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Ishiguro

Mr. Nigro’s Taylor Swift Moment

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In response to the public outcry wishing to hear the confidential encounters of such a profound literary debate, here is all I am at liberty to share with you to not violate the privacy of such greatness in our modern world. I have ripped the flyleaf out of the great literary work I’m reading and scribbled down the astounding realizations that have come off the teeth of such eminence. I feel like if Chelsea was sitting down at a cafe and Taylor Swift walked in, this is the greatest thing to ever witness. 

There I was… just sitting at the 5th View restaurant in Waterstone’s Piccadilly, trying to once again get through Ulysses, and I saw an angry Virginia Woolfe walk in followed by a laughing Kazuo Ishiguro and a confused James Joyce. 

She angrily turns around to both of them and says, “Yes, I’m aware that writing precisely and accurately about one’s life is difficult, yet it’s a struggle worth enduring! Life portrays awkwardness, why should the writing not imitate that? What is wrong with that?” she expresses, using her hands. 

“Understandably so, Ms. Woolfe, but shouldn’t the techniques of such writing follow the formal pathway that great literacy requires? Why attempt to write modern-day fiction with awkwardness, when the formality of writing requires preciseness among the absurdist?” Joyce declares with confidence. 

“I find that both of you don’t understand the concentration and full body emersion required to write a work of this greatness..” Ishiguro says, brushing them away. 

“Can I get a beer?” Joyce asks, “I can’t deal with this immaturity any longer.”

“Sir, this is a cafe,” the worker says, uninterested. Typical public high school student… what kind of individual is uninterested in a manner of this sort? 

“What kind of establishment is this…”

Woolfe shoots daggers at the two men, “How are you supposed to achieve a new sense of fiction in a modern world if you never take risks?’

“Risks? Oh, tell me about risks!” Joyce, aggravated, exclaims.

“All we do is take risks, no one wants to hear about what’s inevitable in the real world, so who’s going to step up and educate them? ME!” Ishiguro says. 

“Still focused on the external focus of what literature has historically represented. It’s about changing what’s within. What’s within oneself… No, I do not want to share such vulnerability with the world, yet it’s worth it for such a profound difference in the basis of literature entirely,” Woolfe says, still frustrated. 

Mind you, they’re still all standing in the middle of this cafe. How original and modernist is that? There’s nothing modernist if not three of the greatest literary figures standing in the middle of this cafe debating what is classified as modernism. Brilliant…

“And how do you suggest we do this that’s so different than originality, Ms. Woolfe?” Joyce asks with an eyebrow raised. 

“Focus on your interior, the awkwardness and true moments in life. That is originality. That is fiction,” She says, satisfied with her argument. Wow, what a mind. 

“I somewhat disagree with that Woolfe..” Ishiguro begins. 

“Oh do tell,” she says, annoyed again. 

“All of us are connected through the value we seek in life. Whether that be from a job, a lover, or a child, when we are on the brink of death we must ask ourselves what value we have given to the world for the duration of our lifetime. Each day of our lives is just a piece of what we look back on at the end. That is modern fiction,” Ishiguro says. Again, what a mind. I can’t even begin to grasp the full intentions of this man’s words in a literal sense. It’s astonishing. In Remains of the Day, Ishiguro illustrates such symbolism in the way he portrays time passing. I mean I can only remember when Stevens uses the symbol of hands to see time passing and people getting older. One of the first things you can notice about someone’s aging is their hands, coldness, wrinkles, veins. Hands are the tools of life, the roughness of one’s hands determines the work they’ve put into their life, stated Ishiguro. Looking back at life, many factors determine the value and work you’ve put in to make this life yours. 

“Oh enough of this… fiction is what you make it. It’s not real for a reason. You can add a disconnected stream of consciousness, absurdist drama, mythical parallelism, paralysis.. there’s freedom! That is modernist fiction… The ability to decide that you want to write something so far stretched out that it might not make total sense the first time. It’s fiction!” Joyce says, still looking around for the nearest pub. 

