When Accents Collide

The Invisible man is turning out to be a fine novel. The syntax, as well as the literary devices, employed by Ellison, work marvelously to connect the structure and content of the novel. For example, Ellison writes in an African-American accent while describing a speech the narrator recalls. "It do Lawd…an' it don't…hallelujah" (Ellison, 10) I've rarely seen this using of syntax. I find it really original, helpful and interesting how the author shifts his writing voice depending on the character he is writing about. For example, intend of writing "Isn't it the truth, lord?", Ellison writes, "ain't it the truth, Lawd?" This what the preacher is saying and, to us who are not accustomed to that way of speaking, it catches our attention immediately.

And A Speck Of Irony...

      In his novel,“Invisible Man”, Ralph Ellison proves to be a magnificent writer. He successfully combines the harsh prejudices of class and race with a mocking ironic tone. The novel begins with the narration in first person of an “invisible man”. “I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook...that haunted Edgar Allan Poe...I am a man os substance, of flesh and bone...”(Ellison, 3) What a great way to begin the novel! The tone that Ellison uses is saturated by irony and sarcasm. He starts us off with a short, yet powerful sentence that adds an air of sarcasm and serves as a metaphor. In tis sentence, the unnamed narrator refers himself as an invisible man. Off course, this is not possible and scientifically incorrect; however, the 'invisibility' the narrator speaks about is one linked to emotions. Ellison does a great job setting this clear by using phrases such as “nor is my invisibility exactly a matter of a biochemical accident to my epidermis.”(3) What he is trying to say is that people are lacking the “inner eyes” which, via their “physical eyes”, they see reality. Even though this thought is nerve racking for the narrator, Ellison smooths this out by adding sarcasm as he criticizes society: “I might even be said to posses a mind.”(3) As the story develops, Ellison provides his readers with more inspiring use of diction and syntax, catching their attention with ease.
       Similarly tho “Invisible Man”, Fyodor Dostoyevsky begins his novel with the following sentence: “I am a sick man... I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man...”(5) Does this sound familiar? In fact, it has the same style of Ellison's piece. These strong beginnings are an immediate call for attention. Like Ellison, Dostoyevsky deals with nonexistence, “the author of the diary and the diary itself are, of course, imaginary.”(5) It is funny how he states this as something oblivious for himself but something new for the reader, as if we were really going to believe what we read. But then again, Dostoyevsky seeks to “expose to the view of the public more distinctly than is commonly done” via his characters. Both authors want to tell the story of an individual who feels somehow segregated from society, hence transmitting a message of freedom and equality. What makes these two novels so unique is the exquisite syntax and diction the author's use, which give rise to the sardonic tone that captures the reader. 

TED Talk On Feminism

Thought you might enjoy this!

Edna's Ribirth

       Who would have thought that after struggling to ignore thoughts of rebellion, then acknowledging them and finally embracing them, Edna Pontellier would resolve in suicide. This end to Chopin's novella shocked most readers, including myself. Since the beginning, we are able to serve as expectors in Edna's 'awakening'. This is why it comes as a shock her decision to succumb to the idea that things won't go as she pleases. Of course Robert's flee adds to the reasons of her suicide, because after all, there was no human being whom she wanted near her except Robert." However, men aren't really Edna's problem. Her problem on the other hand is wanting to belong to herself no one else. She desires to be independent, to not have to rely on anyone but herself. "She would never sacrifice herself for her children." (Chopin, 212) To do this she must go where no woman has gone before to achieve her dreams.

        In the last few pages of The Awakening, Chopin writes, "The water of the Gulf stretched out before her, gleaming with the million lights of the sun," again we are back at the see where Edna had her moment of awakening, realizing her strength and her position in the universe. "The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude." (Chopin, 212) This sentence caught my attention because it seemed familiar. I then noticed that I had talked about this phrase in a previous blog. Chopin writes the same sentence in chapter VI, as Edna walks into the sea. Besides personifying the sea, saying it has a voice, the phrase serves as symbolism in the novella. Not only does it represent freedom and independence, being at both the beginning and the end of the book, Chopin eludes that Edna's transformation went from the moment she entered the ea. and realized her power, until the moment she entered the sea, but was too overwhelmed to continue with her life. 

        This transformation can be analyzed as a rebirth. When you are born, you are naked and pure. You have not been shaped by society yet and you still conserve your identity. As you continue with your life, you lose that identity and become molded in what society considers you should be. At the end of the novella, Chopin writes, "how strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky… she felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known." (213) The sea is being the medium where Edna is born again and is also where she dies. This "world that it had never known" is the world of Edna when she awakens, and the world she leaves behind is where she dies. Even though technically it's the same sea, the same world, the meaning of each changes and Edna is able to differentiate and decide the one she would like to belong to. 

Imagination and Imagery

Under The Sea

Today I discovered you can upload videos on youtube and then on blogger!!! woohoo finally I conquer technology.

Le Français

       The other day while I was reading Julio Cortazar's novel, Hopscotch, I stumbled upon a few phrases that caught my attention. The reason for this was because they were I French. I realized that was not been the first time it happen. A few weeks later, I began reading Kate Chopin's, The Awakening, and to my surprise, the usage of french expressions was also present. The reason of having french influence in Cortazar's novel was because he himself had lived in France and in the novel, the intellectuals lived in Paris. In Chopin's novel, I would guess the reason behind the french phrases would be because many people with French and Spanish roots lived in Louisiana during Kate Chopin's time. Most of the characters in The Awakening speak French, Spanish, Creole, or all three, in addition to English. But the protagonist Edna Pontellier does not, as she points out in chapter two, "a small infusion of French which seemed to have been lost in dilution." (Chopin,19) As a matter of fact, “Mrs. Pontellier, though she had married a Creole, was not thoroughly at home in the society of Creoles; never before had she been thrown so intimately among them.” (Chopin, 28)