"Four Short Essays..."

-If the title doesn't say "essays", I would think it is a poem because its expression and writing method are too much like poetry.

-"Therefore" is just a turning point, such as the "but" and "again" mentioned later, all of which indicate that the future of white supremacism is changing.

-Writing does not have to create an argument. From the perspective of the author, it can be records, statements, questions, and the emergence of an argument depends on the reader's point of view. But I think these "essays" create an argument because the author obviously uses the word "white", which will be considered by readers as racial discrimination or prejudice.

-These lines are meant to say that you should not easily conclude what will happen in the future, and do not criticize what others do unless it is something you have experienced. In your opinion you are just sharing it with another person, but the spread of free speech is very fast. If you know, please keep it in your heart. If you don't know, don't create illusions.

-I don’t think “person” and “people” can be verbs as they are here because what they mean is an idea, a thing, a view, etc, but not a verb.

-"Four Short Essays..." is easier to read because the whole essay is converting one main idea, it's easier to understand unlike "Stethoscope".

"Stethoscope"

"Stethoscope": 

- I can tell the “Stethoscope” is one seven short poems by noting that each poem gets some space before and after, and that seems like it conveys a new idea by separating. Each section is only five stanzas long, they are very brief and straightforward but also mean a lot.

- This poem seems to record the feelings of Denis Johnson’s some meaningful stories that he had experienced before, such as feeling for the small self in the universe. It conveys the awe of life, the fear of death and the desire for love, etc. I think these feelings are basically everyone will experience, but everyone will have different levels of views on the same field. I believe these separate sections can not be read together because those sections want to express different ideas and meanings, reading together will make readers confused. In my point of view, each subsection must be relevant, and readers may not understand it, but the author's attitude towards it will be even stronger.

Four Short Essays Personifying A Future In Which White Supremacy Has Ended

-"Four Short Essays" are essays that are broken into 4 short essays that have a little bit of poetry in each of them. 1. "therefore" is there because thats how they start off the beginning of the sentence. this story does make an argument towards white people.
-What they say about white people is that they are racist and how they put a end to white supremacy which is white people that are superior to people with other race.
-What the lines are saying is that don't walk into a future giving negative energy and blocking people out because your feeling are a window to your soul.

Stethoscope

- A Stethoscope is basically 7 short poems and each poem has the same mood;
- what the writer Denis Johnson is trying to say is that that the tone of each of the poems has a negative impact and i think that it has something to do with him and his past. i don't think that it can be read together because the different titles break up what he is trying to explain and also that even though it might share the same tone its different events that happen in his life.

"Stethoscope" and "Four Short Essays Personifying a Future in Which White Supremacy Has Ended"

"Stethoscope":

Is "Stethoscope" one long poem or seven short ones? (Notice how each poem/section is five stanzas long, the first four w/ 3 lines, the final two (a couplet).)

"Stethoscope" is in memory of poet and fiction writer, Denis Johnson. What do these poems/sections seem to say? Can they be read together? Do they speak to each other?

I find that, when confronted w/ a long poem, it helps to focus on specific lines and passages. So, for instance, what do you make of the end of "The Judgement After the Last":

...Go to the movies, do research,
be the Regulator forced to kill kill kill

and that's when we'll find out just who we are
or if there's anything like 'who' anymore.

Four Short Essays...

 Is "Four Short Essays..." essays or poetry and, if the later, then why is it called "essays"? Is 1 ("therefore,") either a poem or an essay or any kind of text? Essays, at least the kinds we write in college, are usually supposed to make an argument. Do these "essays" make an argument? If so, what?

What do they say about "white people"? What assumptions do you make about the speaker of this poem?

What do you think about these lines:

never to walk into a future

of unpersonable feelings
for to feel is to window

& to person is to people
a feeling, a future
in which

4.
this future walks...

(Can "person" and "people" be verbs as they are here?)

Finally, which is the easier of the poems to read? Or, conversely, which is the more complicated?

If we were in class together, I would bring in my magnet poetry for you guys to write your own poems. Since we're not, try it at home. You don't have to use all of the magnets, but your poem should only use the magnets that you're given. Here's mine:

(click on the image to see it larger)

Also, I think that long poems are very instructive to beginning poets. Often, we end our poems too soon--all of our texts b/c we're trying to get done. I'd like you to return to a poem or some other text that you submitted w/ your midterm and try to continue from where you ended. See if your original ending wasn't the "true" ending.

Reminders:

• Upload drafts on Blackboard at least by 2 pm on Thursday to get credit for this week's group crits. 
• Not everyone is making comments on their group members' drafts. You need to respond to their drafts, preferably by the end of the weekend. Even if your group members turned their draft in late, I urge you to make comments on it. I'll give you credit for it.
• Tomorrow during our regular class time, I'm going to hold a virtual class meeting to discuss the reading, our writing, and anything else we feel like talking about. This is completely optional. 
• As those who have been following the schedule know, we have nothing scheduled after this week until the week of 4/21 where we'll return to reading poetry in Pushcart. You can use that time to get caught up on your writing, reading, and blogging. If you're already caught up, awesome! You can use the time to get caught up in your other classes or, even better, recharge. I will be available over the break. Just write me. 
• Finally, most of you have begun the required essay on The Alchemist (see Collection assignment and Supplement to the Syllabus). I want to remind you of this requirement for this assignment:

That one of your genres is a reflective essay which describes your experience of reading and discussing Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. For this essay, you are required to quote at least two of your classmates from the blog. 

