Cassi
The idea of mirrors being a way to look into the past is an interesting thing. when mirrors are found later in the book do they have the same meaning? The motif of flowers could be expanding the ideas of beauty and gardening being a way of creating life. The Handmaids are no longer able to worry about their beauty and the idea of creating life is tainted. The gym parallels to the Handmaids because the basketball games played in the gym are played with a lot of effort and the players become sweaty and clammy, and a Handmaid has to give birth which requires a lot of effort and she would also become sweaty and clammy.
Cierra
The thought of simple fun is no longer something that could be enjoyed was such a subtle idea and was interesting to think about. What you discovered about the balcony was such a wonderful find. Your conclusive idea about the "cardboard devils" was also a very creative thought which is often overlooked.
Clara
You were the first person to mention the technique of structure which always is a key thing to pay attention to. It was also great work on trying to identify the time of the novel by looking at such subtle hints in the passage.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
The Handmaid's Tale Journal 1
“We slept in what had once been the gymnasium. The floor was of varnished wood, with 1
stripes and circles painted on it, for the games that were formerly played there; the hoops
for the basketball nets were still in place, though the nets were gone. A balcony ran around
the room, for the spectators, and I thought I could smell, faintly like an afterimage, the
pungent scent of sweat, shot through with the sweet taint of chewing gum and perfume from 5
the watching girls, felt-skirted as I knew from pictures, later in miniskirts, then pants, then
in one earring, spiky green-streaked hair. Dances would have been held there; the music lingered, a palimpsest of unheard sound, style upon style, an undercurrent of drums, a
forlorn wail, garlands made of tissue-paper flowers, cardboard devils, a revolving ball of
mirrors, powdering the dancers with a snow of light” (3). 10
In this passage the narrator is remembering things of the past that occured here. The setting is of a gymnasium but is it a High school gym, middle school gym, or an elementary gym? How much would the imagery change from one gym to another? One of the uses for the gym was "for the games that were formerly played there"(2) like basketball. If games are not played here then where are they played or are they played at all? With the line "[a] balcony ran around the room, for the spectators"(3) not only do you see the balcony you see anxious people for the next play excited or worried for the teams playing, and you can see even a father pacing around the balcony cheering on his son. Imagery is one of the strongest techniques that Margaret Atwood uses in this book. It is continued to be seen when she describes the smells that our narrator remembers. Our narrator remembers the smell of sweat mixed with the smell of perfume leading to the memory of the girls watching the game. "[F]elt- skirted as I knew from pictures, later in miniskirts, then pants, then in one earring, spiky green-streaked hair" (6) tell us that the narrator doesn't fully remember all the details of the past because she has to rely on pictures to remember the change in styles through out the years. Later dances are described as palimpsest with a list of things describing the dances following. Palimpsest can also be used to describe the floors. The paint hides the many details and complexities of the wood. Is the idea of palimpsest going to continue through the book? The items like "a revovling ball of mirrors" (9) she knows that they exist but they are all fading from her memory as they just barely grasp her now. This can either create a curious character trying to remember the world before or a frustrated and bitter character that longs for the past.
stripes and circles painted on it, for the games that were formerly played there; the hoops
for the basketball nets were still in place, though the nets were gone. A balcony ran around
the room, for the spectators, and I thought I could smell, faintly like an afterimage, the
pungent scent of sweat, shot through with the sweet taint of chewing gum and perfume from 5
the watching girls, felt-skirted as I knew from pictures, later in miniskirts, then pants, then
in one earring, spiky green-streaked hair. Dances would have been held there; the music lingered, a palimpsest of unheard sound, style upon style, an undercurrent of drums, a
forlorn wail, garlands made of tissue-paper flowers, cardboard devils, a revolving ball of
mirrors, powdering the dancers with a snow of light” (3). 10
In this passage the narrator is remembering things of the past that occured here. The setting is of a gymnasium but is it a High school gym, middle school gym, or an elementary gym? How much would the imagery change from one gym to another? One of the uses for the gym was "for the games that were formerly played there"(2) like basketball. If games are not played here then where are they played or are they played at all? With the line "[a] balcony ran around the room, for the spectators"(3) not only do you see the balcony you see anxious people for the next play excited or worried for the teams playing, and you can see even a father pacing around the balcony cheering on his son. Imagery is one of the strongest techniques that Margaret Atwood uses in this book. It is continued to be seen when she describes the smells that our narrator remembers. Our narrator remembers the smell of sweat mixed with the smell of perfume leading to the memory of the girls watching the game. "[F]elt- skirted as I knew from pictures, later in miniskirts, then pants, then in one earring, spiky green-streaked hair" (6) tell us that the narrator doesn't fully remember all the details of the past because she has to rely on pictures to remember the change in styles through out the years. Later dances are described as palimpsest with a list of things describing the dances following. Palimpsest can also be used to describe the floors. The paint hides the many details and complexities of the wood. Is the idea of palimpsest going to continue through the book? The items like "a revovling ball of mirrors" (9) she knows that they exist but they are all fading from her memory as they just barely grasp her now. This can either create a curious character trying to remember the world before or a frustrated and bitter character that longs for the past.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Stranger Journal 6
Following me with her eyes
I waited in the courtyard, under a plane tree.
