RESPONSE PAPER 1
The Misunderstood Culture
Chuck Reece, the chief editor of the Bitter Southerner, starts to edit this website because he feels unfair that the South was ignored when he was looking through an article called Top 50 Bars in the World. He hopes to make people become more familiar with the south through the stories told on this website. I have the same feeling when I was browsing the website because sometimes culture in my country is ignored or misunderstood too.
These days, more and more Chinese elements are put in many Hollywood movies. By doing this, directors hope to attract more Chinese audiences since these movies could gain lots of profits from them. However, I do feel wired that those Chinese elements in Hollywood movies are similar to each other, which show a little bit negative side of Chinese culture. For example, the recently released movie Pacific Rim has a plot about a battle happened in Hong Kong. In this movie, Hong Kong is depicted as a dirty and crowded city, which is full of refugees and crimes, like it was in the last century. Though China was poor and unindustrialized many years ago, it develops quickly recently but some people still hold the stereotype about China.
I feel unsatisfied when I see the clear contrast between China and other countries in this movie. While other countries are set up as super modern countries that have mechas to fight with those colossal monsters, only China is set up as an undeveloped country that is ruined by monsters. However, this is not the only case I have seen. Movies that have a scene about China, especially those Hollywood movies, would depict Chinese cities as poor and unindustrialized. I think the feelings I have when I watch these movies are the same as Chuck Reece’s when he talked with New York people after he moved away from the South to New York City for the first time.
However, other people have some prejudices and stereotype about a culture doesn’t mean they don’t respect this culture. Though Reece felt unfair and annoyed because people have some stereotype about the South, he still tried to understand these people by stating that they are just curious about the South. I find this idea is reasonable. My foreign friends sometimes confuse Chinese culture with Japanese culture because they think Asian people are basically the same. But after I explain the differences to them they will suddenly be enlightened and ask me more details about Chinese culture. I feel great when I explain my culture to them. Just like the Bitter Southerner starts to show people the greatness of the South through cocktails, I also want to show people how modern and civilized China is through some tiny aspects.
The Bitter Southerner is trying to make people understand the South through its own way and I really admire that. It is understandable that some people might be unfamiliar with a particular culture. But it is our duty to make people clear because we are the presenters of our culture.
Chuck Reece, the chief editor of the Bitter Southerner, starts to edit this website because he feels unfair that the South was ignored when he was looking through an article called Top 50 Bars in the World. He hopes to make people become more familiar with the south through the stories told on this website. I have the same feeling when I was browsing the website because sometimes culture in my country is ignored or misunderstood too.
These days, more and more Chinese elements are put in many Hollywood movies. By doing this, directors hope to attract more Chinese audiences since these movies could gain lots of profits from them. However, I do feel wired that those Chinese elements in Hollywood movies are similar to each other, which show a little bit negative side of Chinese culture. For example, the recently released movie Pacific Rim has a plot about a battle happened in Hong Kong. In this movie, Hong Kong is depicted as a dirty and crowded city, which is full of refugees and crimes, like it was in the last century. Though China was poor and unindustrialized many years ago, it develops quickly recently but some people still hold the stereotype about China.
I feel unsatisfied when I see the clear contrast between China and other countries in this movie. While other countries are set up as super modern countries that have mechas to fight with those colossal monsters, only China is set up as an undeveloped country that is ruined by monsters. However, this is not the only case I have seen. Movies that have a scene about China, especially those Hollywood movies, would depict Chinese cities as poor and unindustrialized. I think the feelings I have when I watch these movies are the same as Chuck Reece’s when he talked with New York people after he moved away from the South to New York City for the first time.
However, other people have some prejudices and stereotype about a culture doesn’t mean they don’t respect this culture. Though Reece felt unfair and annoyed because people have some stereotype about the South, he still tried to understand these people by stating that they are just curious about the South. I find this idea is reasonable. My foreign friends sometimes confuse Chinese culture with Japanese culture because they think Asian people are basically the same. But after I explain the differences to them they will suddenly be enlightened and ask me more details about Chinese culture. I feel great when I explain my culture to them. Just like the Bitter Southerner starts to show people the greatness of the South through cocktails, I also want to show people how modern and civilized China is through some tiny aspects.
The Bitter Southerner is trying to make people understand the South through its own way and I really admire that. It is understandable that some people might be unfamiliar with a particular culture. But it is our duty to make people clear because we are the presenters of our culture.
