I.O.P Reflection

1. Write a brief descriptive paragraph that summarizes your IOP. Be sure to include the topic, your thesis, and the hook and any visual aids you used.

I chose to use J.M Coetzee's novel Disgrace for my I.O.P, tackling the topic and theme of hopelessness and amorality in the novel. My argument was that J.M. Coetzee uses David Lurie, the anti-hero of the novel, to portray his image of the hopelessness of post-apartheid South Africa. I chose this topic because I found the theme overwhelmingly prominent, and felt the need to express Coetzee's emotional outlook on the apartheid, rather than a political one. I used Marcel Proust's questionnaire as a hook, selecting three of the questions that I felt were most interesting and relevant, asking the audience to generate hypothetical responses assuming the character of David Lurie. I used a power point presentation as a visual aid, a means of enhancing my presentation with different images and effects, and a visual reference for any quotations or excerpts from the novel, to help the audience better understand and get more involved in my presentation.

2. In a well-developed paragraph reflect upon the lessons you learned as a result of the IOP process. This process includes the preparation of your presentation, its delivery, and the subsequent reflection you engaged in following the presentation itself.

While preparing for my I.O.P, I encountered several challenges. The most major issue I initially faced was selecting a topic, and then formulating a solid, concrete argument on which I could base the rest of my presentation on. The argument had to be something I actually believed and fully understood for me to successfully present it, rather than just a common argument that I could pull off half-heartedly. Searching for a unique and original though realistic topic was truly a process. The next challenge was actually going through the book to find supporting incidents and quotations. This was a long, somewhat dull, but certainly beneficial process since reading the different sections also helped refresh my memory about the book as a whole, but also discover and realize new theories that I hadn't thought of previously. During the actual delivery of the presentation, I had to focus on actually saying everything I had to say effectively and completely, while still remaining within the time frame. I also had to try and keep the presentation interesting, and maintain presenter "composure". I've always enjoyed presentations, I've never really felt very intimidated while speaking, rather I feel I am comfortable with words and speech as a means of exposing my thoughts, as opposed to art or dance or other forms of communications. I felt I had managed to get my message across by the end of the presentation, though there were certainly some flaws that I could have avoided, such as awkward pauses and "umm"'s and "uhh"'s. I was also not very satisfied with my conclusion, which was somewhat abrupt, though not ridiculously so. I was very satisfied with the way I handled the Q&A session, answering all questions quickly and correctly, using details and references from the novel to support my answers. Finally, the reflection process was for me the most interesting. It was very helpful to watch the DVD recording of the presentation; I felt I had a better understanding of what I did right and what I did wrong, learning what mistakes not to repeat in future presentations and other aspects I should preserve. I quite enjoyed working on the presentations, and certainly felt I had gained more knowledge on presentations and the work that goes into pulling them off successfully.

Oracle Night

My sentiments for this novel consist of a bubbling collage of intrigue, confusion, curiosity and slight disappointment. One of the things I liked about Oracle Night, was Paul Auster's writing style. The use of the footnotes as a mean of elaboration enhanced, for me at least, the feel of a notebook, and the desire/compulsion to write. It also helped create a feel of a historical document, or more of an autobiography about the events, trying to maintain one chronological framework while introducing information about others in a unique, interesting way.

Perhaps on a shallower, less important level, I found Auster's selection of names for his characters rather bland and dull, giving an almost cliche tinge to the novel. Undeniably, the plot of the novel was very interesting, playing with the themes of time, reality and human flaws. I found the scene where Sidney slips and engages in sexual activity with the "African Princess" rather cogent. The scene was not a long one, but still showed that Sidney was not a perfect person, contrary to the image he sets when mentioning the blue team in camp and his disgust at the thought of abortion; his moral scope was flawed.

Another weakness in the novel was the overly brief mention and description of the "Actual" Oracle Night, Sylvia Maxwell's novel, within the novel, within the novel? I felt the idea Flagg's gift of foretelling the future needed greater emphasis, as did the consequences. The plot was already overly intricate, so perhaps a rebalancing of emphasis on different aspects of the story is important.

As a whole, I did enjoy the novel, an interesting twist on a love triangle, and the power of words and the future, though I was left with many questions after I was done reading. The ending was too abrupt, insignificant and in fact disappointing. My final thoughts were "Huh, this seems like the foundation for a good book."

