Author: Anna Castagnella

Using any one of Faulkner’s characters, create a paragraph in their voice. Use inspiration from people you might have overheard on the bus and invent their life and consciousness.

On By Anna CastagnellaIn American Literature, Creative BlogsLeave a comment

The bus is late… again. I am left shivering on the side of the street… again. Thirteen minutes pass before I see the graffiti-stained bus speeding down the street; it shrieks as it arrives at a sudden halt in front of me and the doors burst open. Obnoxious school kids fill the bus, laughing and talking loudly. I grit my teeth in annoyance, biting down my tongue to stop myself from screaming profanities at them. Not that they wouldn’t deserve it.

A short, makeup-indulged girl tumbles into me and laughs. I grunt irritatedly and shove her off.
“Watch it!” I snarl; my face probably turning greenish by now. I ignore the glares of the bus driver and the snickers of school kids gossiping about me. I just wish everyone would shut up, but instead, I am greeted by students avoiding eye-contact with me and moving their school bags onto the seats next to them, disallowing me from sitting. Arrogant, undisciplined, slimy little-

“Hey loser, on yer way to the nearest homeless shelter are ya?” a sweaty teenage boy in sports clothes arrogantly yells at me. I glare directly at him, looking into his beady black eyes that are laced with amusement. He pompously sits with his legs spread-out and arms folded in his self-entitled throne at the back of the bus. The kids around him giggle but continue to avoid looking at me for longer than a quick glance. The furious tides of my despair rise to the surface and I prepare to lash out – but I am interrupted by the screeching of the bus tires as they stop at an excruciating pace. The doors open and the cold, cruel wind wraps itself around me, I am just as unwelcome out there as I am on this bus.

Reviewing Isabella’s Blog

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Peer ReviewsLeave a comment

Link to Isabella’s Blog: https://isabelladigi.home.blog/2019/09/13/week-8-blog-4-write-a-letter-to-patrick-white-telling-him-what-you-think-of-any-one-of-the-texts-you-have-read-this-week/

Hey Isabella, great job on this week’s blog! I think you do a really good job at adhering to the structure and components of a letter. I particularly like how you start off by thanking Patrick White, as well as adding in your own thoughts on the text. By doing this, you are showing that you clearly understand the difference between writing a letter as opposed to a formal essay so good job! You evidently have a thorough understanding of the short story and have written a great analysis. My only recommendation would be to add a quote or two from the text itself to accentuate what you are saying. Overall a really good piece of writing and I look forward to reading more from you 🙂

A letter to Patrick White about my thoughts on ‘Down at the Dumps’

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Australian Literature, Creative Blogs1 Comment

Dear Mr White,

I am writing this letter in regards to your short story, ‘Down at the Dumps’, as I have just read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. For this reason I would like to share some of my thoughts on your story.

First of all, I would like to commend you on your ability to create such an insightful piece of writing that is highly truthful and revolutionary. I think that the fictional Sydney suburb of Sarsaparilla is reflective of the mundane and superficial society in this present day and age containing people who are primarily focused on materialistic desires. This is exemplified through the juxtaposition of the characters Meg and Myrtle. For example, when Aunt Daise dies, Meg is in deep despair as opposed to Myrtle who is only concerned with what other people think of her. Myrtle embodies the shallow nature of humanity through her lack of empathy to the situation, but rather a care for reputation and appearance.

In my interpretation of your story, I gathered that there is a strong theme of prejudice and hierarchy between social classes. This is evident through the contrasting families, the Hogbens and the Whalleys. The Hogbens care about looking good to the rest of society, whereas the Whalleys focus on living a life that is exciting and happy. I think that people in a contemporary society can learn from the Whalleys humble outlook on life as this is what truly makes life an “extraordinary” experience.

I’d like to finish by thanking you for writing a short story that allowed me to recognise themes of materialism and prejudice that are not only evident in fiction, but especially in our society. I have realised the essentiality of looking beyond materialistic desires and focusing on appreciating the finer details in life.