Speaking of the blog, you guys did better this week, but too many of you are not making comments on your classmates' posts. Remember, along w/ your minimum two posts, you're required to make at least two comments per week on classmates' posts for the remainder of the term.

 

I hope everyone is staying safe.

Erl King

"Erl King": It might help you to look at this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlking In any case, an erlking, or elf king, was supposed to be the king of the fairies (as in magical beings) in 19th century fairy tales. How would you describe the power struggle between the narrator and the Wild Professor? Why are the four girls different types--punker, hippie, preppy--who might not ordinarily be friends w/ ea other? What type is the narrator? Are the transformations real or imagination? What does the story say about female friendships?


The story of Erl King power struggle is between the narrator and the wild professor is the narrator is power less over the wild professors. The narrator is being sexualized at the age of 19 by the professor the relationship between them is far from normal. The professor is using the narrator to fulfill his own needs and her self falls into this trap. At first the narrator is content with running away with the professor, but as time passes he feels as if he's not in control of her and that he needs to run away. feeling trapped and defenseless.
The four girls are different types of stereotypes since they provide a different perspective to the story. for example one of them calls the professor a perv ( which he is). The narrator would be considered the " ordinary " friend since she dosent fall into any specific category. The only destiny trait she has would be the red hair.the story says about female friendships is that they can help guide you in life.I think her transformations are real as she describes losing her horns and then transforming. The more she transforms the less the professor feels he's losing her and can't control her any more. 

The arm of Saturday night

-The dialogue in this story helps me to understand the personality, emotions, and actions of each character, it also lets me believe the reality of the story and wonder what is going to happen next.

- I think the tone of this story, especially to the main character, Janie, is tangled. I can feel strongly that Janie wants to go to the party to see the boy she likes, but sadly her uncle is dead and she should stay for her uncle Murray's wake as a family should be.

- Janie thinks, "She couldn't really believe that the whole time they'd known each other his penis was right there with him, in his pants, right there. At school!" To this sentence, I feel somewhat embarrassed and can’t understand why the author wrote this kind of  thing in the article. I know that it is about sexuality in some way, but I don’t think the author needed to say it so detailed.

-"Body fine but face meh". This label definitely makes Janie hurted and unconfident about herself because it apparently means that her body looks good but her face is not attractive to them. In my point of view, it’s such an insult and disrespectful to women and those boys just acted like the players.

-I think it’s a good ending for Janie, even though she didn’t go to the party she dreamed about, she finally found one thing that it’s more important than her crush. Yes, it’s her family.

The Arms of Saturday night HW reading

I think it helps us imagine what's happening in the story and helps put a face to the words. I think the tone of the story was kind of like a teenage life story. Explains what thought go through their brains. When Jane thinks " she couldnt really believe that the whole time ...... in his pants, right there, At school". I thought it was funny and I was very shocked. I didn't understand why she thought that but it did make me laugh. In the reading she readily talks about being on this spread sheet that these boys made, I thought its very childish but I do believe that boys at that age do that a lot. AS I read the last page I found myself wishing for more and wanted to travel with her to this party to final meet this Adam character.

Earl King HW Reading

I think the power struggle was the reader figuring out who thought were being spoken. In the story the author describes different types of girls. I believe he did this to maybe show what type of person the wild professor preferred. Think this transformation stuff could be fake because in the beginning at the campfire when all her friend fell asleep in the chairs she asked if he had drugged them. This could possibly mean he's continued to drug he everyday. In the end she sorts of realizes that this isn't real and its all illusion. But then a friend was gonna be caught by the same trick so she fought back and freed her.

The Arms of Saturday night

"Saturday Night": What does the dialogue in this story do for you as a reader? What is the tone of the story? Janie thinks, "She couldn't really believe that the whole time they'd known each other his penis was right there with him, in his pants, right there. At school!" (27) How did you react to these lines? How does Janie react to her being labeled on the boys' Excel spreadsheet, "Body fine but face meh"? How did you react to it? What do you think about the conclusion to the story?

I believe this would be a feminist text in some aspects. In the story the example of the spread sheet Janie talks about how the words in the book made her feel. " but it galled her still, the power of those words, and it embarrassed her, how bad she'd felt ". Janie is a young girl fully self aware of how this is not the ed of the world but still felt invalidated by how men saw her. The dialogue in the story do for me as a reader puts me in the thoughts of Janie and her emotions. I myself am a teen girl and feel the same way about options on my looks the thoughts are something I can't control.the tone of the story seems like a act of rebellious and just teen angst.

My reaction to the lines "She couldn't really believe that the whole time they'd known each other his penis was right there with him, in his pants, right there. At school! (27)  is suppressed and shooked. I didn't expect for Janie to say these lines but it gave a new perspective of how it is to be a curious teen girl.The reaction Janie have to the label she got from the exec spreadsheet made her insecure with herself. If I was in her shoes I would feel exactly the same and degraded.

