English 109 - Cora Agatucci
Survey of Western World Literature: Modern

StudentWritingEnglish109StudentWritingSpring1999StudentWriting

Discussion Paperstable of contents
Texts and page numbers cited in student papers below refer to Spring 1999 Eng109 course text:
Davis, Paul, and others, eds. Western Literature in a World Context. Volume 2: The Enlightenment through the Present.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1995.

Discussion Paper #1
HollyAnna DeCoteau Spino, Topic #5 Colleen Matthews, Topic #7

Discussion Paper #2
Roland Erickson, Topic #8 Myrna Homan, Topic #9

Discussion Paper #3
Christina Parsley, Topic #1 Myrna Homan, Topic #3 Breana Sylwester, Topic #3

Discussion Paper #1
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HollyAnna DeCoteau Spino
Discussion Paper #1, Topic #5

Timal* is a thirty year old Native American woman raised traditionally. A full-time college student, she works part-time as a firefighter/EMT, married to a full-time college student, employed full time, raising three children. Living on the reservation, she is caught between living in the modern day world and trying to juggle and practice traditional culture, life and teachings. Coocush* is a mixture of a shape shifter (usually considered a bad spirit), a "stick indian" (usually considered bad, but it is believed there are some good ones), a "little people" (mixture of good and bad), and a "witch" (Chippewa version, who stole "bad" children). All combined to create one character in the modern version - the devil. A character who attempts to entice Timal to give up her traditional beliefs to take on modern materialistic behavior which goes against traditional upbringing. It is believed that the past is everything: your strength, your character, your future and survival. To be someone you have to have a past, to know who you are, who your people are and where you come from. It is your existence. To have a future you have to pass on teachings from where you came, the past. Coocush needs this to win its revenge.

Timal steps outside her house to take a little break from her three fighting children and husband, who is frowning with his head hung resting on his hands over the bills. Trying to work full time and going to college, raising a family--it's all just adding up. Sometimes I wish there were an easier way. Thirty years old, hell I am only eight years away from death--on the reservation, life expectancy is not that great. Sitting on a log outside my home I wonder, "What if I won the lottery?" A dream many have undertaken, but this time Timal was talking out loud in the night with the only light coming from the moon. A thing one should not do if they do not want to call attention to themselves by the stick-indians. I laughed to myself at this thought, stick-indians--in this day and age, who still believes in this myth?

Kicking back, I started to daydream, gazing out into the night sky, wondering what my life would be like if I had three wishes. Not realizing I was whistling to myself and that someone or something was standing near me. Then taking a seat on the log, whistling back at me was Coocush. I sat up abruptly, amazed.

Coocush sat there with a conceited smirk and a hint of a giggle. "Why the surprise? You call me and now you are surprised? Sitting in the dark and whistling to me. You call me and now behave as if you don't want me here. What is it that you wish for? Do you wish to be rich? I can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams. Love? I can make you famous, give you the most beautiful body in the world--women will envy you and all men will desire you. Power...do you desire power? I could give knowledge, all the knowledge of the smartest people in the world. Or is it knowledge of your people?...I can give you all the knowledge of your people and the people before them, your language, plants, animals and the land. Baah! This could not do anything for you...no money, no power. Yeah, your people would appreciate you only when they need you, but it won't pay your bills, protect your family....you need to survive in the real world and people are just not the same nowadays. Times are changing again, Indian people no longer have need for these things now, they want what the modern world has....Is that what you want? I could give it to you."

Coocush hands Timal a handful of money. As it runs through her fingers it just as quickly disappears. "It is as easy as that. And it can be yours, Timal, until you leave this land. But when your time has come, you will belong to me--or rather your spirit will. The knowledge and strength of your spirit and all that has been passed on to you will be mine, but in return I will give you all that you want and desire."

Timal sits and dreams of all the things she has ever wanted and all the things she wants for her children...this could ensure her children's survival...the best education, the best of everything. I wouldn't have to drive an "Indian car," a front door that actually locks. I would not have to borrow money to drive to school. I could go to any college in the world. I could pay all my bills. I could do anything I want and not have to work in a job where I am under-paid and most of the time is basically thankless, for a community that criticizes and is for the most part hypocritical.

So I ask Coocush: "Just me? Not my children not my family...just me? and whatever you give me I can with it as I please? I could give it to a stranger, whatever it may be, and you just take me?"

