Source Evaluations

Anonymous. "A SENSIBLE APPROACH TO ISLAM. " The Humanist 68.1 (2008): 20-23. Research Library Core, ProQuest. Web. 20 Jul. 2010.

This is a brief article condemning the stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists, when it is only a small percentage that are actually committing the terrorist acts. The article gives sort of a checklist to identify Islamic extremists and their use of theocracy. Essentially, it is a statement being made by The American Humanist Association on their views of Islamic extremists, theocracy, and that they endorse religious freedom and condemn the fear and anger used against Muslims.

Overall, the article’s main intent does not contribute significantly to my paper. I am really only using it because it contains a list of theocratic attributes of Islam that help to compare Islam to Gilead. I think the comparison makes Gilead that much more believable, and by virtue of that it also makes Islam scarier.


Pleuger, Gilbert. "Totalitarianism." new perspective 9.1 n. pag. Web. 23 Jul 2010.
http://www.history-ontheweb.co.uk/concepts/totalitarianism.htm.

This article defines the characteristics that make up a totalitarian government. It then uses those characteristics to compare totalitarianism to fascism and the Third Reich. Pleuger than talks a little about democracy and the potential for a democracy to unfold into a totalitarian government because of some similarities.

Gilbert Pleuger is the author of The Good History Student’s Handbook, and holds an honors degree in History from Keele. The web site is a British web site that seems to be devoted to history and e-learning. I don’t see a date on the article anywhere, but it is not necessarily time critical material. There is no supporting evidence or citations, which is problematic for the information containing historical references. However, a case could probably be made for it being public knowledge. Overall, for the purposes I would use this article, I would say that it has enough credibility to suit me.

It is difficult, at this point, to pin down exactly what I will focus on in The Handmaid’s Tale. I would really like to research the methods of totalitarian mind control, so that I can discuss similarities found in the book. I don’t think that this can be done without considering Margaret Atwood as well, so I guess I will have to look at her biography. I guess my question would be, why? Why did she write this book, and what is she trying to say in it?


In order to truly nail down Atwood’s purpose, I have to learn more about her as an author and a person. I think a very important part of the book is a rather scathing view of politics, but I don’t know if it’s directed at America or some other country. Since it took place in America, I would assume that is the intended target. I will also have to look at the time frame of the book to figure out if there was some inspirational event that led to Atwood writing this book.

Another aspect that might require a little investigation is the obvious usage of religion in politics throughout the text. Is this the purpose of the book, a warning against religion in politics? Maybe a look at utilizing religion as the means of control and purpose by the totalitarian government, is how I should approach it. Again it is very difficult to figure out exactly how and what I will analyze until I do a little research. It is also very likely that in order to do a thorough analysis of any one part, I will have to look at many other parts.

Thesis Statements

Identify the weak thesis statement:

1) Weak Thesis Statement (A): I’m going to write about Darwin’s concerns with evolution in The Origin of the Species. This thesis statement is too general. It contains no specific argument or claim.

2) Weak Thesis Statement (A): An important part of one’s college education is learning to better understand others’ points of view. This thesis statement is an overly broad claim. It is almost cliché, and restating conventional wisdom.

3) Weak Thesis Statement (B): The jeans industry targets its advertisements to appeal to young adults. Again this thesis statement is overly broad and cliché. It is a statement of fact.

4) Weak Thesis Statement (A): Othello is a play about love and jealousy. This thesis statement is making no claim or argument. It is also too general and a statement of fact.

5) Weak Thesis Statement(A): The songs of the punk rock group Minor Threat relate to the Feelings of individuals who dare to be different. Their songs are just composed of pure emotion. Pure emotion is very important in music, because it serves as a vehicle to convey the important message of individuality. Minor Threat’s songs are meaningful to me because I can identify with them. This thesis statement offers only a personal point of view. There is nothing and no reason to argue this thesis.


What is the significance of the color red?

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the symbolism contained by the color red shows evidence of the hypocrisy displayed by the Gilead theocracy.

The color red shows up continuously throughout the story. From the “Red center” to the red smile on the masks of the executed men, and, especially, the red that is worn by the handmaids themselves the color seems to have some significance. In a government that is supposedly ruled by religious principles, they condone a married man having sex with a partner who is not his wife. The color red shows the lie that is Gilead.

This thesis statement makes a very specific claim that can be argued with evidence taken from the book. There are enough instances of the color red that it shows that there is some significance, and provides ample evidence to elicit speculation as to its meaning.

Mid Session Letter

Dear English Instructor:


The biggest challenge for me so far in this class is simply to get everything finished and submitted on time. I am taking two classes this semester and have found myself quite overwhelmed at times. Between the two classes, I have been doing more than 40 hours of homework per week, and the workload has just increased. I would have to say that my biggest success is that I have learned to focus on the details in a story, which really helps when doing literary analysis. I guess Sam Hamill had it right!

The readings in this class have had a variety of affects on me. They have ranged from anger at some of the attitudes of the writers to respect. When I first started reading Everything That Rises Must Converge, I didn’t care too much for the stories. Once I started focusing on the details and realized what was underneath the surface, I found that I enjoyed it.

Literary analysis is a bit different than much of the writing I have done previously, but involves many of the same concepts. It all requires critical thinking and analysis. I really enjoy reading and enjoy writing, so I thought that this would be quite enjoyable. However, it is somewhat more challenging than I anticipated. Just because I can read and write, does not mean that writing about reading will be easy.

At this point in time, with my current workload, my major goal is to continue to be able to keep up in both classes. I would like to say that I want to focus on some portion of my writing or analysis, but in all honesty, quality must be sacrificed due to the quantity of work. Maybe with some luck, I will find some way to be more efficient and find the time to focus on quality. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy both of my classes and am still trying for quality, which is why I am doing so much homework.


