Luis’s Comments (group member since Jan 20, 2015)

Luis’s comments from the Morales 2341 Spring 2015 Class MW group.

Yvonne wrote: "Although it is extremely important to be educated, there’s nothing worse than smart people who rub it in the faces of others who are less intelligent. Not even the highest IQ score can make you hap..."

I agree that Dee is arrogant. She has left, gained a education, and now attempts to change her appearance and beliefs. She wants to change everything about her, but she is not much different than Maggie and Mamma. She is just like them but is now educated.

Suzette wrote: "In the story everyday use, Dee once was where her mother was, in poverty, she grew up and left, even changed her name. This does happen in poverty families. She went on to succeed in her life, like..."

I agree that gaining an education does change a person. I do not agree with Dee's arrogance. She does not see herself as her family's equal and even looks down at them. In my opinion, she wants the quilt and the photographs for bragging rights.

Alice Walker’s beautifully written work “Everyday Use”, shows the distinct difference, between the traditional view of heritage and the “modern” view of heritage. I do not find Dee unlikable, but I do find her misguided. While it is quite admirable that Dee has found a way to leave behind poverty and gain an education, it is quite saddening to find she has left behind the true importance of her heritage. After all, “heritage” are traditions, modes of thought, and remembrance of the struggle of one’s ancestors. Should a person refuse to change with the times in order to maintain heritage? The answer is definitely a NO! A person should adapt him or herself to the present era and never forget the toils of the people who came before them. Dee has forgotten where she came from. She is more worried about how the quilt was made rather than who the quilt is made by and what the meaning of the materials that make up the quilt. Dee stated, “I don’t want those. They are stitched around the borders by machine”. She is worried that the machine stitching would devalue the quilt. Maggie realized that the quilts have no true value, other than remembering their ancestors. Dee has changed her name to Wangero, because Dee is the name given by those who “oppressed” her, even though the name Dee has been used in her family for generations. Dee has lost touch with where her roots truly lie, she has lost touch with her past. She would rather flaunt her success to others and display it like she would like to do with those hand stitched quilts. Thankfully Maggie hasn’t forgotten her heritage. Maggie is not be perfect but she has remained true to her roots. But remaining true to her roots will keep her from advancing in the modern world. The true question is, where do we find an balance. In my opinion, honoring your heritage is a balance between Maggie’s train of thought and that of Dee’s. Maggie will be left behind if she does not adjust to society and Dee has been so caught up in society that she has forgotten where she comes from. One should never forget where he or she comes from and be willing to adjust in order to advance.

Shanda wrote: "In both stories the central character are older southern women that are set in their idealogical ways of thinking. They are both judgmental and look down upon people. Both women put people put peop..."
I agree that religion is very important component in everyday life in the bible belt. I also agree that O'Conner is making a point that people should change their "old school" mentality since times have changed.

Suzette wrote: "Similarites in between "A Goodman is Hard to Find" and "Revelations" are violence, the grandmother and Mrs Turpin are both women who live to criticize other people. They both feel that they are sup..."

It is true that both characters are religious and turn to god when they become involved in a difficult situation. They do view themselves as "saved" even though they are far from being perfect. I also agree that O'Conner, uses violence to get her point across.

O’Conner’s short stories, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “The Revelations”, have several similarities. The two stories have a strong willed female as their central character who have an exalted view of themselves. Both stories take place in the “bible belt”, so naturally both women have a strong view of religion. The grandmother like Mrs. Turpin, have a straight and narrow way of looking at people. They believe that people should act and think just like they do since they are “true” Christians. Those who do not dress or act like they do, are frowned upon by these women. Both have their faults, and are not aware of these faults until the end of the story. From these two stories, I have gathered that O’Conner believes that religion plays a large part in southern life. Religion like many other things can be construed to a certain type of thought when it concerns certain subjects. For example, in “The Revelations”, Mrs. Turpin has many outdated views of blacks and people who do not act “proper”. It is only after she is struck in the head by a book titled “Human Development” and told that she should return to hell, that she begins to question her train of thought, and whether it is righteous or not. O’Conner makes it a point that the south must let go of certain outdated modes of thinking and reassess how religion plays a part in their lives.

Maritza wrote: "The short story “The Overcoat” by, Nikolai Gogol is a story about a poor man who has being criticizes because of his appearance. The coat symbolized an important role in Akaky Akakievich’s life. He..."

