Dialectic Notebooks Reveal Connections New and Old

Dialectic notebooks have quickly skyrocketed to be one of my favorite forms of English discussion. Writing sideways on lined paper is something like a guilty pleasure for me, and the columns were a fun way to see everyone's opinion on a topic. There was plenty of material open for discussion: David Brooks's article, Wendy Wasserstein's introduction, Daisy Miller, and The Age of Innocence. The group I was in was able to talk about points from every single one of these works, often on each notebook. This activity was also great because of the freedom to shoot off in any direction. A question posed about the humanity in Frist killing adopted pets turned into musing over Newland Archer's tragic flaw. Speaking of which, no conclusion was reached on that matter - anyone have an opinion? Another connection the class discussed was how Belle Meade is very similar, almost a modern update, of the old New York that Wharton wrote about. Wasserstein too pointed out the ways old New York society is still relevant. One of my favorite topics to dive into was MBA. Brooks's evaluation of it was interesting to compare to our own perceptions of our brother school. Overall, I enjoyed learning about the multitude of connections, opinions, perspectives, and discussions that can come from these works, whether or not our group actually answered each other's posed questions or went off in a new direction.

James's Use of Punctuation in Daisy Miller

Hey Fellow D Blockers –

            Here is a quick overview of last class. We learned two vital things: Henry James was a psycho but an amazing and complex writer. Although he faked an injury to get out of serving in the war and threw his ex-lover’s clothes in a canal, James pioneered the writing style of physiological realism. In Daisy Miller, his use of punctuation, syntax, and settings of scenes were descriptive enough so that the audience can learn about the characters even without dialogue. James’s use of punctuation – a slew of semicolons and commas – illustrates the rapid speed of Winterbourne’s thoughts while on the steamboat. Winterbourne seemed to always be jumping from one conclusion to the next about Daisy Miller without ever stopping to breathe. James’s careful construction of syntax with negative constructions of Daisy and then positive realizations shows she is not fitting Winterbourne’s distinct categories of provincial women. Also, the setting on the water is an escape from society. The passengers’ views are always changing, reflecting Winterbourne’s inconsistent view of Daisy. The water is a symbol of rebirth for Winterbourne and Daisy’s perspective of each other as well.

“The Poets of D Block”

She is –

A tempest in a teapot.

A soul for sale.

The middle of the play.

Crayons melted under the hot sun.

A complex variable in a math problem.

That elderly woman who pretends to be deaf.

A folded note hidden in the joint of a cabinet.

A patchwork heart:

One scrap exudes lilting laughter,

Another left bitter by betrayal.

Faulty – yet not lacking.

Ambivalent about running.

Afraid of saying the wrong thing -

But loves uncomfortable conversations.

Standing on a point circumscribed by homes

Which one she belongs to is the question.

She is Italian, the Big Apple, the endless

Tobacco fields of Arkansas.

A little white lie, no big deal.

A girl, a student, a daughter, a sister

With much to say,

And still trying to find her voice to speak out.

She dreams of the time she is out in the world –

Making her mark in history.

Sound out, mighty Muse

Ring through me the echoes of this girl

The birth hour of the girl in transit.