NRJ#2: Sexuality

NRJ#2: Sexuality

            When the students were taught about sex in Hailsham, Ishiguro extends the sensation of Kathy’s feelings about her sexuality in Never Let Me Go. The students were told that sex could be dangerous if they were to have feelings for another human being outside Hailsham. They could potential get a disease if they weren’t careful with whom they chose to sleep with.  Ishiguro demonstrates that even as a clone, sexuality is important and sacred. Sex shouldn’t be taken as a joke but also with the respect of the human body and the feelings of others. One of the guardians tell the students that when they find someone to share the experience with, to make sure they are the one because the feelings that come with being sexually active can have a strong impact with your emotions.

            Ishiguro’s use of symbolism on sexuality is to show his readers how it’s our nature to feel a special bond for a man or a woman. No matter how different we are as human beings we still are the same when it comes to our physical needs. Some people may have different religious views or outlooks but its how humans were created. Miss Emily expresses to her students how important it was to their bodies, to “respect their physical needs,” and how sex was “a very beautiful gift”.  Kathy remains pure while she was at Hailsham but her intentions to explore her sexuality were not innocent. She was thinking of who would be a perfect candidate for her first time but she wanted it to be with someone who her feelings weren’t attached to.

With sexuality symbolizing a physical need for the human body, Kathy mentioned about having a few one nighters when she lived at the Cottages. One evening, Kathy was talking to Ruth about those incidents with the guys and how she never wanting to do it with them. But because her urge to really need it she ask Ruth, “…Do you ever get so you just really have to do it? With anybody almost” (128). The author demonstrates the sense of human nature and even though Hailsham students were clones, they need the same physical need as “normal” humans

NRJ#1: Childhood

NRJ#1: Childhood

            When you become an adult or even if there is a change of surroundings, many times you think back about childhood memories. Those memories consume us of who we are today as adults such as our attitudes, what makes up happy or fearful, friendships, personalities and etc. In the novel Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro creates many childhood memories with the children from Hailsham, especially Kathy who narrates her child life with flashbacks throughout the novel. Ishiguro sense of childhood seems important to his novel. The first part of the book is him giving us insight on the beginning of childhood on Hailsham. For example, Kathy explains possessions that she had received as a childhood at Hailsham and still remains with her.

            In chapter 6, Kathy begins to mention about a tape she loves to listen to and “still has a copy of that tape” (Ishiguro 64).  The tape was by Judy Bridgwater and from that tape was Kathy’s favorite song, “Never let Me Go”. The author’s use of flashback is allowing the reader to understand the importance of the tape and what it meant to Kathy as a child. We also learn that this song is mentioned towards the end of the story encountered with Madame.  That’s it is necessary for her to explain the past with the meaning of this tape. This tape also brought back a familiar connection between Ruth and Kathy after months of awkwardness. Ishiguro is reconstructing childhood friendships by allowing Ruth to realize Kathy has lost her favorite tape and gives her a new one, “Kathy, it’s not your one. The one you lost. I tried to find it for you, but it’s really gone” (75). That tape given by Ruth still remains with Kathy amongst with her childhood memories of their friendship.

            Throughout the beginning part of Never Let Me Go,  Ishiguro has used many flashbacks for  the reader to recount the past of the children at Hailsham and for the reader to know at one point we thought the kids were normal just like how today’s society we analyze how important it is for children to go to school, have friends, and be involved with activities. That’s all the children remember from Hailsham and some of their guardians. The sense of a regular life, aka perfect life, doesn’t exist even if you’re cloned.  As adults we will always have distraught, un-normal, sensitive, positive, happy and sad childhood memories.

DRJ #4 Hamlet; Act 4

DRJ# 4: Hamlet, Act 4

                I felt this act was a pot being stirred. There were many different emotions and feelings going on. It reminds me of just society’s drama. People and kids are dealing with these types of things every day. You see it in the news about murders and potential suicides.