Coocush agrees: "Yes. Just you, Timal...and all that has been passed on to you - your strength and knowledge of the past given to you by your ancestors."

Timal ponders this thought. "Coocush, can I also teach my children these things? Can I teach my children my knowledge of the past--can it also be passed on to them as it has been passed on to me? No. Coocush, I want them to have my knowledge and strength as I have gotten it. Won't it be enough to have my spirit? To have me?"

Coocush is quiet now...thinking.

"Coocush, why do you answer me now? Why do you want me?"

Coocush takes a deep breath and sighs. "Your people have betrayed me, they have forgotten me, they no longer believe in me...Now, is my time. Everybody has a dream, everybody wants something but they don't want to work for it. People have grown lazy. Long ago people feared me and worked very hard against me. I almost died. Now that I have recovered and waited for the right time to take my revenge on those who hurt me, they are gone. Only their children's children exist. I have helped those who have tried to destroy my enemies. I have helped introduce distractions of every imaginable sort. Through time I have helped people destroy themselves."

"Coocush, if you want to destroy the blood line and I am of that blood line, then why do you tell me this? Why not just make your offer? And if you want to destroy the blood line, have you offered to my elders before me and will you make this offer to my children and their children until you succeed?"

"Timal, have you not wondered why certain family members have fallen so early to death? do you not see the destruction of all people happening around you? Alcohol, drugs, and war--the simplest of all. You work on an ambulance, you see my work everyday and you are going to sit there and tell me that you have not thought of why it is happening? You people are so simple and predictable. I tell you who I am and what I am doing, and still you want me. This is why I have an army of people who have fallen to my command and your Creator only has a handful of followers. Most of you are willing to take this easy road, and pay later. Pay to me. Are you will to play now and pay later?"

"Coocush, I do not deny, I want what you say you can give to me. But my teachings of the old way tell me to chase you away with a song and a prayer."

"Then do it, Timal. But you won't because these are not the old days and your teachings of the old ways will not help you today. They will not pay your bills or put your children through college or cure the illness that is plaguing the body of your grandmother--and Gee! I wonder why she is sick? You know, Timal, if you fight in battle, expect to get hurt or for that matter die...fast or slow is no matter to me. Timal, you are now wasting my time. I am growing tired of you. What is your decision? I shall give you time. Now, go play with your precious children. I shall return to you...if you call. If you don't, I shall return anyway--someday, to visit with your blood line. Give me your hand. I will give you something to remember me by."

Coocush grabs Timal's hand and quickly leaves a small burn on her left forearm, and disappears.

Timal, startled by the burn, jumps and awakens shivering under the cold night sky. Looking around, wondering if this was merely a nightmare, she staggers into the house sleepily to check on her family. Walking in the door, she find sthem laughing and talking in the living room. Timal sits on the couch to hug her children. Dogat, the only daughter and middle child, is the only one to notice that her mother is shaken up and goes to sit herself into her mother's lap and cuddles up, noticing her mother's arm and asks how she got the boo-boo on her arm. Timal holds her daughter tightly, tears coming down her face and she realizes she is not dreaming, telling her daughter quietly.

"It is just a reminder of a decision I have made and someday you will have to make. Right now you and your brothers have to get ready for bed."

Timal chases her children off to bed, singing a song and saying a prayer to herself.

*Timal is pronounced "tea-moth," Coocush pronounced "coo-cush"

Colleen Matthews
Discussion Paper #1, Topic #7

At first glance this story [Wuthering Heights] shows us conflict between a real bully in the landlord, Heathcliff, that Mr. Lockwood encounters when he rents Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff, one of the novel's main characters, is portrayed as an uncompromising, sadistic bully, and produces a desire in Lockwood's character to find out more about his past. Bronte uses Lockwood's character to pull in her main narrator, Nelly Dean. Nelly was a first-hand witness to Heathcliff's story and so proceeds to relate the history, as she remembers it, to Lockwood. It appears very soon, after the start of the story, that Nelly Dean is the protagonist. She appears more than happy to stir the conflict, which goes a long way in keeping the story interesting and moving right along.