Rock of Tanios

In what way or ways do you "connect" with the book The Rock of Tanios by Amin Maalouf? In what way is it accessible or familiar to you?

I find that I connect with the novel in several ways. For one, the writing style is very matter-of-fact, as if explaining a historical event based on documents and facts. This journalistic style of story-telling can get dull, but is always easy to read. Kfaryabda itself is aan actual village in Lebanon today, with an actual rock of Tanios. Also, throughout the novel, Amin Maalouf frequently uses Arabic terms such as kishk and binti. As an Arab reader, I understand what these words mean and hence have a better/fuller understanding of the plot and the different messages of the novel. Referring to the example of kishk, I immediately new that kishk was a certain food eaten by the Lebanese, and therefor had a shallow but certainly existant understanding of what Tanios-kishk might mean, even without reading further into the novel. Also, I can very much relate to the culture of the novel; the heirarchy, customs and rituals. The cooking of mighlieh for example is still practised today after the birth of a child. The way the Sheikh gets away with his sexual affairs is also a very cultural matter; it seems in the middle east, till today, the fault of the man is considreded far more acceptable than the fault of the woman. In that sense, i connect to the novel culturally and linguistically.

Lord Byron

1. The mock epic poem Don Juan is considered by many scholars to be Lord Byron's greatest work. What are your thoughts as to the literary worth of the first two cantos that we have read? Are they good poetry?

The poem Don Juan is certainly rich in themes and messages, but I find that it is the way he portrays the themes to be masterfully powerful and effective. His use of historical, Biblical and autobiographical allusions not only makes the poem more interesting to read, but also gives the reader further insight on the discussed theme. His views on love and human nature are very interesting, love being a central theme of the first two cantos. He elaborates on how he believes love should be constant and loyal between two people, but realises that it is impossible. There is some sarcastic humor in the cantos so far, as with Don Juan's fightng "heroically" to protect the alcohol as the ship is sinking. I find it difficult to evaluate these cantos as poems though, because of their narative style. The cantons seem more like stories with a rhyme scheme and stanzas, and it is difficult to evaluate the poetic elements due to the sheer length and amount of information of the cantos. As a story, so far yes they are good, expressing themes concerning society and humanity, and giving a new more "natural" and realistic twist to love and relationships. So in conclusion, in terms of literary worth, they are puissant in terms of theme and use of iterary elements, but perhaps is too difficult to evaluate as a poem.

Compass for Change

I can give you many reasons
why I lick healed wounds and pet old scars
why there's always a margin to scribble on
why I peek between closed curtains
on audiences cloned into one cold droopy mask
why some yester hopes with molded crusts
remain on my fridged shelf

Forget the why's and excuses
I realise they are a display of clutter and misplacements.

What I really need is a compass
to lead me forth
perhaps a glass manegerie of horses
on right corners of afflicted rooms
wooded wind chymes on entry gates
to keep away bad debt collectors

Next time I'll use slingers,
not jingle-belled boomerangs

A Little Addendum

I should remark that I do understand Lucy's arguments for not telling the police, though I found them very irrational when considering her personality and other decisions - I cannot imagine anyone feeling the same way, perhaps at least more passionately, had they been in the same position. Though I am honestly quite puzzled with David's behaviour, on one occasion even contemplating how he would lure his granddaughter. Alas for now it is just one of those novels with a blur of an ending, leaving me unsatisfied and at certain points, uninterested.

My Reaction to Disgrace?

One thing I am certain of, is that Disgrace is definitely one of those books that I will forget in a couple months' time due to the sheer puzzlement I felt throughout my reading the novel. Why does David Lurie never learn his lesson? Why does Lucy never tell the police about the rape? Considering the simplicity of the writing style and description of the novel, there is little to support whatever theory one might have about the characters. I did very much enjoy the allusions though, and found the juxtaposition of David Lurie's life with Byron's to be particularly interesting. I am certain it does deserve the international acclaim it has received, but I am currently unable to decide for myself. Perhaps once I have a firmer grasp on the characters and themes of the novel, I will be able to better judge the novel. If I did recommend to others in this point in time, it would be to see their opinion and understanding of the novel.

Is Shakespeare Overrated?

