Gustavo Quintero
November 29, 2007
English 48A
Journal #24 Harriet Beecher Stowe
Quote:
"The trader caught a full glimpse of her, just as she was disappearing down the bank; and throwing himself from his horse, and calling loudly on Sam and Andy, he was after her like a hound after a deer" (Stowe 1719).
Summary:
After Sam, Andy and Haley have turned around after hitting a dead end, Haley spots Eliza in a nearby home.
Response:
The cruelty and harshness of Haley is very obvious. After he spots Eliza he jumps off his horse and as the above quote says; begins to hunt Eliza like an animal. Haley chases after her like a hunter after a deer. He has her pinned down and he is about to make the capture. Uncle Tom's Cabin may have been a work of fiction but unfortunately going after escaped slaves was not. After reading all this I can not imagine the fear and stress a runaway slave faced knowing they were being chased by like an animal. The quote just reiterates the brutality and harshness of the lives of the black slave. The astonishing part of all this is how the Bird's take in Eliza and later help her escape from Haley.
Haley from the very beginning of the chapter is a very crude and unlikable character. The one action that got me angry was how he demanded to the little boy that he dance for him. The worst part is that this was normal interactions between whites and black slaves.
I can not even begin to imagine what Eliza or was going through while trying to run away from Haley. Worst of all she also has her weaker and slower child as a burden. Fortunatley for her she is given some time from Sam and Andy's stalling and by the hospitality of the Birds. The bond that a mother has between her child and herself will make her do phenominal almost unhuman things
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Sam and Andy trick Haley
Gustavo Quintero
November 29, 2007
English 48A
Journal #23 Harriet Beecher Stowe
Quote:
"Sam knew exactly what he meant, but he kept on a look of earnest and desperate simplicity. 'Our dogs all smells round considerably sharp. I spect they's the kind , though they han't never had no practice" (Beecher Stowe 1717).
Summary:
Sam and Andy are trying to delay Haley by making it seem like their fumbling through his demands, although unapparent to Haley Sam and Andy are actually tricking him.
Response:
It amazes me just how clever these characters are. Haley thinks that he is a man of great intelligence and wit yet he is getting tricked right before his eyes and without the slightest idea of what Sam and Andy are doing. The dialogue that Stowe uses brings the character's to life. As Scott said in class, this was the first book to use direct dialogue as it would be spoken by black slaves in the mid 1800's. When I first read the assigned reading I had a little bit of trouble completely understanding the dialogue that was going on. After going over the selection with Scott I was on the same page as him. This really is quite a witty and humorous description of the interactions between Sam, Andy and Haley. I simply love how Sam and Andy play dumb the whole time and stall Haley. All this to help out Eliza. This also invokes a sense of community and unity. These two slaves are willing to risk retaliation by Haley so that Eliza can escape with her child. Anyhow I want to talk about the humor in the above mentioned scene.
After going over the reading in class I was picturing how this scene would play out in a theater or on the big screen. I can just imagine two older black slaves calling over the fresh horses and beat up and old hounds. While Haley is making demands at them to hurry up. "Yes boss, right away boss", they reply. This scene could really be a funny slapstick kind of routine. The funniest part is when Sam sees Eliza peer through the window and he pretends that the wind has knocked his hat off of his hat. Sam is then jumping and yelling as he picks up his hat. Its amazing how a couple pages of words and dialogue can give someone such a vivid image of what is going on. I also love the reverse psychology that Sam and Andy use on Haley. By telling Haley not to go down the dirt road. All this just shows how intelligent the black slaves could be, although this is simply a work of fiction I like to think that the black slaves were clever enough to trick their masters if such an event like this did occur.
November 29, 2007
English 48A
Journal #23 Harriet Beecher Stowe
Quote:
"Sam knew exactly what he meant, but he kept on a look of earnest and desperate simplicity. 'Our dogs all smells round considerably sharp. I spect they's the kind , though they han't never had no practice" (Beecher Stowe 1717).
Summary:
Sam and Andy are trying to delay Haley by making it seem like their fumbling through his demands, although unapparent to Haley Sam and Andy are actually tricking him.
Response:
It amazes me just how clever these characters are. Haley thinks that he is a man of great intelligence and wit yet he is getting tricked right before his eyes and without the slightest idea of what Sam and Andy are doing. The dialogue that Stowe uses brings the character's to life. As Scott said in class, this was the first book to use direct dialogue as it would be spoken by black slaves in the mid 1800's. When I first read the assigned reading I had a little bit of trouble completely understanding the dialogue that was going on. After going over the selection with Scott I was on the same page as him. This really is quite a witty and humorous description of the interactions between Sam, Andy and Haley. I simply love how Sam and Andy play dumb the whole time and stall Haley. All this to help out Eliza. This also invokes a sense of community and unity. These two slaves are willing to risk retaliation by Haley so that Eliza can escape with her child. Anyhow I want to talk about the humor in the above mentioned scene.
