music

 MUSIC #1    this music is making me feel sad  at the moment I can see in my head that there is a ballerina dancing to this song at theater with a lot of people that came just to see the ballerina dance, because when i listen to sad instrumentalist music that how I feel and I also feel like this music was probably used in a part a movie where a character had died in the movie.

 MUSIC #2    this song make me feel happy and its giving me motivation to clean or do home work while listening to it  and its making move my head a lot as well.

I think that Hoffman is saying that when  blues are playing  it make you think deeply about what  he sees  and that blues are being played at places that sails suit making people feel something  and how people would get angry listening to Telemann.  In page 190 Hoffman is comparing God to an old  artistic man  because God created earth and that there was nothing there until he  created man .

The hidden trail of optimism

In 160, when the author looks at cornflakes as snowflakes and soup mix as stardust shows us that the character is very optimistic but also mentioned a secret society that would be part of this as well.

In the conclusion at 191, this gives a tone of loneliness where god is being compared to an old autistic man as the ending is meant to give the reader something to think about.

Moods page 190-191 Why is this the conclusion?

 This is the conclusion because it's telling the readers that god is alone and god creates humans so that we know what happens next so that it wouldn't be the end of the book.

Moods 190-191

Hoffman describes paragraph 190 to that of a writer who has to describe something and does so using his imagination. One should be allowed to use his imagination in their everyday life. A writer abiding by the criminal code where one does not describe what he knows, is the opposite of imagination. Paragraph 191 of the book, Hoffman describes the sentiment of God before creating everything. God felt lonely before he decided to create the worlds. He had to think of it and believe it. This is like that to a writer, they have to believe it and speak their into existence.

This music reminded me of Vivaldi's  "four seasons" and the main mood I am getting is calmness and comfort , to me it is relaxing and i picture myself under a tree eating fruit while the music plays. Or a man on a boat just relaxed laying inside it.

This song seems more jolly in a way and makes me want to step to the beat and the lyrics are pretty easy to follow and catchy , although the lyrics are catchy (at least to me ) it feels like there is omnibus feeling.

In 160 in Hoffman's book he speaks about blues and how the feeling it gives off resonates with that of a tailors suit and its mannequin , its well fitted and exactly how we feel , i guess you can say it SUITS us well. Then when he talks about Telemann it can get a bit confusing i would like to think he means when we start thinking classically or like the ideas from before, which like the music from before where not to fond off and like he says "we get angry " he might be talking about how ideas from the past like the supermarket feel outdated and we think absurd and insted of seeing.

Why is this the conclusion? 

At the end of the book Hoffman is said that he can leave the reader with something powerful but rather chooses not to , to only leave important things and let the reader choose what to do with tyhose ideas. sort of like when it comes to life you get what you get and you must do with what you have it leaves it all to the reader , he chooses whats next . its a huge idea of people searching for something that isnt there.

When first listening to this song I felt that it was calm and relaxing due to its classical melody, but then after a while it suddenly turns more as low pitch which creating a more serious feeling, as if there has been a sad event that has happened worry-some.

This song is played by African american men who played a song tells a story of how a man does not want to lose a woman he cares about in a jazz/blue like genre, this creates a type of upbeat tone where you can slow dance to or relax and think.

Section 160 talks of how the genre of blues is an expression of ones true feelings such as sadness and anger. they talk of how this expression came to be once they've noticed a man with a fancy suit thinking hes more important than everyone else. 

Section 190-191 concludes its story by sharing its final good-byes, telling us that we are never alone and that we will always have someone or something to greet us in such a way. By using the example of the autistic man staring off to the outside to relates to God because of how he is left alone creating the expansion of human kind, looking after his children in the world he created and or creating.

Conclusion of Moods

In the end of Moods, I think this is a good way to end the book because I interpreted Hoffman's last sentences like it was the end. He mentioned the beginning but in the last stanza it sounds like his story is coming to an end. He mentions loneliness and being empty like his work is done. He gave us all we need to know and now we just move on.

163Conclusion

Hoffman is random on pg 163 because he switches topics taking about a lake with translucent fishes to a frozen lake in Siberia to a Russian man he knew that while he walked his dog and someone said good morning he would respond with wolking. Hoffman makes it hard to follow what his ideas are because they are all over the place it seams like he it’s thinking about other things while he writers about one almost like a non finished idea he has. He starts with the lake in Russia and remembers the Russian man with the dog which changes the topic of the the while chapter. This book seams like Hoffman just writes down his thoughts on paper and doesn’t explain them to the reader as if we should decode his meanings.

