Khrystal Rivera

In this week’s reading, I was shocked by Flannery O’Connor’s work. In this day and age, we are not often exposed to writings with such vulgar and discriminatory language. In my opinion, literary texts should offer an alternative version cleared of offensive language. This would make the text more accessible and digestible for a wider audience, potentially opening it up to children and individuals from diverse cultures. That being said, I also believe the original text should remain an option, allowing writers, readers, and artists of all kinds the freedom of expression. I feel it is important to express one’s art in any way possible without hurting others. In the case of this text, while some parts were offensive, they were understandable due to the setting of the story. It is easier for me to accept the use of racial stereotypes, discrimination, and even slurs when considering the story’s context, set in the Deep South during the early 1960s, a time when in which such language and attitudes were deeply embedded in the culture. This context allows readers to dive deeper into the narrative, encouraging a greater understanding of the culture and time period in which the story is set. Providing access to the original text gives readers the choice to explore the story in its authentic form and to engage with it on a deeper level.

When I began reading Poetry it was a challenge but upon learning some techniques from the martial “How to read a poem”. What stood out to me was the reassurance that poems are ment to be read multiple times and having in correct assumptions on the first or second read is normal “The first is assuming that they should understand what they encounter on the first reading” , reading the poem out loud in order to hear any rhymes or clusters of sound, I also learned that each broken line in a poem is called a stanza and I learned how important it is to ask the questions in order to properly interpret the poem. I feel as thought when first reading my last duchess, it was a bit of a challenge and with the classes input I was able to fully comprehend the poem in it’s totality. In regard to both “The last duchess” and “Oedipus the king” there are some similarities one example is the themes of power and control. In my last duchess the duke is possessive and controlling. Seeing his late wife as an object or possession to be admired, instead of an individual with autonomy.  “She had / A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad, / Too easily impressed.”(Stance 21) and in Oedipus the King, Oedipus held significant power as king.