what makes a novel a classic?

A novel can be considered classic when it is further interpreted years after the book has been published. The reoccurring discussion and thematic examination of a novel, portrays how it is "classic" enough to further investigate. Some novels that come to mind as classic to me include, "Hamlet", "Romeo and Juliet", and "A Tale of Two Cities". This novels for me exemplify a taste of classicism due to the fact that they have been inspiring for modern day plots of many movies, art, songs, and other novels as well. These novels are also dubbed classic for me because they are well-known by people of all ages, and therefore fit into the definition of classic as well. 

wuthering heights--> comments to others.

heyy JOR,

i definitely agree with your torn opinion on how the stereotype of rich people are snobby, but how some are grounded and have good values. i feel like sometimes it is hard for the rich to come out of the mindset that they can get just about whatever they want. this is a narrow way of thinking, yet some do manage to break out of it, and contribute their wealth towards benefitting the ones who need it most.

-jen :)

 

heyy yumsterrr!!!

i expanded on the same question as you and had the same opinion (and no i don't think you're a jerk cuz its true lol). i definitely agree with how women subconsciously are drawn to men who have a decent income, because they are thinking about the financial stability of their family in the future. i also think it is sad how the sweetest guys will almost never get the girl of their dreams, if they don't have a stable job at the time.

-jen :) (p.s. nice profile pic! lol)

 

heyy rhina,

i totally agree with your thoughts on revenge. i also believe that it is a bit abstract because it is a compilation of actions done to someone, but those actions are not clearly defined as insults or pranks. also, seeking revenge on someone definitely makes you just about as bad as them, so i agree with your advice on just ignoring the person instead. so yeah good post! :)

-jen =]

wuthering heights--> marriage and money.

whenever young women are asked about what they look for in a man, a few key characteristics come to mind. some of them for me would include: charming, loyal, funny, cute, and knows how to live life to the fullest. :) but even though some women don't always say it, in the very back of their minds, the majority of women do take into consideration whether or not this amazing guy they have found has the ability to keep a family financially stable for the rest of their life together. unfortunately, especially in today's society, money is just about everything. even though it can't buy happiness, it is a necessity that everyone needs in order to survive. so for me, i would say a good amount of women would choose a man with money, over a man who didn't have as much to reassure them that they can live comfortably. but i want to make this clear, in no way am i saying that women need to heavily rely on men for income, and not bring majority of the "bacon" home, because i am most definitely in favor of that lol. but i do feel as though it still remains a fantasy for women to have a man who is their soul mate, and not to have him be rich, but to have him be somewhat of a stable "rock" that they can rely on if the time comes to leave her job in order to take of their children.  

my comments.

comment #1: 

heyy gab, wow i loved your post! My parents also have been married 25 years also, and i can relate to when you describe how your dad still looks at your mom the same way after all these years, since my dad does the same thing. I feel as though love is an undefined bliss that is a blessing to encounter, and you really captured this idea within you post. I also agree with you on how this book really does encompass everything imaginable from drugs to falling in love lol. 
so great job! =] 
-jen :)

comment #2: 

heyy christa! <3.>wow i love your connection to white chicks lol...i think that you really have taken a lot from the book in order to connect it so easily to a popular movie from today's culture. I am in complete agreement with you on how the Nation of Islam was wearing a mask the entire time. This also portrays the lesson of deception, and how not everything is as good as it seems. so overall great connection! 
luvs jen :)

comment #3: 

heyy jill :) 
i also made a blog post on religion and described how i am a stronger catholic due to the confirmation retreat i went on over this weekend. i really think that malcolm turned towards the islamic religion for the same reason in which the majority of people turn to religion and that is for hope. I also concur with your opinion on how people shouldn't make it their responsibility to convert other people into their religion. I agree with how you should respect other people's religions and accept what they believe in. 
great post! =] 
luvs jen :)

comment #4: 

heyy john
i definitely agree with your opinion on how Malcolm had a fake "tough guy" appearance. i feel as though this facade was most definitely created with the help of all the drugs he was on, which made him feel somewhat "invincible". Also, when you brought up the quote that states how everything is written, I definitely support that quote due to the fact that I am Catholic and believe that God has created a roadmap for every individual to follow and also has reason for why things happen the way they do. 
great post! 
-jen =]

post #5 tricks.

