Author: Sicong wu

Final Reflection

Sicong wu

Looking back to this semester, I have learned a lot a literary theory, like postcolonial theory from Sherman Alexie, feminism theory from Higuchi Ichiyo, and critical race theory from Kate Chopin. During this class, I like the story “The Thirteenth Night”. It provided a new perspective to observe Asian culture, especially the gender inequality in Asian country. Gender inequality is also a common phenomenon in my country, China. The first gender inequality matter that I remembered was happening in my home. My dad did not do anything, but he always blame my mother did not do well. And the worst thing was the rest of my families usually supported my father. I hate this kind of situation, and I think gender should not be the condition that judge people’s right and wrong. Also, the open lab assignment is making feel like as a writer because I can write the point I found from the story. I also can browser other classmates’s respond. It is full of fun and interesting to do the open lab assignment. It is a new and fun way for me to learn English in the past 15 weeks.

The research paper about feminism theory is my favorite work. I hate gender inequality since I was a kid because the thing that my father done to my mom. However, I never know there is a feminist theory for women, so I was curiosity how did this theory develop and how did this theory affect women’s life. In the beginning of writing this research paper. It was very tough and difficulty because I could not find many documents about women’s life in Meiji era at first. And, the document I found was full of the vocabulary that I did not know. I had to translate those words to see what are those mean. I spent a lot of time to translate and understand those sentences so that I could have a clear thought to develop my research paper. However, after I observed more and more documents, I felt surprised about the class of women in tradition Japanese society. Women were born to be a household wives. This should not be their fate. Thankfully the feminist theory developed in Meiji era. Otherwise, women are hard to be independent and shout their voice out loud. I still believe every gender have the same right and opportunity to pursue their own dream. This is why I like my research paper so much.

The greatest challenge for is the language barrier. As an non-native student, language aspect is a nightmare for me. Even thought I have been living in New York City for about two years, I still can not understand most of content what people said. About the concept in the class, I only can understand part of them. So, in most of time, I just know the outline of what is that concept or what professor said. Besides, I also need to check my grammar and the meaning of the word to make sure my expression is what I want to tell. Translation application is my best friend for this reason. Translation also took me so many times. It is very tired to write assignment and essay sometimes because I have to translate it to understand it at first. If I did not that, I am afraid that I can not develop the statements of my essay. Anyway, leaning a new language is a long process. It was like anything in our life. Being patience is the key point to learn every new thing.

At last, in this semester, I was so happy to learn so many literary theory. This is a totally new thing for me. I read some books sometimes, but I never have a realization to figure out the concept behind the book. Feminism theory is my favorite theory through this semester because my own experience. I hate the bias that exists in different gender. Then, I stated to write about feminism theory, and I expected to learn from those documents. Language is still a big problem for me in my academic life. But, thankfully I can speak and write some English, so that I still can communicate with people and write my assignment. Finally, Finally. As people said on the internet, ” what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger!”. Complain less and do more.

Marriage proposal

Sicong wu

In the play Marriage Proposals, Chekov depicted the marriage proposals is not romantic, but it is full of argument and conflict. 

Unlike the usual proposal, the proposal in this play was developed by the argument. Natalya and Lomov argued who was the owner of Oxen meadow at first, and then they debated about which type of dog was better. In some way, Chekov show these two characters are like a couple already because Natalya and Lomov like each other.

In this play, the concept of “Symbolic gendering” can be shown in  Natalya’ inner mind. She asked her father to fetch Lomov back after she knew he was going to proposal to her. However, when Lomov came back, she did not mention the proposal directly. Instead, she tried to talk about something to guide Lomov to proposal to her. This circumstance is like the article Marriage Proposals Are Stupid said, “In the vast majority of proposals between heterosexual couples, it’s still the man who asks the question.* “ (Caroline Kitchener). 

There is one symbolic gendering example in today’s media can be the women take care of their children and the house. I still think the tradition proposal way is the most romantic way for proposing. It maybe there is a woman going to proposal to her husband in the future, but based on current’s value, man on his knees still the perfect one for proposal. 

