Summary of IOP

1. The topic I dealt with is the depiction of power in the novels The Rock of Tanios and In the Time of the Butterflies. The argument I presented is that despite differences in setting, authority is represented as oppressive and totalitarian in both novels due to the presence of tyrannical rulers. I dealt primarily with the characters of the Sheikh and the dictator Trujillo and highlighted the similarities in their manner of rule and other aspects they had in common. I used a painting by Sirena Varma as a hook and it depicted numerous symbols revolving around a crown symbolizing power. The numerous symbols represent elements of the rule of any dictator such as opposition by the people and the role of the church. I used a simple power point presentation to show quotes that highlight the similarities.

2. I think this IOP was very useful as an exercise in presenting a prepared subject to a group of people. Another lesson i thought was illustrated is that practice makes perfect and so i feel that had i practiced more i may have presented in a better manner. With regards to the hook, i appreciate the help i was given and also appreciate the importance of not simply beginning by talking but using something to more actively engages the audience. With regards to preparing the iop i now realize that maybe it would be easier to find relevant quotes had i been actively reading and underlining significant quotes. By watching the presentation again i see that im not too bad of a presenter but should work on having fewer false starts.

Multi Layered Plot

The novel Oracle Night contains a multi layered plot in which more than one story is being told in tandem with each other. Although i am usually a fan of this kind of story telling, in this case i found it to be confusing and unamusing. I found that i was unable to engage in either story as much as i would have liked. I found Sid and Gracie's story to be the more intresting of the two stories due to the mystery over the baby and the narration by Sid as well as the mystery over the Chen which i thought was not fully developed. I was unable to grew intrested in Nick Bowen's story especially after realising that due to the dual plot i was reading a book about a guy writing a book about a guy reading a book. All this made it difficult to realise where the phrase Oracle Night fits into all this with it being a title of a book in something written by Sid as well as the title of this very book, are they supposed to be the same book or something?

Making a Connection

One of the reasons why im enjoying the book The Rock of Tanios is due to the fact that i am able to identify more with the story than i do with some of the other works. This one of the settings for this novel is a picturesque village called kfaryabda which is the quintessential Lebanese village in my opinion. i myself have visited to villages such as that with a "blata" where the village children play as well some of the architecture mentioned about how the houses are constructed. Some of the characters are archetypical in my opinion such as the revered village priest as well as the "lord" who is held in high esteem and often flatered. Such charachters have survived till today however to a lesser extent and these are symbols or rural life. the interactions between some of the characters are very interesting and i am able to identify with them. one example is how lebanon is portrayed as being a battlefield for foreign powers who in this case are France and England but who today may be identified as Iran versus the United States as can be seen through their proxies in the society. The inter Lebanese tension is also something i can identify with their ill feelings existing between village of different religions such as druze and Christian villages. such animosities erupted in violence during the Civil War and even today there are still battles being fought in mountainous areas similar to those mentioned in the book which have occured during the recent violence.

Byron's Life and Work

Byron is considered one of the greatest poets who have ever lived and a fascinating historical figure as well. He is known for his epic poems such as Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and Don Juan among many other works however his personal life is no less interesting. His life is one of scandal and adventure with him having traveled all over Europe and the Mediterranean and having affairs with various members of the English gentry and even his own half-sister reportedly. Some may believe that Byron’s life has eclipsed his poetry due to his escapades however I don’t quite agree with that statement. I believe that Byron has a natural gift for poetry; his works such as Don Juan are very rich in wit and allusions. The fact that his life was so eventful and exciting only improved his poetry due to the fact that he based many of his fascinating characters and extraordinary events from aspects of his own life for example Childe Harold’s travels parallel his own. Byron’s Life did not eclipse his poetry but it enriched it with autobiographical elements. The fact that Byron was such a good poet and not just an aristocrat playboy makes his life more interesting. Because of how his life compliments his poetry and vice versa, I find both aspects of George Gordon Byron facinating.

Absently he gazes at a world in motion

People’s soul's completely invested
All eager engrossed enthused amused
They seem to all have devotion
He alone stands away from those requested
Yielding no answers, remaining bemused

My Thoughts on Disgrace

I found the novel Disgrace by J.M Coetzee to be as a whole very well written and a good read. This novels beginning starting with David Lurie's affair was very interesting and rather fast paced especially witnessing the downfall of this fascinating character. The main problem i had with this book was the noticeable drop in pace after the climax where his daughter gets raped and this caused me to lose interest in the story towards the ending. I found the ending itself to be rather lackluster where nothing is really resolved such as what will become of Lucy Lurie and if she will accept Petrus's offer to marry her. Although this lack of action after the climax may be intentional on the part of the author I did not care for it much as it did not make it an interesting read for me. With regards to winning a noble prize i can understand that because this novel is highly allegorical with numerous references to poets such as Byron and Shakespeare and many of its elements can be analyzed at a deeper level and it is books such as these which are usually considered for awards.. This book also deals with a major issue which is apartheid and this no doubt contributed to it winning awards.

Is William Shakespeare overrated?

In terms of him being one of the masters of the English language and a true literary genius Shakespeare in not overrated. I believe that his mastery of the English language cannot be denied and his plays as well as sonnets such as Julius Caesar and Macbeth contain themes such as desire for political power which are very much applicable today and this is a factor in why Shakespeare is regarded with reverence by many. However, i do not believe that Shakespeare is the be all and end all of the English language and the elevation of Shakespeare to such a high status can cause other poets and playwrights of that period to be overlooked. The emotional and poetic breadth of Shakespeare’s work is great however the idea of Shakespeare being a genius should not be taken for granted and each of his individual works should be studied separately for their literary merit to be assessed.

Sonnet 1

When one’s hands are tied,
Passions skill deficient
When nothing’s left untried
Yet nothing produced sufficient

Attempted flee from mundane
Thirsting for the poetic
but all that’s found is inane
merely fancy rhetoric

What shall become of thee?
Dreamer lacking aptitude
He who seeks but cannot see
All’s needed, a slack attitude

Lofty concepts not permitted
Write whatever can be fitted

Sonnets

Sonnets have been an important form of poetry for hundreds of years and although have decreased in popularity they are still recognized today. I find there structure appealing and well organized and with regards to people finding them too limited I think being able to fit a poem's ideas and concepts into a given structure takes more skill than simply writing a poem free-verse.

Intro

I never would have thought i would have my own blog with me not caring much for the concept however if you must, you must and i must for english class. I still sense it is just some sort of experiment.

The First Line

The book disgrace opens with the line "For a man of his age, fifty-two, divorced, he has, to his mind, solved the problem of sex rather well." This line is a very significant one and is the readers first glimps into the thinking of the principal character David Lurie with regards to sex which is a mjor theme in this novel. Further reading of the novel helps the reader understand why the character would make this statement, because he is shown to be a womanizer with a history of bad relations. He is twice divorced and admits to even having no problem with sleeping with his colleagues'wives and he eventually has an affair with a student. The reader can interpret that David Lurie's problem with sex is that it generally involves a woman which to his mind brings many emotional complications and unwanted passions and his distaste for this is seen in his desire to be left alone after sex and not be bothered. The context of this quote is when he is visiting a prostitute so for him the solution to sex is for it to occur weekly for 90 minutes and involve as little emotion as possible, being purely business, although he begrudgingly does end up feeling affection which is not reciprocated. His feelings for the prostitute Soraya show that he is unsuccesful in achieving his goal of sex free from emotions and these feelings eventually chase Soraya away from him in search of less attached clientelle perhaps.