Above the hills that separate Marengo from the sea, the sky was streaked red.
It was inhuman and oppressive.
I waited in the courtyard, under a plane tree.
"Meursault, now you're a pal."
I stood there, motionless,
Emmanuel was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe.
"Meursalt, now you're a pal"
I said it was fine with me: he seemed pleased.
Emmanuel was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe.
I wasn't hungry, and I went to bed without any dinner.
I said it was fine with me: he seemed pleased.
He looked at me in silence. Then he said, "Good night."
I wasn't hungry, and I went to bed without any dinner.
So I rolled over, tried to find the salty smell Marie's hair had left on the pillow.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Stranger Journal 5
- The images changed from being precise and blunt to becoming very described and creative. They seemed to make Meursault appear to be more inquisitive and focus on ideas that were more abstract. They include more colors are some what more surreal.
- Meursault also starts to think back to past memories while he is in the second part. His life is a standstill in jail and nothing changes and the only change he gets are the different thoughts in his head
- In part one the idea of religion is only mention in little bits like Maman wanting a religious burial, Sundays, and a pastel angel In part two the evaluating magistrate and the chaplain heavily discuss religion with Meursault. The second part has a more direct mentioning of religion.
- He can't watch and find people interested so he starts to focus on the little details of small things.
Stranger Journal 4
How does Camus portray the physical world and the spiritual world? What does Camus suggest is the function of each? What theme do they help us to develop?
"I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in way of my feelings" (65).
This is very important for answering our question because it talks about physical needs which is what builds the physical world and how it holds back the ideas of feelings which could be seen as part of the spiritual world.
"He asked me if he could say that that day I had held my natural feelings. I said, "No, because it's not true" (65).
The spirit world is hinted at through the morals of Meursault. He doesn't want to lie because he knows it is bad even if it helps cover up an even more serious action.
"I felt the urge to reassure him that i was like everybody else, just like everybody else. But really there wasn't much point, and i gave up the idea out of laziness" (66).
The connection between this quote and my topic I can't quite get a hold of but I believe there is a connection.
"I looked at the director, too. He was walking with great dignity without a single wasted motion. A few beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, but he didn't wipe them off" (16).
The director put physical matters like the heat and the sweat in the back of his mind and honoring Maman was the priority of the moment and he was dedicated to showing respect. His actions to not let physical elements get in the way is one of the few examples of the spiritual world being the focus rather than the physical world.
"I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in way of my feelings" (65).
This is very important for answering our question because it talks about physical needs which is what builds the physical world and how it holds back the ideas of feelings which could be seen as part of the spiritual world.
"He asked me if he could say that that day I had held my natural feelings. I said, "No, because it's not true" (65).
The spirit world is hinted at through the morals of Meursault. He doesn't want to lie because he knows it is bad even if it helps cover up an even more serious action.
"I felt the urge to reassure him that i was like everybody else, just like everybody else. But really there wasn't much point, and i gave up the idea out of laziness" (66).
The connection between this quote and my topic I can't quite get a hold of but I believe there is a connection.
"I looked at the director, too. He was walking with great dignity without a single wasted motion. A few beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, but he didn't wipe them off" (16).
The director put physical matters like the heat and the sweat in the back of his mind and honoring Maman was the priority of the moment and he was dedicated to showing respect. His actions to not let physical elements get in the way is one of the few examples of the spiritual world being the focus rather than the physical world.
Stranger Journal 3
All three titles have the same idea of being different from everyone else. They all suggest that the being could be new to an area and that to other people they are not different and are well known.
Many people can be seen as the Stranger, Outsider, or the Foreigner.
I believe it is fairly because is someone is out casted it takes effort from a group of people while being a stranger, outsider, and foreigner would happen without effort by any being for they are naturally different from the rest of the population.
Many people can be seen as the Stranger, Outsider, or the Foreigner.
- The Pied Noirs are foreigners to Algeria who eventually start to make the Arabs become outsiders.
- Meursault is different from everyone because of how he sees life.
- The Robot woman was a stranger that was peculiar in her habits.
- Some of the things the characters do like abuse women are things that we do not normally see. To us that action is foreign.
- Salamano and his dog are outsiders because they keep to themselves.
I believe it is fairly because is someone is out casted it takes effort from a group of people while being a stranger, outsider, and foreigner would happen without effort by any being for they are naturally different from the rest of the population.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Stranger Journal 2
Like many other characters in the Stranger there are relations to religion including Emmanuel. This name means "God is with us". Emmanuel only appears in the beginning passage of chapter three where the only possible connection between Emmanuel's character and his name is the fact that Meursault and him had blind faith in their actions of jumping onto the truck without receiving an injury. The idea of blind faith relates to believing God is always with us despite proof.
