense of imagination to create a version of this unknown deceased man that washed up on the shore to a noble man who has the qualities of being called “Esteban”. This man had the ability to transform the village and the people as well. This is very similar to how stories have an impact on its readers, by providing distinctive  description to allow the audience to paint a vivid image in their head that goes along with the story. I believe that this is the first story of the course for possible reason that the professor wants the class to dive into their imagination and connect to the stories to come. This also can help the reader to understand the story from the authors perspective, like a puzzle.

I believe Professor Conway assigned us to read “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez because it is a beautiful story that shows and introduces us to the power of imagination, creativity and to be kind and care for others. In the story the author goes to explain how the people of this small village gave this man a background story including how his life must have been like even though they didn’t know him. But this led them to rebuild the village to better suit “Esteban” and others like him, wanting to make sure anyone who passes by will smell their sweet scent of the flowers along the cliffs know it was “Esteban’s village” . If the villagers didn’t care and just let him get washed away or gave him a burial without using their imagination of how his life use to be none of these changes to the village would of happened and Professor Conway could have been showing us how important it is to be kind, Creative and to use your own brain.to imagine and be optimistic. 

I believe the reason we were assigned “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as the first reading is to distinguish our analyzing and processing skills. For example, the story begins with establishing the setting, but the writer wrote it with so much imagery that we the reader can clearly see the setting as we continue reading the text. Marquez also brought of something I found extremely interesting which is the thinking of the women and men in the village. For example, the women in the village gave the dead man a background story where he seemed heroic while on the other hand the men were enraged by the treatment, they saw the stranger receiving and were agitated, in the text it states “men finally exploded with since when has there ever been such a fuss over a drifting corpse, a drowned nobody, a piece of cold Wednesday meet”. (Marquez Pg. 6) Marquez using exploded in this part of the reading made it clear to the reader that the men were angry with what they were seeing concerning the dead man, the “drowned nobody” as the men in the village called him.

I think Professor Conway assigned “The Handsome Drowned Man” as our first story to show a sense of caring for others, no matter if we know them or not. I say this because the in the story The Handsome who drowned up onto the village was unknown to the woman of the village and even though they did not know him, they wanted to make sure that the was cleaned, clothed, and had a funeral. They also felt saddened by the fact that he had drowned onto a village that he was unknown that they went to neighboring villages to  get people to come to his funeral. These things showed a great sense of caring by the women of the village that The Handsome Man drowned up on because the women did not know the man at all but still felt compelled to care for him and prepare him for a funeral that they were going to give to him.

The professor selected “The most handsome drowned man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez to give an opening for the class semester, a piece that opens up the whole universe of literature in most magical way possible. The story gives a sense of reality and magic that involves a story, leading to the creation of the world created in our imagination that Gabriel Garcia Marquez illustrated for the readers. Gives an Epic adventures for us as students and readers to evoke interest for more literature pieces, turning into a journey of discovery. The story of Sebastian and the people of the village is more than a story creates an inspiration of philosophical thoughts, made by strong messages that comes out of the piece. The professor selected “The most handsome drowned man” as an invitation to dive deep into the richness of literature setting this opener to an intellectual exploration into the landscapes of literature.

I think you chose the short and interesting story “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez for your class because there were several intriguing literary devices throughout the novel, such as the use of magical realism, which combines fantasy and reality. Also, this story had a lot of topics that can create conversations on human nature, community, acceptance, and storytelling. Additionally the story was very unique and interesting. All things considered, the story was picked because it is engaging, rich in culture, and an appropriate spot to begin exploring into literature.

I think Professor Conway assigned “The Most Handsome Man” as the first story to introduce us to the writing style of magic realism. To add on how this magical story along with other folktales can establish new senses of identity within ourselves, while also expanding our imaginations. With this story being the first magical read since my childhood. This short story was a very captivating and intriguing read. From the start of the story, the descriptive words used about the villager’s home and the unorthodox arrival of their guest has provided the ability for me to create mental pictures. The way how the villager’s looked at their lives once their handsome guest arrived was truly interesting. This newfound guest that nobody knew the identity of was able to birth a new life, a new meaning to the people in the village. While the villagers gave an identity to this new man birthing “Esteban”. Describing him as this god like person, more handsome and stronger than their husbands. Professor Conway assigned us this story to show the magical realism of unexpected events and that it can change our lives too.

