My reaction to Disgrace...

Upon finishing Disgrace, I was left in awe, possessing some feelings of disappointment concerning the ending of the novel. Throughout Disgrace, I was given the impression that David was changing. Even though he refused to seek counseling, I thought that by being on the farm with Lucy, in a completely different environment and society, would ultimately be counseling enough. Halfway though his stay with Lucy, I was given assurance that David had surly changed. He seems more of a concerned and assiduous father, devoted to the well being of Lucy. All this is reassuring yet, as the novel progresses, this change in David diminishes and he resumes to his meaningless one-night stands with young women and his bachelor-like lifestyle.
By giving up the dog, David signals his refusal to act sentimental and compassionate. It is as though he was giving up on everything in his life…Giving up on Lucy's pursuit to happiness and tranquility, and giving up on his old life. Putting down Disgrace was tough as it greatly emphasizes man's incapacity and unwillingness to better oneself.
Disgrace, to a certain extent, does have many hidden meanings to it with a lot of allusions and motifs. It conveys the aspect of 'white-guilt' that had impacted the white people at the time of the apartheids, especially through the submissive personality of Lucy. It explains how men deal differently with 'middle-age crisis', shown through David's excessive sexual desires. It also contrasts between the urban life and the rural life, which is interesting. And finally it mentions animals and metaphorically contrasts them to humans.
Does it deserve the international acclaim it had received? I have mixed opinions towards that. The allusions made to Byron, Madame Bovary, and Wordsworth gives the novel a different approach to those of other novels. Moreover, the usage of Latin and Italian phrases conveys the multicultural personality any person would probably have in South Africa at that time.
The title certainly suits the novel perfectly. I would recommend a person to read, but not as a must. I wouldn't be like, "Oh my God, Disgrace is the best book I've ever read!" It is a pleasing novel. One must be able to understand the excessive amount of allusions to achieve an adequate understanding of the novel…

Is Shakespeare really overrated?

William Shakespeare is by one of the most eminent writers in the history of English. As have mentioned over and over again in our English class, no matter what one must be able to appreciate his pieces. Some of the most Famous include Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Sonnet 18, with “Shall I compare you to a summers night”.
For those of whom do not know William Shakespeare's background, it is quite important to find out before reading his pieces. Knowing his character and his bisexuality, it helps in understanding him. This is very specific to his 154 sonnets. It is known that sonnets 1-127 are addressed to a young man and sonnets 127-152 are concerned with a dark lady. Then understanding his language is the next leap. Shakespeare tends to use a lot of figurative language and puns to explain his way of thinking more vividly and give his audience a message. Moreover he speaks in early modern English, which has a tendency of being confusing. Also, the way in which the reader interprets Shakespeare's works is significant. If the reader is one who is inexperienced with poetry or is unable to comprehend the language usage, one would not understand Shakespeare's real message. Furthermore, if one reads his work in a terse manner that also leads to a misunderstanding of his works.
For example in Sonnet 1, the word "bud" appears. This word can be interpreted either as the bud of a flower, about to grow, or more vulgarly, as a penis. Yet could this be considered overrated? If one is to naïve to understand the original pun or doesn't know that Shakespeare was a bisexual, one would simply interpret the poem as though Shakespeare was glorifying the beauty of nature. On the other hand, if one is skilled in understanding Shakespeare's 'hidden' meanings; they would directly recognize that he intended the word 'bud' more offensively.
Do I think William Shakespeare is overrated? No, I don't think so. In literature, every person has the right to express oneself they way they want to. If Shakespeare wanted to express his sexual intuitions through his works of literature, then he had the right. He tends to describe issues very vulgarly, that is for sure, but he is not overrated. His works should surly be appreciated for the content of which they speak of…He certainly has achieved a lot of popularity in the world of literature, let alone any other discipline.

The Seasons of Friendship

As spring flowers bloom and birds lively sing
I realize that I can truly value this
With your fun conversations and easy going
You bring upon me a state of bliss

As the year passes and summer shines through
Our relationship grows and escalates
The clouds remain out of sight in a color of blue
And, in the sun, we are enjoyed by our mates

When autumn comes and the sky turns gray
Your acquaintances will exceed so much more
Leading, for us, to a lot of delay
Which I tend to ignore, but then abhor

Winter is here, and a friend I wait for
The one, whom I will always adore

How do you feel about sonnets as a poetic form? Do you like their structure or do you find them too limiting? Use one of the sonnets we have discussed

Sonnets are fourteen-lined lyric poems, traditionally written in iambic pentameter, with a specific standardized structure. It is made up of three quatrains and a couplet, and the ninth line is usually the turning point, specifically known as Volta. It follows the rhyme scheme of a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g to make the poem easier to read. Being made up of fourteen lines, the poet is unable to describe their point of view every easy, being limited to the size of a typical sonnet. Yet this might be helpful to the reader, making their imagination broader, to believe and perceive whatever they want to from the poem.
In class we have discussed, basically, Shakespeare's sonnets. He talked about Sonnet #1, 2, 8, 29, and 30. Sonnets 1 to 126 are concerned with a young man, Sonnet 127-152 are addressed to a dark lady, and 153-154 are like free adaptations of classical Greek poetry. Shakespeare didn't want his sonnets to be published, yet they were against his will. Most of the sonnets written by the poet have double-meaning analogies and references, which makes any reader confused in what is happening. Yet it is important to understand William Shakespeare first. No wonder so many people have attempted in analyzing this type of writing skills…

What do you think about JM Coetzee's writing style. What about his style is unique? Does that affect the reading of the novel?

The reading of this novel, Disgrace, is very captivating and appealing. When reading it, we can notice that there are many elements distinguishing the writing style of J. M. Coetzee to any other writer. To start with, the reading of Disgrace is simple and easy. The vocabulary usage isn't difficult and the plot strand isn't complicated nor intertwined. Therefore, when reading it, it is more entrancing and easy-flowed than other novels. Living in South Africa, it is multicultural country with a variety of influenced ethnicities affecting the people there. This is shown in the writing style of J. M. Coetzee when he mentions expressions in Latin, French, Spanish, etc. Disgrace, is a novel in third person point of view. Normally with such novels, the narrator would be omniscient; yet it is not like this in the novel. Here, the narrator basically knows what is going on in the mind of David Lurie only. He, the narrator, doesn't perceive what any of the characters, like Soraya and Melanie, think. All these elements help in the analysis of the novel.