Kind Regards,
Anna.

A photo of Patrick White

Reviewing Courtney’s Blog

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Peer ReviewsLeave a comment

Link to Courtney’s Blog: https://courtneyemattick.art.blog/2019/09/02/week-6-art-and-literature/

Hi Courtney, really good job on this week’s blog. I particularly like the way you capture your own personal insights on the painting and reflect on your own opinion. I also like that you attached images of the paintings as it gave a visual representation of what you were talking about, making your blog easy to comprehend. A little bit of feedback; I picked up on a typing error where you said “live without art and literature would be boring” and I think you meant to say “life without art and literature would be boring”? Also, I think adding a little more about the actual paintings themselves and their purpose and context would help to show your understanding of them. Overall, a really good job. I look forward to reading more of your blogs 🙂

“The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the colour-line”

On By Anna CastagnellaIn American Literature, Critical Blogs3 Comments

After listening to this week’s lecture and closely analysing Du Bois’ writing, I am able to realise the power and essentiality of his message. Du Bois confronts the pervasive issue of racism through the infamous statement; “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the colour-line”. This significant statement refers to the continuous discrimination that African American people encounter on a regular basis, despite countless historical movements and icons that have advocated for equality and freedom. Subsequently, Du Bois seeks to gain answers as to why racism still exists within the twentieth century, and establishes the concept of the ‘colour-line’. To me, the ‘colour-line’ essentially refers to the division between Europeans and African Americans due to the colour of one’s skin. It is the notion that human nature prevents us from acquiring equality and acceptance, as it is human nature to think that anyone or anything that is different from us, is bad. Du Bois confronts society into questioning their morality, and how one can justify the act of mistreating people and refusing them from attaining their human rights due to the colour of their skin. Du Bois’ statement demands us to take notice of the racism that is still present in a contemporary society as well as the inequities of power. The concept that a person can be inferior to others simply because of their race is brought into question. I think that Du Bois’ teaching is a pivotal one, and that society must be reminded of the way we judge and mistreat one another, and how this prevents us from living in a liberated society built on acceptance and equality.

Reviewing Bruno’s Blog

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Peer ReviewsLeave a comment

Link to Bruno’s Blog: https://brunosliteratureblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/19/living-deliberately/comment-page-1/?unapproved=126&moderation-hash=0672bfa42042fd5562062a197fbe6e87#comment-126

Hi Bruno, I’ve chosen to read your blog as I answered the same question and was curious to see how someone else interpreted this task. I particularly like the way you explained your thought process when answering this question. You put deep consideration into what the phrase “living deliberately” really means which was clear through your description of a monotonous routine; “eight hours a day, five days a week…”. I also really like the metaphor that you used by comparing society’s complacency to being “mindless zombies that live their life based on routine”. My only recommendation is use some evidence/quotes from Thoreau’s text to back up what you’re saying and strengthen your points. Overall, I think you did a really good job at answering this question and this is a great piece of writing 🙂

Write a poem in the style of Walt Whitman

On By Anna CastagnellaIn American Literature, Creative Blogs1 Comment

This Old Mandarin Tree

I celebrate and sing myself as I climb through the tree!
Climb a little higher!
Children’s laughter rings through my ears.
The gorgeous sun beams against my back,
A sensational feeling!
My name is called but I run farther away, determined to make it to the top.

I slide from branch to branch,
Gliding with ease, every movement memorised.
Arm, leg, lift. Left arm, right arm. Pull.
Green leaves, summer breeze, wonderful life!
My small steady hands. Swift and quick!
I reach the tree’s end and gaze at the top of passing strangers’ heads.
The summer sky is luminous for the grey clouds have gone home to rest.
Birds flying, people gathering, and the wind is singing!
It sings a melody so euphonious, my ears are in Heaven!