Student Opinion The New York Times

Sicong wu

The article I chose is How good is you direction? In fact, My sense of direction is not good and not bad. I used to live in a small village when I was a kid. There was no smart phone and road indicator at that time, so the way I tried to find the way back home was remembering the landmark on my way home. For instance, my parents told me that there was a school in front of our village’s entrance. I tried to connect that school with my home, so when I saw that school, I knew I was close to my home. Remembering the landmark assists me cultivate some direction sense in some way. This method helps me do not get lost in most of time.

However, with the development of smart phone, our life become more convenient than before. I become rely on the smart phone map. This is easy a than remembering somewhere that helps me find the way. What I need to do is typing the name of the street on the phone, and the smart phone will tell you the direction. I can find my destination if I follow the instruction. In the other side, this convenient life style also weaken my sense of direction because it makes me do not want to remember the landmark on the street.

In my opinion, having a good sense of direction is still necessary for us. Even though the smart phone will tell us where the place is, but what if the phone is no battery or there is no signal in that area? This kind of situation is hard to predict, so it is still important for us to remember the landmark and cultivate some direction sense.

The Horror of Frankenstein

Sicong wu

The reason I choose this article is I love sci-fi genre novel. It brings me out of the real world, and it expands my imaginary. Also, Sci-fi novel makes me realize that there are many possibles for human. Before this assignment, I had already heard about this book. Therefore, I am curiosity what are some details in Frankenstein and how does it plot go.

Frankenstein inaugurated the sci-fi genre novel, but is also inaugurated the horror movie age. In my opinion, horror movies are so popular because they creates a different type of scare for people. This kind of scare is not like that we are afraid of receiving punishment from our parents when we were kids. This scare come with horror movies is having a little excitement and curiosity. In my own experience, most of my friends and me are like having the same feeling when we watched a horror movie. We will feel scare when we saw the horrible scene, and we will try to use the pillow to hide screen. But after that, we will still curiosity what would happen in the next plot. Some of pressure will disappear after I finish watching horror movie. In a way, horror movies can help people adjust their emotion. That is the reason why I think horror movie is so popular.

Discussion Part 2

Sicong wu

In my opinion, the race of writers is matter when the narrative deals with issue of race. First, having the same race will understand the culture and the background more than other race. Although we can learn about the history of each race now, we do not experience it by ourselves. So, people will not have the same feeling as the same race. Then, the same race will produce more resonate. The same-race writer have the same experience. It is more easy to write about how the issue of race affect his race. His own feeling also may be could stand for his race. At last, it is matter that the race of writer is matter when the narrative deals with issue of race, but it doesn’t mean the perspective of other race’s writers are valueless. Instead, more perspective we have, more solution we have. I believe all of the writers who writes about the issue of race are having the same goal—Our world is peaceful, and the racism do not exist anymore.

Armand

Sicong wu

Armand put this letter away. He stood here without any motion. This letter was like a bullet hit his heart. His brain began to recall the way he did to Desiree. The only thing he wanted to do now was finding Desiree back to home. Suddenly, he heard the voice from the first floor. He recognized this was Valmonde’ sound, so he went downstairs immediately. Valmonde sat on the chair quietly like a tangible figure. She did not look at Armand when he walked close to her.

“Where is Desiree? mother” Armand asked.

“She’s dead, her body was found in the river bank a few days ago” Valmonde said.

“Is that what you want? ” Valmonde continued.

Armand did not reply, and his brain just like blank paper.

“Now, we have no relationship with you. Please don’t try to make any contact with me.” Valmonde started to leave after she said.

Armand still stood here like a wood. He knew what a big mistake he made. He blamed himself harshly. He began to yell and kick the furniture in the living room. He could not do anything now. Armand did not eat anything at that day, and he did not talk to anybody. He just stayed in his room and kept looking the picture that he with Desiree and the kid.

In the next day, Armand began to sell his property and his plantation. He also released the slaves who belongs to him. By the time he completed all of things, he left L’Abri. He did not tell anybody where was he going, and nobody knew what was he planning. He was like a shadow disappeared in the dark.

