Summary and Response to Critical Essays

 In John N. Duvall’s critical essay of White Noise by Don DeLillo (White Noise was written in 1984 and first published in 1985, Duvall’s critical essay of this work was printed in the Autumn of 1994), Duvall goes in depth into the writing and unusual way DeLillo presents certain parts of the book as well as the representation of certain characters and breaks down the satire and unusual aspects of the story. In breaking down certain parts of the story and reducing them to the easiest meaning, Duvall allows anyone to understand the story (to an extent) and gives the reader another way to view the story and its meaning.

One of the first things that Duvall cites is Jacks obliviousness to the totalitarianism of his modern society given the fact that he is a professor in Hitler studies, the ultimate example of totalitarianism. In doing this Duvall shows the reader that no matter how smart a person is, they can be blinded to what is in front of them. By then going into Murray’s acts and choices in the supermarket compared to the Gladney’s, Duvall points out how heavily the average family relies on the aesthetic way consumer items are displayed. Duvall’s explanation of the “TV man’s” speech cites that Americans rely heavily on modern media and find their validation within it.

Duvall’s critique of Don DeLillo’s White Noise made it possible for me to understand certain aspects of the book that were, until reading the essay, completely confusing to me. Duvall made it possible for me to comprehend the more unusual aspects of the story and understand the reason for the seemingly unneeded and confusing text in part I. Duvall’s article shed light on the unusual acts of Murray in the supermarket, why the TV man made such a big deal out of the chemical spill not being covered in the media and many other things that I could not comprehend.

This article would be good for my essay #3 because it explains so much of what I did not understand and gives a wholly different perspective to the story. After reading this article I am going to re-read the book and I think that many things will start to make sense and that I might even enjoy reading it this time.

Duvall, John N. "The (Super) Marketplace of Images: Television as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise." White Noise: Critical Essays. n. page. Print.

White Noise blog

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White Noise, by Don DeLillo is difficult to follow. I found that part II of the story was the easiest to understand and follow and that part I was the hardest and the most fractured. I am having a hard time with the book in general and find that I have to read some parts several times in order to even begin to understand. There are many characters that I do not see the purpose of even being included in the story, let alone, their unusual actions. For instance, why does the character Murray smell all the groceries in the Gladney’s basket, or the neurochemist feel the need to hide, why does the book start by describing the students being dropped off at the college with detailed descriptions of what they bring and eat; these are some parts of the story that I have a hard time understanding the significance of.

I enjoy reading most anything, yet this book has me turned around and trying to find the underlying meaning, if there is one, and confused in general. I am going to have to re-read the whole thing again in order to come to any conclusion and write a paper on it. If anyone can shed some light on the book or give me their views on it, this may help me.

This is a review of the book that I recently found that I found interesting.

Mid-term check-in.

Dear Laura Cline:

            I have to say that this has been an interesting class so far. The experiences have varied from fairly laid-back to extremely difficult for me. The extremely difficult assignment, and biggest challenge, for me would have to be doing the analysis paper on Bartleby the Scrivener. The reason I found this so difficult was that I was expected to write an analysis from a point of view that I do not hold. Though I realize that doing this expands our writing capabilities as well as challenging ourselves to do better, I found this assignment irritating and frustrating. At this point in time, I do not feel that I have had a “biggest success” as I have only one graded paper and have nothing to really compare with, though having a good grade in the class is a success in my opinion.

            The readings, videos, etc. have not had much effect on me, though “A Modest Proposal” did make me stop and think about how things used to be and how they are now. Since reading this I have done research and found that though there are distinct differences in societies today versus societies back before the 1900’s there are also similarities and these similarities make me think about what will happen to the various societies in the future.

            Literary analysis is not new to me. I was introduced to this type of writing in my first semester at Yavapai College when I took a critical thinking class and I find that, for the most part, I enjoy writing this way. Though it can be challenging, it is interesting to look at something you read from a different point of view than just for entertainment.

            I hope that as this class goes on I will find that my writing is improving and that I continue to maintain a high grade. My goals are fairly simple in nature; mostly I just hate to do badly at anything.

Sincerely,

     Angela Baker

"A Modest Proposal" essay thesis.

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Jonathan Swift’s, “A Modest Proposal,” addresses the need to care for and guide the next generation as they will, one day, be the leaders, thinkers and doers of tomorrow. If we do not do all in our power to ensure the quality of life for the children of today, then the quality of life for tomorrow is in question.  In Swift’s satirical essay, he explores the possible benefits of using the poor population as a breeding ground for the express purpose of taking the children, at one year of age, and eating them. The cannibalistic suggestion is grotesque in nature, but captures the attention of the Irish citizens and brings attention to the need to work to bring the country back to rights. 

This is an analysis of Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" that I enjoyed.