Translations Conspiracy

the way this play ended was totally open, and of course, I have my own theory about what actually happened.

Manus leaves for good reason...he is nervous about the situation and everyone knowing that he likes Maire is not a good sign, especially if he say them together leaving the dance...

however! the fingers are pointing to the Donnelly twins...but the interaction between Hugh and Jimmy are telling me something different...especially when Marie arrives...I think that Hugh and Jimmy were somehow in on the whole thing...somehow I have to wonder if those romantic talks are all about Maire and Jimmy's secret emotions about her....

what do you guys think?

he said WHAT?!

okay...I'm kinda, but not really, understanding what the heck is going on here...

where are we at? in Ireland, got that, but what time and who is invading?? I understand that they speak English, so my guess would be England because Lancey is telling them that they (Irish people) should feel "privileged" (34)...but Owen doesn't translate all the information? why?

and then the final comments between Owen and Manus...anyone else thinking Shakespeare!?

and, of course, every play has to have romantic drama....Manus and Maire...I can see how this one is going to play out: starts off as an argument, some problem that lets everyone know that a romantic relationship is present...a problem arises (probably in this case the "Royal Engineers") and they make it through together and realize they are perfect for eachother and they will stay together and live "happily ever after"... yea, okay

a connection with Omishto

once again, I did not like the ending of this book! something is incomplete and I HATE it!!! I wanna know what happens!!!! is Ama actually waiting or will arrive at the tribe? or is she actually banished for the four years? did the world actually start fresh again?

one thing that was answered for me, however, was the power of place...I think that being in Ama's house helped Omishto root her beliefs, feelings and especially confidence in a way we did not see before about who she was and what she was doing...I don't think the transition was smooth because there are times when she wants to cry and feels weak and alone...and I found it interesting that these feelings were expressed with her sister and Annie Hide...I really wasn't expecting that, especially with her sister...

I also found the meetings with Omishto and her mother really...odd and interesting?...I could definitely see my mother acting the same way...thinking that I was either too young or not ready to be on my own yet...and how that would make her feel...and I don't picture it going too well...it was kinda surprising that Omishto thought about her interpretation of her mother's religion instead of her emotional feelings...

another thing that was interesting was that she called home to say she was going home...kinda ironic...I really feel like her mother knew she wouldn't be coming back to her house...that she would eventually returned to what she left...so why did she have to call at all?

what do you guys think? did you like the book or did it leave questions that you wanted answered? what do you make of the relationships and visits to Omishto in the last part of the book?

who has the "power"?

I finished reading the assignment last night and I was actually shocked the way the court trial ended...Omishto described many of the whites as descendants of destroyers of the land and her people...they wanted Ama in jail and she partially agreed, but on the other hand, "her people" also bring a form of tension because she doesn't know what or how to believe in this situation...

Ama wants to be convicted, take the blame for what she had done, be it right or wrong...and flat out says "I KILLED IT"...would that not be enough evidence to put her away? what do you think about the need to have enough physical evidence to condem her? what is the reason they let her go even though she admitted to the act? therefore, is the power in truth or in evidence and logical thought?

Omishto thinks they let her go because she wanted to be convicted...she thinks they were compelled because of their animal nature..."It seemed we went against our wills, and who am I to judge, me being such a part of this other world, both these other worlds" (143). I have the same question Professor asked us: what are these two worlds? are they the ones she described between Americans and Taigas, or is it the traditional nature of the Taiga and what she has learned in school and the modern world? or is it simply between what Omishto wants to believe and what she is told to believe?

momma says...

I don't know about you guys, but a section of the reading reminded me of the infamous "Momma said" on page 19...the judgment from her mother is one reason why she feels "called" and connected to Ama...

in this reading, we learn a lot about Omishto...the relationship with her mom, her mother's husband, with Ama, and her feelings about herself...at such a young age, she is so descriptive!!!! she personifies everything; the house, the wind, the earth...

I also found it interesting that she is caught between two different religious beliefs and seems to associate with both...she rebels against her mother and her religion, but as she describes Ama against her house she says she seems "crucified" (37). on the other hand, she associates with Ama and the elders beliefs of nature and its representation of God...

finally, I wonder if both Ama and Omishto are prophets...with the apparition of the "messengers" (25) and in the feeling they both get at the end of chapter two...what do you guys think? is the title an indicator of a common bond/experience the two have, or is it only the description of the world around them?