The conclusion to Hoffman book moods seams like random thoughts. Hoffman talks about a woman who can describe her hair to god. He talks about god and uses the image of an old autistic man to describe how he hears his names but there is only an echo when he utters them. It seams like Hoffman compares god mind as alone because no one is with him. I feel like the ending of this book sums up the ideas of Hoffman which is looking for something that isn’t there. Hoffman idea is if he didn’t write the book it wouldn’t be there for use to read .

Moods conclusion

Readers will "sue" for everything - being under or over descriptive, there will always be a problem.

In the case that the author describes every single detail without imagination, the reader loses the chance to picture things in their own unique way. If they are not given anything, there is still nothing to picture. He describes God as having seen a completely blank canvas, with barely anything to see, but everything to imagine, perhaps creating human life much as the author creates a character. He ends the story there, before that first one begins.

160 of Moods and conclusion

160

In 160 Hoffman talks about music being a thing you can interpret at comparing it to the grocery cornflakes "but we see cornflakes and think of snowflakes falling on the Siberian tundra,or we see soup mix and think of stardust ". This connection is between how music can sound different and doesn't  have to be a certain way and blues supports this , the blues can have a lot of feelings and soul and meaning to it. Hoffman later talks about only some will truly understand the "secret " and that there so distinct and different you can find them in a crowd like they are rare to come by.

190- 191

the conclusion of the novel  Moods by Yoel Hoffman was to inform readers that this was a book of self reflection Hoffman wouldn't add characters to a story that was already written , he showed how this book was different from other writers and it was left to ones own interpretation on how it went. Hoffman argued with the idea other writers couldn't do this and would be left with back lash but the way his book was written he could get away with it.
In 191 Hoffman talks abut a bible versus I believe in the old testament and how god may have created the world but it was filled with emptiness and loneliness .I think Hoffman was reflecting on his book on how he created it and it was up to the readers to fulfill it and these who don't would be left with nothing from it. Only looking at Moods at a surface level would result in being lost and feeling of something is left out than other traditional stories. to understand moods you would have to read it and then the book would unfold to your understanding.

1) " Concert Suite in D Major" George Phillip Telemann ( 1681-1767)
- This music sort of music makes me feel sad. It like the sort of music you hear when you miss someone or when you have the nostalgic of pass.

2) The second one "baby, please don't go" 1953. This music is more happiest and can make me dance on it. this kink of music in rock and blues and it traduce the expression of free people.

Moods 160
For the writer, you can think you write something but the reader can get it another way. and the writer show the example of Telemann tried to compose a blues but we get it like a classic music. That could mean some time another thinks for the reader.

Moods 190 and 191 Conclusion
In my view, the purpose of the Moods is to give to the reader mores tools to understand any writing different from the classic book. To push the reader to use her imagination to interpret the words and tried to find the meaning. This because the writer give the purpose of why Mood is write in this way.

Why it this the conclusion?(190)(191)

  I think the conclusion it's how author show imagine to us, in every little things, like a buy one get one free special. We can use our imagine to create anything that we want, and we can tell people our imagine, maybe can inspire their idea of imagine. Moods is like our imagination beginner guide, it taught us you can imagine everything you want, whatever how crazy it is. Author want to inspire people not require people to do something. Find the interest in imagination. Everyone can be their own god to creative their own world.

Concert Suites

This music makes me feel like I'm in a  Disney Film, or at a fancy wedding where everything is exquisite and rich. It sounds like a soundtrack for an old film with horses riding into the sunset, that's just my take on it. It also sounds like a very soothing calm track that an elderly or young man would be having a montage in a film while doing something. Music that you would dance to in the old times




This sounds like something my dad would listen to if he was cooking dinner or having people over. Something you would hear at a jazz music festival, you can move your body to because of the rhythm. You would hear this in the beginning of a movie for the title, again very up beat and jazz like.


this conclusion is a very strange and usual way to end the book especially talking about the mug, good morning and making a sales pitch  and the little court skit for the so called "Conclusion"

"Concert Suite in D Major", Muddy Waters, "Baby, Please Don't Go", and Moods (pg 160)

This instrumental song "Concert Suite in D Major" sounds very classy. When you hear it, you can automatically tell its a classical song. It also sounds like music you would here in the past. People would be dancing at a ball to this song. I like the use of violin in the song because it sounds very smooth and relaxing.