Well, I can't help but feel that whatever I say now doesn't really matter, for several reasons

1) Whether I think he is overrated or not, we are still going to continue studying him

2) I am no expert on his works, and frankly do not feel I am in a position to critique him just yet, but I'm going to try anyway

Personally, I can very much understand why Shakespeare is so highly valued. He has written many plays, tackling many different important themes, that have lasted throughout the ages and help give some insight on the world of theater back in Elizabethan times. He is also a beacon in terms of literature, again possibly our "Greatest" example of Elizabethan literature. Though I am not a fan of sonnets, Shakespeare has instilled in me a deep respect for sonnets, and the difficulty required to write a sonnet successfully, in terms of both beauty and effectiveness. His sonnets also give us a glimpse of his psychology and Elizabethan lifestyle. All of these aspects combined make Shakespeare a landmark in history, and hence no, I do not believe Shakespeare is overrated.

Celestial Collision

You know I am not one for falling
But if I happen to one day topple or tumble
You must catch me, despite their forestalling
Yes, it is clear they want us to crumble

Soon our veins will merge and our bodies will fuse
And we will be a welded miscreation
A monument for those forbidden to choose
An immaculate paragon of devastation

They will slice these ties with a jagged knife and lance
Against the will of us buckled symbiotic wrecks
This is no accident, no random product of chance
No mere fender-bender, but far more complex

I pray they think twice before every incision
It is criminal to sever knots designed by celestial collision

Sonnets... *yawn*

I personally do not enjoy sonnets very much, nor any form of categorized structures for poetry, such as haiku and the like. I find that writing poems in one structure alone can be very limiting; the greatest poets use structure in their poems to emphasize certain themes and images, and though it is possible to do so with sonnets, it can get very repetitive and in the end lose it's effect. If we consider Shakespeare's sonnets 1 and 2 where the themes of masturbation, sex and the passing of beauty to offspring are evident, the repeated structure almost dampens the the theme of the second sonnet, and I imagine does the same with the next 15 procreation sonnets. I would think that reading over 150 of Shakespeare's poems, written with the same structure and same meter gets quite mind-numbing eventually. I do very much enjoy the rhyming couplets at the end of sonnets though. I find them a very light, effective and complete way to end the poem.

I Wish I Didn't Have To...

But I do. I must start off by expressing my intense disliking of the fact that I'm posting twice in one day, but alas, c'est la vie (in true J.M. Coetzee fashion). Now to fulfill this blog's orginal purpose and heartily answer the question:

"What do you think about JM Coetzee's writing style. What about his style is unique? Does that affect the reading of the novel?"

Immediately we notice Coetzee's matter-of-fact writing style. His writing style gives more than adequate information on the characters and their respective traits, the setting and the different incidents of the story. This is also enhanced by his using a third person point of view in the novel. I personally find that this leaves little room for imagination and numbs the desire to continue reading, since very much is laid out for the reader. What did drive me to continue, was the inital anoynymity of the protagonist, until we later discover that he is David Lurie. Coetzee often and effectively uses punctuation to put forth a notion, tone or possibility. The interesting twist to his writing style is his use of French and Latin phrases. I immediately thought of Nabokov's Lolita, where the author very similarily slips french phrases and terms. Since this is only the beginning of the book, it is difficult to fully understand why the author chose to use these phrases, but at this point I can assume the foreign languages are meant to give the protagonist an air of intelligence. Also, there are several allusions to different pieces of literature, including Madame Bovary and Oedipus. For me this makes the reading far more academic, requiring me to do brief research on the allusions I am unfamiliar with.

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There we go folks, I do hope you found that insightful/helpful/not bad enough to induce projectile vomitting.

-D

Nail Biting Factor:- weak to mild (depending on your levels of interest in J.M Coetzee, which really could be anywhere betweeen totally indifferent and stalker-like)

Start Biting Them Nails

Hey hey hey
So this is my blog. I half-heartedly promised myself to continue this blog despite its originating as an English assignment, while muttering "khalas" under my breath and rocking in my crossed-knee position to get comfortable on my mother's bed, while nibbling on a Lion bar. Alas I am certain this is one of those promises; the smoking Lebanese father's promise-to-stop-smoking-for-you-habibi kind of promise, those that you hear very often and don't last very long. Still, I am not giving up just yet, the hardheaded Taurean in me won't allow it. At least for a couple of weeks.

Enough for now, I do hope you enjoy reading this hyphen-packed post and the many (i.e few) more to come

Till next time
-D