Top 3 Lectures

 

"A Streetcar Named Desire" Analysis

In our lecture on "A Streetcar Named Desire," the focus was on character analysis, specifically the nature of characters such as Stanley, Blanche, and Stella. This happened to be among my favorites, as character analysis was offered in quite detail. We were made aware that Stanley was dominant and aggressive, Blanche was manipulative yet suffering, and Stella was submissive yet devoted. We went into deep detail about their personalities, which informed them of the way they related to each other and the underlying tensions of the play. It made me appreciate how this lecture linked such characteristics to the larger topics of reality versus illusion, control, and vulnerability, showing a generalized view of Tennessee Williams' intentions.

Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

This lecture was an illumination of the themes of choice, consequence, and communication in Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants." We analyzed how the characters fight conflicts—both inner and outer, with the decision regarding an abortion and what it could mean for their relationship. Very enriched was this session for me because I now got the real point of why Hemingway writes so sparsely and why the setting was a train station. Discussion regarding the metaphorical white elephant and what that had to mean about burdens and decisions in life brought about a realization of the deep layers of the story. This lecture was not just an analysis of Hemingway's work but also something that, with the setting and the symbols, really imparts great learning: how the setting imparts depth to the narrative.

Antigone by Sophocles

We were able to discuss the moral and ethical questions of the characters in "Antigone" at length and seriously consider the conflict of divine law versus human law, as depicted between Antigone and Creon. This lecture is one of my favorites, as it was not just an introduction to the world of Greek tragedy but also laid the groundwork for a very interactive semester bubbling with philosophical arguments and critical analysis. Making inferences by breaking down the motives and consequences of characters' actions built the only foundation for understanding themes of duty, justice, and family loyalty that other discussions on literature subsequently enhanced.

 

Short Story Reflection

 

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" and Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" both center on the theme of obsession, which consequently fuels the point and purpose of the story and the action of the characters involved. The main character in "The Birthmark" is so obsessed with perfection that he even resorts to dangerously experimenting with his wife's physical imperfection. Similarly, in "Interpreter of Maladies," the fixation with their respective experience makes the character go ahead and even influence how much a character relates to other people to the extent of not making friends. In both stories, the obsession of the characters works as a tool to go into deeper truths about human nature and proves to be destructive in certain cases.

In "Interpreter of Maladies," Mr. Kapasi—the protagonist—becomes smitten with Mrs. Das, the tourist mother of two he is ferrying around town. This obsession springs out of his loneliness and a need to have something meaningful in his life, which he wrongly believes he can find through Mrs. Das. He pictures how life will look if they can go on talking and sharing secrets and more personal thoughts. His obsession with some romantic fantasy blinds him to the reality of Mrs. Das's disinterestedness and self-concern when she offhandedly dismisses the note bearing his address as indicative of the possibility of their further meeting.

The form of obsession exemplified in "The Birthmark" is different. Scientist Aylmer is obsessed with the removal of a small birthmark on his wife Georgiana's face, which he feels detracts from his otherwise perfect beauty. His obsession with the birthmark overcomes his love for her, and it leads him to dangerous experiments that would seem to be able to remove it. This obsession with creating an ideal version of his wife ultimately leads to her death, pointing to his single-minded pursuit having a destructive potential.

These two tales are examples of what an obsession can do—completely warp the senses and priorities of people. This fixation of Mr. Kapasi allows him to misread emotional cues and build unrealistic expectations, while Aylmer's fixation leads him to value an abstract ideal over his valuing of his wife's safety. Critique the nature of an obsession in a way that can lead to isolation, misunderstanding, and finally, even tragedy. Through such narrations, Lahiri and Hawthorne shed light on the impacts of obsession: it enslaves thoughts and is detrimental to relationships. The authors of the stories do not describe the consequences of acting upon obsessions, but they do warn against letting an obsession lead to actions that will be dictated by the warping of realities through their characters' experiences.

 

Reflection of the Semester

 Looking back on this semester, I have realized there are some changes in my writing. First of all, this would involve writing down points on a piece of paper separately. However, as the semester went on, linking ideas was a major focus that contributed a lot towards much greater cohesion and clarity in the essays and tasks.

I developed strong analytical skills: and started looking into the underlying reasons for the ideas that would make my understanding of these ideas and hence, expression of the ideas either orally or in the written form stronger. This was manifest in the classroom discussions as I was able to articulate my thoughts very clearly and develop critical thinking.

