When I first wrote my literary autobiography at the beginning of the semester, without realizing, I was consciously discreet, and I did not write all my personal and social sides. I just wrote what I think is needed to complete my idea especially when I wrote about my reading problems, I mentioned only what I see is enough to fully describe my concentration problems, no more no less.

After reading Auto/Biography chapter, I learned that it is possible to write an autobiography but there will be a lack of authentic self-representation because, as I already mentioned in my answers, of some different factors that affect it: 1- the temporary psychological state 2- the attempts to well represent one’s self. 3- the hidden facts.

1- the temporary psychological state:

we sometimes have either positive or negative emotions regarding some topics that we are supposed to talk about which can affect our real point of view of it by either by hate it or overrate it.

2- the attempts to well represent one’s self:

no one can ever write negatively or try discredit themselves. Contrariwise, we always try to well represent ourselves and stay away from anything can cause us a bad reputation.

3- the hidden facts,

it is actually related to the second point. For our self-esteem, we try to hide what we think is inappropriate to tell.

I’d like to talk about 2 points from my experience of last class leading discussion,

Firstly, leading discussion about such effective novel and talking about its events was amusing I really enjoyed it especially exchanging our point of view and what attracts us as well as asking questions and how others interpret them and think about them expand our perception and knowledge about it and subsequently help us analyze the literary work much better. For example, when I asked about the meaning of giving Milkman a box of Hagar’s hair, each one of us has their own different interpretation, stories and facts about it.

Secondly, in fact, I’m a little bit shy when it comes to speaking in public and I cannot remember what I want to say so I tend to read more than speak naturally but in this course I felt much better and I tried my best, the environment (Dr. Peebles and my classmates) around a small round table made me feel more comfortable and less anxious. I hope in the near future I overcome this problem

Jain Austen proved that she was able to cover all aspects of the novel and this shows her writing power.

Initially, I did not quit understand the “quantities methods for scholars of texts” chapter, and after it was explained to me in the class, I found several places where it was clear enough for me to understand, in the calculation of wealth, inheritance, and the area of ​​property.

As I said at the outset, novelists usually abandon the long description of numbers and limited it to the age calculation, but they increase in the description of places and feelings and they use a huge number of adjectives to help readers understand the story plot, to make them able to imagine the novel better, and make it more enjoyable.

From what I learned that the elaboration of the numbers enhances the absorption of the novel and increases the imagination to link it to the real world. As my dear colleague Marcel, converted the currency in the novel to the US dollar which made discussing the novel fun.

In pride and prejudice, Jane Austen treats females’ issues like marriage and inheritance. She appears feminist because she emphasized on these 3 characters, Elizabeth, Mrs. Benet, and Mr. Collins. Mrs. Benet “the mother” and Mr. Collins have narrow mind and they do not give women the right to think and give their opinion. For them, women happiness is running a household, they never think about love that Mr. Collins asked the mother at first to marry Jane and she told that she will be engaged soon but Elizabeth is available and she does not even ask her about her opinion “An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.” (18.20). Also, Elizabeth described Mr. Collins to her sister Jane when he proposed to marry her friend   My dear Jane, Mr. Collins is a conceited, pompous, narrow-minded, silly man; you know he is, as well as I do; and you must feel, as well as I do, that the woman who married him cannot have a proper way of thinking. You shall not defend her, though it is Charlotte Lucas. You shall not, for the sake of one individual, change the meaning of principle and integrity, nor endeavor to persuade yourself or me, that selfishness is prudence, and insensibility of danger security for happiness.”

In light of Phillips and Jorgensen’s argument about the points that the discursive analysis should include (96), I found in Stephen Finley’s essay “Endeles Knot” some connections as he analyzed Sir Gawain and the Green night from two side, the poem itself and the reader side which is what the first point of the argument indicated. Finley argued that “our discomfort as readers with this ending, one often felt but seldom expressed, has helped to generate critical controversy. This ending should appeal to us” (451). Finley also conducted a close analysis of the language and lexical use in the poem which linked to second point of Phillips and Jorgensen’s argument. As Finley illustrated, “Gawain points to the past, twice. What of the “Now”? The “Now,” I suggest, is the time we need in order to have the sense of an ending-the exposure of the world of the poem to the present time. The “Now,” however, only links the reiterated past of the “before this” to the future “blysse” of God’s kingdom”: “Now þat bere þe croun of þorne / He bryng the ground between past and future, the time of the present that might suggest to us how to understand the great concluding motives in the poem of quest, penance, self-knowledge, reintegration, and community?” (455).

For the last point of Phillips and Jorgensen’s argument “the consequences this (discourse) has for the broader socio-cultural practice” (96). Poet Simon Armitage in the BBC Documentary went to see and investigate about the story and places where sir Gawain went about 600 years ago. Through the documentary video, he talked about the legend behind the green night who after cutting his head he put it back again like nothing happened to him. As he mentioned, it is about religious story of a girl whose head fell in the blessed water and ended up in the spot, then Sam put her head back on. Also, he went to ask some the people who live in that village about some middle English words. This, for me, demonstrates a significant connection with the socio-culture and its consequences.

References

BBC Documentary. (n.d.). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74glI1lg1CQ

Finley, S. (n.d.). Endeles Knot. Closure and Indeterminacy in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , 445-458.

Griffin, G. (2014). Discourse Analysis. In Research Methods for English Studies. Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press.

Happiness is hiking with friends.

Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky.

Go with the flow.

Immerse yourself in nature.

Slow down and meander.

Go around the obstacles.

Be thoughtful of those downstream.

Stay current.

The beauty is in the journey!

Butterflies are tiny, graceful and enchanting creatures that lead us to the bright and happy side of life.