Wuthering Heights is set in the "remote moors of Yorkshire" (680), on that "bleak hill-top" where "the earth was hard with a black frost" (686). Almost all the characters in this story have a very frosty, antagonistic side to them and Nelly introduces us to Catherine and Hindley, when they were children, on the eve of Heathcliff's entry into the family. Nelly appears to make this story-telling as straightforward as possible, but her feelings for Heathcliff are not disguisable.When she made the step from playmate to the children's nursemaid during the measles episode, her feelings toward Hindley and Catherine hardened and she softened so much toward Heathcliff that "Hindley lost his last ally." Heathcliff "was the quietest child that ever nurse watched over. The difference between him and the others forced me to be less partial. Cathy and her brother harassed me terribly, he was a uncomplaining as a lamb..." (702). Nelly developed alternate feelings for Catherine: "she put us all past our patience fifty times and oftener in a day." "She was much too fond of Heathcliff." "In play she liked, exceedingly to act the little mistress...but I would not bear slapping and ordering; and so I let her know" (704). The class distinction, after the measles, became a clear, hard line: Nelly, on the servant side with Joseph, and Catherine and Hindley on the side of the owners of servants. This further hastened Nelly's spiteful feelings toward Catherine when Mr. Earnshaw died. Hindley came home with a new bride, and Nelly was physically installed in the servants' quarters and Heathcliff was installed with the animals in the stables.

In her story up to now Nelly has portrayed herself as a concerned member of the family that has finally been relegated to where she knew she would end up anyway, a servant. The first real conflict stirring she relates is the night Catherine came back after her five-week visit at Thrushcross Grange.

Seeing the despair in Heathcliff's countenance caused Nelly to try to clean him up to be presentable enough to converse with Catherine. From past experience she should have known better, but I think she was curious to see all these newly introduced uppercrust characters react to the "real" Heathcliff. Cathy states, "But you are so dirty!" The sound of laughter followed Heathcliff out of the room and I think it hurt Nelly more than Heathcliff. She proceeds to talking him into giving Catherine a kiss to show up Edgar Linton. "You are younger...taller and twice as broad in the shoulders--you could knock him down in a twinkling. Don't you feel you could?" (712). This scene ends up badly, when Hindley interrupts Heathcliff's entrance and Edgar Linton makes fun of his looks. The pot was definitely stirred then. If Nelly had left well enough alone, Heathcliff would have stayed hidden and the story would have been dull.

Nelly is memory selective in this story, so she relates a fight between Catherine and Heathcliff, which leaves Catherine looking like a shrew. "What do you talk about? You might be dumb or a baby, for anything you say to amuse me, or for anything you do either" (719). Nelly prevents Heathcliff from venting his return emotions by bringing another character in at that moment. When she feels that the one she loves had been injured, she does portray her anger as justified, as when Hindley comes close to killing his son, Hareton, in a drunken rage, and puts the blame on Nelly, or as she is referred to frequently in the family, "Ellen." "Injured...if he's not killed, he'll be an idiot....You're worse than a heathen--treating your own flesh and blood in this manner" (720). Nelly's ill feelings toward Catherine allow her to neglect telling Cathy that Heathcliff is listening from another room when she swears Nelly to secrecy about her marriage proposal from Edgar (724-728). Nelly lies to Catherine about Heathcliff being anywhere close to overhear their conversation. "Joseph is here...and Heathcliff will come in with him" (725). Heathcliff left before he heard how Catherine actually felt about him. Nelly is not afraid to tell Catherine what she thinks: "You are a wicked, unprincipled girl. But trouble me with no more secrets. I'll not promise to keep them" (726). Catherine creates quite a caterwauling when Heathcliff doesn't come in that evening. "She beat Hareton, or any child, in a good, passionate fit of crying," and despaired herself into a real illness.

There are plenty more instances where Nelly stirs the plot pot, times where she shows herself the loving, caring "auntie" figure, and yet interposes her own self-righteous indignation when someone was "truly" being hurt that she loved.

All the heartache these two families went through did nothing to alter world history, but did make for a wonderfully interesting fire-side story for the likes of someone such as Lockwood, who thought he and his life were the most self-consuming to date.

Bronte uses the interrelationships between characters and Nelly Dean as the protagonist in this story to somehow bring the bleakness of the North England moors to life. With Nelly's narration being first person, and allowing her personal bias to color the story, it keeps you swaying from loving one character to hating another constantly.

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Discussion Paper #2
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Roland Erickson
Discussion Paper #2, Topic #8

How Different Are They?

