Final thought

When looking at the semester, I would have to conclude that the best novel was definitely The Watchmen due to its originality. I really enjoyed this book and felt like it brought a lot to the class. I wish we would have been able to read this book a bit slower so that we could have gotten more out of it but overall it was good. As far as my least favorite novel, I would have to say Atonement was not exactly a fun read. If I was to add anything, I would add a book by Orwell because of its modernistic style of writing. Thanks and it has been a great semester.

Atonement.

Overall, I think that all the major characters in the novel gain some sort of Atonement by the end of the novel. While I do not believe that each character receives the same amount of peace by the end of the story. I believe that if you look at the final part of the story, where Brione is receiving an almost peace of mind for her last novel, I believe that is the point at which she releases all that she has been carrying for all those years. I feel like that in itself yields more than any other scene in the novel and therefore puts her above the other characters in the level of atonement that she gains.

Stream of Conscience

The course so far has been very interesting with many different characters, authors, and situation. However, one story has stood out to me as being the most entertaining and fun. Boyle's, "Descent of Man," has been my favorite story because it made me think more so than any other short story that we have read. While it is clear that many people did not enjoy it due to its confusing nature, I felt like that was the reason that I enjoyed it. Because of the overall lack of set ideas about what was truly going on, it allowed me to decide for myself what was going on in the short story. It allowed me to question what was going on without a set standard of what was correct in the eyes of others. It was truly a great way to see literature.

The Stare

She searches me. Asking. Questioning. Wondering. For she knows where I have been. Her face is full of distrust. She stares at me.

Face
Eyes
Hair
Clothing.

She knows the night has not been lonely. She watches and waits. Echos on the demented face which stares from an empty heart. For the time she sees me in battle. The fight everlasting. The fear, the passion. She can not take anymore. Her eyes float, as if on water. The increasing depths as it overflows and sets me free. Her eyes have let me go. For the red on my shirt is no more a problem. Her enemy has got me. Hit me hard she said. But that did not faze me. I said I survived, I got out without a scrap. But she knew I was wounded. Empty, taken, lost.

She did not hit me as though another did. The red came from her this time. For the silver screaming of metal took her from me. She stopped her crying. Her eyes were now like an ocean of peace. It was over. She had left.

Rudy's Flavor of the Weak

When asked to find a song for a character to accurately describe what the person is going through, I must admit that it is a very challenging proposition. However, as I was looking back through my library of ITunes that I "legally" obtained, I kept coming back to the song Flavor of the Weak by American Hi-Fi. This song to me really represents the initial relationship between Rudy and Yolanda. For example, Yolanda seems to really care about Rudy yet it seems that he is only interested in one thing....sex. These lyrics adequately sum up what seems to be a pretty simplistic relationship that is shared by both the girl and guy in the song as well as Rudy and Yolanda.

American Hi-Fi - Flavor Of The Weak

She paints her nails and she don't know,
He's got her best friend on the phone.
She'll wash her hair, his dirty clothes,
Or all he gives to her.
And he's got posters on the wall
Of all the girls he wished she was.
And he means everything to her.

Her boyfriend,
He don't know
Anything
About her.
He's too stoned,
Nintendo.
I wish that I could make her see,
She's just the flavor of the weak.

While I can't say that it fits exactly with that initial relationship between Rudy and Yolanda, it does draw very similar and specific similarities. Here is the video if you wish to watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n87oD8E98MM

Obviously, I did not quite follow the instructions completely but I feel like this is the best representation of a song fitting character(s) that we have read previously. This song shows the true nature of the relationship that Yolanda and Rudy shared. It also gives way to the idea of who is the dominant one in the relationship and that maybe, eventually, that would change. It echos the story to the point that it seems to be the most obvious song for beginning of this short story.

Blanche vs. Blanche

The goal of the role of Blanche is to actively make the reader believe that they are going truly into a sense of hysteria. While I believe that Jessica Lange did an excellent job portraying Blanche, I think that the original version by Vivian Leigh is the one that has a more realistic feel. For starters, her accent seemed for fit the play more so than that of Lange. Also, the intensity of the hysteria increases throughout the scene for Leigh. It makes it seem as though Leigh understands the role in greater detail than that of Lange. As the scene went forward, you could see the updated intensity of Leigh's Blanche more so than that of Lange. As far as the film, I believe that the black and white version connects more with the time period simply because it makes me think of old times. I know that is simple but it is what I believe. Overall, I look at both of the films and I believe Leigh does a better job.

Postmodernism and the Everyday Life

As I was looking back and trying to discover the true components of both postmodernism and modernism, while still thinking of the horrific play of Clemson last night, I came upon the conclusion that each of the characters gives some insight into what we talked about in class. However, I seem to believe that Yolanda's character simply displays a more complete version of what the class was talking about. Yolanda is caught in between trying to honor her heritage and her upbringing while she still seemed to consistently be at odds with the activities of the "normal" college students at the campus. While she tries to fit into the drug culture, she is confronted with her natural inclination to have fun. The contemporary modernist view would suggest that the decision not to sleep with Rudy was in fact the correct or right one because it did not compromise her values. However, if one were to look at the character from a purely postmodernist stand point, then she did neither right nor wrong. In fact, Yolanda could be viewed as simply not living life to the fullest. A prime example is with Rudy when she states, "I'd plead, 'don't say it that way'. " It makes her seem, to the modernist as though she has values but for a postmodernist, could she seem uptight, self serving, or just unsure of her own value simply because she did not give into Rudy's demands. I feel that you can look at this story in both ways and still be, in a modernistic view, make "correct" assumptions about Yolanda. It seems that the author did that purposely in order to let you see if there truly is a correct path for Yolanda.