Author: Abdul-Muksit Alotey

Final Reflection

Abdul-Muksit Alotey

To begin with, reading has always been a challenge to me because I am more of a math person. So taking this class I wasn’t really confident in my self because I knew I was not going to do well. But then I developed a mindset of doing my best which really helped because I noticed the effort I put in really paid off. This class has enhanced my writing and reading skills a lot. Beginning an essay has always been one of my biggest challenges but with the help of this class I’ve been able to write essays without having to struggle a lot. I’m very impressed about the script I wrote as well because I was not expecting that grade.

This semester has been really tough for me, due to personal life experiences and also with lots of college assignments while working. I did try my best to stay on task and I hope I pass this class.

Final Reflection

Abdul-Muksit Alotey

The main thing that stands out for me this semester is my ability to organize my work, especially the paragraphs. Before this semester, I used to write my paragraphs haphazardly, and on most occasions, there wasn’t any organization. However, in the course of the semester, I have made progress where I am following a specific pattern. For instance, my paragraphs now have a topic sentence, some evidence, an explanation, and a conclusive statement. This is my style now, especially when writing essays and other important papers. Ultimately, my journey throughout the semester has been epic, and I can confidently say that I am a better writer.

            The main piece that I am most proud of is my one-script play. Before that assignment, I had never written a play. I had to challenge myself to “get in the zone.” First, the assignment allowed me to re-read my favorite story from the semester, “The trials of Thomas Builds-the-fire.” Therefore, I used this story to write the one-script play, making me feel good about myself. Second, I had to include the humorous aspect in the assignment, making it more challenging but exciting. The notion that I had to incorporate humor in my assignment was thrilling. Ultimately, I can say that writing this assignment depicted my best writing skills. Furthermore, I enjoyed this assignment more than others because it allowed me to try something new, which I never thought I could do. I think I will write more plays to explore that creative side of my writing in the future.

            My main challenge during the semester was reading the stories. Some of the stories were long, thus forcing me to zone out in the middle of the story. I prefer short stories to long ones. Additionally, some stories were difficult to understand, thus forcing me to re-read them severally. For instance, in the story “This is what it means to say phoenix Arizona,” I had some difficulties interpreting it. I had to read the story several times to understand the message the author is passing. It becomes even more challenging for me when the story is difficult to interpret and long. Moreover, time management was also a challenge for me. There are some assignments, especially the research essay, where I did not allocate my time effectively. I was forced to rush the paper when writing, which I did to beat the deadline. Ultimately, I am glad I have identified my challenges, and I am willing to work on them in the future. I am certain that these challenges will only make me stronger and a good writer.

            In conclusion, this has been a hectic semester with many highs and lows. However, looking back, I think the highs were more than the lows. I got to read some fantastic stories and re-read some stories I had read in the past. For instance, I had read the “Happy endings” story in the past, and reading it for a second time was enjoyable. Another epic moment as described above, was when I got the chance to write a one-play script. It made me feel like a movie writer despite writing just two scenes. However, the lows were there too. As I have depicted in the challenges, my main lows were evaluating some of the stories and reading long stories. This English class has been exquisite, and I believe that I have become a better student during the semester and a good student.  

Feminism in Ichiyo

Abdul-Muksit Alotey

Based on Ichiyo’s story and the historical setting of the “Thirteenth Night,” the female character represents the gender inequality of women during that time. Oseki does not have a voice when it comes to his family, which is evident from her father’s orders to marry someone she does not love. Additionally, it is depicted in her marriage because Isamu does not respect her, nor does he see her as an equal because her main role is to obey his wishes. It illustrates women’s role during ancient times, where they performed household duties and were required to respect their husbands because they were the heads of the family. Unfortunately, women did not have any power because all the decisions were made for them, making it challenging to navigate through the systems of power. Ultimately, Oseki represents the struggles women faced to get equal opportunities with men during that ancient era.  

Marxism in The Thirteenth Night

Abdul-Muksit Alotey

After running in with Roku, Oseki learns that they live unhappy lives. This is ironic because Oseki should be living a good life because her husband is rich and can give her all the world’s pleasures. However, despite living in a financially stable environment, her marriage is not stable, which is the source of her unhappiness. In contrast, Roku is not happy with his marriage and financial situation. Their meeting is a testament to the Marxist theory. Karl Marx’s theory states that a society should have no classes where everyone works to achieve a specific goal, and there is no class struggle. In Oseki and Roku’s case, there is no class struggle. Oseki is in a different class than Roku, but they are both unhappy with their problems. Their meeting is a testament to the Marxist theory where Roku and Oseki are under one class despite their financial stability differences due to their struggles.

