AND THEN TO TOP IT ALL OFF

What is the best book of the three we read? (Don't be embarrassed if you say Godfather, although you should be.)

And what about the best film? 

COMMENTS and REPLIES with more furious disagreements.

Discussion n. 33: "Godfather"

Agree / disagree?

Who is the most annoying, least enjoyable character IN THE NOVEL?

And IN THE FILM?


COMMENTS and REPLIES with furious disagreements, please.

Discussion. n. 32: "Godfather"

I was personally disturbed by Puzo's attention to graphic sexual descriptions (I think he must have had problem.)

It bothered me because it had nothing to do with the storyline: it seemed a distorted need to address one of his personal hidden obsessions.

You may disagree with my take: I am interested in your opinions and reflections on this aspect of the novel (I am referring mostly to what I call the "Las Vegas" chapters but not only.)

COMMENT

Discussion n. 31: "Godfather"

The guilty pleasure of rooting for the bad guy.

The Don is a thug, a criminal, a murderer (he killed Fanucci, didn't he?), but he coats his true identity under a veneer of respectability and moralistic principles.

And we fall all for it.

COMMENT: two separate paragraphs.

• Was he your hero while you were READING THE BOOK?

 

• WHICH of his many immoral acts received your most enthusiastic approval?

REPLY: choose a comment from a classmate that posted AFTER your comment. Choose something that YOU ALSO liked but didn't comment about?

"Christ": your work, my choices

Here is the pick of the week, in no particular order

.

Other samples were just as good, but in this case I followed "my" reactions and responded to the directness of the content and the ability of these students to reach inside and reveal the raw emotional impact of the text.

 

COMMENT:  Which one, in your personal opinion, feels more like a "real letter?"

 

NINA:

Dear Christ In Concrete,

            I read 226 pages of you and am still left confused and on the edge of my seat. What happened to Paul and what exactly happened to Annunziata? Is she alive or is she really dead? Did Paul ever find his faith again or after what happened with his mother, has he lost all faith in God? What I enjoyed most about my experience with you is that you told a story within a story. While telling your audience about the struggles that Geremio’s family went through after his death, you also were telling us how Paul was loosing faith in the most important aspect of his family life…which is God. I was shocked after reading how Louis felt about God. It was devastating reading about Paul’s reaction. All he knew, what he grew up on, was this belief of God. After hearing the words “There is no God”, must have been awful. How could you do that to him? Paul is a 13 year old boy trying to help support his family after his father dies and know you are throwing at him that God may not be real? Don't you think he is confused and stressed out enough?

            I enjoyed your company during the time that we spent together. You were confusing to read at first and hard to understand but after a few times of getting to know you it was easier to understand you. I have a question though. Why were you written like that? Did you want your readers to come up with their own version of you? Did you want to leave us with many questions and confusion? Why weren't you clear with when things were taking place and why did you continue to jump back and forth from present to past without informing your readers? I guess this is just something that makes you unique!

            My favorite part about you was everything about the Cripple. I loved that she had a small roll but made a huge impact on everybody who she met with. She came across as crazy but she allowed the people around her to feel safe and comfortable while speaking to those who have passed. My least favorite part about getting to know you was how difficult it was to read and understand why nothing was working out for Paul. When he went to speak to the priest and he did not care for what he had to say, or when he went to the police station and they did not care to help this young boy find his father. Did they act this way because he was Italian or because he was a young boy who they thought was just playing around?

            Although you were not my favorite book to read and understand, I did enjoy getting to know you. 

 

 

========================

 

 

 

 

 

 

KATHARINA

 

        

You were everything I did not expect. You are rooted by many elements that make you, you. Your history, your place in society, and your knowledge on struggle couldn’t be more real. We as people hear things, and think we understand struggle such as poverty because we have seen it on television, or read about it in textbooks, but you never really sympathize, or grasp it until you’ve envisioned it through the irrefutable compilation and detail of poverty, an immigrant in a foreign country, injustice, low end of the socioeconomic latter etc. that you have provided me with.

