Home: Meaning of This Course

Fast forward to about the halfway point :)

I know that a few weeks ago, we as a class had discussed the meaning of home and personal space. The link above is a clip of the movie Garden State, in which Zach Braff discusses what "home" means to him, and the changing definition of what home means for everyone. While reflecting on this course, it just occurred to me that really we've been discusses what "home" is for different authors. For some its a garden, the Midwest, a room and money combined, a nursery, Christian icons, etc. As this is the last blog we'll all post for this class, I guess I just felt it appropriate to post a last word on "home":

For me, home is where I have that which is most important to me. It's where I live, sleep, eat, talk, etc. It's not really associated to one particular place, but rather all the places in my life where I feel "safe". I guess my definition of home differs from other people's because my parents are divorced, so my home is with both of them: Miami and Austin. And, now that I've created an environment here in South Bend to mirror my other homes, South Bend is included in my list of "homes" or.. safe havens, I guess would be a better description.

To Greater and Bigger Adventures

I have many thoughts that sum up this class. When I decided to sign up for this class I did not know what we would do. I knew that I found history and literature interesting and this course had the two. The books that we read were different than many of the books that I typically read. They were different because they deal with the main characters finding their place in the world and society. Also, these books related to their times very well, that it made me feel like I was a part of the book. These books were a very good choice because I was able to relate on some level. The characters, similar to me, were all on a new path in their life that was different from their life before. Beginning college was a time that I started a new path in my life and reading books where the main characters were female and about the same age as us was good. Also, anther good aspect of this class was that it was very discussion based. I found this a good part of class because I truly believe that everyone has a right to their own opinion, and this class really allowed us to do that. I felt the required use of reading and saying our opinion eventually turned less an obligation and more of a want to express how we felt. The trait that was acquired, I feel it is going to be necessary later in life when we have moved on to greater and bigger things after Saint Mary's College, and more is demanded from us.
"Books were read that represent the old and the new, now that we are at the end it is a time to review. A woman went a little off the end, while a married couple found it hard to blend. An author find his muse in the Midwest, while another worried so much that she was constantly stressed. It was discussed the importance of name and place, to know the true meaning was embraced. Many stories were read, and many thoughts were said. New things were learned and our minds grew, while old thoughts we had were turned into something new."

Humanistic Studies?

In the middle of the summer I decided not to study abroad in Rome. As difficult as this decision was, I knew that it would open a lot of doors at Saint Mary's. I had to decide what classes I would be taking at Saint Mary's, and I knew this would be a good semester to get some GenEd's "out of the way." I decided to take Humanistic Studies at the suggestion of my business advisor who thought it would be a good change from the analytical business classes. So, I signed up for HUST, not knowing what to expect. Honestly, I had no idea what humanistic studies was at all!
Now, at the end of the semester of studying different people and places, I understand what this is about. Humans are not just the physical person. Rather, what defines people are often factors outside of the person. We saw in Sanders' work that he is made up of the people and simple Midwest life. I strongly connected to Sanders' love of his home and appreciation of the mundane. Others, have been greatly defined by their cultures and the cultures around them. Humanistic studies, then, seeks to study people based on external aspects that affect the internal aspects that make a person who she is. In effect, a student, like myself, of humanistic studies may come out with a better understanding of who she is- an added benefit to the GenEd credit hours!

A Powerful Choice

I was really impressed with the Omishto's choice to remain in the "natural world." Her decision in Kili really does embody her strength and illustrate her transformation. I talked a little bit about this in class, but for the longest time I just did not feel comfortable calling her a "strong" character. I felt as if her beliefs were too "wishy-washy" and she kept going back and forth from the two different worlds (the natural world and the modern world). So, as I was reading page 231, I felt as if I could finally call her a strong person. I felt as if I was watching someone (or in this case, reading about someone) who was right there making the decision to be strong. It was like I was witnessing her becoming powerful. That page really does illustrate her transformation from believing that knowledge must come first in order to believe in something, to realizing that you can believe in something or someone without ever having hard evidence. I feel as if in Omishto's case, knowledge of self equals strength.

I really enjoyed this book because it embodies every phrase we've covered in the course so far: place, displacement, and culture. I felt like this was the perfect book to end with because not only did it seemingly wrap up the course, it also had a "happy" ending in the way that I felt as if we came to a place with Omishto that we felt like we could leave her knowing she had found her place and had come to terms with herself.

Final Thoughts

Omishto's decision to live at the place above Kili represents hope for the survival of the Taiga people and the Florida panther. I was pleased with the decision Omishto made, and I realized that I would have been disappointed if she decided to live in the world we are accustomed to. This made me question my own views, choices, and lifestyle in comparison to the ancient world Omishto decided to live in.

I feel that the final paragraph is optimistic in the sense that this one 16 year old girl represents the renewal of nature and the Taiga people. Realistically I find this idea impossible, but at the same time I find myself believing in the possibility. It is disheartening to consider the impact modernization has had on nature and the historical events that lead to the destruction of many cultures. I know that I depend on many of the things that Omishto states destroy and poison the land. The question is: what are we going to do about it?

I know that I would never have the strength to leave the world we live in today, but I do feel that we all can be open to different cultures and beliefs that are different from our own. Respecting ideas, values, and traditions of other people is an important step in bridging the modern and ancient world. We can not stop progression, but we can be aware of the impact future decisions may have on other cultures and nature.

Power/course

Power. It is a word that has many different meanings. It can mean strength and effectiveness. I think Power deals with both meanings of this word. Strength in the meaning of Omishto's decision of joining the old or new world and to pick the old world and to carry on her tribe. That is a lot of pressure for a young woman to deal with, not many would choose the hard way compared to the easier route. I wish we could have found out what happend to Omishto as she got older. Did she keep on the path that she set out and believed that was her destiny? Another strength, which could also be linked with effectiveness would be giving her testimony in the courts. Either way Omishto proves herself to be a strong woman in the end.

