Review: Class and Money By: David Spring: Literary Criticism of Pride and Prejudice

     Spring's criticism of Pride and Prejudice begins with first examining it's author, Jane Austen in relation to her social status. He begins by explaining that Austen is considered today among historians, literary analysts, and specialists as a member of the bourgeois class in England during the time in which she lived. The bourgeois class was often associated with wealth, large houses, elegant gatherings, and an abundance of quality possessions. Spring acknowledges that some critics believe that this part of Austen's real life is reflective through her writings, which is a reason why money plays such a large role in her stories. Spring also points out that other critics are quite skeptical, quoting Graham Hough's statement that the bourgeois was "too blunt an instrument to have much explanatory value." Despite the disagreement whether there was bourgeois influence in Pride and Prejudice, Spring, in his literary criticism, seemingly gravitates to and associates his argument with a scholar named Marvin Mudrick. Mudrick points out the fact that among people that made up the bourgeois and people that wanted to become part of the bourgeois, marriage was very important. Marrying into a wealthy family would either help one move up from a lower social class and status to one of more prestige or make a wealthy family even wealthier. Mudrick also points out in the novel what he considers to be signs bourgeois courtship by the various men who eventually marry the Bennett daughters. Spring then shifts his criticism to questioning who exactly made up the bourgeois class in England during Austen's life. He elaborately breaks the bourgeois down into two levels and a hybrid level. Simplistically, the higher level was composed of the aristocracy, wealthy land owners who had the capability of accruing approximately 100,000 pounds of income each year. The lower level was composed of gentry, skilled laborers who could make a few thousand pounds per year. Though gentries did not typically make anywhere near as much money as aristocrats, their earnings were quite good in comparison to most of the rest of Britain's population at the time. Spring then explains that there was a bit of a hybrid group that mixes traits of the upper and lower divisions of the bourgeois. Spring places Austen and her family in this category. Members of this hybrid group typically owned small quantities of land (100 acres or less). Though Spring continues to be more specific in classifying the types of people that would make up the various social classes in England, particularly those that were in and around the bourgeois, he ultimately concludes that Austen's being a part of the bourgeois greatly enabled her to gain insight regarding bourgeois life, which is very prevalent among the families that are featured in Pride and Prejudice.

My Interest in the word "Knowledge"

     The concept of knowledge is absolutely fascinating for many reasons. First, its modern-day pronunciation suggests that the word has weathered some changes in the way it has been both spelled and pronounced throughout its existence. Second, not only is the way that the word sounds and appears knowledge interesting, but also, the idea that the word represents is truly astounding. Whereas the concept of knowledge can be displayed, it also has a very intangible quality that, in a sense, gives the idea of possessing knowledge a degree of mystery and obscurity. What particularly fascinates me about the concept of knowledge is the fact that one's knowledge can only be measured in relativity to something or someone that either has or does not have an amount of knowledge. Knowledge can be attributed to an infinite amount of comprehension, abilities, facts, understandings, discoveries, and even things that are not yet understood. With large amounts of knowledge, power is often associated, and with a more in-depth understanding of how the word "knowledge" came to be a part of the the English language, I will be expanding my understanding of the etymology of such a mind-blowing word and concept that is associated with it.

Review of Literary Criticism: FRANKENSTEIN Or, The Modern Prometheus- By: Bonnie Flaig

Key ideas of this literary criticism:

• The literary criticism is first set up well in that a summary of the story is provided before the analysis is applied.
• The criticism's main focus is on the internal links (referred to in the article as "doubles") and external links that can be found between characters in Frankenstein.
• Examples of internal links are as follows:
• Walton in Relation to Victor: they are both explorers- Victor interested in exploring areas that human kind is not familiar with. Walton is interested in the creation of life from things that are not living, which has not been done before. They also both feel detached from the world around them. In his letters to his sister, Walton expresses his loneliness during his journey. It can also be argued that Victor feels disconnection due to the fact that the creature kills all of his family members during the course of the story.
• The link between Victor and the creature: psychoanalytic analysis links similarities between characteristics that the creature and Victor share.
• Examples of external links:
• The story's containing similarities to the creation story in the Bible: the creature is turned away from humanity just as Adam is turned away from the Garden of Eden. The common theme that links the two is the concept of being an outcast.
• How Mary Shelley's background is able to be linked to Frankenstein: Due to their "revolutionary" and "radical" political views, her parents were considered outcasts in "proper" society. As a result, sympathy for outcasts can be seen in Shelley's works.
• Lastly, the article mentions that Frankenstein is a story that has interested readers during the time it was written and continues to do so with a similar response from readers. Flaig believes that this fact is true because that the creature in the story has enough human characteristics to continually fascinate readers.

