It's an Alien Nation

My three themes that my little group is focusing on are alienation, education, and justice. I feel like both education and justice fit into alienation really well. There are three characters that are alienated: Waldon, Vick and Mario.

Waldon and Vick isolated themselves on purpose because of education and whatnot. And then Mario is alienated because, well, he is huge and ugly (also, he lacks social skills). And because of his alienation, he is able to learn through observing his surroundings.

But I guess I want to talk about this justice theme. So far, I haven't seen any. (unless of course for some reason Justine really did kill William..) There is no justice involved in killing an innocent woman. But by killing Justine, I think maybe Vick is punished, which I guess is justice.

"Thus spoke my prophetic soul, as, torn by remorse, horror, and despair, I beheld those I loved spend vain in sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts." (page 85)

His guilt he experiences is justice for the death of the two characters..but not really. I guess it is justice for Vick creating a Mario and then just letting him lose. He should have taken immediate responsibility for his creation.

Pomegranate

"I wished he'd give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I'd finally sleep at night... 'You're a coward!' I said. 'Nothing but a goddamn coward.'" (page 92)

Isn't this ironic? After everything Hasaan had done for Amir, he had the nerve to call him a coward? (just so Amir could actually have the acceptance he craved from his father). I see this pomegranate scene as more of a catharsis for Amir. Although this feeling of relief didn't last very long, I think it was ultimately the reason Ali and Hasaan had to eventually leave. It was a critical point that highlighted Amir's immaturity in dealing with such adult (not even issues that adults should know how to deal with) issues and Hasaan's ability to continue to show love and devotion despite the pain he endured.

Amir's guilt was so powerful he could not deal with it in any other way than shutting out what "caused" it: his best friend. The most ironic part of this is that by ignoring the issue, his guilt was amplified.

Oooohkay. Here we go again.

"If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I'd never believe he's my son" (page 23 of The Kite Runner.)

I think this is the beginning of a recurring theme throughout the novel. Amir fought so hard through his childhood for a sense of belonging with Baba. All he wanted was to make Baba proud and to be the son he knew his father always wanted. With this came a tinge of jealousy, which is also a big theme of the novel. Amir always saw Hasaan as Baba's dream son. And I don't think this was just a figment of Amir's imagination.. there are several times throughout their childhood that Baba's expectations were met by Hasaan, not Amir. And when Amir finally achieves recognition that will actually make his dad proud, Hasaan "ruins" it. And Amir basically sacrifices the close relationship he had with Hasaan to win over his dad. So although Hasaan was incredibly dedicated and loyal to Amir, the jealousy issues that were present were too strong for Amir to be as loyal to his friend.

grapes

Number 5: What themes does the play present? To what extent do the thematic materials of the play have an effect on the dramatic experience?

I think the poem at the beginning explains that theme of the play, well-untill the very end.

Throughout the entire play, each of the characters has their own vision of what the insurance money would do for their lives. Ruth just wanted out of the old house, Beneatha wanted to become a doctor, Mama wanted what was best for the family, and Walter wanted the liquor store deal to work out. But in the end, the dreams all failed and Walter puts their self-respect up for grabs because they are so poor.

So their entire lives their dreams were "deferred", and I think this play shows the dream "explod[ing]". Walter loses the money and Mama begins to doubt that they will be able to move on up out of that old home.

But then Walter, probably a dynamic character, stood up to Lindner and preserved what their "father earn[ed] for them brick by brick" (148).

Finally, we get at least a poignant ending!

JEALOUSY

#5: jealously takes over all rationality

The characters that really get jealous in Othello are (obviously) Iago, Othello, and Bianca.

Iago took it to the extreme, but they all contributed to the death of Desdemona, Othello and Emilia.

I could never quite understand if Iago was jealous of Othello for maybe having that affair with Emilia.. he only seemed concerned about a few times. Everyone kept saying that he really didn't care about Cassio's issues, but I feel like that's really all he cared about. He never sought revenge by sleeping with her. And he did try to kill Cassio.

The jealousy that Othello felt prevented him from thinking rationally at all. Don't you think you would at least ask your wife about the affair before you strangled her? The handkerchief was found with Cassio and he gets to kill her? In the end Othello says to think of him as "one not easily jealous..." (V.ii.344) But that is definitely not true at all.

And Bianca.. she didn't play a big role, but she was jealous over Cassio's "handkerchief mistress". Which made Iago's plan go more smoothly. It made Cassio look like an even bigger pig than what he already appeared to be. This made Othello angrier and then he killed Desdemona. Sad story.

SPRING. the season, not the jump.

-Question 7-

The theme in a single sentence: All beginnings start off beautiful, but, given time, everything will eventually be ruined.

Everyone thinks of new life when describing spring. So the author begins with this image-eggs, blooms, lambs- all things beginning life. Everything makes the reader feel... peachy. And then immediately we see the downfall. He uses the Garden of Eden as an example, which was beautiful and perfect in the beginning. It couldn't last; "have, get, before it cloy".

The author ends with a short prayer. He wants to save the children, who are now innocent and naive, but sin will ruin them without divine intervention.

This poem that seemed so joyous in the beginning really turned out to be a bummer. Spring is going to end too, with summer.

Kết Thúc

When I bought this book way back in June, my brother told me that it was one of his favorites, but it would take me awhile to realize it. As in, the first half and a bit is pretty boring.

And I have to say, those are my feelings exactly.

There was no real development throughout the book, so it took me awhile to get used to.

So, I'm thinking the theme of this book was death. I don't think Tim really wanted us to learn anything from this book. He just wanted to make it interesting, but not necessarily entertaining.

I like how at the end he brings in Linda. I mean, the entire book death was confined to war. Although war might amplify death, it is still a major part of normal life. The analogy helps us relate to the characters on a smaller scale, which is important in any novel.

When I think about how I feel about this book, my mind automatically thinks: "And in the end, really, there's nothing much to say about a true war story, except maybe 'Oh'" (page 74). Personally, I might add a "that was weird".