Fiction Chapter

Rubie Beltrán 

Prof. Cynthia Pittmann

Intermediate English 3104-134

31 may 2018

Fiction Chapter 

   Like every other literary fiction (or even non-fiction) story, graphic fiction will always feature a main character. Of course, it is up to the author himself if they want to feature more than one central character, since graphic fiction is mainly tricky in that aspect because to some it may seem like every detail is important in a graphic fiction image. The visual elements are the key to any graphic story. The elements and detailing in graphic literature creates these interactions with the characters in scene and with the readers to engage in understanding what the author is trying to convey through the images and dialogue. The most important elements used by an artist are the characters facial expressions and overall body language as to accurately portray human qualities. "An image is worth more than a thousand words." This quote brings truth to this matter since you can tell just by looking at how a character is feeling or maybe even predict how they will feel as the story progresses. 

   Graphic literature, to me, is a work of carefully thought out art pieces. It has a meaning behind. It may not show from the first look because the beauty of art is always the hidden messages and it is always exciting to try and decipher the author's meaning. On the other hand, I think it is equally stimulating to just look at images and appreciate the author's work of art because often times we want to look at beautiful images, not really meaning to analyze it. And I feel as if authors have many different styles pertaining the images because they are all different. I believe the author's main idea is always to tell a story and by telling a story they are also using different sets of imagery to catch the reader's attention.

   Of course, the styles are very important in regards to matching the overall plot in each graphic. As I've said, every author has a different style and methods when creating a graphic. Some may decide that they want their graphic to be black and white to convey a certain emotion or even a time period, for example, the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman, it is completely black and white, even though I've yet to confirm this, I believe was trying to contrast the past in his graphic memoir. Or when reading a very vivid and colorful graphic novel such as Paper Girls by Bryan K. Vaughan, the colorful images seem to draw you in and intrigue you further on until the very end, and you still feel the urge to skim through the pages to see how every color interacted with the characters and such.

   Overall, graphic novels are amazing to have around on your reading list or on a bookshelf in your house. I've yet to delve into the graphic novel "hype" but I very much get the appeal towards them and how effectively stimulating it is to train your eyes as if looking for clues to a puzzle you are trying to figure out.

5 Insights On MAUS

Rubie Beltrán

Prof. Cynthia Pittmann

Intermediate English 3104-134

31 may 2018

Five Insights Into MAUS by Art Spiegelman

These are the most interesting insights that I found on the assigned reading, MAUS by Art Spiegelman.

1. Cat and mouse metaphor - In the reading there is a clear and literal depiction of the Nazis and Jews, the Nazis being the cats and the Jews as mice. These personifications make you see the reality of how abusive the Nazis were to the jews, they hunted them as prey and killed them off without any sort of inhibition. They viewed the jews as mere rodents that could serve for their own ghoulish amusements. Only a few of these “mice” survived the deadly claws of death, like in the case of Vladek Spiegelman. 
2. Black and white images - the representation of colors is non-existent in the images of the graphic except for the outside cover. Otherwise, this graphic is purely black an white. My interpretation of this fact is that it emphasizes how the Spiegelman is trying to parallel the past of his father. To me, colors mean life and vivid images that draw your attention specifically to the colors and create this sort of ethereal feeling. In comparison, being presented with black and white images gives off a more somber feeling, like nothing good is about to happen, because, in reality, nothing good happened in the war with the Nazis. 
3. Grammar/dialogue - more than the grammar itself, it’s the way that Art Spiegelman depicts his father’s way of speaking. Sentences like, “I was very religious, and it wasn’t else to do.” (54) or “These I saved from red cross package. Always I saved… just incase!” (63) make you feel more connected to the character, to Vladek Spiegelman. It is contrasted that he is not American but a Polish Jew man that migrated to the United States to seek for safety that had not been granted in their country if they had stayed there. At first, I wasn’t aware this graphic was based on true events in Spiegelman’s personal life. I think we tend to forget that fact, this was based on his father’s experiences and of course, he would not want to write perfect grammar or deliver a perfect way of speech because that is real life, at its rawest and finest way. 
4. Vladek Spiegelman - Vladek Spiegelman is definitely an interesting character, most of all his personality was my favorite. The way his said simple sentences or the way he narrates his own story, is in some sort of way, entertaining. At first, I thought that the graphic would be very dark and not something you would smile about because many of these Holocaust survivors tend to have post-traumatic disorders (I am not saying he doesn’t) yet I found myself entertained mostly by Vladek’s personality and mannerisms. Pages like 52, 54, 67, 68 and 69 are the most memorable of Vladek’s personality in the graphic novel.
5. Diary/journal - One of the many things that drew me into reading the graphic novel was the style of it. It was like finding an old diary and reading it profusely but with images. Spiegelman’s style feels very accurate in the way it is presented, especially the scenes where he returns to “present” time like pages 130 through page 133. I believe this is one of the many attributes of this graphic novel that makes the readers sympathize and create a bond with the characters. 