After going over the reading in class I was picturing how this scene would play out in a theater or on the big screen. I can just imagine two older black slaves calling over the fresh horses and beat up and old hounds. While Haley is making demands at them to hurry up. "Yes boss, right away boss", they reply. This scene could really be a funny slapstick kind of routine. The funniest part is when Sam sees Eliza peer through the window and he pretends that the wind has knocked his hat off of his hat. Sam is then jumping and yelling as he picks up his hat. Its amazing how a couple pages of words and dialogue can give someone such a vivid image of what is going on. I also love the reverse psychology that Sam and Andy use on Haley. By telling Haley not to go down the dirt road. All this just shows how intelligent the black slaves could be, although this is simply a work of fiction I like to think that the black slaves were clever enough to trick their masters if such an event like this did occur.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
The burden of sin
Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
November 15, 2007
Journal #22 Nathaniel Hawthorne
Quote:
"Its gloom, indeed, enabled him to sympathize with all dark affections. Dying sinners cried aloud for Mr. Hooper, and would not yield their breath till he appeared" (Hawthorne 1318).
Summary:
People are crying out for Mr Hooper, dying people. Mr. Hooper is a man with extraordinary power who does not belong on the in the flesh and blood world. People who are about to cross into the afterlife see the power that Mr. Hooper holds.
Response:
I wanted to write about another topic in this short story but I felt compelled to write more about Mr Hooper's power and his veil. The above quote is a very powerful one because it shows the extent of Mr. Hooper's influence. I may have been wrong when I said that Mr. Hooper was a quiet man who kept to himself. He may have been quiet but from the context of this quote Mr Hooper's seems to have been making his rounds with the people in his community who are about to die. This says something very important about Mr. Hooper, he may not belong with us on this world. Just as Jesus Christ's true life did not belong until after he passed away the same goes for Mr. Hooper.
When Mr. Hooper gets into a fight with his wife about the veil he says how the veil is on a temporary "crape" in the eternal world he will no longer have it. This is important because it points toward further proof that Mr. Hooper has a purpose after he is long passed away. The veil may act as a symbol of the sins that he carries for people. With this heavy weight on his shoulder he eventually passes away only to start his true purpose.
I keep coming back to this comparison between Jesus Christ and Mr. Hooper. I by no means am trying the undermine Jesus but I feel there is a similarity between the two that should be pointed out. Mr. Hooper wears the black veil as a way of capturing society's sins. This is what made him so powerful, the ability to carry all the darkness, sorrow and hatred of society's sins yet still be able to get up every day and teach people the word of God.
English 48A
November 15, 2007
Journal #22 Nathaniel Hawthorne
Quote:
"Its gloom, indeed, enabled him to sympathize with all dark affections. Dying sinners cried aloud for Mr. Hooper, and would not yield their breath till he appeared" (Hawthorne 1318).
Summary:
People are crying out for Mr Hooper, dying people. Mr. Hooper is a man with extraordinary power who does not belong on the in the flesh and blood world. People who are about to cross into the afterlife see the power that Mr. Hooper holds.
Response:
I wanted to write about another topic in this short story but I felt compelled to write more about Mr Hooper's power and his veil. The above quote is a very powerful one because it shows the extent of Mr. Hooper's influence. I may have been wrong when I said that Mr. Hooper was a quiet man who kept to himself. He may have been quiet but from the context of this quote Mr Hooper's seems to have been making his rounds with the people in his community who are about to die. This says something very important about Mr. Hooper, he may not belong with us on this world. Just as Jesus Christ's true life did not belong until after he passed away the same goes for Mr. Hooper.
When Mr. Hooper gets into a fight with his wife about the veil he says how the veil is on a temporary "crape" in the eternal world he will no longer have it. This is important because it points toward further proof that Mr. Hooper has a purpose after he is long passed away. The veil may act as a symbol of the sins that he carries for people. With this heavy weight on his shoulder he eventually passes away only to start his true purpose.
I keep coming back to this comparison between Jesus Christ and Mr. Hooper. I by no means am trying the undermine Jesus but I feel there is a similarity between the two that should be pointed out. Mr. Hooper wears the black veil as a way of capturing society's sins. This is what made him so powerful, the ability to carry all the darkness, sorrow and hatred of society's sins yet still be able to get up every day and teach people the word of God.