“Fifty cents the hour, nine hours the day, brings four dollars and fifty cents. With six days the week brings- six by four brings twenty-four…” I cannot describe the sorrow that is felt to know that this is an actual conversation of an individual to himself, experienced by many. Imagine leaving your hometown where that is all you have ever known, and although you have experienced hardship you find comfort in the little things that you call home, to come live in a foreign country that promises things you never imagined to have where you come from, and that paints a perfect picture full of endless possibilities but come to find out it is not that way. You are an alien in a country where its citizens will more than likely always have leverage over you, a country where you work like dogs for people who are making more money than you while you are barely making ends meet, and have to figure out how you’re going nourish yourself and family to survive, amongst other things. “But I tell you that all my kids must be boys so that they someday will be big American builders…” the mentality of any immigrant who migrates to America in search for better opportunities, but that really means putting their children’s lives and future before their own and settle for dead-end jobs in hopes that one day they will be able to support their kids through any chances and opportunities they have that will land them a different lifestyle than their own.  This is just one version of an immigrant’s life out of many out there.

                Thank you for your cold truth of an eye-opener you have provided. You have unleased through your detailed storytelling the misfortunes one can deal with while facing all odds, and experiencing loss that can break someone on the inside, “There is no God”. You have taught me that there are bigger things out there, it can be worse, and this is something I will remember when I think about complaining about the little things that other may not even have a chance at.

==================

  SYDNEY

Dear Christ in Concrete,

First of all, let me start by saying that you are unlike any other book I have ever encountered, and you challenged me! When I first began, I felt scared and confused. I had to listen to videos by my professor in order to fully grasp the style of your writing and how to understand you. I had to re-read you out loud (in the comfort of my bedroom so people didn’t think I was crazy) over and over. Once I understood your style I became hooked. I felt as if I were watching a movie play out in my own mind while getting lost in your pages. I brought you on journeys with me to work and school and I even spoke of you to my family and friends. I suffered a loss of a dear friend, and I turned your pages hearing the story of Paul and Annunziata and how they coped with their loss, and it really helped me with a tough time in my life.  That is the biggest “thank you” I could give, you are a book I will hold close to my heart because of this experience. You were filled with amazing quotes, some of my favorites were “Shadows were once again personalities. Laughter added warmth”, “They prayed to god. They forgot themselves and their troubles”, and “Mother my life is now your shield. Nothing, nothing in the world can now harm you”.  The love of Geremio and Annunziata is one that I will remember and although they are not “real” their love was anything but fake. So again, once more I thank you Christ in Concrete for helping me through a tough time and I thoroughly enjoyed you. I am sure we will meet again and again! 

 

 

==========

 

 

                                                                                

 

SHAKHNOZA

Hello my new friend. I am really glad that I met you in my life. Honestly, you are the first friend that I had really hard time to get used to, in the beginning. Your character was very different and unique for me, I never had to meet people like you before. At the beginning I could not connect with you. Your way of presenting yourself was different that I use to meet before. I start to analyze you over and over until I found out that you are very interesting person and that you have a lot of good stories in you that I enjoyed.

Sometimes I found that your explanation about some story is very long than it could be. For example, you telling about tragedy that happened in construction with all the workers and Geremio. There was so much to read, and I would read them over and over so I could imagine that scene. After I got that image in my head the rest was easy to read.

That was not only thing that I felt during our friendship. I also had some confusion.  For example, at the end of our friendship I could not understand what happened to Annunizata and how Paulie changed. Again I thinks this is because of my poor reading skills.

I like parts when you were talking about Italian traditions, customs, their food. As an immigrant it was very interesting get to know about other cultures that also immigrated to America. Their lifestyle as an immigrant.  

As I said before I am very glad that I met you, because you gave that emotions that I never had and also you showed me different side of the world. After I became friend with you I can see how much my thinking has improved. My analysis about life and people changed. Now I know that not everyone is same, there are very different people and each have their own story and place in life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PORTFOLIO info

I noticed your comments about the portfolio.

 

Apologies for uploading the syllabus without the relevant information. I updated the document.

