Voting

            Today in class, before we finally wrapped up the final story in Winesburg, Ohio, we got off topic for a little bit of time and began to discuss politics. I believe last night there was a republican debate on television, and that is how the discussion began. I began to think about how little I actually know about politics, and that scares me. I will be 18 by next November, and that means that I will have a say in who will be the next President of the United States. Forming that important decision will take time and energy that I certainly have not began to spend. I should really tune into the debates when they are on TV, read up on my candidates (I only know that Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders are running) or at least read an article or two. I do not know much of anything about any candidates political policies. I have only been entertained by sound bites from Donald Trump and headlines saying that Hillary Clinton is headed to jail because of her emails.

            It is fortunate that I have until next November to educate myself so I will be able to make an informed decision on who I want in office. I do not know if the high cost of college is something that is up for debate, but I would certainly be interested in finding out. Pretty soon that is a problem that will be extremely relevant to me. Getting off topic and going off on this tangent today was actually very productive for me.

Language is Definitely not Transparent

As we continue our reading of Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson, I am continually amazed by how every little detail in this book is symbolic, and everything a character does reveals something about who they are. Language is truly not transparent and that is the way Anderson intended it to be. I think this makes reading the book very difficult to understand, but it also makes discussing the book much easier and much more valuable. It always helps to discuss a challenge read, but, in Winesburg, Ohio, it is essential because of the fact that every word in the stories must be understood to truly understand the story.

For example, a detail as simple as the name of a character or the title of the story holds great meaning. In Godliness, the titles of parts three and four are surrender  and Terror respectively. These two words perfectly sum up the legacy of Jesse Bentley and the way he has completely ruined his own life, his wife's life, his daughter's life, and his grandson's life. In Respectability, the name of the character that is a grotesque is Wash. This is ironic because he is described as a physically grotesque and dirty man. Also, when you read the story, you see that, before the incident with his mother in law, you see his intentions were once clean like his hands. After the incident, needs to wash his filthy misogynistic attitude. All this is drawn from the calculated use of three words.

Reading With Psychoanalysis

We have finally begun studying our first book in English class and so far it has been interesting. We have had strong discussions in class about Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson. Much of our discussion has been about psychoanalysis of the character in the stories. This is very easy to do because Sherwood Anderson is one of the first writers to consciously use Freudian psychology as symbolism in literature. You could have a theory that Hamlet had issues with his oedipal complex, but Sherwood Anderson 100 percent intended to put the oedipal complex in with any characters that reference their parents. You must read the stories with notes on defense mechanisms and psychoanalysis by your side to understand the way these characters are acting.

For example, I was confused why Wing Biddlebaum would always pound his hands against walls and tree stumps while talking to George. I thought it would make sense that Wing would be comfortable enough to rest his hands while talking to the one person in town that he feels remotely comfortable with. When looking at the pounding of his hands as the defense mechanism displacement, you see that he pounds his hands because he cares about George. Though he will not hurt George by touching him, Wing thinks that his hands touching him is wrong, so he displaces the want and anger about touching by pounding his hands against anything in sight.