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Take Home Quiz – Due back via attachment to Blackboard by midnight, Wednesday, December 19 , 2012.

1. How would you describe the poet’s response to the painting? The poet is comparing the association of the night to the girl. The traits she explains in the night as neon milk and powdered silk show the elegance of the girl at her seat. Under girl work, the artist describes the smell of black, down the back (assuming of the picture). Here the poet fuses two senses of site and smell. The ‘smell of black’ could refer to the coffee and the night in back of her. Again, the “girl work” underneath associates her detachment from action, just as the night exists but is yet detached from life.

The poet’s response is one of detachment and recognition of the artists presentation of ‘urban alienation’. The format alone (four separate stanzas) support this conclusion with the content strengthening it.

2. Why does the poet use the quotation in devotional Latin? Clamo ad te Domine means “I cry out, God, to you.”

Perhaps the poet is using this religious connotation of Latin, to represent the Artists internal languish at alienation. As the night is alienated similar to the girl, the girl may find solace in its embrace. Additionally, this may represent the poet’s interpretation of the artists view that The girl is angry at the night for leaving her so disparate to the world. (not desperate). The devotional aspect of it may reflect a desire for companionship, one that religion typically provides. This can be seen in the common perception as believers as “Brothers and sisters in Christ”. Also it may simply be a cry of anguish at this alienation as many use the lords name in vein at times shouting “Jesus Christ” or “God” in frustration.

In this Poem by May Sorton, the narrator portrays medusa not as an evil being, but as one that

Instills emotion in her observer. By portraying Medusa as a muse, May Sorton shows how through

another’s lack of motion or emotion, the women or men in our lives may become hardened on the outside,

concealing their feelings afterwards. It seems that this poem is inadvertently a tale of love for an

individual who will not return it.

In the beginning the narrator states that he/she saw this girl, when they were alone and although the

girl seemed cold and emotionless, he/she looked her in the eye and was not turned off. In the second

stanza the narrator states that he/she was “hooked, gutted, caught”. From this we see the girl whom the

narrator is looking at caught his/her attention and left thinking about her deeply.

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In the next stanza May describes how the narrator was set free from her gaze, and how intrigued

he/she was by the fact that this “Medusa” has so much power over him/her. This ongoing discussion of

fish may be a metaphor for relationships, as the colloquial saying goes “there are many fish in the sea”. It

seems that this one fish is absorbed by another whom he/she loves without return of affection.

The narrator again describes in the next stanza, how many of these fish escaped and explored ‘many a

dangerous sea’ and expresses her surprise as to how they did not ‘come to grief’ but continued out there

in the mystery of the waters. Sorton shows here how even though Medusa has let many lovers go, they

aren’t filled with grief over it. Instead they are able to explore the wondrous mystery of the sea of lovers

out there.

In the next stanza the narrator proclaims that Medusa’s “silence is [his/her] ocean” and that despite

Medusa’s total lack of emotion, there is still something swirling around inside of her like love and feeling.

Amusingly the narrator takes note that this “love” which medusa apparently feels is ruthless. Her act of

love causes others to become stone-faced as well. In this we see the truth. Due to this Woman’s lack of

emotion and ruthless love in reference to others, she turns those filled with outward expression into

individuals that hide their emotion.

It is this gift that Medusa gives the narrator; the gift of holding ones feelings inside, of locking in

one’s rage, and love, and emotion away with a poker face, so that one may be armored on the outside

protected from the world. In this way, the narrator describes Medusa’s actions of turning others to

stone as actions of love and not hate and that she is protecting others by forcing their emotions inward

and releasing her lovers out in to the ‘bigger sea”

 Part III: Short Story “Books…stories are carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill” Barbara Tuchman (Historian and writer of non-fiction historical books).

With this quote in mind, please answer the following questions on Nadine Gordimer’s short story “The Moment the Gun Went Off”

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1. Please describe Marais Van der Vyver. What type of person is he?a. He is a happy person of high esteem in his party. In the end he is portrayed as cold and

reserved, and alludes to the fact that that may be why has not moved up in his party district.

2. Why is Captain Beetge ashamed of Marais Ven der Vyver for crying?a. Crying is a sign of weakness for men. As he was not only crying but sobbing and having

snot all over his hands, Beetge let him gather himself because it was unlike Vyver to be so emotional.

3. What statement about society does Nadine Gordimer’s story convey? Please write one or two paragraphs that fully convey your interpretation of the story. Remember to provide reference to the text to validate your interpretation. Please write in complete sentences and be mindful of grammar and spelling.

Gordimer’s story conveys a situation where everyone is on edge. In this story society could be described as “looking for a problem”. The main character is in the fields and the boy whom he hangs out with in the fields is accidentally shot while driving. Gordimer discusses how the story will play out to the press and the rest of the world even though it was an accident. In the end, the narrator reveals that the boy is his son. In the story Gordimer states that “none of those who want to destroy the white man’s power will believe him”. From this we can infer that there is a state of unrest in the nation. At this time in South Africa, the Apartheid was coming to an end, ultimately ending in the 1990s with the help of Nelson Mandela. In this wind down period of racial segregation, an act where a white man harmed a black man and “got away with it”, could have been the sparked fighting between the two races.

The reason behind this tension of course comes from the system of political oppression itself (apartheid) which lasted more than 50 years in South Africa. In this situation even though Africans were freed, they were still basically treated as slaves. Africans were becoming more and more agitated with this environment and on the edge of a bloody uprising. The accident in this story was accidental but due to the political environment of the time, its issue was heightened. In fact the whole story leads to the idea that truth did not matter much at all, and that the news about the death of the man’s son would be tainted and shaped by politics.

Part IV: Definition of Literature

Please create/write your own unique definition of literature

Literature is the expression of one’s feelings and stories to be told through the use of words and sometimes pictures.

Part V: New Authors

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Please note two names of an author, poet or playwright that caught your attention this semester that you hope to explore further when time permits you. Explain why you are interested in them?

Sophocles: Oedipus: I’m intrigued by greek mythology and reading the trilogy in a few sittings seems enjoyable

Art Spiegelman: Maus: I have never read a graphic novels, and comic books are even new to me. This way of telling a story appeals to my senses so I am looking forward to reading/looking at the Maus Collection.(I’m borrowing it from Ricky)

Part V

Honest comments about the course and its structure. What would you like to have seen more of, or covered less of? Did you enjoy the discussion format, the group work?

Some of the literature seemed a bit excessive, although I suppose it should be expected in an English class. Also I wish we dove more into graphic novels. The group work was fine although I feel like in a 50 minute class it may take too long to set up/break apart.