Banana For Thought

The thing that I find so interesting about Ishmael is that the teacher in the novel is a gorilla. It really makes me wonder, do we ponder his philosophies more because he is an animal? Had the teacher been another human being, would we have considered their thoughts as much? I don't mean to say that we linger on every word that we receive from Ishmael because he is a gorilla, but simply because we have heard so many narrations from people that human philosophy has actually lost some value. I believe that if Ishmael were a person, the audience would point fingers and ask themselves why he is any different: an exception to the rules he creates about mankind. Instead, we give him a greater benefit of the doubt because we know he is not guilty of the same things we are.

I think this is a reflection of Daniel Quinn's narrative ethic. I feel that Quinn understood the implications of making the "teacher" a gorilla, but wanted the audience to remove themselves from their usually judgmental state. It's almost a bit cynical to think that a human wouldn't listen to a fellow human, but that is the impression I get. After all, if words of wisdom are coming from the lips of a gorilla, who are we to second guess?

Arrangement in "The 11th Hour" and Ishmael

The arrangement in Ishmael and The 11th Hour leave the reader unsatisfied in the former and give the reader a sense of hope in the latter.

The arrangement in “The 11th Hour,” as we discussed in class, has a sense of building. Like the horror movie trailers that we watched, there are quick flashes of scary scenes and foreboding music. The expert testimonies compound from every conceivable field of study, leaving the viewer feeling the full weight of the damage that humans are doing to the earth. But then the tone of the film completely changes. The focus begins to be on hope and how this generation can change things. They can “redefine design” and set an example for all of the generations to come. This arrangement of scenes gives the reader a direction to go in, from chaos to order by changing the cause and effect.

In Ishmael, the arrangement is different. The reader is warned in the beginning that much of what they discuss might not make sense in context. This is true because at times the Parts of Ishmael seem to be disconnected discussions of interesting, but unrelated topics, such as the story of the Takers and the Laws of Nature. Eventually the reader is able to synthesize the information, to the extent that the Takers must enact a different story in order to be subject to the laws of nature. But, there is no clear cause and effect for personal action because of the arrangement of the story. This leaves the reader unsure of how to proceed, although they are now fully conscious of how they are impacting the world.

The arrangement of “The 11th Hour” and Ishmael show how the author must give the reader a plan of action, because although they may realize the problem on their own, they must be led to the solution.

The Socratic Method of Ideological Critique

In class, we discussed how Ishmael is written in the style of the socratic method. This means that there is a teacher, Ishmael, and a student, the narrator and the reader. Ishmael asks questions and allows the student to answer them, which leads to another question. In Ishmael, the line of questioning involves the ideology of the Takers and helps the reader and the narrator to find the discordant aspects of the ideology in an attempt to overturn it.

For example, Ishmael asks the student if he would be willing to leave the Taker way of life and begin to enact a Leaver story. The student adamantly says no. This happens after he realizes that the Leaver way of life is both more sustainable than the Taker’s way of life and that they are much happier people. This shows how the ideology of the Takers is contradictory. They try to reach happiness and sustain a larger and larger population, but they are neither happy nor sustainable.

The socratic method of the novel helps to overturn the ideology by drawing out ideas from the student, who in turn synthesizes them and realizes that they contradict. The book is a good example of the socratic method because its primary goal is to find the problems with the ideology instead of trying to find a story to replace it with.

Proposal Questions for Takers

I suppose that John D. Ramage's idea "What should we do about this thing?" would be able to tie in with Ishmael's lecture. In his lecture, the Takers seem to make the world for only one species, humans. If Takers find any difficulties for humans in the world, they improve it and require advantage and benefit for only them. For this statement, I would like to insist that the people's criterion for worth and value is different and depending on the society, the community, the world that they live in. As an example, I introduce one of my experiences in the activities of a Non Profit Organization in the slums in Cambodia.

In fact, the organizations that are active in the slum are not only our organization but also other organizations from several countries. Because our main field is Japan, even though the active slum is in Cambodia, we are always hard to observe the then current situation of the slum. Actually, although our stay is often long, we cannot visit Cambodia more than twice or three times in a year. Anyway, two years ago, when we visited a kind of school in the slum, there was a rebuilt school building from one of the other organizations. Although we already knew the information in Japan, we still could not expect what kind of things would happen in the school because we were apprehensive about the material of building from woods to bricks. Of course, the children seemed to be please with the new one because they always wish to contact any new matters and information which is things from so-called "developed countries".

However, there happened a problem when temperature inside of the school building warmed up, because the building had windows of glass in spite of the material, bricks. Furthermore, it did not have even air-conditioner inside of the building because of the restricted supply of electricity. Of course, the temperature in the country is always really hot. Therefore, there was a problem that every class could not work because the student could not concentrate on the lecture.

Ishmael insists that "So now we have a clearer idea what this story is all about: The world was made for man, and man was made to rule it" (p.72). We would be able to figure out the statement that we tend to consider what the good things for us must be also good for everyone. However, Ramage explains that "That is, ask yourself, For whom is the problem a problem? Who is paying the cost of the problem? Who will benefit from the solution? And who will pay the cost of the solution?" (p.120). That is, I believe that a good thing for some is not always necessarily adaptable for others. Even though our technologies have much advantage for Takers, they could not be adapted to other animals. That is, we should evaluate from not only our point of view but also from other different position.

Finally, I also post the pictures of Today's class. These pictures will introduce new students in my university. Till now, I have really enjoyed this class and learned so many things. I will never forget everything about this class. It became my precious memory in the United States. Thank you to everyone.

Cain & Abel; Murderer & Martyr

Our discussion last class glazed briefly over the story of Cain and Abel within the pages of “Ishmael”, and it got me to remember something one of my history teachers said about this era in human history. He said something along the lines of that this story may have been based on the Sumerian tale, which represented the conflict between nomadic shepherds and settled farmers. This would make sense within the context of Ishmael’s teachings of Leavers and Takers as real presences within our (the readers’) collective past.

The story of Cain and Abel in relation to Ishmael’s teachings was imperative in leading the narrator to the conclusion that ‘the gods’ preferred a Leaver culture after creating a Taker culture. Cain represents the Takers as an agriculturalist and Abel represents the Leavers as a shepherd. When God (the gods) refused Cain’s offering of produce and crop in favor of Abel’s animal sacrifices, we see Ishmael’s teaching of Takers wiping out those that would be considered a ‘competitor’ take affect. Cain kills his competitor for God’s love and praise, his own brother, and commits the first murder.

Since Abel is the victim within this biblical/analogical story he is often also seen as the first martyr. The fate of the Takers is to eventually wipe out all of the Leavers, for they are competition to land and life. Ishmael explains that the Takers do all of this gladly as well as heartlessly, because they are blinded by their pride, selfishness, and their fundamental ‘truth’ that they are right. They are right to modernize and/or exterminate these primitive nomadic people because their way of life is wrong.

Would that therefore mean that the Leavers, even today, are in effect martyrs for a lost cause to live healthily with the world? What could that mean for Humanity?

Inability to Escape the Teacher, and Human Race

Unlike The Jungle, Ishmael doesn’t show strong tragic moments constructing the conventional form (dealing with individual character) of tragedy, though the novel deals with the limit of human races which threaten us, and ends with the death of Ishmael. The novel targets whole people in the earth.

When the novel first shows the protagonist, he seems to be tired of the way of the world, and even hates his monotonous life. When he first appears, he chokes and curses to the ad which reads ”Must have an earnest desire to save the world” (Quinn 4). However, once he meets the teacher who is a gorilla, he starts to ask unlimited questions, “why & how?”, and starts to find answers by visiting the teacher’s office in regular basis, with totally changed behavior. In this way, the novel depicts the main character’s desire and happiness to pursue the truth and the knowledge from the teacher he never expected before that a gorilla would give a lesson, and human kills its nest.

Besides, the whole dialogue in the novel shows human’s cruelty about unlimited consumption without fear and the remains what human has left. As the lesson of Ishmael proceeds, the newly gained thoughts and conclusions made by stases seemed to make us feel sorrow by itself, because most results of the conversation gives us our inability to save the earth that we readers are encouraged to feel emptiness. Also the novel highlights the main character’s inability to help his teacher to escape. Likewise, the novel hints readers the problem is that even if we know the reason of problem and the way to solve it, it is a literally huge project which is really difficult to practice. Hence readers are guided to find inability to undo the mistake we made, and impossibility to come back to the time when the takers first appeared.

Who is the Narrator?

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn has two main characters: Ishmael and the narrator. The narrator is never given a name or a gender. In my opinion, the importance of not giving the narrator a name or gender is to distance the narrator from Ishmael and the reader. By creating distance, the reader is able to engage more on what the narrator is saying rather than who the character is. Ishmael has a Socratic dialogue, which is when an in-depth understanding of moral issues is conveyed in a piece of literature or speech. Since Ishmael is a Socratic dialogue with a distant narrator, the reader is able to understand what dialogue is being discussed and allow the reader to think and reflect on the topics.