In my reading of Things Fall Apart, it has better informed me of a culture that I did not know of before, and by reading it helped correct some broad misconceptions that I previously held of the people and their cultures of Africa. Reading the novel also gave me another perspective on the effects of imperialism/colonialism by the Europeans on the Africans. I believe Achebe has succeeded in enabling the West an opportunity to have them "listen to the weak" (Achebe interview), but whether or not Western society decides to listen will come down to the individual within the society--if they do choose to listen to the call of the "weak." In this essay I will share realizations that I gained by reading Achebe's novel, and how I came to view the people of the Igbo and Africa and not so different as I had thought before.

The distinct writing style that Achebe used to narrate his novel led me, as the reader, to feel as if I were a fellow tribesman of the Igbo people. This differing perspective, rather than being an outsider looking in on the people, led me to see that the Igbos are a people with strong beliefs, culture, and identity. An example of their identity is the description of one of their dwellings, more specifically of Okonkwo's compound; it is described as a "large compound enclosed by a thick wall of red earth" and we read further on about the barn for Okonkwo's yams and the shed for his goats (1429). The Igbo people are obviously agrarian, and led me to the question, how different are they from us? My answer is, there are not a lot of differenes. Based upon my experience--my father was raised on a farm--I see stark similarities between us and them. We have since placed their "thick wall of red earth" with a white picket fence around our "cracker jack box" houses, and on my grandparents' farm they had distinct buildings for their livestock too, a barn for their cows and hay, and a separate barn for their sheep--just as Okonkwo had for his yams and goats.

When I came to realize that the Igbo people aren't that much different from us, I looked for further examples that supported my belief. For examples, at the first reading of the ritual of breaking the kola nut and drinking palm wine, during the visit of a guest or during a festive occasion, I was intrigued but then understood its principle by relating it back to our culture. Do we not have similar customs, of asking a friend whom we haven't seen in a while if she would like to "go out and get a beer," of when we go to a party to bring some "party favors" to share with people? There are other examples of positive similarities, but I then decided to focus on the faults we have in common with the Igbo.

A rather hilarious fault of the Igbos/Africans is their misinterpretation of what white people looked like. They believed that white people had "no toes" (1453). This misperception was due to all of their ideas of white people probably coming from hearsay or from individuals who had seen a white man once. The reality of their perception possibly is, if and when they saw a white person, he/she had shoes on and, this idea being completely foreign to them, they perceived the white man as having "no toes." Was there not a time when Western society viewed Africans as a people who were "savages" and "cannibals," who had "sharp teeth" and "scars" all over their bodies (see Conrad)? These were harsh stereotypes that we held of African people and they are not as funny as Africans' perception of us--but still we are similar because we both misjudged these new people. Another thing we have in common which is not so positive is how we judge whether people are accomplished individuals. The Igbo believed that the "Yam stood for manliness" (1437) and who had the most cowries, threw the largest wedding parties with most amounts of wine and goat meat, and was most noteworthy for being a great warrior in battle--this was the type of person who was looked upon with high esteem. Is this so different from us? We, as a society, also tend to think highly of those people who have large fortunes and admire those of great physical accomplishment. Finally, I came to ask myself another question: "If we are not so different from the Igbo people, what I can learn from them?"

The greatest of the nine villages of the Igbo people, Umuofia, fell! When I read the call of orator "Umuofia kwenu" and the answer came back from the crowd "Yaa" (1428), I thought to myself, "America the beautiful, America the brave" and answered back to myself, "FREEDOM!" Every great empire from the Romans to the British has fallen, and we too shall fall. What I then tried to do is apply the reason why the Igbo fell to our American society. One of the major reasons why Umuofia fell is the Elders of the tribe failed to see the real threat of the Christians. The Elders of the tribe gave the land of the "Evil Forest" to the Christians so they could build their church on it, trusting that the "Evil Forest" would kill them off if they stayed longer than a couple market weeks in it (1481-1482). I can relate this to militia groups in the U.S. These militia groups are allowed to assemble due to our Constitutional right to assemble, but many of these groups break the laws and regulations on fire arms, explosives, etc., and I believe it is this breaking of the law that lends to the appearance, to some people, that they are above the law and makes them attractive so that other people will join them.

