Assignment #10-- Oedipus

Oedipus the King,written by Sophocles is a great play filled with tragedy and drama. Throughout the entire play there is a message being delivered by the relationships between sight, truth, ignorance, and darkness. It was told by the oracle that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother and have children. Being told such a horrible thing he decides to run away from his home to not commit such a terrible thing. On his way to another town he encounters some men who he kills. He ends up in Thebes and is smart enough to solve the riddle of the sphinx which ends up killing the sphinx. As a reward for such a great thing and knowing that the King is dead, the people of Thebes decide to reward Oedipus with the crown and the queen. They might have been extremely grateful but their ignorance in not questioning an unknown man lead them to suffer the consequences. As we all know Oedipus ends up fullfilling the prophecy of the oracle. After a plague hits Thebes in his desperation to save his people he calls in Tereisas which happens to be an old, blind man but known to be a holy prophet. Tereisas knows that Oedipus is the one accountable for what's going on. Eventhought Tereisas is unable to see he knows the truth. Unlike Oedipus who has a perfect vision but is ignorant enough to unfold his own reality. He is blinded by his own ignorance which throws him in a world full of darkness. I believe that this play is mainly trying to say is that darkness and ignorance can overshadow the truth. You might not be physically blind but spiritually blind.

Assignment #9

So far as a class we have read many poems and short stories. The latest one has been the play "Oedipus the King," by Sophocles. To many this play might lead to two conclusions: there's free will and the characters are just paying for the consequences of their actions or that you can't escape your fate regardless of what you do. Oedipus is the main character of the play who goes through a lot of tragic things. By trying to escape the prophecy that Oedipus had been told of killing his father and marrying his mother, he ran away from Corinth. On his way to Thebes he encounters three man which he ends up killing. After arriving Thebes he is asked a riddle by the sphynx which he solves and results in the sphynx dying. The people of Thebes rewarded him to be king of Thebes after word had been spread that the King Laioss has been murdered. He weds the queen and has children with her. Oedipus might have thought that by running away nohing bad would have happened but it was the complete opposite. So somehow he couldn't escape his fate no matter what he tried to do. The only thing is that if he had been told such prophecy then he should have been more careful about killing and old man and marrying an older women. Oedipus might have been smart at solving the riddle but he was blind and stupid at solving the riddle of his life.

Assignment #8--Poems

When analysing a work of literature readers often use may methods in order to gain a better understanding of the text. Formalist criticism, reader response, psychological, mythological, and gender criticism are some of the many forms of criticism. Each and everyone of these critical approaches can be used in different texts. In "Tell all the Truth but tell it Slant," by Emily Dickinson reader response criticism can be the best way to analyse this poem. Reader response focuses on what happens in the readers mind while interpreting te text. The reader's attitude, knowledge, experience and situation can influence how the text comes across. Since in this case I'm the reader, I will apply my experiences and situation to better gain insights o this poem. Emily Dickinson is basically trying to say that to tell the truth but to say it gradually so that way no one will go into shock. She suggests that if we go around circles, meaning to say it little by little, then we will be successful. I remember one time when I had to be honest and say the truth to my mom, and I decided to just say pieces of it one day at a time which at the end made my mom trust me and not be so upset.
Emily Dickinson uses children as a way to better explain why the truth should be told, but gradually. "As lightning to the children eased with explanation kind." As I was growing up my parents would sort of dress up the truth (mainly the bad ones) for me not to be so scared. Children don't have the capacity to understand why certain things happen in life. If we put our experiences, knowledge, or situation into the text then we understand why Emily Dickinson suggests we tell the truth but gradually.

Blog #7

Suheidy Pichardo
Professor Vasileiou
English 102
May 5 2010
Mythological Criticism

