English Language and Literature SL by Merve Dobur

How Do I Feel About This Course? Semester 1 of D1.

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:05:15 UTC

What are your weaknesses in this course?

I am concerned about my vocabulary. I do not have a very professional vocabulary and because of it, I feel insecure while I am writing.

What are your strengths in this course?

I did not want to focus on just literature texts because I am intrigued by different types of texts and I would like to learn how to analyze them. So my interest in this course is one of my strengths.

What seems intimidating about this course?

I am scared of MLA format and citations because it sounds very complicated and I am afraid that if I do it wrong all of my work will be wasted.

Cinematography

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:16:10 UTC

Text analyzed: Roar

Theatre

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:22:48 UTC

Text analyzed: UHM
McCarthy, Alex, and Callum Tilbury. Uhm…. The Papercut Collective, Cape Town: Junkets Publishing, 2015

Photography

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:24:27 UTC

Text analyzed: Yagazie Emezi's Work

Short Story

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:25:41 UTC

Text analyzed: Mouthful of Birds

Schweblin, Samanta. Mouthful of Birds: Stories. Translated by Megan McDowell, Riverhead Books, 2020.

Novel

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:26:04 UTC

Text analyzed: We Need New Names

Power of Language

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:35:25 UTC

I always wondered what would happen if everyone spoke the same language. Would we all be the same? Would we all be equal? Would we understand each other better? I know that I would feel a lot powerful if everyone was speaking my mother tongue. Language is about getting to know people, understanding what they want, making them understand what you want. Which is a great tool to control people. That is why colonial powers used this tool to convey one’s culture and beliefs. I feel less confident, rebellious, and opinionated when I am speaking English because I feel like I have to be more professional. With this tool, they could easily get the people to obey by making them feel like they are not enough because they do not speak the colonist’s and the powerful’s language. Based on my experiences, when the native English speakers talk to a person that does not speak English they see it as a lack of education. But I can not say the same thing when they do not talk Turkish. Turkish and English are both just a language but the power that they hold is not equivalent.

The Victorian Era

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:36:57 UTC

The Victorian Era 1837-1901 got its name from the queen of that period, Queen Victoria. She was born in 1819 in Kingston Palace and took the crown at the age of 18 in 1837. During this era, the British Empire expanded into the first industrial superpower, producing a large portion of the world's steel, coal, iron, and textiles. The main aesthetics in Victorian Era was the Gothic Revival, Eclecticism, Neoclassicism and the Rococo Revival. Victorian morality was influenced by religious beliefs and governed by the bible, “Word of God”.Additionally, women were more religious compared to males because of men’s sexual passions and women’s expected morals. Victorian society was organized hierarchically. Women were physically weak compared to men. For women, reproduction; for men, sex was important. Women depended on males, whilst men were independent. Women belonged in the domestic realm, and males belonged in the public. While women were meant to deal with house and family, men were meant to participate in politics and in paid work.

Works Cited

History.com Editors. “Victorian Era Timeline.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 15 Mar. 2019, https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/victorian-era-timeline.

Altick, Richard D. Victorian People and Ideas. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1973.

Victorian Web: Science & Religion, War of the Conscience, Broad Church

Mitchell, Sally. Daily Life in Victorian England. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996.

Steinbach, Susie. "Victorian era". Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Jan. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/event/Victorian-era. Accessed 11 January 2023.

Cecil John Rhodes

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:38:48 UTC

Cecil J. Rhodes was a politician and managing diamond mines in Cape Town, South Africa. With these mines and his territory from Cape to Cairo, he made both Britain and himself rich. However, his way of stealing South Africa’s potential wealth, his beliefs about white British being superior to black Africans, and him pushing black people off lands, increasing their taxes and limiting their freedom to vote made him controversial in African societies.

Rhodes Must Fall movement was against a statue of him due to this controversy. The people wanted the imperialist’s statue to be taken down to decolonise the education in Cape Town University. This movement brought a lot of global attention to the topic and led the process of decolonizing education in Africa.

Works Cited

Study Rocket. “Cecil Rhodes – GCSE History Aqa Revision.” Study Rocket, Study Rocket, 8 July 2019, https://studyrocket.co.uk/revision/gcse-history-aqa/expansionandempire/cecil-rhodes.

Analysis of UHM

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:40:11 UTC

What Would The Characters Bedrooms Would Look Like?

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:42:02 UTC

Queen Victoria

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:43:08 UTC

Cecil

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:46:20 UTC

Tony

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:46:58 UTC

Coceka

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:47:51 UTC

Sol

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:48:21 UTC

Color Palette of This Text

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:51:38 UTC

Kliever, Janie. “100 Color Combination Ideas and Examples | CANVA - Learn.” Canva, https://www.canva.com/learn/100-color-combinations/.

Which Musical Instrument Would Play In The Background of This Text?

merved24 — 2023-01-13 09:55:35 UTC

Cello

Frantz Fanon's "Black Skin, White Masks"

merved24 — 2023-01-13 11:27:01 UTC

While reaading this play I have thought about the Post-Colonialism theory and a book that is about the pyschological affects of colonialism, "Black Skin, White Masks" by Frantz Fanon. The main character, Coceka, was stuck in a situation where she has been under the influence of the colonialist's so much that she rejected her own ethnic identity. She was putting on white masks which were given by Queen Vİctoria and Cecil to cover his black skin.