Black Veil
Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
November 15, 2007
Journal #21 Nathaniel Hawthorne
Quote:
"Mr Hooper had the reputation of a good preacher, but not an energetic one:he strove to win his people heavenward by mild persuasive influences, rather than to drive them thither, by the thunders of the world"( Hawthorne 1313).
Summary:
Hawthorne is describing Mr. Hooper's personality. He is a very quiet mild mannered man who spreads the word of God by mild persuasions. He is not the fore and brimstone type of preacher. Rather he is very calm, collect and unimposing.
Response:
I want to start this journal off by saying how intriguing this short story was. As mentioned in our class discussion, the beauty of this story is that it can be read and interpreted so many different ways. For me it is the subtleties throughout the text that I find the most fascinating. Just how does the black veil come to symbolize so much? First it is important to peer into the personality of Mr Hooper, as the above quote says Mr Hooper would try to win people over by mild influences. This is where the subtlety comes into place. The black veil acts as the mild influence that Mr. Hooper wants to put onto people. At first glance when the people in the story see Mr. Hooper with the black veil on they do not pay much mind to it. Later as the story progresses on the people of the community become weary and scared of the veil. Mr. Hooper uses this mild expression as a way to communicate a larger message. The larger message could be many things, but to me it seems like Mr. Hooper wears the black veil as a way of showing people that everybody's sins are falling on his shoulders. This seems likely because he was a very quiet man who kept to himself. Just as Jesus Christ died for our sins Mr. Hooper wears the sins of everybody. After discussing this story in class this is the conclusion I have come up with. People are always afraid of what they do not know. If people knew what the true purpose of the veil was than maybe they would not be so afraid of Mr. Hooper and the black veil.
English 48A
November 15, 2007
Journal #21 Nathaniel Hawthorne
Quote:
"Mr Hooper had the reputation of a good preacher, but not an energetic one:he strove to win his people heavenward by mild persuasive influences, rather than to drive them thither, by the thunders of the world"( Hawthorne 1313).
Summary:
Hawthorne is describing Mr. Hooper's personality. He is a very quiet mild mannered man who spreads the word of God by mild persuasions. He is not the fore and brimstone type of preacher. Rather he is very calm, collect and unimposing.
Response:
I want to start this journal off by saying how intriguing this short story was. As mentioned in our class discussion, the beauty of this story is that it can be read and interpreted so many different ways. For me it is the subtleties throughout the text that I find the most fascinating. Just how does the black veil come to symbolize so much? First it is important to peer into the personality of Mr Hooper, as the above quote says Mr Hooper would try to win people over by mild influences. This is where the subtlety comes into place. The black veil acts as the mild influence that Mr. Hooper wants to put onto people. At first glance when the people in the story see Mr. Hooper with the black veil on they do not pay much mind to it. Later as the story progresses on the people of the community become weary and scared of the veil. Mr. Hooper uses this mild expression as a way to communicate a larger message. The larger message could be many things, but to me it seems like Mr. Hooper wears the black veil as a way of showing people that everybody's sins are falling on his shoulders. This seems likely because he was a very quiet man who kept to himself. Just as Jesus Christ died for our sins Mr. Hooper wears the sins of everybody. After discussing this story in class this is the conclusion I have come up with. People are always afraid of what they do not know. If people knew what the true purpose of the veil was than maybe they would not be so afraid of Mr. Hooper and the black veil.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Walden
Gustavo Quintero
English 48A
October 9, 2007
Journal #20 Thoreau
Quote:
Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand;instead of a million count a half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail"(Thoreau 1920).
Summary:
Thoreau is telling his audience of readers to simplify their lives. Keep everything you do to the bare minimum, such as eating only once a day instead of three. This simplicity will ultimately lead to a better life and better overall satisfaction life.
Response:
No truer words could have been said. Too many people in today's time have their lives full of clutter. I for example feel like I have too much junk in my room. I would love to clean it all out but I would not know where to start or where to put it all. The wonderful aspect of Thoreau's writings is that you can incorporate them into all parts of your life. Be it your daily routine, your living situation or even how you sustain yourself. Thoreau was not only preaching this but he also acted on what he said. He found himself a plot of land where he built himself a cabin to live in. This is where he was able to write Walden. Sometimes I wish I had the opportunity to find myself a plot of land live by myself in nature. This could prove to be somewhat difficult especially considering that I am from the suburbs and I am not extremely knowledgeable when it comes to living off of the land. I simply love how Thoreau says, "keep your accounts on your thumbnail", It speaks to everybody. To many people have too much on their platter. They try to juggle to many events and daily actions all at once. As a society of free thinkers Thoreau is telling us to free ourselves from this personal oppression. I say oppression because at times a life full of distractions and events can keep a person down. Thoreau writes about how much more freedom we could have if we broke ties with the complicated matters in our lives and kept them at bay or to the bare minimum.
