Author Archives: Kathryn Leininger

Different Perspectives

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I found the inclusion of a woman who was a legal citizen of the US very interesting. I think that by including her story, the movie showed the severe impact that deportation and harsh immigration policies have on the families of those experiencing the brunt of them. And in doing so demonstrated to watchers that these policies affect people far beyond just those who are undocumented. Do you think her story was more or less effective than others in the movie? Or maybe just completely different?

Obama

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I thought it was very interesting the way the movie criticized President Obama. Typically, he is presented as being a President who has aided and improved immigration reform in America, and yet this film seems to disagree. What did you all think of the portrayal of Obama in this piece?

Deirdre’s Forgiveness

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I found Deirdre’s forgiveness of Erik rather interesting in this passage. Despite his having an affair, the pair’s relationship does not seem particularly strained throughout the play other than the typical nostalgia for young love that older married couples often describe feeling. A point where we see some tension is when Erik tells Deirdre that he loves her, and she does not return the sweet sentiment (140). Because we only get to see Erik and Deirdre’s relationship while they are with their children, I feel as though readers, just like their kids, are being shielded from the truth. Do you think there’s more tension behind the relationship than the pair is letting on? Are there other points in the novel that we see this?

End of The Humans

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A passage from this reading that really stood out to me was on page 138 when Momo starts screaming at Erik to “go home” and then repeatedly mentions a hole. This reminded me of Erik’s dream involving a dark tunnel. It seems to me that in this novel Momo must serve some greater purpose than just being an old woman who is losing her mind. What purpose do you all think Momo serves, and do you think her reference to a hole has to do with Erik’s dream? Does Momo somehow actually know more than the rest of them?

Momo

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I find Momo’s incoherent ramblings quite interesting throughout the story. I keep finding myself reading them again and again, trying to find a hint of something real, some message she is trying to get across. In reading the family’s responses to Momo, it reminds me of my own family’s responses to some of the nonsense that my grandpa spewed when he was in the later stages of Alzheimers. Do you think there is some sort of meaning behind the things she is saying? Do you think these will become more important as the story progresses?

The Narrator

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In this section, the narrator admits that he is “as lost as [he] ever was” (250). I feel as though this piece about his self-confusion solidifies the ambiguity of the narrator that has permeated the entire book. In one instance he recognizes the problems with discrimination based on gender and in the next he speaks about women in extremely objectifying ways, and after speaking about them in such ways he admits his sexual ineptitude. He seems to sure of himself and what he wants, and then he talks about how he has no idea who he is or what he believes in. Overall, I guess I’m just wondering what you all think about all of the confusion surrounding the narrator: what this contributes to the book as a whole and what you think Beatty is trying to say with this character?

Stealing the American Dream

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Something I found particularly interesting from this reading was Marpessa’s assertion that white people fear having their “piece of the American Dream” stolen by a black person. This notion made me think about the current political climate. The way Marpessa describes the American Dream here seems to be in alignment with a lot of what is said today that helped Trump get elected: a major reason that a lot of Trump supporters want to tighten the reins on immigration as well as bring jobs back to America is because they think that opportunities that are rightfully theirs are being taken away. In this sense, they too fear their piece of the American Dream is being stolen from them by someone they view as less deserving. This view is also completely opposite from what we read from MLK, who said that no one’s American Dream can truly be attained without everyone’s being attained. Whose version do you all agree with more? Why?

Huckleberry Finn

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I thought one of the funniest moments in the book so far is when Foy Cheshire presents his reworked version of Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn”. In addition to altering the plot line, Foy changes the novel’s title to “The Pejorative-Free Adventures and Intellectual and Spiritual Journeys of African-American Jim and His Young Protégé, White Brother Huckleberry Finn, as They Go in Search of the Lost Black Family Unit”. I feel as though there is so much to unpack both in this title and in the fact that Foy felt the need to make these changes. For example, the emphasis on race and Foy’s need to comment on the race of each character, even within the title, is quite unusual and I think tells a lot about Foy’s character. What did you all think of this?