Muddy Waters song "Baby, Please Don't Go" sounds like music you would hear in a bar or on the radio. This song makes you wanna dance because it has a certain rhythm to it. It's very upbeat.

These two songs are very different because I think the first song would be for the rich, but the second one would be for people of a lower class. The first one sounds like it is being played in a ballroom and people are doing a waltz. The second song is more free and open where you can dance all across the room.

In page 160 of Moods, Hoffman talks about the music we listened too (the blues and Telemann- Classical song). I think Hoffman mentions the blues and classically music because it was an important thing when he was growing up. In the past, music was developing and people were finding what they liked and disliked. The blues was a genre that everyone was used too in the past and that was the music that surrounded them. But when Telemann started making classical music, it sounded like it did not fit. It felt out of the ordinary for some people because they were used to the blues. These two genres of music are very different. While the blues fitted society like a perfect suit, Telemann's music was strange to them.

Sarabande

This musical piece has mind soothing qualities with its use of intricate orchestral instruments. It has a storytelling atmosphere to its music. It is elegant to hear and very pleasing to the ear. It is what I would expect to hear at a formal professional environment. Perhaps at an award show or at a dinner party with people in dress clothing.

Muddy Waters - "Baby, Please Don't Go", is a performance that has a lot of soul in it. It has a very blue feel to it. The singer also has an accent so it maybe a song that is played in informal gatherings. It makes  you feel a bit gloomy and distressed.

Hoffman tries to make the connection to Telemann when proposing the idea if someone told him to always look at things rationally, in a major key like Telemann, he would get angry. In other words someone who always looks at things level headed is not someone who Hoffman is. Sometimes behaving irrational may feel like a rational thing.

Music in class

the song we listen to sounded calming and classy. It seamed like it was part of a symphony which people would listen to in the 1800s. You feel like your in a different place, a cartoon movie like Disney or in the titanic movie. This would be a good way to calm yourself by listing to this symphony it’s not loud or annoying.

 muddy water gives off a hill billy vibe with the sounds that south like it’s from the south  but it sounds like it was from like 30s-40s. The song has a upbeat rhythm something people can dance to but The song seams like it is a generic don’t leave me song with the singer saying baby please don’t go. The song seams to be blues music which would explain the title of the song


Hoffman talks about blues music and uses the term sentimental melancholy which is like sad music. I think Hoffman wants to the reader to see how music can change peoples feelings you can be happy or sad. The music he makes is not sad music it has an upbeat  beat but has sad words.he uses the blues music as an improvise he makes up ideas on the spot.He uses the example of the supermarket as a person seeing an object In an order because most things on the selfs are put there for a reason. On this page the malt interesting thing was when he talked about the man in Budapest which confused me as he don’t know the man but acted like they were friends

Moods (160)

  In this page Hoffman describe music like a medicine. A medicine for sentimental melancholy. And people is easy to connect something into other thing, and you can find out person who have the same idea with you. Music usually for somebody who have a lot emotion and put the emotion into their music, and make the secret order in their melody or lyric. You can find somebody is similar with you in music.

Feeling

When I first started listening I thought this is something I'd fall asleep to. It was a very soothing and calming tone, the violin (I hope) is being played gracefully. I was waiting for the music to get higher or lower or faster but it did I guess get a just little bit slower. I just know that this was making me sleepy by the second. there were a couple time where I wouldn't hear the music and I thought it was over but thats not what happened.

When I first starts listening to this song I liked it. I know that is an old song and I personally love old music enjoy listening to Frank Sinatra an other people who at the moment I can't remember their names. I would love to add this song to my playlist but this song did make me feel like it would be in one of those movies where a cowboy or someone just looking for trouble walks into a bar.

Telemann + Muddy Waters

The sarabande by Telemann is rather dark, slow and ornate, with lots of the trills and dynamics common to the baroque period. It's a pretty calm and relaxing piece, even if it's somber at times. I like the fact that it sounds like chamber music, and performed by only a few musicians, which gives you the chance to hear each player fully.