Here is the LINK

 

In brief:

 

• Use a 3 ring  binder. No folders. JUST A 3-ring binder (free in my office).
• The first page will be a cover sheet with a summary of your grades in quizzes/tests and assignments.
• Print out all GRADED quizzes/tests and assignments. Place the quizzes first, in chronological order from the oldest to the most recent. Then, the assignments, same order.
• DO NOT INCLUDE IN THE PORTFOLIO BUT: copy all your BLOG COMMENTS in a single Word document, NOT THE REPLIES, JUST THE COMMENTS, in chronological order from the oldest, with the date of posting.
• I will let you know when you have to send me the file, the filename etc.

TOP JOB OF THE WEEK: Your comments by May 1

PLEASE, ADD YOUR COMMENTS.


Thank you, Yasmin.

You identified Paul's inner conflicts about sex as one of the crucial phases in his development. He is frankly confused if not terrified by it, and is loaded with a sense of guilt. (This is later reinforced by the discovery that Nazone frequents prostitutes and has an STD.) It's a very interesting analysis: this subtext and its connection to Paul's inner dynamics is often ignored.   FGC

·         “Louis –haven’t you-don’t you believe in God?” …..“There is no God”(134)

·         “Paul, the job is not freedom. Your wonderful brain is freedom…” (134)

·         “…and our bodies are no longer meat and bone of our parents, but substance of Job.” (136)

·         “I do not need God in my house!” (147)

·         “He was proud that God had given him he was proud that God had given him hand, back, and eye to bring home food, proud that he earned almost as much as the thick-wristed men, proud that he studied blueprints and construction, proud that he felt beauty in his form and soul, proud of his wonderful family.” (157)

·         “Their obscenity gripped his eyes and chilled his senses.” (161)

·         “Oh mother mother I have desire great desire for woman and my only will is for Gloria’s fruits…I cannot tell you-I must never let you know…” (169)

·         “The scaffolds rose a floor a day. With each floor the height and majesty of skyscraper fascinated him, but he never told mother Annunziata about the danger of falling or being pushed from a swinging scaffold forty or fifty floors above the street.” (173)

·         “They reconstructed the beautiful terrain of Abruzzi and tenderly restored their youths and the times of Fiesta and Carnival.” (187)

·         “Nineteen Twenty-Nine! The building boom lay back-and disappeared.” (199)

·         “…and in their bewildered minds hunger and the fear of hunger set in as quick disease – weakening flesh and pounding sanity.” (199)

·         “You are my own; the time has come for me to show myself like you always asked me in your prayers which I have always heard since I was sent for by my loving Lord by whose right hand I stay.” (202)

·         “Paul looked over the scaffold rail and through staring mouth and eyes sent out his soul to catch his godfather who flung out his arms and rested on the speed of space that sucked him down.” (208)

·         “Every disfigurement of his godfather echoed in Paul with lightning flashes, shuddering and crushing him. His tongue shrunk.” (209)

·         “Boys….there’s a lotta mortar in the mixer and tubs that’s gotta be used up. There’s a hundred brickies and sixty hodcarriers, and overhead.” (210)

·         “Paul remained by the shattered Nazone. A flame shot through him. That is your father Geremio!” it cried, “Your father! You!” (210)

·          “I was cheated, my children also will be crushed, cheated. His father begins to absolve and sighs faintly, Ahhh, not even the Death can free us, for we are…Christ in concrete… (215)

·         “His face frightened her. She took the crucifix from the wall and placed it in his hands….he pushed the crucifix aside and stared into her eyes.” (216)

·         “Silent he returned. Silent he remained. And a trembling came to Annunziata. If only he would speak.” (217)

·         “There was something in his face, and her voice was now powerless.” (218)

·         “Ah no, today’s Job had choked him – but let him live. Tomorrow he would die.” (218)

·         “O life do not kill me before I have freed my heart-!” (219)

·         “I only know that I am cheated.” (220)

·         “Mama, you must stay - you have not lived - and soon the kids will be big- mama, please, food or no food - we shall live and laugh – we will be gay and dance differently – we will laugh and laugh and laugh oh how we will laugh…laugh…” (225)

Task 2: Write an essay about how Paul’s eventual loss of faith in Christ-God eventually kills his mother.