Feminism in Ichiyo

Sicong wu

The Thirteenth Night was published in Meiji ear, 1895. In Meiji ear, the government published Meiji Civil Law. Meiji Civil Law revived the idea of male superiority, and it weaken the social status of female. In that ear, most of people follow the rule of “Virtue is in a woman without talent”. This kind of rule also was applied to Ichiyo. Ichiyo’s mother trusted this rule firmly, so Ichiyo did not go back to school when she before she was 11 years old. But, her father knew knowledge can change a person’s life, so he arranged Ichiyo to learn poetry in a private school. In 1889, Ichiyo decided to become a writer to raise her family. In my opinion, this is a symbol that Ichiyo wanted to tell all woman that they had their right to pursuit their dream and life.

Next, in Meiji ear, the right of women is powerless, like Oseki wanted to divorce with Isamu, but she needed to wait for her husband’s agreement. She could not make a decision by her own. Then, when some women began to against the old social system, they will be suppressed by someone. For example, Oseki wanted to leave her husband, but she gave up after talking with her father. Her father told her no matter what happen, Oseki had better to do her responsibility as a wife and mother. In sum, The Thirteenth Night reveals how low social statue women are, and women limited in the relationship between their love and family.

Marxism in the Thirteenth Night

Sicong wu

Isamu and Roku, the two male characters in this story are having the same thing. They both neglect their family, and they don’t care about their wives. They are selfish, and they only care about their own feeling. However, because the social class of Isamu is higher than Roku, their life are different. Roku’s wife decided to leave him because Roku could not provide any help for a long time. In the other side, Isamu, a successful man has a good fortune, his influence help Oseki’s family get better. This caused Oseki struggled to tell she wanted to divorce to her parents.

Then, it seems to me the lesson Roku teaches Oseki is even though she marry to the man who she loves, she still will suffer the same kind of pain as now. Maybe it will be worst than now. Next, no matter what kind of social class are men in, they all will do the same thing to their family. The level of social class doesn’t mean the mind of men are different. In fact, they will be the same sometimes, like Roku has the same bad behavior as Isamu. They all ignore the right and feeling of women. Moreover, I think the significance of Oseki meeting with Roku is that the author wish there is no gap between the capitalists and working class. For example, although Oseki and Roku are in the different social class, they were talking with each other without any belittle. They shared their story and cared each other. It makes me forgot how different their social class they are.

Government

Sicong wu

David WalksAlong and James Wright are two characters in this justice system. In the chapter of The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire, the Judge talked to Thomas with a harsh tone. He seemed to extremely want to make Thomas go into the prison, no matter how Thomas tried to explain. Also, there is a dramatic conversation in this chapter, ” ‘What charge should we bring him up on?’ ” (Paragraph 6) and ” ‘Inciting a riot? Kidnapping? Extortion? Maybe murder?’ ” (Paragraph 7). It sounds like the officers judge a person are basing on their mood or the weather of that day. It is like an allusion to sarcasm the government judge a person easily by the superficial phenomenon, rather than find more evidence to decided the convicted guilty or nor. Although the justice system clam they are justice, sometimes it sometimes could judge a person in a wrong way or based on the bias.

Poetry Analysis

Sicong wu

My Brother at 3 A.M. by Natalie Diaz is the poem I select. I like this poem because it is like a suspense movie. At the beginning of the poem, Natalie Diaz depicts a depressive and intense scene for me. I have no idea what was going on before Brother said someone wanted to kill him. Just like some suspense movies, the director will set a mystery atmosphere in the start of the movie to firmly seize viewers’ attention. So, the intense atmosphere of the beginning of the poem drew my attention successfully.  