I remain watching in awe, scribbling down keynotes as fast as I can. What a moment in time this is…

“Can we just agree to disagree and understand that we’re all successful modernist writers in different ways?” Woolfe asks, checking her watch seeing as if she has somewhere to be and this entire conversation has been an inconvenience to her. 

“Yes please,” Joyce says already walking out the door. 

Before I can even get a chance to speak to any of them or simply ask for a picture, they’ve vanished in the streets of London, just like one’s memory of such greatness… almost too great to grasp.

Joyce

Were it a Witchcraft – were it Death-

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The city of Dublin posing as the scene of paralysis in Dubliners by James Joyce is extremely relevant when discussing the story “The Boarding House.” Paralysis takes the form of many different monsters throughout the compiled stories in this book. The definition of paralysis can be seen as the inability to move in part or most of the body. However, Joyce allows this faction to occur in many different forms. For example, while Mr. Doran is not in a physical state of paralysis he is trapped due to the decisions he made and the possible consequences. Joyce depicts the internal conflict of 

In “The Boarding House,” there are many forms of paralysis present. First and foremost, Mrs. Mooney was an ultimate schemer with a poor life. Mrs. Mooney was disappointed in Polly’s decision to marry lesser than her, parallel to the life that Mrs. Mooney lived. Due to the societal implications of the period, it was illegal to divorce. Therefore, Polly was paralyzed in her decision to marry a man who could not provide, ultimately causing her to start making poor decisions. She was stuck in the sense that she would not be able to attain the love and financial wealth of her current husband, so she is “stuck” with deciding to stay around the boarding house. However, this is not as much of Polly’s true emotions as much as her mother’s. The text states, “Besides, young men like to feel that there is a young man not very far away,” (48). The connotation of this piece of text suggests that Mrs. Mooney understands that it is not the morally correct option but she is not opposed to it due to her personal relation to the issue at hand. 

Mr. Doran and Polly end up having an affair and Mrs. Mooney is adamant that they must get married. Eventually, Mr. Doran understands the mistakes that he made. He realizes that he has no other choice but to marry her when he takes into account that Polly’s brother has physical power over him, that his family will not approve of Polly, her reputation in the town, her age, her father, and many more aspects that make her unsuitable as Mr. Doran’s wife. However, Mrs. Mooney finds it a vital point that Polly and Mr. Doran get married. To illustrate this idea further, “She wanted to relight her candle at his for hers had been blown out by a gust,” (52). Both Polly and Mr. Dorian understand that the decisions they had made were to be punished. However, Mr. Dorian was unaware of what his current actions would mean long term. Perhaps Polly was more longing for this feeling than is accused. As the story progresses, inevitably, Mrs. Mooney does not want her mistakes to reflect upon the course of events for her daughter. Therefore, she essentially forces Mr. Doran to marry Polly, and if he said no Jack would go bonkers. 

Now, I just have to bring my girl Emily into this because one of my favorite poems that she has ever written is about paralysis. Which I thought might be fitting due to the entire prompt of this assignment being… paralysis.

In poem 1046, “I’ve Dropped My Brain – my soul is numb-,” she addresses a feeling of paralysis due to an outside emotion. In this poem, Emily states, “My Nerve in Marble Lies- / A Breathing woman / Yesterday – Endowed with Paradise.” This quote shows that every action she once did in the flesh is not engraved in stone, an irreplaceable and unchangeable action. In one moment she is independent and free, and the next moment she is chained down by the consequences of her actions. While in the moment of action, she is breathing her air, “endowed with paradise.” It is not until she is forced to consider the outcome of the actions that she realizes her freedom is cut short. 