As discussed in class, we wondered why the narrator asks Ishmael so many questions and if this plays an effective role in Ishmael. I think that the narrator asks a lot of questions because Quinn wanted his readers to clearly understand the Socratic dialogue within the novel. If the reader better understands the material, this would lead the reader to having another perspective on life. Ishmael is a controversial novel and if the reader has the understanding of Ishmael’s beliefs then the reader can decide how they feel about the topics. In my opinion, this was Quinn’s exigency for the novel, wanting to make sure the objectives for the novel were completed. In today’s world, people often do not know why they think the way they do, but Quinn challenges his readers through Ishmael and the narrator’s relationship. The narrator’s familiarity to the readers play a positive role in distancing the reader and this allows the reader to reflect on their own beliefs rather than Ishmael telling the narrator what to believe.

What We Miss in Daily Life

In chapter 8, Ishmael uses a metaphor -- the jungle and an animal’s way to live in the jungle. Quinn uses this image as an ideal type of society, and expresses the importance of having limits to process one’s own game and to share the resources by explaining how the jungle is sustained. Quinn highlights that the animals don’t reach beyond what is required to survive: ”The lion defends its kill as its own, but it doesn’t defend the herds as its own” (Quinn 127). However, how human races differ from the wild animal is that we don’t have the custom of saving foods and resources for others so that we come to start destroying the balance of system we live in and threatening the portions of other people’s foods and resources. Moreover, in chapter 9, Quinn provides the reason of human’s customs reminding us the notion of takers and leavers. According to what he constructed in chapters 8 and 9, the main reason of denying others to access to foods and continuing to belong to takers is that [we] “had to be forced to live like the Takers, because the Takers had the one right way” which is forced us to live like everyone in the world to do (Quinn 167).

The novel uses Socratic dialogue to keep asking questions to a pupil and to reach to the point way to miss its importance in our daily life. By using this type of narration, what he achieves is helping readers to re-think about the issue which is very easy to ignore and deny because we are so familiar with. Rather than constructing a new concept, Quinn applies the image of jungle as a metaphor that he helps us to reflect ourselves comparing what we don’t see and have forgotten for longtime.

Tragic Ending?

Was the death of Ishmael a tragedy? After reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, that question was posed in class today and I would like to suggest that the death of Ishmael was not a tragedy but a hopeful ending. As Ishmael states, “I mean only that I’ve finished what I set out to do. As a teacher, I have nothing more to give you” (Quinn 254). Ishmael had taught the narrator all he could learn and when he died it was a symbol of the end of a chapter. When the narrator found out that Ishmael had died from pneumonia, his expression was that he, “stood there blinking at him (gentlemen at the carnival), unable to fathom what he was getting at” (Quinn 260). When the narrator first found out about Ishmael’s death, he was shocked and in disbelief, not knowing what to do next. When he gathered Ishmael’s belongings and went home he, “discovered there were messages on both sides [of the poster]” (Quinn 262). For the narrator to find the two messages, this was a start of a new chapter, signifying that he had hope. “With gorilla gone, will there be hope for man?” the readings of these words gave the narrator a hope that he could go forward with what Ishmael had taught him. Ishmael had once told him, “What you do is to teach a hundred what I’ve taught you, and inspire each of them to teach a hundred” this was told to the narrator when Ishmael explained that he could save the world, just as it was written in the ad (Quinn 248). Ishmael’s death was not a tragedy but an example that we are supposing to move forward and to hold onto the knowledge we have been given or discovered on our own.

Ishmael: Altering our Habitual Culture for Sense of Value

In Ishmael, Daniel Quinn suggests that we alter our fixed idea for our (Takers') sense of value in order to save the world of Takers. In my statement, the sense of value means what we make important for us when we desire to live comfortably in this world. At first sight, whenever Ishmael mentions the view of Takers (us) and implies a comment that we should improve our behavior with consciousness of saving the world, we would encounter difficulties with actually making this happen. For instance, in part 8, Ishmael explains about storing food that "In the wild, the lion kills a gazelle to save for tomorrow. The deer eats the grass that's there. It doesn't cut the grass down and save it for the winter. But these are things the Takers do" (p. 128). In these statements, I believe there is the implied message by Ishmael that if we (Takers) ingest our minimum sources that we need to live, we never compete with others. If we never had the idea that we are forced to ingest extra sources, then we could reject the idea that it must be better for us that we always have advantage to others by extra sources.

In the above opinion, we are captives in terms of the fixed idea that is habitual culture. As Dr. Graban said in today's class, the following of Ishmael's statements explains our state so well that "There's nothing fundamentally wrong with people. Given a story enact that puts them in accord with the world, they will live in accord with the world. But given a story to enact that puts them at odds with the world, as your does, they will live at odds with the world. Given a story to enact in which they are the lords of the world, they will act like lords of the world. And, given a story to enact in which the world is a foe to be conquered, they will conquer it like a foe, and one day, inevitably, their foe will lie bleeding to death at their feet, as the world is now" (p. 84). That is, because we believe that our fixed images and the status quo are our right way, we would not be able to see a matter from different point of view.

In fact, when we consider Ishmael's lesson regardless of the reality, all of his suggestions seem to be realized easily by our own hands because most of the suggestions are based on our way to think, consider, and believe. Because we believe that the right way is always one in spite of the fact that the way is just habitual culture from the past, we tend to reject different opinions and tend to consider that different opinions are strange. Therefore, we would still be captives by the only one way of sense of values.

Different Ways to Construct Stases

Ramage’s article "Rhetoric and Persuasion II" helps us to compare how the 11th hour and Ishmael construct stasis and what different persuasive compositions result.

First of all, 11th hour does not construct elements of the stasis in order from simplest to most complex, but the film tends to mix the elements of the stasis in a scene or in an interview. In the beginning of the film, when environment specialists explain about the earth life support system which is now severely damaged, they not just express the image of the earth and human race but also partially show the tragic truth and the cause of the catastrophic results. Though, in the big picture the beginning of the film seems to construct “definitional questions” for the film to progress the argument, it also seems to contain “Resemblance questions”, “Causal questions”, “evaluative questions”, “ethical questions”, and “proposal questions” (Ramage).

However, compared to 11th hour, Ishmael seems to construct stasis elements which Ramage introduced in order, and Quinn seems to mix together less. The definition of myth as “definitional questions” connects to the current society, and we are more clearly guided to the concept what Ishmael tries to teach the pupil. But the content of the lesson seems apparently less clear compared to 11th hour because the stasis is delivered to the readers by dialogue and the lesson always ends when readers reach to the most curious point.

The film and the novel have a different way to construct stases that might me be based on the characteristic of the two different genres, and the strategy to appeal to the audience, whether showing combination of numerous elements of stases early or develop final arguments step by step.

Tropes in "The 11th Hour"

“The 11th Hour” uses tropes as an appeal.

The first chapter sets up a metaphor. The ratio is that humans are to the earth as an infection is to the body. This relates to the “tendency of all metaphors to connect the world to the body, to relate unfamiliar things to the familiar experience of physical existence” (Killingsworth 124). Therefore, this trope draws the reader closer to the importance and danger that humans have in their relationship to the earth.

A similar appeal occurs when pollution is blamed for the increase in asthma. This appeal forms a causal relationship between human activity and human illness. This once again makes “an appeal to the body that ultimately supports the key theme” (Killingsworth 124).Humans are hastening their own demise.

These appeals emphasize our responsibility for our own physical existence in order to make the viewer feel like part of the problem. This sets us up to be empowered as part of the solution.

The idea of captivity in the world of Takers

I would like to add more information to my comment of today's class. As I commented in today's class about the story Ishmael, the idea of "captivity" is really important. I believe that the reason why the people who are categorized into the world of Takers cannot escape the world is because they are in the captivity without their consciousness. According to Ishmael, the gorilla, "Even if you privately thought the whole thing was madness, you had to play your part, you had to take your place in the place. The only way to avoid that was to escape from Germany entirely" (p.35). I figured out this statement by Ishmael that the people are forced to play their role by their world, especially in the competitive society. Takers who indicate us in fact seem to enact their role. For instance, all teachers are considered that they should behave as "teachers". Furthermore, when people are forced to suit their role, it happens that they are going to compete their best as the role in the society. Therefore, I believe that the Taker is always bound to engage playing its role.

Ishmael and The 11th Hour Compared

In “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn, Ishmael informs us how people treat their world carelessly through “the deterioration of the ozone layer, the pollution of the oceans, the destruction of the rain forests, and even human extinction and it pacifies them” (Quinn 44). We are able to relate this information from Ishmael to “The 11th Hour” because we are told multiple times that humans tend to not care about their environment or they are uneducated therefore they do not seek information. As Ishmael continues, he shares that, “they put their shoulders to the wheel during the day, stupefy themselves with drugs and television at night, and try not to think too searchingly about the world they’re leaving their children to cope with” (Quinn 44). “Ishmael” can be directly related to what “The 11th Hour” was trying to convey to the audience. We, as citizens of this world, have a tendency to overlook the importance of our environmental issues which leads to us being consumed in materialistic things. What is interesting about Ishmael’s insight is that “Ishmael” was published in 1992, seventeen years ago. Even though this novel was published in 1992 and “The 11th hour” was released in 2007, this just proves that environment issues what be evident for quite some time. Although the issues have been there, citizens have been uneducated about the environment and even did not have the interest to find out. Ishmael gives the reader a great point to ponder and hopefully his thoughts have constructed the readers react positively because the issues are real and need attention before it gets too late.