Hello. I really liked the story “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” and how you (the professor) broke it down and ask questions to really make sure we understand what’s going on. I also like how we had to think from the characters perspective when it came to how they felt throughout the story duration.. I think you might have assigned this as the first story to show how far imagination can take you. Imagination is a factor that develops the plot. In the story we can see the small village go from finding a random body to using that imagination to build a story for this man without knowing him. The story ends up causing everyone to have sympathy for this man (Esteban) and even leads to them feeling inspired. Without the imagination of this story for Esteban the town would’ve stayed the same and they would’ve never tried to improve the village in memorial of him.

The reason I think this was the first story of the course was because it shows us (the reader) about having compassion for others even if you don’t personally know the person, also to include others. The story shows how the people of the village find a body of a man washed up on the shore dead. These people took him in and saw that he was huge for a man he couldn’t fit on a chair on the bed, the women and men of the village were impressed by his sheer size. The people of the village started to have empathy for the large man saying it must be very inconvenient to be that large and so by the end of the story people started to make their homes and everything bigger just to include and honor the large man. This story was great as the first of the semester it makes be want to see what else we are going to read in the future

Hello professor! This was a great story and also A quite interesting one. I think what is important while answering your question is knowing that you really have to be able to comprehend the moral of the story after all is said. You have to put yourself , so to speak, in the shoes of the author and ask yourself, what is it that Gabriel Garcia Marquez is trying to tell me? What do I feel when reading this?What I have received from the overall message of the story was live your life with no restraints; to appreciate your life while you are blessed enough to have it. In other words value what is important. I feel like you assigned this as the first post because you want us to start and continue moving forward into this semester with an open mind to have that mentality of having a positive mindset of valuation of life .

I’m not quite sure why but I do know there are many different reasons. I think you assigned this as the first story because you want us to not only focus on the setting or purpose of the story but to expand into it, to put ourselves in the same situation and feel the same way the characters are feeling in that moment. You could also be preparing us to read other stories like this one as it expands the stories we are used to reading. There is also something about the story that is intriguing but I still don’t know what it is because I’m still figuring that out myself. It might be because Gabriel Garcia Marquez stories have so many things to examine with details. It could also be because it’s a good story to start with. All I know is that there is a good reason behind why this story was chosen.

Hi everyone, I liked Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story and enjoyed having Professor Conway’s soft voice reading it to us. To be honest, I am not sure why it was chosen as our first story. Maybe because it had a theme of identity, which is something that we can all relate to as it part of the human experience? Or maybe it was because it is a very well-known story from a very well known author that most of us would not have been exposed to and so, her goal was to broaden our horizons, as she will attempt to do throughout the semester. Maybe it’s her favorite story! The same way that for the villagers there was a before/after Esteban, I feel like I have a before/after the introduction of this author in my life. Not that the story had a profound impact in my life, but it did tickle my curiosity about Gabriel Garcia Marquez life story and his other works. I am now intrigued and may try to look for other stories that could be of interest for me.

I believe that you picked this as the first story, to make us expand our mind when it comes to stories of this kind. I also think that Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a perfect author to help us introduce ourselves into the magic world of writing and storytelling. I’m a latin student, of course I knew about Gabriel Garcia Marquez. His stories have left a big mark in our culture. It was my first time reading this one though! I truly loved how his wiring’s style is so magic, and even fascinating. I actually love the way he used words to catch the reader’s attention using his magic style to write. This story is the perfect example of how a hopeless palace can turn into an extraordinary one just because of one event. Esteban really changed the village’s environment. To me, the most ironic part of it is that Esteban wasn’t even alive, that makes me think that the people of the village only needed something unusual like the discovery of Esteban’s body to bring the village that hope and brightness that they needed. 

Hello everyone, Assigning the ” the handsomest drowned man” as the first story of the course severs the various purposes. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s tale works as a masterful example of magical realism. This story introduces the power of symbolism to the students, as the arrival of the handsome drowned man profound the change and transformation of positive change within the ordinary existence of villagers. The story also shows the theme of beauty, acceptance, and the influence of extraordinary in the commonplace prompts readers to ponder how perceptions can mold reality, challenging ingrained biases and preconceived notions. The tale’s poignant allure is likely to capture students’ attention, encouraging them to delve into literature with greater depth. The story concise yet impactful nature makes it appropriate starting point for discussions on storytelling, Character development and the broader implications of nature. In summary, starting the course with this story set the stage for exploring the profound impact that literature have on human nature, social dynamics and the power of storytelling.

