Meeting the poet and author

In this semester, I had met two authors. Both of them are poets too. They were Shirley Lim and Wong Phui Nam. The meeting were a new experience to me becuase normally i just read the biographies of the authors and now i could see them. In these meeting we got the chance to ask them the questions such as why did they wrte a particular piece of work and others. Shirley came to introduce her new novel, Sister Swing. From her introduction, I have an urge to read the novel becuase it sounded like very interesting. Although meeting of Wong was a bit boring, but I learned a lot from him in how to read a poem. For example, the rythm and the impotant of diciton in a poem and how to read a poem. I have read the works by Wong and Shirley since my first of of degree. Wong's works are very serious. In contrast, Shirley's work are lighter. Most of her works are baout chienese society in Malaysia. Besides, Shirley is a cheerful woman and she talks a lot without hesitations. This is because she is a lecturer. Wong is a economist. He is a serious man, he made jokes too. There are so much things to ask about their works. but the meeting was just an hour.

I hope through the course I can meet more authors in future.

Survival of the fittest!

We have finished the reading and the analysis of the forth play “The Streetcar Named Desired” by Tennessee William. The character whom I sympathize the most is Blanche Dubois because she is a tragic character. She is once a rich southern belle and she has a loving husband. But all her good days have passed. She loses everything including her job as a teacher. She is unable to accept the reality. Therefore, she has sexual affairs with men in order to fulfill her material needs and her sexual needs. Her bad reputation has caused her to move away from Laurel and she intends to start a new life in New Orleans. I admire her that she wants to leave all her past and begin with a new life. But she does not make it due to the fact that she is unable to accept the change. She is still has a strong hold to her upper society ethic. She criticizes her brother-in-law whom she feels he behaves like an animal because he gets drunk and abuses her sister. I pity Blanche that her past has been discovered by Stanley as he wants to take revenge because of her criticism. Besides, Blanche wants Mitch to marry her because she wants a better future as she has grown older and she is unable to sell herself to earn money and fulfill her sexual desire. I feel she just want someone to provide her with shelter and food and why Stanley wants to treat her so badly. He spreads past to Mitch and Mitch refuses to accept her. Her only hope is gone. We cannot blame for her inability to accept change because for a person to change or adapt to a new environment is not something that can be done within a few months times. We needs time to adapt ourselves and change. This happens to Blanche too. Stella has made it because she has moved to New Orleans since she is sixteen. She has spent more than 20 years in that society. Therefore, she is able to accept the culture and norm of the society