Works Cited

McCarthy, Alex, and Callum Tilbury. Uhm…. The Papercut Collective, Cape Town: Junkets Publishing, 2015

Welcome To Turkey! (writing a satire in class)

merved24 — 2023-01-13 15:41:48 UTC

Reflection on UHM

merved24 — 2023-01-14 00:15:58 UTC

I would have loved to watch UHM at some point. I want to see CK’s struggle, Queen Victoria and Cecil’s pompous behaviors on the stage, Sol’s scene where a bunch of papers come out from him, and just Tony looking confused because he can not see any of these characters. The topic was very interesting for me because I was also feeling like I have been losing my language. I have not been able to speak Turkish face-to face with anyone for months. Sometimes I feel like I have been under the West’s influence too much. Even my thoughts are in English now. And now that I am seeking education to study abroad, I feel like I am betraying my country. But after reading “UHM” I felt like I do not have to be under anyone’s influence. I do love my culture and language but I can also go out, live in different places, speak different languages as long as I have space for my own in my life. However, Coceka’s conflict was still far beyond mine. She had factors like race, post-colonialism, and not enough representation of the ethnic identity as she was growing up. So she never felt belonged to begin with. However, in the end, she was just left with herself. I am glad she could finally think clearly without any manipulations. The play overall was very gripping and I enjoyed it.

Study of Yagazie Emezi's Work

merved24 — 2023-01-14 00:26:15 UTC

Emezi, Yagazie. Present and Forgotten. 2018.

My Photography Work and Justification

merved24 — 2023-01-14 05:54:54 UTC

Are visual texts more effective in evoking an empathetic response?

merved24 — 2023-01-14 05:55:58 UTC

No, I do not think visual texts are more effective. Because I believe that in visual texts viewers tend to seek for the meaning behind it. They create a reasoning based on personal experiences and opinions. This analysis connects the viewer to the text through their perspective and creates an empathetic atmosphere where they put themselves in the creator’s shoes and try to understand the piece. However, it is not much different than other texts. For example, when the book describes a space the reader would try to visualize it in their minds. This visualization is also through their perspective, their imagination here is connection and empathy as well. One type of text is not more effective than the other but they both have their different ways to connect with the viewer.

A Story Without The Letter T (storytelling try-outs in class)

merved24 — 2023-01-14 05:56:50 UTC

She looked over her shoulder and gave a final glance in a way which only he could feel. Only he could give a meaning. As she was leaving, he cried. He collapsed, physically and psychologically as her body collapsed. No one was near who would be able help. He made up his mind, he would find a way which goes where she is. However, he is forbidden from following her, in manners of his beliefs. He was hopeless and lifeless. He was vulnerable by his upcoming sin, even so, never as much by her leave. Considering all consequences he will face, his double-cross upon his beliefs were making cynical. He was feeling rebellious. As he was handling a piece of rope when he realized he no longer had power of differing haram and halal. Before all, he was feeling a bond among him and God. He believed bond had unchangeable power. More he knew her, more his bond faded. Because, now, he added her. He had a crowded mind. Crowded organ, which is placed inside of his ribs, pumps blood in his veins, gives him a life. He could only follow one side of crowd because 2 sides were so dissimilar. However, sides were uneven. Her side was expanding everyday, leaving no place for God. When he was finally done roping a noose, he approached a chair. Placed in middle of his room, near her dead body. Looked around, now he gave him a final glance.

Reflection on This Text

merved24 — 2023-01-14 05:58:30 UTC

This text was one of my favorites. I really enjoyed looking at photos and analyzing them because I learned about the symbols or stylistic features that they use. And I realized many details that I missed because we were analyzing as a class so if one misses out something the other one would see it and point it out. I was already interested in photography and I have taken courses for it for a semester, so studying the terminology was really fun and it freshened my knowledge. Also, analyzing Yagazie Emezi has inspired me to think about which topics or global issues I can touch with my art. The angles, lighting, and colors she uses fit so well with the message she wanted to give. As I was trying to find a composition for my own photo I looked into myself. I wanted to talk about my feelings and visualize it. Searching for a location, subjects, the right time for the sun to turn to orange as it is leaving us with a beautiful background, and the clothing that would help me to deliver the feeling has been both entertaining and frustrating. I have tried out all the elements in different compositions many times until I got what I was picturing in my head. Still, I loved every bit of it and writing our justification because I was feeling really drowned with my emotions at that time. Having a creative way to drop-off what I have been carrying felt so relieving.

Color Palette

merved24 — 2023-01-14 06:01:50 UTC

Kliever, Janie. “100 Color Combination Ideas and Examples | CANVA - Learn.” Canva, https://www.canva.com/learn/100-color-combinations/.