Erl King response

        The struggle between the narrator and the wild professor symbolizes the yearning of a young person to find their own way in the world. The way the book visualizes this is very intriguing by using a teacher-student relationship under the guise, or inspired by, an old Grimm's fairytale. It makes for a very interesting read with the important sub-text, or narrative, about a young girl really trying to find her way in the world while avoiding being trapped into the antiquated views of an old codger. There is a saying that my grandpa used to tell me that says, "The student should surpass the master". At a surface level, this is the main tension of the story and that becomes evident when the narrator starts to feel her horns coming in and know that she's changing, or maturing. She starts to become rebellious and the author highlights this experience by using a flashback to the first time she told her mother picnics were stupid. This is a big step as a parent when your children start to push back and ask for autonomy. This is the real link between the two pieces that we've read about. and shows the real struggle or tension that is driving the story.
       I think it's part of growing up and maturing that people you might not have associated with when you were younger and in high school or middle school because you thought they were different than you or strange. When you get to college you meet people that maybe don't have the same interest as you but are good friends and you get along with because that means more than just having stuff in common. 
      the narrative strikes me as an omniscient narrative from a first-person perspective. I think it might be omniscient because she tends to describe the feelings, and thoughts of others from time to time, but mostly it is all about herself. her feelings and what she is seeing, and feeling. Also at one point, the wild professor talks about being clairvoyant. so maybe if the writing is complex enough the author could actually bounce between narrative styles. 
      For the purpose of the story, the transformations are probably real, but in actuality, they are most likely not. I think it's a beautiful metaphor for expressing your true self or losing your inhibitions along with the trials and tribulations of doing so that come later in the story. overall a very nice story and I enjoyed it a lot. 

earl king and the arms of saturday night

Earl King was tricky for me to read/ understand fully. But, I did understand the concepts brought up Especially with sexuality. The girl gives up her life to live with the Wild Professor. She acts as of they are a couple, like ages living out a fantasy of hers. The Professor is obviously into this for all the wrong reasons, and they don't fully see that. He only goes after younger females, and once they grow older he doesn't want them, as if its a pair of jeans you've worn too many times. I think this happens a lot in real life. Many young girls are naive and don't see when a person is using them, as well as the fact that some men today have no respect or moral boundary when it comes to women.
Earl king is related to The Area of Saturday night. Both narrators show unwanted sexual behaviors. The narrator from the Earl King  prioritizes her sexuality over whats going on in her life, completely unfazed by her troubles. There is a boundary when it is overcomes a persons life. The two narrators in these stories are young men, showing obvious signs of how oblivious they are to the reality of life. The narrator in the Arms of Saturday Night is a teenager, still a kid even. The narrator in Earl King is in college. Obviously by that time a person should know the rights and wrongs of life, which they fail to bring up or even care about.

The Arms of Saturday Night response

     In this story, we follow a teenage girl and the events of one Saturday during her senior year of high school. The story tends to ramble at points but makes sense if we think about it from the perspective of a nihilistic youth living in New Jersey. As a young person seeking autonomy, It sucks to not feel like you can actually live your life, and it only makes it harder than she is at a school with kids who are much wealthier than she is. I can definitely see how that would inspire feelings of never being able to truly fit in. A lot of the response I've read so far really go into the fact that her "budding sexuality" is the point or sort of the main theme of the piece, but I disagree. I think that, while for any youth anywhere sexuality is a real thing that you have to struggle with every day, that it's not the main issue in the writing. The main issue is the fact that she is sort of an outcast. All her problems kinda stem from this, and after mulling through all of this in her head all night she finally engages with someone at the party. It turns out to be her cousin whose father had just died, and no one here knew it. I think this really puts life into perspective when she finally found out. towards the end of the story, she had gotten so distracted by her cousin that she almost forgot about the party she had been trying to escape to all night.
      What I liked most about this piece is the fact that the writing was very advanced. You would have stories in stories, and beautiful language and metaphors. A really cool read all together. 

The effects of heat on poor people HW Reading

I think it's titled this because this piece he's writing relates to his life. In this story the area he lives in isn't rain and is very hot. People around him are dying because of the intense heat which can cause them to die. He wants to bring awakes to things and change this. The couple Kamil and Saba are a low middle class people that was in a forced marriage, and they didn't have a good relationship. They could barley hold a conversation and had little in common. Eventually  Saba get pregnant but hasn't told him yet. She doesn't want to continue this relationship after he hit her and dreams of living alone with her child. This marriage does nit seem to really have any love in it. They barley care for one another and seem more like roommates. I don't think she final realizes the love she has for him instill she loses him.

Hao HW Reading

Before this reading I haven't heard of the Cultural Revolution. In this story it tells us about this family the radically changed because of this event. It also has this interesting change to the students having the power. Maybe this is to show how easily powers can shift. Also in the reading they would burn books and bury them. It is know that as long as you have Knowlage you can obtain anything. Being educated give you the voice you need to fight back. This is why I think the red gaurd want to persacute intellectuals. I think this story can be compared to what's happing now. In the short amount of time since both situations happen it escalated quickly and had many changes occur.

Erl King

This story, was pretty difficult for me to understand. But, I did understand the important things and concepts from this story. Especially with sexuality. The narrator practically abandons their life to live with the Wild Professor. She sleeps with him frequently, and it is a bit concerning. I’d argue that the way she acts with him is concerning because the Professor is predatory. He almost exclusively goes after women that are younger than him, and he seems to lose interest in women once they get older. I think this applies a lot in real life, too. Not to generalize, but there are a lot of men out there that prefer women much younger than them. I think it’s creepy, but to each their own.

I also see a connection between the two stories here. The narrator from The Arms of Saturday Night and the narrator for this story both seem to prioritize sexuality. The narrator from the previous story prioritizing her sexuality over her family’s grief, and this narrator prioritizes her sexuality over a normal life. I think sexual liberation is important, and everyone is free to do what they want as long as there is consent. But I think a line needs to be drawn when it is prioritized over every day life. But, both of the narrators in these stories are young. The narrator in the arms of Saturday night is around sixteen, and the narrator in this story is a college student. I think that the college student should know better, and be smarter about her choices.