I have become more confident in presenting and articulating ideas. This is something that has been polished from all the required presentations in this class. This is a class that brought out a lot of texts with diverse perspectives, leading me to be exposed to great thinking and several poignant new ideas. This has underlined the necessity of evaluating multiple viewpoints before forming an opinion.

In the future, I will use this lesson to ensure that before I pass any judgment on an issue or form any opinion, I always have enough information in my arsenal. The approach is, without a doubt, going to be very resourceful for my academic, personal, and professional development. I would also like to strengthen my analytical and writing skills, maybe taking up more complex issues and, if possible, getting to discuss deeper issues. In the next 5 years, I will be interested in developing an intellectual perspective that will be very helpful for my career, and useful to make meaningful contributions to the community from which my field derives.

Pub #3

 

Matthew Wagner

Professor Brady

EGL102

29 April, 2024

PUB #3

In literature, postmodernism appears as a style where the big stories and the universal truths loved by modernism are questioned in a way to promote a scattered view of reality that is personal and very changeable. Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" is a great read, which shows these postmodernist ideas through a detailed look at human relationships with their own identity.  The stories in the collection happen in different places but always show the complicated reality of life's experiences and how her characters understand these experiences by focusing on the daily struggles and inner lives of everyday people, Lahiri's work highlights the very postmodern idea that reality is built in perception and cultural context. This way of telling stories not only points out how relative truth is but also gets readers to think about the many-layered existence of a person. In "Interpreter of Maladies," Lahiri investigates the post-modernist book idea of the reality of individual perception and the personal nature of reality by getting into the human experience through characters whose personal mistakes and cultural disconnection help to echo the bigger current issues of miscommunication and existential displacement in a globalized world.

In "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri, the character of Mr. Kapasi is the living prototype of the postmodern theme of identity and the abstractness of truth. Mr. Kapasi, a tour guide to the Das family, bears the intricacies of his inner life and the perception of the world around him as afflicted through his interaction with the Das family. His role as an interpreter, both literally in terms of his job description and figuratively in terms of his life, brings out the postmodern concept that reality is constituted in language and interpretation. This becomes apparent when Mr. Kapasi reflects on his attraction to Mrs. Das and his realization is one of bitter disappointment. "He thinks, 'It flattered Mr. Kapasi that Mrs. Das was so intrigued by his job'" (Lahiri). This is a moment of insight into his mind whereby he betrays his unexpressed need for relationship and recognition which he gets in Mrs. Das's interest in it. As the story unwraps, the reality of their relationship and her obvious interest in him become so nebulous that we start to think his perceptions may have something to do more with what he hopes rather than what's there. This dynamic between perception and reality also reveals the complex layers of personal connections and self-identity within the story based on the realization that truth is not something solid but is molded by our experiences in making sense of them.

Another key area where postmodernism fits well into Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies" is its looking into cultural identity and feelings of placelessness, issues strongly related to contemporary globalized networks. The Das family comes across as simple tourists of their own country. Mr. and Mrs. Das seem to exhibit a sort of aloofness, and they are casually not involved in the cultural scene before them. This disconnection is perhaps best presented in their behavior and actions, such as when Mr. Das uses a tourist guidebook to get around the country—a very clear action showing dependence on written and external stories instead of personal roots tying him to the land of his ancestors. Lahiri writes, "Mr. Das tapped on his guidebook as if to indicate that it had more weight and relevance to him than the living history around him" (Lahiri). In this, reliance on the guidebook symbolically signals postmodern doubt about the dominant narratives. The dominant story in this case is that of cultural roots and the feeling of attachment. The fragmented identity of the characters, and their loose relation with the culture to which they belong, represents a larger question in postmodernism—where identity is looked at as something constructed and impermanent, reflecting modern cultures that lean on the mixing and changeability of identity signals. This not only builds up the diasporic critique of losing ground on their origins but also does justice to the wide search for meaning by one individual in a quickly globalizing world.