Which Musical Instrument Would Play In The Background of This Text?

merved24 — 2023-01-14 06:03:20 UTC

Piano

Time and Place: How did Yagazie Emezi’s work was influenced by her culture and, even though her work was heavily influenced by her environment, can it be relatable by other cultures?

merved24 — 2023-01-14 06:04:49 UTC

Yagazie Emezi was born in Nigeria in 1989. She has done many works focusing on global issues that are related with gender and race but growing up in Nigeria, she also drew attention to the political problems in her country. For example, in one of her works named “#EndSARS Protest”, she photographed many scenes from a protest against police brutality in Nigeria in 2020. If we look around the world, there are hundreds of protests like this one and the photos’ effect immediately takes the viewer to somewhere else, somewhere that they know. To a protest that they feel closer. Because Emezi photographed the resistance so sincerely that we can feel the emotions with the beliefs they value. It reminded me of the protest in my country, Turkey in 2013. We were standing against the government's corruption. In both protests there are the same events happening. Photos of holding our flags up no matter what and praying in the middle of the protest took me back to 2013, Turkey. Also in the exact same protest in Turkey, our own president called thousands of people, mostly youth, “a couple of raiders”. Our government has called us lazy, ungrateful, and shameless. Which is also a topic that Emezi has worked on. In her collection called “And They Say We Are Lazy”, she addresses the president of Nigeria saying “lazy” to the youth. The work represents, in Emezi’s own words, “the collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerian youth who are not all, lazy”. Being able to relate and resemble my own country in her works showcases that regardless of where and when she took the photos, she took them in a universal setting with immortality.

Works Cited

Emezi, Yagazie. #EndSARS Protests. Nigeria, Oct. 2020.

Emezi, Yagazie. And They Say We Are Lazy. Nigeria , 2018.

Cumhuriyet. Gezi'yi Ölümsüz Kılanlar, 28 May 2018, https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/galeri/geziyi-olumsuz-kilanlar-984465.

Photo#1

merved24 — 2023-01-14 06:26:57 UTC

Emezi, Yagazie. #EndSARS Protests. Nigeria, Oct. 2020.

Photo#3

merved24 — 2023-01-14 06:28:13 UTC

Emezi, Yagazie. #EndSARS Protests. Nigeria, Oct. 2020.

Photo#2

merved24 — 2023-01-14 06:28:36 UTC

Cumhuriyet. Gezi'yi Ölümsüz Kılanlar, 28 May 2018, https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/galeri/geziyi-olumsuz-kilanlar-984465.

Photo#4

merved24 — 2023-01-14 06:28:39 UTC

Cumhuriyet. Gezi'yi Ölümsüz Kılanlar, 28 May 2018, https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/galeri/geziyi-olumsuz-kilanlar-984465.

Personal Notes For Cinematography

merved24 — 2023-01-14 06:55:47 UTC

Degradation of Women Intelligence and Their Capabilities

merved24 — 2023-01-14 06:58:12 UTC

Degradation of women's intelligence is a problem that is based on the idea of “she is a woman; she can not do it”. Throughout the societies women were perceived as sexual objects that accept the roles of housewives or nurses. And told that they can not do “men” things, they do not have what is required. Unfortunately, this problem is continuing as a global issue in most of the communities around the world. In the episodes of the show “Roar” this ideology that men have was portrayed in different ways. “The Woman Who Was Kept on a Shelf” tells us the story of a woman who is overly objectified and sexualized. The story starts with the main character's mom’s quote, in the lines of, “If I were to choose between your (to the main character, Amelia) and intelligence, I would choose beauty every single time". This line shows how the idea of “a woman being prettier is much more acceptable than the woman being smarter” is embedded even in between women. Amelia’s love interest objectified her so much that he offered her to sit on a shelf as if she was a trophy. He was not interested in her personality, her mind and how she is as a person. Amelia accepting this offer shows her self-objectification. She thinks being admired for her appearance would be enough for her life. She quits her job, sits on a shelf seeking validation for three years. Amelia unfortunately believes that the only thing about her is that she is pretty. Because that is what everyone told her, your beauty is more important than your intelligence. In some cases, society just ignores women’s capabilities as if we need assistance all the time everywhere. In a contrast, the episode “The Woman Who Solved Her Own Murder” portrays men’s incapabilities. Two white male detectives were totally useless on the case of a woman who got murdered. In a metaphor, she could not find peace because of these men who are incapable of solving her murder. She had to do it by herself. Not only these men were judgmental towards her in the first sight, calling her a stripper, prostitute, knockout they were also belittling the woman police officer. Underestimating and scolding her without listening and telling her to get some coffee as if that is what her job is. These and many more scenes showed how society, especially men perceive women. Sexist standards that are put for women have been an obstacle for them to be who they want to be, show that they are not a vase with pretty flowers in it, they are not fragile, they are not overly emotional, they do not have to be nice and smile all the time, they do not have to walk around with fear, they do not have to stay quiet, they do not have to take care of the household, and especially they do not have to take care of their husbands/partners. Aren't men capable of taking care of themselves? If not, who are they to judge what a woman can do or not? As the show “Roar” portrays, us, women are capable of doing everything that a man can do.

Reflection on "The Woman Who Was Kept On A Shelf"

merved24 — 2023-01-14 06:59:18 UTC

When the episode started with the main character’s mom’s saying along the lines of “If I were to choose between your intelligence and beauty, I would choose beauty every time”, I understood that this was going to be about objectifying women and their bodies. But I did not expect this ideology to go that far. At the shelf scene, I remembered seeing this as a clip on a social media platform before. I was so confused at that time as I was this time. This episode created anger inside of me towards the protagonist. I was frustrated because I did not understand why she would accept that for herself. But the love interest, Harry, made me even angrier. This man does not recognize that his wife is an alive person. I was not frustrated though, men in our society tend to do that. Because of that ideology, the main character, Amelia, has been obsessed with her beauty which was adopted from her mother. She seemed like she felt free when she broke the shelf, however she still ended up on a shelf which shows that she is not free or anything. After seeking and being addicted to validation from a man objectified her, she could not get rid of her “self-objectification” problem in the concept of identity.

