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The real question for English 211... Team Pond or Team Terrapin ?

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Team Pond vs. Team Terrapin

The conversation we had in class today was very insightful and engaging. It made us dig deeper into the bigger picture in both of pieces of literature that was assigned to read. The author of both pieces of work, Patricia Highsmith, used very dynamic characters to vividly paint a picture in each of our minds. 

“The Terrapin” and “The Pond” both contained drastic turning points that helped define the meaning of each story. One important idea that we discussed was the concept of what makes a character and who/what can classify as a character. We discussed if we can classify the pond and the terrapin as characters. I would definitely say that both are characters, and I would go as far to say that the pond is a round character while the terrapin is a flat character.

The pond really grabbed my attention in how I viewed it as personifying Cliff. With a touch of magical realism, I feel as if Cliff was immersed in nature, and found his way to his family through the pond. It was his goal to be reunited with his family, and the pond was his means of doing so. This is why the pond has many qualities that are human-like. This also aids to my point about the pond being a round character. 

Overall, I enjoyed the readings that we discussed. They made me ponder a lot about life itself. I love when literature is able to do that, and it makes me more interested in works of Patricia Highsmith.

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DJP#6

I thoroughly enjoyed the discussions we had in class this week. One of my favorite literary devices is satire. Satire allows a writer to bring awareness usually to a controversial idea, concept, movement, people, and/or etc. The main reason I love satire is that it provokes thoughtful conversation. Conversation that is needed in order to provide clarity and allows individuals to speak their mind. This is exactly what happened while we discussed “Appropriation of Cultures” in class on Monday. Percival Everett did a great job provoking us to think. 

I found it very interesting that Everett chose the main character, Daniel, to view the Confederate flag positively. This very plainly shines the light on racism and the symbolism of the flag. It’s almost as if individuals who support the flag support the ideals that it represented during the time period. Daniel however flips this meaning around which in turn should offset the thought pattern that “confederate” readers have. 

Overall I’m very glad that this work was published and we had an insightful conversation about its effectiveness. 

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I believe this picture corresponds perfectly with the ideas that Percival Everett presents in his short story “Appropriation of Cultures”. The only difference is that the individual seen in this cartoon is clearly not sharing the same joy that Daniel shows towards the Confederate flag (black power flag). 

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In Monday’s class we definitely had a lot of conversation about characterization. One character that we really went in detail about is Prince Prospero. I would characterize him as a flat character. The text explicitly states that the Prince was “happy and dauntless and sagacious” (Poe 1). This boldness is continued throughout the rest of the short story. We do not see him go through any emotional or character change. When approached by the mysterious figure, Poe describes the Prince as “bold and robust” (3). On the contrary, I would describe Shukumar as a round character. We see him, and his wife, experience an emotional shift within the short story. His wife really does surprise me and I find myself feeling resentment towards. As a student pointed out in class, this could so because we only see his perspective of things. Shoba’s perspective is likely to be different from Shukumar’s which may cause us to have resentment towards him. Overall, the readings were well and we had a successful engaging conversation in class. 

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Hatiloo Theater !

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DJP2

Hello all, well of course, my name is Darious! I am entering my 3rd here at CBU. I am studying #Business Management and #Theater Arts. I have always been eager about the different operations of business. I’ve wanted to be an #entrepreneur every since I was a small boy. My first “business” was selling candy and juice every Sunday after church to all of my church members. By then, everyone at church was calling me the candyman. Looking back, I realize that the entrepreneurial mindset is not limited to age.

My interest in theater began in high school when I participated in a few different productions. One of my favorite productions was “Alice In Wonderland”. I played the very energetic White Rabbit. I have also participated in 2 productions at CBU. I am currently working on a production at Hatiloo Theater entitled “Sassy Mamas”. This play is absolutely hilarious and I am thrilled to be apart of it. 

I would most definitely say that my passion and heart is into theater. I absolutely love acting. It is my desire to work professionally in film or on the stage. Until then, I’m going to continue to strive in my studies and do the best that I can.