This course has taught me some different things that I thought I would have never needed post-paper 1. I learned how to close read. Not only did I learn what it was but also how to do it. I've used close reading in my other classes and used them to help me write and extend my papers. I never would have thought it was possible to analyze on so many different levels. The close reading really teaches others to view not only books but also life at many different angles. With the study of place and why it matters, I've come to fully appreciate the city to which I grew up in. I cannot imagine my life any other way, nor do I want to. I think of all of my memories and the effect that they have had on me and the lessons that go along with them. I really enjoyed reading "This Blessed House" and I wished it was longer. I really disliked "A Room Of One's Own", I thought it was repetitive of the short excerpts that we got in the binder. However, if one thinks about it, I guess they just re-affirmed what all of the short essays were trying to explain.

Course Reflection

As I reflect on this course as a whole, I can take a lot away from it. First off, I can definitely say that I have never studied or focused on place as much as I did in this class. It has benefited me greatly because it allowed me not only to see how place has had a great affect on my life, but also how place has greatly affected the lives of authors like Sanders, Dillard, Woolf, Gilman, etc. Each of these authors helped me to assess how my life could have been different had I grown up in a different time period, setting, family, culture, and so on. Another aspect of the class that I liked was the variation of different types of writing throughout the semester between novels, short-stories, plays, and essays. As a class based off of literary works I think it is important to implement various forms of writing. Also, I feel that I profited greatly from the written assignments we had to perform. I had never done close readings in the form of a short and long paper, but I think they are beneficial in terms of strengthening the skills of analysis and expansion of analysis. The creative writing assignment was also useful because it allowed us to interpret the style of various characters and authors from the semester (not to mention it was a more enjoyable paper to write!). All in all I learned a great deal from this class. It helped me improve in the areas of writing, analyzing, and class discussion, and allowed me to evaluate how the theme of place has affected my life.

P.S. Good luck to everyone next semester. It's been fun!

This Course and This Exam

This class has been an interesting expeierence for me. I am happy I took it this semester, because I feel like it has prepared me for classes I'll be taking in the future. It also got me to read things that I would never even consider reading. And some of those books or stories have turned out to be some of my new favorite books/short stories. "The Yellow Wallpaper", "This Blessed House" and Power are three things we have read in this class that I really enjoyed and probably won't ever forget, partly because of the characters.
In preparing for the final, however, I must recall the characters from Lucy, Translations and Power. Each of these stories had characters which represented something. Lucy represented a struggling teen finding their identity both as a foreigner and an adolescent. The Donnelly twins in Translations were a clear represtentation of Irish nationalism. Omishto struggled as well, between two worlds- the tribal and the current U.S. society. These are just a few characters from the stories, and it is important to remember the other characters and what they represented as well.

Taking the Road Less Travelled

I really liked the name of the last chapter in Power titled, "What I have Left." On page 231, Omishto is contemplating the life she has lived (with her parents and the white people that surround her) as she makes her way to the new life (with the old people above Kili Swamp). I continuously had the feeling that Omishto had been "reborn." The first time I felt this was after I read page 95 when Omishto says that the mud and march are the origins of life. She continues on saying that at school she learned "that storms create life, that lightning, with its nitrogen, is a beginning. If storms create life, and lightning is symbolic of a beginning, then I assumed that Omishto was asking to be born again, or reborn. In order to find herself, she needed a "rebirth." Each and every experience she has trudged through, as one would through the mud, marsh and swamp, have aided in this rebirth. Still on page 95, she remarks that "falling is the natural way of things; gravity needs no fuel, no wings. It needs only stillness and waiting and time." Although she did not know it then, this is exactly what Omishto needed in order to experience a "rebirth." She needed Patience in order to find herself. In addition, on page 212, we see Omishto breaking free of her old life in order to begin her new life with the older people and on pg.223, she sits on the step at Ama's, watching the "lightning in the distance," knowing she has wings and knowing she will use them to fly. Sticking strongly to her belief that "the world is dying" (231), Omishto knows that there is no better time than now for her "rebirth." The panther she sees on page 222 is her signal--a signal that is telling her it is okay to give up everything and nothing at the same time to live with the old people. She could never be herself in her old life and only by living with the old people above Kili Swamp could she be Omishto. Kili Swamp, "where the road grows narrow" (109) was the road she was destined to take all her life--the road less travelled. Omishto is aware that she is saving herself and just as she states on page 224, "in all these savings, the path of things is changed forever." She was once saved by the old people, Ama saved their world by sacrificing herself and the panther and now Omishto will be saved again from the broken and decayed world she used to be a part of. Rather than taking the wider road (the one built by the whites, the one that is the easiest to cross because the path is clear and worn down from those who continuously travel it, the one everyone but the old people, Ama and Omishto seem to follow) she takes the narrow road. Throughout the story, the path has been laid for her and although the road less travelled is usually the hardest, roughest and scariest to get through, it is the one that brings salvation in the end. It is not only what Omishto has "left behind," but what she has "left for" herself and her future--she has left her old past behind and has "left herself" enough time to live a long life with the old people.