Another reason why Umuofia fell is that one of the egwugwu was unmasked. What had happened is Enoch, a former member of the tribe who converted to Christianity, unmasked one of the egwugwu; "Umuofia was [then] thrown into confusion" (1495). I believe this was the catalyst for many of the tribe to question many other things that were previously masked to them. I believe it was this event that shook the foundation for so many of the beliefs of the members of the tribe. I can relate this to our president Bill Clinton who was unmasked this year by the Monica Lewinsky scandal and by his former White House aide George Stephanopolous' book What I Saw. Finally, I realize the people of Umuofia could not have forecasted, with the exception of the oracle, that they would have fallen due to the white man and his religion, but I believe we can derive a couple of reasons why they fell and apply it to our own society.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed Achebe's novel and liked the contrast between it and Conrad's work of Heart of Darkness. I believe there are times that, in order to see the extremes of something, you must contrast it to its opposite extreme. As a former moderate of beliefs on colonialism and those who proselytize their religion onto others, I realize now the dire impact those acts can have on a naive or vulnerable culture, and I now disagree with those practices. Finally, I heed the "call of the weak" for I hear the quiet but powerful voice that says, "We are a people too..." and I know the truth of the message!

Myrna Homan
Discussion Paper #2, Topic #9

Okonkwo, as presented by Chinua Achebe in the novel Things Fall Apart, wished to be revered by all as a man of great wealth, power and control--the antithesis of his father. Okonkwo was driven by the need to exhibit utmost control over himself and others; he was an obsessive and insecure man.

Okonkwo's father, Unoka, was "a failure," "a loafer," and "People laughed at him" (1426). This would bring great shame to any man as it did for Okonkwo. In Umuofia "a man is judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father" (1427). In Umuofia "achievement was revered." Okonkwo became obsessed with the need to prove to everyone that he, unlike his father, was a man worthy of respect.

Okonkwo worked hard and in time his "prosperity showed in his household" (1429). Okonkwo had "a large compound," "three wives" (1429), "two barns full of yams" and "two titles" (1427). Okonkwo had become a wealthy and respectable man. Still he feared that all would fall apart if he were to allow any slight deviation, any sign of weakness.

Weakness could be a slight disobedience of a wife, as happened during the "Week of Peace." Ojiugo was not home in time to prepare Okonkwo's meal and though it was "unheard of to beat someone during the sacred week" (1435), Okonkwo beat Ojiugo unmercifully. Likely, Okonkwo feared that others would view Ojiugo's indifference to her responsibilities as a sign of Okonkwo's inability to control his wife.

Okonkwo was just as demanding upon his children and he wanted his "son to be a great farmer and a great man" (1437). Okonkwo would become overly angry if Nwoye made small mistakes while learning. When Nwoye and Ikemefuna were splitting yams for planting, Okonkwo "found fault with their efforts, and he said so with much threatening," such as "I shall break your jaw" (1437).

While Okonkwo could be sensitive and caring, his obsession with control would not allow him to show it. Enzima, whom he "was especially fond of" (1441), became ill and was taken to the cave by Chielo. Ekwefi followed Chielo and the girl from a distance as she feared for her daughter's life. Okonkwo seemed to be unconcerned: "He had felt very anxious but did not show it." Unknown to Ekwefi, Okonkwo had made four trips to the cave before he found Ekwefi and "by then had become gravely worried" (1468). Okonkwo had waited to follow; he had "allowed what he regarded as a reasonable and manly interval to pass" before he went to the cave the first time (1468). To show his own fears and worries would show lack of control.

When it was "pronounced" that Ikemefuna should be killed, Okonkwo not only went along with the other men, he also "drew his machete and cut him [Ikemefuna] down." while Okonkwo was "dazed with fear," it was because "He was afraid of being thought weak" (1448). This is an extreme example of Okonkwo's need to show that he was a strong and controlled man. Only a powerful man could kill the boy that called, "My father, they have killed me" (1448).

Things begin to fall apart when Okonkwo kills a young man and is exiled for seven years. Throughout the seven years, Okonkwo thinks only of his return to Umuofia and how he will rebuild his fame and fortune and how much he must have been misssed by his people. Upon his return, "Umuofia did not appear to have taken any special notice of the warrior's return." There were many changes as the white man had come into the village and introduced Christianity to its people. These changes made Okonkwo see "the clan...breaking up and falling apart" and he "mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women" (1494).