Expository Story Telling

I feel that a great similarity between Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and the film The 11th Hour is that their intensions are to shock, inform and persuade. The author's have a valuable story to tell and they must present it in a way that makes the audience feel obligated to bring change.

In The Jungle, Sinclair's purpose is to expose the dangerous and unhealthy ways of the meat packing industry, while also exposing the difficulties immigrants have while reaching for a romanticized "American Dream." Sinclair persuades the audience by using catharsis and constructing the audience to feel badly for the characters. He is able to "win over" the audience by avoiding sentimentalism, and instead uses ambiguity in order to make us analyze further.

In addition to writing the novel, Sinclair follows up with several speeches and essays about his cause and is successful in bringing change. In his case, his biggest desire is to have his audience informed, and he himself brought about a great change because of it.

In the case of The 11th Hour, the audience must be persuaded in order to do the work. The film uses appeals to logic and reasoning and shows us the facts. They instill hope in the audience by reminding them they can completely change the world. Therefore, by exposing the harsh reality that our biosphere is ill, the audience feels an obligation to change it.

"Redesign Design Itself"

For one reason or another, the quote "We must resign design itself" in the film The 11th Hour has really stuck with me. I feel that this is the most obvious appeal to young adults and teens because it seems exciting to be able to revolutionize the world in such a significant way. The film is instructing us to make change by rethinking everything we have ever thought about. This reminds me of so many of the books we have read because we have so greatly discussed bringing social change. Though bringing a change in our universe is on a much larger scale, it still requires the same steps that take place in any revolution. We must rethink what we already know. In the case of "The Mole People", redefining the word "homeless" actually led people to thinking they were no longer homeless. Their tunnel became their new community and suddenly a large issue was no longer one at all. It was not the situation that changed, but their outlook, and suddenly other improvements in their life occurred. I feel that the movie is urging us to redefine conserving, reusing and most importantly, revolutionizing. One might feel that cutting back on consumerism would be roughing it, but if they simply redefined their sacrifices, they might be more driven to bring change.

11th Hour's Concepts and Literature

The 11th Hour brought forth many different concepts that could be looked at through many different perspectives. One of these statements resonates that “the deterioration of the environment is an outward mirror of an inner condition; like inside like outside.” The inner human condition was mentioned earlier in the film in a theory that consisted of a deep engrained “loss of beauty” which holds that we are disconnected from reality. Reality being the real and natural world and the theory consisting that deep in our psyche the reason we work and focus so hard on materialistic and artificial desires is because we’ve lost sight of the fragile and free beauty of nature because of civilization and the influence of the concrete jungle. Our society has been structured to consider wealth over public opinion, mostly silencing those who would fight this theory. This inner chasm of lost direction and alienation from the earth itself has led to this social separation that “man is king of nature” and is thus segregated and more powerful. Of course this is not true. The earth will always regenerate whether we are there or not, because the earth has all the time in the world, and we don’t. This idea of “loss of beauty” has driven the human race to this dire pivotal point to decide our future course of action, now. So far we haven’t been making the best decisions, and the suffering “loss of beauty” of the “inner condition” mirrors the outward affect of our actions against the environment.

How is this concept relevant in other literature we’ve looked at? How about “The Jungle”? We can see the deterioration of the environment and the people in it of Packingtown based on this idea of wealth over public opinion. Or how about “Mole People”? How does the inner condition of the tunnel people reflect into their reality?
Not only does this film critique and educate audiences about our environmental crisis, it also presents universal concepts that shouldn’t be ignored lest a domino effect should befall another area of human concentration.

Relief in "The 11th Hour"

Our discussion of catharsis in class brought us to an interesting point, how do we move beyond the grief of catharsis into relief. This principle of catharsis is well illustrated in “The 11th Hour.”
Catharsis is supposed to have an emotional, intellectual, and physical aspect. The emotional aspect of catharsis in “The 11th Hour” is satisfied by many of the emotional and self-interest appeals. For example, there was a quote from the UN of the over 100,000 environmental refugees that they expect in the coming years. This highlights the possibility of danger to one’s self, the human suffering, and the potential economic toll of the the environmental disasters.
The intellectual aspect of catharsis is satisfied by the appeals to authority and logic. For example, scientists from many different fields and politicians were called upon to narrate the film. This adds legitimacy and an intellectual aspect to the conclusions of the film. The many sequences of shocking and juxtaposed images also causes an intellectual paradigm shift, particularly in the way the we view ourselves in relation to the rest of the world.
Finally, the film’s catharsis has a physical aspect with its discussion of the health effects of environmental destruction. For example, the asthma in school children is shown to be a recent phenomenon cause by air pollution. Also, environmental problems are cited for causing childhood cancers, heavy metal poisonings, colon cancer, breast cancer, and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. This fear of physical harm is very personal to many of the intended audience.
“The 11th Hour” obviously has a strong intended catharsis designed to effect change through the viewer. But, in order to effect that change, relief from the catharsis must be brought, so that the audience doesn’t just wallow in grief and hopelessness. This relief from catharsis, I believe, must relieve the emotional, intellectual, and physical assaults of the argument in order to be complete. This can help to explain some of the rhetoric in “The 11th Hour.” For example, the scene depicting the release of the penguins was described in class as random, but hopeful. This though serves the specific purpose of relieving the emotional catharsis. The intellectual catharsis is relieved by showing that there are other paradigms under which we can operate that will keep the human race in balance with the Earth, as shown by the faith healers. Physical relief comes from the specific solutions that individuals can enact that were given in the film, such as recycling or voting with your dollars. This complete relief in “The 11th Hour” provides an example for the complex requirements of rhetoric in order to demonstrate catharsis.

Why the Intended Audience is the Younger Generation

When viewing the 11th Hour, the audience is told that all of the research is to test humankind. We are quickly constructed by shocking facts, photographs, but given hope for our future. We are shown and given hope because everyone can do something to help our environment. Although the implied audience is everyone that is living on the planet Earth, I think that the intended audience is the younger generation because of new technology and new ideas that our generation has to offer. Younger generations are young and the future leaders of America and the world. As it was mentioned, technology has taken over our world and that is an element that the younger generations have had their entire lives. Since the younger generations of people are still young, they are able to make a difference in our world. Although they are the younger generation, the older adults can still help structure our change in action. It seemed that the narrator and the many speakers put their hope in the younger generation by offering their ideas to us

To me, when the speakers and narrator shared their new ideas, I felt as if they were educating the younger generations so that they can expand their mind and start thinking of other things that this world could benefit. The younger generations, including college students, young adults and younger people, can be a great asset to where technology and innovations are going in our future.

The 11th Hour: Why Do Things Happen? Causal Questons

After watching the movie The 11th Hour, we have an urgency that it is time to do any effort for the earth because the scenes which show the current states of the earth and human's behavior appeal to our motivation to act. Although I was shocked by the content and had an idea of urgency about doing something for the earth, I also thought that I had already experienced the same thought many times in my life, even though I lived in Japan. That is, of course, this movie The 11th Hour is not first movie which makes an argument that we have to think about saving the earth as soon as possible seriously. In the article Rhetoric and Persuasion II, John D. Ramage explains that "In asking why something happened, we are asking what caused it to happen or what motivated its occurrence. Causal questions are important because once we understand why things happen, we are better able to predict consequences and shape policy so as to prevent bad things from recurring and encourage good things to keep on flourishing"(p.110). However, according to Ramage, his explanation also implies an ironic fact that most of us do not make any effort so far to save the earth in spite of the fact that we have already known the argument like as the story of The 11th Hour. That is, repeating messages that it is time to save the earth indicates the meaning of not only emergency, but also of humans still breaking the environment of the earth, unfortunately.

However, while some of us never stop the behavior to break the environment, it seems a fact that the population which started to contribute is increasing. In chapter 15 of the movie, we can see many figures of people who suggests how to contribute the earth and already practiced the contribution, for instance the scene of penguin. Actually, Ramage also explains that "We can use our understanding of how bad things came about to reverse a trend, solve a problem, or cure a disease" (p.110). Furthermore, Kenny Ausubel says in the movie that "You made the first choice because you know you have to do something". That is, we must know how to contribute the earth in order to regenerate its environment by watching this movie. Therefore, the statements of Ramage and Ausubel would mean that the action whether people improve their mind and behavior and attempt to start an individual effort or not, is finally depending on our each own decision because we also already knew how to stop the trend that people not act but only listen and receive the message that it is time to save the earth.

