Go Tell it on the Mountain

Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” What is the central, universal question James Baldwin raises in Go Tell it on the Mountain? (If you had to write an EQ for Go Tell it on the Mountain, what would it be?) Choose one of the main characters to focus on (Gabriel, Elizabeth, or John). How does his portrayal of this character provide an answer to this question? 

Please type a response of 250-300 words.

The Color Purple

Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” What is the central, universal question Alice Walker raises in The Color Purple? (If you had to write an EQ for The Color Purple, what would it be?) How does her portrayal of Celie provide an answer to this question? 

Please type a response of 250-300 words.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” What is the central, universal question Zora Neale Hurston raises in Their Eyes Were Watching God? (If you had to write an EQ for Their Eyes Were Watching God, what would it be?) How does her portrayal of Janie provide an answer to this question? 

Please type a response of 250-300 words.

The Namesake

Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” What is the central, universal question Jhumpa Lahiri raises in The Namesake? (If you had to write an EQ for The Namesake, what would it be?) How does her portrayal of Gogol/Nikhil provide an answer to this question? 

Please type a response of 250-300 words.

"The Garden of Love" by William Blake

For your commentary tonight, share some of your observations about William Blake's "The Garden of Love." You can provide your insights on both the poem and the image.

1. In class today, I told you that Blake is a very easy poet to read on the surface. His diction is generally simple and clear, his sentences are concise. Push yourself in your commentary to move beyond a surface-level reading of the poem. What is Blake really getting at here? He's not just writing about a visit to a garden, so what does he want his audience to consider or question by reading this work?

2. Important: Please read through the posts of students who comment before you do, so you can build on their ideas or pose alternative interpretations of the poem, rather than just restating assertions that have already been made. If someone has established a point that you yourself would have raised if you'd gotten to the blog sooner, then address other details in the poem or image that support your peer's arguments. If a peer makes an assertion that you do not believe is supported by the text, be sure to offer evidence and analysis that backs up your counterclaims.

If your post builds on or contradicts a peer's post, please reply to their commentary to keep this thread organized.

Remember to draft your commentary in a Google doc first. Your posts should be no more than 250 words, so please be succinct but precise.

Seeing with the Eyes vs. Seeing with the Gut: Appearances Can Deceive

Here's an important passage from our Scarlet Letter bingo game:

“When an uninstructed multitude attempts to see with its eyes, it is exceedingly apt to be deceived. When, however, it forms its judgment, as it usually does, on the intuitions of its great and warm heart, the conclusions thus attained are often so profound and so unerring, as to possess the character of truths supernaturally revealed.”

And, here's a passage from a poem called “The Tables Turned” by William Wordsworth, an influential English poet and a father of Romantic poetry:

        

        Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
         Our meddling intellect
         Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:--
         We murder to dissect.

         Enough of Science and of Art;
         Close up those barren leaves;                               30
         Come forth, and bring with you a heart
         That watches and receives.

If you remember from the lecture on Romanticism, many writers and artists associated with this era viewed their contemporaries’ passion for explaining everything from a scientific standpoint a little off-putting. They felt that trying to classify and order the universe in a purely rational, logical way robbed it of its inherent beauty and mystery, and denied humans their individual integrity. Instead, they saw intuition and the imagination as more fruitful pathways to understanding.

For this week's blog post, consider:

1. Where in the four assigned chapters does a character “watch and receive” with the heart, rather than trust solely in what they see with their eyes? What truths are revealed to this character? What choices does Hawthorne make to get his readers to sympathize with this intuitive character?

2. On the flip side, where in the four chapters does a character form judgments solely with the eyes? How does Hawthorne expose the dangers in trusting too fully in appearances -- in what our eyes tell us -- through this character?

Arthur Dimmesdale: Wanderer in a "Dark Valley"

In your commentary this week, consider Hawthorne's development of Arthur Dimmesdale. Of the four main characters, Dimmesdale is the only practicing Puritan. How does Hawthorne develop his exploration of the nature of good and evil, of purity and sin through his portrayal of Dimmesdale? How does Dimmesdale live up to the meaning of his name?

Please focus your commentary on one or two of this week's assigned chapters:

"The Interior of a Heart"
"The Minister's Vigil"
"Another View of Hester"
"Hester and the Physician"

To keep practicing close reading skills, you may wish to consider in your response the author's use of a couple of the following literary devices in his development of Dimmesdale:

• diction
• imagery (esp. contrasting light and dark imagery)
• juxtaposition with other characters
• selection of detail (especially his appearance and actions) 

Also, let's push ourselves to think about the bigger picture here, now that we are halfway through the novel. What exactly is Hawthorne getting at in his portrayal of Arthur Dimmesdale's torment? What larger truth about human nature seems to surface in his development of this character? What understanding might Hawthorne hope readers come to when they think about Dimmesdale's psychological turmoil? What Puritan ideals does Hawthorne appear to question through his depiction of the minister? In contrast, what more Romantic notions does Hawthorne implicitly endorse through depicting this character's intense inner conflict?