sjbaldock

[sjbaldock]

Overall, I feel like the changes made by rearranging the lines, makes no sense. It ruins grammar and, especially in this passage that I chose, loses all meaning. It was quite difficult to pull anything out of this at all. From what I did pull out, I think that it doesn’t add to the meaning of what I wrote. But, I think the first one, can be perceived as something like what I already described the passage as being. Such that, Ahab’s movements are directly related to his thoughts, and since his movements are described as being nervous this section still conveys that. The second thing I pulled out kind of seems like it relates more to him being captain and that the steps and movements he is making are related to the ship that he has control over as a captain. The third goes back again to what I have already said that Ahab’s thoughts and feelings are connected to his motions. I think that the deformation ruins what Melville already wrote, and just makes the reading more confusing, so doing this does nothing significant to the passage. My attention is drawn to the disruption to grammar and the destruction of an already well-written piece that, without changing anything, provokes a lot of thought on its own. In all honesty, I wouldn’t do this to any other passage, for any other reading as well, mostly because I don’t see the point as it ruins all thought about the story at large. 

[sjbaldock]

I think that this passage represents this chapter as a whole because it sets the mood for the remainder of the chapter, and really for the following chapters. It explains how the colonel knows what he did might have consequences for, who knows how long. I think that the description of this wrongdoing, of burying the wizard and knowing that might have an impact on the livelihood of the family to come, is important for setting up the family situation because the family has many issues going on such as their downfall of wealth, and also with Hepzibah’s shop as she is having a really difficult time with starting it, which is probably in part to do with what Colonel Pyncheon did. It stands out from the rest of Chapter one and also the other chapters that follow, because the first chapter takes place in the past, and it is mostly describing the family and what is to come.

[sjbaldock]

2) "It was, as I have said, a fine [autumnal] day, the sky was clear and serene, and nature wore that rich and golden livery which we always associate with the idea of abundance."

"It was, as I have said, a fine [blooming] day, the sky was clear and serene, and nature wore that rich and golden livery which we always associate with the idea of abundance."

3) In "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" setting is a crucial element of the writing within this piece. Using the word "blooming" as a synonym for "autumnal" changes the meaning for the reader greatly. Blooming is usually used in spring and when nature begins to regrow after the winter. So using this instead makes the eerie and haunting feeling of the piece disappear and changes the mood of the story.

4) If we keep "autumnal" in use, it makes readers think more of fall and also of Halloween, which adds to the eerie and haunting feeling that I mentioned above, which is an integral part of this story. Also, "Autumnal" helps paint a picture in the reader's imagination, since, in itself, it's a very imagery-packed word.

[sjbaldock]

2) “A [termagant] wife may, therefore, in some respects, be considered a tolerable blessing; and if so, Rip Van Winkle was thrice blessed.”

“A[n overbearing] wife may, therefore, in some respects, be considered a tolerable blessing; and if so, Rip Van Winkle was thrice blessed.”

3) So “termagant" by definition means, "a deity erroneously ascribed to Islam by medieval European Christians and represented in early English drama as a violent character." (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Changing this word to "Overbearing" changes the meaning, for starters because it has a different definition, being defined as, "overpowering," "dominant," and also, "harshly and haughtily arrogant." (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Using overbearing instead, in my opinion, makes the sentence feel more like guesswork and less like a quote-on-quote factual statement. On top of this, the definition of "Overbearing" is lighter, in the matter that being arrogant isn't necessarily as bad as being "violent." The word "overbearing" can also play a role in making a reader think something along the lines of, oh, so the writer is just letting us know that Rip Van Winkle's wife is slightly more involved in his life than he may be comfortable with.

4) Using the original word in the sentence ("termagant"), makes the situation more serious. Because the definition of "termagant," claims that the character it's used to describe is violent, it makes it seem as though Rip Van Winkle's wife is being violent. It also helps show how patriarchal society can and will be. Describing women in these terms and how they are "teaching the virtues of patience and long-suffering," makes women seem inferior and like problems when that isn't always the case. As a whole, it signifies that Rip is leaving his home and his wife because of the torture that women provide to men in a domestic situation.

[sjbaldock]

The picture of the window area includes the blinds and the lamp. Both objects were in my dorm room before I moved in, therefore I see them as “indigenous” to my space. The picture of my wall shows the pictures and decorations that I put up when I moved in. Since they were not here before me, and I don’t come with the space, I classify the decorations as colonizing my space. Both the indigenous and colonizing objects work together day-in and day-out to make the space feel comfortable. The indigenous objects cannot be moved or replaced, but I still appreciate and respect them. And though my decorations have colonized the space, they don’t interfere with the lamp and the blinds. Likewise to the indigenous objects, I respect and appreciate the colonizing ones as well.

I think, looking deeper at this topic, it’s important to consider that people and things and colonize other areas without being destructive or displacing indigenous peoples or things, while also combining cultures and beliefs respectably and mutually.