blah blah school
Jan. 25th, 2011 10:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unijIt's weird when, all of a sudden, college makes you realize you're not smart.
I've never had all that much trouble writing papers, aside from procrastinating like nuts on them, but once I sit down and make myself do it--usually just a few nights before it's due, derp--it's fairly easy for me to figure out what I want to say, how to get the point across and find examples from the text.
But it turns out I've met my match. For class, we have to read The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima. I'm about halfway through it, right now, and it's by no means a bad book--it's really pretty interesting. But I cannot understand the mindset of the main character. He's obviously designed to have a very different mentality than most people, I think, seeing as the basic point of the book is describing the thought process of a man who is essentially a terrorist. But usually I really enjoy psychoanalyzing and viewing things from another viewpoint. It's usually fun, and not all that hard for me. I don't know if it's the way his thought process is described, or the manner in which the book was translated, or what, but I honestly cannot follow what this guy is getting at.
That on its own would not be a problem for me. I could read it through and not really get the character without minding too much, it's still a good book. But today our teacher told us we have to write a paper on this thing, too. Only 2-4 pages, not much, but I am now officially worried. There's a difference between BSing a point to draw it out, and having absolutely no idea what to say. When I make a thesis, I at least have to know what I'm saying. And I honestly don't know what to write about this book.
My hope is that seminaring on this thing tomorrow will generate SOMEthing, but... ugh. It's really weird, realizing that I've hit a complete wall with this thing. It's a little disorienting.
I've never had all that much trouble writing papers, aside from procrastinating like nuts on them, but once I sit down and make myself do it--usually just a few nights before it's due, derp--it's fairly easy for me to figure out what I want to say, how to get the point across and find examples from the text.
But it turns out I've met my match. For class, we have to read The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima. I'm about halfway through it, right now, and it's by no means a bad book--it's really pretty interesting. But I cannot understand the mindset of the main character. He's obviously designed to have a very different mentality than most people, I think, seeing as the basic point of the book is describing the thought process of a man who is essentially a terrorist. But usually I really enjoy psychoanalyzing and viewing things from another viewpoint. It's usually fun, and not all that hard for me. I don't know if it's the way his thought process is described, or the manner in which the book was translated, or what, but I honestly cannot follow what this guy is getting at.
That on its own would not be a problem for me. I could read it through and not really get the character without minding too much, it's still a good book. But today our teacher told us we have to write a paper on this thing, too. Only 2-4 pages, not much, but I am now officially worried. There's a difference between BSing a point to draw it out, and having absolutely no idea what to say. When I make a thesis, I at least have to know what I'm saying. And I honestly don't know what to write about this book.
My hope is that seminaring on this thing tomorrow will generate SOMEthing, but... ugh. It's really weird, realizing that I've hit a complete wall with this thing. It's a little disorienting.
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 07:25 am (UTC)Have you tried coming at it from the outside angle instead of trying to understand from the inside? Look at his actions, and then look at his motivation for doing what he does (what he's trying to accomplish), and then look at how the book describes his thought process and try to line it up with his actions and goals. So instead of going, "WHAT WAS HE EVEN THINKING WHY DID HE DO THAT" you're going "this is what he did, this is what he wanted to happen by doing that, but why did he decide to accomplish that goal with those actions?"
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 08:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 09:12 am (UTC)guys literary techniques are cool and all but come on, moderation.
in that case, hopefully the class discussion will help.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 03:50 pm (UTC)... On a semi-related note, I've been to Kinkaku-ji and remember hearing about a guy who burnt it down. I didn't know someone wrote about it.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 05:43 pm (UTC)I'm not sure what to suggest other than maybe meeting with the professor outside of class to address your confusion?
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 10:25 pm (UTC)Yeah, actually, I think there've been a couple books about it, and maybe a movie, too. It was actually burned down by a monk of the temple.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 10:27 pm (UTC)haha... I dunno, maybe I should try talking with my teacher, though she doesn't really seem much like she's good at one-on one conversation with this sort of thing. (I know she's basically in love with this writer, my friends have had her in previous quarters and always read one of his books. And they're always confused by it.)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 10:29 pm (UTC)Yeah, not all teachers are...but sometimes it can still be a little helpful, speaking from my own experience. I would hope that her being in love with the writer would help.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 10:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 11:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 11:24 pm (UTC)