Directors of Roar

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:09:55 UTC

The show ROAR is actually based on Irish writer Cecelia Ahern’s book. It was “her roar to represent women''. Firstly, her stories started as a frustration towards the society for not havşng enough representation of older women in books and TV so she wrote a story about a woman who is going through menopause and that inspired 29 other stories, she says.

The director of “The Woman Who Disappeared” Channing Godfrey Peoples

She was raised on the southside of Fort Worth in what she referred to as "Black Texas''. Her family regularly attended Black theater performances, which influenced Peoples to read classic Black literature by writers such as Toni Morrison and Gloria Naylor. For Peoples, directing all started with an interest in literature.

The director of “The Woman Who Was Kept On A Shelf” So Yong Kim

So Yong Kim is a Korean American independent filmmaker. She has made four feature films: In Between Days, Treeless Mountain, For Ellen, and Lovesong. She had a naturalistic and unfiltered style in the movie Lovesong.

The director of “The Woman Who Found Bite Marks On Her Skin” Rashida Jones

Rashida Leah Jones is an American actress, director, writer, and producer.

The director of “The Woman Who Solved Her Own Murder” Anya Adams

Anya Adams is an award-winning Canadian-American director.

The director of “The Woman Who Returned Her Husband” is Quyen Tran.

The episode that was most visually matching with its message to me was “The Woman Who Returned Her Husband”. Because as it is progressing the lights changed as her feelings changed. When she felt free it was cheerful and vibrant, but the depression was shown through low-key lighting.

Works Cited

AHERN, CECELIA. Roar. HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS, 2022.

IMDB. “Roar.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 15 Apr. 2022, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14161704/?ref_=tt_ov_inf.

Marine, Brooke. “Channing Godfrey Peoples Revels in Slow Cinema.” W Magazine, W Magazine, 26 Feb. 2021, https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/freeze-frame-channing-godfrey-peoples.

O’Donoghue, Denise. “Cecelia Ahern: Her Roar to Represent Older Women in Books, Film and TV.” Irish Examiner, Irishexaminer.com, 17 Oct. 2021, https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-40722057.html.

Patrick, Bethanne. “Review | in 'Roar,' Cecelia Ahern Uses Fables to Delve into What It Means to Be a Woman.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Apr. 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/in-roar-cecelia-ahern-uses-fables-to-delve-into-what-it-means-to-be-a-woman/2019/04/22/b04a446c-61df-11e9-9412-daf3d2e67c6d_story.html.

Who is my favorite director?

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:10:55 UTC

I haven’t watched all of his works but I loved how Mike Cahill directed I origins. Movie was written and directed by him. The topic was really interesting. It is about this molecular biologist and his assistant researching the human eye. Through this research, they find how unique the human eye is. But it gets a lot more complicated when the love interest, Sofi, comes into the picture. After her death, the biologist goes into depth of his research and finds the same eyes as her in the other side of the world. It connects reincarnation and spiritualism with a scientist, which is unusual.

The cinematographic elements of the movie are nicely composed with the topic. The lighting is very harmonic to the mood of the scene. When there was a scientific mood the lighting was cool and when it was with Sofi light was warm. Mike Cahill used hard cuts, match cuts, along with close ups in the eyes. He had some subliminal signs such as numbers, pictures, background texts. For example, in one of the scenes, the main character always encountered the number 11. Cahill also worked with a photographer and used a lot of photos to recreate scenes. His cinematography was really impressive and mysterious for me.

Link To My Short Film

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:17:48 UTC

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O7ovTrOfH6k9GXMFSjsysL6zJJwc_oSx/view?usp=share_link

Color Palette

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:20:36 UTC

Kliever, Janie. “100 Color Combination Ideas and Examples | CANVA - Learn.” Canva, https://www.canva.com/learn/100-color-combinations/.

Reflection on Roar

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:23:15 UTC

This text made me feel all kinds of emotions: anger, sadness, happiness, frustration… Because this text was the one I have connected to the most. All of the episodes were focusing on another aspect of being a woman. I grew up in a relatively toxic Muslim society as a woman. There were times where we would gather with my relatives and cousins. Every dinner time, the girls would be asked to help with cooking the food, put the plates on the table, bring the shakers, wash the dishes afterwards- the dishes that men did not even take and put it next to the sink, the ones that they just left behind for us to clean, us 15-18 years old girls-, bring the dessert and the tea to the men. My male cousins or my brother were around our age as well, I have always been so furious about this topic. Every time I tell my mom “Why doesn’t HE do it?”, she would open her eyes as wide as she could and say “What a shame! You are the girl of this household, you need to do it.”. I was sick of being “the girl of the household”. I was sick of seeing women in every advertisement wearing sexist clothing, being objectified. I was sick of seeing women getting judged in their work environment even if they are doing their jobs perfectly just to earn less money than a man. I was sick of men thinking they are smarter than us. I was so sick of men thinking they are so different than us-- like the memes that I attached and many more unfunny, boring, inaccurate, memes for men to think they are so quirky and funny but women were all the same and boring. So when we analyzed “Roar”, I was so glad I could see these topics be the main focus with great metaphors.

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:23:59 UTC

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:24:16 UTC

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:24:31 UTC

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:24:53 UTC

Time and Place: If the show was a 100 years age would the episodes remain the same?