"The 11th Hour" Through the Eyes of John Ramage

"The 11th Hour" written by Nadia Conners, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Leila Conners Petersen and directed by Conners and Petersen utilizes several appraoches to guide its audience to its core question. Using John Ramage's "Rhetoric and Persuasion II" we can see a meshing of questions that must be asked in relation to the film to achieve the full potential it has to impact humans. Ramage mentions five categories of questions, ending with the 'proposal question', with the idea that it often encompasses the other arguments. I believe that "The 11th Hour" follows this trend.

Ramage says that the 'proposal question' may start out as "a [definition of] the class of things to which the problematic element belongs" (Ramage 119). DiCaprio and the Conners', along with numerous notables, highlight such a problematic element early on in the film, noting that the human ecological footprint has gone up several sizes of late. However the 'class' of things' may refer, in this situation, to the set of actions that humans perform. This conclusion may be reached in looking at the ways that the film encourages humans to change their habits, to navigate themselves and their earth away from 'problematic' and towards higher "standards of its class" that can be reached (Ramage 119).

The film indicates what seems to be put forth as quite a sound solution to the problem. Ramage writes that the "proposal's benefits mayb be insuffieent to justify its risks" however "The 11th Hour" seems to lead its audience to the opposite conclusion -- that the risks of not following the proposal will be far too great (Ramage 120).

Upon hearing such possible results, Ramage reminds readers to also take things with a grain of salt, or what he calls "the old Watergate adage: Follow the money" (Ramage 120). This bit of advice may curb what we, viewers think of the film, as it definitely highlights an aspect that those who view it may not realize. Obviously we are led to believe that it will be to our benefit to follow the ideas of those involved with the film. Fingers are also pointed at governments and economic giants as some of the main offenders and hindrances. However, this may be a very watered down form of the reality of the situation. Surely, as Ramage tells us it is important to remember that we as humans are not "unfamiliar with the law of unintended consequences and what was touted... as progress has not always worked in [our] favor" (Ramage 120). Curiosity may be piqued as to what sort of effect the things that are discussed in the film may have on everyday life.

The Role of Narrator in 11th Hour

The documentary film, 11th Hour featured numerous experts, and offered various ideas coherently. Though the claim of the people is not completely same and the claims may disturb each other (because of multiple value claims and scientific truth), the film overcomes with a world-wide famous Hollywood actor, Leonardo Decaprio who participates into the film as a narrator.

In the beginning of the film, the audience is guided to recognize what the problem is with a bunch of experts. They commonly say we have a problem in terms of environment of the earth which is very urgent that we need to react to the happening. However, the length of the time to interview those experts is quite short and also the scenes depicting specialists announcing claims tend to change quickly that the audience might be lost or lose the attention. To this characteristic of the interview film genre, the film mixed its type with a narrator who is not scientist or chairman at all.

Until the time, 19 minute and 41 seconds, the film defines that what we were and are in the ecosystem what we are currently facing, how we will struggle in the planet, by borrowing the words of specialists. And right after the time, the narrator appears. Decaprio squeezes out what experts said before, and asks a question for the climate change in order to progress the debate. At this moment, the role of the narrator is similar to a bridge because he highlights the focus we need to see and the relations between the cause and the result of the climate change.

Besides, the narrator constructs a strong pathos in this scene because to most people his image is reliable. We can extend the concept what we learned in Booth’s Types of Narration to the film. Though the film doesn’t construct the reliability of the audience in the tone of narration as same as the novels do delicately, Decaprio stands with a reliable image and believable character which is based on what he has done before and how he shows himself in the film.

The film controls the tension and develops the broad topic into the specific issue by changing the figures in the film. The director achieved to extract strong ethos by forming powerful images of narrator that the film comes close to the audience with a narrowed distance between the implied author and the audience.

The American Dream in The Jungle

In the beginning of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Jurgis shows us his perspective of the "American Dream." He comes to America thinking he can be a big asset in the system of labor and that he can thrive on it. In chapter 2, he is described as someone that every boss wants to get their hands on. Because of this, he has pride and faith in himself, as does his family, and he is hopeful in accomplishing the "American Dream."

To me, what is so sad about the novel is that I got the feeling this dream is never really achievable. If you can't attain it by working hard, how do you attain it? Luck? I feel that in addition to Sinclair's exposing of the wrongs in the meat packing industry, he exposed the unfortunate fate of it's victims. Jurgis' story is a common one and the ending is usually the same. A family succumbs to prostitution or begging because their jobs, if they attain one, are not looking for their best interest.

Regardless, I left with a feeling that this dream is unattainable for most immigrants. I am developing my understanding of the term catharsis, but perhaps this is it.

Catharsis in "The Jungle"

Today in class Gi Hyun introduced the concept of catharsis. He explained that when considering catharsis it is very important to realize that cathartic writing should not only arouse pity and fear, but use these feelings to "leave an audience feeling not depressed but relieved". Intrinsic to this idea is the stereotype.

In "The Jungle" we are introduced to several very broad stereotypes, for example 'the hobo', 'the prostitute', and 'the boss'. Many variations of the saying 'Before you judge someone, walk a mile in their shoes' summarize what this book seems to promote. This phrase encourages those who hear it to re-examine possibly very established personal views and to evoke perhaps empathetic emotion, in a nutshell, explaining one aspect of catharsis.

Catharsis also deals with the purging or purification however, which can work in different ways. Sometimes the 'purging' applies to the audience while in other situations, it seems we are shown the purification of a character. "Oedipus Rex", as Gi Hyun said, is very good example of this. The audience is first made to feel quite relieved that such horrors have not befallen them, helping to purge them of unhappiness over (perhaps) lesser events in their own lives. As Oedipus gouges his eyes out with Jocasta's pins, he symbolically cleanses himself of the things he has seen. The loss of his eyesight rids Oedipus of all the evil he has seen and committed, however unwittingly.

Jurgis has his own cathartic realization as he travels the country as a hobo. He is a another good example of a character who experiences catharsis as well as displays it in his own life. Jurgis is a strong, young man, who talks "lightly about work" and cannot "imagine how it would feel to be beaten" (Sinclair 17). However by the end of the book we are following a very different man, one whose efforts to care for his family have landed him a two year sentence in a state prison (Sinclair 335). Getting from page 17 to page 335 involves the astounding journey that Jurgis takes. Starting with his family in Packingtown, he encounters much by way of loss (the family's home, Ona, their child). During the time that he lives as a hobo, Jurgis goes through a transition. He at first feels that the hobos are

Just as Jurgis functions as a character that inspires catharsis in readers, he also experiences it, himself. While he lives as a tramp, Jurgis is careful to keep some money for himself, because he feels "terror...at the thought of being out of work in... the wintertime"(Sinclair 201). The fear that Jurgis has of facing the winter and becoming like the others that he travels with is what 'purifies' him. It is what moves him to come back to the city and to try his luck at the factories again.

Emotion in an Anti-Sentimentalist Novel

The discussion in class today about the heart-breaking and emotionally charged scenes from The Jungle made me question the anti-sentimentalist nature of the novel. The definition of anti-sentimentalism based on the hand-out is “build[ing] stories and characters by utilizing a style of language and stating events without unnecessary detail, and by stressing reason over emotional attachment.” This was summarized as focusing a story on the situations, not the characters. This is true of The Jungle because the focus was not on the specific personalities and feelings of the characters; it was on the roles that they play in society. So, my question is how the emotions in the novel that don’t seem to fit with the anti-sentimentalist style fit into The Jungle. I think that the answer has to do with the idea of catharsis.

We discussed how catharsis has an emotional, intellectual, and physical component. In The Jungle, the intellectual component is satisfied by the conclusion’s showing that regardless of their ideals, no political system is safe from corruption. The physical component is the disgusting revelations about the meat that people were eating. The emotional component fits in with this because Sinclair wants the reader to conclude that there is an imminent need for change. This is accomplished by the intellectual and especially the physical component of the catharsis. The emotional anecdotes about the working class feed off of this intellectual and physical catharsis to accomplish Sinclair’s purpose of better conditions for the working class. This purpose of better conditions for the working class is also aided by the anti-sentimentalist portrayal of the uniform oppression of the worker. So, the emotion and anti-sentimentalism work together to achieve Sinclair’s purpose.

Metaphor in the Jungle

In the story The Jungle, whenever Jugris is exhausted by the work in the fertilizer factory, he seems to be supported with alcohol in order to forget the severe labor. I believe an element such as alcohol could be considered a metaphor that it leads the readers into the idea of catharsis. In Gi Hyun's presentation today, he introduced one of the meanings of catharsis is that it "leaves an audience feeling not depressed but relieved".

In chapter 14, Upton Sinclair depicts that "They might drink together, and escape from the horror---escape for a while, come what would" (p.129). At first sight for this statement, it is capable of making the audience (the readers) depressed because they may consider the situation that Jugris only depends on the agency of alcohol in order to escape his real life. However, for laborers at that time, this statement would have another interpretation because this statement must be shared as same experience for them. This interpretation is based on this story's scrupulosity of the truth on the laborers. Because one of the characters of this story is considered muckraker, this story would be believed not only just tragedy but also the opportunity which the situation of the laborers is overturned from poverty and capitalism. Therefore, the element of alcohol would be considered not the means to escape from the reality but the object which people can share their experience as common information against capitalism, and finally they are relieved. Therefore, I believe the reason why the element of alcohol is used in the chapter is because alcohol contains not only the association of purification, but also the means which it is shared as common information for the laborers.