Criticism can definately be applied not only in a person's life but also in works of literature. Biographical, gender, mythological, psychological are among the many to fit the category of criticism. Many readers use this method as a way to gain better understanding of the text. After reading "cinderella" by Anne Sexton we can conclude that the poem is a different version of the Disney fairy tale that has been around for years. If we then apply mythological criticism, which explores common humanity, and the myths and what they reveal about culture, then we know Anne Sexton seeks to entertain an older audience. Not only is Anne Sexton exposing how man and women are viewed in culture, but how in life there really are no happy endings.
In "Cinderella" the role of different women is portrayed. The mother is known as the protector and loving one which is why in "cinderella" , Anne Sexton doesn't include a fairy godmother. The mother becomes the white dove that "whenever she wished for anything the dove would drop it like an egg upon the ground (page 629)." Clearly most of us see our mothers as the ones to care very deeply, and fullfil our wishes. The stepmother is completely the opposite of the loving caring mother . The stepmother is always considered to be the wicked one. "No cinderella, said the stepmother, you have no clothes and cannot dance. That is the way with stepmothers "(pg 629). Clearly the stepmother is viewed as evil since Cinderella is a poor girl who's the maid around the house. The step sisters are also shown as, "pretty enough but with hearts like blackjacks". (pg 628) Clearly Anne Sexton might be trying to warn us , about physical beauty accompanied by an ugly heart.
The role of man, and how they are viewed in culture, is also shown in this poem. Anne Sexton exposes to us how man are and their indifference towards women. Cinderella's father is not mentioned much throughout the story, only to note that after the mother dies he remarries. Clearly she feels that man don't get attached, but rather move on after there is nothing left. The prince, which plays the role for every man in Today's society, is shown as a man who doesn't really show interest in a women for her personality but rather for her appearance. If he would have paid more attention to cinderella's face, and not her body he would have saved himself all the trouble of finding her , through a shoe.
Not only do we see how man and women are viewed in a culture, but we also see how life truly isn't a fairy tale. People always want to dream of things, shifting away from reality. "From Diapers to Dior. That story "(pg 628) Clearly one day you're not poor and the next you are rich. "Cinderella and the prince lived, they say, happily ever after, like two dolls in a museum case, never bothere by diapers or dust, never ...."(page 630) In real life, married couples with children have to deal with takin care of their children's necessities and with the household duties. There is no such thing as never being bothered by those things.
Trough mythological criticism we can gain new insights on the poem "Cinderella" we know how life truly isn't a fairy tale.

Assignment #6

Before starting my Eng 102 class I didn't really have many expectations, I knew we were going to be doing a lot of reading and writing. However I wasn't expecting to do blogs. To be quite honest I didn't even know what a blog was. The assignments that we get are quite fair since we go over them in class. I really like the fact that I've learned new methods in how to approach works of literature. I also like the fact that we analyze every text. To me blogs are more exciting than papers since they can be shared with others. I can express myself without any restrictions. The fact that others read my blog doesn't change the way I write on them because I always like to do organized and good work even if it won't be judged or anaylzed. Is really interesting to read other classmates blogs. I can learn from others and appreciate how we all have different styles of writing .

Blog #5 poems

"Don't give up" by Praveen

It's half past midnight
tossing and turning
unable to sleep,
I don't know what to do,

My mind is far away
in search of something
that I once had and
somehow slipped out of my hand;

Struggling to understand this
tug of war between the mind and heart
I try to search for a solution
so as to agree on a compromise;

Trying to pay attention
to what's happening around me,
I try to decipher the clues and hints
that I believe are there for my picking;

Like a fish out of water
out of innocence into adulthood
too soon into this fast paced game
where I am just a spectator, lost and bewildered;

So what happened?
Where did all go wrong?
What am I supposed to do?
What is that I have to do?

Plenty of questions
answers all out there,
is what I'm told
yet I'm totally lost

Going round and round
in a place where the streets
have no name, I bobble
In an out of life

As the storm rages on
the leaves blow and the trees sway
all I know is that I am here to stay
till the day my heart gives up on me;


I've read many poems troughout the years, and so far this got to be one of the best. The transition from being young without many responsabilities into adulthood can be very nerve wrecking. If we worry too much about everything then we just become weak. We can never give up in life regarding how difficult things might get.

Assignment #4-- Criticism

When reading a work of literature, many methods and techniques are used in order for the reader to have a better understanding of the text. Many forms of criticism such as biographical, gender, and psychological criticism can best be used as a way to make a story more comprehendable. Today I will discuss about biographical criticism. Using knowledge of an author's life to better gain insight of a story can be best described as biographical criticism. One story that can best fit this form of criticism is "The story of an hour," by Kate Chopin. If we focus on Kate Chopin's life we learn that she became a widow at an early age and having to raise alone six children. She then managed to run her husband's business (suggesting that she was an independent woman) after being influenced by widows who managed their own lives. Kate Chopin embraced widowhood as a new life filled with hope, possabilities and happiness. After knowing these facts about the author we can have a clearer understanding of "The story of an hour." Just like the author the main character Ms. Mallard receives the news by her sister and friend that her husband had been killed. The fact that the story takes sometime around the spring suggests that it was the beginning of a new life. She cries at first and feels grief but is then comforted by the thought that she gets to be free. She was looking forward to begin a new life where no one would have to tell her what to do. Obviously Kate Chopin began a new life after her husband's death becoming a strong independent woman. At the end of the story when Ms. Mallard finds out that her husband was not dead, instead of being happy she felt devastated which led to her sudden death. In my understanding Kate Chopin's view of marriage was not very good. She liked being a widow which is probably the reason she decided to kill the character of Ms.Mallard.