Following the shame exacted upon him by the "messengers," Okonkwo begins to fall apart. When he is unable to convince the men of his village to kill the white men, Okonkwo tries to push them into action when he "drew his machete" and beheaded a messenger (1502). Okonkwo thought that his people would rise up and strike down the other messengers. When Okonkwo realized that they other messengers were allowed to run away, Okonkwo's own words came back to haunt him: "Worthy men are no more" (1500).

Okonkwo, who was obsessed with the need for control, knew that he could not control the changes that were taking place. The insecure Okonkwo feared the changes that were taking place. The rules of the game had essentially changed. How, now, would the worth of a man be measured? Even the core Igbo belief system was in jeopardy. It was too much of a loss of control for Okonkwo to deal with. Things had fallen apart for Okonkwo, so much so that he chose "evil" and took his own life.

Achebe, for the most part, does seem to follow the Western formula for tragedy and the tragic hero. Okonkwo, while not born into wealth or privilege, does become a wealthy and powerful man in Umuofia. Okonkwo is neither "good" nor "thoroughly evil" yet does possess a "tragic flaw" that leads to a series of tragic events. Okonkwo begins in poverty and rises to the height of wealth and prestige among his people. He is so obsessed with control, control at all costs, that he begins to make tragic mistakes: beating his wife during Peace Week, killing Ikemefuna, having to flee Umuofia, killing the messenger and then himself. This fits the criteria of "disregard of divine law and trying to escape his fate," as outlined in the study guide.

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Discussion Paper #3
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Christina Parsley
Discussion Paper #3, Topic #1

Understanding Creative Responses to Human Crises & War

In the short story "The Rite," Hiroko Takenishi tells of some of the horrors that took place during and after the bombing of Hiroshima. This story was a creative response to the actual devastation Hiroko witnessed. She may have chosen to write this story as fiction rather than an autobiography in order to distance herself from the pain. This work may have served as a form of therapy, by allowing her to express her feelings without becoming personal. She could accomplish this by attributing her own feelings and thoughts to Aki, the narrator of this story.

The crises to which this work responds was the total annihilation of Hiroshima and the aftershock experienced by those left behind. Those who witnessed this devastation were left to make sense of it, and then attempt to carry on with their lives. Aki had temporarily managed to go on with her life until she went to visit her friend Tomiko. At her friends house she saw "two small jars"that contained "fetuses that had been miscarried"( Takenishi 1895), most likely an after affect of being exposed to the bomb. The sight of these fetuses must have stirred some deeply buried feelings, because shortly afterwards, Aki started to have very disturbing flashbacks and dreams of the devastating event that took place during her childhood. Through these dreams and flashbacks it becomes apparent that Aki is unable to acquire any closure regarding this horrible event. This feeling of deficiency could be, in part, attributed to her feeling that there was a shameful lack of consideration shown for the "rites" owed to those who died. In her eyes they were never properly laid to rest; Therefore they" will not rest in peace" (Takenishi 1899).

I believe that some of the feelings and personal battles that the author experienced as a child, diffuse into the words and feelings of the narrator, Aki. Aki serves as an intermediary for Takenishi to express her response and feelings toward the crises involved with the Hiroshima bombing. One example was when Aki states, "the anger, the deep hate" "if I could catch the real nature of that thing and fling the fullness of my anger and hate at it, I would not be in torment to this day" (Takenishi 1905). When describing the experience, she recalls the initial disbelief and the inability to cope with such a tragedy. She attempts to soften the impact by " pursuing the original appearance of that place as it had been, and as [she] knew it would be again" (Takenishi 1904). Aki would occasionally switch her thoughts to the eerie realization, of the true nature of things. It then occurred to her that all she knew "in a twinkling were all changed and lost" (Takenishi 1904). These thoughts haunted her inner being, throughout the years. She imagines that all that is familiar to her now could just crumble down, and she says " I myself am nothing more than another of these things doomed to crumble"(Takenishi 1905).

The other crises that Takenishi reveals through Aki is the fact that these people killed in Hiroshima were never afforded the rites of death so important in their culture. Aki states that because " the appropriate rites of mourning"were not performed, their deaths were not "fully accomplished" (Takenishi 1899). She explained that "there are all kinds of rites to go with death" (Takenishi 1898). There were rituals performed for the rich and powerful as well as, the poor and weak. None went to the grave without the proper rites performed in order to set their souls to rest. It appalled Aki to see the dead indiscriminately gathered together under "a mound of black earth" with just " one plain wood marker" on top (Takenishi 1899). Aki could not get over " the rite that should have been performed and never was" (Takenishi 1905). I'm sure it was difficult for her to accept the deaths of her friends and family without ever having the chance to say goodbye. Finally, Aki points out that she wants to "live without wiping out the memory of that day" despite the pain it brought with it ( Takenishi 1907). She felt these memories held a lot of value, and it was important to hold onto them. As she said " someone who can just casually wipe out the memory of his own history will not be fit ... to play the role of the great hero" (Takenishi 1907). I believe she wants to preserve these memories out of respect for those who died, and possibly, as a contribution to their rite.