Two Different Tragic Constructions

I think The Jungle deals with numerous characters and also various heartbreaking plots. When I read first page, the novel started to describe the dream of immigrants and their hope for comfortable life. However, as the story goes by, all characters are falling down and down, and I felt deep sorrow because the result was too different from their belief for the future.

First, when the family moves to the U.S., I thought it was a kind of huge project. The asset they had was limited and their life was at stake. Though Jurgis, the protagonist of The Jungle, can not 100% assure that they are going to make a success, he thinks he can get a job and run his family with Ona. Then their hopefulness starts to disappear and change to despair and pain. The house rent makes them cry. The town makes them cry. And the cold weather and the change of people’s relationship makes them cry. Especially when I found out Ona is selling her body for the health of her family, I felt extreme sorrow. The whole family is getting corrupted by the environment of capitalism which is opposed to what they firmly believed. To the gap between two conditions, I felt inability to control my sense and to accept the result of the characters.

On the other hand, Our Nig starts its story with already sad circumstance. Frado is thrown away to the white house and starts to work as an indentured servant. Once the author introduces how Frado is abused, and what kind of pain she felt (because it is based on her own life) with inserting numbers of painful scenes. Though the end of the story raised my emotion with understanding to her (moreover, people like her), and also Hattie adorned the story not just with tragic factors but also the social issues at that time and the racism in order to progress the story to achieve her goal of the novel. Besides, not like The Jungle, the difference between two conditions existed in the nature of the characters. Mrs. B makes Frado’s life miserable and deteriorates her health. And Jack and Susan gives hope to Frado and this is the main force and hope for Frado to extend her life. Unfortunately, they don’t fully help her. Probably the reason is based on the limited freedom to Frado and the circumstance of the family.

One interesting thing is that two novels seem to evoke the readers’ emotion, sorrow, pity and fear for the different purpose, but their ways to construct the heartbreaking plot seem also different. The different goals of the novel, making understanding of the readers and creating effect to the society, might be the reason for different construction of tragic literature.

Critique of Corruption

The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, is set in the meatpacking district of Chicago.  The story follows Jurgis Rudkos and his family on their quest for “the American Dream”.  After several job failures and numerous family catastrophes, Jurgis exchanges his honest, hard-working personality for a lifestyle of crime. He quickly becomes involved with a vote-buying scheme to land certain political figures in office. Regarding the plot, Sinclair writes, "All of these agencies of corruption were banded together, and leagued in blood brotherhood with the politician and the police; more often than not they were one and the same person,--the police captain would own the brothel he pretended to raid, and the politician would open his headquarters in his saloon” (Sinclair 303). Because Jurigs and his family were immigrants, they had faith in America and that it would bring them happiness.  They thought that capitalism would make them successful; this was not the case.  Irony “turns standard meanings and expectations upside down. It often involves saying one thing and meaning another” (Killingsworth 131). In this particular situation, Jurgis believes in capitalism and the potential happiness it could bring him. However, it is ironic because, in reality, his expectation of the government form was essentially the opposite of what was promised or foreseen.  In order to survive, he was forced into the dishonesty of politics. Sinclair is able to clearly present the levels of corruption in the government through his use of irony; this allows for the audience to see the true happenings of the political parties at the time. 

Irony in The Mole People

In Jennifer Toth’s ethnography, The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City, she performs an in-depth study of the people living beneath the New York City subway and have been forced to make those tunnels their home. She meets a variety of people from different demographics such as age, gender and race. Although living on, and beneath, the streets of the dangerous city is a rough life, those forced into the lifestyle choose it, without hesitation, over city shelters. One of Toth’s characters mentioned his experience at shelter and states, “two nights ago a man tried to rape him at a city shelter where he hoped for sleep” (Toth 8).  These state funded institutions fail to achieve their intended goal. Instead of providing a secure place of rest for those less fortunate, they instill fear in those without a home. This fact is ironic on several levels; however, it is mainly portrayed because, “the ironic tone is conveyed by setting up a condition of unequal knowledge” (Killingsworth 132).  In this case, the government appears to be supplying homeless people with safe places to stay, sleep and eat. Yet, those intended to use this resource refuse because of the poor quality and increased risk.  Therefore, the unequal knowledge is that government knows of the mistreatment in homeless city shelters where as the remainder of the public does not. Toth is able to present the irony in this situation to her readers and therefore heighten their awareness of the happenings of New York’s homeless. 

The Impetus for Writing "The Jungle"

Today in class I discussed what I thought could have been Upton Sinclair's motivation for writing The Jungle. Though the article I was assigned to read was about Sinclair's fervor towards socialism, I did not feel that socialism itself was the impetus for the novel. The article discusses all that can go wrong with socialism as there are many intricies that go into developing that form of government. Because it is such a complicated system, much can go wrong, and I feel that these wrongs are what drove Sinclair to write this novel.

Upton Sinclair mentions "evils of present-day society" and the contradiction that lies within society. He refers to capital as a "democratic administration for the equal benefit of all", which I can sense is sarcastic after reading the novel. I therefore feel that the Sinclair's reason for writing The Jungle was not his disliking towards the concept socialism or capitalism, but the outcome for not facilitating correctly.

Reveal to explain

The Jungle mainly depicts the family members, and the meatpacking industry. By revealing hidden truths, Sinclair shows his own ideology against the ideology of the two groups. On page 73, when the family sets up the foundation condition for living in the city, a voice of the implied author defines the characteristic of the world at that time: “the world was divided into two groups” (Sinclair 73). One group is apparently people who like Jurgis’ family members and the other one is the owners who are possessing and running inhumane business. As the story goes on, the author seems to try to giving new knowledge with revealing the truth he witnessed actually before, as a muckraker.

The first group of the world is the people who want to find new place, and try to escape from reality expecting another world. However, their belief and faith for economic happiness is frustrated by the people who take benefits, and the environment of the city. Once, they start to earn money, they find all systems require paying money with unjust contract, and it seems that there is no option for practicing what they dreamed. Moreover, there is another drawback which is a bunch of saloons around the company. “There was only one condition”, the author points out with reporting the meaning of drinking to the working class. People should drink to forget the painful memory and to get closer with other workers. If not, they are not welcomed in the society and have to feel what he feels during the work hour.

The second group is the owners who run the company in immoral way only for taking profits. In the process of making products, they not just broke the dream of the working class but also the rule of the world. They don’t consider what is right and valuable to the people but pursue what makes money. Especially, on p88 in the text, the author reveals one of the company’s illegal custom: “they had recouped themselves by putting out imitations of German meat for home markets”.

Showing unknown truth of the society, the author tries to let readers focus on customs and habits of the two groups.

Being Bold Pays Off

In the Foreword of The Jungle, we are informed of what the history of the novel, The Jungle, is and what Upton Sinclair went through to get the novel published. We are informed that “Sinclair was sent to Chicago to do research on the meatpacking industry by the editors of the Socialist newspaper for $500” (Sinclair i). When Sinclair witnessed the unsanitary practices of the meatpacking industry, he quickly started writing a novel, modeled by the plot of Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. In efforts of getting The Jungle published, Macmillan published the novel half way through then resisted and gave Sinclair a long list of things to change due to the graphic descriptions. Macmillan agreed to publish the novel if Sinclair would rewrite a sanitized version but Macmillan declined to publish at all, for reasons that are unknown. It is questioned whether or not that Macmillan was, ”persuaded to drop publication because of pressure from the meatpacking industry” (Sinclair ii). Sinclair felt that it was important to state the facts, rather than what people wanted to hear, so he continued looking for a publisher.

Sinclair finally was given the opportunity to have Doubleday, Page publishing company publish The Jungle. Learning from experience, “Sinclair cut numerous scenes from the book” that would still convey the importance of the novel without some of the other graphic descriptions (Sinclair ii). The Jungle came out in 1906 and Theodore Roosevelt was given a copy of the novel. Roosevelt responded in a negative manner, not believing what he was reading. Roosevelt asked Doubleday to show him proof that The Jungle was portraying true facts. Once Roosevelt came to the realization that The Jungle was true, he started his own investigation with the Bureau of Commerce and Labor. Due to the popularity and the help of Roosevelt’s investigation, “Upton Sinclair became famous, and his novel helped push the federal government to pass its first comprehensive Pure Food and Drug laws” (Sinclair iii).

This is an example of how things can be overlooked because people are told what they want to hear. If it wasn’t for Sinclair being bold and standing firm for what he was “reporting”, who knows when Pure Food and Drug laws would have been passed.

