James, Your memoir was humorous. I liked the scene of a Chinese family trying to emulate solely American holiday and the disaster that ensued. I liked that you tied it all together and combined the two cultures in the end, truly merging the different aspects of your identity. Your point about "death being a catalyst" in many situations was quite thought provoking. In Janie's case, that was very much true, as Jody's death forced her to come to the point of self-actualization, while Tea Cake's death forced her to return to Eatonville and face her past. Good observation.
Hey James! First off, I think that your video was very good. There were a lot of aspects of cultural blending that you talked about that I could relate to. The production of the video was very attractive and the humor made it fun to watch. You began the discussion by saying that society gave Jody the opportunity to take charge, and then questioned if Janie and Jody's lives would be different if this initial opportunity to take power wasn't presented to Jody. I think this question tied into your topic very well. Jody, as you later explained, used his performance as a leader in power to mask the insecurities that he had. Regarding Janie, you offered some insightful analysis as well. You pointed out that when Logan forced Janie to do hard labor, she refused, and left him. But, when Tea Cake took her down to the muck, she happily worked in the fields with him. This suggests that everything Janie did was by choice. Overall, you asked a lot of good questions, but I think you should focus more on synthesizing your poems and literary criticisms into your analysis. One instance when you did this well was when you referenced the 1987 open question prompt to reinforce your assertion that Janie didn't need a man to live happily.
Greetings James! First of all, I loved the humor you put into the memoir. After eating your sweet potato dish, I can proudly call myself a "sweet potato aficionado" as well! I could also relate to many of the things you said, like enjoying the pork blood to cooking the turkey for the family.
During the discussion, you made some great, thought provoking comments and questions. You pointed out that "society gave Joe the opportunity to lead" and continued to ask the question "what if there was already a mayor in Eatonville?" I believe you were one of few to cite your AP prompt, which is nice! And you made the point that economic stability in Eatonville made Janie realize that she doesn't like any of that. I would have hoped that you would use some of your other poems and literary criticism in the discussion, but overall you provided some good insights.
Hi James, I loved your food memoir and video! The subtitles and that you gave yourself throughout the video were both humorous as well as insightful in the fact that it related to your theme of having to find your identity amidst the tension of the two cultures that you're raised in. The idea of fusing your Asian heritage and American upbringing was extremely relatable to my personal life. I also found the comments that you offered throughout the discussion very insightful. I liked how you analyzed the importance of choice throughout Janie's life. I was thoroughly intrigued by the point you brought up that the physical labor that Janie did with Tea Cake was essentially no different than the labor she did originally did with Logan, and how the main reason the two relationships were so radically different was the idea that Janie made her decisions independently. Overall, I think you did a great job in your Fish Bowl Discussion.
Congrats on completing your food memoir and Socratic seminar! I liked how you talked about being stuck in between two cultures, so it was interesting how you combined that idea into your thanksgiving food. Your subtitles were also very humorous! I think you did a great job asking questions of the other people in the Socratic seminar that helped the group delve deeper into many issues regarding your group prompt. The most interesting part of the discussion to me was when you mentioned how she did not like to work in the fields with Logan, but did not mind working in the muck with Tea Cake. That really shows her progression and a deeper level of complexity on your part.
I really enjoyed your food memoir, it has that deadpan type humor that I really enjoy. I think using the text subtitles to describe yourself was a great use of satire, imitating those TV interviews like 60 Minutes. I really appreciated how you moved away from the expected Chinese food and recounted a dish-making process that was important to you. In your discussion, I liked the metaphor to "wearing masks". I think it is very important to bring up how Jody Starks wore a mask throughout his life, hiding his true self in order to display power and control. I thought that a good source of outside evidence that you guys did not mention was "Eros" by Anne Stevenson. I think that Eros, or a representation of the god of love, wears a mask throughout this poem, a mask brought on by the growing burdens society places on love, causing Eros to seem physically beat up, despite the fact that gods don't usually get beat up. Overall, I really enjoyed your contributions to our discussion of Their Eyes Were Watching God, some things you said definitely sparked further thinking for me.
