Discussion Post 7: Presentations

I feel that all 4 of the theories we are discussing in class have practical uses in the real world as well as within literary criticism, which makes this section of the class very enlightening and intriguing.  Of the group discussions that we have already seen, I think I have gained the most from Queer Theory and African-American Criticism.

I found Queer Theory so intriguing because it is so applicable to many "issues" that our society is currently dealing with.  Gays and lesbians are fighting such a hard battle right now for equal rights, and I think that has made homosexuality a very popular topic for this generation.  Repressive theory stood out to me because it clearly explains why homosexuality is such a "taboo" for most people.  Double-consciousness and binary opposition are important terms as well because they explain how difficult it can be for a person to be stuck between two clashing identities because society disapproves of one of them.  I thought that the movie clips were very helpful during the group's discussion.  Even though the movie differs slightly from the book, being able to see the passion between Jack and Enus, as well as the sadness, helped me to understand the characters better and just how difficult it was for them to lead double lives.

African-American Criticism is similar to Queer Theory in many ways, which made them interesting to learn about on the same day.  They both deal with minorities that have had to fight for their rights and are often judged for being "different." It was interesting to learn so much about Ralph Ellison, and I can see why he was such an influential African-American writer. The short video about him was very informative and I think it added to the audience's understanding of his importance. I think the history behind this criticism is the most important thing to understand.  There would not be African-American Criticism if black people didn't have to endure so much scrutiny from white people.  Battle Royal was a perfect story to demonstrate this type of criticism because it seemed to have all of the elements that a good African-American story should have, such as binary opposition, double voiceness, and metaphors that stand for the rights that black people did and did not have during that time.  The Power Point presentation was easy to follow along with and made note-taking that much easier.