It a hard enough life...

The pain that the story's we read explicate create situations for our own learning. At some point in all of our lives we will experience pain, suffering and the like. Perhaps not every day, or every month or even every year, but inevitably we will ALL experience pain. In Invisible Man, the main character experiences pain of a lack of identity. Although he experiences many painful situations in his life they all stem from his initial blindness which coincides with his invisibility. You could also say that the pain that Grendel feels comes from a sort of personal identification problem. In his situation he is a monster (physically) in a purely human accepted societal area. This lack of control and comfort in his own body (lack of acceptance from others) leads to his demise and ultimately his suicide. In Memoirs of a Geisha the pain she feels comes from the losses she experiences as a child and the losses she begets in her own skin as an apprentice geisha. She loses her parents and her only sister. She loses the men she loves and she seems to be constantly taken from. It reminds me of the foo fighters song "best of me." In the song it says "has someone taken the best of you, the hope, the not, the broken hearts, the pain you feel, the pain it's real." Sayuri is plagued by those around her. The baron, Hatsumomo, the chairman, her father, mameha and everyone else pushes her and pushes her but she proves that she WILL NOT be broken. I find that most of the characters in the other novels we have read and beaten by their weaknesses but Sayuri is not. Why is this? Memoirs of a Geisha is a slightly true story. Although molded by Arthur Golden it is an actual human life. In real life, although we are plagued often, our "downfall" is not always accomplished so easily. Always looked for, novels are always trying to push our mental limits. Otherwise, why would we read them? There would be no point. Generally the most memorable novels are the most magical ones or the ones that hit life on the head. The ones that show people out there, raw, exposed. Both of these are ideas that cannot be grasped "generally" in modern life. People are just not that open. Imagine how ahead everyone would be if we were that open? We could really help eachother.

Geisha life. the BOMB DIGGITY.

I am officially in love with the geisha lifestyle. I mean other than the never marry thing... Or maybe thats a plus? what? did i say that? It is very much an early renaissance type of thing. It reminds me of an asian pride and prejudice in the way that the women have to know many trades and be very intelligent but at the same time these women are different. They genuinely require street smarts because essentially, they are women of a business world. They are 1920s asian business women who work hard enough to take care of themselves. They are truly artists of lifestyle. They are not only beautiful but dress in kimono and are forced to act like perfect ladies, telling jokes, telling stories, pouring tea in perfect form. They are pushed to be "perfect" women. The great part about it is that this novella shows the imperfections of geisha. While most people who have ever experienced geisha in real life would find them to be perfection, the reader understands that they are not. Geisha go through many trials and tribulations to achieve this "perfection" which they barely get by the tips of their fingers. The diction of the novel is intoxicating along with the geisha themselves. I believe that is part of the overall motif and theme of the novel. The entire novel is about the non-stop working and determination that achieves perfection but also the fact that it will never be achieved. Perfection in writing will never be achieved but when you read the novel you believe that the wording is endless and diction is extremely touching. The imagery and imagination that is put into the novel pushes you towards a whole other world and realm of thinking. It is a novel that touches you deeply and pushes your feeling without you even being aware of it. I feel caressed as well as mentally exercised by the novel. No part of it is overwhelming although I believe that on a whole note, the novel will be touching and memorable. The motif of water is repeated a lot not only in their personalities but in general. It is usually associated with death. Such as Chiyo believing Hatsumomo would push her into a river. The water is what makes her special but she also believes it is what could cause her demise. She is not the cleverest of girls although this sentiment is heavily repeated. Perhaps this lack of cleverness is caused by the deep presence of water in her personality. Chiyo is a very special character and I am excited to see how she grows in the novel. Hopefully she truly will attain cleverness eventually.

Its a funny world we live in.