Paper #2: Similarities Between Beowulf and a Politician

Alexander Garner

Mr. Coon

AP English- British Literature

2 October 2011

Essay #2: Paper #2: Similarities Between Beowulf and a Politician

Though societal changes constantly evolve as time passes, some ideals and concepts weather such transformation. Ever since the beginning of formal leadership of a single person or governing body over a group of people was established in the early generations of mankind, politics in some form has been related to leadership. Leadership qualities and political concepts have symbiotically developed over the course of history, and similarities between effective governing concepts can be linked between powerful governing officials in the past current-day leaders. An example of such a link can be viewed in relating Beowulf, the main character in the story Beowulf, and politicians in the United States government in more recent history.

Beowulf’s development as a character throughout the course of the story can be viewed as being very similar to that of a young politician early in his or her political career to one that eventually becomes the president of a nation. Toward the beginning of the section of the poem in which Beowulf is introduced, some of his valorous actions of the past are mentioned, but it is apparent that Beowulf’s process of being a revered leader is still in its beginning stages. In relation to current-day politics, many politicians begin their careers by taking leadership roles at the local city or state level so that they can gain experience in political world. Some politicians then decide to run for a state’s district representative position in congress at the federal level. Representatives in the U.S. Congress can propose bills that can affect both domestic and foreign policies. Senatorial positions are more exclusive then congressional positions because there is a set maximum number of senators that can exist, and each U.S. senator has more power and authority than representatives. Though senators do not have as much foreign affairs authority and presence as the U.S. president, they have the authority to make decisions and propose bills that influence foreign policy. Beowulf’s decision to aid Hrothgar and his empire by going to help combat Grendel’s evil doings can be considered an action similar to a U.S. senator proposing a foreign relations bill, that was passed, to help an ally that is being attacked. Beowulf’s taking the initiative to help a friend in need and his actions to kill Grendel and Grendel’s mother, demonstrate his leadership characteristics. Beowulf’s defeating a strong evil force ultimately strengthened his own personal reputation and cast a good light on the nation he represented, something all senators strive to do with their actions and decisions.

Beowulf’s becoming king is like his final step in the political ladder, similar to a senator being elected president. (more details will be added from here and the ideas will be expanded upon.)

King Henry XIII's Dissolution of Monasteries

As is mentioned in Our Faire Englische Tung, many ancient Old English manuscripts such as poems, inscriptions, prayers, and historical documents were destroyed during the mid-1530s through the early 1540s by King Henry XIII's soldiers.


Questions:
1. What was the motivation for King Henry XIII's destruction of monasteries and libraries?


2. Does this period of destruction relate to Sir Robert Bruce Cotton's ancient manuscripts that were lost? 
(Mentioned in the Norton, page 27)


Answers:


1.
Background information: 


-1534: English Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy, allowing King Henry XIII to be the Supreme Head of the Church of England (which separated religion in England and Wales from being under papal authority).


-Henry VIII= advocate of the Protestant Reformation in England. 


-The dissolution of the monasteries in England took place in the political context of other attacks Roman Catholicism.


-Henry XIII began what was called the Dissolution of Monasteries in 1536 -> continued until 1641.


-Monastic land was worth about 3 times as much as the land that Henry XIII had controlled before.


-Monastery land was seized and sold off cheaply to nobles and merchants. They in turn sold some of the lands to smaller farmers.


-Immediate effect on of the Dissolution: transfer massive areas of land to being under Henry XIII's control.


-Acquiring these lands, Henry XIII also was able to obtain gold and silver plate from these lands = very valuable.


-During the process of Dissolution, Henry XIII's soldiers disbanded monasteries, convents, and friaries in Wales, England, and Ireland- seized their income and disposed of their assets.


Specific Example: Glastonbury Abbey (Monestary


- Built in the 7th century and enlarged in the 10th.


- By the 14th century was one of the richest and most powerful monasteries in England. 


-The Glastonbury Abbey also controlled large tracts of surrounding land and was instrumental in major drainage projects on the Somerset Levels.


-The abbey was suppressed during the Dissolution under King Henry VIII and the last Abbot (Richard Whiting, a Roman Catholic) was hanged- drawn and quartered as a traitor in 1539.

2. Due to the large time difference,  there was not a relationship between King Henry VIII's Dissolution and the fire that destroyed a very large portion of Sir Robert Bruce Cotton's collection of ancient manuscripts (1731).

