RefLecTioN

Writing about two of my favorite stories seemed like the best idea ever until I realized that the two stories did not have very much in common. After sitting down and brainstorming and re-reading over the texts, I was able to come up with some similarities between the two dramas. At first, it seemed like I was on the right track and that I knew where I was going with my paper. Unfortunately, I had lost all train of thought and became stumped. Once we did the workshop in class, I was able to get some positive feedback and some insight as to what I should further do with my paper. However, I became stumped again and realized that my thesis was not that strong because all my information was going against my thesis. It had occurred to me that I did not fully comprehend the deeper relationships between the “21 Steps” and “A Street Car Named Desire”. I re-read my essay over and over again, then I started to brainstorm over and over again, going through both texts line by line to see if I could find something to help strengthen my argument. Sadly I found nothing.
“21 Steps” appeared to me as if there was no deeper hidden meaning or symbolism in the text. It was especially difficult to analyze because the perspective was told in first person, and he was the only character the reader could identify with or even analyze. The other characters were too flat to analyze. Aristotle and Ponytail, however, could be analyzed to an extent, but it would all be assumptions based on their actions. There would not have been enough textual evidence to support any argument about the two. I found that story more for enjoyment of literature than finding a deeper meaning. To me, the story was more suspenseful than anything. I thought about changing stories, but I realized I did not want to write about another piece of literature that I did not feel that strongly about because I would only end up in the same situation, which was “writer’s block.” The other pieces of literature that I liked, I had already written about and I did not want to write about them again because I would have no further insight.
In “A Street Car Named Desire,” I found a lot more meaning and utility. Because the characters were not as flat as those in “21 Steps,” I found that they were easier to identify and analyze. There was just a whole lot more complexity in the play such as the reoccurrence of music from the jazz clubs, Blanche’s issue of lighting, racial and gender inequality.
After much debating with myself, I decided to write the opposing argument that both pieces of literature were actually two very distinct dramas. I re-analyzed both texts from a different perspective and found even more evidence to support my argument. I also realized the reoccurrence of the color white when referring to Blanche’s clothes, which immediately reminded me of the poem “Design” by Robert Frost. However was not able to fit that into my essay because I figured that the essay would focus more on “A Street Car Named Desire.” Also reminded me of the story “Bartleby,” and the poem “Diving Into the Wreck,” although I was not quite sure why at first. Then it occurred to me that Bartleby was considered an outcast who was not quite all there mentally and Blanche was considered an outcast as well. At the end of the play, Blanche goes to the mental hospital as well because her family believed her to be not mentally well. In reality, I think they were both just two misunderstood people in their society. I could also associate the story with “Diving Into the Wreck” in terms of the ladder/ making a transition, as exemplified in my essay. I also found interesting that I was able to relate the poem “Design” to “21 Steps.” However, I found that incorporating my ideas from my blogs were harder than I expected because most of them were poetry related, which meant that the quality of the blogs were not that great. (Not because I did not try hard, but because I had a difficult time interpreting the poems.) The transition between the blog and the essay felt awkward because I was not even sure if I was doing it right. Then I realized later today that I don’t know how to cite a footnote at the bottom of a page, and the MLA website was not very clear, but I tried to follow whatever instructions they gave me.
As I started to write my essay, I realized that I had limited space to write down everything I wanted to say and realized I might not get to write down everything. I truly felt that I could have written a whole essay on “A Street Car Named Desire” because I found so much information while reading and analyzing it. But at the same time I remember you always saying how less can be more. Although the essay may seem to be more focused on “A Street Car Named Desire” still. After finishing my essay, I figured it was time to revise and/or re-write my introduction to make it stronger, especially since I had built a solid foundation for my essay. Nothing seemed to come to mind, but at the same time I knew that my intro was not as strong as it could have been. I tried to take advice from one of the workshop revisions on my rough draft, but, it did not seem to flow very well with the paper.
Overall, I really enjoyed this assignment, because I have come to realize how I had grown as a reader myself. In the beginning of the quarter I was absolutely horrible with analyzing literature, but now I feel more comfortable analyzing and it comes way easier than before.


The Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xenEseHCWY