A Question

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I also was very confused on the last line of this reading when Hominy tells the narrator that he has “to stop seeing us as individuals” because in doing so he is not “seeing the plantation for the niggers” (80). It seems to me that this is foreshadowing the narrator’s later decision to become the owner of slaves, but I don’t quite see the connection. What do you think he means by a plantation specifically FOR black people, and how could this lead the narrator to adopt a slave-owner mentality?

Slave-Master Relationship

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The part of the novel’s first 80 pages that stood out the most to me was the piece at the end, when Hominy makes himself the narrator’s slave and forces him to beat him. Hominy’s desire to be beaten, to be a slave, and ultimately the gratitude and relief that he feels during and following being beaten caused (and still do, to a large extent) a great deal of confusion. It did, however, remind me of the part in the Prologue wherein the narrator discusses how a black person at times is freed by the prospect of breaking the law and going to prison. The narrator says that actually doing something wrong “relieves us of the cognitive dissonance of being black and innocent” (18). Do you all think that this is somehow actually a similar situation? That by actually becoming someone’s slave, Hominy is in a way relieving himself of hidden shackles that come with black freedom? If not, can someone/anyone shed some light on Hominy’s motives behind this bizarre act?

Interesting Ehrenreich Passage

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I found the passage about her alter-ego Barb on page 169 particularly interesting. Here, she claims that the Barbara from her normal life and the Barb who works at Walmart are completely different people. Barb, she explains, is “meaner and slyer” than she is. While this passage stands out to me, I am having trouble deciding what exactly I think of it. On the one hand, it seems quite honest and understandable. On the other hand, it seems almost like she is claiming that minimum-wage workers are inferior (personality wise) to those with a higher income. What do you all think of this part?

Nickel and Dimed 1-60

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Something that really stood out to me was how strongly Ehrenreich’s opinions pervade the piece. For instance, when she is discussing her first attempt to get a job, she says that she was asked to pee in a cup before they would give her the position. She describes having to do so as an “indignity” (14). To me, this does not seem like an indignity, but rather a precaution for the employer. I also find it hard to believe that this sort of test is required only at low-paying jobs. Do you guys find this to be an “indignity” and if so, why?

The Club Foot

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One aspect of “The Lame Shall Enter First” that really stood out to me was the inclusion of Johnson’s club foot. Though I didn’t realize it initially, I think the club foot tells a great deal about Johnson, Sheppard, and the relationship between the two. While Johnson is quite proud of his club foot and makes no attempts to conceal / fix it, Sheppard does a great deal in an attempt to successfully conceal the deformity and pretend like it doesn’t exist. While Sheppard thinks Johnson will be grateful to Sheppard for his efforts to get him a new boot, Johnson is angry at the attempt. I think this interaction reveals Sheppard’s intention of “fixing” Johnson in the way that he sees fit  to make himself feel good, with no regard for how Johnson feels or what Johnson wants for himself.

Ambition in Anderson

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The part I found the most fascinating in Anderson’s piece was in regards to ambition. The narrator’s parents were perfectly happy and content with their simple life together at the beginning. Once they had a child, however, they became ambitious people (though at different times), although not for themselves. What I found particularly interesting was that the parents were ambitious for their child. This reminded me of the theme we discussed earlier about the American Dream having to do with providing for future generations. Do you think this plays into the version of the American Dream seen in Gatsby at all? Why / why not?

Turner Piece

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I found the section regarding the “three classes” of the farmer’s advance particularly interesting. The first class, especially, seemed to correlate to Alexandra. The piece suggests that the first class of the farmer’s advance maintains a strong sense of independence and personal freedom. This statement immediately made me contemplate not only Alexandra’s situation, but even that of her father early on. Despite her being in charge of her homestead and even becoming quite successful later on, was Alexandra free? Further, did her success on the frontier make her more or less free than her father, who experienced only hardship during his time there?

Pages 50-71

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The content of these pages of O Pioneers! left me feeling both extremely angry and sad. To begin, the conversation between Carl, Lou, and Alexandra regarding Carl was enough to make me want to rip the pages out of my book! Alexandra’s brothers are ignorant, ungrateful, sexist, and represent the prevalent opinions among men of this time period. Further, it is apparent that Alexandra’s heart is breaking as the men she truly loves — Carl and Emil — plan to leave her. Her unhappiness is demonstrative of the fact that despite her success in business, what she truly wants is to have a companion.