“A Critic’s Manifesto”

Summarize: The overall drama of critics involves expertise and taste. These writers above all are similar to teachers, and like all good teachers they teach by example. Knowledge was a crucial component in the drama of criticism. The glimpses these writers gave you of their tastes and passions revealed what art and culture are supposed to do for a person. By dramatizing their own thinking on the page, by revealing the basis of their judgments and letting you glimpse the mechanisms by which they exercised their own personal taste, all these critics were implying that you could arrive at your own, quite different judgments. What you really can learn from a critic is how to think. For all criticism is based on that equation: knowledge + taste = meaningful judgment.

 

Evaluate: I agree on what was said about critics in this article, they’re very wise and knowledgeable on what they critique and have such strong passions for what they do and how they do it. Critics may seem like mean, angry people sometimes but really they’re so invested in what they do and have such strong tastes. Critics truly do teach you how to think critically and that not everything in life is perfect and people need judgement to improve.

“It’s Tartt – But Is It Art?”       

Summarize: “Its tone, language, and story belong in children’s literature,” wrote critic James Wood, in The New Yorker. “Nowadays, even The New York Times Book Review is afraid to say when a popular book is crap,” Stein says. No novel gets uniformly enthusiastic reviews, but the polarized responses to The Goldfinch lead to the long-debated questions: What makes a work literature, and who gets to decide? From the beginning Tartt’s work confuserd critics and often they left horrible reviews.

 

Evaluate: I have not read the authors novel(s) but I agree with what the writer is saying about how a novel is considered bad and who gets to decide it is bad. Who gets to decide a work is considered good literature? I believe every book is not horrible and that every author should get a chance before they’re faced with hard critics. On the other hand,  if Tartt has had amazing books it doesn’t mean they’re always going to have great reads that appeal to everyone.

Response to the Critic

My connection and extension:

I will be writing my own response piece to the role of the critic from this article:

(The Shame of the #MeToo Men)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/14/opinion/columnists/metoo-movement-franken-hockenberry-macdonald.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fsunday&action=click&contentCollection=sunday&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=sectionfront

In my opinion, this article is very disrespectful, crazy and wrong in so many ways. The Me Too movement is the upcoming, powerful movement against sexual harassment and sexual assault, especially in the workplace. Many woman have came out and said ‘Me Too’ as in they have also been sexually harassed. I realize that some woman have also came out and falsely accused men of sexual assault when they in fact had not done anything which, yes, obviously is wrong but that is not what was mentioned in the article. What was mentioned is how the writer feels bad for the ‘less powerful’ ‘less overtly predatory’ men being accused. Just because they’re not well known men or don’t seem like predators does not mean they could not have committed sexual assault! Anyone can do such a horrible act and they don’t need to have fame or money to do so. The writer of the article also mentions that the men “whose gross behavior was tacitly accepted by those around them until, suddenly, it wasn’t. I can only imagine how disorienting it must be to have the rules change on you so fast, to have your reputation obliterated in an instant, to be suddenly unable to do the work that gives you your identity.” Their behaviour should never have been accepted by anyone around them, that is what makes this statement even worse. These men deserve punishment and they deserve more than just losing some friends and a job! Imagine feeling bad for a rapist for losing their job and being disoriented by the lifestyle changes that come with committing such a horrible act. Terrible.

4 Purposes of food in fiction:

1. food that is served by an author to characters who are not expected to taste it
2. food that is served by an author to characters in order to show who they are
3. food that an author cooks for characters in order to eat it with them
4. food that an author cooks for characters but actually serves to the reader

My Favourite Recipe:

• Classic Brownies: https://tasty.co/recipe/the-best-fudgy-brownies

Food Story: Ellie’s First Bite

It was the morning of Christmas Eve, Ellie had just woken up to loud voices coming from the kitchen downstairs which sounded like her Grandma and Papa. She was so excited to spend her first Christmas in an actual home, with her actual family. For her whole eight years of life she has been in and out of group homes and foster families with other children. She has never been able to enjoy a holiday because of her constant worry if she will finally get to have a family of her own and this year she has. She was so excited she jumped out of her warm, twin bed and slipped into her fuzzy bunny slippers and ran out her door to say hello to her family.

“Good Morning Ellie!” Teresa, her mother exclaimed

“Morning Mamma!” Ellie replied.

Ellie noticed all the green and red Christmas decorations and the huge tree in the living room.

Mom had the biggest smile on her face.

“Go say hi to grandma and papa, they’re in the living room”

Ellie ran over and began hugging her grandma and papa and said hello, everyone looked so happy and cheerful which made Ellie ecstatic. As Ellie sat on the big fuzzy couch between her new grandparents she couldn’t help but notice the amazing smell in the room.

“Mom!” She yelled.

“What is that smell?!”

“I am making my famous brownies, you will fall in love when you try them!” Mom replied from the kitchen.

Brownies? Ellie wondered. She’d never heard that word or type of food before, she was so used to just eating soup, bread and granola bars given to her at the group homes she stayed in. It sounded exotic and she expected not to like them.