As Malcolm begins to develop more and more wittier responses to counter-attack against the title of "Black Muslims", he begins to research tricks that will enable him to become even more aggressive. In chapter fourteen, he states, "From the old hustling days I knew that there were tricks to everything. In the prison debating, I had learned tricks to upset my opponents, to catch them where they didn't expect to be caught. I knew there were bound to be tricks I didn't know anything about arguing on the air" (Haley 249). From this quote, I am able to see how Malcolm is starting to veer towards his old ways of deception and recklessness in a more sophisticated sense. His determination to be the best he can be at arguing and defending his religion shows a scary side of him due to the fact his words have become intensified than those of the hustler he once was. 

The personal connection i have to seeing these "tricks of debating" include when people from various high schools in the area came to my school in order to debate on a specific topic. This year's topic was coming up with alternate ways to soften the effects of global warming that is currently engulfing the world in. During the debate I saw during my math class was truly intense because it was battle of the sexes...boys vs. girls. The position of the two guys was that they were against the case, while the girls were supporting the case and proposing the use of hybrid cars, etc. As the debate progressed, the guys' tactic or "trick" seemed to be to simply deny whatever factual information the girls had proposed, and denying the fact that global warming even existed. The girls' tactics consisted of talking realllyyyy fast and viciously attacking guys whenever there were disagreements which seemed to be every second. From this experience I am able to say that Malcolm encompasses the characteristics of the girls' as well as the boys' ability to debate. This is because throughout his intense arguments he has always managed to lash out and severely scar those who he didn't see eye to eye with. Malcolm also seems to reflect a splash of ignorance, which the guys had during the debate (when they denied global warming), because Malcolm is insistent on the assumption of how ALL whites are evil.

kay so when this debate was over...i was kind of overwhelmed by the intensity that accumulated within the room. i have always kind of wanted to be on the debate team but never really knew if it was my nitch. i am strong about my beliefs and morals and definitely find myself butting heads with my dad sometimes since we both are people who need to get in the last word and be right all the time. malcolm seems to be like this kind of person because he never backs down when he is called out or insulted, and always manages to snap right back on whoever said the comment to him. so when me and my dad disagree about something you know who most likely wins (me =]!) but i am still open to hearing his side of the story. this is where i feel like me and malcolm approach a disconnection because before he went to mecca he had a "it's either my way or the highway" kind of mentality and silenced whatever he didn't want to hear by arguing at a louder decibel. but hey thats malcolm for ya :) 

Lastly, this article that I found is cute, because it's called "Stupid Debating Tricks"  and I found that it related to some of the tactics that were used in the debate that I saw lol. And it also relates somewhat to the styles that Malcolm uses in his various arguments and debates. 

post #4 icarus.

"Icarus' father made some wings that he fastened with wax. 'Never fly but so high with these wings,' the father said. But soaring around, this way, that way, Icarus' flying pleased him so that he began thinking he was flying on his own merit. Higher he flew-higher-until the heat of the sun melted the wax holding those wings. And down cam Icarus--tumbling" (Haley 293). This picture depicts Icarus' fall back down towards earth, or what i would also call reality. This little dash of Greek mythology really managed to emphasize Malcolm's reflection on how he knew that his downfall would be approaching soon. It's funny how sometimes we don't realize how we are so blind as to not see how we all manage to spiral out of control, using the fuel of our egos to propel us. At this point in his life, Malcolm was beginning to get a little too arrogant and controlling by sort of transforming his preaching of the Islamic religion into heated debates in order to lash out on those who didn't agree with his beliefs. At this point, I feel as though the attention that he was getting, was influencing him to construe fiery and irrational comments in order to attract the media...and soon all of this fanfare that was encompassing him would soon come to a dead kind of silence. 

I can relate to this Icarus story because being a teen, you sometimes think that the world revolves around you. I'll admit that this does happen to me (once in a blue moon lol), and I can relate to how Icarus forgot who had made him able to fly, as I sometimes forget about the needs of the family who has raised me to be who I am today. When I get too wrapped up in my friends and school, I start soaring a little too high, but thanks to my parents, as quickly as i soar, i manage coming back down to reality just as quickly. For this i am fortunate to have my parents occasionally reminding me to reexamine my current actions, and reminding me to respect the ones who deserve it most--> who will forever be my loving family. <3.  class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); text-decoration: underline;">

post #3 religion.