                Poor Ophelia and her lovely soul. All I kept thinking about is her wounded heart for her father’s death. It took a huge tool on her and her being of acting normal. Her morning was something I have never seen before. The songs she was making up and just going around and singing. I think maybe one time she talked like a normal human person but other than that she was just singing and making up her own words. Ophelia always seemed sweet and caring of her dad and brother. When she died I was shocked. It really was a twist in the act. In her eyes she just wanted to love and someone love her.

                When Laertes returns home all he wanted was to have revenge on whoever killed his father.  But I was thinking about revenge as a theme for this act. I was in awe by the love this family had for each other.  They had such a tight bond. It affected both of Polonius’s children where they both seemed lost without him. Then Hamlet sends Horatio a letter telling him what is going on. I thought “wow” what great friendship. So love/family/friendship popped out to me.

DRJ #3; Hamlet Act 3

DRJ #3: Act 3

                As a believer, when I feel I’ m being convicted of a sin I tend to want to lash out and get angry at the person who is telling me what I did was wrong. In Act 3, Claudius had to leave in the middle of the play because God was convicting him of murdering his brother.  Reading this part of the story reminded me of myself and all the reasoning and justification I do to make what I did wrong, right. 

                Hamlet was very strong emotionally in this act. When the actors were acting out the scene of his father’s death, Hamlet could have easily lashed out towards Claudius and seek revenge while he was watching. But I think it was brilliant to have a play convict the King instead of him doing it and something bad coming out it. Of course the protagonist I believe is Hamlet.  As much as he has resentment towards his mother he still seems to bring God and his religious views into action. He is very stern with his words. Like it’s mentioned in the play “Let me be cruel, not unnatural…I will speak daggers but use none” (1643) because he loves her he will let her know what she did is wrong.

                Act 3 was based upon a lot of guilt and sin.  Claudius was feeling the pain of guilt in his heart about the sin he committed. He can’t stand it now. He says “My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent” (1644).  He thinks a simple rain will wash away his bad deeds against his brother. He confesses to the heavens of his wrong intentions. Now this is when Hamlet believes if he kills him he will still go to heaven because he is praying and asking for forgiveness.  The image that is being painted is Claudius I feel is going to be the victim now.

DRJ #2: Hamlet, Act 2

DRJ # 2 Hamlet, Act 2

                Reading Act 2 wasn’t as interesting as the first Act. The beginning of Act 2 caught my attention until the actors came. I thought there would be more action with Polonius and Hamlet. I thought for sure Polonius was going to mention his daughter’s name while he was having a conversation with Hamlet.  I feel Polonius not wanting to have any confrontation with Hamlet quite yet. This is familiar to my character. When something is bothering me to the point I’m really irritated, I see that it’s hard for me to come out and say what I really want to say. I beat around the bush. It annoys me so Polonius character annoys me as well. 

                Polonius demeanor is like a child who wants to tell on other students or even worse, a parent who is overbearing and thinks their child deserves better than the other kids in the class. He believes he knows the reason why Hamlet has been acting “crazy.” All because Ophelia followed her father’s ordered and ignored Hamlet.  I believe Polonius is causing conflict to make his family look impressive to the King and Queen. He even put his life on the line if he were wrong about the assumption of Hamlet’s negative behavior.

Not only did Polonius mention his daughter was the cause of the conflict but Hamlet, Rosencrantz , Guildenstern and the first player all mentioned a whore in Act 2. Even the actors that came, I felt their play was derogatory towards women.  Then in the end when Hamlet was speaking to himself he says “Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, and fall a-cursing, like a drab, a stallion” (1629) Drab and stallion mean whore. So “women” was used as a figure of speech multiple of times throughout the act.

DRJ#1 Hamlet, Act1

DRJ #1 Hamlet, Act 1

                After reading Hamlet Act 1 the play started to remind of the move Sixth Sense. I know that maybe sound awkward but the concept of Hamlet, Horatio, Bernardo and Marcellus seeing and talking to a spirit reminds me of the boy in the movie talking to the dead people. Either because the dead people wanted closure or in one case the girl’s mother killed the daughter by poisoning her and the girl spirit wanted the boy to tell the father what really happened by showing him a video. So it’s neat to see the same scenario in today’s films.