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:31:08 UTC

The issues that were focused on in Roar were from every culture and society. No matter where you are from, you could always see either yourself as a woman or a woman around you suffering from the same issues listed in the show. However, what if the show needed to go back to the 1920s and talk about those times’ womanhood issues, would the episodes be the same? While in many countries women’s suffrage did not start yet, in the U.S. the women have just got their rights to vote. It was the “The Flappers Era” for women. They could work, they could dance freely, and live with joy, or couldn’t they? Even though they had the right to work, there was still discrimination against them. They would get paid less and men tended to get more jobs, so there was an inequality between them as there is right now. Also, the traditional perception of women taking care of the house and their family remained the same. Because these topics are still an issue today, the episodes that related such as “The Woman Who Found Bite Marks On Her Skin” and “The Woman Who Returned Her Husband” would remain the same in the 1920s. What about their objectification, did that remain the same as well? Despite the freedom of the flapper, the objectification of women in the 1920s only got worse under their influence. Men didn't see women as people, but as objects. They thought that women's only function was to serve as attractive prey for male attention.So the episode of “The Woman Who Was Kept On A Shelf” would remain the same. And racism against black people was still a big problem so it would keep “The Woman Who Disappeared” the same as well. Also, even back then, men perceived women more emotional and did not really take their problems seriously. So “The Women Who Solved Her Own Murder” would be the same since the men degraded women and did not take her murder seriously. Sadly, this shows that women’s issues that were there 100 years ago are still with us. Even though a lot of rights have been given to women since then, there are still major problems when it comes to the concept of equality. It means that this show can travel back in time and women would still relate to it because we are not completely equal. I do not know if we'll ever be in the future but if “Roar” travels further in time, I don’t want any women to relate to it.

Works Cited

Pruitt, Sarah. “How Flappers of the Roaring Twenties Redefined Womanhood.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 17 Sept. 2018, https://www.history.com/news/flappers-roaring-20s-women-empowerment.

Greenspan, Emily. “Magnificat.” Marymount University Commons, Apr. 2010, https://commons.marymount.edu/magnificat/womens-struggle-for-independence-in-the-unknown/.

Which Musical Instrument Would This Text Be?

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:34:38 UTC

Even though microphones are technically a transducer, Roar would be a microphone. Representing the enhancer of women's voices which were not heard...

Samanta Schweblin

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:42:06 UTC

Samanta Schweblin (born in 1978) is an Argentinian short-story writer who is living in Berlin. Her first published book was The Nucleus of Disturbances. In her other book called “Fever Dream”, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize, she tells a psychological thriller story about a woman dying in a clinic in rural a town where she is on vacation and a child named David asking questions to her about why she is sick. “A Mouthful of Birds”, a short-story collection, was also very challenging to read because I find her writing very unsettling. I can never see what is going to happen next. She has unique metaphors. “Usually you have to work a lot around an idea until you get the story,” she says, “but with this story something amazing happened. I sat down at night with the desire to write something new, and five hours later the story was done. It came from nowhere. I think animals are a kind of mirror for us. If you kill a person, you have to confront their terror, but if you kill an animal you have to confront your own terror, and I felt this was something interesting to investigate.” about her short story “Test” in her collection “A Mouthful of Birds”. Her creative and intriguing topics seem very out of pocket, which makes the reader relate to how she questions random daily-thoughts and creates a flowing story.

Works Cited

Reynolds, Mark. “Samanta Schweblin: Passion and Terror.” Bookanista, 24 Nov. 2022, https://bookanista.com/samanta-schweblin/.

Wikipedia. “Samanta Schweblin.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samanta_Schweblin.

Meyer, Lily. “Brief but Creepy, 'Fever Dream' Has a Poisonous Glow.” NPR, NPR, 12 Jan. 2017, https://www.npr.org/2017/01/12/509350474/brief-but-creepy-fever-dream-has-a-poisonous-glow.

Liminal Space

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:43:31 UTC

Liminal space is what we call a transitional gap. It can be physically like an airport, hall, streets; mentally like an emotional transition phase such as divorce or puberty; or metaphorical where we have to decide which school we need to go to or pick a restaurant to eat at.

Headlights

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:44:26 UTC

The first story of the book “A Mouthful of Birds”, Headlights, was one of my favorites. It tells the story of the women who are left behind by their husbands on their wedding days with their wedding dresses. Hundreds of women crying, cursing, waiting for their men. Some understood that they will not come back, such as the character Nene. The story starts with Felicity being left behind and finding Nene. They both reject joining the women in the field because it is meaningless. Their rejection of just sitting and waiting shows the desire for freedom and independence. Also, as they were going to the car to get out of that liminal space, Felicity being held by the women in the field shows women’s struggle to break free from the societal expectations about how they should feel. At the end, I felt frustrated when the men were all coming back just to save one man who was left behind but most of the women felt impotent and could not take any action to save each other.

Works Cited

Schweblin, Samanta. Mouthful of Birds: Stories. Translated by Megan McDowell, Riverhead Books, 2020.

What happens when you translate a text?