I agree with your post, but I think that Akaky never really cared about his appearance before he realized that he needed a new coat. He made sure that the coat would be special. With the coat, he gain some self confidence and others noticed this as well as how he was dressed.

Monique wrote: "“The Overcoat” by Nikolai Gogol revolves around Akaky Adadievich, who is an awkward, hardworking man who is a nobody in the eyes of everyone around him. Akaky is a dedicated worker who lives for hi..."

Awkward is an appropriate word to describe Akaky. The appearance of an individual does gives a stranger an initial impression. Akaky got a new coat out of necessity, but ended up with a coat made him appear to belong to a higher social class. Akaky did not seem to match the type of people he met at the party, just like the coat did not seem to match Akaky's personality.

Gogol’s short story “The Overcoat”, depicts a lowly clerk in a bureaucratic office in a bureaucratic government. A department was like so many in the Russian government during 1800’s, that the author deemed it is not worth mentioning its name. The clerk is a “nobody” in the bureaucratic world, a “Milton Waddams” from the movie Office Space, who does not fit in with the rest of the office and is happier doing their job and nothing else. There is very little pleasure in Akaky Akaievich’s life other than penmanship. The bureaucratic government then, like the bureaucratic government today, is divided into different tiers, the lowly office workers and the “I should be more important than others” managerial personnel. Gogol brings to light how society is superficial and concentrates on how a person is viewed externally and conveniently forgets the internal factors that makes a person whole. The mere fact that Akaievich saved his money and starved himself for a decent coat has little effect on how others viewed him. Others merely viewed the coat as a status symbol. Akaievich was proud to wear his coat to work and others admired it. He felt different when he wore it, he had more self-confidence. In fact, he even got invited to his manager’s tea party. While at the tea party, Akaievich felt out of place and silently slipped out of the party to go home. As he left the party, he found his coat on the floor in the hallway. He removed the lint from his coat and wore it home. In my opinion, this scene is important because the coat was viewed favorably at first but quickly forgotten about, just like Akaievich. The only person who still deemed the coat important was Akaievich, because he needed it for the cold St. Petersburg winter. On his way home, Akaievich’s coat is robbed. Akaievich attempted to complain, but no one would listen to him. Because he lacked a decent coat Akaievich became ill and died. Sadly, no one in the office seemed to notice he was missing for several days. When the news of Akaievich’s death was received at the office, he was quickly replaced. Society views people by the clothes he or she wears and not what make a person “tick”. Akaievich did not care about his appearance and was happy copying documents and worried about penmanship, just like Milton Waddams was happy listening to his radio between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and maintaining possession his Swingline stapler.

Hilda wrote: "I believe in “The Death of a Salesman” was a tragedy. Willy is destroyed by society, he faces difficulties to reach the “American dream.” Willy had dreams of being wealthy, but those dreams were ne..."

I agree with your post for the most part, but I do not believe that Willie was destroyed by society. I believe he was destroyed by his false views of how society interacted and how he viewed himself in society. Yes it was the realization the lived a lie and that he made his children believe in those lies that ultimately lead to his suicide.

Shanda wrote: "Willy is so consumed with the American Dream but he is a failure as a salesman, a father and a husband. He does not have the tools to achieve the American Dream because he was abandoned by his fath..."

I agree that the "failure trait" can be passed down from father to son, mother to daughter. It is not a genetic trait, instead it is a social trait. In other words, its a failure in upbringing. I also agree that growing up without a father and a separated successful older brother affected Willie as a father.

In the play “A Death of a Salesman”, Willie is a tragic hero. A tragic hero is defined as a literary character who makes an error in judgement that leads to his own demise. Willie fits into this category. Willie makes several errors in judgement. His upbringing of his sons can be considered an error in judgement. Rather than teaching his sons a strong work ethic, he would insist that being well liked would bring more success. For example, when Linda found out that Biff would not be graduating from high school she stated, “Oh maybe Willie can talk to the teacher”. This suggested that he was too successful to be “failed” by a lowly math teacher. He would also lie to himself in believing he was an amazing salesman, well liked, surrounded by friends, and more successful than he actually was. It was only towards the end of act two when, he came to realize his errors. Charley told Willie, “Willie, when’re you gonna realize that them things don’t mean anything. You named him Howard, by you can’t sell that. The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell. And the funny thing is that you’re a salesman, and you don’t know that”. Willie thought that if he would be influential enough that everything would come his way. Once he realized his own insignificance in society, he ended committing suicide.

