Author Archive | Grace

After the first few assignments were given to us in 299, for example theory toolbox readings, Bedford glossary definitions, I must admit I was disheartened. These assignments were not my favorite thing to do, and the blog posts on authority etc. we’re not among my favorite assignments. However, when we started to read Tropic of […]

The Worst of All Possible Worlds: Optimism and Pessimism in Voltaire’s Candide Candide is a satirical novel of philosophical fiction written in 1758, exploring the life of a man named Candide, who is banished from his Uncle’s castle and the woman he loves, Cunegonde. He goes on many disastrous adventures to get her back, traveling […]

I thoroughly enjoyed the ProfTalks that were given yesterday, not just because they were informative about writing and research, but also because I always find it interesting to see the different ways that people connect with English. The teachers that talked to us were from different fields, Warnick being concerned with rhetoric and writing, and […]

Grace Vail Professor Vander Zee English 299 27 March 2016 The Worst of All Possible Worlds?: Pessimism, Optimism, and Catastrophy in Voltaire’s Candide Candide is a satirical novel of philosophical fiction, exploring the life of a man named Candide, who is banished from his Uncle’s castle and the woman he loves, Cunegonde. He goes on […]

An idea that Yamashita explores thoroughly throughout her book is the use of connections between people, not just because their lives are all intertwined, but because of the aspects of their lives that they share in common. All of the characters of the book are not white, and all share the same commonality that they […]

As I have progressed throughout the novel, I have witnessed the different perspectives of a few people who are all connected to each other. Of all of them, Buzzworm seems to be the most aware of people’s perspectives, not necessarily the main characters of the book, but of the poor and neglected people in his […]

The last chapter of the Theory Toolbox was probably my favorite chapter of the whole book, and that’s not just because it meant I wouldn’t have to read it anymore. It was my favorite because the discussions of agency brought up thoughts pertaining to action and reaction within certain societal situations. The decisions we make […]

I was particularly drawn to the part of our reading discussing Time, because it forced me to think about the different ways in which people experience it. While we may experience time individually, and 10 minutes may feel longer to you than it does to me, I thought it was interesting how N&G discussed the […]

Within the chapter Subjectivity in the Theory Toolbox, we receive insight into the definitions of the idea of “self” and the idea of  “subject”. Before reading this, I had never put a lot of thought into the the ideas that are presented about how there really is no way a person can be an individual, […]