Lucy

this last section of reading was perfectly titled, "Lucy". I felt like she let herself open up in a way we had not seen before...instead of being cynical to others, she was describing herself, her emotions and really describing how or why she felt that way...instead of completely ignoring and neglecting her feelings toward her mother and her home, she let her true emotions play a role...

her relationships all changed as well...one line in particular, the remarks about her and Paul's relationship, really reminded me of her life...the life in her past that she was now willing to acknowledge, but, like Paul, no longer willing to let it possess her..."He loved ruins; he loved the past but only if it had ended on a sad note, from a lofty beginning to a gradual, rotten decline; he loved things that came from far away and had a mysterious history" (156).

I also feel like Lucy's decision to move out and throw herself into things that didn't make her happy was purposeful...she "was sure none of it was good for [her], and [she] liked that" (160). Even though the concept of self guilt was new to her, she filled the role; whether consciously or subconsciously.

what do you guys think? is this new life Lucy's attempt to try and start over again, or a way of dealing with her guilt?

The Problem Revealed

I don't even know where to begin...so why not at the end...?

"My life was at once something more simple and more complicated than that: for ten of my twenty years, half of my life, I had been mourning the end of a love affair; perhaps the only true love in my whole life I would ever know" (Kincaid, 132). This quote finally reveals what I have suspected throughout the whole book! If you were to go back and see everywhere Lucy recalled "mother" in her present experiences, you get the feeling that no matter how hard she wants to, her past will always be a part of who she is...even if it something she is trying to change/challenge...

Lucy is no longer the cold hearted, miserable person I permanently stamped for her...somehow, in realizing that her mother was not able to connect with her the way she wanted, she becomes an inspiration and very intelligent individual...but she just doesn't know how to deal with it...the story Lucy recalls to Mariah explains so much more than what we have seen about her personality...this girl, at ten, understood that there has to be more than what she is having wished for her...being raised in an environment where we have been taught to be strong, ambitious and adventurous is the norm, and Lucy secretly feels these too...to feel rejected and betrayed by your mother at such an influential age can be a life changing experience...her desire to break the mold and severe relations with those feelings is not only very hard, but for her, is virtually impossible...

the society she had dreamed of since she was little quickly changes and seems unimportant...what's important is her mother and the woman she is and how she is present in Lucy...

does the last bit of reading today change anyone else's persception of Lucy?

understanding this child

this poor girl! she is so torn between different worlds and does not know where to go or what to do! One the one hand, she longed to get away from the place she resented the most, but she seems to just go to a place she feels the same toward...

as I read, I got the feeling that she was homesick, obviously...and she completely resents it...her stubborn character and personality make her think of returning to, or having a connection with a past was a sign of weakness...for her, this isn't just a personal thing; she thinks everyone should disconnect from their past as they move into the future...this is demonstrated on pages 33-34, "...I thought Mariah should have long separated the person Gus standing in front of her in the present from all things he had meant to her in the past"...I don't think she has come to realize yet that your previous experience make you who you are in the present...this may be the reason why she resents her mother so much now, but cannot explain why....

another thing I am confused about was the last two pages of the assigned reading...her unwillingness to even hug Mariah after opening up to her is a prime example of her feelings toward her own culture and the culture she is trying to fit into...I don't think she really means to be so mean to Mariah, but I feel so bad for her either way...as she tries to seperate herself from what she is used to, she is blocking possible connections to others...

j

The reading, "This Blessed House" was interesting on many different levels. I enjoyed reading and anyalyzing the relationship between Twinkle and Sanjeev. Throughout the story, we see Sanjeev's reactions climax to the point where he cannot stand the religious items Twinkle keeps finding. At this part in the story, he confesses that "he did not know if he loved her" (147). His constant questioning and inability or lack of ambition to say something makes me wonder about his character. Though he his older and more mature in a business setting, is he really as emotionally and intellectually mature as Twinkle? Also, he seems torn between what "should" be found in a wife and what he thinks loves/loved about Twinkle and their first encounters. For him, I think Twinkle is the squiggle for his square. He may get so frustrated and annoyed with her, but, like in the end, he is compelled to stay quiet and let her have her way...

