Response to Course Material

Despite having a break during this blog cycle, we have covered a large amount of material, mostly related to The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. After annotating on our own, we discussed many different motifs and themes in class. I found the most interesting motif to be the way that many of the older women look out the window. This not only represented their unhappiness, but also commented on the nature of the woman's role in poor Latino neighborhoods and perhaps the institution of marriage as it relates to educational and professional opportunities, or the lack of them, for Latina women. I thought we covered a lot of other interesting points during class, especially when we participated in the "round table discussion." I thought this gave a lot of people a chance to share insights that they would not have contributed in the larger group.

We also briefly covered different literary eras and critical perspectives in a power point presentation. Most of the presentation was on information I covered in detail in American Lit, but there were a few new elements as well. It was interesting to hear about postmodern elements such as the simulacrum, which we discussed in American Lit, but not in as much detail. Mrs. Holmes also mentioned how contemporary literature implements "stream of consciousness" writing. It's surprising how much we rely on antecedents to follow traditional prose, and the lack of them makes even simple descriptions turgid.

We also recently started Shakespeare's Hamlet. In preparation, we read two articles about Elizabethan theater. I look forward to reading Hamlet in class and beginning to decipher this incredibly complex piece of writing that has captivated scholars for centuries. In eighth grade, I read it on my own and analyzed in from a psychoanalytical perspective. This time I look forward to seeing it from other angles and forming a stronger understanding of the play.