I have no idea what to blog about so I am going to ramble on about random literary topics. It is going to be AWESOME. Let's begin with invisible man. I am extremely confused as to why this guy is invisible! What does it all MEAN. I personally enjoyed the book. It was a quick read, it was interesting, but I felt that it was too deep for me to understand. The funny thing about AP literature is that you feel like you don't get it, and your the only kid in the class who feels retarded and then you talk to everyone else and they didn't get it either. And we all just collaborate and after a seminar or two, we actually do understand the novel. So hopefully within the next couple weeks I will actually understand this "invisible man." I just feel like he shouldn't be invisible. In the novel he affects SO MANY people. So what, he gets kicked out of college. Thats cool! I would say he was a quiet kid in college who blossomed into a great civil rights activist. He's a young Booker T. Washington, and yet, hes invisible? I feel like Ralph Ellison tried to sneakily tell his own story, but it wasn't his story and the guy wasn't actually invisible. Ralph Ellison was. And when Ralph Ellison realized that his story made no sense, he let the little invisible man drop into a manhole and ta da! story. This is going to sound really bad, but the only reason we read it and its popular and famous is because it is about a young black man being a civil rights activist and feeling put down by the white man. It's borderline simplistic. I feel like I'm heading in unchartered waters but this is my blog! This man really only wrote one "good" novel and the rest were pointless short stories that no one has heard of. But I suppose a lot of peoples careers are like that... I reckon I'm purely frustrated because of my lack of understanding. What is the purpose of the manhole? Manhole: hell, dark, secrets. Unlocking hidden inner secrets maybe? I'm lost. But i do love sonnets. I wish i had the talent to write really inctricate love sonnets. But unfortunately I think you have to be a really sentimental man to achieve those types of talents. I wish guys still wrote them but with women, you never know what there actually going to like. Like the guy who wrote like a billion and she just totally turned them down. Can we go back to gender roles? I really enjoyed those. I play the weirdest one. I like man trucks and romantic comedies... what? I should write a book about my awkward ad extraordinary life. maybe not.

Sonnets... early forms of the "chick flick" ?

I enjoyed reading the sonnets in class VERY much. That is most likely because I am an absolute sucker for anything moderately romantic. If you know me, your probably thinking I'm lying, but seriously, I cry at movies at the drop of a hat. I especially enjoyed the Spenserian sonnets. Spenser invented his own sonnet form which is more intricate than the others, but makes sense in what he is writing about: love. There is nothing uncomplicated or simple about love. Everyday people fall in and out of love, and while in love, they fall in and out of their very complicated feelings towards the other person. It's complicated. Of course, I personally wouldn't know, but I've watched enough chick flicks to have a general (and shallow) idea of what love is all about. The line "Till I in hand her yet half trembling took" is absolute magic. I totally understand what this is all about. You have the girl (deer) wild, and beautiful, she's a striking type, and the kind of safe, nerdy guy who wants her SO bad. For years he chases her, perhaps through adolescence, all the way to adulthood, but she runs, and plays with his feelings, she likes to "quench her thirst at the next brook." Until finally, she gets tired of going to new brooks and running away. She sees a type of safety in the hunter because he has been around for so long. She is trembling, scared to love him, but once she walks to him, she knows she is safe. It's all so adorable that I can't even stand it. The next sonnet is a little dark, but I like it. It shows a less "happy-go-lucky" side to the hunting. He talks about a vain girl that he chased and chased. He knows shes knows she's a fox and that she could have anyone she wants. This irritates him because he thinks she is making the wrong choices (not him) so he back lashed HARDCORE. Some good disses in this sonnet. It says, "All other fair, like flowers, untimely fade," which is obviously pointing to the idea that looks do not last forever. So although he was tempted by her looks (along with everyone else) he is basically saying "you ain't gonna be pretty forever sweet cheeks, so you better change the TUDE" and "I don't want your vain butt anyway, you soon-to-be old hag!" It the harsh but honest truth. Men are not as dumb as we would like to think. Well, some of them... and finally we get back to the gushy stuff. "Our love shall live, and later life renew." Poetic, simple, defining. Thank you Spenser! Again he is trying to prove to a woman, that love does not mean fear. Be bold, love and you will be rewarded with a full and nurtured life. Is this guy really a dude? I think I'd be flattered but kind of turned off if he wrote me one these sonnets. Just proves what women really want, a butt head. We can't decide what we want, and there are so many poor Spenser's running around trying to figure it out.