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When I began reading Peace Like a River, one of the first things I noticed, was that Jeremiah Land was not just your average, run of the mill person. No, he far surpassed human expectations and the characteristic human nature we all seem to possess. He went beyond merely loving the loveable. It seemed that Jeremiah did far more than that. He was indeed somewhat of a Christ figure to the people he met, knew, and family members he had. Just in the first chapter, the reader encounters a miracle take place in a hospital room, as he prays for his little boy, Reuben. It is evident throughout the novel, that Jeremiah receives favor from the Lord time and time again.

One could easily say his character is one that very much so parallels the life of Christ. The first example as stated earlier is that miracles occur frequently with Jeremiah’s faith and prayers. Jesus similarly performs many miracles in the New Testament. Furthermore, Jesus humbled himself by coming down to earth and becoming a human being to save us. In the same way, Jeremiah left his education to become a plumber. In the Bible, Jesus was always led by the Holy Spirit, likewise Jeremiah was guided by Christ. Scripture shows that Jesus was always forgiving, even when people didn’t deserve it. Jeremiah, in the same way forgave Basca and Finch when it seemed impossible to do so. Jesus walked on water, Reuben sees his father walk on thin air off the truck. Jesus made it a point in his ministry to love the unlovable. He was criticized for speaking to the tax collectors and sinners, and for even eating with them, and spending time with them. Not an easy feat, Jeremiah welcomed Lurvy with open arms, and invited him to his home no matter the occasion. In scripture readings, we see Jesus heal people over and over. He brings people back to life, taking away diseases, giving people their hearing back and their sight. Jeremiah healed the superintendent of the school, right after he publically humiliated him in front of the entire school. Another similarity is the miracle of never running out of fish and bread. Jeremiah in the same way, never ran out of soup when feeding Mr. Lurvy, and never stopped for gas when trying to find his son. When the troopers were looking for him, he could not stop for gas considering there were cops at every station. Jesus struggled with God’s will before being cruxified, just as Jeremiah struggled with knowing God’s will in Andresons job to find his son. The final indication was that Jesus died in our place for our salvation, just as Jeremiah died when Reuben was the one who “should” have died.

-are we the good guys? annotation on fire

In the novel The Road, the boy consistently struggles with knowing if they are the good guys. It’s a phrase used many times in the story. The man and the boy consider themselves “the good guys,” and rightfully so. Throughout the entire novel, not once do they resort to the evil actions of the other survivors. Readers, are exposed to a phrase over and over again, and that is this: "We are the carriers of the fire." At times it is simply stated, and others, the boy questions his father. Before this is unpacked, I think it is a good idea to truly appreciate all of the different meanings that fire can hold. Here are a few definitions of the fire as seen below:
• a state, process, or instance of combustion in which fuel or other material is ignited and combined with oxygen, giving off light, heat, and flame.
• a burning mass of material, as on a hearth or in a furnace.
• the destructive burning of a building, town, forest, etc.; conflagration.
• heat used for cooking, especially the lighted burner of a stove: Put the kettle on the fire.
• flashing light; luminous appearance.
• brilliance, as of a gem.
• burning passion; excitement or enthusiasm; ardor.
• liveliness of imagination.
• fever or inflammation.
• severe trial or trouble; ordeal.
• exposure to fire as a means of torture or ordeal.
• a spark or sparks.

When i originally read “the carriers of fire,” I felt like the author might have been portraying that they need to carry something good, something symbolic of hope. Upon further investigation of this word, and classroom discussions, this idea of fire as being something good, slowly began to fade. It not only can kill, but can also be destructive. While thinking about it more, I thought maybe there was some kind of dual meaning. Fire can also keep one alive. In this novel, we see fire can be used to see, and for guidance, and warmth; ultimately their survival. We as Christ followers, usually view fire as a good thing, bringing light to darkness, and to actually be light in a dark place. I’d like think that is how the author intended it. That is how I view the man and the son. It can also be seen as a source of power. For the rest of the people traveling the road, this is how I feel they are viewed.

