Lili's Blog :)

Libra was an interesting book to say the least, blending the world of history and fiction. De Lillo plays on the fact that there is still so much we don't know about Lee and the Kennedy Assassination. I think one of the most striking things was to watch the footage and news reporting after reading the book. It gives you a whole different perspective because we had some sort of inner thoughts on Lee's part and everyone else involved. In the beginning of his story, Lee is just a kid living under unfortunate circumstances getting into some small trouble. We then see him grow into the fate he endured through the book and in real life.  But one interesting aspect is the parallel from the beginning to the end of the book that we see with Lee's mom. One things for sure, Lee's mother isn't a constant in the book. Her presence and words throughout the court cases and in the book may annoy people at times, but her story is interesting. In the beginning of the book, she is def...

Throughout our time reading the novel, Octavia Butler's Kindred , published in 1979, has proven to hold many plot twists and pull on our heart strings. Not only does the book raise questions on slavery and race, but also on the system the United States was founded on, and it does so by adding the element of time travel. Dana's narrative is so complex that it leaves us filled with questions even after the end of the book. From the start of her time travel, Dana is aware that she is different than the other slaves but must act the part the best she can. She begins by trying to fit in as best as possible, but quickly realizing she can't assimilate to this lifestyle. Not only that, but she instantly thinks of ways to fight back and help the other slaves. She hates seeing other slaves get whipped and talked down upon, and wants to help them at almost all costs. However, by the end of the novel we see a much different side of Dana; she get's used to plantation life to the poi...

Throughout our time reading Mumbo Jumbo we've constantly asked ourselves what Jes Grew is. Our initial thoughts were to look it up, but the only results found were linked to Mumbo Jumbo. Therefore most of us came to the conclusion that it wasn't a "real thing." While "Jes Grew" exists only within the context of Mumbo Jumbo, the idea of it is very real and still prevalent today. My conclusion of what Jes Grew is, I don't think that it is a solid thing. I think it is the idea of letting culture and tradition live on or in other words, the spread of culture. And I think in terms of Jes Grew specifically, the spread of culture in a way that actually teaches origin and stories.  Throughout the novel things like museums are criticized because while yes, they show ancient artifacts and give facts about them, they also don't really tell a story. I can see traditional clothing from an ancient tribe and know what it's made out of and how they ate. But it d...

The ending of the novel was quite unlike the way the rest of the book flowed. There were multiple complex stories and characters coming together to form one narrative. Along the way we got to see mother and her character development, along with fathers lack of it. We saw Houdini navigate his inner struggles and even finding his worth in some way as he continues to preform. We saw Coalhouse Walker and Sarah and their impact on the family and the world. We followed Mother's Younger Brother who's narrative seems to always be driven by other people, much like his name suggests. The book was relatively slow paced for the most part until the ending. The book took a deep inside look into all the characters and showed us how each reacts differently to the same situation. Such as how each family member reacted in a different way to Walker entering the home and coming into their lives. And even how he impacted them after.  The very end of the book seemed very rushed and vague. Almost li...

Throughout the novel so far, we've experienced quite an interesting bunch of characters. Some are historical figures, while others are completely fictional, and often-time the fictional characters are given basic names. In the very beginning of the novel we are introduced to a family Mother, Father, Mother's Younger Brother, and the Little Boy. Right off the bat we think we have a basic understanding of the characters as the opening chapter contains a lot of detail about how the family functions. Mother in particular has immense character growth as the novel progresses.  In the beginning of the novel, mother comes off as this passive 2D character. She doesn't seem happy nor does she seem depressed, she just simply goes through the motions of life. More than anything she just seems kind of lonely, being the only female in the household she doesn't really have anyone to relate to or confide in. Despite this, it seems like she somewhat enjoys her space perhaps because it g...

 All posts from now on are for History As Fiction 2022.  

 Beloved is a novel all about trying to forget the traumatic events of the past even though they keep coming back up. All Sethe does in the novel is try to escape her traumatic experiences, yet they always come back to haunt her, and not only her but others around her.   It seems as though the more Sethe tries to repress her memories and the affects of her trauma, the harder it comes back. The most clear example is Beloved, first she haunts as the baby ghost and later she shows up as a real life form. Another example of this is Paul D coming back and living with them, Paul D is a symbol of Sweet Home and the past for Sethe. Not only that, but he has his own stories to tell which interrupt Sethe's understanding of all she tried to forget. Finally we have Denver who most likely reminds Sethe of everything that happened everyday. For example after she escapes Sweet-Home, she tries to forget the tragic stuff that happened to her while she was there. And even though Denver was...