Block Quote When we blame in another man the excesses of love, of grief, of resentment, we not only consider the ruinous effects which they tend to produce, but the little occasion which was given for them. The merit of his favorite, we say, is not so great, his misfortune is not so dreadful, his… Continue reading Erin Lee – Close Reading (BQ)
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Nicholas Cai – Close Reading Block Quotation
For my proposal for the final essay, I will choose to closely read The Interesting Narrative by Olaudah Equiano. This is due to the shocking, egregious content presented throughout his work that sticks to the reader’s minds. While Equiano is assimilated into British culture and religion, he still has many critiques of the system of… Continue reading Nicholas Cai – Close Reading Block Quotation
Close reading-Jessica
“By the imagination we place ourselves in his situation, we conceive ourselves enduring all the same torments, we enter as it were into his body, and become in some measure the same person with him, and thence form some idea of his sensations, and even feel something which, though weaker in degree, is not altogether… Continue reading Close reading-Jessica
Orientalism- Jessica
What I found most valuable in Orientalism is how Said exposes the ways that Western scholarship, literature, and culture have constructed a distorted image of the “Orient” to serve colonial power. “Orientalism” isn’t just academic study—it’s a system of representation that justified domination by making the East seem inferior. I was struck by how unconscious… Continue reading Orientalism- Jessica
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard- Jessica
What I found most valuable in Gray’s Elegy is how it elevates the lives of ordinary, who are often overlooked in poetry and history. The poem’s meditative tone invites the reader to reflect on mortality. Death is like the ultimate equalizer, whether one is rich or poor. I enjoyed the poem’;s especially moved by the… Continue reading Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard- Jessica
Sentimental Journey- Jessica
I found it most valuable how A Sentimental Journey blends humor, emotion, and introspection while presenting travel not as an external adventure but as a sentimental experience. Yorick focuses less on geography and more on human encounters and feelings, which challenges the expectations of traditional travel writing. I enjoyed how the text touches upon personal… Continue reading Sentimental Journey- Jessica
Equiano 2- jessica
I found it most valuable how the reading complicates the notion of “freedom” in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, especially through the example of Chinese indentured labor. The text shows that while Britain was celebrating abolition and the end of the transatlantic slave trade, it was also developing new systems of labor under… Continue reading Equiano 2- jessica
Equiano 2- Zebiniso
“he therefore hoped that I would not be offended at what had passed between us, and swore he would make up all matters to me when we arrived in the West Indies so I consented to slave on as before.” (Equiano, 174-175). This passage makes me question what freedom really is and in my opinion… Continue reading Equiano 2- Zebiniso
Heaven dejesus sentiment & taste
In David Hume’s “Of the Standard of Taste” (1760), I agree with a good number of his points. They apply not only to art but also to writing. The idea that being more experienced allows a critic or anyone who is trying to critique something to have a better idea of what makes something a good piece or… Continue reading Heaven dejesus sentiment & taste
EQUIANO 2 – Rania
I wanted to compare these two quotes to show the psychological burden of slavery. Highlighting the Weakness of the word ‘Freedom’ in a world where blackness = enslavement. “These words of my master were like a voice from heaven to me; in an instant all my trepidation was turned into unuttered bliss; and I most… Continue reading EQUIANO 2 – Rania