Suzette wrote: "In the story, "The Death of a Salesperson" By Arthur Miller, i belive it does show critism of society. His desires as a man, is common. He wants to be able to support his family and be well liked, ..."
Sometimes a person's ego will not allow them to view themselves as anything less than perfect. I believe Willie has told himself that he is awesome at what he does so many times that he is starting to believe it. I agree the Linda loves Willie dearly and constantly thinks of his health and mental stability. Linda seems to be smarter than she lets others believe.

Kirsten wrote: "In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, I believe the play show criticism of society. Willy is trying to support his family and have the best relationship with his kids. Unfortunately, his dream o..."

I agree that society does treat people who are attractive differently than those who are not. While attractive men command a respectable presence in the business world it is quite different for females. This happens regardless of what skills a person brings to the table. While this discrimination is not fair, in the business world Bernard is more qualified than Biff or Happy would ever be. I believe that Willie's "daydreaming" episodes deal more with the onset of a mental illness rather than mental fatigue.

Shanda wrote: "After reading Act I of Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller in my view tells a story of Willy a man whom is quite conflicted. Willy has a loving wife and two boys. Willy is a salesman who travels to N..."
It seems that Willie is definitely a man in denial. His self-image and how he is perceived by others are complete opposites. Perhaps he is in denial because he was never able to achieve the American Dream and can not set the example for his two sons

In post-World War II America, Congressman Joe McCarthy was calling out people for not being American enough. McCarthy was utilizing the “red scare” to have any roadblocks on his agenda removed. I can see how people during that time period might assume that it is an attack on Americanism. I do not agree with this idea. In my opinion, Death of a Salesman is not critiquing capitalism, but rather critiquing the pre-depression era mentality. Everyone loves the idea of owning their own home, car, and raising their kids to have a better life than they did. It is the American dream. Willie and Linda are trying to provide the American Dream to their sons Happy and Biff. Happy and Biff are from a younger generation (depression era mentality) and are more interested in living a life that makes them happy rather than the accumulation of things that their parents deem as a necessity. Biff wants to leave the city and life off the land because that is what makes him happy. Willie on the other hand believe he has no vision and needs to settle down.

Kirsten wrote: "In The Chrysanthemums Elisa is forced to stay in her farm and take care of her plants. Elisa is not happy with her relationship with Henry. Therefore, when the tinker arrives she starts talking to ..."

I don't think that Elisa was denied by the tinker, instead I think he realized what she was doing before she acted out on her sexual desire. Yes, there are some similarities be both women in rural America.

Shanda wrote: "The two women in both stories feel trapped in the relationships they are in. Calixta is married to a man she does not truly love or desire and Elisa is trapped in a place she does not want to be. I..."

I agree that both women feel they are trapped in their relationship. They are both sexually repressed, but one acts out, while the other has the morality to refrain from acting out.

The main characters in the short stories The Storm and The Chrysanthemums have several things in common. When the stories are read, the reader senses that the main characters feel trapped by marriage and location. Both stories take place in a rural setting. Like the setting of the stories, both women feel isolated and emotionally alone. Elsa lives on a farm in rural California, and the only joy in her life is her flower garden. In The Storm, Calixta lives in rural Louisiana and is married to a man that was not the love of her life. It is not to say that her husband is a bad man, but she would rather be married to Alcee. Both women are also nurturing. Calixta with her son, and Elisa with her flowers. Unlike Calixta, Elisa also feels trapped and feels powerless. When the rambling repairman arrives at the farm, Elisa mentions to him “I’ve never lived as you do”. Elisa wishes she was free like the repairman and able to go where she pleased. Later in the conversation, Elisa mentioned “I wish I could do such things”. The repairman answers, “It ain’t the right kind of life for a woman”. With that statement, Elisa is reminded that she is only a woman and does not have the same privileges as a man.

Rosie wrote: "I sure believe it was immoral because, Calixta was married and she cheated on her husband. They both commit adultery. Their passionate feelings and desire for each other lead them in having sexual ..."

I agree that Calixta's loyalty to her not only her husband, but her family is compromised. There is an old saying "once a cheater always a cheater" and I think this applies to Calixta. Alcee is also just as guilty, and by telling his wife to stay away for an extra month means he will continue to pursue Calixta.