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RESPONSE PAPER 2
The Lost Cause in the Movie Gone With the Wind
The term lost cause is used to describe a situation in which a person is destined to fail regardless of how powerful he or she is. It is not a modern invention but was used by southerners immediately after the war. Many scholars attribute the term to the Virginia journalist Edward A. Pollard and his postwar books, including The Lost Cause: A New Southern History of the War of the Confederates (1866). The Lost Cause concept supplied a heroic interpretation of the war so that southerners could maintain their sense of honor. The idea of the lost cause also contributes to the movie gone with the wind, which depicts a girl’s love and growth in the background of the Civil War.
Scarlett, the main character in the movie gone with the wind, is an arrogant and selfish girl who was born in a rich southern family. She seems to be the girl who is loved by her God. Her family owns a plantation along with slaves and due to her beauty and wealth; many men find themselves pursuing her. Unfortunately, no matter how wealthy and gorgeous she was, her life changed dramatically after the advent of the Civil War.
However, the south was quickly defeated by the north step by step after the start of the war. As an important city in the south, Atlanta suffered a plethora of loss from the war. Tara, Scarlett’s home, was invaded and robbed by northern soldiers; as for her past honor: long gone and forgotten. Scarlett’s life before and after the Civil War showed a big contrast because no matter how wealthy and gorgeous she was, she had to struggle for survival when Atlanta was consumed by the enemy. Unfortunately, the situation that Scarlett found in herself was a lost cause and she had no hope of escaping it.
Scarlett was not the only one who had to accept the fact that the south was defeated; the whole northern society too, had to face this fact. I can still remember the first scene in the movie gone with the wind where that luxuriant banquet held in Twelve Oaks reflected the affluent living conditions of southerners. On the banquet, men were gathered together, talking about the upcoming war with confidence and arrogance because at that time, the southern society was gentile, civil, beautiful and lavish. They despised northerners who, at the time, were not traditional but rather barbaric. However, the south lost in the war in the end; Twelve Oaks was burned down by northern soldiers; and those men with great ambitions, died valiantly on the battlefield.
The reasons the south lost are obvious: the north had an overwhelming population than the south had; the southern economy was largely depended on agriculture, whereas the north was more technologically developed; and Lincoln’s policy of equality attracted many people to join the northern army.
In conclusion, both the changes in Scarlett’s life and the decline in southern society are inevitable. No one can prevent the years from turning into centuries; time itself is irreversible and so is history. The only thing the human race could do is to remember the past and reflect upon the mistakes we’ve made, thus the south’s loss remained an important remind of the inevitable defeat the south faced.
Work Cited
Williams, David S. "Lost Cause Religion." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 08 August 2013. Web. 01 October 2013.
The term lost cause is used to describe a situation in which a person is destined to fail regardless of how powerful he or she is. It is not a modern invention but was used by southerners immediately after the war. Many scholars attribute the term to the Virginia journalist Edward A. Pollard and his postwar books, including The Lost Cause: A New Southern History of the War of the Confederates (1866). The Lost Cause concept supplied a heroic interpretation of the war so that southerners could maintain their sense of honor. The idea of the lost cause also contributes to the movie gone with the wind, which depicts a girl’s love and growth in the background of the Civil War.
Scarlett, the main character in the movie gone with the wind, is an arrogant and selfish girl who was born in a rich southern family. She seems to be the girl who is loved by her God. Her family owns a plantation along with slaves and due to her beauty and wealth; many men find themselves pursuing her. Unfortunately, no matter how wealthy and gorgeous she was, her life changed dramatically after the advent of the Civil War.
However, the south was quickly defeated by the north step by step after the start of the war. As an important city in the south, Atlanta suffered a plethora of loss from the war. Tara, Scarlett’s home, was invaded and robbed by northern soldiers; as for her past honor: long gone and forgotten. Scarlett’s life before and after the Civil War showed a big contrast because no matter how wealthy and gorgeous she was, she had to struggle for survival when Atlanta was consumed by the enemy. Unfortunately, the situation that Scarlett found in herself was a lost cause and she had no hope of escaping it.
Scarlett was not the only one who had to accept the fact that the south was defeated; the whole northern society too, had to face this fact. I can still remember the first scene in the movie gone with the wind where that luxuriant banquet held in Twelve Oaks reflected the affluent living conditions of southerners. On the banquet, men were gathered together, talking about the upcoming war with confidence and arrogance because at that time, the southern society was gentile, civil, beautiful and lavish. They despised northerners who, at the time, were not traditional but rather barbaric. However, the south lost in the war in the end; Twelve Oaks was burned down by northern soldiers; and those men with great ambitions, died valiantly on the battlefield.
The reasons the south lost are obvious: the north had an overwhelming population than the south had; the southern economy was largely depended on agriculture, whereas the north was more technologically developed; and Lincoln’s policy of equality attracted many people to join the northern army.