Paul is first thrust into the care of his family after his uncle too gets hurt on the job and is no longer able to help Annunziata and her family out. Paul is a very young boy who now has to take on the responsibilities of an adult. He not only has to grow up mentally and emotionally but his body also has to take on the pain and labor of an adult in a young man’s body.

Paul’s experiences on the job all lead him to eventually question and ultimately lose faith in God. First, he gets a job with the corporation and they take advantage of his age and pay him far less than most. He later gets another job as a bricklayer and although it takes a huge toll on his body, he is proud to be able to provide. On page 157, we see that “he was proud that God had given him hand, back, and eye to bring home food, proud that he earned almost as much as the thick-wristed men, proud that he studied blueprints and construction, proud that he felt beauty in his form and soul, proud of his wonderful family.”

We first see Paul grapple with his physical desire for women and how that directly interferes with the way he was raised. His first thought is how he cannot tell his mother about these desires. He says “Oh mother mother I have desire great desire for woman and my only will is for Gloria’s fruits…I cannot tell you-I must never let you know…” (169). The idea that somehow his physical desire is wrong and he associates that with his mother’s teachings is very telling.

We later see Paul take another job in the steel industry where he works with his godfather on big jobs such as skyscrapers. At first he feels very powerful and finds the job thrilling in a way. A large part of this is due to his age and the idea that when you are young, you are invincible.

His godfather becomes very nostalgic and wants to go back to Italy. He talks about going back home and begins to distance himself from the job and their everyday responsibilities become a burden to him. One day as they are going to work, Paul’s godfather asks him to not go to work. They eventually do go for Paul is afraid of losing the job. Later in the day there is an accident on the job and his godfather falls 20 floors to his death.

This incident devastates Paul as he was very close to his godfather and he begins to question everything – especially his faith. After this incident he see his father in a vision and he says to Paul “I was cheated, my children also will be crushed, cheated. His father begins to absolve and sighs faintly, Ahhh, not even the Death can free us, for we are…Christ in concrete… (215).

Paul begins to think about his own death and to wonder when it will come to him. He loses faith and no longer sees the purpose in worshipping a God that allows for so much suffering. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Task 3: Take notes of the film Give Us This Day.

·         The film begins with the future and shows Geremio coming home looking very disheveled and upset.

·         He walks in the house and Annunziata is very upset. She tells him to leave and go “back to her.” His kids come in and sing him happy birthday and his son Paul wants to show him the radio that he made for him.

·         Geremio then leaves without seeing Paul’s radio.

·         The film then goes back in time to show us how this first scene came to be.

·         We meet Geremio at his work site and get a sense of the danger that is faced by the workers in their daily work.

·         Geremio almost dies as a result of an accident on a skyscraper that he is working on.

·         We are also introduced to Geremio’s group of four friends that he shares everything with.

·         We see that they hang out together at a bar and that Geremio has a girlfriend who is American. He cares for her and they are together often.

·         We later see Geremio asking his girlfriend where she thinks this relationship is going. He clearly wants more commitment than she is willing to give.

·         She questions his job and ability to provide for his family and we see them part ways.

·         Geremio later talks to his friends and he decides that he will marry a girl from Italy and make a home.

·         He marries Annunziata right after she comes to be with him. This reminds me of the movie The Italian that we saw.

·         He promises her a house of her own and she is ecstatic about it.

·         However, Geremio cannot afford to buy a home and he instead rents it for three days without telling Annunziata the truth.

·         She gets very upset and is very disillusioned to have to live in a tenement.

·         They then make a pact to never lie to each other again and decide to save to buy the house they want – they will need $500 to purchase the home.

·         Unfortunately, work is very hard to come by and it takes them a lot longer to do this. They also have 4 children in between!

·         Around the birth of the children we see the role of superstition come into play a lot more – the scene with the eyelashes comes to mind.

·         They come across a point where there is no work and they must choose who gets the next job – they collectively choose Julio for that one.

·         Geremio is also growing farther apart from Annunziata and the pressures of not being able to provide are mounting.

·         He decides to go back to his ex for a while and cheats on Annunziata with her.