The Arms of Saturday Night

I think this story focuses a lot on sexuality. Specifically, the sexuality of a young woman. The narrator is a young girl, and she wants to go to a party to see her crush. She even implies that she wants to have sex with him. However, her plans are stopped when her uncle dies. The family had the viewing on the same day of the party, so she can only attend one or the other. Of course, she goes to the viewing. But she still wants to go to the party regardless. After the viewing is over, she even asks her mother to go. Her mother doesn’t permit it, but she doesn’t stop her either. The narrator is about to leave, but she meets with her cousin Alan and they talk for a bit. They eventually leave, and Alan takes her to the train station.

While I think that sexuality is an important thing, I wouldn’t consider it more important than familial issues. I understand that the narrator is young, but I think it’s important for her to stay with her family during this hard time. There will always be other times to have sex or party. But something like this is just too devastating, and I disagree with her actions. Her family even expresses their feelings about her actions, yet she seems to be okay with that. I can’t fault her too much, especially since she’s a young girl. But a part of me wishes she was more sensitive to how her family feels.

Erl King

-How i would describe the power struggle between the narrator and the wild professor as that the wild professor is a beast from the wild and the Narrator is telling a story in a form of a fairy tale to tell us readers what is going on.

-I think that the four girls are different types because the reader is trying to let us know the difference of how these types of people act throughout the story and tell us the different types of females out there in the world.

-I think the narrator is the type to tell us a fairy tale and also make us believe in the magical stuff that is happening throughout the story.

-I think that the transformations are real in the story because at one point the wild professor is a handsome young man but then turns into a beast.

The Arms Of Saturday Night

-The dialogue in the story helps me understand what is going on in the story and also helps me get to know the people in the story.

- I believe that throughout the story there are different tones. The reason why I say this is because when they were at the uncle's funeral it was sad at first but then I believe that the tone had changed after the funeral. Janie wanted to spend her Saturday night with her friends but ended up staying with her dad talking about the uncle's death.

-The lines ``she couldn't really believe that the whole time they'd known each other his penis was right there with him, in his pants, right there. at school" how i would react to this is that why is it taking them forever to have sex if they knew each other for that long. I also think that it is inappropriate for the author to add it in the story. But people have different opinions.

-"Body fine but face meh". I think that Janie is upset and disappointed when the boys say this to her because what they are basically trying to say is that her body looks good but her face is not attractive enough to please them. I believe that it's disrespectful to say that to a girl no girl wants to hear that because then they are going to start to believe that they are ugly.

- In the conclusion she decides to stay with her father and the other men he was talking to and decide not to go to the party. i think that it was better for her to say at the funeral then to go out with her friends 

The Arms of Saturday Night and Erl King

What do these two stories have to say about the sexuality of young women? What do they say about gender roles? Are they feminist texts? Why or why not?

"Saturday Night": What does the dialogue in this story do for you as a reader? What is the tone of the story? Janie thinks, "She couldn't really believe that the whole time they'd known each other his penis was right there with him, in his pants, right there. At school!" (27) How did you react to these lines? How does Janie react to her being labeled on the boys' Excel spreadsheet, "Body fine but face meh"? How did you react to it? What do you think about the conclusion to the story?

"Erl King": It might help you to look at this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlking In any case, an erlking, or elf king, was supposed to be the king of the fairies (as in magical beings) in 19th century fairy tales. How would you describe the power struggle between the narrator and the Wild Professor? Why are the four girls different types--punker, hippie, preppy--who might not ordinarily be friends w/ ea other? What type is the narrator? Are the transformations real or imagination? What does the story say about female friendships?

Both of the readings this week derive a lot of their power, I think, from their excellent use of dialogue. In your own writings, I would like you to experiment w/ using dialogue--in your own stories, or in essays or poetry. I uploaded a dialogue exercise on Blackboard a few weeks ago (under Course Documents) or feel free to just add dialogue to something you're already working on.

The effect of heat on poor people

This is a sad story about marriage. Saba and Kamil are married , but in a period of time they realized that they don't have much in common. we lived in a world were many people like to believe that they are a good judge of character, which is not there nothing worst than finding out that someone you thought you could trust is apparently nothing like what you expect it to be.When you realize that  The both story are connect the two main idea focusing on mother and child and how the child persuade them to stay strong. Me personally I believe marriage is a wonderful union of two people who love each other, more communication , find activities , no lie ever and be real.

Hao

I found this story its a lot more interesting to look at from different angle: First the linguistic information , The historical atmosphere ,and the very personal story of a mother and her child. This very intellectual and emotional the evolution of the written language over the past two thousand years. I was attracted by the stories of the words chosen like Zero, Ten Thousand and good ,which in mandarin is Hao. I feel like within a language,they  usually have history to a words. This story show the idea of scorpion turned into the word for ten thousand,Direct reflection of her own reality.

The Effect of Heat on Poor People

I think this short story says a lot about marriage, especially arranged marriage. Saba and Kamil are married, but they soon realize that they don't have much in common. Rather, they argue and fight a lot. Even over small things. This eventually leads to a bigger fight between the couple. Kamil hits Saba across the face, and he is terrified of what he has done. I think this is a big turning point for them because they start to realize that things are wrong. However, this part of the story makes me feel upset because things should have never escalated that high in a relationship. I see no possible justification for it.

I also see a small connection between Hao and this story. The main characters are mothers and their child is a grounding force for them. Their children motivate them to move forward in life. Unfortunately, Saba loses her child, but I think the point stands regardless.

Hao.