In conclusion, both the changes in Scarlett’s life and the decline in southern society are inevitable. No one can prevent the years from turning into centuries; time itself is irreversible and so is history. The only thing the human race could do is to remember the past and reflect upon the mistakes we’ve made, thus the south’s loss remained an important remind of the inevitable defeat the south faced.
Work Cited
Williams, David S. "Lost Cause Religion." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 08 August 2013. Web. 01 October 2013.
picture source: www.toptenz.net - 400 × 305
RESPONSE PAPER 3
Paradoxes in As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner’s famous book As I Lay Dying has complex plots. The fifteen characters in the book reveal their paradoxes through streams of consciousness. Although there are many paradoxes in the plots and these paradoxes make the book difficult to understand, these paradoxes are essential to the whole book.
The main paradox in the book is Bundrens’ struggling to accomplish Addie Bundren’s dying wish, which is to be buried in the town of Jefferson. On the way to the Jefferson town, the Bundrens face many challenges. The Bundrens are depicted as fatuous, closefisted, selfish and indifferent by Faulkner. They do not love Addie but they still try to accomplish Addie’s dying wish. They have combined their own selfish desires to go to the town with their senses of obligation to Addie. All the negative characteristics seem to appear on them. But they do their best to protect the coffin and to fix each challenge they face on the way, which is ironic.
Each character has his or her own paradox. These individual paradoxes contribute to the whole book. Jewel, Addie’s bastard, is a good example to illustrate the paradox. Because of his special identity, Jewel is indifferent, arrogant and irritable at home, and he does not have a good relationship with other family members. Although Addie has given all her love to Jewel, Jewel does not respond to her love. When Addie is dying, Jewel even leaves home. However, Jewel is the one who has protected the coffin many times on the way to Jefferson. For example, when the Bundrens try to cross a makeshift ford, a stray log upsets the wagon and the coffin is knocked out. Many bad things happen in consequence. Cash loses his precious tools and his broken leg is reinjured. Besides, mules drown so the wagon cannot move anymore. Surprisingly, Jewel rescues the coffin and finds Cash’s tools. He also devotes his own horse to exchange mules. His horse is very meaningful and precious to him. Jewel’s behavior is ironic compared to his behavior when his mother died. This paradox is created because Jewel really hates his identity and his family members; however, at the same times he loves them. His love is revealed when the challenges appeared.
The paradox that Jewel has also appears several times in history. One example is the Chinese Anti-Fascist War. Before the Chinese Anti-Fascist War, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in China were involved in lasting conflicts since they all wanted to dominate China. Those lasting conflicts raised many problems and Chinese people’s living conditions were getting worse and worse. However, when their same enemy, the Fascists appeared, they began to cooperate and China became strong. Eventually China defeated the Fascists.
The paradoxes in the book are important. They remind readers that people have duality. It is hard to say whether people are bad or good. However, when facing their challenging fates, people become strong, brave and united. This is what Faulkner tried to convey through As I Lay Dying.
William Faulkner’s famous book As I Lay Dying has complex plots. The fifteen characters in the book reveal their paradoxes through streams of consciousness. Although there are many paradoxes in the plots and these paradoxes make the book difficult to understand, these paradoxes are essential to the whole book.
The main paradox in the book is Bundrens’ struggling to accomplish Addie Bundren’s dying wish, which is to be buried in the town of Jefferson. On the way to the Jefferson town, the Bundrens face many challenges. The Bundrens are depicted as fatuous, closefisted, selfish and indifferent by Faulkner. They do not love Addie but they still try to accomplish Addie’s dying wish. They have combined their own selfish desires to go to the town with their senses of obligation to Addie. All the negative characteristics seem to appear on them. But they do their best to protect the coffin and to fix each challenge they face on the way, which is ironic.
Each character has his or her own paradox. These individual paradoxes contribute to the whole book. Jewel, Addie’s bastard, is a good example to illustrate the paradox. Because of his special identity, Jewel is indifferent, arrogant and irritable at home, and he does not have a good relationship with other family members. Although Addie has given all her love to Jewel, Jewel does not respond to her love. When Addie is dying, Jewel even leaves home. However, Jewel is the one who has protected the coffin many times on the way to Jefferson. For example, when the Bundrens try to cross a makeshift ford, a stray log upsets the wagon and the coffin is knocked out. Many bad things happen in consequence. Cash loses his precious tools and his broken leg is reinjured. Besides, mules drown so the wagon cannot move anymore. Surprisingly, Jewel rescues the coffin and finds Cash’s tools. He also devotes his own horse to exchange mules. His horse is very meaningful and precious to him. Jewel’s behavior is ironic compared to his behavior when his mother died. This paradox is created because Jewel really hates his identity and his family members; however, at the same times he loves them. His love is revealed when the challenges appeared.
