Literary Gladiators: Episode 14- "Oranges" by Gary Soto

"Oranges" was indeed a memorable episode to tape. It was inspired by our Young Adult Literature's desire for oranges that she brought up during one of the classes. Since we wanted to bring this kind of excitement to Literary Gladiators, we decided to have an episode that covered a work that had to do with oranges. Jim, who serves as the assistant producer and suggests plenty of works of discussion, brought up that if we bring Prof. Hannah onto the show, we should do "Oranges" by Gary Soto. It was quite a delight to have somewhat of a mini-Young Adult Literature reunion, for this was the only time Jim, Charlie, and I were in the same classroom at the same time. Prior to beginning Literary Gladiators, I was in two classes with Jim and two with Charlie, both of which inspired me to go forward with this show, but this was a testament of the amount of structured time we spent together in class for a period of time.

The attention, however, should be placed on this poem. Gary Soto is a remarkable poet who reminisces about his first date and how modest it turned out being. We also get a view of contrasting culture and how what we take for granted is not necessarily within everyone's reach. This episode will provide you with an intriguing discussion about "Oranges," a remarkable poem and a remarkable fruit, too!

I hope you enjoy!

Literary Gladiators: Episode 14- "Oranges" by Gary Soto

Literary Gladiators: Episode 13- "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau

Transcendentalism proved to be a recurring theme in both my high school and college American literature classes. Henry David Thoreau is someone that was bound to spark interest from whomever crossed his path. The fact that he chronicled his adventures of living in the woods (in Walden) and would be willing to go to jail for refusing to pay a tax (in "Civil Disobedience") demonstrates that his mode of thinking is not the most ordinary, but at the same time is one of the most influential. This made the discussion on "Civil Disobedience" one of the most intriguing among them all.

Jim, Brianna, Charlie, and I discuss the different elements of this work and make the necessary connections of this work to today's society.

Here is Episode 13:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuKOvaJotyk

Literary Gladiators: Episode 12- Halloween: The Work That Sparks A Fearful Reaction

What made the Halloween episode so special was that we got to go over some of the works that either scared us or made us the most uneasy. Much of my fiction writing comes from the horror and speculative background, so the material was right up my alley. In this episode, Larry, Breanna, Charlie, and I have a fascinating discussion all about works that properly fit this particular genre. In addition, Charlie and I come up with effortless costumes of Harry Potter and Dr. Bordelon, respectively. Perhaps once we have a Halloween episode planned out a bit better in advance, we will put a bit more effort on the costumes. There is always the planned third season taping in January and fourth season (if we go forward with it) taping next summer.

Here is what we did for Halloween:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgNzNrr9B54

Literary Gladiators: Episode 11- "Maus" by Art Spiegelman

For the first time, we stray into the territory of discussing graphic texts, which was a topic many of individuals brought up when it came to what we should discuss on the show. The work of Alan Moore (especially Watchmen) is in demand. This episode, we discuss Maus, which is a remarkable work about Spiegelman's interview with his dad about his experiences during the Holocaust. The creative twist is that instead of using people, Spiegelman uses cats and mice to represent the Germans and Jews, respectively. He also uses other animals to represent the other nationalities.

This is also the first time we had an instructor on the program as a rotating guest. Joining Jim, Charlie, and I is Dr. David Bordelon, who is an American literature instructor at our college. Along with American literature, Dr. Bordelon has a fascination with the graphic text, thus making his appearance in this episode all the better.

Here is the 11th episode of the series, which is Ari (the editor)'s favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlSuLds7td4

Literary Gladiators: Episode 10- The Nobel Prize in Literature

The topic of Nobel Prize winners is always an intriguing one, which is why we had to make an episode dedicated to such a glorious event. It is the prize for peace that usually sparks the most attention, especially as of late, with the controversy behind Al Gore winning the prize in 2007 for a presentation on global warming over Irena Sendler, who was a Polish nurse and social worker that rescued children during the Holocaust. Sendler was up for nomination, lost, and died seven months later. The most recent recipients were Malala Yousakzai, who advocated for a girl's right to education in Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi, who fought for children's rights and against child labor in India. Nevertheless, the Nobel Prize in Literature is still a remarkable accomplishment for anyone that contributes to literature across the world. Even British Prime Minister Winston Churchill won this prize in 1953 for his chronicling of historical and biographical events.

