Response to O Pioneers Post

In O Pioneers, there were a couple things that stood out to me. One of the things was how Alexandra was so much more different than every other woman. She was strong, independent and did what see wanted and got what she wanted. Most of the other women in the story were rather weak and just lived through their lives unhappily, like Marie. And then there was Carl, who was also very different to a lot of the other men. He traveled around and also did what he wanted to do and didn't really care about what other people thought. What stands out to me, too, is how Carl is not "manly" in the traditional sense. He is sensitive and even lets Alexandra carry his suitcase for him when he returns to Walnut Grove or wherever they are...And I thought it was interesting, I am not sure if there is a so what there, that they were the two to get together. They were perfect for each other, and there wasn't many romances in the story where the people were in love with who they were married to. Or something bad happened to their spouse and then they were alone, Angel's husband died. All I mean by this is that love didn't work out for alot of people but it did for Carl and Alexandra. OK, so you've potentially got two things here: one, Carl and Alexandra don't follow traditional gender roles. You could focus on either one of these characters to show how Cather exposes the confining nature of these roles. Or, you can look at them as "lovers" who are friends, not passionate, wild things (like the ducks, like Emil and Marie, etc.)
Another thing that I thought was interesting was the way Alexandra felt towards Marie. At the beginning of the book, she loved her dearly, thought of her as her best friend. I really believe Emil is a vehicle to triangulate Alexandra's desire for Marie. This seems true to me even in the very first time Marie is introduced--Alexandra cannot bear to tear Emil away from such a lovely playmate. But then as the book goes on, and Emil starts to get kind of interested in Marie, Alexandra got really annoyed with her and Alexandra didn't really want to spend as much time with Marie. Then at the end of the book when Frank kills Emil, Alexandras brother, and Marie, she feels really bad for Frank! She feels like he is the victim in this whole situation. Frank killed her only two friends and it seems like she didn't care so much about that and cared more about Franks well being. I think this was because Alexandra was either in love with Marie, or she was extremely jealous of her. It would make sense that if she was jealous of Marie, because everyone loved Marie and Marie was kind of what everyone wanted to be like. Then when Alexandra loses her brother to her, it makes it Alexandra even more angry at Marie and probably more jealous. Sisters never like who their brothers love, It was interesting to hear you discuss this in class. The problem is that she certainly has more reason to dislike Oscar and Lou's goofy wives, but she seems rather indifferent abou tthem and in Alexandras case it could be because she was in love with Marie. The way she talked about Marie, it sounded like she loved her and when someone you like starts to like another person, you can get annoyed with the person you like, which is what happened between Alexandra and Marie. OK, you've got it. To do a good queer reading, you look at the ways in which lesbian desire is coded in the text or repressed by the characters. Alexandra is one cold fish, but she certainly seems enamored with Marie at moments. By the end, though, she blames Marie for her passionate nature and perhaps understands how a man (a heterosexual man) would get sucked in by her. The problem to Alexandra seems to be unbridled passion. Marriage with Carl is "safe"; following her desires, especially a desire for Marie, is most certainly not safe. You're ready to go with this if you can finish this thesis: Cather uses Alexandra's repressed desire for Marie to show...? The danger of unsanctioned passion? The destructive force of wild passions? What do you think?
Look closely at Ch. 6 of Neighboring Fields and Ch. 2 of Winter Memories. Lots and lots to work with, but I think this could be fun for you.

Response to O Pioneers!

In O Pioneers, there were a couple things that stood out to me. One of the things was how Alexandra was so much more different than every other woman. She was strong, independent and did what see wanted and got what she wanted. Most of the other women in the story were rather weak and just lived through their lives unhappily, like Marie. And then there was Carl, who was also very different to a lot of the other men. He traveled around and also did what he wanted to do and didn't really care about what other people thought. And I thought it was interesting, I am not sure if there is a so what there, that they were the two to get together. They were perfect for each other, and there wasn't many romances in the story where the people were in love with who they were married to. Or something bad happened to their spouse and then they were alone, Angel's husband died. All I mean by this is that love didn't work out for alot of people but it did for Carl and Alexandra.
Another thing that I thought was interesting was the way Alexandra felt towards Marie. At the beginning of the book, she loved her dearly, thought of her as her best friend. But then as the book goes on, and Emil starts to get kind of interested in Marie, Alexandra got really annoyed with her and Alexandra didn't really want to spend as much time with Marie. Then at the end of the book when Frank kills Emil, Alexandras brother, and Marie, she feels really bad for Frank! She feels like he is the victim in this whole situation. Frank killed her only two friends and it seems like she didn't care so much about that and cared more about Franks well being. I think this was because Alexandra was either in love with Marie, or she was extremely jealous of her. It would make sense that if she was jealous of Marie, because everyone loved Marie and Marie was kind of what everyone wanted to be like. Then when Alexandra loses her brother to her, it makes it Alexandra even more angry at Marie and probably more jealous. Sisters never like who their brothers love, and in Alexandras case it could be because she was in love with Marie. The way she talked about Marie, it sounded like she loved her and when someone you like starts to like another person, you can get annoyed with the person you like, which is what happened between Alexandra and Marie.

