Eng 181

Ben Berry I don't have a lot of experience with reading poetry. It's not a type of writing I usually read. I did however recently watch the recording of Oliver de la Fraz when he visited earlier this year. I really enjoyed the imagery and symbolism in his poems, such as when he used a broken necklace to represent a broken life. Or when he created the image of blood on marble.

Ben Berry The play Andorra was very interesting. It tackled a lot of big problems of the time, some of which are still around. A big theme of the play is the idea of outsiders and insiders. The main character, Andri, is separated from the rest of the townspeople due to his status as a Jew. None of the townspeople like Jews, though most will tolerate him. Through out the play, Andri is either separated or pigeonholed into the role of a stereotypical Jew. It gets to the point that Andri, even though it's not what he wants, must accept the stereotype and become that kind of Jew. Unfortunately for him, doing so is what eventually causes his death.

Ben Berry The plot of the Handmaid's tale is very fragmented. We don't get events that happen in the order that they happen in. Rather, we get separate events that may or may not be connected. This allows the author to show us events as we need to know them. For example, we get a lot of stuff about Moria, but we don't meet her in the 'present' until later in the book. This allows the reader to look back and remember what her character was like, but doesn't put it so close to the moment that it looks like the author is trying to dump a lot of characterization on us to make this moment that they want to be epic, but only just realized that they didn't set up enough for it.

Ben Berry I find the character Offred fascinating. Her characterization is super well done, as it needs to be as she is the main character. At the start of the book, she seems like someone who has accepted her place in this new dystopia. Not gladly, but mostly because everything she cared about is gone, and so she feels there is no point in trying to resist. During her time at the red center, she didn't have this level of apathy. It was more about fear that kept her in line. Fear of punishment, both physical and mental. Then Moria shows up and there is a spark kindled in Offred. She has someone to inspire and help her though these hard times. It's when she leaves that I think Offred falls into the pit of apathy. She no longer has someone to inspire resistance in her and so she just thinks, 'Screw it, might as well just fall in line. It's easier then fighting.' We again see this spark get kindled at soul scrolls, when Offred and Ofglen talk with each other. A big...

Ben Berry The scene I choose to review is on page 75, where Offred's daughter gets taken as they are running for Canada. I enjoy this scene for a number of reasons, mostly because it helps us get a clearer picture of Offred and her backstory. One thing I noticed is that half of the paragraph has no periods. It's all commas, which often separate single words. This lends the scene a very fast pace. Offred's mind is running on adrenaline, so of course she is thinking fast. I also noticed the juxtaposition of some of the words and scenes described. The entire scene is an absolutely awful moment in this woman's life, but she describes a beautiful leaf, and talks about how the moment seems like a Christmas card. I'm still not sure why both the author and Offred choose to use those words. I also noticed near the beginning of the scene, Offred says how she feels like she is no longer in her body and feels quite calm. I find this an interesting statement. I think this is...

Ben Berry What literature is is a very nebulous term. Some people will class it as anything old, such as the ancient Greek classics, or the old Victorian novels. Others class it as anything that happens in the real world, with very few, if any magical or otherworldly aspects. However, the best example of literature is one that is character driven. Rather then the story being driven forward by the plot, with our characters just kind of following it along, it is the characters themselves doing stuff to drive the story forward. A good example of this is in the Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. These books are classic fantasy books, with magic, fantastical races, and supernatural evil. However, it is our main characters that drive the story forward. Rather then a storm, a sudden attack by the enemy, or anything else forcing Frodo to go it alone, he decides himself that he needs to leave. He realizes that the One Ring will corrupt his friends, and so decides to leave. In the same s...