Summer Reading Book Selection: Nineteen Eighty-Four

     The Epitome of a Great Story

            At the beginning of the summer as I was browsing sizable list of books that I could read for English class this year, I saw a lot of famous author’s names I had heard about; however, I was relatively unfamiliar with many of the titles listed. As my eyes keenly moved down the list, there was a title that quickly caught my eyes: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Though I did not know exactly what Nineteen Eighty-Four was about, I knew that the story had something to do with the concept Socialism, and about five years ago, I had the opportunity to read Orwell's Animal Farm, which metaphorically discussed the concept of Socialism, a subject I find to be quite interesting. Before reading the novel, I had also heard Nineteen Eighty-Four referenced many times before in political contexts, so I decided that it would be an important story for me to read so that I could expand my knowledge regarding commonly-known texts. In addition, I wanted to read the story because I had an interest in finding out exactly how Orwell would portray totalitarian socialism in the novel, especially since he himself supported a slightly different form of socialism: democratic socialism.

     Before classifying a piece of literature as a good story, it is first important to define what I consider to be the characteristics of an outstanding story. In my opinion, a great story must first be written about a topic that I find to be unusual, unique, or interesting. In order for a story to capture my interest, the author must insert something to grab my attention relatively early in the novel’s plot. Authors that write good stories also incorporate effective literary elements into their stories such as vivid descriptions, imagery, and factual backing as a result of research. Exceptional authors can combine these three elements in a way that enables them to work together to give the story a realistic feel for the reader and create an illusion for the reader that he or she is part of the story that he or she is reading. Lastly, good stories are ones that can affect the reader to the point that it can bring about emotion within his or her mind. In considering these characteristics of a good story, I have concluded that Nineteen Eighty-Four is a terrific, well-written story.

     The first noteworthy element to look for and analyze in Nineteen Eighty-Four is what Orwell uses in the novel to attract or grab the reader early in the story’s plot. Within the first page of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell begins by descriptively painting a picture that at first seems like any other cold day in April. Orwell then uses the human instinct of wonder to draw the reader into the story by making the reader wonder where the main character, Winston Smith, is what “Hate Week” is, and what “Victory Mansions” are (Orwell 1). At the bottom of the story’s first page, Orwell captures reader by making the reader very curious about the significance of the phrase “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU,” which is present in bold letters (1). Readers with some background regarding the novel understand that “Big Brother” is a term to describe the socialistic governing authority that rules over the country that Smith lives in (1). In this particular novel, Orwell has placed the story’s grabber within its first page. His grabber is effective because it quickly establishes a visual for the reader while at the same time it creates a level of mystery. This level of mystery makes the reader curious enough to want to continue reading to find out more about Smith’s experience in living under Big Brother’s rule.

     Intrigue in the story’s subject matter is another reason for my determining that Nineteen Eighty-Four is a good story. After having the opportunity to work for the United States government in the legislative branch, I have developed an increased interest in the different forms of political systems throughout the world, even ones that I neither support nor agree with. As Orwell displays in Nineteen Eighty-Four, life under a totalitarian socialistic society for members of the general public is void of pleasure, leisure, and freedom of expression. Therefore, it was almost impossible for the English common people to live enjoyable lives due to their constant fear of violating the rigidly enforced rules establish by Big Brother, the overarching, extremely powerful governing figure that reigns over the "Ingsoc," or English Socialism, society. In history classes, students often study the fundamental ideals of systems such as socialism. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell does an excellent job of bringing those ideals to life by putting them into what he creates to be a believably realistic setting. An example of such a passage is one in which Winston Smith is doing the daily exercises Big Brother requires. The passage states, "'Smith!' screamed the shrewish voice from the telescreen. '6079 Smith W! Yes, you! Bend lower please! You can do better than that. You're not trying. Lower, please! That's better, comrade" (37). This quote is an effective example of Orwell’s conveying his bias without explicitly stating that life for members of the general public under a totalitarian socialistic system is miserable. He instead shows the reader how miserable life is under a totalitarian socialistic system by presenting a scenario and allowing the reader to make his or her own assumption that life under such a system is not enjoyable. Another example of Orwell’s depicting totalitarian socialism as evil is displayed in a dialogue between Smith and Julia, his secret lover. Smith says,

     Once [people that work for Big Brother] get hold of us, there will be nothing, literally

     nothing, that either of us can do for the other. If I confess, they’ll shoot you, and if I

     refuse to confess they’ll shoot you just the same. Nothing that I can do or say, or stop

     myself from saying, will put off your death for as much as five minutes. Neither of us

     will even know whether the other is alive or dead. We shall be utterly without power of

     any kind (169-70).

This quote supports Orwell’s bias against totalitarian socialism by depicting members of the general public as helpless in comparison to Big Brother’s controlling and oppressive amount of total power and control.