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:45:27 UTC

A translated text can both deliver the message as how it did in the original text and convey it differently. I have read Oscar Wilde’s “The Portrait of Dorian Grey” both in English and Turkish. How it sounded in my head changed of course, because I have a different personality when I speak Turkish. But it did not change how I felt about the book. They both had the same effects on me because of how well it was translated. If a text is translated as a whole by a translator that knows both cultures well -not just the language- to make the reader feel like the language belongs to the text and keeps how the text is represented in the original culture but just applies it to the target language, the reader is most likely to feel no difference. This also depends on how the language is used in a text. If the writer used a lot of metaphors and idioms that belong to that society only, it would be hard to make the reader feel the same because in order to fully comprehend they must be connected to that culture. One of the examples of this type of text is poetry. Poets usually use subjective language which the people could easily interpret differently in each sentence. In that case, it would be more difficult for the translator to look at it objectively and find appropriate sentence structure (such as rhymes, meters, etc.) without ruining the original meaning.

Works Cited

Wilde, Oscar, et al. Picture of Dorian Gray. Penguin Books, 2020.

Preserves

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:46:46 UTC

I was really confused throughout the story. I am not sure if it is about a miscarriage or an abortion? Was it by choice? I think she was going to have the child but then she thought she was not ready to take the responsibility. “There are so many things in this world that seem marvelous to me, like renting a car in one country and returning it in another…” (37). There were just other things that she wanted to do before having a kid around her.

Santa Claus Slept At Our House

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:47:43 UTC

An example of domestic violence and a very toxic household for the kid. The mom’s depression was so unsettling because there was a child around and it must be traumatizing to see your mom giving up on believing things, caring about what you do. End was also very interesting because apparently both the mom and dad were having affairs. “Mom told Dad that if hewas so happy with his friend Marcela, then why couldn’t she be Santa’s friend,which seemed logical to me.” (36). But why didn't Santa come with the kids remote-control car?

The Digger

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:48:29 UTC

I have been thinking about this for so long. I genuinely do not get what was going on. I have so many questions. What was the ending about? I can’t connect this to anything. What was he digging? Why? Why can’t the owner dig “his own hole”? Why do the others know about the digger? Is this about death and being buried? I do not know. It was a mysterious story that I will continue thinking about.

“Butterflies” and The Issues in Parenting

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:49:32 UTC

This story was shorter than the others and ended with a shocking twist at the end. I really liked how quickly we got the idea. The wait was suspenseful and the damage on the butterfly was described pretty detailed which made it confusing as I was reading. I could not understand why he was torturing the butterfly for no reason. It was devastating to read how he killed his own daughter. The main idea can be how fathers can emotionally or physically abuse their daughters during and after their puberty. For some reason a lot of them act cold, put distance, or ignore their daughters because now they are becoming women. Just when they should have shown more affection. Just when they were the most fragile, like a butterfly. Not being able to handle puberty of children as a parent is an issue in a lot of societies, especially the ones where these types of education was not given enough care, that made a lot of kids suffer because they felt alone. Parents that are not communicating and open are not able to inform and shape their kids which leads another generation that does not communicate. That is why parents should be able to be there for their kid no matter how much they change. Children have to change, everyone had different phases, different styles, different thoughts as they were growing up. It is a part of finding yourself. Figuring out who you actually want to be with try-outs. If parents ignore the phases or reject or judge them this easily, kids will not accept themselves either. Creating a generation filled with hatred is one of the worst ways of parenting. “The other parents don’t seem to be afraid” (23). The butterflies, their children can be butterflies, meaning they can be themselves around them. But because she has been damaged once, she can not “fly” to find herself anymore.

Reflection on This Text

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:50:59 UTC

I am so confused with this book. For the most part of it, I could not see where the stories were going and I did not understand some endings at all. I understood the metaphors in some stories but I had to think and focus really hard in order to connect it to somewhere. I can not say I loved it but it was fun to read. It helped me look at things from different perspectives. And sometimes just not thinking about it, leaving it like random sentences put together felt good. My favorite short story was “Butterflies” but I also liked reading “Headlights”, “Irman”, and “Santa Claus Sleeps at Our House”. I got sad reading “Santa Claus Sleeps at Our House” because of how the relationships in the kid’s household was. A depressed mom, aggressive dad and two affairs was just too much for that kid but all he wanted was his remote-car and he did not get it. They were suspenseful and I was thrilled. I could not understand the ending of “Irman”. What was the meaning of the love letter? I did research about the name “Irman” and it turns out to be an Arabic/Muslim boy name and the meaning of this name is "Wish". So does that mean the short guy was in love with an Arabic boy? Either way I was confused with everything that has happened. The story “The Digger” too, what was that hole and where did that digger come from? These were the overall thoughts that were on my mind through the whole book. It felt like a trip to someone’s dreams.

Color Palette

merved24 — 2023-01-14 07:53:50 UTC

Kliever, Janie. “100 Color Combination Ideas and Examples | CANVA - Learn.” Canva, https://www.canva.com/learn/100-color-combinations/.

Which Musical Instrument Would Play In The Background of This Text?

merved24 — 2023-01-14 08:02:22 UTC

Drums

Reader, writer, and text: In which way the meaning was constructed and does the writer successfully deliver the message to the reader?

merved24 — 2023-01-14 12:30:38 UTC

The structure of a short story is not the same as a novel. Story arc does not apply the same. For example, in most of the short stories, readers do not even get to know about the main character. There is no past or any background information. “Mouthful of Birds” constructs the stories using this mystery as well. Delivers the meaning by making the reader question the metaphors. In order to not get lost in the metaphors and the unsettling flow of events, the reader has to break down the story. However, with its various topics that seem to have no relation with each other, there is no time to stop and think. Reader goes with the flow and ends up rethinking the whole story to try to understand and find an answer to the question: “what was this ending?”. It is not the same as reading “Fables” or any other collection that follows an ideology. There does not have to be a moral message at the end. It can be about anything, a topic that the writer found interesting, a social/global issue, or it can even be based on a personal experience. Hence, there can be many interpretations of just one story. The way Schweblin wrote the stories with an idea but not openly presented it in the stories construct the meaning subjectively. Writer delivers a message successfully but the reader differentiate that message with their own interpretations and perspectives.

