[journal/日誌/學習筆記] 美國文學（上）
此為根據每週指定閱讀而書寫的學習筆記。該課程為高瑪莉老師授課之美國文學。老師鼓勵我們質疑並追問文本，也鼓勵同學發言，內有部分本人不同意部分文本之意見與解釋。
Week1
Introduction
Iroquois Creation Story:
Swift the center of storytelling
Ontology of the world and how the world started: Christian; Native American; Native people in Latin America (weave the world; clear boundaries of both genders; power of sexual intercourse to active the evolving of the world)
The desire for reasoning? The starting point of a religious preaching?
Week2
This week, the material focuses on the encounter and the interaction with the Others. The texts remind me of the “shift center” of storytelling in the class. If we keep it in mind that there are some kind of untold and blank space in the history, we should activate and give credits to those devoiced communities into our understanding of a society or nation.
Below is my analysis on the comparison of Winthrop’s, Bradford’s, and John Smith’s writing and how their attitude is revealed in the texts.
Winthrop: speaks like a figure who worships idea in The New Testament
the body of Jesus(as we know, the body of Jesus is bread and the blood is wine)+ the body of the community into the Jesus(Winthrop’s writing)
Winthrop calls for unity of Puritans by the word choices of “infirmity,” “pain,” and “pleasure”
Proper citation and dialect to achieve persuasiveness
Love and Justice, to create a better world together
Interesting point: the reference to business making to describe love with “commerce,” which could be the background of the international business of the British Empire, or the foreshadowing of the division of the Puritian because they work hard and easily accumulate fortune when their belief forbids the excessive possession and greed.
Bradford: speaks like a figure who worships idea in The Old Testament
The threat: the cultural reference of “dog,” which just eats vomit and never reaches spiritual salvation from God’s message.
Attitude towards the Other, “we let them die”
Overall, Bradford weirdly calls for some distinction and awareness on the distinction, and furthermore, the cruelty towards the Other
speaks like a typical “governor” when, strangely, Winthrop is one with love and hope.
John Smith: A non religious figure.
The Other as well to the British Empire with criminal record and lower social status
Although he involves more Native into his story, he still views the Natives as “revived their dead spirit” as if there is no other kind of culture.
Reminds me of a song from One Republic: Everybody Loves Me the link of the song: https://youtu.be/blx7u7PVbZI
Week3
The comparison between the parental image of Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor.
Anne Bradstreet’s “Grandchild” : plain language
Uncertainty: Doubt about God
In-betweeness in her piece: two main points
subdue to gender role or forego of gender role
spirit and material aspect in life
not a true rebel but includes her intelligence within
Trivia matters: Other feminism piece could have been influenced by Bradstreet’s writing
Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own
Susan Glaspell’s Trifles
Edward Taylor’s “Wedlock”: delicate language/artificial
Theme: the children’s death
Unpopular Opinion: the middle part of the poem marks the spiritual connection between himself and God, which sounds a bit of phony to me by giving another focus other than his children’s death.
The self-reflexive commentary: the overinterpretation could results from two reasons
The gender role/stereotypical imagination of a male writer on a child’s death: we could misread the piece with the bias that Taylor was not involved as a “real” mother or housewife at the time.
The artificial words resemble canon in British poetry: the feature could create some emotional distance for readers to resonate with such emotions even if it contains beautifully painful experience and unshakable devotion to God.
Ｗeek 4
Benjamin Franklin’s The Autobiography and The Way to Wealth
Jonathan Edwards’ Sinners in The Hands of an Angry God
Benjamin Franklin’s writing contains some features
Special thing for me: Benjamin Franklin doesn’t focus on the greatness of God or a new community, but elaborate on the method and hope for the greatness of an individual.
Flexibility: “If you eat another, I don’t see why we mayn’t meet you” (244); “I should probably be proud of my Humility” (284).
Interesting point to parallel the significance of God and Socrates. Does it mean that he honors science and dialect as well, as does not rely on religion as an approach to the world?
Credit and impression to other people: not focus on the “appearance” of clothes but focus on the “appearance” of your virtue. This attitude reminds me of Halmiton and Huang Xing. They are the unsung heroes in American history and China history. Haung Xing helped Sun Yat-sen to build the Republic of China and fought in the frontline but he is not remembered as one of the important pioneers to be on the coin or cash of Taiwan nowadays. Only Sun Yat-sen and Jiang Zhong zheng.
