Literary Theories From Class

Throughout the term we went over a few literary theories with which we could use to criticize different texts that we were reading. The main theories we focused on include marxist literary theory, feminist theory, and post-colonial theory.

Marxist theory suggests that all productions, be it a song, a play, a novel, etc, are political in nature. Marxist theory deal with economics, social class issues, power divisions, and ideologies. A Marxist critic would argue that readers will not fully understand a literary work until the relationship between economics and social class are understood. Some Marxist author's the we covered in class include Pablo Neruda and Richard Wright (though only for a short time).

Feminist literary theory contends that males use literature as a means to ensure that females remain subordinate. Feminist authors include Nawal El Saadawi, Anita Desai (the "reluctant" feminist), and Virginia Woolf. These authors are now considered part of the literary canon whereas before the canon was solely male.

Post-colonial literary theory looks at works produced by colonial powers or by those who were colonized. Post-colonial theory looks at issues of politics, power, economics, culture, and history. A post-colonial author we look at in class is Chinua Achebe, who wrote Things Fall Apart. The novel looks at the impact of British colonization on preexisting Nigerian societies and cultures, and documents what took place during colonization.

World Classics

I came into this class thinking it would be a welcome challenge during which I would get a little feel for some famous non-western authors and literature. I'm pleased to say that class was just that. Every day we would discuss we were assigned to read and the discussion were always intellectual and interesting. My classmates were all very interesting as well. 

I enjoyed doing the assignments given to us and it never felt like real work because it was always intriguing. The two papers we wrote were a challenge, but they were fun to write. The exam was also a good challenge! There were a couple questions I was kind of iffy on, but I think I did relatively well and I'm very pleased with myself. I'm most happy about my essay. I chose to write about the texts we read in class being called revolutionary in that they challenged authority in some way. 

I don't think there's anything I would change about the way the class was run, it was very well organized and I feel I've learned a lot. I definitely do not regret taking this course one bit! It's been a really fun term with all you guys and I hope you have a fun summer! See you next year!! :D

Poetry Day Pt. 2!

So poetry day in class turned out to be a lot better than I thought it would be. I was dreading having to write poetry, because being creative on the spot is difficult! But I ended up really enjoying hearing other people's poems (diarrhea burning like the heat of a thousand suns!) and I even liked most of my own :)


For the first poem we wrote about something abstract: time.

Flowing as a river
Whisping as the wind
Round and around
the arms they spin


The second poem we wrote about something concrete: a chair.

Climb the mountain
and you'll come to a plateau
Where you'll find my cat,
It's her favorite place to go


The third and fourth poems we chose what to write about and then everybody tried to guess what it was!

Thunderous and daunting
Purple, black, and blue
Your tears escape
And your voice cracks
But soon it passes and
Your face again, pleases the masses

--In this one I describing like the sky/a passing thunderstorm


You cry, I'll calm you
You fall, I'll catch you
You giggle, I'll smile
You stand, I'll encourage you
Put one foot before the other
You and I, together we'll wander

--In this one I was describing my baby brother!


Overall, poetry day was a success I think!

Tomorrow is Poetry Day!

yayyy! Who doesn't love poetry?

When told that we had to bring in a favorite poem, I immediately thought of either "Sick" by Shel Silverstein or "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. Throughout grade school I was never really exposed to any poets, so my favorite poem is fairly juvenile. But, I am a kid a heart so I suppose it's only fitting.

Sick by Shel Silverstein

'I cannot go to school today'
Said little Peggy Ann McKay
'I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more - that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut - my eyes are blue-
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke-
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrench, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-oh-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is-what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is...Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!'


I love this poem because it reminds me of dreading school when I was younger, and rejoicing when it was the weekend :)