Hiroko Takenishi used the framework of a fictional story to tell of a real life tragedy. As mentioned before, this may have been done to create distance from the writer and her painful memories. This story was a creative and interesting way of allowing others to experience the devastation felt by those who lived through this crises. At the same time it makes clear the suffering and injustice that was inflicted on innocent lives; Furthermore, the senseless evils of war [incompletefile.....check the attachment, Cora????????]

Myrna Homan
Discussion Paper #3, Topic #3

While I have a number of educational interests, I particularly enjoy literature. It is thought provoking and allows for personal interpretation and imagination. Most of the works we read this term were intriguing and I liked reading them all, which makes it difficult to pick just two readings to write about. Since we are asked which were of value to us as individuals and to give examples from differing literary periods, I have selected The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauda Equiano by Olauda Equiano and "The Death of My Father" by Elie Wiesel. I chose these as they are both different, yet sadly similar.

Both works have value to me as they describe events that have historical significance. Their personal descriptions of these events help one better feel and understand the atrocities inflicted on both the African and Jewish people.

Equiano's was most poignant as it details the crimes committed against the African people. Equiano's story tells us of his abduction and separation from his family, particularly his little sister. I learned that slaves were bought and sold in Africa, from African to African. I guess I just never realized that this was a practice before European influence. Of course, the difference seems to be that the African masters did not ill treat their slaves. It was not until Equiano was sold to the white traders that he became "converted into terror" and even after many years had passed he was "yet at a loss to describe" (479).

Equiano's graphic account of the conditions on board the slave ship pained me as I read. I could only imagine the suffering as he described "the heat," "the air...unfit for respiration" and the "shrieks...and the groans of the dying" (481). While Equiano was luckier than most, if it can be considered luck. He reports the general treatment of slaves by their owners following their arrival in America. Equiano tells of sexual assaults against the slave women to include young children, the maiming and torture as punishment for a myriad of real or perceived [acts of] disobedience, and the general belief among the white slave owners that the Africans were not human and should therefore not be treated as such.

It is impressive that Equiano, against all odds, is able to work and procure his freedom. As I read, I feared that he would not achieve his goal. I feared that his master would retract his agreement and I was quite pleased at the end. Equiano is a hero in that he survived and excelled in the very world that tried to subdue him and his people. This was a touching story and I am grateful...that it was part of the syllabus.

"The Death of My Father" was heart wrenching. This is about the inner conflict Wiesel faced upon the anniversary of his father's death. Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor, if it can be said that he survived. He sure survived physically; however, mentally he is scared and tormented.

Wiesel's mother was very devoted to God and wished for Wiesel to become a Rabbi. Wiesel spent much of his time studying and preparing for just such a future. Wiesel's father was an influential man who helped those less fortunate. Life was good. Then came their imprisonment. Wiesel was thrust into hell and had to bear witness to his father's death.

Wiesel was then faced, year after year, with the doubt and uncertainty of how he should feel and behave. On the eve of his father's death, Wiesel struggles with the memory and analyzes the event over and over. Wiesel is tormented by his father's face as he lay dying, "his face swollen, frightful, bloodless" (1828). Wiesel, because his father was not a particularly religious man, did not know what his father would wish on this anniversary. Would his father want Wiesel to go to the synagogue and say the "Kiddish," the prayer of the orphan?

Wiesel put it best when he said, "Loss of faith for some equaled discovery of God for others" (1829). Wiesel was unsure of what his father was feeling upon his demise. Did he, too, feel that their God had been "killed" and "exchanged" for "the enemy God" (1827)? Perhaps the elder Wiesel had found the good God and would wish the Kiddish. Wiesel was perplexed and filled with doubt.