Gene Test in Spain

Well, I realized today in class that I completely forgot about the blog this week. So, I thought I would expand on the article that was in the New York Times this morning. Earlier this year, the Saint Mary's featured a lecture that looked at the presence of Moors and Jews in Medieval Spain, a historically Christian nation. In the lecture Dr. Menancol, different Jewish and Moorish influences within Spain today. However, the article in the Times explained the scientific proof of Jewish and Moorish people on Spain. Gene tests have proven that Spanish men today, many of whom are Catholic, have DNA that is linked to Sephardic Jewish and Moorish ancestors. In fact, 20% of Spanish men have similar DNA to that of Jews in 16th century Spain, and 11% share DNA with Moorish ancestors. Not only are there clear cultural influences of Jews and Moors in Spain, but now science can be used to "prove" these influences. Although, we may not need scientific proof to understand our history, it may have been useful in the days of religious intolerance in Spain. Perhaps if people had realized their common roots, there may have been a bit more tolerance for those who were different. But, may be not! It is just interesting that science can be used to prove cultural influences.

Final Exam

* Final Exam *
233 Madeleva
Tuesday, Dec. 16th
4:15-6:15 p.m.

Finding Connections

In class on Wednesday, we briefly talked about what could possibly be on the final. If you remember that one of the questions that came up was:

what is the connection between Lucy, Translations, and Power?

That got me thinking to how I would answer this question. At first I could only see a connection between Lucy and Power and Lucy and Translations, but I saw no relation between Power and Translations. I really struggles with how to possible answer this question. In the end, this is what I came up with but it only scratches the surface:

Lucy and Power
Both Lucy and Omishto are searching for their place in the world. Lucy stuggles to find her place in America while leaving her old home behind. Omishto tries to connect both the traditions of the Taiga people while at the same time finding it hard to break away from the the new pressures of America. Both seem to know what they want but neither can figure out how to get it.

Translations and Lucy
In both these works of literature, we come across this idea of what a name means. Lucy battles with the reasons that her mother named her as she did. While Translations wrestles with changing the names of the places across the Irish countryside. Both stories confront the notion if changing a name changes the person or place.

Power and Translations
These two works deal with two different worlds. Power portrays the old world as the Taigan Tribe and the modern world of America. Translations depicts the old world as the old traditions of the Irish people and the new world as the dominating British influence in Ireland. Both stories tell of the struggles of the old worlds to survive the ever increasing popularity of the new worlds.

I hope that these ideas start to spark others for anyone who also struggled with this question as I did.

Bridges

We are all bridges of something: bridges between generations, bridges between our parents, bridges between cultures, even. The motif of “bridges” in Power highlights Omishto’s strength and power as both a character and narrator. In addition to Omishto’s role as a bridge between worlds and social thoughts, Ama presents herself as a bridge. One between land and animal: mud, clay, water and panther. All intertwined in one person. As characters, these two women show a strength that is often missing in today’s society. For Ama, it is a strength that people mistake as “royalty”, she “believes in herself, in what she does” (17). The assurance that Ama radiates, I think, is what draws Omishto in. It’s what keeps bringing her back to the dilapidated old house, it what makes Ama beautiful, if only on certain days. In contrast, Omishto’s strength, I think, derives from her observations. From her ability to see things, to separate truth from bias. In addition, Omshito’s power is like the wind, silent and strong. I guess my only reserve is, how do all of these strengths, powers, link together??

Torn between the New And the Old

The main character in Power, Omishto, is torn between the past and the future. She questions modern day society and the past traditions of her tribe. She has people from both in her life, but she likes Ama more, even though her mother is modern. I think this fondness of Ama has more meaning of Omishto then the author explains. Omishto lives in modern, technology friendly life, but she constantly goes between the present and the old. She values the current society, but some part of her wants to belong with the old ways. She hangs around Ama all the time and that makes her mom mad. When she is around Ama, Omishto has many instances where she feels connected with her tribe that she rarely feels when she is not with Ama. While she hangs with Ama mostly, she views Ama biasly, as a person of modern society might see her, and Omishto is taken back when she does this. She might feel guilty that she is not in tune with her tribe as she thinks she should be. This guiltness can explain why there is also a drift between her and her mom. Omishto may love her mom, but because her mom gives very little care about the tribe, Omishto sides with Ama more. Omishto experiences the old ways of her tribe when she hangs out with Ama, but Omishto always goes back to her modern world and mom. This shows that Omishto is trying to expand her horizons, but she never wants to leave the familiarity of the modern world.

Torn Between Two....Cultures.

One of the things I found most interesting while reading Power was how the narrator, Omishto, consistently talks about how her mother and Aunt Ama are so different. Her mother seems to be very modernized and believes in the traditional Western ideals. Aunt Ama, however, seems to act and believe in ways more traditional to the "ancient" ways; the way of the elders. I found it interesting the way that Omishto has relationships with both women and how their beliefs constantly mesh, leaving our narrator almost forced to "pick a side." It is like two parralls really; the way that Omishto is being raised in a mostly Westernized civilization, in the way that her schooling is modern, but her relationship with Ama pulls towards the older ways as well. Eventually, I believe this novel is about Omishto having to make a choice about which side to believe in, and perhaps that final choice is to make no choice at all....taking the pros from both sides.

One line that caught my eye was on page 22. "She [Ama] was going to be proud of what she is in a way the rest of us are not, in a way my mother has never been." I felt like that line was making the difference between the two main women in Omishto's life even more vast. It seems to set up the idea that these two women, although alike in the way that they have a relationship with Omishto, are from almost two completely different worlds, or at least believe in different ideals.

A Troubling Name

This is going back a few classes, but I was reminded of our conversation about names while reading Power . From what I can recall, I think the majority of us have grown to at least accept and tolerate our names (even if it was a long road getting there). In the first chapter of Power Omishto informs us that her father named her Omishto because it means "One Who Watches" (4). As we notice early on Omishto is very observant and intuitive. Examples of this are when she says, "I can tell. I feel it in my body, something not right, eyes watching from the trees, something stirring about" and "I watch everything and see deep into what's around me" (2 and 4). Unfortunately for Omishto, this can be a rather detrimental characteristic for a few reasons. At times this trait allows her to deviate from her own emotions and opinions. She spends so much time describing what she observes around her that we lose her thoughts about her surroundings.

