Boram+Lee's+Summer+Reading

**Essay #1 : Seasons ** 

"I was going home in October. Everybody goes home in October" (93). //-On the Road //   Thomas Merton, an American Catholic writer, once stated, "October is a fine and dangerous season in America. A wonderful time to begin anything at all." Every month means something. For centuries, people's mood and behavior were affected by season. In fact, season also affects literature in a way that it emphasizes its mood and symbolizes the significance of the content. Many writers and poets believe that seasons describe the feeling of refresh, sadness, or even loss; cold weather in winter or bright light in spring lead readers to be more involved in the stories deeply. Known as one of the greatest American writers in 20th century, Jack Kerouac also considers this factor in his writing, in //On the road // . Throughout the novel, season continuously signifies the moods of characters as well as the events: spring brings the life back, summer shows passions and anger, fall describes loneliness, and winter gives a feeling of cold and gloomy. In //On the road // , Jack Kerouac tries to show freedom and to search for meaning of life and identity as he writes about driving from the east to the west coast. The narrator, Sal Paradise, a novelist, admires Dean Moriarty because Dean's life always seems joyful. Dean also marries, divorces, and makes love to countless women throughout the story, while Sal is not the smoothest around women. They meet lots of different people and experience different cultures as they continue their journey. This story becomes more intense, however, because of Kerouac's uses of seasons for moods. Kerouac suggests that spring brings life and life starts its new life: "Then came spring, the great time of traveling, and everybody in the scattered gang was getting ready to take one trip or another" (8). In the beginning of the novel, he indirectly speaks that the journey starts when the year starts, as spring comes along. He also indicates that "in the spring of 1949 I had a few dollars saved from my GI education checks and I went to Denver, thinking of settling down there. I saw myself in Middle America, a patriarch. I was lonesome" (163). Kerouac sets a new start for Sal, who questions his identity, with a fresh mind in spring. Moreover, the author draws an image of passion and anger in the summer. "In the month of july1947... I was ready to go to the West Coast" (10). By illustrating the journey in the summer, readers realize that Sal and Dean will go through so much more hardship because summer represents eagerness, temper, and intensity. Furthermore, many of Sal's hardship occurs during fall and winter; his loneliness and uncertainty of life grow as he finds himself among strangers, unable to shake off the cold, gloomy feeling of winter. Kerouac successfully uses seasons as an element of literature to develop the mood of the novel. The reader can perceive the idea of seasons in //On the road //; spring brings the life back, summer shows passions and anger, fall describes loneliness, and winter shows severeness.

**Essay #2 : Symbols **   Symbol comes out in every literature; //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">On the Road // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> by Jack Kerouac is not an exception. Written in late 20th century, //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">On the Road // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> depicts the journey of two men, Sal Paradise and Dan Moriarty, who lust after women and seek for freedom with the idea of American Dream. There are two symbols in //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">On the Road // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">: Times Square and rivers. Sal never values time, but always visits Time Square whenever he goes back to New York from his journeys; Sal and Dean always go through rivers whenever they travel from east to west. Time Square and rivers occur continuously and symbolize some aspect of the characters. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Everytime Sal returns to New York, he goes back to Times Square. Sal never values his time, while Dean measures everything in terms of time. However, the more Sal admires Dean, the more he becomes conscious of time. Sal also realizes that time is running only when he is in New York, especially in Time Square, where represents the time: "suddenly I found myself on Times Square" (96). Moreover, river symbolizes isolation and detection of world. Sal and Dean drive through Mississippi Rivers and Sal reflects himself on the river. The river represents both danger and safety. Also, since it can be a road, it connects east and west for Sal and Dean to arrive in the new world. In //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">On the Road // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">, symbols work together neatly and imply the importance of the characters. Times Square shows the value of time for Sal and river indicates both danger and safety of his journey. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Essay #3 : Baptism **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">

<span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> Everything happens because it is meant to be whether it happens purposefully or accidentally. In literature, authors make characters to go through traumatic experiences to make some dramatic effect in the stories. Authors use a baptism as a symbolic medium of the novel in order to twist plots and shows the change in the characters or even in the universe where the character belongs. For example, in //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">On the Road // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">, written by Jack Kerouac, the narrator, Sal Paradise, divorces his wife; it is an author’s plan to baptize his character to reborn in the society. The novel begins as Sal remembers his past. He recollects his journey to west from east with his friend Dean Moriarty. However, his journey would not happen if he were not divorce his wife, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">"I first met Dean Moriarty after my wife and I split up" (3). As splitting Sal up his wife, the author shows the baptism that he reborn from marriage life to the world of unknown. Sal experiences new world and changes mentally through the journey. Sal says, "with the coming of Dean Moriarty began the part of my life you could call my life on the road" (3). Even though there was no water to drown Sal, but he drown figuratively and comes up with new spirit. He, now, travels, meets new people, seeks freedom, and finds out his identity. Kerouac intends to use divorce as a symbol of die and symbolizes meeting Dean to rebirth of Sal in the new world. His divorce is an act of baptism; he was not drowning in the actual water, but in the metaphorical water, the world of unknown.