Another real-life human connection that can be made to "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri is that these kinds of very evident themes are also present in the TV show "Master of None." Both show the reader and viewer, respectively, the complications of cultural identity and dislocation in a modern, globalized world. For instance, when Mr. Kapasi is in the midst of a moment of cultural disconnection, his inside thoughts reveal, "That Mr. Kapasi had never heard of a patient complaining of a reaction to amoxicillin, he decided to keep to himself" (Lahiri). It brings out his alienation and the walls of understanding between the cultures in a similar way that "Master of None" displays the struggle of the main character with being Indian while growing up in America. The main character of the series, Dev, voices his cultural struggle: "I feel like I can't fully relate to either [culture]; it's like I'm stuck in the middle" (Master of None). This quote exemplifies the fact of cultural identity internal struggle, so apparent in the show and so central in Lahiri's narrative. Much like Lahiri's work, "Master of None" personalizes the conflicts that arise when modern individuals juggle several cultural identities at once, rendering the two series incredibly timely. The parallel serves here to underline one of the most ordinary subjects, which is searching for identity among the cultural expectations entangled with personal desires.

In conclusion, the "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri is a compact look into themes mirroring what postmodern literature stands for. Its stories take a perspective of personal reality, where characters kind of figure it out in their own, multifarious settings through their cultural talks. The portrayal of the Das family and Mr. Kapasi shows the postmodernist way of questioning definite truth and focusing on identity as a fragmented, made-up aspect. These points are all in the story. The following are broader social issues that are visible in society today. The stories can be set from the experiences at individual levels for the characters to the concepts that are very broad and explain fitting in and understanding in a worldwide context. Lahiri's writing is filled with a kind of doubt towards the overarching stories and varied truths of people and observes the human condition, establishing "Interpreter of Maladies" as a significant postmodern work and discovery that remains relevant for this reason.

 

 

Works Cited

 

Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. Flamingo, 2000.

Ansari, Aziz, director. Master Of None, Season 1, episode 2, Netflix.

 

Pub #2

 

Matty Wagner

Professor Brady

EGL102

2 April 2024

 

The Balance of Accepting the Truth and Denial

            In the play, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” written by Tennessee Williams, the balance between illusion and reality is continuously explored through the lives of the characters presented in the play. The play is set in New Orleans, and it takes place right after World War II. The play also dives into the complexities of societal norms, the human spirit, and the devastating impact of the truth colliding with fantasy. Throughout the play, the reader can constantly see the struggle that occurs between the characters trying to figure out what’s real and what’s pretend, and this is played out by the characters throughout the play. Through this lens, the play examines the delicacy of our assessments of ourselves and shows the consequence of our attempts to evade the truth. Stella’s confession, in which she says, “I couldn’t go on believing her story and I live with Stanley,” reveals to us that she is struggling between facing the hard truths of life and seeking comfort in denial of reality. This moment highlights to us the choice to be honest in our own lives is not always easy.

            Stella’s confession shows us her struggles with facing reality. One example of this struggle that Stella is experiencing is evident in which she chooses to go back to Stanley, even though she has witnessed Stanley’s outburst of violence. Despite the clear signs of Stanley displaying abusive behavior, Stella downplays the incident and decides to return to Stanley. She says to Balance, “You’re making too much fuss about this” (Stella, Scene 4). She tries to justify Stanley’s actions to Blanche by also saying “He didn’t know what he was doing… He was as good as a lamb when I came back and he’s really very, very ashamed of himself” (Stella, Scene 4). In addition to this, another character in the play who is unable to accept reality is Blanche. Her inability to accept reality throughout the play is shown throughout Scene Nine, in which she says to Mitch “I don’t want realism, I want magic!” (Blanche, Scene 9). This shows her rejection of her true personal circumstances, and her choice of believing in her illusion of life in order to be more comfortable with herself. This is a defense mechanism that she uses in order to protect herself from the truth of her life.

            Another character that is shown to have problems with accepting reality is Mitch. Mitch’s struggle can be shown throughout his conversation with Blanche, in Scene Nine, in which initially, Mitch seems to be charmed by Blanche, seeing her through the lens that Blanche has portrayed for herself. However, throughout the conversation, Mitch begins to see Blanche for who she truly is, and rejects her by stating “You’re not clean enough to bring into the house with my mother” (Mitch, Scene 9). This moment is a clear representation of Mitch’s struggle between his own desires, and society’s expectations of purity in finding a woman. This struggle leads him to a denial of his genuine feelings for Blanche due to him being unable to accept the reality in front of him.