Another drawback about this personality trait is that it leads her to witnessing Ama kill Sisa. Omishto's partial witnessing it's death terrifies her: "I can't see what Ama is doing, but I know. There are no sounds of struggle or death, but I feel it in my stomach like destiny moving itself around in a whirwind, a dark wind that comes quickly, churning, then turns to leave and is gone" (67). Omishto's intuitiveness allows her to sense Sisa's killing and it's death results in eventual confusion and frustration toward her relationship with Ama. In addition, Omishto's watchfulness could potentially lead to paranoia as she becomes increasingly concerned with her surroundings. So, unlike many of us (I hope) our names don't allow us to suffer these extreme consequences, but Omishto's name gives us a new perspective on how names can have a great impact on our lives.

Ama as Medium

I want to continue a topic that we touched very lightly on in class. In fact, it was just a posed question but never actually was answered. It went something like this:
Does Ama act as a medium between the old world and the new one?
I think that she does act as a medium. The first hint of this possibility is when we hear the account of Ama's childhood illness. Let me recall quickly the events that happened.
During Ama's illness, she disappears from the civilized world to live with the elders of the Taiga Tribe. She learns medicine from these people and returns to the civilized world cured of her illness.
I believe this return to the civilized world happened because Ama was suppose to teach Omishto about nature while still being able to keep up with the changes of the world. If she had stayed with the elders, she would not have been able to survive the changes that were happening around her.
We also see Ama return to the civilized world during the storm.
She and Omishto run out in the storm to get hammer and nails to nail the shutters shut. Omishto notes that Ama is very good with tools.
This is one of the skills that Ama learned when she returned to the modern world after her illness. She had to acquire this skill in order to be able to suvive the storm. But further Ama's skill with tools of the modern world have allowed her to save parts of the Taiga world. With these skills, she is able to pass on her knowledge of both worlds to Omishto.
These are only two examples that only begin to skratch the surface of Ama as a Medium to both the Taigan Tribe and the modern world.

Symbolism and Metaphors

Key passages exist everywhere in Chapters 4 and 5 of Hogan's novel, Power. I know we only had to read chapter 4 for class, but since we were encouraged to read ahead, I want to blog on Chapter 5. The symbolism and metaphors in this chapter really stuck out to me and pages 102 to page 105 seem to carry some of the most prominent and crucial points of this novel. This is probably not an accident, since it seems common for many writers to place the most important passages in the very middle, the dead center of their works of literature--making it the heart of the piece. Chapter 5 seems to be the core of this novel and by looking deep into the symbolism and metaphors of Hogan, I hope I can convince you why....

The first important metaphor I detected was on page 102 when Omishto compares the lie she tells her mother to the feeling of a child growing inside of a woman. Referring to lies, Omishto reflects that "they grow by their own design and sooner or later they have a mind of their own . . . but this one hasn't yet formed a spine." I took this to be extremely symbolic of Omishto's situation. It is here where we see her new view on life and her now, ever-constant struggle of living "between two worlds"--the modern world of her mother and the traditional world of Ama and the Taiga tribe. I feel that Omishto, because of her experience of hunting the panther with Ama, knows what she wants in and for HER life, but lacks the courage (aka the "spine") to act upon this. Although she is very mature and only getting more so as the novel unfolds, she is also still young and scared.

The second passage carrying significant symbolism follows almost immediately after the previous one and is located on page 103. Omishto resorts to Ama's house and although Ama has been taken away, this is still where she feels the most "at home." There is a smaller paragraph at the top of the page where Omishto describes the struggle of replacing "the heavy door" back on its hinges. In the text, Omishto is putting up a door physically but in my interpretation, she is putting up a door symbolically--Omishto is beginning to lift up, replace and close the "door" between herself and the world. She is struggling to let go of the life with those who judge and do not understand (the whites/Americans, the court, even her own family) and find her place instead among the Taiga tribe. I cannot help but to get the very strong feeling that Omishto will end up finding her place among the old people above Kili Swamp, but for now, she must deal with the difficulties of displacing herself from her mother's world (closing the door of the past) in order to find her place (opening a door to the future) with the elder people and Ama.

Omishto's Feelings Shown Through Nature

As a member of the Native American Taiga tribe, Omishto seems extra aware of nature. She is a proud member of her tribe and while she is somewhere in between the tribal world and the modern world, she seems very careful to preserve the tribal world.
Throughout Power Omishto gives vivid descriptions of the nature around here. While taken at face value it may just be read as her observations. However, I feel Omishto uses these descriptions to convey her feelings as well. She relates deeply with nature, and often it seems her mood reflects the weather, or the happenings in nature at that same time.
In the last chapter, on page 230, Omishto is observing the world at dusk. She says the flowers "seem alone on the trees." Perhaps, Omishto also feels alone right now. She is unsure what to do, and it seems there is no one left that knows what she is going through.
All of the descriptions Omishto gives in the book can be related to how she feels. Omishto is a quiet character, and her descriptions are her way of relaying her feelings rather than flat out relaying them to the reader.

Redemption

I left class today with more questions than answers on the topic of Sisa and the reasons behind the animal's death. It is clear that a greater power and force drove both Ama and Omishto to carry out this task, but why were these two characters driven to kill the animal that represents their God? Omishto states that "it wasn't even so simple as a mercy killing, even though, judging by the look of the cat, that was cause enough." At first I thought Ama decided to kill the animal out of mercy, but this quote shows that there was a greater purpose for her action.