<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Essay #4 : Quest ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">“‘Where are you headed?’ I said Denver” (23). //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">-On the Road // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> Based on Thomas Foster, the author of //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">How to Read Literature Like a Professor // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">, the real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge and that is why questers are so often young, inexperienced, immature, and sheltered. His idea is used in many literatures; //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">On the Road // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> by Jack Kerouac depicts the quest in his novel. In //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">On the Road // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">, Sal Paradise, the narrator, shows his uncertainty towards his society. He searches for his identity and pursuits for freedom with his friend, Dean Moriarty, throughout the novel as they drive from east to west. Every quest contains a quester, Sal Paradise, in this novel. He tries to go to west in order to feel secure because Denver is where he feels at home. He believes that west will have more freedom compared to the east side of America. He challenges the rules and limitations of his society while he travels to Denver and San Francisco; he steals, drinks, uses drugs, and sexually behaves. Throughout the journey, Sal meets many different people, who all have their own individual goals, quests for their lives. After realizing Sal's inner conflict, readers perceive that the real reason that Sal travels is to find his identity among people in society. Through Sal's adventure across the continent, he finally finds his identity and finishes his quest. Sal changes and reflects his past, "I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going... I think of Dean Moriarty" (281). His quest is successful but the new quest may continue as he goes on the road. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Essay #5: Rain ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">

<span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> In //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">On the Road // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> by Jack Kerouac, weather is an important part of the setting. Sal, the narrator, moves from place to place with his friend, Dean Moriarty, to experience the world and find his identity. Sal has a difficult time trying to figure out the society; his motion is expressed by the weather, especially by rain. Rainy night shows sadness and reflects the feeling of Sal. Jack Kerouac wants to show that //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">rain is more than just rain // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">; the rain causes the reader relate more to his depression and agony present in the story. "That night it started raining as Lee Ann gave dirty looks to both of us. Not a cent left in the house. The rain drummed on the roof. 'It's going to last for a week,' said Remi... His great brown sad eyes stared at the planks of the floor" (67). Whenever rain comes, Sal's suffers from uncompromising circumstances that he feels even more isolated and becomes more confused about his identity. This rain, however, also clears up his uncertainty and the relationships with women throughout the novel. Moreover, based on Foster's book, //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">How to Read Literature like a Professor // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">, rain is also restorative, meaning that the rain brings the world back to life. After the journey across the United States, Sal becomes more mature and finds a place in the world where he can belong. Furthermore, snow and sunshine also come in //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">On the Road // <span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">. "In the morning when I woke up the mud was solidified and outside there was snow...It was one of the worst winters in Texas and Western history... I wished we could go in for buttermild and beans in front of the fireplace" (145). Like rain, snow also reflects the feeling of the character: playful but severe. With rain and snow, Jack Kerouac succeeds in expressing the inner conflicts of the characters. Readers connect the outer and inner state of the characters more easily and find that Sal's life has a distinct cycle the same way rain does. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Comment #1 ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> Comment Soobin's essay # 3 : Symbolism

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Hi Soobin, this is Boram. You may not know me since I am new to KIS this year. I picked your essay randomly. I do not know anything about //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">A Prayer For Owen Meany // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">, so I apologize in advance if I misunderstood sentences that are related to the story. First, I like the way you restate your thesis in the conclusion. I think it is strong enough to remind the reader what you are claiming. However, you do not put your thesis in your introduction. I think it would be better to your essay to have a strong thesis after this sentence: Irving primarily uses symbols in order to deliver an important message to reader... How he uses? I do not mean to explain in detail but I think putting generally about how he uses symbols or how the symbols symbolizes in that particular novel may help readers to know what your main idea is more clearly. Moreover, I think it would be better to write more about story, rather than writing about just few chapters. It was nice to read your essay and I look forward to meet you at the class.

<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Comment #2 ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> Comment Kevin's essay # 4 : Seasons

Hello Kevin, I always want to read //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Lovely Bones // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> and that is why I picked your essay to know about the novel. To start, I want to say I like your essay. It really shows the connection between the weather and the events that occur in the story. Also, I think your thesis in the introduction is strong to state your idea. On the other hand, your conclusion is weak. You did summarize the essay but you forgot to restate your thesis how season indicates the turning point in //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Lovely Bones // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">. Besides, you miss spell the author's name, Thomas! I definitely will read this book soon ;)