·         Here I am very surprised to see this because in the book, there is a great deal of love and respect for family between Geremio and Annunziata and he just did not strike me to be the type to do this.

·         It is this scene where he remembers that Annunziata wanted him home for dinner and it is his birthday that he goes home and we understand why he hits Annunziata and leaves home.

·         Geremio then comes back to Annunziata and apologizes for his wrong doings and begs Annunziata to take him back. She does and they start anew.

·         Later Geremio is approached by a manager to work a new job as his foreman. Geremio is very hesitant because he sees that in order to save money, the manager cuts a lot of corners and the job is not safe at all.

·         Geremio later decides to take it anyway in order to feed his children.

·         He gets into a scuffle with the rest of the gang and he starts to feel the pressure of the job on his conscience.

·         They later make up and decide to try their best to make the site safer to work under.

·         Unfortunately their attempts are futile and the building collapses over them and they die.

·         Annunziata is later found to be at the courts trying to get help for her children and the courts rule to give her $1,000.

·         She says “finally, Geremio has managed to get us a house” – a very sad ending indeed.

START PUTTING TOGETHER YOUR PORTFOLIO

Info about the portfolio are in the syllabus (link on homepage.)

I will send soon the template of the final summary sheet where you will compile your grades.

Reminder: You must also put together a file with your BLOG COMMENTS. Only COMMENTS, no REPLIES.  AND, most important: ONLY COMMENTS POSTED BY THE DEADLINE. No late comments.

COMMENTS: helps one another with questions on how to assemble it properly.

Back to "BUT IS IT ART?" : due May 1

I forgot to mention the following story (legend) when I introduced John Cage's 4'33":


"In the story,  Buddha gives a wordless sermon to his disciples (sangha) by holding up a white flower. No one in the audience understands the Flower Sermon except Mahākāśyapa, who smiles. Within Zen, the Flower Sermon communicates the ineffable nature of tathātā (suchness) and Mahākāśyapa's smile signifies the direct transmission of wisdom without words. Śākyamuni affirmed this by saying:

I possess the true Dharma eye, the marvelous mind of Nirvana, the true form of the formless, the subtle [D]harma [G]ate that does not rest on words or letters but is a special transmission outside of the scriptures. This I entrust to Mahākāśyapa.^[1]"

I wonder if John Cage drew inspiration from this story?
What do you think?

Discussion n. 30: "CHRIST" Geremio's death: due May 1

COMMENT:

"A picture is worth a thousand words."  Yet, there are times when words are more powerful than pictures (careful here: PICTURE as in a still, not a "moving picture" i.e. film).

How hard was it to read the narration of Gerermio's death? Did you read it over, in fascinated horror, of you couldn't bear to be reminded?

REPLY: choose a comment that add significantly to your understanding of your own reactions when you first read the scene.

Discussion n. 29: "CHRIST": due May 1

COMMENT:

TWO PARAGRAPHS:

1) Now that you have digested the entire book, what is the dominant sensation that it has left in you?
2) What was the moment IN THE BOOK that left the strongest and longest lasting impression? (SKIP the description of Geremio's death.)

AND REPLY to the classmate who left the comment immediately after yours.

DIscussion n. 28: IS IT ART?

ABOUT JOHN CAGE    4'33"

The same question I asked you to answer in the assignment for April 3:

Here, keep it brief. The context is different: instead of presenting your ideas to me, you are in a conversation with your classmates. Different audience, different strategy.

Your goal is to get as many POSITIVE replies as possible. What do you "have" to write in order to be "liked"? What will you say and how will you say it?


 Answer:  is it art?  
 Is it a different concept of music? 
 Or, could it be 'theater' (like mime theater?)
  Or is it joke and every pseudo-sophisto-intellectual that tries to explain it with grandiose words is just a sucker?

Discussion n. 27: "There must be a reason...."

"There must be a reason why we were assigned only 17 pages. And the reason must be...."