The following words were used to describe the panther: bony, pale, ragged, loose skin, thin, pitiful, and sickly. Because this animal represents the Taiga people, wouldn't these words also be used to characterize their clan? Like the panther, they too are nearly extinct and suffer the consequences of modernization. The development of highways, shopping centers, and subdivisions causes not only Sisa and nature to suffer, but also the Taiga people. Killing Sisa was more than just making sure "outside" forces did not get the opportunity to kill the panther. Ama states that killing Sisa was redemption, and I interpreted it as redemption for the Taiga people. Allowing their God to die because of modernization represents the death of the Taiga people without a fight against the oppression that plagues them. In this sense, Ama killing Sisa can be interpreted as a stand against these changes in order to redeem their land, people, and culture.

It's That Time of Year...

As my title states, "it's that time of year" and I am not talking about Christmas time but Finals time!! I guess I wanted to Blog on the final for class talk about the "review" day before the final. I really liked when we did this for the midterm/quiz because it covered a good span of time and alot of information. I liked the way we got into groups and came up with possible vocab words and short answer and essay questions. The final will probably be a little longer than the midterm since it is a 2 hour exam rather than the 50 minutes we were allowed for the midterm. If we do decide to have this review, we should dedicate most of the class time towards brainstorming for ideas about the final.
I like reviews because they give you a chance to recall details of stories that were read weeks ago. And I know for me this is sometimes hard because I have all English classes and I am usually literally reading four different books and authors that are completely unrelated to one another! Reviews are also good because its nice to have the professor give his or her ideas on where to focus your attention when studying, rather than leaving you with a ton of information and not really having a good feel on what the final is going to focus on.

Lastly, I just wanted to give a few good tips on studying for big tests like midterms and finals. I usually do really well on these kinds of exams because the study habits I have developed over the years. A few pointers include:

• Do not wait until the night before to study! If you do this, you are only hurting yourself! Take the time to at least review the material (browsing over it and your notes) two or three days before you study.
• If it helps, study with a friend. Sometimes you learn more from another person's notes, opinions on material or from simply just talking about the stories and reviewing the things we discussed in class.
• Write notes in the book you are reading as you go along. Even if this just includes writing out the plot as it develops. Trust me, this will aid you immensely when you want or need to go back in the text to find certain information. Also, if we discuss certain passages or page numbers in class, you could mark it, star it, write the page number in your notes and a quick note on why its important or do whatever you have to do to remember it. This is very helpful especially when it is the professor who has directed your attention to this idea, sentence, quote, chapter or page--9 times out of 10 it will be important enough to appear on an exam!
• Try rewriting your notes. People think I am crazy for this but I swear this helps!! For the midterm, I literally went back and browsed over every piece we had read and also looked at my notes concerning those essay/stories. I then typed up a nice long study sheet. Yes, it does consume a lot of time but you will be thankful in the end! Typing or rewriting important ideas discussed in the text or class will not only refresh your memory, but it will also help when you are writing that essay. Also, you will have everything of importance organized and in your hands on a couple sheets of paper rather than having to drag around a ton of books and a huge notebook full of notes.
• Another good thing about studying earlier than the day before the exam is that it gives you time to ask questions that may come up while you study. Instead of not knowing the answer or having to wait until right before the exam to ask the professor, you will have time to email him or her and/or talk to them about your confusion.
• Lastly, and again in reference to rewriting notes, it will help you to develop a much more concise, focused and detailed essay. Sure you might not have that thesaurus there to help you plug in some big intelligent words to spice up your idea(s), but you will have concrete details from your notes and the text to back up your points.

I know everyone studies differently, but if anyone wants to consider and use some of these pointers I hope they help you!!!

Power reading schedule

Your reading schedule for our last novel, Power, is listed below. Please notice that you only have fifteen or so additional pages due for Wednesday, but then you are expected to read 75+ pages by Friday. In other words, while we'll only cover the specified chapters for that day, it is always to your advantage to read ahead.

Monday, Dec. 1: Ch. 1-3 (pp. 1-81)
Wednesday, Dec. 3: Ch. 4 (pp. 83-97)
Friday, Dec. 5: Ch. 5-6 (pp. 99-176)
Monday, Dec. 8: Ch. 7-9 (pp. 177-235)

Reading Questions (optional):
In what ways does Omishto feel torn between different worlds? How does she describe these worlds?
How would you characterize her relationship to place?
How are her ties to other people/characters distinct from her ties to animals and nature?
What kind of a narrator is she?
Why is the novel titled "Power"? What different kinds of power are at work here?

The Power of Names

We just finished Translations and I find myself discovering commonalties between the works of Linda Hogan and Brian Friel. In the novel Power Omishto states, "everything, our words, our intentions, travels by air." Her words have the strength to call out the powers of the mysterious animal watching her from the woods, and the names of Ireland's cities and streets have the power to maintain the history of their country and heritage. In Translations we are presented with the story that comes from the name of a crossroads, and in Power there is a story behind the spring of Immortality. In both cases the importance of these stories lie in the power behind the names of a particular place. It is from the history of these names that Omishto and Owen are able to relate to their land and home. Both characters are aware of their culture, but they each represent a transformation from the old ways to the new. For example, Owen left home and returned six years later as an employee of Britain whose job was to rename the cities and landmarks of Ireland. Omishto contrasts her beliefs to those of Ama and states "I don't believe in magic...This is what separates me from Aunt Ama...she still swears by old time beliefs, she believes in all the taiga stories, that they are true, that they are real." Owen and Omishto represent an evolution from the new to old. Change is inevitable despite the positive or negative effects it has on a particular culture or country. It seems that in Power the culture and land of the Taiga people is in jeopardy, and in Translations it was the history, heritage, and language of Ireland.