This relates directly back to the dilemma Mr. Doran must face. At the moment he was unaware of just how drastically these actions would change the course of his life. Yet post affair, Mrs. Mooney causes him to understand just what he must do to make it right. Not just by her, but by the societal implications as well as the church. Joyce states, “Come on down, dear. Mr. Doran wants to speak to you. Then she remembered what she had been waiting for,” (54). This quote demonstrates that Mr. Doran has finally come to terms with the marriage he must commit to. After all of the pining and difficult emotions he must deal with, he realizes that he is paralyzed in a state in which he truly has no choice in his further actions. Dickinson relates to this emotion when she depicts that she was once a free woman and then she was paralyzed. 

Ultimately, paralysis is depicted in many different ways within Dubliners, however, in “The Boarding House,” it is prevalent that paralysis can be an outcome of one’s own actions.

Satrapi

Marjane Satrapi deserves a Nobel Prize

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Persepolis is a story that was ahead of its time. While this story was published in the year 2000, the ideas are extremely relevant in today’s world. 

Prior to Iran’s overtaken of darkness, Marji was extremely prideful and loving of her country, its religion, its history, and its heroes. There are certain characteristics and attributes that make a hero in Marji’s mind. Prior to the revolution and the war, Marji’s main hero was God. When she is in a position where she was scared and needed help, she turned to God. There is a frame in the first chapter titled “The Veil,” in which God is fully wrapping Marjane in his arms and comforting her. However, in this frame, Marji looks questionable of the comfort that God is able to provide her. Throughout this entire time when Marji is in a relationship with God, there is no moment in which she seems truly dedicated to it. Although she claims that she wants to be a prophet, there are still people who she can’t outwardly express that. This depicts the inconsistency in her relationship with God.

Marji was aware of the tragedy going on in her country, however, she did not truly let go of her relationship with God until Anoosh was executed. Because of this, she swears off her relationship with God for good. Anoosh was her hero in many ways. He was a true prisoner and suffered real instances because of the war. This fascinated Marjane tremendously, therefore when he died her relationship with God died as well.

God was no longer her hero, it became Anoosh.

I often wonder what Marjane Satrapi would be like if her parents had sent her to the United States. Although we know she had a more Westernized ideology of things from her Kim Wilde obsession, Michael Jackson pin, or jean jacket, how would these things have changed had she moved to the United States and not Austria? Would she have still found them interesting if it was so easily accessible? Was it only intriguing due to the scarcity and danger that it potentially brought? Satrapi was very clearly modernized and against the government, so were these items in defiance of that or were they truly of interest to her?

This book ultimately changed my outlook on so many things. Things that I took for granted in my life that many people, especially young girls, do not get to experience freely. Every wall in my room is covered with a poster, a vinyl hanging up, a magazine, books, any type of clothing that I please. These are things that we wouldn’t think twice about. Yet Marjane and her family feared for their life due to these simple belongings. 

Marjane’s explanation of her life brings an overwhelming sense to the reader of sympathy, understanding, and interest in how two people of the same age can live extremely different lives due to geographical and political stances. Something that every human must live with due to the government of their country and who they get in relations with. It’s heartbreaking but true. 