"Baby Please Don't Go" as performed by muddy waters is quite aesthetically different. Blues, while still very precise and intricate, has a very different quality from classical music and it sounds more informal/casual. I can't really make out all of the lyrics but it seems like he's singing about something pretty sad, which typical of the genre, doesn't totally match the upbeat and dance-able tune of the song.

In Hoffmann's statement where he references the blues and then Telemann, he makes a connection between major keys and "thinking of things rationally."  He mentions Telemann when talking about this, as if Telemann only ever composed in major keys. I guess what he's trying to say is that Telemann and classical music in general (major key) is too rigid for someone like him, who's got a boundless imagination and sees stardust in cornflakes and stuff like that. He'd rather write blues, which he would consider as having more feel and imagination.

Concert Suite in D Major by Georg Phillip Telemann and Baby, Please Don't Go by Muddy Waters

The music of "Concert Suite in D Major" feels like an inspiration because for what I am hearing, it's a chemistry feeling of the music that connects to my emotions. It also feels sad for me because the music gets me depressed to my bad past times. And for Baby, Please Don't Go by Muddy Waters, the music gets me energized because the music gets me to feel more happiness and excitement. The song helps me to feel relaxed and thinking of the good times because it gets me to feel the good memories that I had in my past life. It gives me the passion to have strength and not letting myself down due to prior anxiety and depression.

Music

I find Telemann very mannered, formal. The fact that this is a chamber orchestra lets you hear the different instruments--strings, harpsichord--clearly. It also makes me think of historical films w/ people in fussy costumes dancing in slow motion, very rigid backs, so on.

"Baby Please Don't Go": Muddy Waters is channeling rock and roll and blues at the same time. This music is earthy. You guys have noted that Telemann is elite and "for rich people." This, on the other hand, is music of the masses. It's got a story, it makes you tap your foot or nod your head.

I like the image of Hoffmann "falling all over" the man in the Budapest train station. The man must have thought he was insane. But maybe that's the difference between the blues and classical music, between the raucous and sad music of Muddy Waters and the "rational" music of Telemann.

" Concert suite in d major" and " baby please don't go"

" Concert suite in d major"

the music makes me feel like back into a renaissance area. In moves music like this is used to depict the rich or some would say royalty and listening to this makes me feel poor :(. while listening to this the cords that are being played are often mellowed and this gives off a charmed emotionless feeling to me compared to the music we listen to now.
Looking at the time era the piece was made in 1681-1767 it shows what type of people listened to the music in the era were high class.


" baby please don't go"

the song gives me a blues and jazz concept. the music isn't as refined as the classical song that played before. The song comes off as more ' rough' and tough attitude.
the feelings I get from this song is that its down to earth ad the words of the song invoke more feeling and soul so they can get there message across.

Music

  (1)When I'm listening to this music, I feel relax and clam down. The slow flow make you forget about how rush in the city.
  (2)The music "baby please don't go", it's a different flow with the first one, this one it's more buoyant, and makes you want to move your body with this music. Their guitar solo part is very cool and feel power in it. The lyric "baby please don't go" it's very easy to make people mesmerize. 

Moods " Spectacular " The New Yorker "


Moods, by Yoel Hoffmann, is a inspiring book that makes you think about life, love and happiness among other feelings now and your future.
Dream and look for your strengths and weaknesses in life.

.

Moods pages 79-80

                 For page 79, Hoffman is saying that some people are named Jorge and many of them are
               
                 scattered and different in many ways that sets them apart from each other.
                 
                 People are very unique in many ways with their style and personalities.
                 
               

Finishing Hoffmann

More than one of you has mentioned the "randomness" of Moods and I think it would be fair to say that Hoffmann is interested in the random moment. For instance, from 163:

"Once we knew a Russian man who, every morning (before the sun came up), would walk a white dog. We said good morning to him and he always answered (with a Russian accent) 'wolking.'"

This feels random. It doesn't refer to anything that came before or after. And yet, I feel that I could make arguments for why it's important as a scene in this book, which then suggests that it's not random but necessary and premeditated. Can you make either an argument for or against the necessity of this scene?

Also:

Remember, the theme of the class is "Voice." To me, voice, in writing, is what makes a writer's style unique, what sets it apart from other writers. How would you characterize Hoffmann's voice? How would you contrast (or compare) it to Malcolm X's?

I want to talk about the following in class, but if we don't get to it, then you might want to address it here:

Look at the conclusion of Hoffmann's book. How is this a conclusion? Now, reread the opening. How does the conclusion work w/ the opening?