ReSpOnSe to HuCkFiNn PoSt

One thing that really stood out to me in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, especially in the beginning of the book, was Huck's obsession with wealth and material possessions. But you can't ignore the fact that he "sold" the judge his six thougsand dollars for just one dollar. You've got to to deal with that. While Huck seems to understand the problem with being caught up in money and possessions, he subconsciously replicates this pattern? That could be your take on this. This suggests that it's impossible to remain untainted by consumerism and the desire for goods. There are two sections in the book where Huck lists absolutely every single thing that he just got or has at the moment. It goes on and on for nearly a half a page. This shows how Huck is really focused on wealth. At this time, if you had money, you had the power. To Huck, a scared young boy, power is something he wants because it means security to him. So then what you'd do with this is you'd show the part where you see him feeling powerful. The evidence you'd cite would be evidence that in these goods is his security. By him listing off every single thing, I believe it is reassuring himself that everything will be okay, it is like a coping method. He knows that he has things which means, to him at least, that he has power and power alot of the time can mean security. The people with the power at this time did not have to worry about things, they were secure and were happy with the way their life is, which is something that Huck wants alot. You're making a different kind of move here. Huck had a hard life, he did not really have a family and he was absolutely terrified of his father. One thing that I think every person wants is security, to not have to worry about things. Huck has never really had security with his life being up and down and never really knowing what is going to happen. By listing things that he has, it is telling himself, Okay I have these things, I have possessions, People with things have power, I have some power, I will be alright. It is also interesting to see when you compare the Huck at the beginning of the book to the how he is at the end of the book. Towards the end of the book, he cares less and less about possessions and more about Jim and the people who he starts to care about. It shows how Huck changes as a person completely, how his priorites are completely different. Even when the Duke and the King come into the story, Huck is disgusting at how they scam people and fool with good people. At the beginning of the book Huck would have been all for scamming people because it would be an adventure. All of these things show how Huck is a dynamic person and how much he has changed. Your "so what" here at the end needs to be stronger. No one would debate that Huck changes throughout the book, but you're onto something far more interesting about how Huck changes. Basically, you're saying he changes from someone who takes comfort in possessions and seems to define his security by these possessions to someone who has learned to make real connections with other humans. If you decide to write about this, you might be interested in a pyschological model called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Basically, you could argue that Huck becomes stuck in the lower levels because of the abuse he suffers, but then, he moves to a higher level...because of Jim? I don't know if that's quite where you want to go, but the model would certainly help you fit these disparate pieces together. If you're interested, let me know.
Either way, when you go to write this essay, make sure you are using specific evidence and reading it closely, not to summarize the evidence, but to show us something we might not have otherwise seen in that evidence.

AdVeNuTuReS oF hUcKlEbErRy FiNn

One thing that really stood out to me in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, especially in the beginning of the book, was Huck's obsession with wealth and material possessions. There are two sections in the book where Huck lists absolutely every single thing that he just got or has at the moment. It goes on and on for nearly a half a page. This shows how Huck is really focused on wealth. At this time, if you had money, you had the power. To Huck, a scared young boy, power is something he wants because it means security to him. By him listing off every single thing, I believe it is reassuring himself that everything will be okay, it is like a coping method. He knows that he has things which means, to him at least, that he has power and power alot of the time can mean security. The people with the power at this time did not have to worry about things, they were secure and were happy with the way their life is, which is something that Huck wants alot. Huck had a hard life, he did not really have a family and he was absolutely terrified of his father. One thing that I think every person wants is security, to not have to worry about things. Huck has never really had security with his life being up and down and never really knowing what is going to happen. By listing things that he has, it is telling himself, Okay I have these things, I have possessions, People with things have power, I have some power, I will be alright. It is also interesting to see when you compare the Huck at the beginning of the book to the how he is at the end of the book. Towards the end of the book, he cares less and less about possessions and more about Jim and the people who he starts to care about. It shows how Huck changes as a person completely, how his priorites are completely different. Even when the Duke and the King come into the story, Huck is disgusting at how they scam people and fool with good people. At the beginning of the book Huck would have been all for scamming people because it would be an adventure. All of these things show how Huck is a dynamic person and how much he has changed.