Then the discussion today...looking back at it, I feel like we discussed so much, but got no where...I don't mean it in a bad way, but the notion of connection and how you connect and with whom you feel compelled to connect to is, in a way, overwhelming...As a class, we felt Sanjeev appeared to be more connected to his Indian heritage, not necessarily the culture...Twinkle appears to f Lo A T and innocently enjoy the beauty
around her. I know we talked about Twinkle and Sanjeev and how they may or may not have had trouble identifying with either the American or Indian culture/heritage, but what about this: the author put them together for a reason...instead of looking at the characters individually, why do you think Lahiri chose to place these two different personalities together?

PROCRASTINATION!

anyone else trying hard to study for this exam and feeling like this? haha...

I'm not thinking this should be SO bad. . . I would THINK that if you read the material it shouldn't be that bad. . .

any one have any tips?

j

"O" --continued and changed

I've been thinking about the movie a lot and there are some things that are just sticking in my head that I want to throw out there...

I think that, in the movie, Desi has had her death scene...in both the play and the movie, Desi represents innocence...and that was definitely taken already in the movie...and the interpretation of the killing was much like the murder in the play...

O was completely out of it when he did what he did to Desi...and the same is true for the play...in both interpretations he's completely torn between two feelings; love and jealousy...

I didn't like that Desi had to "die" that way, but it was interesting to see how the director interpreted that act in the play...

but now I feel the movie is going to appear different from the play...I don't think that Oden can/will actually kill Desi...something more modern has to happen...Oden and Mike may go at it, but I can't see him killing him either...

Hugo, of course, better get caught and somehow punished for his actions...but it's weird because I also want the relationship between him and his dad to improve, although that seems impossible...especially if his evil plot is revealed to everyone....

I'm excited for the last part of the film!!!! MY MID-TERMS ARE OVER AND I CAN FINALLY RELAX!!!! :)

"O"

not gonna lie, I'm lovin this movie! I liked how it was interpreted by the director and how he made Shakespeare not seem boring (which I think is a big problem in getting students motivated to read him). Making the movie appear in a more modern and relateable setting helps the viewers to understand what is going on...

I also liked our discussion in class...it made me think about what someone said (I can't remember if it was here or actually in class) about Shakespeare's works being universal and infinite...this movie definitely proved it! the underlying story is Shakespeare but the message is relied in so many different ways...each interpretation gives more insight to what Shakespeare may have meant...I think Shakespeare may have done this intentionally...by making his works so open for interpretation, he is allowing himself to be present and discussed in modern literary and entertainment works for centuries to come!

I'm excited to see how the rest of the movie plays out... :)

j

interpretive and social impacts of Shakespeare

I just watched the youtube clip that was posted on Professor's blog...I HATED IT!!!! the emotion was not there like it was in the clip we saw in class today...Othello's acting seemed fake, forced and practiced...it didn't depict what I had imagined at all! The metaphor with the candle was taken out, he kissed his wife AFTER he killed Desdemona...why?! who DOES that? Othello seemed very, CRAZY! maybe, in my opinion, it was just bad acting, but I was taken aback by the work...and was not drawn in whatsoever...

BUT, there were things that I disliked about the new version we saw in class...I'm torn between whether Desdemona's last words should or should not have been removed...I'm not a huge fan of dying, coming to life and then dying again...too fake...but her words in the play give way to the emotion and guilt Desdemona took on because of her seemingly "undying" love for Othello...

the technical characteristics we pointed out in class were better demonstrated in the movie viewing in class...it was interesting that Othello was wearing white adorned with gold before killing Desdemona and then was the only one wearing black after murdering her...I would have thought that Iago would have some sort of "devilish" appearance to him...

maybe the "encounters" that were due today had some relevance...future interpretations of the play have "set the stage" in a sense for future representations of racism and the obstacles it in tales...

what do you guys think? do you think that different interpretations of Shakespeare's work have helped to establish tension and problems for different races? be they marriage, trust, violence or superiority?

oh, Othello. . .

okay, so much happened in the last two acts!!! some of it was very predictable, you can't tell me you didn't see where the ending was going?!

first, I want to touch on the reputation concept we discussed in class on Tuesday. I thought it was ironic how Iago's theory on reputation was completely turned when he was talking to Othello...he placed emphasis on the fact that he "knew" his wife was cheating...and what man, in his right mind and good reputation, would allow for such a mockery, especially when he knew of the actions...then later begs and pleads him to stay "calm" in the situation.