Jurgis is a Person who cannot Adapt to the Environment

In the book The Jungle, Upton Sinclair depicts a tremendous truth that how people are treated, their state, is a part of the process of factory in capitalism. I believe Sinclair wants to claim that capitalism considers a laborer not as a person but disposable products through the figure of Jurgis. After Jurgis injured his leg and returns to his job, Sinclair describes that "They had got the best out of him, there was the truth---they had worn him out, with their speeding up and their damned carelessness, and now they had thrown him away! And Jugris would make the acquaintance of some of these unemployed men; he would stroll away with them . . . . and he found that they had all had the same experience" (p.114). This experience must indicate the real situation that people are treated as a disposable product by capitalists in order to make productivity without the view of humanity. Therefore, Jugris is forced to engage the worst job in the factory of fertilizer.

However, I believe the reason why Jurgis feels torture and mental anguish is because of not only the fertilizer factory but also his character that he cannot adapt to the environment at all. In the beginning of story, he is described as a man who has a confidence his power and ability for labor. In spite of the fact, the real situation always conflicts with him against his belief. Therefore, the real deprives his confidence gradually through the chapters. However, he cannot adapt to the environment that he has to be at the mercy of the factory and capitalism, because he has a free will that he has to protect his family, especially children and his wife, Ona. His free will would always give him doubt and question about the situation that people are treated as a part of the process, like as machine. Therefore, he finally hits his boss because he has to protect his injured wife from the insistence of sex in chapter 15. In addition to the truth that this novel exposes the true states of laborers, furthermore, I believe that this novel also indicates the conflict between naturalism and free will.

Sinclair and Toth: Continuity in Society

The last two books that our class has studied, "The Mole People" and "The Jungle", by Jennifer Toth and Upton Sinclair respectively, deal with similar aspects of humanity's suffering. Despite almost a 90 year gap between their publications, they both describe the way in which whole groups of people can be trampled by society. The two authors, however, take very different issues to heart and present their ideas in quite different ways.

I believe part of the reason for this is the level of removal of the author. Toth is initially further removed from the people she studies but proceeds to delve so deeply into their lives that leaving them becomes quite difficult. Sinclair also gets first hand experience with the evils of society that he writes about but leads a life that is less removed in comparison, prior to success with "The Jungle" having been raised in a poor family. Toth spent a year investigating the tunnels, letting them slowly become more and more a part of her life. In contrast to this, Sinclair spent seven weeks within Chicago's meatpacking industry in order to write "The Jungle" on the payroll of journal owner.

Despite these differences, in both novels the audience is introduced to the idea that there are those who fall through the cracks of society and although they work hard cannot gain a footing with which to improve their situations. While the chapters of "The Mole People" each focus on different characters and aspects of tunnel life, "The Jungle" focuses on the plight of Jurgis Rudkos' family. Although no less influential (but perhaps more so) than "The Mole People", the subject matter of "The Jungle" is innately different from that of Toth's ethnography. We are able to see examples of the idea of 'exigency' by comparing these two writers and on what or how they choose to carry their points and critiques. The time periods that each take place in dictate the novelty that they hold for an audience. While far reaching effects of Sinclair's writing such as the passing of the laws such as the Pure Food and Drugs Act (1906) and the Meat Inspection Act (1906) helped quench some of the fears that assaulted the "public's... stomach" in his novel, many aspects, such as the plight of the immigrant were largely forgotten about. This is why the work of Toth is still necessary and even exigent -- because as Sinclair says in "What Life Means to Me", "the sheer horror" of some literature that "[makes] it true" also is what "[kills] it" (What Life Means To Me, Sinclair, 351). An uproar may occur in response to a writing, says Sinclair but without the inclusion of "human anguish" an audience receives nothing more than "sugar-coated sentimentality".


http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jupton.htm

The American Dream in the Jungle

The portrayal of the American Dream in Sinclair’s The Jungle creates an ideological critique. The two parts of our definition of an ideology were the beliefs and the customs and traditions that went along with the beliefs. In The Jungle, the primary motivation of the immigrant characters was “The American Dream,” “the wonderful dreams of wealth that had been haunting Jurgis” (Sinclair 22). This is the belief portrayed in The Jungle, that capitalism would bring happiness and economic prosperity. The traditions and customs of the ideology though are less admirable. To gain the wealth that they desired, men become greedy, such as the captains of industry that ran the inhumane stockyards. Poor men also were victim, such as Jurgis in his endeavor to quickly purchase a house. This system of greed is the underlying idea of capitalism that is supposed to end up providing the most efficient and substantial wealth for the most people. But, the ideology breaks down when the greed begins to hurt everybody, not only with the horrible working conditions, but the horrible products. For example Kristoforas died supposedly of “tuberculosis pork” in his “smoked sausage he had eaten that morning” (Sinclair 117). No one, not even the very rich, were able to obtain safe meat. So, the greed’s taking over everything had very negative consequences. This lack of providing for the well being of most people is contradictory to the basic tenets of capitalism, and therefore is used as a critique of the ideology of capitalism.

Ch 7 in The Mole People

Ch7 mainly deals with Sergeant Henry who has to capture homeless people in the tunnel. The story narrates his past memory, as if it is happening now, quoting hi swearing much of the time, how he starts the job and how he accepts it. Though the author and sergeant Henry know much of the condition of the people in the tunnel now, the narrator (Toth) portrays a time when Henry doesn’t know fully about the “ploy” (Toth 60).

In the middle of the Ch7, the narrator inserts a dialogue between J.C and Sergeant Henry. Interestingly, it was hard to figure out that J.C and Sergeant Henry are saying at the same place with facing each other. The reason is the narrator manipulates the dialogue without giving clear sense about the distance and also the narrator never mentioned until the author changes from telling story to showing their conversation. As I read further I could figure out they might interview in the same place because the author hinted us providing much of common knowledge between two characters.

Suggesting how should we accept the law in this harsh condition, the author intentionally manipulate the time and the distance between two characters in the dialogue.

Rollercoaster of Chapters

As we were questioned in class, how are the chapters in The Mole People arranged and why were they arranged in such a manner. As I looked at the chapters and reviewed what was shared in class about the certain chapters that we were assigned, I was able to see a pattern in the chapters. When I am looking at the chapters from chapter 1 to 24, I see that pattern of a roller coaster. How I have come to this conclusion is that looking throughout the chapters and how classmates summarized their chapters we see a pattern of good and bad and hope and hopelessness. It starts with chapter 2, Seville’s Story, as it was explained in class, this chapter can be seen as a bad chapter because it is about a kid that runs away but no one tries to help the family get their soon back. As we go further into the novel, I would consider chapter 7, about Henry as a hopeful chapter because he sheds some light in what he has done and is doing for the tunnels. In chapter 9 and 10, I would consider these hope chapters because the children still have connections with the life above ground and they do not consider themselves “houseless”. Chapter 11 is a good chapter because Bernard’s Tunnel is educated and has great pasts before there came to the tunnels. Chapter 14 and 15 are hopeful chapter because the many characters had a lot of street smarts and they knew they would survive and having outreach programs that help people in the tunnels. In chapter 20 and 21, I consider these chapters good because we see that they are about community and that the people within the tunnel have a system and it works well for them. In chapter 22, the women seem hopeless, as Josh explained because they are unhappy and “done” with life. In chapter 24 I conclude my analysis of chapters with this chapter being a bad chapter. In this chapter, Jennifer Toth, fears for her life and leaves the tunnels forever.

As we can see, the chapters go from bad to good then bad again. We always see that some chapters are hopeful and others have hopelessness. I see this roller coaster of chapters as a way to explain the tunnels in a mixed way because we see good and bad intermixed within the novel. I think the Toth does this well and that the novel is presented well. I like that The Mole People ends on a bad chapter because it keeps us reminded that, no matter how much you try to understand a sub-culture, sometimes it never works. It also reminds us that not every situation is great and sometimes when you try, you end up having a roller coaster experience.

Audience-Construction in Mole People

When I consider the audience-construction which is based on my theory in Mole People, it would be difficult to see how we are lead into the same field of the genre by reading this story in terms of discussion and argument, even though the audience-construction exists absolutely. Because the contents about people who live in the tunnel underground are really unfamiliar for us, it is difficult to bring up any specific mental images in our mind. The field of the genre is broad. Although we might be able to consider ambiguous themes, it would have a difference to the time when we read, for example, the novel Our Nig. At the time, it was really clear what kinds of the genre we should be lead into because the story has a logical development that starts from poverty, through discrimination and violence, to Frado's death. However, in Mole People, the story has not a fluid development but an intermittent development because each chapter has many characters and they seem to introduce their situation and explain what things happen in the tunnel on people.

That is, the process by which we are lead gradually into the field to the genre is hard to be found in this story. Furthermore, because the characters sometimes refer to any specific impression, our position may be not as an audience who discusses but as an observer who receives the facts about mole people.

However, as I wrote above, even though the story is unfamiliar for us, we are created as audience because we can compare some ideas between the fact of mole people and our life in above ground, their past state in above ground, and their current state in the tunnel. Although each chapter seems to be an intermittent development, the developments have any specific message that we can receive it immediately much stronger than the mental images. Therefore, we would be also constructed as audience by not the author but the characters who are mole people.