English 48A
October 9, 2007
Journal #20 Thoreau
Quote:
Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand;instead of a million count a half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail"(Thoreau 1920).
Summary:
Thoreau is telling his audience of readers to simplify their lives. Keep everything you do to the bare minimum, such as eating only once a day instead of three. This simplicity will ultimately lead to a better life and better overall satisfaction life.
Response:
No truer words could have been said. Too many people in today's time have their lives full of clutter. I for example feel like I have too much junk in my room. I would love to clean it all out but I would not know where to start or where to put it all. The wonderful aspect of Thoreau's writings is that you can incorporate them into all parts of your life. Be it your daily routine, your living situation or even how you sustain yourself. Thoreau was not only preaching this but he also acted on what he said. He found himself a plot of land where he built himself a cabin to live in. This is where he was able to write Walden. Sometimes I wish I had the opportunity to find myself a plot of land live by myself in nature. This could prove to be somewhat difficult especially considering that I am from the suburbs and I am not extremely knowledgeable when it comes to living off of the land. I simply love how Thoreau says, "keep your accounts on your thumbnail", It speaks to everybody. To many people have too much on their platter. They try to juggle to many events and daily actions all at once. As a society of free thinkers Thoreau is telling us to free ourselves from this personal oppression. I say oppression because at times a life full of distractions and events can keep a person down. Thoreau writes about how much more freedom we could have if we broke ties with the complicated matters in our lives and kept them at bay or to the bare minimum.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
First reading of Thoreau
Gustavo Quintero
November 8, 2007
English 48A
Journal #19 Henry David Thoreau
Quote:
"I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it" (Thoreau 1858).
Summary:
Thoreau is making a radical statement by telling everybody that the key to having a free and just government is by protesting against the actions of the government.
Response:
As most college students around my age I have heard of Thoreau but I had never taken the time to reading any of his works. After we dissected and discussed Thoreau in class I clearly realized the importance and very radical way that Thoreau's writings are. For a person to think as radically as Thoreau did in the 1800's is very rare and astonishing. When we read Thoreau line by line I was amazed to see the plethora of quotes that could be taken from, Resistance to Civil Government. The way this man thought about the government and protesting it really amazes me. His work is extremely radical. Calling for the protest and breaking of unjust laws in order to obtain the government necessary to a balanced life. This type of writing and thought is what influenced many great freedom fighters such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
An interesting thought was brought up on class when someone said(sorry I can't remember who it was) just how would Thoreau's ideals about government work if they were actually practiced. As Scott mentioned a frequent critique of Thoreau is that he was an exceptional idealist but that his ideas would not work in the physical world. As I mentioned before there were two great men who were able to take the ideals of Thoreau and use them in the fight for there respective freedom fights. Gandhi and King Jr. were able to rally non violent protests that helped them begin and achieve the goals they each strived for. The wonderful aspect of Thoreau's essay is how all types of groups and people can use his words as an argument for their parties voice.
November 8, 2007
English 48A
Journal #19 Henry David Thoreau
Quote:
"I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it" (Thoreau 1858).
Summary:
Thoreau is making a radical statement by telling everybody that the key to having a free and just government is by protesting against the actions of the government.
Response:
As most college students around my age I have heard of Thoreau but I had never taken the time to reading any of his works. After we dissected and discussed Thoreau in class I clearly realized the importance and very radical way that Thoreau's writings are. For a person to think as radically as Thoreau did in the 1800's is very rare and astonishing. When we read Thoreau line by line I was amazed to see the plethora of quotes that could be taken from, Resistance to Civil Government. The way this man thought about the government and protesting it really amazes me. His work is extremely radical. Calling for the protest and breaking of unjust laws in order to obtain the government necessary to a balanced life. This type of writing and thought is what influenced many great freedom fighters such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
An interesting thought was brought up on class when someone said(sorry I can't remember who it was) just how would Thoreau's ideals about government work if they were actually practiced. As Scott mentioned a frequent critique of Thoreau is that he was an exceptional idealist but that his ideas would not work in the physical world. As I mentioned before there were two great men who were able to take the ideals of Thoreau and use them in the fight for there respective freedom fights. Gandhi and King Jr. were able to rally non violent protests that helped them begin and achieve the goals they each strived for. The wonderful aspect of Thoreau's essay is how all types of groups and people can use his words as an argument for their parties voice.
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