Works Cited

Schweblin, Samanta. Mouthful of Birds: Stories. Translated by Megan McDowell, Riverhead Books, 2020.

Intertextuality: What did Sol’s book, Mhudi, represent in UHM and end up in CK’s thesis?

merved24 — 2023-01-14 18:40:18 UTC

Plaatje was the first black South African to write a novel in English – Mhudi. He wrote the novel in 1919, but it was only published in 1930. He received the recognition he deserved after decades. In the 1970s, his fame and influence spread rapidly after Mhudi was re-published. He is a great inspiration and honor figure to many Africans. He was also in CK’s comparison essay with other Victorian writers about the ways they write about Africa before she was manipulated into writing just about the white authors. In UHM, Sol represented Coceka’s ethnic background and fought for her to not reject it. CK deciding to get rid of “Mhudi” portrayed how she gave up on him. However, it also represented the idea that speaking English would not disconnect one from their culture when Tony came with “Mhudi” on his hands and tried to make CK understand that (McCarthy and Tilbury, p.49). The next time, Tony used “Mhudi” as a tool to write back Sol Plaatje in the essay without CK’s consent. (McCarthy and Tilbury, p.54) Which ends up with CK deleting every character and breaking up with Tony. So “Mhudi” is gone again. But as she starts writing her thesis with “Mhudi” on her hand it becomes the tool to the under-world, it represents that she chose to accept her ethnic identity and go into it. Sol’s book has many appearances in different emotional atmospheres and perspectives. Intertextuality between “Mhudi” and UHM helped the play to show in what stage CK is.

Works Cited

Plaatje, Sol T. Mhudi. Podium, 1998.

McCarthy, Alex, and Callum Tilbury. Uhm…. The Papercut Collective, Cape Town: Junkets Publishing, 2015

Sol Plaatje University. “About Sol Plaatje.” Sol Plaatje University, 20 Oct. 2021, https://www.spu.ac.za/index.php/about-sol-plaatje/.

Taste In Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe’s traditional dish

merved24 — 2023-01-14 21:33:02 UTC

Paradise, Nomad. “Zimbabwean Food: 17 Popular and Traditional Dishes to Try.” Nomad Paradise, 28 Nov. 2022, https://nomadparadise.com/zimbabwean-food/.

Sight In Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe’s best natural attractions

merved24 — 2023-01-14 21:35:19 UTC

Hales, Martha. Zimbabwe's Best Natural Attractions, 1 July 2021, https://www.travellocal.com/en/articles/2251/zimbabwe-best-natural-attractions.

Smell In Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe’s national flower, The Flame Lily.

merved24 — 2023-01-14 21:37:32 UTC

Siyabona Africa. “Flame Lily.” African Flame Lily - Flowers - Africa, https://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_flame_lily.html.

Sound In Zimbabwe: Some of the top musicians in Zimbabwe in 1990s, Thomas Mapfumo, Paul Matavire, The Bhundu Boys, Simon Chimbetu, Tongai Dhewa Moyo, Andy Brown…

merved24 — 2023-01-14 21:40:21 UTC

The Standard, The Standard. “Zim's Best Musicians between 1990 & 2000.” The Standard, 19 Feb. 2017, https://www.newsday.co.zw/thestandard/2017/02/19/zims-best-musicians-1990-2000.

Touch In Zimbabwe: Public display of physical affection is not considered appropriate in Zimbabwe. Especially for men to touch a married woman, even in a friendly way is not socially acceptable.

merved24 — 2023-01-14 21:42:51 UTC

Evason, Nina. “Zimbabwean Culture - Communication.” Cultural Atlas, 2017, https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/zimbabwean-culture/zimbabwean-culture-communication.

Rober Mugaabe

merved24 — 2023-01-14 21:46:42 UTC

Robert Mugabe was the president of Zimbabwe in between the years of 1987-2017. He was accused of being a dictator because of corruption and human rights abuses. He was a Black nationalist with marxist ideologies. In 1964 he was arrested for “subversive speech” and spent 10 years in prison. During that period he acquired law degrees through correspondence courses. After getting freed, during the civil war against Prime Minister Ian Smith’s white-ruled Rhodesian government (1975–79), Mugabe became a joint leader. After the war finished in London in 1979, new parliamentary elections were held in February 1980 under British supervision. Mugabe's party—now known as ZANU-PF— won with the majority vote and became the prime minister. Mugabe took steps to improve the lot of Black Zimbabweans through increased wages, improved social services, and food subsidies. However, Zimbabwe’s economy steadily declined despite Mugabe’s measures, and whites continued to emigrate in substantial numbers. In 1987, he became Zimbabwe’s first executive president, effectively establishing one-party rule. In 1990 he was reelected president in a multiparty election that was marked by intimidation and violence. A failing economy and his political decisions led to strikes, and in November 1998 riots occurred. Although Mugabe was reelected in 2002, the elections were tainted by violence and criticized by observers. As Mugabe’s popularity further declined, his regime became increasingly brutal and repressive. The economy continued to decline, and in 2007 the country had the highest rate of inflation in the world, as well as one of the highest rates of unemployment. Less than a week before the 2008 elections, Tsvangirai announced that he would withdraw from the contest, citing the impossibility of a free and fair election in the country’s current climate of violence and intimidation. Nevertheless, the election was still held, and Mugabe was declared the winner despite assertions from independent observers that the election was neither free nor fair. Because of Mugabe’s age (89 in 2014), there were discussions about who is going to claim presidency in the party. Joice Mujuru was the main name to replace Mugabe. However, because of Mugabe's wife, Grace’s strike of verbal assault cases on him, he had to be dismissed from the vice presidency in December 2014 same as Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was dismissed in November, 2017. In the early hours of November 15, 2017, Mugabe was put under house arrest when the military overthrew the government. On November 21, after Mugabe had not heeded calls to resign, ZANU-PF initiated impeachment proceedings in the parliament, including in its charges that the president had allowed his wife to unjustifiably gain power and that he was no longer able to fulfill his duties as president. The same day, Mugabe submitted a letter announcing his resignation, effective immediately.