Jamall's Story

I believe Jamall's Story, or chapter 23, is very significant to the book. While the whole story seems as if there is no hope, and it seems as if he has given up, there is more to it. The underlying purpose of this chapter is to show how the tunnels can be a place of healing. Jamall even says so at the end of the chapter. He emphasizes this when he talks about the different places and communities within the tunnels, and how there is no need to evict the people in the tunnels, because they are using abandoned places as places to heal. There is something for anyone who wants to or is forced to go down into the tunnels. Furthermore his relationship with Cher helps this idea that the tunnels can help heal. The fact that he would stop drinking for Cher's sake is a huge indicator of this idea. He finally found something he cared for enough to begin to heal. When she dies however, Jamall gives up because he has lost his healing aide. He leaves the tunnels because he has lost the one aspect of the tunnels that can help him. However Cher still provided him with a way out with her story of the light taking her away. He continues to look for the beam of light to take him away, back to Cher. In Cher he found a way to heal, but when it is taken away, he tries to find this healing agent that he once found in the tunnels. Just as he found his Cher, anyone who enters the tunnels can find something to help them heal.

Levels, Distance, and Light

The use of light is seen as a metaphor in both “Maggie” and “Mole People” as a symbol of hope (brightness) and degradation (darkness). One of the first things I noticed when reading “Mole People” was that the lower the levels underground got, the darker and more hopeless and lost the people were. This descent reminded me of how in “Maggie” Maggie walks away from the light of the city and further into the darker outskirts to her eventual death. Both texts show the decline of self with the heaviness of darkness.

“She passed more glittering avenues and went into darker blocks…” (52) Light continually slips away as readers begin to realize that this girl is Maggie after all and this is what she has become. Crane shows Maggie’s journey into the darkness, walking swiftly and looking into the faces of possible customers. “She went into the blackness of the final block. The shutters of the tall buildings were closed like grim lips. The structures seemed to have eyes that looked over her, beyond her, at other things.” (53) This image can sufficiently portray that of society towards Maggie, pursed lips taught with disgust and contempt, avoiding eye contact and looking away, making her feel small, dismal, insignificant and as if she doesn’t exist. Her own mother and brother threw her out, why not the rest of society as well? “Afar off the lights of the avenues glittered as if from an impossible distance.” (53) These twinkling lights of splendid luxury are far out of reach for Maggie, and are positioned here to show that happiness and love will forever be unattainable.

These quotes from Maggie, specifically the ‘buildings of society’ imagery and far off glittering lights have a real place in “Mole People” as well. Many feel scorned by society, and that’s why they hide in the tunnels unable to accept daylight without shame; “it is not uncommon to find homeless who have gone a week or more without seeing sunlight” (192). However, unlike Maggie herself, a lot of the people interviewed by Toth would rather stay in the tunnels and eventually go deeper instead of wistfully staring at the “glittering avenues”. These homeless, in my opinion, have been adversely affected by the darkness in both good and bad ways. Good for their sense of community and belonging, but bad because in many ways they have lost parts of themselves and have chosen to accept the life below. For some its perfect, for others I wish a happier outcome. The deeper the people go however, the more prevalent this idea of ‘losing yourself’ or ‘a lost soul’ seems to become. No longer a member of sunlight and fresh air, the tunnel has turned some of these people into creatures.

Darkness, oppression, and hopelessness will be the end of many Mole People just as it was the end of Maggie. Gwen, a woman in Chapter 22, shows strength I wish was in every person introduced. She fought the darkness and is pulling her life back together, while Maggie accepted her course of action as fate, leading to her death. In both texts, light offers hope, but in both texts likewise, there is evidence that the further one moves away from it, the more lost and destitute one becomes… perhaps to the point of insanity, or death. Levels or distance, darkness is waiting.

I Bet Maggie Is...

The end of Maggie’s life is questionable because we are not sure what happened to her. Though the author doesn’t depict clearly her death, Jimmie and Mary seem to accept her death in the next chapter. In the class, my mates said it is related to the purpose of degradation and devalue; to guess her character more; to make it more realistic for giving long impact (which is mine). After coming back to dorm and sleeping quite a lot, I re-thought about the effect of the way in Ch XVII (1893 edition) and how does it affect to the goal of pragmatism.

First, the readers are naturally tempted to guess the result of her condition, once they read ChXVII and XVIII. Living prostitute and wandering the sullen part of the city, is she dead at last or worse than dead? If readers don’t catch the clear answer same as me, they might ask and then about the cause of her wandering which made us guess, let alone whether she’s dead or alive. It’s just like passing to the next question when we are faced a difficult and ambiguous question in the math exam.

Second of all, by not showing her clear result, we can substitute the environment around us to Maggie. It is kind of making Maggie just like a white sketchbook and start to paint the color on it. Because Crane sketches the structure of her life path and her background, it is we, the readers that read and make independent and creative response ourselves.

Third, we simply assume and expect Maggie’s future. If she’s dead, then where goes her body? If not, Jimmie’s lying to her mother which shows more severe malfunction of a family. Not saying makes more questions to her existence and this is continued to the most ironic chapter. Not making it close to the tragedy or melodrama or Cinderella types or Pamela styles which generally show clear result of the plots, it emphasizes the importance of family in economic tragedy season, rather than showing an individual's tragic end.

Light as a Metaphor in The Mole People

Light acts as a metaphor in The Mole People by Jennifer Toth as the more hopeful tenants of the tunnels seem to live closer to the top. The more that light is represented in their description, the more hopeful and proud they seem to be. For example, Bernard lives very close to the surface as every time he creates a fire, he lets the smoke out onto the streets. I feel that the fire he creates can also be considered a metaphorai as is he the character who has the greatest passion for creating an orderly community in the tunnel. Aside from the fire, when Bernard is introduced, it is with a flashlight in a tunnel of darkness. To me, this was a very obvious metaphorai that Bernard creates a "light at the end of the tunnel" for those who live in his community. He creates order and looks over the people living there. Though not all of the character's in Bernard's Tunnel are as proud or hopeful as he is, he tries to show them that they should be thankful for running water and good food. In this sense, Bernard acts as a sense of hope, or a shining light, amongst his community.

However, the light fades as you go deeper down into the layers of the tunnel. Flip, for example, lives where he can mind his own business as he "doesn't care for himself." When he is introduced, it is with a metaphor to darkness. The area in which he lives is a dark abyss, and he feels no need to make anything of himself down there. Therefore, the darkness is a metaphorai for his hopelessness and numbness.

Why are Chapter 15 and 16 needed in The Mole People?

In chapter 15 of The Mole People by Jennifer Toth, we learned that there are outreach programs to help the homeless in the tunnels. The outreach programs are ADAPT which stands for, Association for Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment and HELP which stands for Homeless Emergency Liaison Project. ADAPT is a nonprofit organization that is funded by the New York Health Department to provide the outreach programs for the homeless. HELP is a service to aid the mentally ill homeless people in the tunnels (Toth 151). HELP is the only organization that “can forcibly eject the homeless from the tunnels on grounds of mental illness and commit them to hospitals” (Toth 152). Chapter 15 is important to include in The Mole People because ADAPT and HELP aid to keep people safe down in the tunnels as much as they possibly can. By having these programs, this allows the homeless to get out, of course only if that was a wish of theirs to seek help. This chapter shows hope for the homeless in the tunnels because people outside of the tunnel care about them and want them to be safe.


In chapter 16, we are introduced to Dark Angel; he is five foot seven with a slim body type, white with brown slicked-back hair and bloodshot eyes. As Henry explains, “’He is a dangerous individual,’ he says. ‘Very dangerous’” (Toth 167). The name, Dark Angel, could be referring to not only that he is evil but also a symbol of how deep he is within the tunnels. Chapter 16 is important to include because the Dark Angel is the ruler of the underground tunnels. Everyone fears him and they do whatever he wants for him. He has set a standard for himself, which is to be feared and avoided. Dark Angel created the most unsafe aspect for Jennifer. She had gotten use to the mole people but the Dark Angel made her fear the tunnels. She resulted to talking to others about him, the Dark Angel, to get information about him. Another reason why this chapter is a vital aspect to The Mole People is to explain that regardless how comfortable you get in the tunnels, there is always going to be something dangerous and Dark Angel allows us to witness this.

Thinning The Tightrope

The ordering of chapters that Jennifer Toth uses in "The Mole People" gives insight, perhaps, into her own ideas on the culture she has studied. The chapter that Toth places last is entitled "Blade's Piece". This story seems to me to build up the crux of the book's purpose. Blade says that the people of the tunnels are "just like people topside" only with "a different part in them" brought out (Toth 238). Blade notes that this part that is visible in the tunnel people is present in everyone, although the "topside people" do not agree. Toth calls Blade an "dangerously unstable person" but in the same breath says that she does not "believe him dangerous" (Toth 238). This sentence seems to contradict itself, but upon exploration, perhaps, can offer a new light with which to view each of the other stories, as well as those who are not the focus of the book, "the topside people in fancy suits" who include Toth, herself.

