Zain Naeem
Journal Assignment 1
Journal Prompt #1: Write a one-paragraph response to the literature that you brought into class
today – it can be a personal response, critical response, surface read, or close read.
The count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas is a story of revenge written in 1844.
Revolves around a man named Edmond Dantes who starts the story off as a humble shipwright,
whose life spirals downwards due to others' ambitions and envy. He is framed for a crime he
didn't commit and thrown into prison, the only thing keeping him going is his desire for
vengeance, after his escape, he comes into a lot of wealth and uses it to exact an elaborate plan
on his enemies. The narrative does delve into a deeper question of happiness, what keeps people
going, social status, and the morality of revenge. Was Edmond happier when he lived a humble
life or when he was a rich aristocrat avenging himself? Why was the need for revenge so
important to him? Was he morally right?
Journal Prompt #2: Using the strategies learned today about academic paragraphs, please rewrite
your first paragraph into an academic style one. If the original piece of literature does not lend
itself to an academic analysis, feel free to choose a new one!
Edmond Dantes actions, thoughts, and philosophies are heavily influenced by Faria a
man he meets in prison who fills in the father role for Edmond once he is cast out of his old life,
showing him the harsh truths of reality, explaining to him how he was framed, who he was
framed by and why removing Edmond from his naive world view and showing how people can
act when their goals and ambitions conflict with his. You can say he plays the role of father even
better than Edmond’s biological father who hid the fact that he was starving himself to pay back
Edmond’s debts, trying to downplay the harshness of the real world. Faria gives him a new
purpose in life as well as shows him the difference between good and evil and like a father
would, he sets him up on the path for his revenge by giving him wealth and helping him escape
from prison.
Journal Prompt #3 Read "Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper", by Charlotte Perkins Gillman:
How does the article impact your interpretation of the story? Why?
When I first read the short story “ the yellow wallpaper”, id have to say I didn’t enjoy it,
there’s an element of insanity not only in the narrative itself but in the theme, kind of like it’s
trying to make you crazy, by the repetition, the visual it puts in your head the downward spiral of
the main character. So after reading “why I wrote the yellow wallpaper” it transformed my idea
of how the story is supposed to be interpreted. This isn’t a fantasy story or a fun read, it’s a story
with a purpose to put you in the shoes of someone insane, to make you feel insane so you can
understand it from that perspective. To change people’s views like the doctors who changed his
methods after he read it and the girl who it ended up helping by showing her family what she is
going through. It’s a story of real human experience even though it is fiction, it uses fiction to
send a real message.
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Journal Assignment 1
Journal Prompt #4: Which of the two stories, Death of the Moth or How to live to be 200,
resonated with you more? Pull examples from the texts to support your answers.
How to live to be 200 by Stephan Leacock resonated with me more, the entire message
about not worrying and getting worked up over things you can't control, really fits my
personality. I tend to wake up last minute if at all, also careless about diet, exercise, and
sometimes cleanliness. The overall comedic tone of the short story was also enjoyable to read.
The example he gives of Jiggins dying at an early age even though he lived the lifestyle of a
health manic, though not complete evidence against the lifestyle he criticizes, tells you nothing is
promised so why overly obsess over something that is out of your hands for the most part.
Journal Prompt #6– Music as poetry analysis activity – handout given in class
Task 1 - Song name: Street Lights by Kanye West
Surface read: The song takes place with Kanye in a cab driving down a street, reflecting
on his life and the speed at which he is going through life.
Task 2 - The song uses street lights as a metaphor for moments, experiences, and opportunities in
his life, and driving is a metaphor for aging. Quickly passing the street lights Kanye is saying
how fast he is going through life without stopping to appreciate the moments and not taking
advantage of the time he has. The symbolism of the street is his life so far, representing how he is
not at his destination yet, he doesn't feel like he has accomplished his goal. The contrasting of the
idiom “ things ain't always set in stone” in the opening verse sets the theme of trying to grow out
of difficult situations.
Task 3 - There's a melancholy tone about growth and lost opportunity and a depressing slow beat
with a lot of drum beats called 808s, which works well with the lyrics both lending to the
melancholy atmosphere of life moving blindingly fast also the use of autotune and distortion to
make the song purposefully sound cold and robotic. The album that this song was on is called
808s and heartbreak with 12 sad songs over drum beats (808s) using the same vocals to create a
body of work that fits together like one long song, trying to emulate the theme of a book or
movie.
Task 4 - The song as well as the entire album 808s and heartbreak had an enormous influential
impact in music and especially in the rap scene credited by many publications like rolling stones
and peers for its impact. It created a new sub-genre of hip-hop-infused with pop that is still going
on today, the use of autotune and heavy drums in modern-day rap music is credited to this album
but more importantly, the album made it popular to make sad songs and be more emotional. The
song Street lights is overshadowed by the success of the album as a whole mostly due to it being
Zain Naeem
Journal Assignment 1
more a part of a greater art of work. I choose this song because of the relatability and impact on
my own life, the idea of knowing where you want to be in life making it hard to just enjoy the
ride and just say you'll get there when you get there.
Journal Prompt #7: Which of the two poems did you like more, Musee des Beaux-Arts? Or
Landscape With the Fall of Icarus? Why?
I enjoyed Musee des Beaux-Arts more, although both poems share the ideas of suffering
and empathy, Musee des Beaux-Arts has more depth and is more direct in its approach. The idea
that the world is largely indifferent to suffering and our lack of empathy to it is reflected in the
poem and it resonated with me because we see a lot of it today, a good example would be the
suffering of Nations all over the world getting little attention and aid due to humans lacking
empathy and care for things that don't affect them.
Journal Prompt #8: Include your answer to the three questions you chose about the Prufrock
poem (it is okay to have the same answer as a partner here).
Line 1-15: Identify two similes
When the evening spread out against the sky like a patient etherized upon a table.
The evening and sky are being compared to an anesthetized patient lacking life, feeling, and
comfort, creating a mood of dullness, lifelessness, and discomfort.
Stress that flow like a tedious argument of insidious intent
The streets are being compared to a tedious argument with insidious intent which describes a
confusing street that makes it seem like it is intentionally trying to make you lose your sense of
direction.
Line 51: what does the speaker mean
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons
In this line, the speaker is reflecting on how he has lived his life coming to the idea that he has
lived what he was going to live and coming to the conclusion that it was dull and unfulfilling.
Line 85: who/what is the “eternal Footman”
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker.
Zain Naeem
Journal Assignment 1
The eternal Footman represents death and at the end of his day when he hangs up his coat, the
speaker sees death mocking him for living a meaningless, unheroic life.