I liked this reading because it was more like a little story than another long essay assigned to me. It's good to change it up a little bit, and I think this came at just the right time. As far as what this was talking about--- I have no idea. It was interesting. I'll give it that. I know it was an interpretation of Hamlet, but that's about all I have. I'm looking forward to the presentation tomorrow, so that this can be explained in greater depth. -Amanda J.
Is it even legal for a Junior English major to have never read Hamlet before? Oops . . . guilty. I think I would much rather head to the Bush in Africa than sit down and read the play script though. I really enjoyed the anecdotal nature of this essay. Bohannan kept me interested in her story as well as her story within a story. I also really like that there is no explicit meaning from this passage. The reader gets to interpret the meaning for his or herself, and I truly appreciate that freedom.
While I was reading Bohannan's story, I wasn't sure where it was going to go in the beginning when she opened with the exchange between her colleague and herself. By the end of the story though, I had come to realize that maybe the things we English majors hold as absolute truths aren't necessarily true throughout the world. And then I got to thinking, "Do we even think that there is a universal truth?" I'm not sure that I do, especially after reading this essay. Culture is a huge barrier to overcome no matter how great of a writer a person is or how famous they are in their home country and neighboring countries. Even the use of the word "elder" and the different things it means in Africa and America stuck out to me. While elders deserve respect, they are not thought to be THE deciding voice or mind on an issue, and they certainly can't rival Shakespeare in North America.
I found this incredibly frustrating... If I were in her shoes, I couldn't have done it. Probably because I am incredibly hard headed and to be honest a bit closed minded. When the elders cut me off, I would have gotten pretty angry especially since it happened constantly and every time they would comment on the story it was always something that I personally call an outlandish claim.
One thing I learned is that the world is really not universal at all. It really depends on who you are talking to. Something I noticed that really kept showing up, is the disputes these elders were making were all about customs or beliefs. If you take into consideration all the different beliefs, customs, etc.. in the world there is no possible way that literature or ever oral storytelling will have the same universal meaning all across the world. It's pretty interesting to think of all the differences between all the people in the world but at the same time think of all the similarities. It really makes you wonder what other stories we have here in the US would be changed if interpreted by a different group of people. I could see Bambi getting completely switched up to where Bambi chases after the hunter that kills Bambi's father. Okay, maybe I am a little weird.
Honestly, I think her friend tricked her. I think he might have knew the customs of this African tribe and gave her a copy Hamlet because he knew it would violate and be considered wrong to the tribe. Thus, proving his point to here.
I liked this reading because it was more like a little story than another long essay assigned to me. It's good to change it up a little bit, and I think this came at just the right time. As far as what this was talking about--- I have no idea. It was interesting. I'll give it that. I know it was an interpretation of Hamlet, but that's about all I have. I'm looking forward to the presentation tomorrow, so that this can be explained in greater depth.
ReplyDelete-Amanda J.
Is it even legal for a Junior English major to have never read Hamlet before? Oops . . . guilty. I think I would much rather head to the Bush in Africa than sit down and read the play script though. I really enjoyed the anecdotal nature of this essay. Bohannan kept me interested in her story as well as her story within a story. I also really like that there is no explicit meaning from this passage. The reader gets to interpret the meaning for his or herself, and I truly appreciate that freedom.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading Bohannan's story, I wasn't sure where it was going to go in the beginning when she opened with the exchange between her colleague and herself. By the end of the story though, I had come to realize that maybe the things we English majors hold as absolute truths aren't necessarily true throughout the world. And then I got to thinking, "Do we even think that there is a universal truth?" I'm not sure that I do, especially after reading this essay. Culture is a huge barrier to overcome no matter how great of a writer a person is or how famous they are in their home country and neighboring countries. Even the use of the word "elder" and the different things it means in Africa and America stuck out to me. While elders deserve respect, they are not thought to be THE deciding voice or mind on an issue, and they certainly can't rival Shakespeare in North America.
I found this incredibly frustrating... If I were in her shoes, I couldn't have done it. Probably because I am incredibly hard headed and to be honest a bit closed minded. When the elders cut me off, I would have gotten pretty angry especially since it happened constantly and every time they would comment on the story it was always something that I personally call an outlandish claim.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I learned is that the world is really not universal at all. It really depends on who you are talking to. Something I noticed that really kept showing up, is the disputes these elders were making were all about customs or beliefs. If you take into consideration all the different beliefs, customs, etc.. in the world there is no possible way that literature or ever oral storytelling will have the same universal meaning all across the world. It's pretty interesting to think of all the differences between all the people in the world but at the same time think of all the similarities. It really makes you wonder what other stories we have here in the US would be changed if interpreted by a different group of people. I could see Bambi getting completely switched up to where Bambi chases after the hunter that kills Bambi's father. Okay, maybe I am a little weird.
Honestly, I think her friend tricked her. I think he might have knew the customs of this African tribe and gave her a copy Hamlet because he knew it would violate and be considered wrong to the tribe. Thus, proving his point to here.
BTW.... props on the pic. lol
ReplyDelete