Play Reflection

Rubie Beltrán

Prof. Cynthia Pittmann

Intermediate English 3104-134

10 May 2018

Play Experience Reflection  

   My experience working with my group to develop the play was very fun, at first I thought it was very fun, at first I thought it was going to be stressful trying to come up with a plot line but when Jan suggested we should do the plot of the play based off of a poem he had read, the road to writing a play seemed smoothed. I think the part we enjoyed more as a group was pitching each other ideas on how the characters should be and act, like the characters of Richard Cory and Dee Sion that were our main character. My character in the play was Maid Scullion, her name originates from scullery maids that only worked in kitchens in older times. Scullion is a very flat character in the play, she mostly had one liners like, “Ah, welcome back Richard. How did work go?” Or when she asks Richard when he plans on having children, “Well Richard, you’re 38 now… the time for a heir is getting pretty close.” and so on, all this dialogue happens in act 1, scene 5. The main purpose of our script was to convey the struggles of Richard Cory and how he was dealing with his depression. Depression is a silent killer and I believe that this is what happened to him and even though had everything life could offer and hope for (such as wealth), he still felt the pressure of one doubting your own self, your own identity. Everything just kept getting overwhelmingly hard to acknowledge the truth there was something missing in his life, happiness, so he decided that best way out of life’s misery was to rob himself of life.

   My overall experience with this assignment had it’s fun moments but it definitely had those stressful moments as well. Developing the script was the fun part in my opinion. The stressful and most definitely challenging part was trying to convey emotion or credibility into a character because I am simply no actor and I find myself being betrayed by nerves and people watching me. Even so, I still believe I could’ve done a better job at portraying Scullion, even if she was a flat character. The insights I gained into this assignment were that I could never be a script writer, I am solely bound to writing stories or novels, and that acting isn’t an easy job at all and I bow down to my fellow group members for doing an astounding job while doing their characters’ portrayal.

Work Cited 

Pittman, Cynthia. Class Assignment. Play Experience Reflection. UPRRP 10 May 2018.

Play vs. Story

Rubie Beltrán

Prof. Cynthia Pittmann 

Intermediate English 3104-134

8 May 2018

Play Vs. Story  

My first impression while comparing Trifles and A Jury Of Her Peers written by Susan Glaspell was that there wasn’t much of a difference plot wise. The structure of both play and story stayed in the perimeters of taking action in one place. The setting was developed inside the farmhouse of the deceased John Wright where they were investigating his sudden death by a rope around his neck. It was suggested by George Henderson (county attorney) and Henry Peters (sheriff) that Wright’s wife, Minnie Fosters was the perpetuator of the crime, yet they never find the means to truly make her the murderer. While the county attorney and the sheriff were investigating themselves, their wives, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale were collecting their own evidence, and what they found was the truth.