Sincerely,

Stephen A. Dartt

Flannery O'Connor Post #2

                 “Revelation”

I understand Sam Hamill much better now. If you don’t focus on the details of theses stories, you begin to feel like you are reading the same story repeatedly. I chose to respond to “Revelation” because it is one of the only stories without a pathetic male main character.

The story opens with Mrs. Turpin taking her husband to the doctor. The waiting room is very small and has limited seating. Mrs. Turpin appraises the people in the room and determines that there are three that are white trash, one old man, a pleasant looking woman, a fat and ugly college-age girl, and themselves. As soon as she sits down, she begins a conversation with the pleasant looking woman since she is the only one worthy of her conversation.

Throughout the time spent in the waiting room, we learn that Mrs. Turpin feels very blessed that she is who she is in spite of her very clear prejudices against so many people. Everybody in the waiting room seems to be looking down their noses at everyone else. Even the clearly poor people Mrs. Turpin labeled as white trash, are racist. With all that hatred in one little room, it is no surprise that there was an incident. Of course, the incident did come from an unlikely source. The college girl, who perhaps was the only decent person in the room, threw her book at Mrs. Turpin and struck her in the face. She then commenced to leap at her and try to choke her. Once she was subdued, she called Mrs. Turpin some unpleasant things that caused Mrs. Turpin some distress.

At the end of the story, Mrs. Turpin has a vision of a bridge leading to heaven. On the bridge, she sees all the people she looks down on celebrating as they went. Behind all those people, she saw the people more like herself, who were crossing in a more dignified and solemn manner. When she looked closer she noticed the alarm on their faces as what they considered their virtues were torn away. In the end, they were no better than the people who had preceded them. Their solemn ascent was due to the fact that they had no cause for celebration. In the end, it was those who they had trampled under their feet that had cause to celebrate.

Everything That Rises Must Converge, by Flannery O’Connor, is a story of a young man, Julian, who must escort his mother to a weight-loss class. Julian’s mother is a single mother who was able to put her son through college, and because of her sacrifices feels he should accompany her to her class. Julian’s mother is clearly racist and doesn’t want to ride the bus due to the recent integration. Julian is very proud of that he is not racist and wants to teach his mother a lesson.


When they got on the bus, a little African American boy sits next to Julian’s mother. She thinks the boy is cute, so as they get off the bus she offers the little boy a penny. The little boy’s mother takes offense to this and hit’s Julian’s mother. Eventually, this causes Julian’s mother to have a stroke.                                                                                                                      

The scene on the bus is very telling. Julian sits next to an African American man to show his mother, himself, and the man that he is not racist. Throughout the story Julian is constantly thinking about how enlightened he is and how simple his mother is. He even thinks to himself in reference to her influence that “…instead of being blinded by love for her as she was for him, he had cut himself emotionally free of her and could see her with complete objectivity” (O’Connor, 12). Yet, Julian has issues with class. He is well-educated, unlike his mother, and only has respect for people of means. Julian feels superior to his mother.

This is a story of discrimination. This is a story of children rising above the mistakes of their parents, unaware that they have only displaced that discrimination.

                                                  Works Cited

O’Connor, Flannery. Everything That Rises Must Converge. New York: Farrar, Staus and
     Giroux, 1965. Print.

                                     The Necessity to Act


I have found that I have grown particularly weary of the mentality that is presented by Sam Hamill. Since I have returned to the U.S., I have discovered a country that is terrified to do anything. We have given up civil liberties only because we are becoming a nation of cowards. Possibly worst of all, is that we have suddenly all become victims incapable of overcoming whatever wrong was done to us, and entitled to something “more.”

I am not in total contention with this article, but many of the ideas presented in it seem a little naïve. Hamill talks about the responsibility that writers have due to their ability to stimulate emotion in the reader. He does not talk about the responsibility the reader has to exercise judgement and control. Just because someone is articulate and eloquent does not necessarily make them worthy to be listened to. For instance, Hamill says in his article that an abused child only as two options; continue being a “victim,” or “seize power and become the executioner.” Are those really the only options? Is it not incumbent upon me, as a victim of child abuse, to discover a third option where I no longer let myself be abused, and also break the cycle of violence for my children?

When it comes to reading some of the more depressing accounts of someone’s life or experiences, I wonder who is really getting more out of it. It seems that many times it should be more cathartic for the author than for the reader. The author is able to put their experience down on paper, and perhaps let some of it go. It is possible that they will, in some way, influence someone else into an action that they feel is correct. However, how much can we reasonably expect to influence someone who is capable of independent thought? Would playing the “peaceful solution” card work by sending Hitler, Stalin, Saddam, or any other infamous leader, a passionate poem by one of their victims compel them to change? Hamill says that poetry is “embarrassing,” and that we cannot “bear very much reality.” This may be true to an extent. What he is referring to is the reality of abuse, rape, murder and who knows what other terrible things. While these things are, unfortunately, very real they are not the only reality. I’m not sure exactly what his point is here, it almost seems that he feels we are neglecting some sort of duty to humanity if we don’t sit around and read depressing poems by depressed people. Well, I’m not going to do that, and that does not mean that I am indifferent.

I am tired of being asked to bear the burden of other people’s poor choices. I am tired of everybody saying that people can’t be expected to overcome their environment. This attitude of only two options for victims is what is causing more victims. Human history is full of people overcoming almost overwhelming odds. I think people who need to write, or even feel like, writing poetry to communicate something or free themselves, should continue to write. However, I don’t believe that poetry is going to save the world.

It is not only a “profoundly articulated No!,” that will cause the human spirit to prevail. It is people refusing to allow themselves to remain victims. It is people who refuse to create other victims. “No!,” is just a word.