ENG 3298 Blog

"I grew up feeling like I lived on another planet, or some isolated world in a hostile, or at the best, unfriendly, firmament." Pg. 510 From Zami: a new spelling of my name / Audre Lorde. Word Count: 289      The narrative From Zami: a new spelling of my name by Audre Lorde is very different from any other text we have read during class this semester. The narrative talks about her childhood growing up in Harlem, although her family was from the West Indies. She talks about her experiences through the Depression and how it affected tensions, as well as how it impacted racial tension as well. Audre Lorde goes on to talk about how her family was treated and how her mother was treated, as she looked up to her mother. Although her childhood was not on that was easy by any means as she grew up blind. Audre Lorde talks about her difficult learning and how her experience in school was difficult and her teachers were often mean to her, which has something to do with her being bli...

 "if warmth is known as the blessing it is, if your bed, your bath, your best-liked food, and drink are regarded as fresh delights, then you know how to thrive when old." Pg.705 The Measure of My Days / Florida Scott-Maxwell  Word Count: 275      The story The Measure of My Days by Florida Scott-Maxwell is a short tale that is very intricate and beautiful. The story talks about aging and about how old people view aging as well as what to look forward to when getting old. What to look out for and how to live when you age. The thoughts experienced in this story are very deep and somewhat dark when talking about death. Although that is how death is talked about amongst old people. In which they talk about their health, disability, living alone after one has passed, and thinking about how much longer they have left. Florida Scott Maxwell makes death seem almost like a friend, in which she shares that to a certain extent after a while, death is your friend and is wel...

 Lost in Translation By Eva Hoffman "The very place where language is at its most conventional, where it should be most taken for granted, are the places where I feel the prick of artifice." Pg.389 Word Count:250      Lost in Translation by Eva Hoffman is a story that drives a narrative of understanding the language of different cultures and the immigrant experience. Eva Hoffman moved with her family from Poland to Canada. The entire story of Lost in Translation talks about Eva Hoffman's experience learning new words, and phrases and how they conflict with her Polish mind. These recent changes also impact her relationships with other people in which they are trying to figure out what they mean in what they say. This inevitably gets lost in translation as in the title's name, making her experience more difficult.       The quote from Lost in Translation page 389 talks about the difficulties that were faced in her everyday life, in learning new cu...

 "Let her settled at 'Metts'  and cook a pan of gingerbread then we'll all go down and tell lies and eat gingerbread." Pg. 407 From Mules and Men/Zora by Neal Hurston. Word Count: 250      I have never read anything like this text by Neal Hurston called From Mules and Men / Zora. The story started out by talking about what the audience would believe to be the center of the story. Which is storytelling, the author starts out talking about why they are leaving home and going north in order to gain new ideas, thoughts, and stories. The way in which they talk about storytelling is by calling them lies, which plays into the idea that we are peaking into their culture and customs anthropologically. The story shifts though and starts to talk about a woman in Voodoo and then talks about the author learning everything there is to Voodoo and becoming an apprentice.       The quote that I had chosen above was in order to discuss the idea of the “lies” t...

 "Betrayed by food, I let her go and wept some watery tears into the kidney juices, which were designed to evade cohesion, being thin and in its nature inexact." Pg.734 Meatless by Sara Suleri  Word Count: 272      The story Meatless by Sara Suleri a story that talks about differences in food. Not only differences in food but shows differences in cultures between America and Pakistan. Sara Suleri writes meatless as a memoir of her days in order to show her life at home and through her culture, which is very different. The story itself talks mostly about food, and how food was used as a sort of tool. Sara Suleri learned discipline, structure, truths, lessons, culture, and ideas. Sara Suleri used her memoir in order to demonstrate the changes in food, and how they were used in order to control in ways. Sara even talks about her time in Pakistan and how they did meatless days.       The quote I chose was to show how her family forced her to eat ...

 "Now this is the way I did it. There was a beautiful setup with the mother and daddy when their baby was convinced. They loved it." Pg 484 From Motherwhit by Onnie Lee Logan  Word Count: 268      From Motherwhit by Onnie Lee Logan is truly different from many tales that we have read about during class. The Motherwhit talks about Onnie Lee Logan's experience as a domestic servant and a midwife. Onnie Lee Logan's stories were unique and different talking about her techniques as well as in a way discussing how her race, and gender played into her role in not getting a renewed license. As Onnie Lee Logan was a woman one of sixteen in a black rural family in Alabama. Onnie Lee Logan's story is one that is vital in discussing the faults in the system, especially in women giving birth to their children, and the complications that follow suit.      The whole story is her talking about how she does her work as a midwife, and how she does it is great. The ...