Creative

Dear man from the Road,

You are the most selfless person I’ve ever known. It is so refreshing and inspiring to hear for a change. I know this isn’t true, but it seems like everyone today cares only for themselves and what they can get out of this life. You inspire me to go beyond my life, and reach out to others. You constantly put your son first, even before your own desires. All of your devotion goes faithfully to your son, and him alone. You comfort him when you most certainly can’t feel at ease yourself. You feed him, keep him safe, protect him, instruct him, and ensure he’s warm even when you aren’t. It seems you can’t ever be weak, and make it sound so easy being strong for him. Yet through this valiant and fearless side of you, there is a sensitive side that yearns to bring a peace and reassurance to the child. It’s almost as if the child has given you a reason to live. I’m glad that you have him. You said once, "When he woke in the woods in the dark and the cold of the night he'd reach out and touch the child sleeping beside him" Everything you do, seems to be done out of selflessness. I hope to one day live my life with that same kind of compassion and self-sacrificing love that you do.

problematize

One of the most important themes that I picked up on in Peace Like a River was that every action has a consequence, whether good or bad. I’m sure this theme holds true for each and every one of us. Throughout the narrative, the children and father make choices, significant and minor, that impact not only themselves, but everyone around them. Perhaps, the most obvious instance is Davy, who feels compelled to kill two boys to protect his family. The result is Davy spending the rest of his life on the as a fugitive and his family without Davy. This is just one of the many examples from the text. It’s somewhat hard and confusing to wrap my head around the fact that my own decisions, can affect the life of others. I truly believe if we simply thought before we act, we would make better decisions. Not only does it affect people on this earth, our Heavenly Father also is watching. We can make God, our friends, or family feel disappointed, happy, sad, hurt, loved, encouraged; you name it, we have the power to do it. I think it ultimately comes down to if we have God in our lives or not. God has called us to love, even the unlovable. Many times I feel that SEU culture, and even our generation today, refuses to do this task. Mr. Lands showed Lurvy love when he probably didn’t want to. But it didn’t even seem difficult for him, because he had help from God. I have been wrestling with this a lot lately. I think we all should. Love is something we all must learn to give out even when it is undeserving.

Reflective

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The poem that stuck out to me most this week out of all of the groups presenting, was “God, a Poem.” Not only did I ponder about this throughout the week; it actually came to really bother me. I knew people would feel this way about God, but to actually hear it verbalized- hurt a little. I suppose one can relate it to someone talking badly about your family, or a person you care deeply about and love. He spoke this way about my heavenly Father. I suppose that is how we should feel as Christians; offended, hurt, wronged. I really would have preferred to have the initial reaction of showing this man love, or trying to witness to him, conveying to him that he has been told all lies. Instead, I just wanted to be angry with him, for talking about my Lord in such a way. While my first instinct was to yell at this man; the tender part of my heart ached for him. It seemed as though he knew it all. Lethargically telling this poem as if nothing mattered at all.

It is somewhat interesting to me, that he acknowledged there is a God. But made Him out to be this vindictive spirit that gave no thought or concern for the creation he had set upon this earth.
‘You're a serious mistake in a nightie,
You're a grave disappointment all round-
That's all you are, ' says th'Almighty,
'And that's all that you'll be underground.'
I know nothing could be further than the truth. It’s sad. God’s character is love; unfailing, eduring love for each and everyone of us; even when it is sadly unaccepted. “This is what the Lord is saying, I am these things, I am love, this is my nature, my character, this is what I created man to be, this is the height that man fell from, and to which he is to be restored”

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Nicole Stevens

 “Dream Boogie” by Langston Hughes

For one to have a thorough understanding of “Dream Boogie,” by Langston Hughes, I believe readers must first be able to identify with two main concepts: the movement during this time period, as well as the musical term Bebop. Bebop was a new style of African American music that became popular during a movement from the 1940’s. Music critic Russel said that, “Bebop music was a music of revolt.”  (Poetic Interpretations of Urban Black Folk Culture, 57). A later critic concluded that this was a means for them to rebel and for musicians to express their refusal to conform to the conditions that had been tolerated for years. This form of jazz music served as a way to dispute the oppression of African Americans. Author, Rout reflects in her essay that beboppers were merely attempting to advance compositions so that only black musicians could achieve the level of difficulty each piece called for. Simply put, “Black musicians hoped to invent a jazz that white musicians could not play.” (Poetic Interpretations of Urban Black Folk Culture, 57-58).

Bebop emerged in a period when the African American working class people were extremely oppressed. Bebop expressed the anguish, frustration, and ultimately a tactic for their voices to be heard. Russel notes, “Bebop rhythm differs formally from swing rhythms, because it is more complex and places greater emphasis upon polyrhythmics. It differs emotionally from swing rhythm, creating greater tension, thereby reflecting more accurately the spirit and temper of contemporary emotions.” (Poetic Interpretations of Urban Black Folk Culture, 59). Hughes writes, “be-bop, is marked by conflicting changes, sudden nuances, sharp and impudent interjections, broken rhythms, and passages sometimes in the manner of the jam session, sometimes the popular song punctuated by the riffs, runs, breaks, and distortions of the music of a community in transition.” (Poetic Interpretations of Urban Black Folk Culture, 60).

