Peer Feedback #1

Essay # 1

It is common that “old” generation is obsolete. It is also common that “new” generation takes over the “old” generation and rule it until the other “new” generation comes out. George Eliot decried the new generation by saying that old leisure is defunct because of the egregious new leisure. Eliot uses personification to express his views.

Eliot would dislike the newer leisure in this modern time. All we do is, play games, play with phones, I-Pod, computer, and many other electric devices. Eliot’s new leisure was probably playing outside or playing some board games. But now, it is worst. Eliot’s view of real leisure is more of relaxing and comfortable act. But nowadays people tend to play or be active more than being comfortable.

Eliot personifies the leisure and talks about how "old" leisure is a lovely, friendly old friend and how Eliot relishes spending times with old leisure. She wishes that old leisure can come back to her life. Like how she describes the old leisure,” He was a contemplative, rather stout gentleman, of excellent digestion, of quiet perceptions, undiseased by hypothesis: happy in his inability to know the causes of things…” and on and on. The whole story was about how sweet and placid the old leisure was.

It is a life-cycle that old leisure does not extant when new leisure comes out. And when another new leisure comes out, the old “new” leisure dies down. Nobody can change that. However, George Eliot just wanted to describe how nice and warm the old leisure was. And how nice it would be if old leisure can come back.

Essay #2

It is common in the novel that authors modify the character’s attitude or tradition to build up the story. By doing this, the story gets more complicated and makes the story line interesting. In The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle, the author uses two different characters to emphasize the dissimilarity of their traditions and attitudes. By doing this, the story gets less tedious and gets into conflict.

In the novel, a Mexican couple, Cándido and América, migrates to America illegally dreaming of a good life. Meanwhile, a rich American couple, Delaney and Kyra, moves to a new house near where the other couple lives. That is how the story starts, comparing their situations and attitudes. While Cándido and América lives illegally and get a job illegally to survive, Delaney and Kyra try to live quietly and safely by following the law. Throughout the story, characters’ attitudes change several times. For example, Delaney does his best to give immigrants to benefit of the doubt, correcting himself when he uses derogatory words and when he makes racist comments. However, after he bumps into Cándido, his life gets complicated. His life routine gets tangled up, his car gets stolen, and he starts to blame them in immigrants.

By showing two different traditions and attitudes, it helps the reader to see the differences between characters and how they change throughout the story. Modifying characters’ attitudes or traditions makes the story more complicated and interesting. This does catch the readers’ attention and makes them curious how it is going to happen.

****** I personally did not like the essay 2 because I thought the prompt was to vague..
... I just don't like writing essays...