The perspective of My Brother at 3 A.M. is kind of like third person narration. The author may be involved in the poem that she wrote, or maybe she is standing for something to express something. She was watching her Brother weeping on the step painfully, and her mother was trying to comfort her brother. Also, I feel the Brother broke down from reality based on the conversation between him and Mother. The Brother told his mother there was a devil who wanted to kill him, and he kept saying “O God”(3,22,25) repeatedly. These kinds of words make me feel the Brother lost his reality, and he was in the state of being delirious. Furthermore, I still don’t know what is happening with the Brother at the end of the poem. But, there were two assumptions in my mind. The first one is that the Brother abused a lot of drugs, so he began to lose his mind. The second one is that this is maybe one of the nightmares once happened to the author. In fact, no matter what the result or consequence of this poem. I think this poem is charming enough to grab my attention, and it is unforgettable. This poem is like a short suspense movie that Diaz invites me to watch with her. Although there are not many more characters in this poem, the mood and tone of this poem is quite impressive. 

There are seven quatrains in this poem, and the italic sentence is indicating the conversation. In the most common situation, the conversation in the context is usually quoted by quotation mark, but the author uses italic to indicate the conversation rather than using quotation mark. Based on the tone of this poem, I think the italic is used to express an unstable and create an intensive environment. I consider there are two functions of italic here.  The one is emphasizing the Brother break down from reality. The other one is to strengthen the worry from the mother. Besides, there is an indent in the last two sentences. These spaces are just like a stair to push the story to keep moving to the next plot. Although the author uses the same sentences to develop the story, the usage of index makes each standex become different from each other. Moreover, “O God”(3, 22, 25) is what the brother often said in this poem. These two simple words express the depression and sadness from the Brother. It is like a person who was trapped into a deep dark hole. He can not realize if this is reality or not, and he is feeling hopeless. All of the elements are powerful, and it is enough accuracy to express the sober feeling from the author.

The second poem I select is My Brother My Wound by Natalie Diaz as well. I choose this poem because I am interested in what the connection is with the poem My Brother at 3 A.M.. These two poems are talking about the Brother, but the style of writing is different. In the first one, the author is not involved in the scene, and she is invisible. But, in the poem My Brother My Wound, Diaz is the part of the poem. She tried to help her brother get out of choking, and she had some conversation with him. The depiction of this poem is also full of imagination. For instance, Natalia Diaz shows ” So I punched my fists against his stomach/Mars flew out”(12-13). The term “Mars” here seems to release something unknown or secret by the Brother, and Natalie Diaz is the only person who knows this secret. Also, this poem reminds me of my cousin. We have lived together since he was born, and we are like siblings. However, I hated having a brother when I was young because I did not like to share everything with him. I often refused to share my stuff with him and tried to argue with him. Maybe for my cousin, I was the person who made the wound for him. I had done a lot of bad things to him. But, as the time went by, my mind became mature. When I threw back to the thing I did to him, I felt extremely guilty. I tried to do something to compensate for him and learned to be a good elder cousin. Now, I am proud of having a little cousin and brother, and I think Natalie Diaz is also proud of her brother.

There are eight stanzas in the poem My Brother My Wound, and most of the stanzas have four lines. Although each stanzas are different, I think the structure of this poem is kind of like symmetry. Because Natalie Diaz writes “He said, Look Look. And they did”(16) and “He said, Lift up your shirt. And I did.”(17)  These two stanzas stand in the middle of the poem. The structure and rhythm are similar, and there are also three stanzas above and under them. I also consider these two stanzas divided the story into two parts. The stanzas ” He said, Look Look. and they did”(16)  is like the ending of the introduction of this poem’s story. And, the stanzas “He said, Lift up your shirt. And I did” (17) is like the beginning of the next part of the story. To begin to tell the reader how the Brother made a “wound” for “me”. Therefore, I think these two stanzas are important in this poem because they are like strong bridges to connect and narrate the poem.In sum, like Natalie Diaz said in the interview, “I’m hoping that when they arrive into this collection that they’re offered a way to return to themselves.” The poems I selected from her are having a strong connection with myself. I like My Brother at 3 A.M. because it is like a suspense movie to draw my curiosity firmly. And My Brother My Wound is also recalling something bad I did to my cousin. Both of these poems provide a way to help me reflect and learn more about myself. These two poems are not only just about She and Her Brother, but also a mirror to see who I am.