With a thorough understanding of bebop, the poem “Dream Boogie,” will to a large extent gain meaning. Hughes begins by asking “daddy,” if he has heard the boogie-woogie rumble of a dream deferred? Boogie-woogie refers to a style of blues and rumble can be identified as a grumble or roar. Music is a large part of the African American society, and I believe the echo of the boogie woogie music can signify the turmoil their community felt. This musical description creates this fierce cry of the rumbling cadences of bebop and boogie woogie music. The rumbling music, in turn, is contrasted with the dream deferred. Deferred in this context can mean overdue, or perhaps not accomplished. Their dreams cannot be achieved because of the affliction they endured. Hughes speaks about their feet beating out and beating out, questioning if it is a happy beat. I believe this is almost like a satirical, mocking question he presents. He goes on to say, “What did I say? Sure, I’m happy. Take it away!” One can assume, “I’m happy,” is very much so sarcastic due to their circumstances. When he says “Take it away,” I believe, that through music he finds one way in which he is allowed to express himself. “Hey pop!, Re-bop!, mop!,” is an example of musical imagery, and is perhaps the only way to convey their feelings. The theme of this poem is one that encompasses racial discrimination, inequality, and finally dreams that are impossible because of one’s race. Their beat is not happy, but rather something that is hidden amongst their dreams.

creative...

To the lyric writer of It Is Well With My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

                When sorrows like sea billows roll;

                Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

                It is well, it is well, with my soul.

How do you do it? How do you go on with your life after the suffering you have experienced? Not only go on with life, but live it with peace and understanding that the Lord had a purpose in all of it. The shock and distress you must have felt is completely covered by the stillness that flows through the words It Is Well With My Soul. I have heard this song over and over in church. I must have sung it a hundred times.  However, for you, this song tells a story- it tells of your life that dramatically changed in a split second. You lost your son. Then you lost your four daughters on a ship accident. It astounds me that you did not focus on the sorrows that this life offered you. Instead, you turned to the Lord. It truly is inspirational.

reflective...

This week’s discussion on the Pillow by Li-Young Lee did challenge my understanding of the poem. Prior to class meeting, I tried to decipher what the authors underlying message really was. It seemed to me, as if he could not sleep in peace with these traumatic memories excessively streaming through his head. Prior to my knowledge of his life story at the time, this thought slowly emerged in my own mind- that the author had experienced a tremendous past.

In the first stanza when Lee utilizes the phrase: the voices in the trees, the missing pages of the sea; it appears that he is outlining the conversations he may be replaying in his head. When he creates this image of missing pages, my mind immediately goes to old stories of his life that are now gone with time. He goes on to say in the next stanza: Everything but sleep. Evidently, he just cannot get rest because he cannot deliberately force his mind to stop thinking or reflecting on his past. He speaks of the night as being a bridge between the speaking and listening banks. I believe he is linking the conversations he had as memories. He goes on to call it a fortress, undefended and inviolate. Possibly, referring to his mind in the night time; undefended because he does not have control over the things he can dream. Lee writes about the fountains clogged with mud and leaves, the houses of his childhood. Here we receive information about his past, and I began to wonder if he grew up poor. His mother’s fingers let go of the thread they’ve been tying and untying to touch toward his fraying story’s hem. From this line, I presumed he could have been referring to his mother working all day. Tying and untying created this somewhat meaningless and repetitive task. With fraying story’s hem, a depiction of a story that might be falling apart or coming undone came to mind.

Night is the shadow of his father’s hands setting the clock to resurrection. The first time I read this, I began to consider that his father might have died. I thought the shadow could have represented the past of his father, being someone who lived there (shadow) who is no longer around. Or is it the clock unraveled, the numbers flown? It seems he has no sense of time anymore. When Lee talks about discarded wings, I sense he is suffering because he can’t take off or leave to find his own way. Lost shoes might represent a means in which to walk, run, or escape. And a broken alphabet, I believe creates a sense of having no words to speak. The last stanza is puzzling and even now is difficult for me to understand. When I read it for myself I thought the beheading of jasmine might be the killing of something beautiful for all the senses. To smell, touch, see etc. And this flower is captive, confined, or imprisoned. The fragrance, which is within the flower or what is contained by the flower is rid or purged at last of burial clothes, meaning death.

After reading this poem for myself, I knew that Lee had these awful memories keeping him from sleep, and obviously that evening was not a time of peace for him. Upon further investigation in class, I discovered the Lee family fled the country to escape anti-Chinese sentiment and after a five-year trek through Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan. In class, learning about Lee’s life truly confirmed for me why and what he was writing about.