     Another aspect of a good story is author’s ability to bring forth emotion from the reader by way of the story. An example of an emotional passage is displayed toward the end of the story, at the final phase of Smith's being tortured by people that work for Big Brother and that are to rid Smith of his resistance against Big Brother's policies. The passage reads,

         The door opened again. A guard came in, carrying something, made of wire, a box or

     basket of some kind. He set it down on the further table. Because of the position in which

     O'Brien was standing, Winston could not see what the thing was. 'The worst thing in the

     world,' said O'Brien, 'varies from individual to individual. It may be burial alive, or death by

     fire, or by drowning, or by impalement, or fifty other deaths. There are cases where it is some

     quite trivial thing, not even fatal... In your case,' Said O'Brian, 'the worst thing in the world is

     rats' (Orwell 293-94).

After the reader has viewed a strong character that all-along has successfully resisted giving into the policy of Big Brother, it is devastating to watch Big Brother finally prevail in the end.

     Though Nineteen Eighty-Four's ending is not a happy one, the story is still what I would consider an excellent one because of its close adherence to my classifications of characteristics that good stories have. Orwell’s grabber effectively interests the reader to want to continue to read the story to find out more about Ingsoc, its topic of discussion is about a particularly intriguing subject, and Orwell is able to bring forth emotion in the author’s mind, especially at the end of the story. Nineteen Eighty-Four is truly the epitome of an exceptional story.

Work Cited

Orwell, George, Thomas Pynchon, and Erich Fromm. Nineteen Eighty-Four: a Novel. New

York: Plume, 2003. Print.

Most Memorable Books - Blog Assignment 2

Prompt: Think about the most memorable reading experiences you have ever had in your life. List 5 or 10 of them in a blog post, including a brief note about your reason for including each.


In looking back upon all of the books I have read in my lifetime, I cannot pick one definitive favorite. I instead have a small list of books that I greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to read and that are memorable to me because of this fact. Some of the most memorable reading experiences I have had include the following:


1. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger. On occasion after reading a book, I do not reread it, though I do often reference sections in books that I mark for one reason or another. The Catcher in the Rye is one of the few books that I have read cover-to-cover more than once and have referenced sections in many times. Though the book's main character, Holden, leads a very different life than I myself do, I believe that many people my age and I are able to connect with Holden and the book's story overall because of the book's relatable outlook and the main character's perspective. Lastly, I believe that reading The Catcher in the Rye is so memorable to me because of how unorthodox some of the concepts Salinger brings forth in the story are. In my opinion, the "I can't believe I just read that sentence" concept is appealing for many readers. 


2-3. Rise to Rebellion (by Jeff Shaara) and Killer Angles (by Michael Shaara). Learning history using the traditional textbook and notes can sometimes be difficult and unappealing for students and others trying to learn history. Michael Shaara and his son Jeff have changed the way to learn American history by creating novels that are extremely historically accurate. Michael Shaara began this concept when he wrote Killer Angles, a story about the Civil War. His books include characters that were actual important historical figures that were involved in the Civil War. Though some of the conversations the characters Killer Angels have in the novel are perhaps not actual conversations that these people had when they were alive, they are very realistic to what the characters would have said, and the plot of the story is accurate to events that actually happened during the Civil War. Once Michael Shaara wrote his book, he died, and it be came popular, Jeff Shaara continued his father's legacy and wrote a variety of other American history novels that shared the same concept as his father's Killer Angles: the historical events that occur in the stories are accurate, and the conversations the characters have are realistic enough to be possibly true. An example of one of the novels Jeff Shaara wrote is Rise To Rebellion, a story about the American Revolution, told from the American and British perspectives.


4. Never Surrender by William Boykin. Ever since my experience with working for the U.S. government, I have had a fascination for the U.S. government, its agencies, three branches, and the U.S. military. Because the author of the book, William Boykin, was highly involved in U.S. military action overseas for decades, it is very interesting to read his perspective of some of the missions he was a part of. Aside from his accounts of his involvement in the U.S. military and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his book looks into two other aspects of his life, which he ties together: the importance of his faith and the belief in never giving up, even when life put him into some extremely difficult situations. Never Surrender is very inspirational because of Boykin's inclusion of this message.


5. The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling. Though I unfortunately have not had the pleasure to read all 7 of the books in the series, I have been thoroughly amazed by the amount of creativity Rowling has put into creating thousands of pages of what I would argue to be one of the most notable literary series of the 21st Century. Rowling has essentially created a new world through her very enjoyable books that allow magic to flow off of the pages (a few of which I hope to read in the near future), and because of that fact, she deserves tremendous praise.