Garcia-Marquez

Chronicles of a death coinciding with Chronicles of life

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The publication of Chronicle of a Death Foretold has sufficient power to alter the course of an individual’s life. While Marquez was highly influenced by Metamorphosis, the message of the book has an entirely different take than any other book I have ever read.
While reading this book, I was highly influenced by the theme of fate. As a very high anxiety-driven person, I was hesitant to allow events in my life to be seen as simply fate. I have always been one to understand that events in my life are essential for “my plan” and that nothing is purely coincidence. However, in terms of Santiago Nasar, his last days were purely fate.
Fate is a heavy driving force in this book. From his hand feeling like a dead man’s, to every single person stepping over the letter on the floor, there was no chance that Santiago would be a living man. Santiago’s date is an unavoidable force of nature in the sense that no protection would have kept him alive. There are far too many “circumstances” that lead to his inevitable death.
While reading this novel, I understood that fate is an unavoidable factor in life that simply cannot be altered. This is not just in Santiago’s life, or Angela’s life, it is in everyone’s life. Clearly, Marquez is a believer in the fact that fate cannot and must not be altered. Whether you are aware of your future date, it cannot be changed. Fate is unavoidable.
Understanding that fate is unavoidable within my life as well, has caused me to recollect on past events and have the motive to apply this fate to my future. Whether it be getting into a dream school, true love, or even my death (hopefully not in the same realm as Santiago) it will all happen the way that fate intends it to occur. Instead of worrying and hoping that nothing will go wrong, perhaps it is best to understand that we as humans can not avoid fate. Fate is an extreme factor that is unlike any other.
While fate is an overarching concept within Chronicles of a Death Foretold, magic realism is a reoccurring factor. This novel takes place in Colombia. The utilization of this location has an extreme impact on the novel. The culture of the area impacts the outcome of events tremendously. For example, the disorganization of the community is essentially what causes such disorganization in this murder investigation. The drunkenness and the inappropriate buildings are all factors that cause this story to unfold in such a misconstrued way. The events of the story interweave between fiction and reality, due to the culture of where this novel takes place. In this town in Colombia, most people are more focused on having fun than the true issue at hand. The disorganization of the town causes a disorganized recollection of events. It is clear that this magical realism is prevalent throughout the town in Colombia, therefore this said magical realism is present within the story.

McEwan

Brat-ony Tallis is my sleep paralysis demon

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I have to be completely honest here. I started reading this book sitting at Ocean Isle Beach with my little sister. I started reading the first few pages reading about an egotistical, mis-behaved child and it was so interesting and eventful…until I fell asleep. BEST nap I’ve ever taken by the way. But then I started to read again.. and it got really good. So much so that my eyes were practically touching the spine. I was asleep again. If you can’t tell, I hated Briony’s play. I hate Briony. I have no sympathy for her methods of atonement. In fact she could have done more… but that’s besides the point!

Anyhow.. now to the halfway intelligent part! 

My relationship with this book clearly started off slow. It wasn’t until I had gotten to the fountain scene when I ultimately started to enjoy this book. 

McEwan does an interesting job of displaying the personalities of each character through their environment and role within the family. Briony has a much different outlook on life than Cecilia. Although they have lived in the same house with the same set of parents, they play two drastic roles within the household. 

To illustrate, Cecilia is constantly playing the role of the mother. She seems to envy those her age who have a perfect home-life, and are marrying the richest man. However, it would be no shock if Cecilia only envied true love, due to the fact that she never saw that through her parents. Although it’s evident that Briony bases her life upon stories in which she knows the prince will always save the princess, is it reasonable to question whether Cecilia has fantasies about what her perfect life would look like had she not been forced to take on a motherly role? Perhaps she feels the need to overcompensate in regards to love due to how her father has treated her mother. While Briony is far too young to understand the full truth of what her father is doing and where he is, Cecilia knows all too well. McEwan demonstrates Cecilia’s potential fear of this through her pure love and need for Robbie. 

Cecilia’s mother is ill and her father is away, most likely with other women. McEwan displays Cecilia’s need for Robbie, in the same way that she is not in the position to throw away true love in fear that she will end up like her parents. 

On the other hand, the devil child longs for approval and attention because she rarely sees the presence of an adult figure who has her best intentions at heart. She feels as though she must gain her substance in life through stories because no one has taught her to seek the present. Therefore she implements her delusion into the lives of others, therefore ruining them. 

While Cecilia stepped up and attempted to maintain the motherly figure to the best of her ability, she is not Briony’s mother. Therefore she does not have certain instincts to build Briony into who she so desperately needs to be. The lack of guidance makes her the catalyst for mass destruction. #nosympathy 😀

Also, if Briony wanted the enemy to bomb so badly to prevent Paul and Lola’s wedding, why couldn’t she have been in the Balham tube station…. 

RIP Cecilia… I love you queen. Fly high with Robbie.