Critical Journal 3/27

Name: Robert Denos_______ Time of day your class meets: 4-5:20 Date 4/20/2014

1. Creators Name: Fred Bridgland 2. Creations Title: The Real Crime is Being a Woman 3. What do you think is the main point or message of this work? (Think a little more deeply than normal about this; remember, rarely are things only or even primarily literal). I think that the main point of this story can be interpreted in many different ways. I believe that the author is trying to point out that the laws and customs of this society are not fair whatsoever, and that these people are being manipulated and used in ways that are unfair to women and people in general. I believe that the author is trying to use this shock value in that this woman is being stoned just because she had a child outside of marriage. 4. Why do you think so? I do not think the author would have gone so much into depth with the womans personal quotes and sayings if he did not want the message to be raw and thought provoking. I believe he uses this material in a very smart way, and its message is effective because it shows a side of the story that many people might not hear otherwise. 5. How do you react to this material? I think it is very interesting, the fact that another culture would treat its own people like this is intriguing to me, although Im sure my own culture does things that are just as bad in a different way. 6. Why do you think you react this way? I think I react this way because it is different to me, and I believe that foreign policies and laws are more interesting because it is something that would not be ok where I live. 7. What else do you think you need to know more about to understand this work? I think I need to understand more about the situation of the Nigerian law system, and more about how sharia law works. I do not know much about it other than what I have heard from American news stations and the media.

Critical Journal 4/17

Name: Robert Denos Time of day your class meets: 4-5:20 Date 4/27/2014

1. Creators Name: Mark Twain 2. Creations Title: The War Prayer 3. What do you think is the main point or message of this work? I think the main message of this work is that the author wants the reality of war exposed, and that the people of the time were not accepting the fact that war was not a pretty thing. They were praying for victory, and safety for their troops. The lunatic was in a sense saying that they were also praying for death of the other side, with things like O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead.. This is a cruel irony to what the people were actually praying for, and I think that the author intended it to be this way. 4. Why do you think so? I think that this author wants this situation to be an eye opener to whomever is reading, and that they need to think about what they are intending with their actions, not only concerning war, but other aspects of life as well. 5. What evidence/support/technique does the artist bring to bear to help bolster his/her message? The author uses the nasty side of war to make his point that actions lead to consequences, and that those consequences are not always our intention, but will always follow. He uses the technique of lunacy almost as an irony to the fact that people think this idea is crazy when it is completely true. 6. How might what was happening at the time the artist lived have impacted this message? Mark Twain lived mostly during the 19th century, when the civil war raged. He wrote about the gruesome things that he saw, and he wrote his opinion on political and worldly matters. He was influenced by the ideals and customs of society at the time of the civil war, which were proper and this sort of unhappy thing was almost frowned upon. 7. What assumptions does the artist make about you? How do those assumptions affect the work? Twain assumes that you are a stereotypical Christian in this work. He puts you into the place of the audience member at the church, listening to your own pastor say things when this crazy guy bursts in and talks about all these things that are absolutely out of this world.

8. Imagine how someone different from yourself might react to this work. Explain why their reaction might be so. I think someone other than me might react similarly, because Twain has a talent in creating images of what is happening to his readers, and he can vividly paint a picture in the readers mind. I believe this would vary by location, but I think for the most part the message would remain the same.