Beautiful Clouds

I have started to read Power by Linda Hogan and in the first and second chapters, I have noticed how Omishto has described the clouds. She talks about the clouds being born for the water. We all know that clouds are made of water but I never really thought of it as them being born for it. This twist in thinking really caught my attention. Then Omishto goes on to contemplate the clouds making a sound as they move so quickly and full of water, but she notices the peace and quite of the morning. This statement facinated me. We all know that clouds don't make a sound, so for someone to wonder why they don't interested me. It's one of those things that you just accept without ever needing an explanation.

The way Omishto notices the littlest things and points out the obvious but never considered facts told me of her love for nature. I sometimes wish that I could go sleep in a boat adne wake up to the peaceful sounds of nature. Just stay out on the lake all morning listening to the birds cherp and possible try to hear the clouds move. But life just gets too complicated to be able to do something like that on a regular basis if ever at all.

Significance of Language

"the old language is a barrier to modern progress"

"the images of the past embodied in language [shape us.]"

I found it hard to choose between these two quotes in class yesterday. I could not help but agree with both of the quotes, but perhaps leaning towards favoring the second one more. I definitely think that language is an important factor when trying to make progress in one's society. Having a common language for a community is essential or else nothing can be communicated, and considering communication is a central factor in building a community, without it, success and progress can not be achieved. Therefore, if that community wants to make progress and move forward with other communities, communication between the many societies is also important. In the case of Translations, Ireland still uses its old language, while England speaks English, therefore providing a somewhat more difficult task of modernizing Ireland. However, speaking from experience with a foreign exchange student, language is not everything. People can form relationships and get across ideas without the help of a common language; it is just more difficult.

I find myself agreeing with both quotes in the way that I think only knowing the old language prevents progress and modernization. But just because you learn a new language, it does not mean you forget about the one you used to speak. Why can't people know both? I mentioned this in class as well, but I do not believe this only applies to the Irish people, in the case of Translations. If the Irish learn English, I think it is just as important for the English to learn Irish, or at least any English people that are going to live in Ireland.

History

Yesterday in class we discussed the possibility of our past history making who we are today, and the more I thought about it, the more I agreed with this statement. Just think about it this way, without our past, we would be a totally different country. The Brittish still might be ruling us and we might not have our freedoms. We would not be outspoken or standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves. We know what it is like to be bullied, as a country, we have been there. So I fully think that without our history, we would be the same people today. I also think this of our personal history. I know if I had not gone through certain occurrences in my life, I would not be the girl I am today. I'm not quite sure if I would agree with the other quote that we discussed about the dead languages being a barrier to progress. I think that these two quotes are linked. The dead languages are apart of our history, and they would not have lead to newer languages. I don't think you need to lose your language to lose your history. Some of it might be forgotten, but everyone loses memories of their past as well.

The Invisible Twins

Yesterday in class we talked about the ending of Translations. One of the most important subjects we talked about, relating to the book was the story of the Donnelly twins. They were twins with no lines, with no visible part in the play, but their presence was a major part of the book. The question that we contemplated in class was, "What was the importance of the twins?" After the class there was more that I thought about that could give meaning to the twins. It is known that these twins were invisible in the sense that no one really knew what they were up to. Many English soliders treated the Irish as if they did not matter. I think the Donnelly twins used this to their advantage. Many of the soliders barely thought of the Irish as citizens, much less retaliators. The twins exploited this feeling of invisibility to their advantage, by using it to attack the soliders. If they were going to treated as if they were nothing, they were going to use that as their alibi when they wanted to retaliate. Also, it was important to include the twins because it shows that not everyone in Ireland stood around while the English changed everything. Many of the main characters were flabbergasted by the soliders and often helped them, but the twins acted differently. While, they think that they were doing a good thing, they attacked the wrong solider. Yolland was a solider who was changing the names, but in the end he realized how wrong that was of him. Maybe the author put this aspect in the book to show the readers that violence will not get a person very far. They took a solider that was willing to help them, but when he went missing the other soliders, who did not like the Irish, were going to burn down the town. While the Donnelly twins are invisible and use that to retaliate, they retaliated against the wrong man. If they went a different course instead of violence, their town might have been saved.

The Donnelly Twins

The Donnelly twins. I couldn't help but like them (after all, two of my best friends from home actually are twins, with the last name Donnelly). Although they had no lines and no physical presence in the play, even the mention of their name added quite a dynamic to the play.
The Donnelly twins represented Ireland. As the English were coming into their land, killing their people then later coming back to change the names, Irish pride was on the rise. In the play the characters seemed to have some type of reliance on the twins. The twins always seemed to know what to do in any situation and had the power to protect themselves.
It was almost as if they were something to be feared. I got the impression that the Donnelly twins held courage, power, and strength. The English probably didn't know about them, but they should have. The Donnelly twins were not about to let their homeland be taken over.
I liked the Donnelly twins so much because they represented loyalty. They were not shown or heard in the play because they were not two specific characaters, they were a group of people. The Donnelly twins were really all of the quiet Irish nationalists. I admire their pride and courage.
I guess it's not really that I like the Donnelly twins, I like the Irish nationalists.

Who do the English think they are?

Today in class we talked about why Hugh may be so restant to change. His idea that the past of a person is embodied in a language, and his nationalism both contribute to this resistance. For me, though, his resistance could be even more simple. I put myself in Hugh's position, or the position of the Irish people for that matter. I cannot imagine some authority figure, who I have been taught is "evil" (i.e. the British in the eyes of the Irish), coming in and just changing my language. That in itself would be enough for me to resist the change, even if I did not have an intense love of my country like that of Hugh. Even if I was not involved in a revolutionary movement, or felt a connection to the past through my language, the mere fact that some outsider was coming in and changing my language would be enough for me to resist the change. Who were the English to come in and think that they could just change a language? It was pretty ambitious of the British to believe that they could do such a thing without meeting any resistance, and they Irish who complacently let the change occur obviously were not thinking what they were doing. If the British could come in and change a language, what else could they do?

