Luis’s Comments (group member since Jan 20, 2015)

Luis’s comments from the Morales 2341 Spring 2015 Class MW group.

Shanda wrote: "In the story "The Lottery" the villagers are guilty of murder. At the beginning the whole village starts to gather first the children, then the men and then the women take their place alongside the..."

I agree that many acts are carried out as a matter of tradition, but I disagree that it was a murder. Mrs. Hutchington was a willing participant in the lottery. She was not forced to participate. She was aware of the potential consequences by participating.

I do not believe the village people in the Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” are guilty of murder. There are many customs or traditions which to an outsider might seem as crude and barbaric. Although to the residents of the unnamed village in Shirley Jackson’s short story might not remember the origins of the lottery, it is tradition they see as normal and joyous. In fact, Mrs. Hutchinson, who would end up being stoned to death, stated “then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and I came a-running”. To Mrs. Hutchinson it was a joyous occasion and dropped what she was doing to join in the celebration. Also, under the observation of the adults, the children began piling the rock for the “lottery” winner. Not a single adult stopped the children thinking it is wrong to celebrate the impending death of a village person. In fact, other nearby villages also have a similar celebration, but since they are bigger they take two days to complete the "lottery". So obviously all the village people attend the "lottery" at their own free will knowing fully well that they might be the unlucky winner.

Jose wrote: "I choose to analyze "Horton Hears A Who". In this story Horton is considered to be a hero. He believes that a person is person no matter what size and will protect at them all costs. During his jou..."
Horton was a hero, he gave his work to the speck of dust that he would protect the little people. In fact it became his quest to protect them after the eagle dropped the speck of dust in a clover field. He believed the naysayers and stayed true to his word.

Shanda wrote: "I believe we can analyze "The Cat in the Hat" from a mythological point of view. The Cat is the representation of the prankster archetype. The Cat is very confident in showing all of his tricks to ..."

I can agree with the cat in the hat being a fool/free spirit archetype. The cat in the hat never meant any harm to the children and or getting them in trouble. He was there as a form of entertainment for the kids on a rainy day.

The Sneetches interpreted through sociological criticism draws me into a role reverse situation in a post World War II world. The elites of society are marked with a star for all the world to see. Those without the marking were seen as inferior and not able mingle with those deem elite. All Sneetches are exactly the same with the exception of the marking. It takes Sylvester McMonkey McBean’s, a confidence man, arrival to the beach to show all Sneetches are indeed equal. “The Sneetches” I believe are in direct relation to the Holocaust. The star bellies or Arians, are deemed as superior in direct contrast to the Jews were marked with the star of David and deemed as inferior. There is no mention of religion in the reading. Which Dr. Seuss, in my opinion, believes religion is irrelevant in the grand scheme of humanity. If religion was not considered there would not be and difference between Jews and the Arians.

Jose wrote: "The Archetypal character I would like to discuss is Moses in the movie Exodus. In the beginning of the movie Moses believes he was of Persian decent. As the story begins to unfold it becomes clear ..."

I agree with the archetypes that you have mentioned. The perils that Moses must face in his journey. The sea which must be crossed to bring forth life. Most of all the quest, if Moses completes he quest he will bring new found life to the impoverished.

Shanda wrote: "The archetypal character is Lady Tremaine in the story of Cinderella. Cinderella’s father a young widower wanted a mother figure for his young daughter so he marries Lady Tremaine a woman from a go..."

I agree that Lady Tremaine is an excellent example of a matriarch. She strong arms others to ensure that her daughters marry wealth. At the same time she oppresses Cinderella.

An example of an Archetype is Magua from the 1992 movie “The Last of the Mohicans”. The setting of the movie takes place following the French and Indian war in vast forest of colonial United States. Magua is an example of the sadist archetype. He has vowed to “wipe the seed of Colonel Munro” from the face of the earth as a form of revenge for the killing of his wife and children by the British. Magua confesses to General Montcalm, he will not “bury the hatchet until it runs red” and Colonel Munro sees his offspring, Cora and Alice, scalped and left to die a painful death. It is only then that Magua will take great pleasure in killing Colonel Munro. At the beginning of the movie Magua kills British scouts and disguises himself as a Mohawk, ally to the British, in order to gather information on the whereabouts of Colonel Munro’s daughters. After he destroys Colonel Munro’s dispatches, which request reinforcements, and sets up an ambush to kill Cora and Alice. The ambush fails because of Nathaniel, the hero. Towards the end of the movie, Alice contemplates suicide by jumping off a cliff or mountain. After all she has just witness the man she was infatuated with murdered and his corpse tossed off the side of a mountain. Magua, knowing he will not be able to kill Alice if she jumps, attempts to pose as a friend and motions to her, with a blood stained hand, to step away from the edge of the cliff. Alice jumps, ruining Magua’s chances of killing her.

Jose wrote: "Literature in my opinion represents our culture, traditions, language, and or history. It is a way of letting people into our thoughts and history. We can express ourselves let our minds roam and e..."

I agree that at times it is possible to mentally transport yourself to the setting in a book or film. Literature is a form of expression and if done correctly the reader will feel him/herself transported into the setting of the book.

Scarlett wrote: "Literature to me is what might sound like a poetic cliche but I think its a form of writing that connects us to our emotions.

I agree the beauty of literature is in the arrangement of the words the author uses to describe his or her emotions or what is observed. I also agree the true meaning of the word selected will not be completely interpreted as the author intended. Literature is an art form and like a painting its interpretation is as different are the person admiring it.

Literature is a way for one person to express his opinion, views or feelings of a person, place or event in the form of storytelling. Storytelling has been with humankind for many millennium. Literature is nothing more than a written form of storytelling. When an oral story is converted to print many things or left out. For example, the tone, volume or perhaps a cracking of the orator’s voice does not translate into printed form. The author replaces these with vivid descriptions of people, places or things. Literature is truly an art form that is difficult to master. Many stories have lasted the test of time and are as beautiful today as the day they were written.
Through literature, a reader can take a sneak peek into the author’s mind. Literature at times can be controversial and shed light on subject matter that many are not aware of, but the author deems important. It is through controversy, that discussion is generated and help resolve these problems.
Whether the story is about love, politically charged or historical, literature is a form of expression that the author feels is pertinent at the time the work was written. It is meant to have people discuss and share ideas and perhaps solve some of society’s problems.