From the top of this old mandarin tree I am invincible!
I can see everything from here but nothing sees me.
I will never come down!
I rest against a branch and pick a mandarin to eat.
Peel its skin, let its divine flavour fill my insides.
Bliss! Every one of my senses is ignited!
The leaves move in the wind and I close my eyes,
Embracing her gentle hands that push my hair back.
The sky has turned a mesmerising orange!
The sun kisses my nose!
We hold each other tight and find comfort in one another’s company.

This is home. Right here. This feeling is home.
From this soil, these roots, these leaves;
They are me.
I celebrate and sing them!

Some photos of my cousins and I in my Nonno’s garden, besides “the old mandarin tree” 🙂

Reviewing Teneille’s Blog

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Peer ReviewsLeave a comment

Link to Teneille’s Blog: https://thebestofliterature.art.blog/2019/08/18/the-rink/

I really enjoyed reading Teneille’s blog this week as I thought it was a very original and creative interpretation of the question. Her response was able to elucidate a clear emotional attachment to the place where she grew up, yet she did this through a profound use of figurative language. I was able to clearly visualise what she was describing as she takes time to really describe each detail of ‘the rink’ as well as how she felt whilst being there. I think it would be interesting for Teneille to experiment with her writing as she is very creative and obviously has potential to write unique pieces of work. For this reason, I would have loved to see this in the form of a poem or another text type. Overall, she did a really good job and I look forward to reading more of her blogs.

Reviewing Evelyn’s Blog

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Peer ReviewsLeave a comment

Link to Evelyn’s work: https://literaturetalk.home.blog/2019/08/25/realism-vs-idealism/comment-page-1/?unapproved=5&moderation-hash=78fdebd66ef4a6aab96cb4dd2614ea8a#comment-5

Hi Evelyn, I really enjoyed your analysis of the two authors as you clearly have a good understanding of their writing and how Henry Lawson is a “realist”, whereas Banjo Paterson is an “idealist”. You have provided good insight regarding their work and a clear justification as to why you prefer Lawson’s writing. I think you could have structured this in a different way to make your argument better, and essentially easier to understand. Perhaps including the quotes in your paragraph rather than putting them at the end? or splitting this into two separate paragraphs, focusing one on Paterson and the other on Lawson. Also, watching your punctuation and editing your work after writing may also assist in bettering your argument (use of commas, apostrophe ‘s’ when saying ‘Lawson’s poetry’, capitalisation of ‘I’, etc). Overall, you have done some great analysis of this week’s readings, and have made efficient comparisons between the two authors, thus competently answering the question. Looking forward to reading more of your blogs 🙂

Take any single Australian painting that you saw at the gallery and write a description in prose – Ekphrastic Writing.

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Australian Literature, Creative BlogsLeave a comment

Blue skies surround them, shining sunlight on their motherland that is one with them. The indigenous people desperately grasp onto every remaining aspect of the natural landscape. The refreshing water of the lake, glistening amid the green and brown grass. The trees tower over them, safeguarding them from the impending threat of intrusion. Long trumps of brown wood and leafy green hair populate the landscape, stretching so high, seemingly reaching for the sun to soak in her warm embrace. The people take comfort in the golden rays of sun on their skin and the fresh air in their lungs. They rely on the mountains that stand tall and large in the background to shelter them from any potential threat. Smoke from the fire they’ve created to cook their food and warm their hands, fades into the scattered puffs of misty grey clouds. The clouds are so faded as if they’re preparing to vanish into the wind, leaving nothing behind but the luminous sun to inhabit the pale blue sky. Under these skies, their surroundings are sublime. The sound of the beaming sun accompanied by euphonious nothingness brings serenity, knowing that this piece of land has yet to be polluted by loud men in peculiar clothing. Whilst the lake is overflowing with life and jubilance, they are aware that this tranquillity is only temporary. Simply waiting for the strange men to disturb more of what does not belong to them.

Glover, John. Natives on the Ouse River, Van Diemen’s Land. 1838