Wiki

I had trouble reading this article because I kept thinking of random things I needed to find out about on Wikipedia. Wikipedia is something that I believe most of my generation has gotten a lot of use out of. We use it to find out about things that our friends mention and we want to know about. Most of us have even used it for our school papers, even though pretty much all teachers discourage that. It was refreshing to find an article that puts Wikipedia in a positive light, because so many teachers and other people tell us that it is full of useless information that random people have added, therefore making it an unreliable source. I agree that, while it will have untrue things posted on occasion, for the most part is it a great way to research something. It's also great that it is a non profit organization and therefore refrains from spamming the pages with advertisements that nobody wants to see.

More Pygmalion

At the beginning of act three, I was surprised to see that Eliza had changed. When she appears at Mrs. Higgins' house, she greets the company politely. She seems to have really changed. How could I have thought that was really the case? Of course she's still dumb and loud and rude. It barely takes her five minutes before she becomes her old self again. Higgins and Pickering have been working with her for months at this point and they can hardly get her to hold a polite facade for a short amount of time spent with people from the outside world. It doesn't surprise me that they continue to treat her the same way that they always have. She is still annoying.

In the fourth act, she seems even worse to me. She throws a little hissy fit because of the way that the men act towards her, as if she is nothing to them and they are simply making a bet out of her. She knew that from the beginning! If she didn't want them using her like that, she should have said something in the beginning. Also, she got proper training (however well that worked) along with nice clothes, a place to live, and other care. They may have "used" her, but she got something out of the arrangement as well. She is ungrateful and once again annoying.

Pygmalion

I realize that the opinion I am about to share is probably going to sound somewhat heartless, but I am willing to take that risk. I think that what I have read of Pygmalion so far is hilarious. At times I feel as if Eliza's character is meant to be sympathized with, but I just can't do it. It's too funny the way she is treated by Higgins, Pickering, and her father. Higgins and Pickering obviously think that because they are more affluent and of a higher class that they are better than Eliza and can therefore treat her like a dirty, common dog they found on the street. They talk about her as if she is not there and cannot understand them. In fact, they even state that she cannot understand them so it does not matter what they say in front of her. Even her own father speaks of her as if she is worth nothing. He sells her to Higgins and Pickering for a mere five pounds, which he openly admits is for him to get wastey face on. He says, "she's only a woman and don't know how to be happy anyhow". I might take more offense to the awful way the men treat her if, and I say this with the utmost sensitivity, I didn't agree. Eliza is a dumb broad. She can't speak correctly and she's overly emotional. We've only read two acts and she's already cried, what, three times? That's just annoying. If she says "ah-ow-oo-ooh!" one more time, I'm going to chuck my Nook off a cliff.

Orwell

I found it funny that a class full of English majors was given this reading assignment. I'm sure most of us agree with what Orwell said about the English language deteriorating, especially in this day and age where the internet and texting have taken a huge toll on the language. However, the thing that stuck out most to me was Orwell's comment on using vague, meaningless language just to say anything. I feel like most English majors and many other students have used words just to fill space in a paper, adding useless adjectives and meaningless statements in an attempt to meet the required length.

Wuthering Heights: Feminist Criticism

I did not realize that Wuthering Heights was so ahead of its time. The fact that the Catherines, the main female characters in the novel, do not always act necessarily ladylike, or as women were expected to act in that day and age. They do face struggles with society, such as when Catherine decides to marry Edgar instead of Heathcliff. She really loves Heathcliff and would love to marry him, but social standard simply would not permit it. It amazes me that the women are so influenced by the societal standards that say who they can and who they cannot be with, instead of choosing who to be with because of who they love. Times have certainly changed, but it is still possible to relate to this now. Many women in today's culture decide not to be with men they truly care about just because of things like income and social status. However, we are lucky in that this is not necessarily the required course of action and we are not shunned for rebelling against it and being with who we love for the sheer fact that we love them.

Wuthering Heights, Part Two

Am I the only one who is still getting a little bit confused by the characters and the timeline? Honestly, I'm not enjoying this as much as I thought I would. As I said before, I think I may have set up myself by thinking this was some brilliant novel. It is okay, but not amazing.
My least favorite character is Hindley. He is rude and selfish. He locks the children out and he forbids Heathcliff and Catherine to see each other for no good reason. He is also overly emotional and acts rashly. I'm getting sick of him already.

Wuthering Heights, part one

I bought a copy of Wuthering Heights a few years ago with the intention of reading it then, but it went in the pile of books I keep buying, which I am slowly getting through. When I finally started it because I had to, I think I realized that my expectations were too high for the novel. For some reason I thought that it was going to be great, but I have been somewhat disappointed thus far. The first few chapters are somewhat confusing because of the characters. Even Lockwood is confused about who is who when he first visits Wuthering Heights, which doesn't make it any easier for the reader. The story does become somewhat more intriguing when Lockwood first stays at Wuthering Heights and the house seems to be haunted. I like the slightly scary tone about the story now. Also finding out about Heathcliff's history and the rest of the history of the house is making the book much more bearable as it goes on.

Manguel Part Two

I honestly don't see why so many people in this class are having a hard time getting through A History of Reading. I have heard many mention that they think it is absolutely boring. Admittedly, I have been somewhat uninterested in certain parts, such as when Manguel takes five pages to get a simple point across. However, there are so many things I can relate to. When he talks about how people feel the need to read in certain places and in certain positions, I thought about how my favorite way to read is on my bed, on my stomach, usually kicking my legs, with the lamp right next to my bed on bright. Another thing I identify with is the attachment to books. My old room in my parents house is full of boxes containing my old books. Half of them are children's books, but I just don't have it in me to get rid of them. The other half are books that I had a terrible time deciding to leave behind when I moved out. I would have loved to take them with me, but my apartment is full enough of books and bookshelves as it is. It's exciting to me when I come across these little things in Manguel's book that I didn't know other people thought of.

History of Reading

Alberto Manguel starts off his book with his early experience with reading. This immediately made me think of the upcoming assignment we have on our personal experience with English, reading, and writing. I started brainstorming about my reading experience as soon as the assignment was presented. Oddly enough, Manguel made a point similar to one of mine. His feeling of de ja vu that he speaks of is something I am familiar with. He says that "experience came to me first through books". I've been dealing with that feeling my entire life because I tend to let myself become absorbed by books and often think of the experiences I read about as experiences of my own.

Baby's First Blog Post

 I am Morgan Williams. I spent my entire life fighting my inevitable destiny: becoming an English major just like every one else in my family. Finally, I gave in. Now I'm trying to fight becoming an English teacher just like every one else in my family, but now I'm thinking that I should just give in and accept my fate. I don't want to deal with annoying high school kids who have attitudes and won't read their assignments, but I will. Anyway, beyond this internal struggle I face daily, I deal with being a 21 year old college student on the five year college plan. I just got a puppy a few days ago. Her name is Oscar Jane Shenzi Wilde. I love being an English major with you. Be my friend.