Alec: Touching Bottom Feminist Literary Criticism

The Narrator in Touching Bottom experiences a feminist awakening when saving her step-son. Within the course of the crisis she overcomes her fear of deep water, saves the life of her step-son and recognizes the deep flaws in her husband. She confronts all of these challenges, drawing on her childhood as inspiration. Her life has been largely dominated by men up to this point, she was a good daughter to her father. Then she defied her father by marrying the man from L.A. which turned out to be a mistake, but that didn’t stop her from being devoted to his son. The precise moment of her awakening is clear when she touches bottom. "The bottom had never been too far away... I opened my eyes and looked up." It is almost as if in this moment she sees with new eyes, she is then able to beat the current and it is clear she made some positive changes in her life after this crisis, including divorcing her husband.

Alec: The Return Archetypal Criticism

The Return follows the archetype of the heroic quest. The hero, Kamau is on his “journey home” from “the abyss”. In the case of this story, the heroes trial was one of imprisonment. When Kamau returns he expects to find the old village waiting for him. However, after five years of imprisonment not only Kamau has changed. While following the patterns of a myth, The Return shatters the romantic stereotype of myth with cold reality. While at the start of the story, the reader has an image of the summer phase, where the hero returns home triumphant, these dreams are dashed by the changes in the world. Instead Kamau is thrust into the Autumn phase, finding himself betrayed by his rival and family he is completely isolated. The hero expected to be welcomed home to cheering and triumph, however he was instead faced with a changed world from the one he knew, this combined with the frustration of being denied the reunion he waited five years for is nearly too much for him to bear. The Return is appealing to all readers because it deals with many issues and involves many themes encompassed in our collective conscious. The need for recognition is a basic human attribute most evident in children. The lack of reward and recognition Kamau receives after his hardships instinctively triggers sympathy in the reader. The Author uses the framework of the Quest to convey complex, yet very common themes and emotions to the reader. The Return is a skillfully written short story that is a fine exemplar of the idea that no matter where you are from, be it Kenya or Canada, the basic stories, values, and themes are universal and are imprinted into humanity.

Alec: Two Words Reader Response Theory

What are the two words?
While it is impossible to determine exactly the two words said by Belisa they were no doubt very powerful and very personal. The two words would have to be ambiguous with hidden implicit meanings in order to make El Mulato obsess so much over them. The words could have been an enchantment of sorts, or could have been a criticism or promise. It is well that the two words were not revealed in the story, otherwise the story would have lost its allure and power, much like the words Belisa sold in the story.

Alec: The Shining Houses: Marxist Criticism

Who is the greater victim in this story, Mrs. Fullerton or Mary?
The Shining Houses is unique because it offers an interesting look at the human side of the dominant class in the form of the character Mary. While she feels compassion for Mrs. Fullerton, Mary has some resentment of her due to her upbringing and existence in the upper class. Mary disagrees with the way her neighbors are dealing with Mrs. Fullerton, but keeps this disagreement largely private. I believe Mrs. Fullerton is the greater victim in this story. From the start her living conditions are worse. Her house is in disrepair, she is a widow, and she is rather miserable. Her position is worsened when her neighbors plot against her to have her house destroyed to build a lane so that they don’t have to look at her property. Mrs. Fullerton obviously is a greater victim than Mary, she is alienated and the life she is living is being threatened by the upper class.

Alec: Araby Formalist Criticism

B. “Araby” Signifies a young boy’s painful transition to adulthood.

This claim is valid because the transition in the main character is made evident through the conventions of plot, theme and setting. At the start of the story the main character is looking at his life by analyzing his surroundings and how they relate to him. This in itself is an act of growing up. As the story progresses the boy becomes obsessed with a girl across the street. As this obsession grows he retreats inward and stops playing with the boys on the street, preferring to brood over this girl. By making the decision to go to the bazaar the Boy is exercising the independence that comes with growing up, however he is painfully reminded of his youth by the fact that he has to wait for his Fathers permission and money to go. The final phase of the Boys transition occurs when he realizes that he has been living a childish fantasy. The line: “I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity” shows his acknowledgement of his childishness and by acknowledging this he has made another step, however painful on the road to adulthood. There is an interesting contrast between the opening of the story: “North Richmond Street, being blind.” And “I saw myself” at the end of the story. The transition from blindness to sight suggests growth or rebirth (as an adult).