The short story Hao was depressing, but I found it interesting. I never knew that there was a cultural revolution in China. Reading Hao gave me a bit more insight on it. But, Hao is a bit disturbing. IT is really dark, and I think it says a lot about censorship. Qingxin is assigned to write passages about the chairman Mao every single day. Something that stuck out to me in Hao was that part where Qingxin makes a mistake in her writing. Terrified, she tears out the paper that she was writing on and she eats it. However, this doesn't work for her and she is eventually beaten by the red guards for her actions. Additionally, she loses her apartment and her daughter is so terrified to see her beaten. It truly is horrible, and it reminds me of how fortunate we are to live in a government that doesn't punish us like that. Of course, America is far from being perfect, but I can at least compliment it for that.

Also, I wanted to note that Ming, Qingxin's daughter seems to be a grounding force for her. she loves her daughter dearly, and she tries to show that to her as best as she can. The world around Qingxin and Ming is horrible, yet Ming is unaware of it and Qingxin manages to find happiness in her daughter. I would say she is making the best out of a bad situation. I think this also makes the point that family bonds, or love in general is always a reason to keep pushing forwards.

The ending of The Alchemist

Finishing The Alchemist

The Alchemist leaves gold with the monk in case Santiago needs it even though he's close to his treasure. He explains w/ this proverb: "Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time." What does this mean?

The proverb "Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time." means that not everything is set stone but if has a will it has a way would be the best way to describe it. A one time thing is never bound to happen again. And something that consistently comes back will forever find a way.

New Drop Deadline

This new information has just come from the CUNY chancelor:

Course Withdrawal Period – Last Day to Drop with a Grade of “W.” The current deadline date listed on the calendar is Wednesday, April 1, 2020. We will move that date to Thursday, May 14, 2020. This is the published “Last Day of Classes,” and before final examination week (05/16-05/22) and also prior to the “End of the Spring Term,” (05/22/2020).


This is welcome news since it will give you guys more time to decide if you can finish the course online. Let me know if you have any questions about this.

"Hao" and "The Effect of Heat..."

"Hao":

The first word after the title is "1966." May 1966 was the start of The Cultural Revolution in China. Did you know about this? How does the story use this real historical event? What is the significance of the fact that Qingxin's former students are now beating her up and drove her husband, also a teacher, to suicide? Why did Mao want the Red Guard to persecute intellectuals? (I'm not so much interested in you researching this question. I'm more interested in why you think this persecution happened.)

The events of this story take place about two months after the start of the Cultural Revolution. I'm struck by the speed w/ which society was transformed. Can you make any links between this event and our current health crisis?

This story is for an English-speaking audience. What is the significance of the Chinese characters?

This is a very bleak story. Is there any hope here? Where? Where have you found hope in the past few days? Try to watch these videos of Italians singing out of their open windows w/ a dry eye:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/world/europe/italians-find-a-moment-of-joy-in-this-moment-of-anxiety.html

Why is the story titled "Hao"? Why does it end the way it does?

"The Effect of Heat on Poor People":

Why is it titled this? Kamil is writing an article about this, but I wonder, who are the poor people? He seems to be writing about others. What about Kamil and Saba? Are they the middle class?

Is the baby real? Why do you think Saba fantasizes about living alone w/ the adult child away from Kamil?

What does the story seem to say about love in marriage?

Like the other story, this too, is bleak. What rays of light, if any, exist in the story?

The moment where Kamil strikes Saba seems to be a turning point. How does this change things for them?

How did you react to the conclusion of the story?

As you work on your own writing this week, I'd like you to think about a couple of the techniques in "Hao": 1) Like I said above, what's so striking to me is how quickly things changed here. This is not sci-fi, but history. We're living through history now. Don't be afraid to write about how our lives are changing w/ the pandemic. These are scary times, but writing can help us understand what's going on. It's therapeutic and calming. Writing offers a kind of control. And 2) Ye Chun uses a foreign language in a way that's accessible to English readers. I know that some of you, or your parents, speak another language at home. Experiment w/ incorporating your birth language into your writing. Even if you don't speak another language, you speak slang, a private language that you and your peers share. Try to incorporate that.

One final note on the blog. Starting this week, you'll be required to make at least four entries, at least two of them in response to your classmates. Too many of you have only made entries during class time. This is a real problem, esp. since this is now worth 30% of your final grade. It's very important that you not only make these entries but that you read all of your classmates'. This is a huge part of what used to be class participation so you need to be active here for the remainder of the term.

Finally if you haven't already, don't forget to upload your midterm Collection to Blackboard by the end of the day on Thurs, 3/19. If you can't meet that deadline or have technical difficulties, please contact me.  

For those who need extra support w/ technology, check out this: https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/oet/AcademicContinuity-Students.html

Be safe.

finishing the alchemist ART

I wonder about the drawings in The Alchemist. Most novels for adults don't have drawings. They're more common in children's book or some YA books. I wonder: Does this mean The Alchemist is a children's book? It is pretty straight-forward and easy to read. But I wonder if the drawings serve to remove ambiguity. It's pretty easy to know what the book is about. It's hard to mistake the main idea, that everyone has a Personal Legend, that they're hard to achieve, that the journey is as important as the result, etc. Should a novel be this straight-forward? Shouldn't its readers have to try a little harder to get it? Another, related, question: Would you be likely to reread this book?