i believe Starting with this story could serve to introduce students to the complexities of narrative style and genre, particularly magical realism, which is characterized by the seamless integration of the extraordinary with the ordinary. This could help students expand their understanding of how stories can be told and how authors can convey deeper meanings and explore human experiences in a variety of ways .The story’s vivid images, symbolism, and exploration of community and identity offer a multi-layered approach to literary analysis. It invites readers to interpret its elements in different ways and stimulates critical thinking and debate about how literature reflects, constructs, and challenges social norms and personal beliefs. So by opening up the course with this story it can lay the foundation for students to approach literature with an openness to its potential for surprise and thought-provoking, thereby preparing them for a wide range of future texts. It could also indicate an emphasis on global literature

“The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is a story that is different, a small town being affected by a washed up corpse that changes the perspective of life for every person that looks at him. Assigning this story first is a decision precisely on the fact that it can broke into different interpretations. It has a larger meaning to it and it can be different meanings to others. In this story, We are introduced to men and women in this small town with a daily routine. This routine was then interrupted by a corpse, who they all began to obsess over. They began to build a story for his life and how he could’ve ended up here. This story is not only different, but very descriptive, which sets a perfect example of setting and imagery that we will be exploring throughout this semester. These quotes are from the overview of the story, “…stories about how one interprets unexpected events in one’s life…” and “…demand that the reader approach interpretation–and the process of reading these stories–with an awareness of the problems of interpretation.” These quotes bring out that the reader is who is breaking down this story and giving it meaning for themselves. In this course, We will be writing essays on stories and using our knowledge on the stories to write. This is why “The Handsomest Drowned Man In The World” is preparing us to do the same for other stories.

I’m currently poring over some rudimentary annotation (mostly just underlining) that I did with a browser extension while we were reading “Overview of ‘The Handsomest Drowned Man'” in Wednesday’s class, and the sheer size of “POWER OF STORIES/IMAGINATIOI [sic]” scrawled in the margin of the final paragraph makes me laugh. It’s a potential that I strongly connect with as a former “professional escapist” through media. I just hesitated to use the term “escape artist” in a word-playing sort of fashion, but I was that too! Interpretation is an art form, 100% !! My screenshot of the notes I took is slightly cut off, but it looks as though when I wrote the above, it was beside a box I made around Raymond Williams’ quote re: ‘suspending disbelief when interfacing with literature because rationality is limited when it comes to the human experience’, which I obviously agree with. It’s about immersion, about self-inserting and empathizing even when it doesn’t make sense to Make It Make Sense — enjoying reading and writing about reading, that is! “Expect the magical, take advantage of the miraculous when it arrives at your doorstep”… “The Handsomest Drowned Man” and indulging the fullest extents of creative, if esoteric thought both embody that in spades. That’s why I think this short story was chosen for the course’s first — it’s a good Introduction to Literature- my god I can’t make that the last sentence without acknowledging how corny it is-! A partly-related to this current subject, personal experience that’s not part of the word count under read more, and hopefully it works! EDIT: it does not seem to work! mayhaps because “read mores” are opened by default when looking at “full posts”. I’ll make a Pastebin link next time, probably.

Hello my name is josue gomez, I’m a criminal justice major here at BMCC.

In “The Most Handsome Drowned Man”, the coming of Esteban’s body transformed the village from a gray and desolate place into a more vibrant and grander location. The villagers were unaware of any part of this drowned man’s life, but were able to show enough compassion towards him to celebrate his end of life, which made way for a new perspective. In comparing the outcome of this story to our class, the stories we are about to read and dissect will allow us the same chance to uncover fresh viewpoints. We could easily fall in love with these new characters in literature just as the villagers fell in love with Esteban through their empathy and compassion. We can also learn from their choices or circumstances in a way that can transform our own. Therefore, through exploring new ideas and human experiences, we ourselves can reframe our mindset to make way for other concepts we did not know previously.

Breaking beliefs is soul crushing, especially when it comes to people you love or thought you knew. In Langston Hues “Salvation”, this was Jesus and the holy spirit, whereas in my case, it is my mother. Growing up, I idolized her, thinking she can do no wrong and that she was the end all to be all. Even if it was a small part of the story, the boy In James Joyce’s “Araby” had to wonder what his caregiver would be like when they walked through the door due to a lack of sobriety. I relate to this strongly as my mother shares the same affliction as his uncle. In truth, I relate to the young boy in “Araby” in the same way that his perception of people and situations do not work out in his favor when he so badly hoped they would. I too would constantly put others on a pedestal and create perceptions of them when they never had my best interest in mind. When I finally defined what kind of emotional stress my mother was putting me through and decided to set real boundaries, I reacted similarly to Hues in “Salvation”. Surprisingly, it was more cathartic than I expected