Blade's chapter is prefaced with a quote by William Saroyan, which implores its reader, "Remember that every man is a variation of yourself. No man's guilt is not yours, nor is any man's innocence a thing apart" (Toth 237). Toth's inclusion of this quote gives insight into her view of the people of the tunnels as well as those people who live in the comfort above them. In using this quote to possibly indicate the relationship between both sorts of people, Toth's ethnography becomes not only an exploration of tunnel culture but also of the entire culture of New York City.

Toth gives her audience two important ideas. First she uses Saroyan's quote, to note the community that every person functions in and the similarities that exist between us all, merely because we live and act, with "ungodliness or evil" but also in "kindly and gentle" ways (Toth 237). Toth furthers this idea by bringing attention to Blade; a character that she "never really understood". Blade, however confusing, seems to infatuate her. He, himself seems to have an odd relationship with her, because she reminds him of a classmate who stood up for him when he was young. This does not stop Blade from later threatening Toth, eventually causing her to leave the city, and although not explicitly said, seemingly to end her tunnel work. Toth seems to want to indicate the duality of humanity, the sides of a person that may be turned on and off, so easily. Blade tells Toth that she will "never understand [the tunnel people] because [she is] not one of them" (Toth 242). And indeed, Toth does not understand the people she studies. She constantly under or over estimates those she encounters, including Blade. However, in Blade's chapter Toth has her realization. After arousing Blade's wrath, Toth is faced with the question of whether she could kill Blade or not. Upon pondering this, she learns that she could, indeed kill him (Toth 246). Interestingly, Blade himself tells her earlier in the chapter that the main difference between the two of them is the ability to kill. Blade helps Toth explore the tunnels but also helps her explore the part of herself that is inside him, "inside everyone" (Toth 238). In the end it seems that Toth's realization comes from herself, and not those she studies. She sees that in herself there is the ability to kill someone she "still [can] remember only with a smile". In this instance Toth lets her reader see that she has straddled the "tightrope" between under and above ground. She knows the thin line between surface and tunnel too well at this point and can only just escape it. Sadly to do this, she must sever her ties with the tunnels and hope that others will as well.

The Difference between the Adults and Children in The Mole People

I would like to add more explanation to today's role playing statement. In "Children," chapter 9 of the book The Mole People, Toth describes how difficult it is for children to live and survive in the tunnel from the point of view of many adults and of a girl who is called Julie. For instance, there is a description about Teresa, a young mother domestically abused by her husband, who says that "She wants to get out of the tunnels before Dara is old enough to remember them.'I don't want her to remember this. . . . I want her to know I always loved her and took care of my children'" (p.86). This would mean that, generally speaking, many people consider that living in tunnel and being mole people is a kind of blot for them, even mole people themselves. Therefore, they must believe that they should not bring up any children in the tunnel, not only because of the filthy public hygiene but also because of the societal label about mole people. They already know so well how far is the distance between themselves and "above ground" in terms of social class. Most of them would have already experienced any disfavor because of that distance.

However, as I also said today, a girl who is named Julie has an ambition that "Everything I wish for I'm going to have because I've been such a good girl. And I'll grow up beautiful" (p.83). In spite of the fact that she also came to the tunnel from above ground, she can keep her motivation because she adapts to the environment of the tunnel. Because she does not have enough knowledge about mole people, she can adopt the circumstance and keep the motivation regardless of minding any prejudice from people even though she also knows that the environment of the tunnel is really bad.

Then, there is a difference between the fixed idea of the adults and the ignorance of Julie. it is really true that children who do not know about the above ground life can adopt much better in the tunnels than the adults. Most of them must throw away their hope for future. However, in spite of Julie's ignorance about the tunnel, she would be much happier than the adults. This situation is like a contradiction. The contradiction happens between ignorance and prejudice against mole people. Therefore, I believe that the root of all evil against mole people is based on the fixed image and prejudice that people cannot overturn in terms of the fact that mole people are forced to an uncomfortable life beyond the environment.

Love & Downfall

The idea was put forth today in class that women are, perhaps, seen as more pure than men in Charles Loring Brace's "The Dangerous Classes of New York" in relation to "Maggie: Girl of the Streets" by Stephen Crane. This is why, some speculated that Maggie's downfall is so awful. During the discussion, the phrase 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall' came to my mind. Maggie features, at first as a very standout presence in the midst of the dark and downtrodden inhabitants of the Bowery, referred to as a "most rare and wonderful production of a tenement district" (Crane Ch 5).

Prior to meeting Pete, Maggie lives in her imagination, "lands where... the little hills sing together in the morning" (Crane Ch 5). Maggie's purity is almost entirely absolute, especially when compared to that of her mother and brother. Her downfall is her desire for love, which she does not receive from the family members that she has. This ties into another idea discussed in our class, the necessity of the family unit. The desire for the love that she is not receiving is the chink in the armor of innocence that Maggie wears. This desire seems to directly correlate to the ease with which Pete is able to win her over. Her mother's rejection sends her into the arm's of Pete. Clearly if Maggie's home environment were a bit different, Maggie's sexual liaison with Pete would not have taken place (at least at this point in the novel).

However sad it is to see Maggie lose her purity, Crane's audience is only exposed to the horror of her accelerated slide down the moral scale. While her actions with Pete are unfortunate, an audience might at first believe that she at least will be able to fare as well as her mother. Sadly, the reactions of her family members are to reject and denounce. Maggie is pushed further down by this, displaying the link between loss of support (of family, friends, etc.) and the lowering of social status.

How light is portrayed in Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

Chapter seventeen of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane, has a great example of metaphorai; light. In the beginning of the chapter a girl, assuming to be Maggie, is explained to be painted (Crane 52). As the chapter develops, we are presented with the element of light, “She passed more glittering avenues and went into darker blocks than those where the crowd travelled” (Crane 52). The next stage of darkness is when, “the girl went into gloomy districts near the river, where the tall black factories shut in the street and only occasional broad beams of light fell across the pavements from saloons” (Crane 53). “Further on in the darkness she met a ragged being…she went into the blackness of the final block,” this is the progression of the light in the chapter (Crane 53). As the chapter comes to a close, the girl sees from “afar off the lights of the avenues glittered as if from an impossible distance” (Crane 53). At the end of the chapter it is explained that, “at their feet the river appeared a deathly black hue” (Crane 53).

Metaphorai is evident in this chapter through the object of light. Light serves as a journey through Maggie’s last day on Earth. In the beginning of the chapter the light is bright as it is explained to be “painted,” in other words, bright. When we first see that she is going into darkness, it is illustrated that Maggie or “the girl” goes from “glittering avenues into darker blocks” (Crane 52). The next evidence comes with more information. Not only is the girl going towards the darkness, she is also going towards the river. Also knowing about the river we are also informed that the black factories sometimes let off “beams of light,” symbolizing that her life is getting darker but she also has some good in her. That this “new self” isn’t completely who she wants to be, but she thinks it’s too late to change the innate nature she has taken on. As the girl gets more and more into the darkness she meets a “huge fat man in torn and greasy garments,” which could symbolize the degrading factor of where her life has led her (Crane 53). The audience is told that the girl sees lights from afar but that they seem to have “an impossible distance,” this distance could be explained that she remembers “the light” in her past life but that she is too far off the beaten path to regain that life (Crane 53). She sees the once she reaches the river of a “deathly black hue” that she has reached the end of her journey (Crane 53). Light can be used as the metaphorai in the novel, Maggie and the light can help us understand the journey that Maggie, the girl, went through during her last day before her tragic and sudden death.

Breaking Assumptions in Realism

Frankly, I’m still confused about the concept that I wrote on last week, between ‘witness to self-identify’ and ‘self-identify to witness’, even though I wrote the post about the film, Children of Invention. Hence, I put more time into thinking about the sequence of recognition and I think I found what’s different in terms of literal effect to the readers and audience.

First of all, I think ‘witness to self-identify’ in the film has a role of showing the deep-deep stories. Probably, I venture to guess, most audiences definitely know how an individual’s life would be ruined by pyramid schemes. However most audiences who do not have friends or family members ruined by the pyramid schemes or by the fake company promising quick economic rewards, may not know specifics about their daily life and the process of selling their house and meeting mothers asking for rescue. The film provides the frames the audience has probably heard before but may not have any knowledge about. To make the audience understand and align to the protagonist, it unravels the plots full of specific and objective details.

This viewpoint is also found in Maggie. The novel deals with the consequent events, though the gaps between two incidents seem inconsistent. Why tragedy happens and what kinds of stories are hidden at the NY slum in 1890s. From showing a child who delivers beers to a saloon to depicting a girl in the end to be a prostitute, the novel gives an opportunity to break our assumption which is constructed by media or the common sense.

Unlike Children of Invention, the novel seems to pay attention to the viewpoint of ‘witness to self-identify’, rather than using both of them. Say to experience the personal events, this really happened around the people in the slum (and in the pyramid scheme), and then to evaluate our personal identity compared to the people in the novel, and judge our society from that experience.