The Drawings in The Alchemist provide a visual aid for the reader, Most adult novels don't have drawings in it since children's books keep a child engaged with an imagination and it helps them follow along. With The Alchemist having drawings I would say It envokes the feeling of reading as a kid and the drawings help guide your imagination to whee the story is going. Also the book has this sense of wonder and magic to it that can be seen as child like. A novel can be any way a writer wants it I say that writing is a freedom and that I shouldn't have to be a certain way. A thing that keeps readers wanting more is the unexpected in storytelling, if all stories followed the same trope will it still be engaging and keep you wanting more? If I was to reread the book I would rather have not read it in the first place. by that I mean to read the book again with a new set of eyes and if I wasn't told it was a out a personal ledger I could interpret the book in a new light.

In the end of the book, readers see how Santiago has a gut feeling and a flashback of all his mistakes. "his heart was speaking of other things. With pride it told the story of a sheperd who had left his flock to follow his dream"page 164. Santiago encountered seven figures that were refugees from the tribal war, they robbed him, beat him and forced him to continue digging in the said because they thought he was hiding more treasure. After the incident the men left him alone and laughed at him, Santiago laughed back because he knew deep down in his heart he found what he wanted.

 We all are being with soul but our souls are different than others. I fell like before he find his treasure the battle was exhausted ,there are so much going on but he keep fighting for what he want.I also like the fact that he got down to he's knees and thank God for this long journey. Even though the situation seem harder the day by day fall forward at least you can see what you going to hit follow your heart and do everything with passion. Nothing is going to be easy ,you have to take risk in order to find what you feel passion about. The end his mystery its about spiritual and growth The value of this journey does not lie in the treasure at the end.

Ending of the Alchemist 

In the end, Santiago does a full 360. He discovers that his treasure us located where he first began his journey, Andalusia. After all the trial and tribulations he has gone through, finally he has found his personal legend. The ironic part is, it never had anything to do with the treasure. All along, it was the life experiences that he learned on the way. The ending of the story also defines Alchemy as more then turning led into gold. In fact it's about being in tune with the world around you and harmonizing with the universe in general. It's about learning from the negative situations and turning them into life lessons. Because of everything that has happened to Santiago, he is wiser and braver.

Ending Of The Alchemist

At the end of the alchemist Santiago is in the desert riding to find his personal legend  some other guys caught him digging and told him that they need money. then when they pulled him up they found gold and  the leader told  them to leave him alone because it was his. also he really got to know who god really is. now he realize that the treasure was not his personal legend. And i strongly believe that his personal legend was finding love and going back to spain because it not was in Egypt.

The Alchemist conclusion
     This ending for the book shows us that Santiago had the treasure under his foot the whole time. One of the  refuges told him that in the exact spot that Santiago's dream told him to go he had a dream that said the treasure is under a tree in Spain where Santiago came from. Its a return home for Santiago to someplace technically he never had to leave in the first place, but then he never would have had this trip. He doesn't get mad when he hears this news he gets over joyed because he too knows the trip was worth it. He found something to believe in, He found his personal legend, and he found love in the deserts of Egypt a love that does not make him content with his life but instead actually chase after his personal legend. So this ending bring the point home that its not the destination that you got to but the journey to get there. 

Finishing the Alchemist Response

In the ending of the alchemist, it is reveled that his treasure was back home. I think the story ended this way to show that his personal legend was just to learn. He experienced so much on this journey that he's going to carry with him forever. He also now has the courage to do many thing because the man that beat him up told him he had a similar dream that lead to the treasure but wasn't stupid enough to travel across the desert to get it. In the end that's what lead him to getting the treasure. He went home and dug where he used to sleep. IT funny how he traveled all this way just to have that one experience with that man to find out where his treasures actually lay.

ending of the alchemist

The ending of the book was almost a surprise to me. Santiago traveled for months, he had is dream in his head the whole time and he didnt lose sight of what he thought to be true. After traveling all this way he finally made it. He got to the pyramids of Egypt, he knew his treasure was close. He began to weep tears of joy when he saw them and when he looked down  he saw a beetle, it was a good omen, a sign fro god. He knew he was where he was supposed to be and he began digging for his treasure. After digging a hole all night he was greeted by three men, they wanted his treasure. They beat him and robbed him and they finally realized he had nothing to offer. The leader of the group called him stupid and explained to the boy that he once had similar dreams about an old church in Spain where the shepherds sleep. He told the boy that even if the ream was true he wouldn't be stupid enough to go and find it. This was Santiago treasure. Finding the men as the treasure he has been looking for this whole time. For the one man to come up to him, while having no idea who he was or what he did and he perfectly explained to the boy that his dream is exactly where Santiago needed to be, back home! He used all this time searching for his treasure, only to find out that the mean words of these random Arab men in the desert was his treasure. They told him the truth, and made him realize he belongs back at home and thats where his destiny is.

Finishing the Alchemist

The ending to the Alchemist made me feel a bit confused. It ends with Santiago reaching the Pyramids at last, and he tries his hardest to find his treasure. However, he gets beaten by a group of men that need money. They spare him when they realize that he has nothing on him. Before the men leave, one man tells Santiago is foolish for pursuing his dream to Egypt. The man then goes on to say that he once had a dream that he should go to Spain, where he would find his own personal treasure. However, The man chose not to pursue this dream as he thought it was foolish. After he leaves, Santiago realizes that his treasure was back home all along. It was always with him. But his personal legend was created when he experienced new things. An example of this would be when Santiago met Fatima, or when he learns from the alchemist.

