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 There is no supporting evidence or citations, which is problematic for the information containing historical references.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