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Kindred

Kindred  was definitely my favorite book to discuss in class, and it left me thinking for a long time. One thing that I found really interesting and enjoyed discussing in class (over zoom) was the significance of Dana losing her arm from time travel. As we discussed in class, I think the loss of Dana's arm shows that she can never return as exactly the same person she was before. Part of her now exists in both time periods, and due to the things she experienced in 1815, Dana will forever be missing a part of herself. I really like the way Butler chose to represent this. I think everyone in life goes through things (although nothing like what Dana went through) that tear us down, build us up, and change us. There are definitely people, places, and events in my life that hold parts of myself that are pretty much as significant to me as my arm. For example, while I'm graduating and going off to college, I still feel like I am leaving a part of myself behind at Uni. As I grow
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Vonnegut's Portrayal of War

So far this semester, I think Slaughterhouse Five  has been my favorite book to read and discuss. One thing that came up multiple times throughout the discussion of this novel was whether it was successful in its goal of portraying war as accurately as possible, with no sugarcoating or glorification. I personally think that this novel did do a good job of that, especially of showing how big of an impact war can have on its veterans after the war.  I think that Billy was a good 'poster-child' for a war veteran. He fought at a young age, and saw and experienced many horrors of war that stayed with him for life. His family around him treated him as if he was slowly going insane, but he felt that he was completely justified. Even we, the readers, debated over whether the events that Billy describes were true or just a figment of his imagination. Billy wasn't the type of war hero or role model archetype that anyone would envy or try to take after. He wasn't portrayed as &

Reed's Portrayal of Women

As we've finished reading Mumbo Jumbo,  there were many very interesting aspects of it to discuss. One discussion that was really fun to talk about in class was the idea of gender in this novel. We touched a lot on this topic in class over the two panel presentation days, and there were a few specific points that especially interested me. One thing that I am now kind of ashamed to admit is that I wasn't aware of the fact that none of the really significant characters in Mumbo Jumbo  are female until it was brought up in class. I think part of the reason why I didn't notice is because a lot of really popular books and movies today are still the same way, with no significant female characters except maybe one for sex appeal and 'diversity.' But when I went back and thought about it, I realized the characters we spent the most time talking about in class, and who had the most depth and growth throughout the novel, were all male. The only female character who I can r

Blurred Lines

I thought we had a really interesting discussion in class about history, fiction, and how they're similar and different from each other. It's strange that we are so quick to believe any historical source as the truth, when in fact some stories are told from extremely skewed perspectives. Contrastingly, novels deemed as "fiction" are considered to be 100% false, when many books are actually based on real events or experiences. I think the line between history and fiction is much thinner than some people might realize.  As we've heard from Mr. Leff multiple times, it is always important to look through sources, even ones that seem credible, with a grain of salt. As the saying goes, "history is written by the victors." We often hear about certain events only though one perspective, that being the people in positions of privilege and power. When one certain group gets to mold history to their will, it's easy for records to end up falling short of the

Doctorow's Irony

In nearly every scene of  Ragtime , Doctorow makes an effort to convey a message to the reader about American society. One of my favorite scenes to discuss in class was the one where Ford's Model T was first unveiled, and the employees were given exactly 60 seconds to view it before heading back to work. However, the entire book is full of moments with underlying messages about American society in the early 20th century. Further, it is not only full of commentary on issues such as industrialism and class disparities, but the way that Doctorow writes it convinces the reader to arrive to these conclusions all on their own. In multiple places throughout Ragtime , Doctorow mentions the extreme work conditions in factories and the lack of respect for workers. He chooses not to explicitly say his own thoughts on the matter, but rather pushes the reader to realize it for themselves. In the Model T scene specifically, Doctorow mentions the setup of the factory, how each person focuses o