Peggy's Blog

本網頁存在目的是為了推廣中央大學英美語文學系，藉由系上同學在林文淇老師所開設的「文學作品讀法」課程中所報告的簡報，讓其餘學生、高中生，可以更認識英文詩的奧妙與優美，進而體認到文學是可以細細品味，一輩子賞玩的。 本小組所探討的主題為 “Society”

 小組名單：

981002511 梁瑜芮

981002010 高楚函

981002509潘怡安

981002506 歐恩盈

The Unknown Citizen – A Harsh Accusation or a Simple Depiction?

981002009 林鈺菁

The Woman Warrior is very different from ordinary novels. I get a sense of achievement after finishing the book. However, honestly speaking, I don’t understand some of the plots in the book, such as White Tigers, the ape-man in Shaman and legends about China. Sometimes I can’t tell whether the description is real or unreal. I can’t follow the author all the time because the plot changes so quickly. Also, I am confused by the names which are hard to look up in the dictionary. They bother me while I am reading the novel. Although I encounter these obstacles, I still enjoy reading it. It reminds me some of the legends about China, though they are not always correct. According to Lili, that’s because Maxine Hong Kingston is Chinese-American. Via her novel, I understand taboos among Chinese women, the Communists, old villages in China, how the villagers live and how they gossip each other. She tries to show us the difference between Chinese culture and American culture. What’s more, immigrants are the leading roles in the novel. I realize the hardship of being an immigrant in America. They suffer from racism, sexism and capitalism. They have to work so hard that they can only have adequate clothing and food. Besides, they are striving to earn money in order to send money home. By doing so, their family can fly to America and settle down, having their reunion. The girl in A Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe forces a little girl to talk because she thinks the ability to talk is important. If she can’t talk, she will be bullied by those “ghosts.” The way she describes people as ghosts is s a special technique, creative and mysterious. In addition, I like the last paragraph on page206: “Here is a story my mother told me, not when I was young, but recently, when I told her I also talk story. The beginning is hers, the ending, mine.” It seems that she has learned how to talk story from her mother. In sum, it’s an interesting book. I’m glad I have finished reading it.

I went to Taipei and paid my high school classmate, Yuting, a visit on May 7. Actually, it was she that asked me for help: to be her model for her homework. She is a student of Shih Chien University, majors in clothes-designing. When I arrived at Taipei, she came to pick me up at the train station. Then, we went to her friend’s house by taxi. Two of her classmates helped me dress up (hair style and makeup). After dressing me up, we headed for Shih Chien University to take pictures. There were three style of clothing designed by Yuting. They are special because they were made of paper! How amazing! We started photographing after I put on the “clothes.” At first, I was very uneasy and didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, Yuting and her classmates helped me out by instructing me how to pose in a nice-looking way. In the process, I enjoyed being a model. I like the clothes and the experience of being under the spotlight. It’s fun to be a model. However, I know being a model is not that easy. Models are always losing weight and on a diet. They can’t enjoy delicacies to their content as normal people. They are afraid to see the number showed on the scale going up. Even so, if Yuting asks me for help again, I will say yes. I’m glad to help her. It’s an honor to be her model.

    Voyage 15840 is a photo book compiled by TIWA(Taiwan International Workers’ Association). Migrant workers,which can be viewed as immigrants, speak out their feelings via daily photographs and simple words. Through simple images and words, they try their best to reveal their interior thoughts to us. The book thus provides a chance for us to understand them more. I choose one of the stories from the book as my post.

    The story written  on page 48 draws my attention because of its unfamiliar look. The photograph was taken by Alice E. Dimzon, who is a factory worker. At first, you may think it is just a normal lunch box and there is nothing special about it. Later, as you take a closer look, it is easy to see that the drumsticks are much smaller and than usual. Significantly, the most meaty and delectable part is missing, I suspect that this has to do with discrimination and disrespect. You would not expect to see this normally in the restaurants in Taiwan. As to the lunch box itself, it looks boring because of its dull color. As a whole, it seems unpalatable. I would not have something like this personally.

It is vital to tell the difference between publicity and the pleasure which the product it advertises brings. Publicity is successful accurately because it feeds upon realities. It starts with undertaking a natural appetite for pleasure. However, it cannot provide the real things of pleasure. Also, there is no persuasive object for a pleasure in that pleasure’s own terms substituted for it. Publicity is never a praise of a pleasure-in-itself but always about the future buyer. It is about social relations, not the product itself. It brings the happiness of being envied, which is a solitary form of security. Sharing your experience with those who envy you will make you less enviable. The absent, unfocused look of the models in glamour images shows that they are sustained by the looks of envy.

 “You should never spend so much money on whatever you want. Earning money is not an easy task,” my mom said angrily. I was as silent as a winter cicada, listening to my mom’s lecture. After a while, she finally calmed down and murmured, “Please stop shopping for unnecessary things such as clothes and shoes. You have had lots of them already. You have food and clothing sufficient for your needs, much more sufficient than I did when being at your age. ” Then, she began to recall those hard days.

My father has two brothers, so-called, my uncles. The most junior one is the no name man in my family. He is a forty-year-old bachelor, who works for a building company in Taipei. We seldom saw him because he only comes back to Hualien when Chinese New Year is coming.