Inevitably, the play has a different type of structure in comparison to the story, the play is divided by the character’s individual line which can make a reader question more about what’s happening with each individual character, while the story focuses more on describing characters feelings or motives, there is much more description to help the reader understand where the characters are coming from and what the plot is about. I think both play and story have effective ways of making the situation interesting for the reader to keep on reading until the very end, the fact that the woman were being overestimated by their fellow men was the most empowering thing to read. To me it just shows how much men have oppressed and devaluated woman through decades. My favorite part of the play and story was the foreshadowing of Mrs. Hale’s and Mrs. Peters when they suggested to the men that Minnie Fosters had actually done the crime or that she wasn’t really happy living with Mr. Wright. They said things like “Mens hand aren’t always as clean as they might be.” (572). and when they would look at each other, like they knew everything that was going on without even having to say it directly, “There was a moment when they held each other in a steady, burning look in which there was no evasion nor flinching.”(581).  Even though I believe that both structures of play vs. story are very effective, I cannot help but to be biased by choosing the story version of “Trifles”. I think the major reason why I am so inclined to the story version is because I love detail and character development. The story gave you more details into the characters and the relationship of these. For example, the sudden “friendship” between Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. They started out as people who simply knew about each other, to conspiring camaraderies in a secret that they clearly never wanted to be discovered. Their siding with Minnie Fosters was enlightening to read about because woman are taught to fight and compete against each other, but here is completely different.

As for character development, I really like Mrs. Peters development during the story. She started out as this very shy soft spoken woman, the wife of a sheriff. “She was small and thin and didn’t have a strong voice.” (568). This description of  Mrs. Peters was at the very beginning, giving us the image that she wouldn’t really be a key character to the story, but I liked how her character smoothly took a turn from seeming small to brave and firm. I believe the triggering factor of her change was when county attorney teased her saying that she was “married to the law.” Later on the two women decide to clean and not leave any evidence behind for them to find. “For a moment Mrs. Peters did not move. And then she did it. With a rush forward, she threw back the quilt pieces, got the box, tried to put in her handbag.” (581).

In conclusion even though I did like both structures, for me the most effective one was the story. Characters to me are very important in a story, they can make or brake it even in my opinion. Yet Susan Glaspell knew how to perfectly convey her characters through her short story as she described them and developed their relationships, specially the woman, who were phenomenal. 

Works Cited 

Glaspell, Susan. “A Jury of Her Peers.” Literature for Composition, 11th ed., edited by  

               Sylvan Barnet et al, Pearson, 2017, pp. 567-81.

- - - Trifles. Literature for Composition, 11th ed., edited by Sylvan Barnet et al, Pearson, 
   

                   2017, pp. 558-67.

Hanexi Pérez Ramírez
Professor Cynthia Pittmann
ENGL 3103-134
10 March 2018

Play and Performance Reflection

The designment and performance of the play as a group was an excellent activity to the integration of different points of views and ways of thinking. In the play all of the group members were able to present their thoughts and use it to compose a wonderful play. My personal experience with my group was an excellent one, I could rate it, in a scale from one to ten, with a nine. We were so responsible and dedicated to make an admirable work, the realization of a good play was our primary goal. I rate it with a nine because although I consider we make a really good job our performance of the play couldn’t be as be planned. An irregular week limit us to exploit our time at maximum, we couldn’t practice our performed at least one time. Even though, we made our best effort to write an excellent script and we gave our best in the performance. One of the things that we really enjoyed during the whole project was the naming and the plot of our play. 

My role in this play project was to perform a character named Major Alcalde, I was the Major of the protagonist’ s town. I represent the high-class sector of which was surrounded the   supposed prosperous bank owner, Richard Cory.  My role character is classified as a static character since he didn’t suffer any change or improvement along the play. An evidence of my declarations could me the line in which Major Alcalde requires the monetary sponsor of the Cory’s Family to realize the town fair.  Major Alcalde says, “As you know Richard, the town fair will soon be upon us and as tradition goes I hope that the Cory’s will be one of the sponsors that help host the event?”. 

Like I said before, our objective as a group was to make a worthy play. To achieve that objective, we had to establish a clear purpose in which we centered our scripts. Our main purpose with our scripts was to demonstrate that even though you are triumphant or successful in the material and external terms, the most important thing is to be a triumphant person in your interior. What is it worth to have a prosperous job, earning lots of money and have a fancy life if in your inside you are empty or unhappy? The protagonist of our play is a perfect example of someone who have it all but isn’t satisfy or comfortable with his emotions. After explaining our play purpose, I consider that we accomplish our purpose since we forge an interesting performance which captivate the attention of our public and it could make them reflect about their internal achievements. In addition, I think that the message was completely clear at the twist point of the plot story when the bank owner kills himself. 

