The Death of The Savage, II

(This version has taken into account the peer comments)

       Many outlandish events can take place without people really grasping the reality of the situation, but when a death results from those events, people start to pay attention. In Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World, John Savage's life was turned upside-down when Bernard brough him to the World State in London from his  Native American reservation. The people he met and things he experienced, along with his struggle with sin in a sin-filled world, led to his eventual suicide. His death illuminated the need for restraint and social control in a society where those things are clearly abused.
    The World State was the genious creation of Huxley and showed what happens when a government goes  to extreme lenghts make its citizens content. At an early age, humans are produced without parents and conditioned through repetition not to do anything moderately out of the ordinary.  As someone coming from the 'outside' world, John represents something out of the ordinary. Immediately red flags pop up in the reader's mind; in a society so rigidly controlled, something so wild and untamed cannot mean anything good. Because John is so unique, he becomes an instant sensation and is put through nightly parties and events. Bernard also enjoys a share of this popularity. This fixation with and manipulation of John reflects the situation the Native American's found themselves in during the 19th century. The parallels between earlier events and the amount of change taking place within the World State combine to produce a foreboding mood throughout the novel.
    The dynamic between John and Bernard changes when Bernard's love interest, Lenina, begins showing interest in John.  John, as a devotely religious young man, resists whatever advances Lenina makes on him. The artificiality of the World State society has little effect on John. He continues to hang on to his memories of real feelings that he experienced on the reservation, whether they were bad or good. His emotions come to a peak when he is called to the death bed of his mother. His actions after his mother's death culminate in an uprising he sparks by interfering with several workers' daily rations of soma. John decides he can no longer be part of such a confining society, so he goes to the middle of the forest and lives by himself in a tower, living off the natural land and reverting back to what his life was like on the reservation. However, certain antics he creates, like whipping himself as a part of an Indian tradition he was previously denied, draws the attention of the media and public. The pervasiveness of the World State society finally engulfs John, and he gives into a soma induced orgy when a host of people discover his tower. His guilt is overwhelming the next day, as he realizes what took place the night before. Knowing there is no way he can live with his guilt, John hangs himself.
    When the media arrives the next day to observe more happenings, they find John's body swaying in the wind. The author describes his feet as if they were the needle on a compass, rotating "north, north-east, east...". This symbolizes the moral compass that the World State society is missing. All of their innovations: the conditioning, helicopters, soma, are for naught if no one cares about the possible effects of their culture. Huxley may be continuing to draw the parallels between the World State and 19th century America, and also commenting on the culture of America during the 20th century. He is warning against the appearance of control where there is, in fact, the loss of it. The eerie parallels lead the reader to realize that the death of the savage illuminates the need for a moral standard in a society that has none.

Response to Course Material

       I'm glad that we're reading Ceremony because it puts a heavy emphasis on Native American culture, which is very interesting to learn about. The amount of symbols and motifs in the novel also make for some interesting discussions. However, I think our class goes a little to far into analyzing sometimes (as evidenced by our failure to complete one group's passage in three days). But I guess it's better than not having engaging discussion at all :)

Close Reading (11 December 2011)

Machine Age- By Meredith Bryan
http://www.marieclaire.com/hair-beauty/trends/beauty-gadgets

       Through the use of comedic language, entertaining images, and relatable details, Bryan produces a very personable, yet well-informed, article about the maze of new anti-aging technology on the market today. The article begins with a sentence that many women can relate to: "...after a decade spent tithing embarrassing portions of my meager salary to the French face cream gods in an attempt to soothe symptoms ranging from dark circles to boyfriendlessness, I quit products cold turkey." This sentence contains several inviting aspects. First, the reality of meager salaries and incredibly expensive French face creams immediately cause the reader to feel a connect with the writer. Also, the use of comedic language when saying "French face cream gods" rather than just "French face creams" or something to that extent, shows a common sense of mocking towards something not necessarily loved. All in all, the first sentence draws in a variety of readers by relating to various common woes. Later on in the article, when discussing the Fine-Light Skin Rejuvenation System, Bryan uses comedic language to maintain her connection with the audience. She states: "I read the instructions three times before I'm even able to put the damn thing on." Again, several of her readers were probably able to relate to similar experiences. The comedic language used by Bryan leads to a connection between her and her audience that establishes a sense of trust not commonly associated with new technologies in the cosmetic market.
       The details Bryan uses throughout her article come from various sources within popular culture and contribute to the personable nature of this piece. Some are slightly obscure, like her reference to the high-end skin care company "La Mer". However, most of them are immediately recognizable. When sharing her experiences with a teeth whitening device, she compares it to a "white iPod" that "can even be charged through [her] MacBook with a USB cable." In a technology-obsessed world, these details surely had an impact on many of her readers. 
       The comedic tone that pervades this article leads to some very entertaining images throughout the piece. Here, she relates her unique experience with the personal teeth whitening device: "I haven't even cleared the first eight minutes when I'm drooling heavily and my jaw feels slightly warm." Further into the piece, she describes the strange feeling of using an LED skin rejuvenation system: "I... am suddenly overcome by the sensation that my life has ended and I am walking into the blinding light à la Ghost." These images, while hilarious, also give the audience another opportunity to relate to the author.
       All of these factors combine to result in an personable article that provides feedback and information the readers can trust.

Wuthering Heights v. Thrushcross Grange

1991. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

       Authors often emphasize differences in ideas throughout a novel by physically separating two contrasting groups. In Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange are the settings of two very different series of events that contribute to the emotions of those involved. These emotions reflect the role and effects of love in the characters' lives.