Marriage Proposals

Abdul-Muksit Alotey

Chekov is saying that some people jump into proposals despite not being compatible. It is evident from the play how the two actors are rushing to get engaged, and they are arguing about something nonconsequential, such as a dog. The central premise of a proposal is that two people are in love and want to spend their lives together, meaning that they must accommodate each other. However, Chekov’s play depicts how people rush into proposals without understanding each other and having tough conversations about children and money.

            Chekov’s play also showcases symbolic gendering. It is illustrated when the woman accepts that the man owns the land to get the proposal. Therefore, it depicts the power men have when it comes to proposals. Society has made it clear that men should propose to women, which gives them all the power to the point that the woman would go against her beliefs to get the proposal. Several examples in the current media show symbolic gendering. For instance, successful women who have more money than their male partners will still give their men this power to get the proposal they want. Despite being powerful women, they would not fill fulfilled until they receive that proposal.

             The marriage proposal is still reflected in today’s culture. However, every person has their version of the perfect proposal. For instance, some want the proposal while on vacation, while others want it after having a nice dinner. The mechanics of a marriage proposal has not changed since ancient times because the man always gets on one knee. However, the entire proposal ceremony has changed, especially in these modern times where people use social media as a platform to showcase their proposals. Marriage proposals will never be archaic, and they will continue for generations to come.  

Government

Abdul-Muksit Alotey

Sherman Alexie alludes to an unjust and racially biased rulership. It is evident from Victor’s and Thomas’s stories that the color of their skin deters them from receiving fair treatment. Firstly, in Victor’s case, the unjust government is depicted when he meets the council to ask for funds to go for his father’s body. It is evident from the council’s response when they say, “Now, Victor, we do have some money available for the proper return of tribal members’ bodies. But I don’t think we have enough to bring your father all the way back from Phoenix” (Alexie, 100). It depicts their reluctance to help victor because he is Indian since the funds are only unavailable for him and not the other members. Therefore, Alexie demonstrates an unjust and racially biased rulership against people of color.  

            In Thomas’s case, this type of rulership is evident in his trial. It arises when the BIA guys discuss and say, “What charges should we bring him up on? Inciting a riot? Kidnapping? Extortion? Maybe murder? Another guy in a BIA suit asked, and the others laughed. Well, they all agreed. It has to be a felony charge. We don’t need this kind around here anymore” (Alexie, 141). It highlights the racially biased rulership where the BIA wants to charge Thomas for various felony crimes that are not his to ensure he is deported. Therefore, Thomas is an allegorical figure in the criminal justice system since he is the leading figure in the case, and he is a symbol of the biasness in the justice system.

Work Cited

Alexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Open Road.

Writing As Activism

Abdul-Muksit Alotey

Writing is still a viable form of activism for BIPOC today. I would say that it is more effective today than during Bambara’s time. There were few platforms for her to air her views. For instance, she could either write a book or go to the media. However, today, people can use many social platforms to call for change. It makes it easy for people to look to writers for empowerment. For example, after the death of George Floyd, people used social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to call out for injustice. The original author who initiated the campaign to ensure those who killed George Floyd were arrested empowered other people to re-tweet the matter until it became a global cry. Therefore, it is easy to empower people today through writing than in the past.

Topic 1

Abdul-Muksit Alotey

Armand after reading what he found, he stood there for a while in shock trying to comprehend what he had in his hand. As a lot runs through his heard from what he was going through, he didn’t know what to do next. The first thought that came in his head was to head out to look for Desiree and the child and his first destination was at Valmonde’s. He gets there in a rush looking for Desiree and the next thing he heard was that “Desiree is no more” said Valmonde. He turns back and was never found because he didn’t want people to find out how disappointed and embarrassed he was from what he had done to Desiree and the child.

She turned away like one stunned by a blow, and walked slowly towards the door,
hoping he would call her back.
“Good-bye, Armand,” she moaned.
He did not answer her. That was his last blow at fate.

This evidence from the text depicts how Armand didn’t care when she was leaving and how terrible he begin treating her and baby when he knew the baby was not white.

Topic 2

I think the race of the narrative matters a lot because the story about Desiree’s baby is a story that deals with the race of an individual and how shameful it was to not being white. The narrative did a great job with this story with having to be fair in her writing without having no bad perspective to any race. This narrative is a white person who is writing about such thing is a very sensitive thing to black race and she was very professional in her writing.