Third Stop: Withering Heights by Emily Bronte

  The New Social Order Against the Old 

In the article “ The Reality of Fantasy: Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights” by Carole Gerster, the author counteracts the misjudged view that the novel is just a fantasy, and states that Emily Bronte creates a vision of a new social order through the novel.

Gerster expresses that the novel reveals “ about being a woman in a male- dominated society as it delineates her envision of new social structure based on relationships of equality” (Gerster). Furthermore, Gerster explains that Bronte uses Heathcliff and Catherine as an example to contradict the social norm and create a vision that goes beyond the regular social roles that control behavior of gender. Gerster also mentions that the second generation Hareton and Cathy support the idea that there is a possibility to uphold Bronte’s vision of a new social order. To explain further, Bronte’s new vision, Gerster adds that by using Lockwood as a narrator to juxtapose the society with Bronte’s new vision. In the article Gerster analyzes Lockwood’s role in the novel to emphasize the meaning of the new social vision. Lockwood is viewed as someone who has experience the normal societal norms, as he encounters the unusual social endeavors at Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights; his confusion is required to be solved by Nelly Dean telling the story of Catherine and Heathcliff and how they formed and equal relationship. After the story Lockwood experiences what an equal relationship is through the second generation, Cathy and Hareton.

 Gerster’s point of view of the meaning of the novel is agreeable; Bronte portrays her vision of a new social order as she uses Lockwood’s view to juxtapose her views. Carole Gersters examples are very compelling to persuade the readers with this idea. Gester suggests that Lockwood “ has adopted a stereotypical male role” (Gerster), which is placed to contrast with Bronte’s idea of no particular role, but instead an equal relationship. The equal relationship Bronte tries to emphasize is seen when Catherine claims that she is Heathcliff and that they are the same. This indicates that despite the gender roles society inflicts on them Catherine and Heathcliff are seen as one; neither of the two take on a definite role in the relationship. However Bronte goes about to show the audience how societies view on gender roles can damage a relationship as Catherine is taught at the Linton’s household how to be a “proper lady”, this cause a rift in the relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine. Bronte displays how society detriments a relationship between two human beings. With the second generation brought up, Bronte further demonstrates that although society interfered with Heathcliff and Catherine’s relationship, they equal relationships will always form out of the ordinary, as seen through Cathy and Hareton, which leaves Lockwood in disbelief of what happened between the two. 
With the article “The Reality of Fantasy: Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights” by Carole Gersters, Bronte’s new vision of social order is explained to contradict those critics who have misjudged the novel throughout the years. Gersters analyzes the novel and comes to an idea that Wuthering Heights is about rejecting society's gender role and foreseeing a new society where everyone is equal. The points and ideas Gerster suggest are agreeable greatly. Although Wuthering Heights is controversial, there are many views that contradict and proves the literary merit title it deserves.

Gerster, Carole. "The Reality of Fantasy: Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights". Nineteenth- Century Literature Criticism 35 (1992): 190- 194. 19th Century Literature Criticism Online.Web. 02 April 2017.

New Year, New Challenges.

 The new year,  2017, is a big year for me since I am graduating high school and entering college this year. As I will be making an exciting and yet frightening transition in my life, there will be many new adventures that I will take. For the first half have the new year I want to prepare myself for the important event in most lives of young adults. One goal I care to address is (obviously) my goal for reading. This year I want to try to read books books that are difficult and are at the ‘college level’, which I mean can be read in classes in college. One of my reasons is to be ready when I do encounter difficult books in college; AP Literature and Composition, which I am taking right now does help with that too, but it is always great to read on your own and practice your analyzing skills you learn from class by applying them when reading a difficult book. Reading a difficult book helps you think and gets your brain turning; it’s like exercising the brain, which will be helpful in college because my brain will be strong enough to take on any challenges it throws at me. There is one last goal I have for reading this year, and it is that I want to have diversity in the books I read. What I mean by this is not in genre or time period, but country/culture. Whether the book was written in a different country, the author is from a different country, it takes place in a different country, or the book express a different culture, I want to read it. I have a deep interest in the different cultures countries have that make up this world, and through reading it would be great to learn more, so if anyone has suggestions that fit these criteria, difficult and/or diverse, please comment below!