The paradox that Jewel has also appears several times in history. One example is the Chinese Anti-Fascist War. Before the Chinese Anti-Fascist War, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in China were involved in lasting conflicts since they all wanted to dominate China. Those lasting conflicts raised many problems and Chinese people’s living conditions were getting worse and worse. However, when their same enemy, the Fascists appeared, they began to cooperate and China became strong. Eventually China defeated the Fascists.
The paradoxes in the book are important. They remind readers that people have duality. It is hard to say whether people are bad or good. However, when facing their challenging fates, people become strong, brave and united. This is what Faulkner tried to convey through As I Lay Dying.
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RESPONSE PAPER 4
The Things I Have Learned From the Class
The theme of the class is the South. At the beginning I thought the South did not worth much time to be talked about because it is only a normal geographic place, just like other places in the world. However, my mind has changed as I learned more and more about the South. In addition to, I have improved my reading skill.
I found that the South is not just a normal place through my class. The North and the South in the United States have been treated differently. The North is recognized as the contributor to the success and prosperity of the United States; however, the South is always despised and ignored. Because the North is more developed, by contrast the South is more isolated and conservative. From this class, I have learned that some people not familiar with the real South. The South has a strong cultural ambience and many interesting stories have happened there. The South is actually worth much time to study. People who are not familiar with the South should not hold their prejudices toward the South.
The South suffered a lot from these prejudices, and the southern identity also suffered. Southerners have experienced a hard time to define themselves. However, some literary works have come out due to this struggle. These literary works appeared because some southern authors tried to define the southern identity through their works.
These literary works are very important to southern society even to the whole world. But I did not appreciate these literary works at first. Each week I have a lot of readings and they seemed like difficult tasks for me because they are long and abstract. It is hard to understand authors’ points. However, my reading skill has improved a lot after I read more and more articles and I have learned the meaning of “lost cause” and “duality”. Now I am no more afraid of reading long articles. Besides, I am even interested in one of the complicated and abstract reading assignments, William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. Before knowing the importance of William Faulkner and his work, I thought As I Lay Dying was an obscure book. I have this prejudice because the story is absurd and sort of negative. The stream of consciousness makes the story even harder to understand.
Nevertheless, I changed my attitude toward the book after I done the presentation about the stream of consciousness. During the process of preparing my presentation, I learned that the stream of consciousness is a very unique narrative device, which seems to the author installs a microphone in the character's mind. After that I became more patient when I was reading As I Lay Dying, so I had a better understanding of the story and its significance.
I got a comprehensive understanding of the South in my mind after I learned a lot in class. The history about southerners’ struggle truly deserves studying. Besides, I improved my reading skill through the readings about the South. I really appreciate the things I have learned from the class.
The theme of the class is the South. At the beginning I thought the South did not worth much time to be talked about because it is only a normal geographic place, just like other places in the world. However, my mind has changed as I learned more and more about the South. In addition to, I have improved my reading skill.
I found that the South is not just a normal place through my class. The North and the South in the United States have been treated differently. The North is recognized as the contributor to the success and prosperity of the United States; however, the South is always despised and ignored. Because the North is more developed, by contrast the South is more isolated and conservative. From this class, I have learned that some people not familiar with the real South. The South has a strong cultural ambience and many interesting stories have happened there. The South is actually worth much time to study. People who are not familiar with the South should not hold their prejudices toward the South.
The South suffered a lot from these prejudices, and the southern identity also suffered. Southerners have experienced a hard time to define themselves. However, some literary works have come out due to this struggle. These literary works appeared because some southern authors tried to define the southern identity through their works.
These literary works are very important to southern society even to the whole world. But I did not appreciate these literary works at first. Each week I have a lot of readings and they seemed like difficult tasks for me because they are long and abstract. It is hard to understand authors’ points. However, my reading skill has improved a lot after I read more and more articles and I have learned the meaning of “lost cause” and “duality”. Now I am no more afraid of reading long articles. Besides, I am even interested in one of the complicated and abstract reading assignments, William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. Before knowing the importance of William Faulkner and his work, I thought As I Lay Dying was an obscure book. I have this prejudice because the story is absurd and sort of negative. The stream of consciousness makes the story even harder to understand.
Nevertheless, I changed my attitude toward the book after I done the presentation about the stream of consciousness. During the process of preparing my presentation, I learned that the stream of consciousness is a very unique narrative device, which seems to the author installs a microphone in the character's mind. After that I became more patient when I was reading As I Lay Dying, so I had a better understanding of the story and its significance.
I got a comprehensive understanding of the South in my mind after I learned a lot in class. The history about southerners’ struggle truly deserves studying. Besides, I improved my reading skill through the readings about the South. I really appreciate the things I have learned from the class.