An Open Mind

As I wrote Parts I-III of the creative interpretation assignment, I was influenced by an aspect of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's style. Writing from the point of view of a journal is very valuable and advantageous for both the narrator and for the audience of a story. For my creative interpretation I chose to write "The Yellow Wallpaper" from the point of view of John's sister, Jennie. I decided to write it, similar to the narrator, in the form of a journal for many reasons. As we witnessed in "The Yellow Wallpaper" the narrator develops an obsession with the wallpaper in her room and this leads her to pure insanity. If it weren't for the fact that she narrated the story from her journal, her progression of obsession with the wallpaper would not make sense to the audience. I chose to write from Jennie's point of view because I felt her character was underdeveloped in the story, and revealing her point of view from a journal allowed for further background and development of her character. It allowed her to gain: a voice/tone, personality, perspective on the narrator and her obsession, and personal thoughts about what was going on with the narrator throughout the story. Journals are of advantage to the narrator and the audience because they are an inside look at what the narrator is experiencing and thinking. Journals are blank pages that allow you to declare freely your thoughts about anything and everything. By reading a story from a journal's perspective, we the audience, gain an inside look at a person's honest emotions and a recollection of their experiences first-hand. A journal is valuable to the narrator of the story also because it allows them to speak freely, without any reservations. Another benefit of a journal, compared to a story whose narrator speaks solely from the first-person point of view, is that journals are current reflections of what has happened. Typically a narrator of a story is only able recall things that happened in the past and their feelings of current. A narrator who narrates from a journal is able to reflect on what happened as it happened and their feelings of current. There are several advantages to writing a story from the narrator's journal's perspective and I came to understand these and admire Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" even more from this creative writing experience.

Funny Grammar Tips

For a great (& hilarious) shortcut to understanding common grammar errors, check out this list of reminders compiled by some teachers at Harvard University. My personal favorites:

#3: Use the semicolon properly, always where it is appropriate; and never where it is not.
#33: Always be avoided by the passive voice.
#35: Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague: seek viable alternatives.

Manus as Mother

As I was finishing up Translations by Brian Friel, I could not help but notice the way Manus is almost like a mother figure to his father, Hugh. Early in the story we see Manus giving Hugh his daily needs; his milk, tea and bread. Like a mother, Manus provides Hugh with milk but by the end of the play, he declares now that he is leaving, Hugh will "need only half the amount of milk now . . . Even less than half--he usually takes his tea black" (71). This seems like a simple and basic statement by Manus, but I saw Manus like a mother who is going away and leaving a child behind. Manus directs Owen with all the precautions and special instructions for Hugh. Mother's usually have a schedule and emergency numbers laid out for the babysitter and here Manus is the mother and Owen is the babysitter for Hugh. Manus also informs us he has ironed and hung up Hugh's dress shirts and put away his socks. I wonder how the characters will get along without Manus and whether Hugh will ever be able to "grow up" without relying on the help of others.

Translation of Names

Sometimes authors use meanings of names to define a character, and I was curious to see if this is what Friel did in Translations. Using the website, Babynamesworld attempted to find out these meanings.

George-Earth worker Sarah- Hebrew for Princess
Manus- Latin for great Owen- Gaelic for well born
Marie- Hebrew for bitter Hugh-Germanic for mind, heart, or spirit
Jimmy Jack- Hebrew for sub planter and Hebrew for god is gracious
Doalty- was not found under firts or last names Bridget-Gaelic for the exalted one
Lancey- French for soldier who was skilled

I found most of these interesting. One can see the characters and their meanings linked in some possible ways. Owen is strong and has more of a dominating personality then his brother Manus. Marie is upset in the book about not being able to understand George. George find Ireland beautiful and would much rather work in the fields and stay then be a solider. Lancey, for the obvious he is a Captain. Hugh, his spirit is in helping those who want to learn, and I believe he has a brilliant mind. However, it isn't shown because he is protrayed as an alcoholic. Manus, I think the way Friel might have linked this is the fact that he is always there for those who need his help. He helps with Sarah and keeps an eye out for his dad. Jimmy Jack, linkage between how he always speaks the "dead languages." It seems as if he were to be real and speak in those tongues, it would flow nicely and sound catching to the ear. I can't really find a linkage between Sarah and Bridget.

Even if Friel did not research the meanings of names that he gave his characters, it is interesting how they can be linked.

"Something is being Eroded"

Sometimes it is easy to take unique gifts, or other attributes for granted. Often over look the little things that make our town or our home unique. Act II presented several different themes, but one idea that really interested me was the connection that Yolland was beginning to feel to this Irish community, where he was an outsider. He was intrigued by the very names of the places that he and owen were renaming. He was intrigued by the very language that he was, in some ways, trying to eradicate. He was intrigued by the people who were being renamed. To me, Yancey represented innocence of a subordinate. He was doing his job by renaming the towns and people, but he even stated at the end of the act, "something is being eroded." Yolland, perhaps more than Owen, understands the richness of this community and my taking character out of people and places, the truly is "something eroded." Owen does not seem to appreciate his past, and has taken the little things for granted. Although Yolland does not have a past in Dun na gall, he already feels that it is a special place. I am curious, as the play continues, if name changes will continue as Yolland is feeling deeper connections to the town and the people.

