When reading a book, we are the onlookers—we have control of our eyes running over the words on the pages. What’s startling is when we feel like we are being looked back at. I’m not a big fan of portrait paintings for this reason. It is much more enjoyable for me to be the onlooker hidden from view of the subject, instead Continue reading “On on looking and looking on”
Bringing a God Down to Earth
When you think about it, Gods and Goddesses would be pretty terrible people. As a whole, they tend to overreact due to small problems, freak out when others contest their superiority, throw tantrums when they are unrecognized by the public, and can’t seem to commit themselves to one relationship. I for one would not want to be friends with a human God. Why is it then, that humans look up to seemingly immature Gods and Goddesses? Why do we continuously defend, admire, and praise the Gods?
In Percival Everett’s novel, Frenzy, Everett brings the Gods down to earth in various ways. Since the main character, Dionysus, is half human and half God, he can physically be on earth with his assistant, Vlepo. By having Dionysus physically on earth, it becomes easier for readers to compare a God’s own actions to a human’s actions. Continue reading “Bringing a God Down to Earth”
It Means “I See You”
The best stories jump off the page at you. They could’ve happened to your neighbor, your best friend. They could’ve happened to you. Maybe they did. Maybe they are.
When asked to investigate what Vlepo translated to in class, I was taken aback by the translation – “I see you”. How often is the reader simultaneously doing the reading and being read? This added layer of awareness made me excited to continue reading and discussing Everett’s work. A good author allows the reader to get into the mind of a character, but a great author allows the character to get into the mind of the reader.
I had plans for the weekend, but these past few days had felt so deeply wrong and impossible. It was strange, because the adjustment to college had been going seemingly well, but it was the dynamic with my boyfriend in Buffalo that was getting in the way. I talked to every person I talk to when things go wrong. I assessed every detail, thought of every solution, tried them all – in theory, things would’ve been fixed. But they weren’t. Continue reading “It Means “I See You””
Unzipping the Suspicious Pants
If I had to choose anything that stuck out to me the most when I first started this class, it is without a doubt the “suspicious pants” conversation. In this discussion, we were asked to dissect and analyze the meaning of a particularly suspicious pair of pants from Twitter. Needless to say, I never expected to do something like that in a college-level English class. In fact, that was probably the most time I have spent talking at a pair of pants that looks it has eyes.
Old Books vs. Test Scores: What Matters More?
In class, part of our discussion mentioned why reading old/classic books are still relevant in the high school curriculum. Some argued that the reason for reading stories from the likes of Shakespeare and Jane Austin maybe be due to the fact that they evoke a sense of empathy towards what was important during that time. Others, including myself, would argue that focusing on other factors, such as SAT practice and maintaining a decent GPA, is more productive in high school.
Continue reading “Old Books vs. Test Scores: What Matters More?”
The Bacchae and Unschooling
I have no idea how to start this post, but I have done much too much procrastinating so here goes.
I think it would be an understatement to say that there is a lot going on in Euripides’s Bacchae. Yet, one element (or theme rather) stood out to me. This is a theme of structure, of rules and order. I believe that the Bacchae is a warning that there can be too much order and structure in life. That strict law and order should be in balance with mayhem and a bit of chaos every now and then.
A New Beginning
High school graduation is the epitome of life. It can be an accomplishment signaling adulthood. It can also mean the end of mandatory classes that we didn’t want and a start of sleeping in or starting to work. On the other hand, college is often thought of a new beginning to help start a career and assist us in finding ourselves (while also being in thousands of dollars in debt). All in all, it is the first time that as young adults we get to choose to further our education and decide that we want to go to school. We are not pressured into waking up at 5 am to get to school at 6 am or 7 am. We are finally given a choice.
Throughout my education school was something that I dreaded waking up for. Now that it is my choice I still do just not as much. Tuition is not cheap so ‘i have to deal with it’ until I get stuck in a job that I worked hard to get to. Is there a point to this? I wonder every time I wake up to go to class. “It will work out in the end,” I tell myself.
I found myself taking this reader and text class without having a clue what I would be doing in the future. To be honest, I still don’t know what lies ahead. But there’s a reason why I decided to change my major last minute, and why I am taking this class. Is this foreshadowing like how Pentheus’s fate was very early on in Bacchae? The scene when Tiresias warns Pentheus not to offend the gods, or he will suffer the same fate as Actaeon,” whom the carnivorous hounds he reared tore apart when he boasted that he was better at hunting than Artemis.”
If you’re wondering ‘why am I writing about this’? Well, the reason is that you are reading this. We chose a path to further our education. That is why you are reading this blog post right now. Whether you’re a student or professor, this is the path we decided to take. There were many other choices that we could have made but we chose this.
Transition from High School to College
When you receive that high school diploma, you have lots of emotions. From satisfaction, excitement and determination to move to next the next chapter in your life. Within the month of June, even into July, it was a time of celebration. Celebrating graduating high school, and celebrating the next chapter in our lives. For me, it was celebrating that it was time to pursue my journey at SUNY Geneseo.
First-year college students all start with confidence. Many with expectations, but for most, their experiences do not match up with what they initially intended. Continue reading “Transition from High School to College”
Be Circular In A Society That Wants You To Be Linear
This past Monday I was sitting in my English 203 class as the rain graciously dripped down the windows. I thought about how thankful I was that the room was not its’ regular ninety degrees, and how for once my clothes were not sticking to my back. My classmates and I carefully got into our assigned groups and patiently waited for class to start. I heard Dr. Beth McCoy address the class with a cheerful “Good Morning” and prompted our first topic of discussion, “What challenges did you encounter while reading The Bacchae?”.
My group instantly bursted into conversation as remarks were made about how the character Dionysus is referred to too many names, how the vocabulary was challenging and outdated, and how we all faced the harsh realization that reading plays are a lot different than reading the usual text based novel. To this statement, Dr. Beth McCoy made the comment that it is difficult to read such a circular play like The Bacchae, when the way the text is positioned on the page is so linear.
Continue reading “Be Circular In A Society That Wants You To Be Linear”
Paratext
As this is my first post, I would like to start off with something I feel understand well enough to give a clear explanation of. I’d like to begin simply with the definitions of the terms that will be discussed here:
Paratext: Elements in a text that contribute and construct a meaning or context for what is being read. Paratext can be broken down into two categories: peritext and epitext.