Thursday, August 28, 2008

Blog Topic Due by 9/3

1. I believe that Jamaica Kincaid's passage, "On Seeing England for the First Time," used thick description very effectively. There were countless mental images that came about when Kincaid described England, both before and after she saw the country. The way she described England before she visited the country was almost mythological. Her descriptions gave us vivid images of what England is supposed to be like. She seemed to adore the country more than anything in the world: "And the weather was so remarkable because the rain fell gently always, only occassionally in deep gusts, and it colored the air various shades of gray, each an appealing shade for a dress to be worn when a portrait was being painted."

However, the thick description Kincaid used to describe England took a turn for the worse after she visited. She painted mental images of rude, ugly people, disgusting food, awful weather, and a country that lost its sense of pride in her mind. An example of this gloomy description: "In me, the space between the idea of it and its reality had become filled with hatred, and so when at last I saw it I wanted to take it into my hands and tear it into little pieces and then crumble it up as if it were clay, child's clay." It is interesting how at the start of the story the reader believes that it is going to be all about how amazing England is, but Kincaid definetly showed us what she really believes.


2. "The Church Uptown" by Ian McGuinness, in my opinion, does an outstanding job of giving the reader an idea of what St. Mary's place in Miami history is. I really enjoyed how McGuinness used metaphors and similes to describe the church : "St. Mary's looks like an ancient novel wedged into the contemporary bookshelf that is High Street." His views are sometimes humorous, but give the reader a sense of respect as to how St. Mary's has endured so much. I also think McGuinness used an effective technique when he described how High Street seems as a place that promotes progression and possibly sinfulness, and its irony that a long-standing church would be located there. Even as young people progress and possibly diminish the values of the Catholic church, "[St. Mary's] lights are always on and her doors are always open."

2 comments:

Nicholas Connolly said...

I couldn't agree more with your statement about the irony of the location of the church. While reading the piece, that was the one thing that stuck out in my mind as well. It is very ironic that a church would be the center of a town full of bars, but I think thats what makes Oxford so great.

Betsy Woods said...

Thanks for including quoted material in your blog response. I would suggest that you try to incorporate the quotes more fluidly (and maybe take partial quotes instead of whole sentences).