Blog #3

After reading the short story "They things they carried," by Tim O'Brien our views on war and how people respond to death
can definately change. Eventhought the story mainly foucuses on Jimmy Cross, I will give the spotlight to another character by the
name of Kiowa. Kiowa is a soldier who like the others carries materials and non-material things. I find Kiowa to be an interesting character who might come off as a bit annoying.
From the beginning we learn that he is a devout baptist, which is why he carries at all time an illustrated New Testament. He might carry this
to feel some sort of confidence that only God can give. Kiowa also carries his distrust for the white men since he is an Indian, but he gets along with everyone just fine. As the story progresses we start seeing a different side of Kiowa. When Ted Lavender is killed Kiowa just keeps on blurting out how he died. He seemed not to care very much about how the others felt.
In my opinion Kiowa is a round character because bot only he is a soldier but he's also a devout baptist and a friend.
After watching how Jimmy Cross cries over Ted Lavender's death Kiowa wishes he could feel something different
which changes him completely. He realizes that he doesn't want to be so cold inside.
To me Kiowa's reaction is just a clear illustration of how people can react in certain times, which is why I chose him.
The most common reaction that is expected when receiving bad news or watching a person die is to curl up in agony and
cry desperately, something Kiowa didn't do. He just kept on talking about Ted Lavender's death sounding like a broken record.
We never know how we might react until it truly happens.

"Assignment #2-- Symbolism in Steinbeck."

John Steinbeck can be considered one out of the many authors who use symbolism as a way to reveal the thoughts and desires of his characters ,we can clearly see this in his story "The Chrysanthemums." Throughout the story we learn about a woman named Elisa who is married, loves her chrysanthemums and encounters a traveling salesman. If we look at the symbols that Steinbeck gives us we can clearly see how life for Elisa truly is. Steinbeck begins by describing the Salinas Valley as a "closed pot," and later on describes Elisa's appearance "her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume..... Almost completely covered by a curdoroy apron," which suggests that she is hiding within herself guarding her feelings. "He leaned over the wire fence that protected her flower garden from cattle and dogs and chickens," which also shows that Elisa was trapped in being protected by the outside world.
As the story goes on she meets the traveling salesman who claims to fix pots, knives, and other things. He arrives with a mongrel dog who is quickly apprehended by two sheperd dogs. The mongrel dog symbolizes the salesman since he's the outsider and the 2 sheperds
are Elisa and her husband. The salesman invades the closed space that Elisa has.
He introduces himself and she takes off her gloves as a symbol that she's willing to listen and open up to a stranger, something she might not do with her husband. This salesman knows how to get on her good side by pointing out her flowers. To Elisa her chrysanthemums represent something much more than flowers. When he says a bad comment about the flowers she quickly defends them just like a mother defends her children. Her chrysanthemums are her children since she has none with her husband. She then describes the connection she has with her fingers and the plants to the salesman to really let him know about making love. We can see how Elisa opening up to this stranger makes her feel when she is described showering turning her skin red. Elisa is clearly ashamed and wants to wash all the memories away. When the salesman tells Elisa that he would like some chrysanthemum seeds for a woman she is enlightened and feels hope. She quickly gives him the seeds in a red pot. For a moment she thinks that some part of her might escape and explore a world she has never met. As the story reaches it's end we can see how Elisa's hopes and dreams are quickly shattered when she discovers the seeds lying on the floor on her way to dinner with her husband. She questions her husband about men getting broken noses in bloody fights, suggesting that she wanted that for the stranger who broke her heart. Elisa knew that she would never escape such a miserable life.

About me

This is the start of many thoughts and ideas to be shared.
Today I will share some things about myself. My name is Suheidy and I am 21 years old.
I am currently attending college to pursue my dream as a bilingual teacher. I am very grateful to God for giving me health, food, a loving family and an education. I currently work in a hair salon where I love to do hair and meet different people.
I'm looking forward to making new friends and great experiences.