 

A few hours have passed and Ellie has done nothing but talk to her grandparents about their lives and how her mom was as a child, it was so fun for Ellie to finally experience what a real family lives like, she couldn’t help but giggle every second. Ellie learned her mother was a very shy kid and never really made any close friends or had a boyfriend until she was older, but Ellie liked that and felt she related to her in many ways. Ellie was also shy and never made good friends either, she liked to be on her own most of the time, even in the group homes where she felt the loneliest and saddest. Ellie also learned her mom was single right now and had just separated with her husband of 5 years. Ellie knew going into her new home she would only have a mom and not a dad which was fine with her, but she never knew why. Apparently mom’s husband did not want any children, so he left. This made Ellie sad, but she knew she still had a mom and a forever home, so she didn’t let it get her down.

“Okay, I think that’s enough stories for one day, let us save more for later!” Grandma explained.

“Why don’t we go see what your mom is up to in the kitchen, shall we?”

Ellie sprung up and ran over to the kitchen, mom was stood over the stove mixing a pot.

“What’s that!” Ellie asked, being the curious eight-year old she was.

“It’s the vegetables cooking to put into the stuffing” Mom laughed.

Ellie was looking around when she saw the brown filled pan behind her.

“Ew! What is that, it looks like poop!” Ellie said.

“Ellie! What’re you talking about those are my brownies, they’re made with chocolate, so they’re brown not poop coloured!” Mom replied and you could hear Ellie’s grandparents laughing from the other room.

Mom bent down to be at Ellie’s height.

“Ellie?” She asked.

“Have you never tried brownies or chocolate?”

Ellie had never heard those two words before it was all so confusing, she wondered if she had she just didn’t know the words or meaning of what she had eaten.

“No. I-i don’t think so mamma.” Ellie replied in a low voice.

This made mom look so sad, a frown appeared upon her lips and her eyes began to well up with water.

“Oh, Ellie dear.” Mom said.

“Chocolate is delicious, it is one of many children and adults favourite things, it is sweet and yummy but not good for you, that is what makes it so good!”

Mom wondered how she could explain this brown looking stuff was actually really delicious to a child that had never heard of it before.

“Just try some Ellie, I promise you’ll like it!”

Ellie didn’t want to try it, to her it looked gross.

“No, it’s ok. It doesn’t look good.” Ellie replied.

“Please Ellie I wouldn’t lie to you darling.” Said mom.

Ellie had to trust her new mother and after all she had been stuck in group homes her entire life eating nothing but bread and such, maybe it would be good she thought.

“Ok mamma but only a small piece”.

Mom smiled, as she cut a little piece of brownie out of the pan. They were supposed to be saved for dessert but this was more important, a little girl never having tried chocolate. She handed Ellie the small brown chunk of brownie and Ellie inspected it for a while before placing it in her mouth. She held it there and bit down. Mom was so worried, would she spit it out or would she love it.

As Ellie chewed a bunch of emotions and thoughts ran through her head. How amazing this food tasted and how sad it was that she’d never tried it before.

“Mamma! This is so so good!” Ellie laughed.

“Yay, I’m so happy to hear that! See I would never lie to you!” Mom replied.

“Mamma, I have one question though.” Ellie said quietly.

“Yes, Ellie?” Mom smiled.

“Can I have more?” Ellie replied.

Mom laughed and thought to herself about what she has done.

“No Ellie, we have to save this for the rest of our guests!”

“Aw man!” Said Ellie as mom came in to give her a hug.

“I love you Ellie”.

“I love you too mamma.”

 

Critiques:

• The shading is very dense and not blended strongly.
• The bodies are not accurate or proportionate. (i.e: the feet are pointy, small head on one man).
• Not very much colour or detail.
• Very dark looking, not sure if the setting is day or night.
• The paint looks very thick and harsh on the painting.
• I am unsure of what the different men mean. (why is one standing, one doing hard work).

Evaluation:

• Overall I think it is a confusing painting with a lot of different possible styles (contrast, proportions, etc). But I think the author had a strong idea when painting this piece and that is what makes it relevant. I do not think I can properly critique paintings myself, when I am not an artist nor an expert on art or anything about it! In the end these are all really just my personal opinions of the painting rather than critiques.

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

Alexis’s boyfriend said softly as they looked up at the dark night sky.

“What does that mean ?” She asked

“I saw it in a movie once, I thought it was inspiring” He replied

Alexis giggled softly, Elijah usually wasn’t so into movies, especially remembering quotes from them, she happened to wonder why this specific quote was so special to him.

 

As they were walking home later that night from Alexis noticed something on Elijah’s face, tears. He was crying.

“Babe! What’s wrong?” Alexis exclaimed

He couldn’t reply, he was sobbing hysterically. Alexis quickly hugged him tight as they approached his driveway to his home. Elijah ran inside without saying another word to Alexis, this worried her because he’d never not say goodbye.

 

Later that night, around 2:00 AM, Alexis was home in her bed about to fall asleep as she received a phone call. She picked up her phone, it was Elijah. She saw his name and contact picture glow on her screen as her eyes strained looking at her bright phone screen, she just hoped he was ok. She picked up the phone and softly said “Hello”, he didn’t reply for a few seconds until he did.