As Othello thinks of Desdemona's innocent personality and character, Iago offends him and his reputation by saying, "If you are so fond over her iniquity, give her patent to offend, for if it touch not you it comes near nobody" (129). I feel that this is what really pushes Othello over the edge and concretes his need for revenge...

from there, every action and word seemed to be perfectly put into place in order to make the situation look exactly how Iago wanted it to...Desdemona continued to argue in side of Cassio and her words made it appear as though more could be happening...the "wretched women" seemed to be standing up for each other and the "proof" needed to condemn Cassio was conveniently found by Emilia...[HOW REALISTIC. . .]

Iago's confidence starts to diminish during Act 4 when Roderigo shows up and threatens to reveal his deal with him...in Act 5 he starts to consider the possible outcomes for himself, "May unfold me to him;there stand I in much peril".

Although this drama has a cliche ending...Iago is needed to make the story a good one...

I'm excited to hear our discussion tomorrow...and I still have a lot to say about Desdemona and Othello's relationship.... :)

j

I loved our discussion yesterday!!!!!! everyone saw the same movie but interpreted it in different ways...what each of us noticed helped us to understand the overall message and meaning of the movie...

overall, I like the movie, because I think it can hit really close to home...the experiences don't have to match my life at all, but the emotions with it can...each of us, I'm sure, have felt exploited and deserted by friends, family or even society as a whole...and I think this movie was a good representation about what women really feel under such circumstances...the pressure to constantly be held at a standard is not only exhausting but unlivable, and eventually we succumb to what we really aren't in order to be accepted...even if only on the outside....

I thought the movie did exactly that...Daisy was a good example...on the inside, she was still hurting, for whatever reason...but because she appeared fine on the outside she was released...

Suzanna's story, on the other hand, is a little different...she found ones to deal with stress and her problems...the other girls just tried to appear as though they had...

some, like Lisa, really have problems and need help, but are unwilling to use the resources...her interpretation of the "diagnonsense" conflicts with her problem...

Releasing Judith?. . .

The first time I read "The Yellow Wallpaper", I was convinced this woman was completely crazy and it had nothing to do with any of her surrounds. I took literal meaning from the text. I was unaware of the circumstances and perceptions about women at the time. The previous readings and discussions in class have helped me to read more into the context and meaning behind the writing, and not just the words itself.

This go around, however, I took heed to the characters and words Gilman used. To me, John's character resembled that of society. He seems to truly be worried and care about the narrator, but still commands a form of control over her, even if only for her medical needs. There is a sense of a double paradox for the narrator when she explains, "[John] says no one but myself can help me out of it, that I must use my will and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me" (374). I related this to society of its time and modern time. Society says that if women have these characteristics then we could overcome anything. Yet they have no problem drawing boundary lines for how far our "anything" goes. They seem to care, but do they really?

Another interesting thing I noticed when I was reading was that the story never says the narrators name. Why would Gilman not give the woman in the story a name? John only refers to her as "my darling", "blessed little goose", and "little one". I think this was intended by the author to put the reader in the shoes of the woman; just like Woolf did.

The woman she ultimately sees in the paper is like Shakespeare's sister; every woman who never had the chance to show her intellect to the world. The yellow wallpaper is also a representative of society. Yellow is normally associated with something bright, light and beautiful. For the narrator, however, the paper reminds her of the "bad yellow things" that are hard to describe. The intentions may have at one time been "bright", but are now wearing to a dull and stark cover.

For me, the writting reminded me of Woolf. It only takes one determined but scared/nervous woman to release the voices of those before her who were hidden by that dull cover. The only thing we must do now is creep over the ones who never thought it could be done.



j

why are you REALLY at SMC?

For a moment, think back to your most stressful year of high school: Junior year. You've taken the tests, worked for the grades, participated in extracurriculars and visited perspective colleges, but why did you eventually choose Saint Mary's? What REALLY brought you to one of the nation's best liberal arts colleges? One thing I know for sure, is that it wasn't the boys...was it?