Puritan’s partial value:
The color of Puritan: Plan, frugality, industry.
The color of American culture: Independence and individualism.
Jonathan Edwards’ writing
Although in the introduction of Jonathan Edward said that he wrote “patient” and “lucid” prose, in the selected material, Jonathan Edwards emphasizes both the greatness and “wrath” of God and the nothingness in human beings.
related texts with different rhetorical strategies: Winthrop (warm call for unity), Bradford (harsh attitude towards the Others), Edward Taylor (unshakable faith in God ;child’s death)
Week 5 (3.23)
Some brief note on the lecture
Boston Tea Party, Britain’s “Intolerable Acts”
First Continental Congress - consider to constitute a local government, not independence
Different targeted audience:
Thomas Jefferson - writing to the King
Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” - writing to the common
Assignment for 3.23
Respond to the text. How would the political figures in American Literature speak to China-U.S issue?
Thomas Jefferson, “A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America”
“President Xi, please listen to my piece of sincere advice. Equality and freedom, the fundamental human rights, the thick air we breathe in the U.S. However, the situation is not the same in China. As my nation has suffered from the dictatorship from England, I feel the sense of mission to call for attention for the severe and problematic political landscape of Xi government. Equality and freedom is polluted and people are now suffocated. I humbly wrote the opening letter to thee and plea. We stand with the spirits and we are not afraid to stir an argument against injustice imposed by the counterpart.”
Racial inequality. Revision on the Constitution and being a slave owner himself.
Pursuit of individual Happiness? Written in the Constitution as Freedom and other traits are listed as well.
de Crevecoeur, “Letters from an American Farmer”:
“I speak to invite you to this unrest roar. Law is a systematic way to establish the justification of a government. Without the law, the people are almost enslaved by the power, as English gov has done to our land. Although I admit that democracy is not the most perfect political system, that doesn’t eliminate the right to condemn the Chinese government for being unlawful and inconsistent in law executing. Insight. Unity. Revolution! Our community would not be the same without your passion and action!”
The observation on the slavery (333).
Diverse background of European immigration to be an American.
Thomas Paine, “Common Sense”
“Rise up, people. I call upon Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xin Jiang to act against relations from China. Though the long lived root with Mainland is emphasized, I encourage that all the representatives speak up with pride for your cultural, economical, religious identity. Disconnection is now inevitable when connection serves for people’s happiness no more. No one is an outsider. No one can step away from politics!”
England as a bad parent
Tecumseh:
“Shame! I strongly condemn the overconfidence of the U.S to criticize other government though I still show full support for the racial minorities and sapratist from China. Sense of superiority of the White can never be tolerated! But, either, what should not be tolerated--China’s blind eyes on their suffering people! My wild spirit never ceases to any kind of corrupted power. Never! Ever!”
Week 6 (3.30)
The comparison of William Apess and Edward Jonathan’s texts
William Apess:
Perspective: Retrospective, history minded; “principle” is the key
TA: educated, religious people
Tone: rational, critical, and evidence based on some religious ideas and incidents
Not a zero-sum game for White people
Edward Jonathan:
Perspective: Future outcome, doomed by an Angry God; doesn’t treat race at all.
TA: new lander to North America and seeking some religious, emotional support
Tone: passionate and warning
B. Something interesting that I have come up with:
“Appearance”
William Apess
Appearance doesn’t matter, principle matters
Every race has flawed figures
Benjamin Franklin:
rathe non-religious
psychological side of “appearance”
C. Some reminders:
Jim Crow Law
Jim Crow Law: reservation and separation of different racial communities, 1950.
“Jim Crow” Law now in Georgia: restrict African American to vote; voter repression
Similar texts by comparison:
Slave Narrative: Oroonoko by Alphra Behn in England (1688); Narrative of the Life by Olaudah Equiano in America (1789)
Picaro (Picaresque) literature, escape from every danger: Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain; Narrative of the Life by Olaudah Equiano
Amanda Goman’s poem at Presidential Inauguration
The poem reminds me of “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou, a more rebellious delivery to deter racism and racist in the face. I like the camp that Maya is using in the piece. Resource: Poet.org: https://poets.org/poem/still-i-rise?fbclid=IwAR0r4PF9wNrGbwK8ijelGebkSgRH7GOCoUw7buQ3y66WeWQwOt64YC5qsTM
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