What final thoughts do you have about Moods? What questions do you have?

Moods week 2

On pg 83-84 Hoffman tells a story of 2 people in a relationship and he tells the thoughts of the woman who has woken up next to the man she’s with. Hoffman shows her thoughts as if she should stay with him and can she be a mother as the man has a child. This could be considered a real story because in today’s society it’s common for people to have relationships with kids from other Marriages or people. As the story he told can also be applied to most people.

Hoffman’s view on writers  and boredom is to explain to the reader that most writers have to write about fiction or true events with some truth stretched to make it interesting. The reason the writes do this is because the book would be boring and uninteresting for a casual reader.

Moods week 2

As Hoffmann writes ,no story is like the the other , and sometimes they connect. a Monet in the book where Hoffmann talks about other religions that fought my interest would be 42. In it states “ if we were catholic, wed go to the priest and confess before him that we haven’t received with true submissions the divine design and we’ve sought for ourselves a empty space.” In this expert Hoffman talks about Christianity and respects the religion incorporations it to his life despite not believing in it. I think Hoffman is doing this to round himself and give different perspectives on his life. Different religions treat relationships differently and at the end of the statement he talks about a empty space so i think he believes no matter the circumstance  it always ends the same.

The questions that the book raised for me is how other of Hoffmann books are written. I wonder if this is his style of writing? Or does he write other ways?

• 103: What is Hoffmann's view on writers and boredom? Is his book boring? Does he thinkhis book is boring?

Hoffmans view on writers and boredom is writers often don’t have anything interesting to write about so they make things up or stretch the truth. I’m not saying all writers lie per say but that they live lives like you and me and to make something interesting and not boring to a reader something out of the ordinary would have to happen.I think Hoffman does not find his book boring despite trying to write the truth all the time. To quote 103 “writers should be brought to trial not over things like that but inflicting boredom” Hoffmann talkers about writing about people he knew in the past and how other writers change that but in doing so he believes it makes a story more boring to a reader, as it’s disingenuous.

79-80 Moods

In moods page 79-80 hoffman wrote about how a groom cut his foot by breaking a glass at he's wedding  doing a tradition And sued the catering because he cut his foot in the process, in my opinion I think that the groom was being petty in that situation because it wasn't the catering fault that his foot got cut when he was breaking the glass therefore he should not have sued for that.  Although the authors mention that the groom's wife was unhappy for 5 years I think that the groom was just unluck also I think that he wife was unhappy because of how the groom acted when he cut his foot at the wedding in my opinion maybe the wife saw that the husband was too quick to react to a situation.

79 to 80

79 to 80 has a significance of how can fate operate. When the author talks about Jorge being separate by geological patterns not chance, it talks about how the environment is even part of some people's destiny to be separate and spread all over the world. When the author also talks about what's written in infinite paper is when fate cannot change no matter what.

The sections 79 and 80 of Moods  makes a connection between those who believe in superior strength who know what happen and who goes to whom, but also of those who believe that all of us can change all the situations that arrive in our life.
the section 78 talk about the unpredictable things that can happen in our life and in the way we manage them. (better for a person to accept his fate and head off on his honeymoon...).

Moods Pages 79-80

explains how Hoffman feels about partners and how they are brought together by the universe or some other force, he also mentions how a Groom would Sue the catering company if he stepped on the glass and ended up getting stitches for his foot. He would end up suing the place because of his foot, or this could happen he breaks the glass and doesn't get stitches but his wife scowls for 40 years.  So in both ways he doesn't really get what he wants.. one way he get stitches and the other is an unhappy wife for 40 years.

How is the italicized section a "real story"? What does it mean to call it this? Why doesn't he finish this real story?

Real story is what will happen next. We have a lot different happen in the future like the book "We don't know if we can say what will happen next".  It mean inspiration, because inspiration so we will have an idea to imagine the happen next. I think the reason why he didn't finish this real story, because he want to leave some empty space for us to imagine. It will have a lot different idea different ending about this real story.

Throughout 79. I learn about there are the turns life takes. Life mean change, it mean we don't stay with something forever. Like he said Sometime in Sneaker and sometimes in Crocs. Because these turns make us can have a lot stage in our life.

Throughout 78. I agree with Hoffman better for a person to accept his fate. And use a positive way to thing about something bad. He's wife might not scowls for forty years. I think people can use a lot different way face to the happen they had. Kind like if you can change it, why you don't try to accept it.