One character that stood out to me besides Hamlet was Laertes. He was a bright kid who loved his sister dearly and was true to France. As he was boarding the ship, he was making sure his sister would write him and lecturing her on young love. He was doing what older brothers would do and that is to protect them from any man. He isn’t afraid to speak his mind and what lies on his heart.  I’m not sure what his part is in the play but eager to find out.

I believe Act 1 was about loyalty.  It expressed Laertes finishing his duty at Denmark so he could return home. Towards the ending of the act Hamlet made an oath to his father’s spirit to take revenge on the old King’s death. That requires loyalty. Also, Horatio swears that he may never tell a soul about seeing the spirit of Hamlet’s father.  The main dialogue between the King and Hamlet had to do with the extension of mourning from Hamlet which raises the conflict.  Hamlet is still in mourning and Claudius is saying it’s due to “of impious stubbornness, ‘tis unmanly grief;” (1597).

Walker: Extra Credit

He does not know if he loves her, although he believes that he does. He found her as a prisoner and was able to release her from her past.  She sees him as the savior or at least she must, she has found a good man and he intends to show her his love and take care for her children. He is unhappy with the quickness in which she wanted to proceed, he wanted to court her and show her his need. She is rushing into this bond that they will share, and fear is what he has now that they have come near. He knows she is uncertain. He does not fit in this world of hers but no matter, as he intends to take her to his. Over time she will love him and see him for him. Their lives will be happy, full of joy, this he can promise on this sacred of days.

SSRJ #4: Carver

SSRJ #4: Carver

            When I was reading “Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver, the one thing that was going through my head was the sadness of family problems. Then I thought more about the title and realized how perfect it was for this story. Every relationship and marriages have issues. Which would be consider popular and the issues are the mechanics. That’s how I was looking at it. The conflict here was emotional and intense. Even though we didn’t know the depths and the reason for the argument but it ended in a tragedy.

            The conflict between the couple did set the tone. It begun right when the women snatched the baby’s picture and took the man only minutes to realize he wasn’t leaving without the child. I believe this is where the tone was picking up. He headed down stairs and that’s when all chaos breaks loose. Carver didn’t need to explain much for us to feel the tension. Even though we didn’t know names or much about the setting it was enough for the reader to understand the pain of each parent. What was hard for me to grasp was the pain they were putting their baby through. I’m not a mother but I can’t imagine losing my baby because I caused the death. I’m not sure how I would have handled this conflict. How do you think you have managed this issue?

Hemingway: Extra Credit

Coming home at the end of the war was tough for Kerbs. He came home late, after all the heroes welcomes, and he was shunned. He felt he had served his country and no one seemed to care about his sacrifices. This would be a very difficult way to return to your life. You have faced great fears, uncertainty and death and even the people closest to you don’t seem to understand.  

I have been in a situation where I left Texas in the middle of my senior year to come to California and when I returned back home things have changed. My friends have all moved away for college. All my family was back in California. When I was reading I was feeling Kerbs emptiness. By remembering this experience I can understand a little better why Kerbs was acting the way he was. I had nowhere to turn to. I felt I had to start all over. Krebs felt like no one cared and that was the way I felt. I was lost. What I had to remember and what Kerbs could have learned was that I had a loving family no matter how I felt and where I was. I could see this issue still coming up with present day soldiers. Even though times are different now and we welcome our soldier’s home, I am sure there are still some situations like this. It is unfortunate to think about anyone being treated this way by the very citizens they were trying to protect. This would be where my sister could relate exactly to Kerbs. She has a story very similar.

SSRJ #3: Colette

SSRJ #3: Colette

When I first started to read this story I thought to myself, “I could use a romantic story right now”. Then the more I read I realized that this story wasn’t as romantic as I was hoping. After the first couple paragraphs, I felt I was thrown a curve ball. I was a little uncomfortable but more so disturbed. I started to literally picture a monstrous hand with claws and covered with ware wolf hair. I know that is exaggerating some but that was the picture I imagined. I think she was making a big deal about “the hand” which had me thinking irrational thoughts her husband’s hand.

