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David & David Podcast #2

Posted by Rebecca Snyder in College English · Pahomov/Rhymer · C Band on

Ames, Solace. “REVIEW: Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway.” Dear Author, 5 Dec. 2013, dearauthor.com/book-reviews/review-garden-of-eden-by-ernest-hemingway/.
This article was an insightful analysis of the novel. The author is a write herself who reflects of Hemingway's style, as well as the overarching themes in the book. She touches into the ideas around gender roles that play into the relationship between David, Catherine, and Marita. She also makes a valid point that it's hard to catch on to all of what's going on in the novel because of Hemingway's style, the reader can't always tell where they're making love, etc. As far as discussing the Marxist lens, she talks about how Catherine uses her abundance of money as a hold over David. She talks about how the book is hers since she funds it, and this comes into their relationship as a clash between social classes. 

Young, Philip. “Ernest Hemingway.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Aug. 2018,www.britannica.com/biography/Ernest-Hemingwa
I found that this source was very helpful in understanding the way that Hemingway's life went and noticed some things from is real life that could have influenced his writing in the Garden of Eden. One of the first things I noticed was the similarities in the profession which he and David shared, writers. Similarly to him he also struggled in his upcoming to a writer, "Hemingway renewed his efforts at writing, for a while worked at odd jobs in Chicago". Which makes it clear that having a job and money is something that is essentially important for all. Additionally, Hemmingway went through a hard rejection and loss of his wife and child which I think would impact him to see sex as a thing of the devil in the novel. 

The central focus of the article is to highlight the fact that authors essentially come in to each piece with an unrealistic/ bias interpretation of specific things, given the socio economic background. This helps the listener understand that because Hemingway at the time of writing the novel was wealthy had an unrealistic grasp of the impoverished two main characters. "Marxist literary theory suggests that all literature is a product of the class and financial conditions in which it was created. " Because of this article the listener can understand the apparent bias towards a wealthier style of living and he rejects the beauty of a lower lifestyle. 

Eye of the Tiger Podcast #2

Posted by Sarah Berg in College English · Pahomov/Rhymer · C Band on

Sarah Berg


  1. Marxist

  2. The White Tiger

  3. “The Poverty of Indian Ideology.” Jacobin, jacobinmag.com/2013/12/the-poverty-of-indian-ideology. Accessed 7 Jan. 2019.

  1. This article by Yahya Chaudhry is a review of The Indian Ideology by Perry Anderson. It describes how despite corruption, poverty, and violence, Indian intellectuals continue to spout exceptionalism and deem their country an example of democracy, and that meanwhile, Westerners largely ignore the religious divide in the country. Chaudhry summarizes Anderson’s argument as “India’s secular democracy, which is eagerly marketed as the world’s largest and most diverse, but in reality is soiled and riven by chauvinistic politics, religious parties, a calcified caste system, and the ongoing catastrophe of Kashmir.” Anderson selects the leaders of Gandhi and Nehru as examples of Indian leadership that fed into this problem. He argues that Mohandas Gandhi valued religion over politics and democracy, so much so that he defended the caste system. He helped Hinduism dominate India’s political world rather than focusing on secular anti-colonialism when forming a national Indian identity. Anderson paints him as a hypocrite for championing liberal ideas but not acting on them due to his extreme passiveness. Anderson points to Nehru as a privileged leader who bowed to Gandhi’s authority. He worked to persecute Muslims and socialists. These arguments are incredibly relevant to The White Tiger because the novel centers on the themes of India’s corruption and attempts of appearing as a democracy while silencing oppressed voices and relying on a strict caste system. The main character, Balram, struggles with transitioning from a lower caste to working a respected job for members of the higher caste, and recounts his experiences interacting with members of both castes. He also is largely critical of the Indian government and its masquerade as a democracy.




Colin Taylor-McGrane


  1. Marxist Lens

  2. White Tiger

  3. Goodman, Peter S. “Investors Are in Retreat, and the Poorest Countries Are Paying for It.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Dec. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/business/federal-reserve-india-interest-rates.html.

  4. This article is talking about how in developing countries such as India, many wealthy investors are moving their money to developed nations such as the United States, causing massive inflation in India widening the economic inequality there. The relation between this article and the story is the fact that the much of the narration in the story reflects upon the differences between the rich and poor people in India. This article gives insight into how the wealthy elite members of Indian society are in many ways responsible for the growing income inequality plaguing the nation.


Ariana Flores


1. The Marxist Lens

2. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

3. Slater, Joanna. “India's Pollution Refugees: People Are Fleeing Delhi Because of the Toxic Air.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 16 Nov. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/indias-pollution-refugees-people-are-fleeing-delhi-because-of-the-smoggy-air/2018/11/15/26dc1250-e1f1-11e8-a1c9-6afe99dddd92_story.html?utm_term=.eff17f61dbb5.

