Tiffany James- English 145

From a piece of fiction (short story, section of novel, or a play) choose a female character on whom to focus, and create a project that discusses some of the following questions:   What is the author’s attitude towards her? (how can you tell?) What is your attitude towards her? How do (at least 2) other characters view her? How does she view herself?  I would like to revisit Hedda Gabler. She is a complex character to analysis. I originally analyzed her husband because his attitude towards her allowed me to see what type of man he was. So, it will be fun to analyze her character and maybe I can even shed a little light on why she was so manipulative. Choose a reading selection. Then choose one of the following questions, and write an argument in response to it:  How does the work reflect the period in which it was written?  What does the work reveal about the cultural behavior contemporary to it?  How are class differences presented in the w...

Compare elements of two different texts. For example, explore the similarities and differences between two characters in the text, or examine how one theme is handled in similar and dissimilar ways in two different texts.  ·        I read one of my classmates’ project work and how she compared/contrasted two women from two different text. In reading, I could see how both women stood and died for what they believed, although how they came to their fate in the end was vastly different. This made want to look at two different characters that may have the same struggles or victories, however, seeing if their approach was different or similar.   In reading Bartleby, The Scrivener, I could see similarities between Bartleby and the Narrator of the story. What does this work reflect about its historical, social, political and/or economic context? You may focus on race, class, power, cultural values and beliefs, historical events, the author’s bi...

Originally, before I chose which reading I would research in the Project Brainstorm assignment, I optioned for " What does this work reflect about its historical, social, political and/or economic context? You may focus on race, class, power, cultural values and beliefs, historical events, the author’s biography, gender, psychology, etc. " Yet, as I started to review the readings I was drawn to James Beattie, From An Essay on Truth for the research project. It was interesting to learn that even though, today, this piece of literature reads as a strong consensus against the irrational philosophy of David Hume that James Beattie refused to publish a lot of his writing in fear of public criticism. In addition, it was interesting to learn his work could have played a major role in the abolitionist movement. Some will argue that his work indirectly played a huge role during that time, but others would strongly disagree, even asserting that his work which was published a dec...

One: Think about a theme you see running through your life (failure is the best lesson, love is eternal, etc.). Choose a reading that you think also discusses this theme (even if it reaches different conclusions about it). Explore connections between how the theme plays out in your life, and how the theme gets played out in the reading.  Courage and faith have, both, been constant themes in my life. I grew up on the south side of Chicago, where I was exposed to gangs, violence, drugs, and alcohol. My parents worked hard to shelter my sibling and I from this lifestyle, yet, we were still exposed to it daily when attending school or by merely hanging outside. My faith is what gave me the courage to move out of Chicago, on my own to another state for a better life. I believed there was better and that I deserved better. I chased after this belief.  When I moved to California, I was faced with much opposition along the way, but it never derailed my faith. I continued to find...