       Thrushcross Grange is the more benevolent of the two houses. Here, Catherine is transformed into a young lady after gallivanting through the night with Heathcliff. This change shows the more sophisticated nature of Thrushcross Grange, where Wuthering Heights is in a continual state of wild discontent. Later in the novel, Thrushcross Grange is the place where Catherine and Heathcliff carry out their secret love affair, even as Catherine is dying. This setting is where Heathcliff displays his more gentle and sane side, further contributing to the more agreeable nature of Thrushcross Grange.

       Wuthering Heights, on the other hand, is a setting full of drunken rage. All three of the dominating male figures at Wuthering Heights, Mr. Earnshaw, Hindley, and Heathcliff, give in to the lures of gambling and alcohol, leading to unthinkable violence and insanity. Wuthering Heights also plays the role of a prison for various characters; Isabella succeeds in fleeing after 'falling in love' with Heathcliff, and Cathy is able to leave only after being forced to marry Linton per Heathcliff's demand. In general, the emotions of many characters in this novel proceeds in a downward spiral when they spend any great length of time at Wuthering Heights.

       The intense, yet secret, love that Heathcliff displays towards Catherine at Thrushcross Grange explodes in insanity at Wuthering Heights upon her death. This love is a central fixture in Heathcliff's life, and its absence leads to his demise, however slow and violent it may be. The forced love between Cathy and Linton for the sake of Heathcliff's possession of Thrushcross Grange leads to an acceleration of Linton's illness and, later, his death. Note Heathcliff's motive for forcing the marriage: to regain the property where Catherine lived and died. His insanity leads to his extreme actions, all stemming from his acute love for Catherine. As a result of her forced marriage and the death of her father, Cathy retreats into herself, becoming very closed off to the outside world. However, towards the end of the novel, Cathy and Hareton plan to marry on New Year's Day, signifying a new love and new chapter in her life.

      

Close Reading (18 November 2011)

High Drama- By Adam Green
http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/jesse-eisenberg-high-drama/

       Adam Green uses precise diction and imagery to create accurate depictions of both Jessie Eisenberg and Nina Arianda that highlight key differences between the two. He begins with a detailed description of Eisenberg, stating he posesses a "brainy, made-in-New York brand of awkwardness". The author creates a deeper image as he describes how Eisenberg "slouched in a seat" during the interview. Eisenberg, writer and star of Asuncion, plays a "cerebral, neurotic loser"; a character supposedly modeled after Eisenberg himself. However, he wants to make clear that the character, Edgar, "is more of a character--his professed anatonical inadequacies... are 'not autobiographical,'". The resulting image of Eisenberg is one of a slightly messy, incredibly artistic person.
       Conversely, Green's depiction of Nina Arianda begins with an engaging introduction: "an unknown actress sets the theater world on fire with a knockout performance". Already the reader notices a sharp contrast to Eisenberg's eccentric description. Green goes on to set up the play Arianda is starring in, Venus in Fur, and continues to praise the young actress: "...Arianda is an unalloyed delight, taking us through Vanda's every transformation with whip-crack precision and a pro's comic timing." The use of "whip-crack precision" brings a sense of razor-sharp clarity into Arianda's depiction, further contrasting Eisenberg's more hazy characterization.

Response to Course Material

       After looking over the poems we wrote our second essay on, I still think I don't have the skill of picking apart a poem and being able to write on it. I think that will be the hardest part of this class.
       I really appreciate the review of the different literary eras because sometimes it's important to revisit basic information like that. However, while Prezi looks cool, I think it's really hard at first to be able to use the confusing controls.
       Analyzing Ceremony will be really different from analyzing the two plays we have so far. I think we will need to focus more on the larger ideas rather than looking at every word and sentence, because of the sheer length of the novel.

The Conch Shell

1970 Also. Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a specific inanimate object (e.g., a seashell, a handkerchief, a painting) is important, and write an essay in which you show how two or three of the purposes the object serves are related to one another.

       Inamimate objects, such as a flag, can serve a variety of purposes: they can bring people together or represent specific values. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, an important object is the conch shell discovered upon arrival on the island. The conch shell serves as a signal to bring the group of boys together, an object of power and control, and finally a symbol of order on the island.

       When Ralph and Piggy first arrive on the island, they know that some of the boys from the plane crash must also be on the same island with them. The conch shell serves as a auditory signal to bring the boys together. By blowing the conch, Piggy establishes a common meeting point for the group, which in turn creates a sense of community and identity among the boys. The boys begin to exhibit social tendencies found within the adult world, such as the need for a leader and the resulting tensions from the search for power.

       Piggy remains in possession of the conch because, as a stout boy with health issues, he realizes that his only source of power in that primal microcosm of adult society is the conch. The conch, which brought the boys together, continues to be an object of control. By establishing the precedent of the power of speech in anyone who holds the conch, Piggy hopes to create power for himself in a democratic way as the boys begin the deliberations to find a leader.

       The situation on the island remains relatively organized and orderly as the conch shell remains present. The group of boys go about choosing a leader, allotting specific tasks, and carrying out those tasks without any major problems. The conch, however, loses its vibrancy and power as tensions between groups on the island erupt. With the death of the conch's constant guardian, Piggy, the conch is also shattered and pure animal violence breaks out among the boys. The chaos that ensues is a testament to the conch's role as a symbol of order.

       The conch begins the novel as a signal to bring the boys together through its ability to produce sound. It becomes a object of power, specifically for Piggy, and then is revealed as a symbol of order that, when destroyed, releases a wave of barbarity crashing down on the boys. Overall, the power the conch possesses manifests itself in different forms that create various reactions from the boys throughout the novel.