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The Awakening: the faults of idealism

In one part of the novel The Awakening, Chopin writes down the classic line—“the bird that would soar about the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings.” Like the bird, the protagonist in the novel Edna Pontellier holds “an ideal view of the world”; and like the bird, the character aspires toContinueContinue reading “The Awakening: the faults of idealism”

fiction analysis: The Rainbow

In D. H. Lawrence’s 1915 novel The Rainbow, the author employs various contrasts—including the contrast between men and women; between farmers and outsiders; and between the Brangwen men and the vicar—to explore the existential crisis of the woman who slowly develops an understanding of class and inequality and questions the purpose of life. As LawrenceContinueContinue reading “fiction analysis: The Rainbow”

Poetry explication: Olive Senior’s 2005 poem “Plants”

While transcendentalist poets like Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself often portray a friendly and collaborative relationship between humans and nature—including plants, Olive Senior’s 2005 poem “Plants” tells a very different story that entails a more complex relationship between humans and plants. Using deliberately designed syntax and the use of enjambment, figurative language and vivid imagery,ContinueContinue reading “Poetry explication: Olive Senior’s 2005 poem “Plants””

Poetry explication: Landlady by P.K. Page (1943)

Famous philosopher Foucault analyzed the social relationship that panopticon entails—a system with the “watcher” and the “watched”; the “observer” and the “observed”; the “powerful and the “powerless.” In P.K. Page’s 1943 poem “The Landlady”, the relationship between the tenants and the landlady can also be characterized by panopticism, where the landlady watches her tenants withoutContinueContinue reading “Poetry explication: Landlady by P.K. Page (1943)”

Poetry explication: Thou Blind Man’s Mark–Sir Philip Sidney

In the short poem, poet Sir Philip Sidney wields his literary talent and uses extensive poetic devices to tell a story of recognizing, facing, and trying to combat one’s desires. Throughout the first four lines of the poem, Sidney begins by directly addressing desire with second-person pronouns “thou,” adding a dose of intimacy andContinueContinue reading “Poetry explication: Thou Blind Man’s Mark–Sir Philip Sidney”

Psychoanalysis of Racism–Black Skin, White Masks

Psychoanalysis of Racism: book review of Black Skin, White Masks There are many ways to dissect and dismantle racism, and Fanon chooses psychoanalysis in his nonfiction Black Skin, White Masks, a book that explores the realm of Black people’s consciousness when white people enter it and imposes a hierarchy of racial superiority and inferiority. IContinueContinue reading “Psychoanalysis of Racism–Black Skin, White Masks”

The civilized and the barbarians: the formation of an oppressive system

The civilized and the barbarians: the formation of an oppressive system –book review of Waiting for the Barbarians On the first day of the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, the family group spent the bulk of the session discussing the system of oppression, linking our understanding and experiences to the larger system that justifies injustice, violence,ContinueContinue reading “The civilized and the barbarians: the formation of an oppressive system”

The metaphorical meanings of borders in Borderlands–Borderlands

The metaphorical meanings of borders in Borderlands –book review of Borderlands Unlike countless traditional literature and academic essays about the physical US-Mexico borders and the crossing experiences, Anzaldúa’s Borderlands explores the meanings behind such physical borders—including the psychological, cultural, spiritual, and even sexual implications behind obvious frontiers that separate two nations. Spanning from personal anecdotesContinueContinue reading “The metaphorical meanings of borders in Borderlands–Borderlands”

A story that heals under its dark and depressing guise–The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

A story that heals under its dark and depressing guise –book review of The Ballad of the Sad Cafe When I first finished reading The Ballad of the Safe Café, there were many things that I did not understand. I knew immediately that the book reads like William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, another classicContinueContinue reading “A story that heals under its dark and depressing guise–The Ballad of the Sad Cafe”

An Antiracist “Handbook”

How to Be an Antiracist is a “handbook” that combines memoir, storytelling, rhetoric, and persuasion on the same page. It is a book that realistically yet hopefully offers concrete solutions to the problems of racism. It is a book that tackles one of the most pressing issues of current society from a historical, theoretical, practical,ContinueContinue reading “An Antiracist “Handbook””