I believe this text relates to culture in general. Nowadays, people don’t have the peace that comes from the Lord; a peace that passes all understanding. Society might have unresolved issues, within themselves, or relationally and therefore may be too scared to talk to anyone about them or resolve them. This prevents them from being able to truly rest in the reassurance of peace that comes from our heavenly Father; and in turn affects all areas of our life.

Reflective Post

As we reflected on Sonny’s Blues in class, my own contemplation on our discussion truly transformed my view on the text and Sonny’s character immensely. When I read the text for the first time, I was able to empathize with Sonny. It wasn’t until later that I noticed my personal life correlate so closely with Sonny’s. Our classroom discussion really sparked this notion in me- to search my own feelings on my view of music. I am typically so concerned with the performing aspect of music, that I don’t spend much time thinking about how music is perceived. In class, we discussed how music is the way Sonny learns to communicate. It is the means in which he shows his true soul. I then recognized, music really does showcase the limitation of our words. We learn his brother is only mindful of Sonny’s feelings through hearing him play, and this is where he truly understands the depth of all that Sonny is.

I can completely relate to this feeling. Music has been a huge part of my life, and a passion I have held since I was just a ten year old girl. It is now my degree and will be my career in just a few short months. I am classically trained, so when I first learned how to play- a sheet of music is filled with notes. It is merely a sheet that you read, just like a book, but in a different language. The symbols would speak to me, and I would play what I learned. This is not the case now. When I read a piece of music I dive into it creatively. Rather than it being a sheet of notes with limitations, I see it as a blank canvas that I can fill with different colors. At one point, Sonny’s brother says, “Sonny. You hear me?” Sonny, says “I hear you. But you never hear anything I say.” Music truly is a way of communication, and conveys the emotions that words cannot express. It is the ultimate way of expressing yourself.  In being a musician, your ultimate goal is to be heard, to be understood, to be recognized.

Creative post- Letter to the Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor

My heart goes out to you; the mother of Carlos, Margaret, and Jimmy. It hurts for you, because you have abandoned any motivation you once had to live. I know there is so much I must learn about you, but from this piece of poetry I hear the cry a helpless woman. One who does not feel loved, but quite the contrary- vulnerable and controlled. My heart aches for you, a woman who rather than having a helper for a husband, has a man who has wounded the very person you were. Rather than feeling belittled, be there for the family in your life, strong and dependent on God. I understand freedom is one of the most highly valued qualities that any human will ever desire. However, don’t let the oppression you currently feel make you give up. I heard a quote today, “Don’t feel your way into actions, act your way into feelings.” Can death really seem better than living? I never quite understood that. Perhaps, it’s because I have the joy of the Lord in my life, and His peace that passes all of my confusion. You, can receive that to the fullest as well. I beg you to come down off of that thirteenth floor window. There is so much to live for! Life is a precious gift, and you will learn to see it that way. Please leave the past, and know that you have a great future in front of you. The voices that beg you to jump, are lies that are taunting you. The soft cries begging you to join the ground in which you stare at are deceiving you. Consider each of your children. My heart aches for your children, and for your parents with whom you share fond memories. You are a daughter, a mother, a wife, a friend to somebody.  I beg of you, don’t be selfish. Loneliness does not need to be the answer. You will appreciate the beauty in your life once again. Find your identity in the Lord. He is the answer for hope in your life.

-Nicole

Perhaps, Hills Like White Elephants stood out to me most because I found this text to be a challenge. Not only intellectually. No, it did not merely confuse me with its symbolism; it also dared me to wrestle with this text on a spiritual level. It stood out to me- because each of the short stories we have read, seem to encompass an unmistakable theme in the final closing stages of each piece. The underlying hints and motifs took some pondering on my behalf, but the meaning, the premise of each story is typically not difficult to discern. On the contrary, upon reading Hills Like White Elephants, I found myself at a loss trying to solve this intricately constructed puzzle. As I continued reading through to the last sentence, to the last period of the story; I felt as though I was absent-mindedly missing the point of this piece of literature. I became certain that some kind of answer was being concealed by the author. Upon a first reading, I challenged myself to read solely on my own. Yet, after a second read through, I allowed myself to utilize the textual links provided. Initially, I as the reader still felt somewhat perplexed by what the author was not exposing upon first glance. This was- until the word abortion seemed to nearly scream out to me from the text. It all made sense then.  The imagery was introduced immediately and then almost put on display for the audience to interpret. My faith pertains so heavily to this text. It breaks my heart to think that a young girl is contemplating such a daunting decision when there is not even a hint of hope her life.  As I mull over this story, I take with me this simple notion I have pondered. “What would I say to this young girl if I knew what she was considering at that moment?”