Virginia Woolf brings to light an interesting point throughout the second chapter of A Room of One's Own. Her interest in gender disparities starts as she observes that women appear to be more interesting to men than men are for women. Soon after, Woolf noticed the anger portrayed in her sketches, and connected it to the life of a woman in society. Modern male writings, according to Woolf, "had been written in the red light of emotion and not in the white light of truth" (32-33). The lack of positive portrayal of women was due to a man's lack of confidence. A man's superiority seems to be on the line in parallel with not only a woman's work, but life in general.

Woolf proposes the utility a woman gives a man socially and personally is a consequence of the "looking-glass vision". This "vision" serves as a reflective power to increase the confidence of males; without it, men are left, in a sense, powerless in a mixed gender society. Throughout history women have lied to and succumbed to the power a man has laid upon them; increasing their confidence and superior self-worth along the way.

Lastly, Woolf predicted the change in the role of woman in later times, OUR time. The liberal woman author foretold, "...in a hundred years, women will have ceased to be the protected sex. Logically they will take part in all the activities and exertions that were once denied them" (40). This quote, undoubtedly my favorite thus far, describes the essence of women in today's society. No more do we want to feel inferior or unappreciated by our male counterparts. No more do we aspire to fulfill their need as confidence boosters, but instead long to challenge them with our own intellect.

Therefore, as a SMC student, can you relate to Woolf's feelings? Do you think she was right? Are you subconsciously/consciously here to challenge, question and put an end to male feelings toward women in today's modern society?

j

Writing = Sleep :-S

a metaphor for writing? do we really ever dwell on how we write as college students as long as the paper gets done?!

at first, of course, I wanted to use something completely unique to my personality and/or what I do regularly: rollerskate, work out, eat, procrastinate...but my actual writing "flow" didn't seem to match...I'm always in a high, intense and emotional state when I skate...and the only emotional state writing a paper puts me in is anguish, frustration and, sometimes, depression...working out gives me energy; definitely not a characteristic I gain from academic writing...eating, well, it's just a habit...and writing a paper is usually the reason why I try to procrastinate until my conscious says, "Jessica, if you want to write a good paper, it's time to approach the guillotine!,"a few days before it's due...

so, I pondered. finally, one word came to me that matched my personality-sleep...like many college students, I love my sleep, but please do not confuse this with a love for writing academic papers; not true...the comparison comes in the way I sleep and the way I write...not the passion for the two...let me explain...

needless to say, I am [NOT] the easiest person to wake up in the morning...I set my alarm, have my boyfriend call me, and set another alarm...only to hit snooze or ignore some mornings...you see, once I'm out of bed and get moving, I'm usually fine...it's getting me to kick off the blankets and move my feet that's the problem...academic writing is the same way for me...I have to find the motivation to actually get started, kick off the blankets in a sense...

sometimes, and I mean very rarely sometimes, I can get excited about where a paper is going...everything's going great and I actually get a little E X C I T E D about the assignment. Of course, all this excitement makes me a little tired, and I need to take a little nap and come back to it a little later... :)

like sleep, it doesn't matter how much time I get, I always want 5 more minutes...likewise, when I have distracted myself for as long as I could (while of course always contemplating the direction I want to take the paper :} ) and return to the computer, I have to push myself to stay focused and alert to the words floating on the the screen...at times, I get so focused on finsihing, I fall into a deep trance (a type of sleep if you will) and nothing can divert my attention...but what happens when I get stuck and can't find the words for what I want to say?

this is where I will remind you of the negatives of sleep...yes, negatives....how bout the nights when you just can't fall asleep no matter WHAT you do...yea, those nights are like the stumps in my writings...sometimes it doesn't matter what I do, or direction I try to take the words...it just doesn't work...finally, I lay the words out and it makes sense...all is cleared and I can move on my way...

this pattern of work reminds me a lot about how I sleep...again, the passion for the later should not be confused as a similar feeling toward the former...but the characteristics are uncanny...but that's the best part....I tried to look for a unique metaphore for me and I found it in the most unlikely place...one of my favorite places is comparable to one of my least favorite academic assignments if thought of in the right context...who knew? :)

j