Emmanuel is a dispatcher for freight trucks which means he schedules and controls when trucks have pick-ups and deliveries. Emmanuel is applied to Jesus who had disciples that would spread the word of Christ. They would "deliver" the gospel to all of the gentiles.
Outside of the idea of religion I found it interesting that Meursault knew exactly what Emmanuel meant when he said, "How 'bout it?" and just immediately started running without hesitation. This suggest that they have a strong relationship even if it is only at work. I wonder if Meursault helping him up rather than Emmanuel helping Meursault up has any significance. Like the bus ride to Marengo, the ride is bumpy and there are probably strong smells of the sea and the dust makes breathing unpleasant none of which seem to be bothersome to Meursault nor Emmanuel.
Emmanuel is a dispatcher for freight trucks which means he schedules and controls when trucks have pick-ups and deliveries. Emmanuel is applied to Jesus who had disciples that would spread the word of Christ. They would "deliver" the gospel to all of the gentiles.
Outside of the idea of religion I found it interesting that Meursault knew exactly what Emmanuel meant when he said, "How 'bout it?" and just immediately started running without hesitation. This suggest that they have a strong relationship even if it is only at work. I wonder if Meursault helping him up rather than Emmanuel helping Meursault up has any significance. Like the bus ride to Marengo, the ride is bumpy and there are probably strong smells of the sea and the dust makes breathing unpleasant none of which seem to be bothersome to Meursault nor Emmanuel.
Stranger Journal 1
I found "I ran so as to not miss the bus. It was probably because of all the rushing around, and on top of that the bumpy ride, the smell of gasoline, and the glare of the sky and the road, that I dozed off"' an interesting statement because it isn't what you would expect to hear. For some people it would be hard to sleep on a bumpy ride where you smell gasoline and have a constant glare in your eyes. Meursault blames these things for making him fall asleep. Would this be an example of absurdity?
Some of the sentence structure is interest because of the way you are forced to read it. "I thought he was criticizing me for something and I started to explain. but he cut me off" could also be shorten to say "he cut me off when I felt criticized and started to explain myself"(4). In the original sentence before the word but there is a period. This period makes the first sentence sound as if that was that and it was over. As you go on to the next sentence you realize it isn't. the period creates this choppiness that changes Meursault. With the period it give the reader the sense that Meursault had an expectation where he would explain himself when he instead was interrupted. It also adds to Meursault if you think of it as his thought process. It is short an choppy but he doesn't seem to miss a beat in this passage. He is aware of everything.
On page five he talks about not visiting his mother and says one reason why he didn't do it was because it would be on a Sunday and he doesn't want to waste it. In chapter two we read that he doesn't like Sundays. My would he be upset if he wasted a Sunday when he doesn't even like them? When he doesn't want to do something he comes up with excuses. He is being a bit lazy like earlier when he responded with yes just so he wouldn't have to talk to the soldier anymore. He knows what people want to hear and sometimes he tells them what they want and sometimes he doesn't consider the ideas of others like when he claims his mother's death wasn't his fault to his boss.
Sometimes Meursault seems to be lazy and other times he just seems lazy. Is it absurdism to be one thing and then the complete opposite? I find him interest and he too finds many things interest. with his interests they seem shallow in the sense that he will find something interest and then not try to know more about it. He let's the reader know it is interesting and then stops there (most of the time).
Our protagonist isn't a hero of some kind and he seems simple when he really can be a complex being. Camus may have created him like this so we start to be come a more interested person in the things around us and so we think more often and in different ways.
Some of the sentence structure is interest because of the way you are forced to read it. "I thought he was criticizing me for something and I started to explain. but he cut me off" could also be shorten to say "he cut me off when I felt criticized and started to explain myself"(4). In the original sentence before the word but there is a period. This period makes the first sentence sound as if that was that and it was over. As you go on to the next sentence you realize it isn't. the period creates this choppiness that changes Meursault. With the period it give the reader the sense that Meursault had an expectation where he would explain himself when he instead was interrupted. It also adds to Meursault if you think of it as his thought process. It is short an choppy but he doesn't seem to miss a beat in this passage. He is aware of everything.
On page five he talks about not visiting his mother and says one reason why he didn't do it was because it would be on a Sunday and he doesn't want to waste it. In chapter two we read that he doesn't like Sundays. My would he be upset if he wasted a Sunday when he doesn't even like them? When he doesn't want to do something he comes up with excuses. He is being a bit lazy like earlier when he responded with yes just so he wouldn't have to talk to the soldier anymore. He knows what people want to hear and sometimes he tells them what they want and sometimes he doesn't consider the ideas of others like when he claims his mother's death wasn't his fault to his boss.
Sometimes Meursault seems to be lazy and other times he just seems lazy. Is it absurdism to be one thing and then the complete opposite? I find him interest and he too finds many things interest. with his interests they seem shallow in the sense that he will find something interest and then not try to know more about it. He let's the reader know it is interesting and then stops there (most of the time).
Our protagonist isn't a hero of some kind and he seems simple when he really can be a complex being. Camus may have created him like this so we start to be come a more interested person in the things around us and so we think more often and in different ways.
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