Finishing The Alechemist

I wonder about the drawings in The Alchemist. Most novels for adults don't have drawings. They're more common in children's book or some YA books. I wonder: Does this mean The Alchemist is a children's book? It is pretty straight-forward and easy to read. But I wonder if the drawings serve to remove ambiguity. It's pretty easy to know what the book is about. It's hard to mistake the main idea, that everyone has a Personal Legend, that they're hard to achieve, that the journey is as important as the result, etc. Should a novel be this straight-forward? Shouldn't its readers have to try a little harder to get it? Another, related, question: Would you be likely to reread this book?

Finishing The Alchemist

The Alchemist leaves gold with the monk in case Santiago needs it even though he's close to his treasure. He explains w/ this proverb: "Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time." What does this mean?

Other questions:

• What role does Fatima play in the novel? What is her Personal Legend? Does the book seem to say anything about gender roles? Put another way, we learn that Santiago's Personal Legend is the treasure buried at the pyramids (but not really there) and that love shouldn't distract him from his Personal Legend. We learn that Santiago is Fatima's Personal Legend and she should just stay put and patiently wait for him to return. Does the allegory tell us about gender roles, or is it just about these specific two people? Explain.
• Did Santiago really turn himself into the wind? Explain. 
• What role do the drawings play? Are they necessary? 

What questions do you still have? How did reading this book help you write about your own Personal Legend? 

The alchemist week 2

• Much of The Alchemist seems to be about learning. How does the book argue that wisdom is gained? Another question might be: What is wisdom?

The alchemist argues wisdom is gained by exploration and experience. This can be shown with Santiago growing up he learns how to read through school and how he learns to become a shepherd. 

• Does economic class play a role in realizing your Personal Legend? Why or why not?

Yes economic class plays a role in realizing your personal legend. With money you would have more oppertunity to do things rather than none at all. Everyone is born with equal but for some one with money would have a easier time in life getting to there goal rather than someone who is poor.

• Let's think of an alternate end to The Alchemist: Santiago earns a lot of money in Tangier, goes back to Spain, buys a lot of sheep, marries the merchant's daughter and has a family. Is this a happy ending or a sad one?

This is a happy ending of it’s what santiago wants. But that’s not what he wants santiago wants to embark on a journey and find his personal lessened, i believe he would be happy with that but santiago knows deep down he would not be satisfied with that life 

• The Englishman is attempting to realize his Personal Legend too. In what ways is his philosophy toward life different than Santiago's? In what ways similar? 

• What role does Fatima play in Santiago's Personal Legend?

Fatima plays Santiago’s love interest in the alchemist. the purpose of her is love for Santiago and is something to look forward for at the end of his journey he would go back to find her and marry her.

Does economic class play a role in realizing your Personal Legend? Why or why not?

I think Economic class does play a role in realizing your personal legend. I think that people of higher economic class have a better chance of finding their personal legend. I say this because they are able to take bigger risks while losing less. For example, if a wealthy person were to invest a lot of money in their dream or personal legend, they wouldn't be losing much if things didn't work out. However, if a poor person were to do the same thing, they might lose everything that they have. Things may be so bad for them, they might not ever be able to return to normal life again. Of course, both people have the opportunity to pursue their personal legend if they choose. However, a poor person might have to work harder and smarter in order to achieve their goals.

The alchemist finished

After reading The Alchemist I've been given a whole new perspective on the topic "finding your personal legend". Santiago was forced to follow his dream without knowing where it was headed. Although he basically traveled all the way to Egypt to find out that he had to go back to Spain, he was'nt upset. Not even when he was beaten for the measly peiece of gold he had in his bag. The ending goes to show that one can work very hard and become frustrated from one goal but along the path of finding their legend this person can learn enough lessons to make him almost immortal. Santiago felt true power when the wind began to move with him and he finally got to talk to the elements. But this power does'nt change Santiago from who he is, a boy that is fine with receiving omens from the lord while waiting patiently for his treasure. Before I thought a personal legend had to be a roll model or yourself, but the Alchemist has made me realize that the forces of the world can also be a personal legend along with influence from other people and messeges from animals or the lord himself.

Mark Varga
     In this excerpt of the Alchemist from page 63 to 67 it shows us the difference between the know and the unknown and how the universe in the end always pick which path is best for you. The start of this excerpt sees the Santiago about to take off. After spending a year in Tangier working at the crystal shop he was finally able to set aside enough money to reclaim a flock of sheep back home in Spain. And all though he knows about his personal legend of going to the pyramids and his knowledge of the old king this is his choice of action to return to his homeland of Spain and reclaim the lifestyle he once had herding sheep. And to him that is the familiar. He wants to go back because he knows its a safe option. He knows the sheep are his friends because he knows how to herd the sheep and how to take care of him properly. He knows it'll be safe whereas the dessert wont be. The dessert is unknown new territory to him. Its the unknown and he doesn't want any part of it. Or so we think because that is where his personal legend lies at the base of those pyramids across the dessert. And that is the choice he has between the familiar and the unknown.   

 I feel like he really determined to find what he want ,the courage that he have make him much stronger to go far away. I really like when he start questioning his dreams ,even though he knows what he can do. That's life no matter how prepare you are ,you're going to have unexpected things happen. You're going to have a path and somethings going to disrupt your plan that you didn't expect.

Page 63-67 Analysis

        I think that at this point in the book Santiago's monologue on page 63-67 symbolizes character development. At this point in the story he's growing up and its showing in the way his thinking is evolving. instead of just allowing the world to blow him from place-to-place he is looking back on how much he has accomplished and knows that because of his previous struggles he is able to accomplish his goals. his current goal being finding the the treasure of his dreams. Which is in direct contrast to how only 30 pages earlier Santiago was only waiting passively to ask out the beautiful merchants daughter. Instead of going in and just addressing his desire to be with her he would wait a year just to see her again, and then wouldn't express his love when he saw her again.