When Malcolm was at his lowest point, physically and mentally, during his time in prison...one thing had saved him. That one thing had turned out to be religion. While in his prison cell, his brother Reginald, and other family members had been trying to preach to him about becoming a Muslim. This religion managed to transform Malcolm into a totally different person...cleansing his mind, body, and spirit. I wanted to become more familiar with how the religion managed to be so influential by reaching out to Malcolm and placing him back where he started, when I realized that in hard times people don't only turn to Islam specifically, they turn to RELIGION. in an article I found, i justified the well-known fact on how when times get tough...people are apt to turn towards some kind of higher being for hope and encouragement. The article is called, "Gloom Spells Boom for Religion", and clearly shows how people really do need to find an escape where optimism is abundant, when everything else in their life seems shattered. 

This past weekend I attended a 24 hour confirmation retreat at my church, and had an unforgettable experience. This retreat managed to purify me as a person, and opened my eyes in order to see what mattered to me in life. This experience was similar to Malcolm's due to the fact that my faith in Catholicism became stronger, just as it did for him in converting to Islam. On this retreat, there were about 80 kids, some who were friends of mine, and we all were dreading it lol. But, once i arrived, the inspiration i gained was priceless. The weekend mostly consisted of hearing talks by teens who had received their confirmation about 2 years ago, and had been through tragedies, but managed to turn towards God for strength. Some of the experiences that these teens had been through really touched me, and their relationship to God was inspiring. After each talk, we would get into small groups in order to discuss topics such as the strength of prayer, and what being a Catholic meant. After the weekend was over, I had received lessons that really caused me to think about who i am as a person. Religion seems to have that effect on people...causing them to escape from their lives and reflect on the people we care the most about <3. 

post #2 harlem.

The field trip to Harlem was definitely a pretty unique experience. When we went to the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, our tour guide Neal Shoemaker had brought us upstairs where there were small African American children from Harlem sitting on the ground and watching Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Then, all of us from Pascack Valley were standing behind them, as the movie transitioned into Obama's inauguration, in which the theme song that was playing in the background was, "yes we can". Then, Neal made a profound observation which stuck with me, because he said something along the lines of, "Wow look at this, we've got kids from two completely different lifestyles in the same room, watching scenes from Obama's inauguration which was such a historical day. See this is what I live for, seeing u, young people come together, no matter what color or creed, coming together to celebrate LIFE". When he said this i was definitely touched because it took me a second to take in the beauty of how we were all together, and how it had affected him in such a positive way. 

Going to the Apollo Theater was probably my favorite. The guide, Billy, was so passionate about his job that it just made the experience all the more captivating. Then, along the wall of the theater was a collage of all the people who had performed there and Billy would sing each one of their songs. This was not only entertaining :) but it also really showed me how he was still striving to keep the African American culture alive through reviving its musical aspect. Going there was really like walking through a time warp and going back to the sixty's because of the theater's architecture as well as its revival of still hosting Amateur Night every Wednesday. 

The Masjid Malcolm Shabazz Mosque was also a very interesting experience. When we first arrived, we were instructed to take off our shoes and enter through different entrances according to gender. When we entered, the place was bare except for seven windows that had Arabic writing on its windows, and a few supporting beams. It was so different for me because when I enter my place of worship (which is a church) I am used to seeing pews, an alter, a cross with the crucifix on it, so it seemed a little strange. What I found particularly interesting was how the Muslim who was talking to our group, Brother Tyreke, mentioned how there are never any images of the divine in a mosque. His reasoning for this was that by not displaying any images of how the God is perceived, it gives the Muslims freedom to picture their God through the use of their minds and hearts. Also, what I noticed in particular about Brother Tyreke was how he was so calm, and i think that was a true reflection of how this Islamic religion is very cleansing for the mind and soul. 

Lastly, Sylvia's Restaurant. Kay so fried chicken was amazing! I don't know what they used to make the skin but it was nothing like I've ever had before lol :). The rice was also really good and a bit spicy, but the the banana bread pudding was OUT  OF THIS WORLD. It is probs my most favorite dessert ever!  

So overall I really enjoyed the trip and thought it was a great experience. I feel as though it is so much more interesting to learn about history through meeting different kinds of people and really hearing their unique stories about how it affected their lives specifically. =] 

Oh and of course here is my connection--> I was looking online for more info on harlem and found this great pic on a website that has 125th street in it...which as neal said was one of the most famous streets in the world! Also, this website has some great history that goes further into the arts, culture, and neighborhood of harlem which i found really interesting. here's the link: Harlem History.