Second Stop: Business trip (sorry no vacation this time)

What are you afraid of? For me the biggest thing i’m afraid of in this world is death, but there are also little things, like being afraid of closing my eyes in the shower. When traveling I get anxious about not having everything that is essential I need for the trip or about I losing something important. My next stop, sadly, is not Asia like I hinted last time, but America. I was assigned a book in AP Literature and Composition, the first book of the year, Native Son by Richard Wright. Call this stop a business trip I guess. As I go through my first business meeting, Book One: Fear, there was a lot of fear in the character Bigger (hence the title). The protagonist, Bigger, acts tough and vicious just to cover up his fear. He does not want anyone to see it or he will appear vulnerable. In the book it is revealed that for Bigger “the moment he allowed what his life meant to enter fully into his consciousness, he would either kill himself or someone else” (12). Bigger does not want to realize the world he lives in. He does not want to acknowledge his fear of white people and his fear of having no power or control in his life. Bigger was the head of the house since his father had died, and is pressured by his family to be the breadwinner. In a world where black people have no power, Bigger must be furious that he can not control his own life. Violence and aggression is the only way Bigger is able to hide his fear and set it away. In a scene where he fights his “friend” Gus, he fights because he did not at that time want to show that he was afraid to rob a white person. Many of us never want to show our fear. We want to feel that we want to feel control and free in our life, and some of us like Bigger use aggression, others use any coping mechanisms they can to not show their fear. This shows what fear can do to someone.
Fear can make you do unthinkable things. With Bigger, he did the unthinkable by killing. He was so afraid to get caught in the scene that he ends up killing and even more frightened that he killed someone, he became more paranoid that he will get caught and eventually ends up mutilating the character. Bigger went on an extreme that he did not have to do at all, but his fear drove him to that point, his fear did the unthinkable for him. Our fear can drive us out, can make us do terrible things. We fear many things little things and big things, but we should not let that fear take control of us like it did to Bigger. What happens next to him? Well that is the second meeting, book two, of my business trip.  

First Stop: The Color Purple By Alice Walker

A literary merit is more than the College Board definition, which is canon that has been praised for years or maybe only a few years or many. A literary merit continues to live on through its characters, story, and scenes. More importantly it takes you on a journey. A journey that is insightful, eye opening, and impactful; that when you are done you wish you could go back, but also you feel amazed and proud to be a part of that journey. My first stop on my voyage, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, is a perfect definition of a literary merit. College Board would accept because it is a work that has been praised and accepted for many years by experts. It also has been suggested to use on many of the free response essay prompts AP Literature and Composition. However, not only is it canon, but it is a story that ever since I finished reading it continues to live on in my mind. The adventure I embarked on was like no other. From Cecile to Shug Avery to Nettie the characters continue to live on inside of me. The journey was amazing. Being taken back to the past of when African- Americans were free, but were still oppressed and getting of sense of how it was at that time through a work of fiction just fascinates me as I was reading. From The South in America to Liberia, I experienced many cultures and met many wonderful characters. The trip was insightful and eye opening; it gave me a view of how strong women could be at the time period and also the lives of Africans- Americans and Africans in Africa and how they were both affected by racism at that time. It impacted me in away that it got me thinking about my life. The journey was beautiful, and every flip of the page there was an amazing scenery to be looked upon. During my stay at this stop I experienced an astonishing journey, and that is what makes it a literary merit. It was a breathtaking journey that I will continue to replay as I recall my memories of my first stop. It is sad to depart from this stop and began traveling to the next stop, but this stop has already got my excited for my other stops. For anyone traveling and looking for where to go next, The Color Purple is a wonderful travel to the past and to many different countries. And if anyone is looking for a novel that is a literary merit The Color Purple is definitely an amazing choice that you should may be check out. Now that I have finished the first stop I’m on to the next, but first I am resting, however, very soon there will be another one. I do have something in mind to give you a hint it is related to Asia or maybe even be Asia.

If any one is interested in movies or would like to watch it after reading the book, here is a sneak peek (trailer) for you.

What Kind of Reader am I?