In conclusion, it was a really nice and instructive experience which helps to get to consider other ways to make the things. The group project is always very advantageous experience if are well administrated and the members are really dedicated.  One of my insights of this project as a writer was that I can spread out my ideas even more just examining my arounds more carefully. The idea that guide us to make our play was a simple song that one of my peers remembers, that was the origin of our whole play and we were adding to it a few more thoughts to make it even better. My point is that many people could be excellent writers just if they think their surroundings a little bit.

Work Cited

Pittmann, Cynthia. Class Assignment. Play and Performance Reflection. UPRRP 10 May 2018

Hanexi Pérez Ramírez
Professor Cynthia Pittmann
ENGL 3103-134
6 March 2018

Comparison between “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell

     After reading the two lectures written by Susan Glaspell, titled “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers”, it’s possible to notice many similitudes and some remarkable differences. Both lectures are in literary context the same one, both have the same plot and message but, the main difference is the structure in where they were written. “Trifles” have a play structure in which every character has a line and stage instructions, it’s the constant dialogue between the characters which developed the plot of the story. In a play the actions and gestures of the character are a key part to understand the intention and the real purpose of their words. Instead, “A Jury of Her Peers” is written in short story structure. The whole story is organized in paragraphs and it provides more details and information to the reader. In the short story isn’t necessary the performance of any character to understand their role, the same reading gives you an insight and the necessary details to comprehend their intentions. I read first “Trifles” and it was kind of difficult and ambiguous for me appreciate the tone and personalities of each character. I couldn’t establish the role and the mood of the characters, it was so messed up and all over the place without centering any of the characters of the play. In contradistinction to the play, when I read the short story everything was totally clear and understandable. With the short story I could notice the meaning of every character and their way to think to the situations and moments presented in the story. A perfect example is when Mrs. Hale was worried of the declarations that could say her husband. “She hoped he would tell this straight and plain, and not say unnecessary things that would just make things harder to Minnie Foster”. In the play I couldn’t notice her concern about unnecessary declarations from her husband.  

     The titles are another difference that can be mentioned by any reader at first sight. The title differences are very useful to contrast the focus between both lectures. In the play the littles things and details are the focal point through the whole text, that’s why the title “Trifles” fits perfect with the intention of the play. Are those little details which guide the reader through the whole text to create and predict the possible denouement of the story? But “Trifles” is also related to the point of view of the men about the women role and their work, it is more of a symbolic title. An example of this in when the three men go into the kitchen and starts criticizing the aspect of Mrs. Wright ‘s kitchen. “Well, women are used to worrying over trifles”. “Not much of housekeeper, would you said, ladies?” The short story has the same plot but a different focus because in this case the characters of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are the focal point. Like I said previously, the short story allows for more descriptions and information about the character’s feelings and relationship with the other characters of the story. The short story is centered in the interpretation that both women had of all to success of the story, there were giving their judgement of the murder according to their findings and perceptions. In other words, the short story “A Jury of Her Peers”, entirely describe the judgment given by the two women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, about the murder of John Wright.

     Even though both lectures have the same plot, the content management is quite different. In the short story there are descriptions that facilitate the reading and the concepts of the story. The setting is one of the primordial factors to make possible the imagination of the background and the place in which the story takes places, and the short story have a better description of the setting than the play. In the short story the setting is described like a lonesome place with an unpleasant weather. “It looked very lonesome this cold March morning.  It had always been a lonesome looking place.” In the play the setting isn’t presented with the primordial key details, and it leaves a lot to the imagination for the reader.

     In conclusion, I could say that, for reading purposes, the short story is much more effective than the play. The story written in paragraph contains very important information that is necessary to understand the plot of the story at maximum. For reading purposes is more effective give a few clues and details that helps him to appreciate the real intentions of the author, while in the play those clues are expressed by the actors who perform the characters. In addition, in the short story the thoughts and emotions of the characters are presented in an explicit way, which make everything more easily and concordant.

Works Cited

Glaspell, Susan. Literature for Composition: An Introduction to Literature. “Trifles”. 1916.

Glaspell, Susan. Literature for Composition: An Introduction to Literature. “A Jury of Her Peers”. 1917.