French author Patrick Modiano won the Nobel Prize in Literature this year. While he was not a name that popped up immediately, like Japanese author Haruki Murakami, his win was well deserved.

In this episode of Literary Gladiators, Jim, Courtney, Charlie, and I discuss our favorite laureates of the Nobel Prize in Literature, writers we felt should have won, writers we feel should win in the future, along with so much more.

Here is the tenth episode of the series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mf1B6U8kRU

Literary Gladiators: Episode 9- "Bartleby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville

I truly apologize for the delays regarding the lack of posts within the last few months as well as the delay in posting new episodes of Literary Gladiators onto this blog. I have been backed up with massive amounts of college work and "work" work to the point that my spare time was spent looking over and uploading new episodes of this web show. We have finally made it to the continuation of Charlie's birthday, which was created as a result to a malfunction involving the camera. Those things happen sometimes and you have to respond in some particular form. My answer was this zany, but special episode of the series.

I must say that this was one of my favorites. Not only were the jokes amusing, but Larry and Breanna were excellent guests of choice to join Charlie and I. Jim and Laney were absent, due to prior engagements. I was also pleased with the direction to which this discussion went. The same author behind Moby Dick remains a discussion point with his short story, "Bartleby the Scrivener."

Here it is. Sit back, enjoy, and find out whether or not Charlie gets his cupcake!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXX0hj3FTsg

Poem Review: "Homage to Yalta" by Joseph Brodsky (Part 2)

Beauty is meant to be determined in the eye of the beholder. Poetry, like literature in general, falls under the same category. The way that a poem is interpreted or deemed is in the eye of the individual analyzing the poem. Specifically, this could be said about one of the poems I went over a few months ago written by Joseph Brodsky titled "Homage to Yalta." I stand by my own argument that I made about this being a longing for individuality and how Yalta is viewed in a different light than the historical, American researcher has processed. However, the argument about this poem being a murder mystery is also prevalent. Yes, this poem does play out like the story of the murder mystery. At the same time, it asserts Brodsky's beliefs on the commotion that is the Russian society and what really is the truth of how we agree instead of believe. "Homage to Yalta" is not just an explanation about society in this particular day, but Brodsky also demonstrates his strength on telling a story through his lyric.

The poem is split into different parts, each of which exposes participants in a murder. The first one to be introduced is one that is discussing moves in chess, primarily the Chigorin defense. Brodsky paints a background story to each participant, before mentioning how they can be the suspect of the murder. We are also introduced to people in the realm of acting among someone else, before we learn about a younger, teenage male who is staying with his grandparents and goes out one evening to get some ice cream. There is a threatening looking man that he brings down in what he feels is an act of defense. These here are the elements of seeing this poem as a murder mystery.

The final part of "Homage to Yalta," however, wraps up the ends to how a process like this is immensely inaccurate. In the act of accusing people, the majority of the accused are going to be incorrect. At the same time, ALL of them may be incorrect. This is what is being said in this particular case. Why this is deemed a "homage" is that we are introduced to people who are completely human and citizens of a community just like any other community across the globe. In a country like Russia, however, individuality is non-existent. Under a fearful leader such as Leonid Brezhnev, the act of individuality through writing is not going to be commended and would put someone like Brodsky in a position of danger.

"Homage to Yalta" is a murder mystery, but what Brodsky is making an attempt to convey is that it does not matter who did it. Instead, this poem is for the accused. It feeds to the frustration of living in a Communist Russia that, while denouncing Stalin, is still following the foundation that he has arranged.

Check out the first part of this post that I started a few months ago for more details regarding the structure and meaning (in my mind) behind this poem.