 He is tall, fit and swarthy because he is often exposed to the sun during his long-hour, laborious working days. His dark skin makes his exotic facial feature looks more alike foreigners from Southeast countries. In addition, he is a deaf-mute. That means he can’t speak and listen. Therefore, he is easily neglected because he can hardly join our conversations and interactions. While we are watching TV programs, he can only read the subtitles. While we are appreciating live performances on TV, he can only enjoy the soundless dancing. While we are talking happily and excitingly to each other during Chinese New Year, he can only guess what we are doing by observing our facial expressions and gestures. While we are chatting on the phone, he can only type text messages instead. The only way we can get along with him is by using body language and written words. We exchange messages by using eye contact, gestures, facial expressions and writing down what we want to say. However, I wonder whether he receive the definite messages.

Frankly speaking, I was shocked by the movie because there were a lot of bloody and violent scenes in the movie. I sympathized with Sethe profoundly because she led a tragic life. While being a slave in Sweet Home, she confronted sexual abuse and ill treatment. What’s more, she had no choice but to kill her children when she was found by the schoolteacher. She thought that she was trying to put her babies where they could be safe. Although it sounded cruel, I could understand why she was doing so. That’s because of her trauma in Sweet Home and the urgency to protect her children. That’s why she was so panic. She would rather see her children die than see them suffer from those sufferings. This showed that the life in Sweet Home was like nightmares. As for Denver, I thought she was a strong, independent and sensible girl. She didn’t run away with her brothers but stayed in the haunted house with her mother. In the latter part of the movie, she knew how to search for help while Sethe was seriously sick. She also knew how to take care of Beloved and get along with her since she believed that Beloved was a reincarnation of her sister. However, there were a few questions puzzling me after I saw the movie. First, why did Beloved force Paul D to have sex with her? And why did he scream painfully as if he were tortured. Second, why did Beloved disappear when a flock of people gathered in front of Sethe’s house? It really crept me out. Anyway, the movie showed us the misery aspects of slavery and the oppressions white men gave. What’s more important, it provided some issues for us to meditate on.

Last Wednesday evening, I was sitting on a bench on campus and watching people passing by. A lot people were walking past Hundred-Flower Stream Path. Some were carrying books on their hands. Others were dressed up nicely. Still others dressed freely and casually. There were students heading for different destinations, such as dormitories, library or Midnight Snack Street. Middle-aged people were walking their dogs leisurely or jogging along the wooden sidewalk. Some of them were wearing shorts and vests, especially those who are male. I also saw parents taking a walk with their children hand in hand. They were smiling and looking at their children affectionately. What’s more, they prevented their children from getting hurt by watching them closely and carefully. The old were chatting with each other cheerfully, drinking their tea. Their loud and sonorous voice could be heard in quite a long distance. It seemed that they were having a great time. A few boys were playing baseball on the lawn. When they struck a home run, they would shout out lout excitedly and wave their hands in the air. Under the sun, their skin glittered because of their sweat. The leaves of the trees fluttered in the breeze, creating varied shapes of shadow on the ground. As I was observing the shadows on the ground, I found several ants carrying a little piece of food. Probably they were going home and enjoying their meal. After spending some time observing the campus, I realized that I rarely got the chance to observe the surrounding on campus because I was usually busy attending  different classes. It’s a pity because our campus is really beautiful. No wonder so many newlyweds like to take their wedding pictures in NCU. In addition, sitting down somewhere on campus without talking with anyone or thinking anything is relaxing. Just look at the surroundings absorbedly, and you will find something interesting and things you never notice before!

Last night, I was chatting via msn with a new friend, who is a student of NCTU. He is interested in reading fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar. His favorite model is Gisele Bundchen. What’s more, he enjoys watching fashion shows or programs about fashion industry. Coincidentally, we both like America’s Next Top Model and Runway Diva Couch. He is really into fashion and knows much more brands than I do. He said he used to consider studying Fashion and Textile Design Department. By the way, his English is pretty good. In addition, he shared a few fashion show videos of Gucci, Dior and Versace with me. He surprised me a lot because he has so many videos about fashion show. To thank him, I gave him a few English songs I like as a gift. He was pleased because he hadn’t updated his music list for a long time. I hope we can chat more next time and I can’t wait to share my favorite songs with him!

Welcome to my blog. My name is Peggy. I’m from Hualien, which is famous for the Taroko National Park. Fresh air and majestic mountain scenery make this county beautiful. I’m a friendly and easygoing girl. In my free time, I enjoy listening to English songs. Avril Lavigne is my favorite singer. I love her because she is a talent singer. She can not only write lyrics herself but also play instruments such as piano, drum and guitar. She also starts to design clothes. As a fan, I show my loyalty by buying Abbey Dawn clothes. (AD is the name of her brand.) I also like the Cranberries, Kelly Clarkson and so on. Last semester, I joined the pop dance club. Therefore, I get to know a lot of new friends. This year, I’m going to join the same club because I want to improve my dance skills and make friends with more people. I think I need more practice because I’m not good at dancing. I hope I can dance freestyle one day. Freestyle is really cool. That’s my dream and I will stick to it.