            Not only do we find examples of being unable to accept reality throughout the play, but we also can find examples of this in our everyday life. A major example of this can be found through music. Many artists talk about feelings of betrayal in their songs. An example of this can be found in Playboi Carti’s song, “Over”. Throughout the song, Carti delves into themes of betrayal, which helps explain his emotions of being let down by those he trusted. His lyrics express a sense of loss and grief, being unable to accept the feelings that he has throughout the course of a relationship. Carti sings “How the f### we got to where we started? / This love don’t feel the same like when we started / Should’ve known this sh## was not real when it started” (Carter 1:50 – 59). Throughout other songs on his album, Whole Lotta Red, such as in the song “ILoveUIHateU”, Playboi Carti talks about his drug use in order to cope with his personal problems. These examples show that it is not just in fiction in which we see examples of denying reality, but all throughout different aspects of life.

            In conclusion, it is evident that many characters throughout the play are experiencing some sort of denial as a result of the harsh truths of their personal life circumstances. This collective denial, ranging from Stella’s refusal to acknowledge the full extent of Stanley’s violence, to Blanche’s retreat into her world of illusion to escape the reality of her past and present, shows the complexity of coping mechanisms that people adopt in order to face the seemingly unbearable realities. Through these characters and their mechanisms of denial, the play shows an insight of the ways that people navigate the gap between reality and fantasy. This insight not only helps to enhance the play, but also serves as a sort of self-reflection for those looking to reflect on their relationship between truth and denial

 

 

Works Cited

 

Williams, Tennessee, and Kurt Reis. A Street Car Named Desire.

Carter, Jordan. “Playboi Carti - over (Official Audio).” YouTube, Interscope, 25 Dec. 2020, youtu.be/U93kSTdLfdY?si=CTLVLcJ7QM1b5s3p.

 

Pub #1

 

Matty Wagner

Professor Brady

EGL102

21 February 2024

 

Pub #1

Antigone’s decision to bury her brother Polyneices, in direct violation of Creon’s decree, and her insisting on publicizing her actions, helps to offer different a view into Antigone’s mindset and her mental process that helped her to come to this decision. The decision to bury Polyneices also raises the question of which is more powerful or important, human law or divine law. Antigone’s actions of burying Polyneices and proclaiming what she has done also reflects her commitment to her belief in the divine laws over the human ones, which showcases that Antigone prioritizes moral and religious beliefs over ones provided by human ones. Antigone’s self-identification of a “religious criminal” and challenging Creon’s decree based on unwritten rules of her gods, helps to show the conflict between written law and moral law. 

 Antigone’s decision to bury Polyneices, despite Creon’s decree that tells her that she will be punished to death if she goes through with the decision, is an extreme act of defiance and devotion to her moral beliefs. Antigone’s actions are guided by “the immortal unrecorded laws of God” (Sophocles 361). Her belief is further exemplified when she says, “I say that this crime is holy” (Sophocles 56). These quotes both help to show her extreme commitment to familial duty and moral law, even in the face of death. This act is not just a personal or private rejection of Creon’s decree, but a public statement of resistance Creon’s authority in this aspect and challenges his authority with the ones of God. Through her actions and words, Sophocles helps to bring up the question of where someone’s loyalty should lie, which is a theme shown throughout the text.

In another example, during a conversation between Creon and Antigone, Antigone shows the reasoning behind her defiance, emphasizing her belief in the laws of God as compared to the laws of Creon. She says “It was not God’s proclamation. That final Justice / That rules the world below makes no such laws… Your decree King was strong / But all your strength is weakness itself against / The immortal unrecorded laws of God. They are merely now: they were and shall be / Operative forever beyond man utterly” (Sophocles 357-363). This quote shows Antigone’s belief in the divine’s power and suggests that her actions are more than a rebellion, but rather, she is following the orders of a higher power.

Antigone’s stand against Creon’s decree also mirrors some modern figures who currently challenge authority for justice. An example of this would be Malala Yousafzai, who is a female advocate for education against regimes like the Taliban. Antigone is similar, showing a lack of fear even in the face of death, saying “You are alive, but I belong to Death” (Sophocles 457). Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban fighter after taking a bus home from her school. Malala is an excellent example of someone who embodies Antigone’s spirit and emotions in the current day.

In conclusion, Antigone’s actions and her vocal defiance against Creon are showcasing her belief in the importance of the law of God over the law of man. Her desire to bury Polyneices and her declaration of her act as a “holy crime” shows her view on which is more important, Written Law or Moral Law. It is also important to know that Antigone’s beliefs show the importance of staying true to your own personal values and be1iefs, even when facing consequences.

Works Cited

Fitts, Fitzgerald. Antigone. Brace and Co, 1939.