I believe Colette was trying to make a point to tell us, we may not know people as well as we think. There is always another side of us that we hide. Maybe not intentionally but we do. I believe this is true. You would be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t. In this case the hand is the symbol. It’s the main object. It is used to describe a different side of her husband. Something that she has never noticed or has never paid close attention. There are probably reasons why his hand acted in an animal like way and put fear in the wife. My thought was, he could have been dreaming or it had something to do with his previous wife. But the neat part was even though she has never witness “the hand” she overcame her fears of it and kissed it. Do you believe the hand represented another side of him she never knew about?

SSRJ #2 Oates

 SSRJ #2: Oates

            Reading “Three Girls” made me feel like a teenager again. I thought about the time my sister and I were at this restaurant we thought we saw George Strait. But, it wasn’t. We had gotten all excited. I do have a recent experience that is similar to the story.  Long story short, this summer I was coaching AAU basketball and we had a tournament in L.A. Well, after one of our games we were outside having a team meeting and some of the girls thought they saw Dwight Howard. If you don’t know who that is, he plays for the NBA. After we went looking around, we found out it was him. We were the only one who knew and were able to take pictures with him. It was a cool experience.  I think the narrator writing in first-person made me feel as if I was there with her.

            The story being told in first-person helps draw attention to the reader and paint that picture. You’re able to see the plot clearer. To me I felt I was sitting in the same book store the girls were at. I think Oates wanted us to feel the suspense of following Marilyn Monroe. Wondering if we were ever going to be seen by her or catch a glimpse of what she was looking for. Did you ever feel you were part of the story? I sure did. I believe Oates did a wonderful job by making the reader understand the night life of New York and what part they were at. She explained the plot well. If I were to walk by the Strand Bookstore I would probably recognize it. I can’t really give an interpretation of the last sentence. What did u think it meant?

SSRJ#1: Chopin

        At first this story made my heartache. I was having sympathy for Mrs. Mallard. I couldn’t imagine the news of hearing my husband had been killed, regardless of how our relationship was. I haven’t had anyone close to me die so I’m not sure how the grieving process is but I have seen the pain and hurt people have felt when they have lost a dear one. This piece of work made me think about reality and how anything can happen. While reading, the protagonist stood out the most, Mrs. Mallard. Watching her behavior change over a short period of time made me wonder if she even loved her husband or was her marriage that horrible.

There are a few elements that can be used to describe this short story. I believe Chopin wanted us to focus on the protagonist. From the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mallard previously had heart problems before she was told about the death of her husband. I think Chopin wanted the readers not to be surprised at the end, when Mrs. Mallard died of a heart disease. The author describes a short grieving period until the moment Mrs. Mallard starts to say “free, free, free!” Again, the focus point from this statement on was the awkwardness of her behavior. It’s not normal for people to feel relieved when a spouse has been killed. It led me to asking questions to myself. How bad can a marriage be to have the emotions Mrs. Mallard had? Was it a marriage she was forced into? Then when she realizes her husband is alive she has a heart attack. It made me think; is it better to be dead then to live and be married to a man that causes pain and heartache?

Fellow Class Mates

Hello!
     My name is Jennifer McNamara. This is my first semester at Sierra College. I was previously going to William Jessup University and was part of the athletic program. I played volleyball and basketball there and decided to change my major, which they didn't offer. Hence the reason I am here! My goal I am working towards is to become a Personal Trainer in fitness and nutrition. The honest reason for me taking this course is because I have been putting it off for too long. So, I decided to try something new and take it online to see if  I will enjoy it more than a class room setting. I have been attending college for the last few years on and off due to traveling and moving. I moved from Texas after I graduated high school and have moved up and down the coast of California. I am very happy where I resign now. I do enjoy to read a good book now and then but I mostly enjoy reading my daily devotionals and Bible. I plan to work my butt off in this course so be ready for me to ask some of you questions!
      Jennifer