Wiesel states, "Perhaps some day someone will explain how, on the level of man, Auschwitz was possible; but on the level of God, it will forever remain the most disturbing of mysteries" (1829). Wiesel is saying that if God existed, why would he have allowed the Holocaust to happen? Of course, this is one question among many that will never be answered for him.

In the end Wiesel resigns himself to go to the synagogue, light the candles, and say the Kiddish for his father.

Both of these writings were of value for me as they were not mere entertainment. They were stories of human suffering, suffering at the hands of other human beings. Although I have read many stories about the slave trade and the Holocaust, I still find each and every story more horrifying and saddening than the last. I, like Wiesel, cannot understand how such cruelties could have been inflicted upon anyone. How human beings could lack compassion and empathy for others is so far beyond my understanding that there are no words with which to explain my feelings....

Breana Sylwester
Discussion Paper #3, Topic #3

Why Study Western World Literature?

This term has provided me with many valuable tools that help me understand people who are different from myself. Through many of the authors I learned about new cultures and was presented with new ideas. As a result of this new exposure, I feel that these authors contributed a positive experience in studying Western world literature.

One author that has influenced this positive experience was William Blake. William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience were great literary examples that describe the conflict between innocence and experience. In "The Lamb" of Songs of Innocence, Blake presents someone who receives an answer to his question and believes the answer without reservation. "Little Lamb who made thee...Little Lamb I'll tell thee/He is called by thy name/For he calls himself a Lamb" (870). "The Lamb" describes someone with a child-like faith that does not question many things, but simply believes what is presented to him by faith. In Songs of Experience's contrasting piece, "The Tyger," Blake describes someone who is much more confused than this child-like figure in "The Lamb." This character seems to question everything and anything. "What the hammer? what the chain/In what furnace was thy brain?" This character has had more exposure to life and through his experiences he is unable to accept things for the way that they are are, as a result, he questions their existence and the reasons for their existence.

These two pieces from Blake remind me of the phrase "ignorance is bliss." One idea is that the character in "The Lamb" was able to enjoy life because of his ignorance and, therefore, he was not bothered by their existence. On the other hand, however, the character with life experience in "The Tyger" was irritated with the curiosity of why things are as they are. Because of this character's knowledge, he was unsatisfied with life until he knew the answers to all of his questions, but even more questions were revealed with every answer that he received.

For me, the benefit of reading this work was that it made me consider ignorance versus knowledge. Today, in our society, the more you know the better off you will be, seems to be the view of the majority. Reading some of Blake's work, however, has made me wonder if life is more fulfilling with knowledge or with ignorance. Considering these works has made me see the value in knowledge because it allows us to understand more about our world, yet knowledge also seems to raise more questions than it answers. Ignorance offers the same dilemma between enjoyment through simple faith or stupidity from living by this simple faith. Although knowledge is a useful tool in today's world, I think that you can have too much of a good thing and it can cause you to have a negative view of the world. This exposure to Blake's writing is significant to me because it teaches me how to evaluate the information that is presented to me by seeing both the innocent and the experienced sides. From Blake's writings I have learned that sometimes you need to take a closer look at things to learn about them but other times you can just take things as they are by faith.

I also found Chinua Achebe to be a valuable asset to the literature in this class. There are many things that we can learn from his piece Things Fall Apart. One idea that made a strong impact on me was the surprising opportunity I had to learn about another culture that is very different from our American society. Reading Achebe's Things Fall Apart, I was able to see the importance of knowing where these people are coming from before I judge their way of life. Although the Igbo culture is very different from our culture, the people are still people. by "listening to the weak" (handout) we can see how important their culture is to them. I think that this reading experience can teach almost any reader something. By reading this piee, we can learn about another culture and this new knowledge can help us understand these people and stop our racial judgments against them. When Okonkwo's son converted to the missionaries' religion, "a sudden fury rose within him" (1483). Okonkwo saw how these missionaries were splitting the tribe and his family apart. From this I learned that forcing my beliefs on someone in a place that has not welcomed me, can harden the harden the hearts of the people I am trying to witness to because my actions hae displayed my racial prejudices against the people and their way of life.

English 109 has been important to my education because it has helped teach me evaluation skills. This class has proven to be an important tool for learning to understand other people and the reasons that cause them to feel the way that they do. Through studying Western world literature and reading literature from William Blake and Chinua Achebe I have learned that knowledge is a powerful tool but simple faith and understanding can also be valuable in evaluating the world around you.

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