4. This article brings to light the dire state that New Delhi's air quality has come to and emphasizes the idea that not everyone has the money to buy air purifiers or facemasks to make it through the “pollution season”. This emphasizes the advantages of the upper class in The White Tiger because they contribute to the air pollution where their automobiles, but they are not the ones who feel the effects of those negative contributions. There is a world beyond the tinted window, but the wealthy choose not to look into alternative energy resources. Although workers may die off, they are replaceable, which perpetuating the cycle of servanthood.

Memory Reconstuction

Posted by Brendan Barnes in College English · Pahomov/Rhymer · C Band on

The bell rings, a mob of kids filled the hallways every one of them stopping at their lockers. “Aye Johnny what are you about to do?” an unfamiliar voice said in the distance. I look began looking around but I can’t determine where it came from so I just put on my jacket and walked out the door. I was walking over to the bus stop to head home. Once I got home no one was there, I tried calling my mom, and dad but no answer each and every time. This left me confused they normally are always here before I get out of school. Then my grandma pulls up and tells me to pack my things and that I had to come with her. She says “Your mother and father, left all of us.”

I was confused by this I replied, immediately thinking the absolute worst,

   “What do you mean?!!”

   “ I mean that they probably are not coming back”

    “ Where are they?”

    “None of us know. They just left us a messages saying that you would be left in the house. Alone.”

It couldn’t be true. Why would they leave me behind like that? Do they just not care about me? Why!!?

The sound of the water running while I look at myself in the steamy foggy mirror. “I hate going back to that time.”, I said to myself. My phone begins to ring, “Hello, this is Jonny, CEO of Z-Star, How can I help?”

  “ Boss, we have another orphan.”

“Ok, make sure you take care of them”

I love that I’m able to make sure no one will ever feel the same pain that I did, I will make sure to give them the love and care they deserve. When my parents abandoned me, and I was forced to live with my grandma, it caused me great pain. I wanted to give up on life at that time but instead of ending it all, I managed to make it my motivation to do better.


Big Sean – One Man Can Change the World Lyrics | Genius Lyrics




I was inspired by Margaret Atwood’s writing style and how she really gave her characters their own personalities and thing like that. I chose to try that approach while writing this, by making his childhood something that would trigger your emotions and cause you to feel bad for him. Then I made it so that he helped the others who had the same kind of issues that he was suffering from.

Memory Reconstruction

Posted by Sofia Powers in College English · Pahomov/Rhymer · C Band on

I blink, hard, and begin to remember.
They had told us to get ready, this could take a while. Our eyes held shut with old bandanas that smelled like sweat, we gripped each others hands and sat on the cold and dusty concrete as the triangle was constructed around us. Reilly and Corinne likely stood back, clipboards in one hand water bottles in the other, smiling, and informed us of our challenge. We could only imagine what she was doing from the sounds of their voices, ambiguous scuffling, and giggling. We were in the triangle, we could get up and feel around. Plastic chairs, wooden beams, tape, and gaps. We had to get out somehow, but we couldn’t go over, or under, or break through it, given only the reassurance that we could ask them for things we might need.

My socks glared with a taunting mantra: “You’ve got this!” I was reminded of that after kicking off my shoes and was grateful for my blindfold. My first thought was to ask for a spoon, as if the feeble structure were a prison I needed to dig out of. They amusedly asked if that was really what I needed. It wasn’t; I couldn’t picture anything that could get me out. It was hard to even reconstruct my immediate surroundings with my eyes shut that tight. I felt dizzy. I became reliant on the comfort of holding my fellow inmate Virginia's hand and knowing we were in this together. The blindfold bound my eyes shut both painfully and blissfully as I drifted between frustrating confusion and appreciation for this moment we spent together.

We. The shift from we to I was sudden. They incessantly asked “What do you need?” and although I have no idea why, when my counterpart mumbled, “a giant...” we felt it together. Corinne threw an orange peel at me and and we, disoriented, laughed. About an hour in, Reilly stepped in and held our hands and we could hear her crying softly, feeling with us. But sometime, when our bodies were not linked in an embrace nor even our hands holding tight to each other, I felt her go. I called for her and after a couple sinking moments it was revealed, coldly, “Virginia has left the triangle.” I fell to the ground, physically and mentally exhausted, and utterly alone and in the dark. How?

The ceaseless “What do you need” continued, but now with a sense of urgency. They were worried about me. Chairs were stepped over, arms were wrapped around my figure on the ground, tears were shed, mine and theirs. I didn’t know what would get me out, but I knew I couldn't figure it out alone. Reluctantly I found the words: “I need help,” afraid to disappoint them with this weakness. I felt a tugging behind my head. The blindfold fell away and light flooded to reveal Corinne’s smiling face and the strained teary eyes of all. Tears ran down my cheeks, now free from their bind.


Author's Note: My largest influence is Margaret Atwood and her ability to manipulate sentence length to convey deeper meaning. I exemplify this with “We. The shift from we to I was sudden.” where the narrator has the ability to be detached and reflect on the memory and inject their current feelings. I then shift to descriptive listing sentences to set the scene, a technique often used in flashbacks in The Handmaid’s Tale. I accompanied my piece with a blindfold because of the extreme intensity of the sensory experience without sight.

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2018-19: 1st Semester

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