Lend Me a Tenor

I'm sure you all have seen the signs around campus and the fliers in the napkin holders in the dining hall advertising the play "Lend Me a Tenor". First off, I would like to clear some things up. One thing that always confused me was what a tenor was, so for anyone who doesn't know I have included a link to a cite that explains it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenor. Now that that is cleared up, I can start in on my point. This past Thursday, I went to see this play. I didn't know what to expect since I had no idea what the play was about. But as the play started, I began to notice very subtle references to Othello. I began to pick up that the plot line entailed a theater program putting on the play Othello and the manger had this huge Italian actor lined up to play the part of Othello. But disaster strikes when the manager and his handy man find the famous actor "dead" is his hotel room. To avoid upsetting the audience, the manager strikes up a brilliant plan to dress his handy man up in the actor's costume and pretend to be the famous actor playing Othello. The plan worked out brilliantly in the respect that everyone believed the handy man was the famous actor. But a new twist arises when the actor wakes up from a very sound sleep and tries to break into the theater under his own name. But he is rejected by the guards as an impostor. Back in the hotel after the play, the handy man impersonating the actor and the actor himself, both still dressed as Othello, cross paths with the other characters but never at the same time to realize that they are seeing double. Once the truth comes out, the play ends with at happy departure of the actor and his wife back to France. At the very end, before the final bows, the characters preform a really fast, two minute recreation of what happened in the play. I cant remember what they are called but they are done after may modern recreations of Shakespeare's plays. It is when the play is done with no dialog and at a very fast pace of a quick overview of what had happened in the play. I found it kind of ironic that they chose to add this on to the end when technically it wasn't a Shakespeare play but made reference to one.

Is It Actually Love?

While I read Act two scene 2 of Translations, I was reminded of a scene from the movie "Love Actually." This movie explores the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during the weeks before Christmas in London, England. One of the eight relationships follows a man named Jamie who finds out his girlfriend has been cheating on him with his brother. He breaks up with her, moves away, and enlists the help of a Portuguese woman, Aurelia, who becomes his assistant and helper around the house. Eventually the two fall in love, but the strange thing is that neither of them speak one another's language. They find themselves trying to speak to each other through hand motions (and even a kiss eventually), but most of the time they end up speaking in their respective languages with absolutely no idea what each other is saying. This results in some pretty humorous moments when the two are together, repeating everything each other is saying and having no idea that they are doing so. Just like Jamie and Aurelia, Yolland and Maire find themselves in the same situation. They don't speak the same language nor do either of them know each other's respective language. They also find themselves speaking through motion whether it be holding the other's hand, Maire "turn[ing] away from him and moving slowly across the stage", or through a kiss at the end of Act two (65). Also like Jamie and Aurelia, Yolland and Maire find themselves in situations where their speech causes humorous frustration. When Maire is telling Owen to tell Yolland about the dance it gets a little out of hand in the end with Maire asking Owen, "what does he say?" and Yolland asking him, "what is she saying?" (61). Eventually Owen just gives up and refuses to translate any further. I found that scene quite hilarious.

In the end of "Love Actually" Jamie and Aurelia end up learning one another's languages without each other knowing. Jamie proposes to Aurelia and they become engaged. So this leads me to wonder, do Yolland and Maire have the potential to do the same? Can they be together despite the language barrier? Can you love someone you've never really spoken to? Judging from Sarah's reaction of, "Manus...Manus!" when she finds them kissing at the end of Act two, we can anticipate some drama in their circle of friends as a result of this (67). Although Jamie and Aurelia and Yolland and Maire's relationships appear similar, I have a feeling Yolland and Maire's relationship will not end up as "dream come true" as Jamie and Aurelia's. I wonder, considering Maire and Yolland, will the language barrier be enough to keep them from being together? Is their relationship superficial since they cannot really speak to one another? Does Yolland and Maire's "relationship" have potential to be actually love?

"Becoming a Model Community"

Dr. Jamillah Karim's lecture titled "Becoming a Model Community" was very insightful. She gave a brief summary of the basic beliefs of the Islamic religion, focused on Muslims in America and their goal as a religious community. One aspect of her lecture that I was surprised to hear about was how many Muslims have immigrated to the United States over the years. She said, "

three to six million Muslims live in the United States from 75 different countries." As a result of this, many Americans have converted to Islam; "20,000 conversions occur per year" from various religious and ethnic backgrounds. Dr. Karim also informed us that, "Islam has become indigenized as a popular religion in the United States and American Muslims have “found acceptance in the U.S. regardless of religion.” How astonishing! It is great to see that so many religions, including Islam, have found prosperity in the United States.

Another idea that Dr. Karim focused on was how Muslims are determined to become a "model community." She said that their vision in America and other countries is to “emerge as a community that surpasses racial divides.” According to Dr. Karim, there are many ways in which Muslims have already started to change communities around the world. In southern Spain “Muslims are associated with intelligence and higher learning, while in Africa, Muslims were the first literate class in oral civilization,” Karim explained. Muslims have also become involved in politics and charitable organizations and see America as a land of opportunity. Many Muslims registered to vote in the 2008 election, several American Muslims have supported donations to non-Muslim charities, and countless Muslims have taken on jobs in the U.S. Also, Muslim-founded organizations and groups like UMMAH and EMAN are focused on transcending "racial boundaries to accept all people" and becoming involved in their community by way of providing interaction between many races and religions. I think it is admirable to see Muslims striving to make the world more accepting of all people and they have the determination to transform world communities for the better by becoming a "model community." Like Karim said, "a bright future remains in the hands of Muslims and non-Muslims” for America and the Islamic religion, and I believe that the goals they want to accomplish are both attainable and will shape religious and non-religious communities around the world into involved and religiously and culturally aware societies.