These personal notes are taken from the website I have cited, not an original work.

Works Cited

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Adam Augustyn. “Succession Controversy of Robert Mugabe.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 28 Nov. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Mugabe/Succession-controversy#ref338664.

Naming Traditions In South Africa

merved24 — 2023-01-14 21:49:16 UTC

Naming Traditions In Africa

There are many ways to name the children in Africa. It can be about the events or emotions of surroundings at the time of birth. For example Ayodele (joy has come home) is a unisex name for a baby whose birth brought happiness to their Yoruba parents in Nigeria. Or, to show that the child was somehow a mistake, the parents decided to name her Melevevio, which translates as "not necessary". It could be about the order of birth. Like the Kalenjins in Kenya refer to the first born as Yator (first to open the way) and the last born Towett meaning last. It can also correspond to the day of the week that the child was born.Or even to the time of the day or the season. For example, Kibet means day and Kiplagat means night (Kalenjin in Kenya), Mumbua and Wambua means rainy season for boys and girls (Kamba in Kenya). Parents usually use names to express their religions as well. Naming tradition is big in Africa, leading the child ending up with several names - each telling its own special story.

These personal notes are taken from the website I have cited, not an original work.

Works Cited

Arthur, Adelaide. “Africa's Naming Traditions: Nine Ways to Name Your Child.” BBC News, BBC, 30 Dec. 2016, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37912748.

Speech

merved24 — 2023-03-10 13:24:51 UTC

Text analyzed: Angela Davis’s Speeches

Color Palette

merved24 — 2023-07-08 16:45:56 UTC

My Persuasive Speech

merved24 — 2023-07-16 15:53:19 UTC

Angela Davis speaks on Organization and Political Prisoners, 1973

merved24 — 2023-07-16 15:53:34 UTC

Literary Devices Which We Analyzed Our Text With

merved24 — 2023-07-16 15:57:28 UTC

Which Musical Instrument Would This Text Be?

merved24 — 2023-07-16 16:12:48 UTC

Goblet Drum

Which Musical Instrument Would This Text Be?

merved24 — 2023-07-16 16:16:14 UTC

Violin

Video Recording of My Speech

merved24 — 2023-07-16 16:22:18 UTC

Color Palette

merved24 — 2023-07-16 16:25:28 UTC

Kliever, Janie. “100 Color Combination Ideas and Examples | CANVA - Learn.” Canva, https://www.canva.com/learn/100-color-combinations/.

Examples of The Literary Devices We have Studied

merved24 — 2023-07-16 16:30:50 UTC

Theatre

merved24 — 2023-07-16 16:33:34 UTC

Text Analyzed: The Accidental Death Of An Anarchist

Fo, D., Hanna, G., Hood, S., & Richards, G. (2009). Accidental death of an anarchist. (S. Nye, Trans.). Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.

Notes on Epic Theatre

merved24 — 2023-07-16 16:45:08 UTC

Resources are given in the document.
It is not an original work, I've summarized the content on the websites.

An Original Story of The Jester In My Culture: Nasreddin Hoca

merved24 — 2023-07-16 16:47:14 UTC

I wrote this story with the jester of my country.

Fo's Interview

merved24 — 2023-07-16 16:49:55 UTC

I have watched this inerview of Dario Fo to have a better understanding of the story.

Chapter Questions

merved24 — 2023-07-16 16:54:19 UTC

Color Palette

merved24 — 2023-07-16 18:48:38 UTC

Which Musical Instrument Would This Text Be?

merved24 — 2023-07-16 18:50:46 UTC

Harmonica

Short Story: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

merved24 — 2023-11-03 07:27:16 UTC

Schweblin, Samanta. Fever Dream: A Novel. Translated by Megan McDowell, Riverhead Books, 2017.

merved24 — 2024-03-26 18:27:26 UTC

merved24 — 2024-03-26 18:28:40 UTC

merved24 — 2024-03-26 18:41:19 UTC

merved24 — 2024-03-26 18:41:22 UTC

merved24 — 2024-03-26 18:41:26 UTC

Personally Annotated Version of The Text

merved24 — 2024-03-26 18:51:27 UTC

Schweblin, Samanta. Fever Dream: A Novel. Translated by Megan McDowell, Riverhead Books, 2017.

Personal Notes on the Text

merved24 — 2024-03-26 18:53:20 UTC