English 104 - Introduction to Narrative
Monica Ruzicka
The Role and Validity of Words
Category: 2 Essay: Carroll, Twain, Faulkner, Sebold | Monica Ruzicka
Words play an essential role in any narration as they are meant to convey intangible thoughts or actions to aid the progression of events. However, when these very words that are meant to clarify become themselves a source of confusion and tension, their significance is lost in a torrent...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on December 09, 2003 at 09:25 AM
Lost innocence
Category: 10 Blog: The Lovely Bones | Monica Ruzicka
Susie’s rape and subsequent murder rob her of the innocence characteristic of any young girl. Still naïve and not yet willing to claim independence from her family, Susie dies with strong attachments to her parents and siblings. Her narration is voyeuristic as Susie watches her family members and friends...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on December 04, 2003 at 08:27 AM
Addie's grand entrance and departure
Category: 09 Blog: As I Lay Dying | Monica Ruzicka
Though a somewhat surprising presence, Addie’s monologue appears at a rather crucial point in the narration. Previously we knew her character only through the dialogue and inner monologues of others, gaining a subjective view through piecing together details that never quite formed an informed perspective. Not only does the...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on November 25, 2003 at 01:26 AM
The Nature of Being
Category: 08 Blog: As I Lay Dying | Monica Ruzicka
In the minds of her children, Addie Bundren’s death calls into question the nature of her existence. She loses a human identity and is forced to adopt other means of identity assigned by her children. Vardaman, young and innocently ignorant, likens his mother to the fish he caught earlier...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on November 18, 2003 at 08:35 AM
All for nothing
Category: 07 Blog: Huckleberry Finn | Monica Ruzicka
Perhaps the most disturbing fraudulence revealed at the end of the novel is the deception of Tom Sawyer, as his antics not only place Jim, Huck, and himself in unnecessary danger, but they also objectify Jim as a pawn in a scheming adventure. When Tom first showed interest in...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on November 11, 2003 at 08:05 AM
Socially inept
Category: 06 Blog: Huckleberry Finn | Monica Ruzicka
Life on the raft provides both Huck and Jim the opportunity to experience a sense of freedom that they would not be able to enjoy under the normal constraints of society and the social hierarchy that existed at the time. As a young boy and a runaway slave, they...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on November 04, 2003 at 07:55 AM
Huck and Heroism
Category: 05 Blog: Huckleberry Finn | Monica Ruzicka
Huck’s muddled conception of morality results from his undefined status in society, as he is not an orphan, per se, but he also does not have a settled residence and family. He experiences the rigid rules of life with the widow as well as the unruly lifestyle of his father,...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on October 28, 2003 at 07:42 AM
Contested Domination and Irresolute Love Affairs
Category: 11 Essay: James and Bronte | Monica Ruzicka
Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw and Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights explore the boundaries and limitations of framing and restaging. The implications of these repetitive incidences establish relationships between characters in such a way that they are better understood through their connections rather than in their solitude. Both James...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on October 23, 2003 at 01:23 AM
Frustrated Communication
Category: 04 Blog: Alice in Wonderland | Monica Ruzicka
“A Caucus-Race and a Long Tale” (Chapter Three) frustrates communication in such a way that both the initial misinterpretation of words and the consequential misunderstanding of their implications are inevitable. Ambiguous dialogue welcomes a play on words in which homonyms and homophones are the primary cause of this blocked...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on October 07, 2003 at 01:09 AM
Catherine and her mother as one
Category: 03 Blog: Wuthering Heights | Monica Ruzicka
As time passes at Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights, Catherine knows her mother solely through her father’s and Nelly’s recollections. She is disconnected from her mother’s former presence and memory in such a way, that she is more able to adopt eerily similar actions and relations. Thus, over time, Catherine...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on September 30, 2003 at 08:28 AM
Nelly's questionable intent
Category: 02 Blog: Wuthering Heights | Monica Ruzicka
Any narration is fashioned so that truth cannot be extracted with absolute certainty. In the case of Nelly, time and personal biases guide her tale, forcing the reader to question her true intention. As with any circumstance drawn from memory, one must question the accuracy of her dialogues and the...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on September 23, 2003 at 08:34 AM
Visual Framing
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Monica Ruzicka
The governess’s introduction to Bly yields her first instance of self-framing. In the excitement of her new position, she gives an account of examining herself in a mirror, stating that “for the first time [she] could see herself from head to foot” (12). This instance not only allows the...
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on September 16, 2003 at 08:06 AM
Practice blog
Category: Monica Ruzicka
Practice blog ten times over.Practice blog ten times over.Practice blog ten times over.Practice blog ten times over.Practice blog ten times over.Practice blog ten times over.Practice blog ten times over.Practice blog ten times over.Practice blog ten times over.Practice blog ten times over....
entire entry
Posted by mruzicka on September 11, 2003 at 08:58 AM