The Alchemist Pg 63

In the alchemist pages 63-67 we continue to follow the story of the boy. He now has been living with the crystal merchant for over a year and finally has enough money to buy his own set of sheep and head back home. The crystal merchant encourages Santiago to go back home but that not what he wants. Santiago wants to go and find his personal legend that in the pyramids and that it was a once in a life time opportunity. he argues the idea that he knows how to be a Sheppard and can always go back to that life. The king appears before him and Santiago is eager for a change in life knowing he can always go back to something known, but the unknown is always more adventures.

"I'm going to go back to doing just what I did before..."

It seems that this thought depresses Santiago. It seems that the novel is arguing that a certain type of person, like Santiago, is built for realizing his personal legend, and another type, like the crystal merchant, is not. Or maybe this is an issue of age? The merchant is too set in his ways to actually go to Mecca. And maybe this is also like that saying "You're only as old as you feel." If the merchant "felt" younger, he might be the type who would be willing to go to Mecca. He would never have entirely lost sight of his Personal Legend. (It seems like the novel is saying that you can't realize your Personal Legend by playing it safe. Your Personal Legend can't be to just be a really successful crystal salesman or sheep herder.)

the alchemist part two

In in part of the text Santiago is deciphering between his only two choices, either go back to own sheep but this time more than before? Or follow the omen and stay on the same path to the pyramids of Egypt. He began to disbelieve what the old king had said before about the treasure and completing his personal legend because of all of the trials he has been through to only be about 2 hours closer to the pyramids of Egypt. His strength, patience, and will power is being tested by nature and possibly even the old king himself. the author wants the boy to figure out what exactly he wants without just telling the reader what is going to happen next. What ever the boy has been through so far wasn't spoken to him about with the king so he wasn't exactly prepared for what he's been experiencing however it's made him a bigger man. The fact that Santiago has to leave the Merchant behind goes to show the boy what and where he will end up being if he doesn't pursue this dream and retires to what he's been doing his whole life.

The Alchemist sec. 2.

The boy is still working in the crystal shop. It has been over a year and he is trying to earn enough money to buy all of his sheep back. He wants to go home and he now realizes that his sheep were his friends this entire time and he was living a simple life traveling like he wanted. Soon after he leaves the crystal shop, and he realizes something about the owners hair reminds him of the king he met a year earlier. He realized that he has not thought about the king for a while, he realizes he cant give up on his personal legend. He went there, and sold his sheep for his destiny. This is when he realized that he couldnt give up, he needed to chase his personal legend. The same night he was reminded of the king again when the two rocks fell out of is bag, he knew this was a positive omen, and it encouraged him to once again, find his personal legend.

About this section in the alchemist

I think Santiago realizes that he should pursue his dream of going to Egypt, regardless of the odds. The merchant opens up to him about his own dreams and it touches Santiago. He feels bad for the merchant because he doesn't want to pursue his dream. Some time passes and Santiago finally has enough money to go buy sheep and go back to Spain. However, he realizes that he may not ever be bale to go back to Egypt ever again. Santiago could always become a shepherd, or a merchant, but he may never get the chance to see the pyramids if he leaves Africa now. This realization allows Santiago to continue pursuing his personal legend.

Follow-up to Library Visit

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The Alchemist, Week 2

Some questions I have about The Alchemist:

• Much of The Alchemist seems to be about learning. How does the book argue that wisdom is gained? Another question might be: What is wisdom? 
• Does economic class play a role in realizing your Personal Legend? Why or why not?
• Let's think of an alternate end to The Alchemist: Santiago earns a lot of money in Tangier, goes back to Spain, buys a lot of sheep, marries the merchant's daughter and has a family. Is this a happy ending or a sad one?
• The Englishman is attempting to realize his Personal Legend too. In what ways is his philosophy toward life different than Santiago's? In what ways similar? 
• What role does Fatima play in Santiago's Personal Legend?

The alchemist beginning questions

Beginning The Alchemist

What is alchemy (or alchemists)? (If you don't know, Google it.)

- Alchemy can be defined as a magical process of transformation. A alchemist is one who practices alchemy transforming/ creating something through what seems to be magic.

Santiago (the boy) endeavors to travel from Spain to Egypt. This is evidently before trains, cars, or planes. What is the significance of this journey?

- The endeavors of the journey Santiago travels is that’s he would have to use different modes of transport ;such like camel back , horses even just relying on his legs to get him from point A to B. The significance of this journey that Santiago travels is the people that he meets along the way and not the destination. For example when he meet the merchants daughter he was interested in marrying her snd the opportunity to work the alchemist.

Often, the events in The Alchemist will repeat and offer new interpretations of old experiences. So, although the boy hates the tea at first, he likes it later. Or he realizes that Northern Africa (Morocco) is not a "strange" place, but a "new" one. What do you think these simple shifts in perspective are trying to tell the reader?

- The shifts in perspective are trying to tell the reader on how change can happen over time and nothing is set in stone. The changes Santiago goes throughout the story shows growth in his character. With these changes his experiences are expanded over time and is no longer a simple Sheppard.

The king of Salem says that the world's greatest lie is that at a certain point in our lives we lose control of what's happening to us and we're controlled by fate (20). Do you agree or disagree? Explain.

- I agree with this statement , often times people think there in control but that could be true but only to a extent the control is based on you and you only the affects of things that happen around you are out of your control.

What questions do you have so far?
- What time period does it take place exactly?