James Baldwin
“The Devil Finds Work”
Summary:
Baldwin went back in time illustrating the dilemmas he had encountered when he was a child on what it meant to be a colored child in the society. Relating to his personal experiences and relationships, he expressed his thoughts and questions on how things end up the way they did and the reason behind to why people acted a certain way.
Discussion Questions
- “A child is far too self centered to relate to any dilemma which does not relate to him.” In this case, is self-centered the right word to describe a child?
- How does our mind store selective memories to? Other than the memories we have on people who have touched us or the events that have move us forward in life, why is it that we remember things that are random or irrelevant to our lives? Or does it actually have hidden meanings that we do not recognize?
During the apartheid period, the colored were treated harshly as if they were placed in a level below other races in the social hierarchy. The experiences and problems Baldwin faced when he was young showed inequality in the society and the actors and authors he mentioned portrayed how people can be easily influenced by social media and books. He also stated that “infirmities might be forged in weapons”, exhibited how mental weaknesses could corrupt one’s mindset and one’s moral principles in order to satisfy and enhance self-esteem. On another note, Baldwin’s young self reminded me of how children are filled with curiosity and are more open to alternative possibilities in comparison to grown adults, which is the mindset we should all regain.
Scott Berkun
“How To Give And Receive Criticism”
Summary:
Criticisms and judgments are made solely for the purpose to help the creator to improve in his or her work rather than a way for the critic to enhance own self-esteem. There is a distinct line between good and bad criticisms, and in order to distinguish them, is to understand the artists’ intention of the work instead of judging based on preference and ones’ own knowledge.
Discussion Questions
- Though in rare cases, how can we critique a piece of artwork if the creator has no goals or intentions for it, but rather created as a result of leisure or boredom?
- The passage said good and bad criticisms are different from likes and dislikes. What are some ways we could set aside our preferences to judge a piece?
Many attempt to avoid getting criticisms from others due to their belief that receiving judgments would lower self-esteem and initiate arguments. However, this method is often misunderstood since we are living in a society in which pride can easily dominate and override a person’s true intentions and actions towards others. I agree with the passage that many of us are prone to judge artworks based on our preferences and taste. When we dislike a piece, our first instinct is to give comments on the things we don’t like or the things we don’t understand. However, as the passage mentioned, the creator may have a different taste as well as aim for the work, therefore, making it much more difficult to critique.
Maeve Brennan
“A Lost Lady”, “A Man Who Combed His Hair”, “The Good Adano”
Summary:
Using all senses, each short story illustrates and links the character’s observations of his or her surrounding and others’ actions to a life lesson or a reminder of reality. Being aware of the surroundings gives us the ability to understand, know and relate to what is happening around us.
Discussion Questions
- In the “A Man Who Combed His Hair”, the author mentioned, “we are all only reminders of one another.” Why do we tend to feel that we are different from others?
- Since many of us view-accomplishing tasks at hand equals to being productive and useful. Do you think sitting down, observing and being aware of our surroundings are more important for our well-being, especially psychologically?
The majority of the population has difficulties relating to the passages as the characters are extremely aware of their surroundings. We are alike the two girls in “The Good Adano”, who were compared to monuments, in which we spend each day following a routine. We began to learn to adapt to the fast paced society that stresses on productivity and efficiency. It is rare to sit down without distractions and to just look around and see what people are up to. On another note, since most short stories out there directly convey their messages, the content was unclear to me.