James,
ReplyDeleteYour memoir was humorous. I liked the scene of a Chinese family trying to emulate solely American holiday and the disaster that ensued. I liked that you tied it all together and combined the two cultures in the end, truly merging the different aspects of your identity.
Your point about "death being a catalyst" in many situations was quite thought provoking. In Janie's case, that was very much true, as Jody's death forced her to come to the point of self-actualization, while Tea Cake's death forced her to return to Eatonville and face her past. Good observation.
Hey James! First off, I think that your video was very good. There were a lot of aspects of cultural blending that you talked about that I could relate to. The production of the video was very attractive and the humor made it fun to watch. You began the discussion by saying that society gave Jody the opportunity to take charge, and then questioned if Janie and Jody's lives would be different if this initial opportunity to take power wasn't presented to Jody. I think this question tied into your topic very well. Jody, as you later explained, used his performance as a leader in power to mask the insecurities that he had. Regarding Janie, you offered some insightful analysis as well. You pointed out that when Logan forced Janie to do hard labor, she refused, and left him. But, when Tea Cake took her down to the muck, she happily worked in the fields with him. This suggests that everything Janie did was by choice. Overall, you asked a lot of good questions, but I think you should focus more on synthesizing your poems and literary criticisms into your analysis. One instance when you did this well was when you referenced the 1987 open question prompt to reinforce your assertion that Janie didn't need a man to live happily.
ReplyDeleteGreetings James! First of all, I loved the humor you put into the memoir. After eating your sweet potato dish, I can proudly call myself a "sweet potato aficionado" as well! I could also relate to many of the things you said, like enjoying the pork blood to cooking the turkey for the family.
ReplyDeleteDuring the discussion, you made some great, thought provoking comments and questions. You pointed out that "society gave Joe the opportunity to lead" and continued to ask the question "what if there was already a mayor in Eatonville?"
I believe you were one of few to cite your AP prompt, which is nice! And you made the point that economic stability in Eatonville made Janie realize that she doesn't like any of that. I would have hoped that you would use some of your other poems and literary criticism in the discussion, but overall you provided some good insights.
ReplyDeleteHi James, I loved your food memoir and video! The subtitles and that you gave yourself throughout the video were both humorous as well as insightful in the fact that it related to your theme of having to find your identity amidst the tension of the two cultures that you're raised in. The idea of fusing your Asian heritage and American upbringing was extremely relatable to my personal life. I also found the comments that you offered throughout the discussion very insightful. I liked how you analyzed the importance of choice throughout Janie's life. I was thoroughly intrigued by the point you brought up that the physical labor that Janie did with Tea Cake was essentially no different than the labor she did originally did with Logan, and how the main reason the two relationships were so radically different was the idea that Janie made her decisions independently. Overall, I think you did a great job in your Fish Bowl Discussion.
Congrats on completing your food memoir and Socratic seminar! I liked how you talked about being stuck in between two cultures, so it was interesting how you combined that idea into your thanksgiving food. Your subtitles were also very humorous! I think you did a great job asking questions of the other people in the Socratic seminar that helped the group delve deeper into many issues regarding your group prompt. The most interesting part of the discussion to me was when you mentioned how she did not like to work in the fields with Logan, but did not mind working in the muck with Tea Cake. That really shows her progression and a deeper level of complexity on your part.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your food memoir, it has that deadpan type humor that I really enjoy. I think using the text subtitles to describe yourself was a great use of satire, imitating those TV interviews like 60 Minutes. I really appreciated how you moved away from the expected Chinese food and recounted a dish-making process that was important to you. In your discussion, I liked the metaphor to "wearing masks". I think it is very important to bring up how Jody Starks wore a mask throughout his life, hiding his true self in order to display power and control. I thought that a good source of outside evidence that you guys did not mention was "Eros" by Anne Stevenson. I think that Eros, or a representation of the god of love, wears a mask throughout this poem, a mask brought on by the growing burdens society places on love, causing Eros to seem physically beat up, despite the fact that gods don't usually get beat up. Overall, I really enjoyed your contributions to our discussion of Their Eyes Were Watching God, some things you said definitely sparked further thinking for me.
ReplyDelete