Cassi's World Literature Blog!

 I think it will probably be a popular opinion, but I definitely think Isak is a lot more likable than Hansu. Looking back at our class discussion last week, Sunja's relationship with Hansu started off in a rather manipulative way, and only continued to get worse. Isak, on the other hand, started off treating her with respect and kindness. He follows the more "traditional" path of marriage during that time, where they did not interact much before their marriage. Although today we may find this odd, I wonder if at the time, this adds more to his respectful and kindhearted character. I think Lee's decision to have Isak and Hansu look quite similar on first glance, with both wearing "Western" style suits, being from Osaka, and having relationships with Sunja, helps emphasize the differences in their characters even more. Even when Sunja compares their touches, she describes Isak's as more "gentle" and explains that Hansu never approached it this w...

 In reading this first section of Pachinko, something that really stood out to me was the difference between how life was for Koreans in Korea vs in Japan. This was, honestly, a historical event I knew very very little about. For me, I think this is why it was so interesting to see this contrast. In Korea, Sunja is part of what seems to be a family at the upper end of the lower class. She works very hard but is treated with respect and kindness for the most part. She lives with many boarders in her house, but the house itself is well-built and respectable. In contrast, when she first arrives in Osaka and sees the area where all the Korean people live, she is shocked by the conditions. The house seems to be self-constructed and is a lot smaller than what she is used to. She comments on the smell and just the overall look of the community. Here, she is immediately put in the lowest class just for being Korean. It is even more shocking to learn that this home is considered high-end....

 I think Equiano ends his narrative quite impactfully. He includes letters, and a closing argument, which I think both serve a purpose in bringing his message to his audience.  The letters he includes help, once again, to vouch for his own character. This helps the audience see the credibility of the information they just read. Perhaps more importantly, however, I think the letters serve as a vehicle to put Equiano's text in conversation with the larger world and the Abolition movement as a whole. He includes a presentation to the Queen, letters he wrote to lords, and more. Here, he is directly addressing the government, bringing them into the scope of the audience. He ends with a compelling closing argument, offering reasons why it would be in the audience's benefit to abolish the slave trade. I find it interesting that his argument seems to hinge on the economic benefits, as this shows that he was really taking his audience into consideration. Throughout his travels, he obse...

 I thought the Equiano group did a great job in their presentation, and I definitely learned a lot that I didn't know before. Something that stood out to me most was John's discussion on the conditions in the Middle Passage. Reflecting on this in the context of Equiano's narrative, I think it serves as a further testament to the impressiveness of Equiano's journey. He survives this Middle Passage and continues on to lead a even more fruitful life. I think it shows Equiano's strength as well, as he makes it through the Middle Passage and still has the energy and stamina to serve a master, continue to fight for his freedom, etc. If I imagine myself in Equiano's shoes, with the information that John gave us, I honestly doubt I would have survived the trip across the Atlantic. If I was able to make it to the destination, I certainly would not be in the condition where I would be ready to work, and I would feel very hopeless.  I think, overall, the deep dive into the...

 I wanted to choose this prompt for my blog post this week because, honestly, I have basically not started my final project. I chose the topic very early in this quarter, choosing a printing press to research, but after that I haven't actually done any research yet. I was a part of the Grenville group, so that project became my central focus, and the final project kind of got pushed to the side. I know getting started is the hardest part, but it is feeling particularly hard right now.  If anyone who has dove into research has any advice, it would be greatly appreciated! For example, I know Michelle suggested meeting with Kelci to find resources. Has anyone done this? Did you have to come prepared with any prior knowledge or would this be a good starting point? Has most of your research been on databases so far? Any other general tips? 

 Our visit to the Archives and Special collections today was really interesting! It was cool to get to take a closer look (literally) at how things were written and printed. Something that stood out to me was the printing of images. Seeing the evolution from hand-painted to woodblock to the metal engraved plates was really interesting to me. It reminded me of a stamp you would use in a scrapbook or something, and I wonder why they didn't use the rubber material we see in stamps nowadays?  I think print history and literary history exist on very connected tracks. We discussed some of the same things here that we did when we discussed literary history, such as the Cuneiform tablet and the King James Bible. Looking at one particular text, for example, the different editions of the text would connect directly to both literary and print history. How was is edited? Where was it printed? By who? When? These questions are important, and I think often overlap in the categories of both ...

 I know I was in the Grenville group, but as Eloise and Andrew were on the technology team, I did not really get a chance to look at StoryMap as a platform in great detail.  Exploring our project once they had put it together was a really enjoyable experience for me. I think, compared to Neatline, StoryMap is a lot more visually appealing platform. I enjoy the images and how it can move in a more specific, designated order. However, on the other hand, I think a merit of Neatline is that there is no specific order. The user can choose to navigate the maps and waypoints as they please, while on StoryMap that is a bit more difficult.  Something else I enjoy about Neatline that we didn't see on StoryMap was the polygons. I liked being able to designate certain regions instead of a specific location, and I'm not sure if this is something that can be accomplished on StoryMap. I think I would like viewing and working with StoryMap better, but Neatline has more detailed options. ...

 I just finished reading the first three chapters of Olaudah Equiano's novel, and honestly it is a bit of a tough read for me. I have always struggled comprehending and understanding historical texts, and this has been no different. I think something that is interesting to me in this text is how matter-of-factly Equiano writes. For me, it is bit jarring to be in the middle of reading a seemingly uninteresting passage about crops and then have the sudden contrast of a horrific event/death with little shift in tone. This almost emphasizes the normalcy of these atrocities, however. The fact that Equiano can so casually mention tragic events shows the commonality of these during the life of an enslaved person.  Something that also caught me a bit off guard was Equiano's age. When I imagine slaves in the slave trade, I usually think of them as young adults or grown men. I must have missed it at the beginning because I remember being shocked when Equiano arrived at a new location an...