That there is so much to take in over those 17 pages, in terms of both content and style. Pietro utilizes his highly detailed writing technique to transport us to the tragic scene at the worksite, filling our minds with images such as Tomas’ quivering, detached face and Geremio’s broken/disgruntled teeth dislodging from the socket of his mouth as he desperately attempted to chew his way out of the crushing wood and concrete. My initial reaction to the text was that of utter shock; I literally had to set the book down in order to slowly reflect on the events that had transpired. This heavy content, coupled with the nonlinear, rhythmic flow of Pietro’s writing, combines together to form a work that demands inspection and complete attention from readers. A theme of dreamlike essence is woven throughout the opening pages as well, which plays out in both the internal (way the workers are feeling, snoutnose as he lays dying and trying to wake from dream) and external (night before tragedy is like a dream, dreamlike quality) senses. This is another aspect of Pietro’s distinct approach to writing that calls for great consideration and attention, and it also sets the tone for the remainder of the narrative. This is why we were only assigned 17 pages this week: because enough material and art is packed into those 17 pages to lead to some serious deep thinking from the reader. This introduction also prepares us to jump into the rest of the narrative over the coming weeks, as we have now been introduced to this experimental, graphic/detailed style of writing.

 

COMMENT and compare your answer to the text above.
1)  Were those same observations available also to you. Could you have thought the same things, had you focused more attention on the task?

2) Is there something you want to add now to YOUR answer?

"Christ": my comment to your comments

I am very impressed with what I have read so far.

I liked a lot the quotes you chose: They all mark fundamental themes and issues that will be developed in the book. It shows you read those pages with great care and attention and were able to extract the substance from the form.

Excellent job.

Discussion n. 26: "Christ" April 3

COMMENT

In separate paragraphs:

1) Is this the most difficult text you have encountered?  (If it is not, don't belittle the efforts of those who find it most challenging.)

2) Difficulty notwithstanding, is this more or less "satisfying" than Son?

REPLY

Wait until at least 8 people have left a comment then,  write your reply to a comment that grabbed your interest.

Discussion n. 25: "Christ in Concrete" By March 30

What is your favorite quote in the first book "Geremio"?

Is there something that struck you and gave you a deeper / better insight into the life and psychology of the characters? (I hope you didn't waste your time trying to remember who was who.)

Do not repeat something that has already been choses. Find an original moment.

REPLY to your favorite comment.

Discussion n. 24: "Christ in Concrete" By March 30

COMMENT
What was the your first impression about THE LANGUAGE of Christ when you started reading?

And how did you adapt to the text? What strategy did you adopt?

Write two distinct paragraphs.

REPLY: read the comments and reply to the one(s) that you find most unexpected.

Discussione n. 23 : March 20

Post the link to your THREE-MINUTE youtube presentation.

Watch your classmates' works before you post yours.

Avoid repeating the same themes and examples (I have the feeling Pascal's poverty in Italy will come up pretty early.)

REPLY to the presentation with a comment on either style or content, or both.

Discussion n. 22: THE ITALIAN (due March 20)

Contemporary analysis would attribute Beppo's murderous plan to "temporary insanity."

An interpretation more likely in those days, would be (as per Lombroso) that extreme stress woke up in him the ravenous vengeful beast that he always was.

The first one, of course, is more plausible to us because of what we are and what we (think we) know.

Is the happy ending the typical Hollywood ideology NOT to alienate the public and send them away with a saccharine sprinkled rotten apple? Or, is there something else afoot? Some other ideology?

Discussion n. 21: SON OF ITALY

Writing an autobiography is not like testifying in court under oath. You can fudge things a bit, leave out embarrassing details, embellish stories or even make them up.

My very personal hunch is that the climactic episode in the mountains when Pascal ran into the Vampire and gave her his lunch never happened. Maybe he did see her from afar and maybe he even thought of helping her out. Maybe he even left his lunch on a rock for her.

But the entire story seems a little too convenient: it seems he needed to make it up as a way to expiate for his guilt. Did he invent it to deceive himself, to make peace for himself, to look less bad to our eyes? I don't know. But something doesn't fit.

COMMENTS (I encourage disagreement with my opinions. Feel free to say that my arguments are not persuasive because......
I prefer that disagreements come with some kind of rationale, not just as quick dismissals.)