Throughout 80. "We too are made of stardust, and there is no difference between the stuff of the stars and us" I think it can connect to 78, because we are one of the stardust, we don't need to be worried too much, it might someone better than you or worse than you. But we are the same between the stuff of the stars and us.

pg 78

on page 78 Hoffman tells of a man who at his wedding broke a glass and got hurt. the man sues the hall but Hoffman compares this to Jesus death if he came down and sued those who crucified him. Hoffman makes his option known by saying the man should have went to the honeymoon and took the pain than have a unhappy wife for 40 years because the pain will go a away but not the wifes unhappiness

Throughout 79-80, Hoffman describes the many Jorge's in life and how they were sort of coming together or attracted to the same place, the apex. There is order and a certain chaos developed throughout the book because of the ideas brought up and how they are presented. He also speaks about fate and how it is something set that people cannot change. It is something written on "infinite paper" that cannot be erased. It is very old yet silent and cannot be pronounced.

In 78, Hoffman describes a man suing the owners of the banquet hall because the glass that hurt him. Throughout the book the author does not really provide their own opinion towards any stanza but in this part he specifically states that he feels the man should have just enjoyed his wedding and went to his honeymoon instead of meeting with a lawyer.There is some sort of displacement occurring because the balance is thrown off by this one action. It is like imagining Jesus dying coming back to life and instead of taking his rightful place alongside God in heaven, he sues the Roman government for wrongful death. In addition, the groom getting hurt may not be the banquet hall's fault because of the glass they used. It may also depend on what kind of shoes the groom was wearing and the thickness of the soles. I agree that the man should have just gotten it over with and head out to his honeymoon after with his wife.

The purpose of including 79-80 is to express how he feels and his thoughts on death and life like when he says ""-and no doubt it's written that death will surely come ,  and so we should't worry so much. After all , we too are made of stardust and there is no difference between the stuff of the stars and us " this quote alone hints of how at times he is stuck between thoughts of order and chaos and him thinking that death is sure to come only gives him hope to be here and enjoy right now for he cant change the outcome. Earlier on page 78 you can see how he talks about the incident with the man and how he sued the banquet hall for glass shattering and hurting his leg instead of accepting his fate and moving on he decided to interact and thus effect him in ways that will possibly never be know by him. In the grand scheme of things he points out the humanity in all of us and how we are quick to get affected and react than to look at life and enjoy it.

Pages 78,79 and 80 (Moods)

In page 79  from the novel "Moods", Hoffman talks about Israel. He talks about people named Jorge which is  a popular name around that area. He talks about how all of these names are connected to one another and how quickly they adapt to change. I think that Hoffman is trying to tell his readers that many people are alike and even if one Jorge is different then he will adapt to the changes in his life. He talks about change and sees how open we are to it as humans. Our lives are not predictable and when change happens we either go with the flow or we don't. Life is a tricky thing because we don't know what discussions will end up right or wrong. In page 80, Hoffman talks about death. He states "death will surely come". My interpretation of  when Hoffman talks about heaven and stardust he is referring to how people think they die. Some people think that they will go to heaven or just be dead and float away like stardust. Hoffman wants us to feel comfortable will death because we will all go through it one day in our lives. I think that Hoffman has many connections to different religions but a close one to the Bible. In page 78, we see that a man in the newspaper broken a glass on his wedding day because it is a Jewish tradition. He then sues the banquet company because the glass went inside of his foot. We see how Hoffman ties this into Jesus because he says "image for a moment the crucified one coming down from the cross and hiring a lawyer". I think he mentions Jesus because people would not risk their lives for others or when situations  happen be the upper hand. When situations happen in our lives we sometimes like to blame others but really it was our fault. Jesus took the risk of risking his life for others, and it is hard to be like Him. Page 78 comes before 79 because Hoffman wants his readers to connect them. We see how many people named Jorge are alike in the world but I think Jorge was just a name disguised to show us how we act.

moods

This section of the book it talks of how humans can have the same as another but can also have a different path from the other because that is the way the world works and how fate has different plans for that person and what that path may lead to.


In section 80, it speaks of how fate can be infinite and may never end and is bound to happen to you no matter what. But in section 78 he tells us about the event that happened at is wedding where glass went through the sole of his shoe and into his foot realizing that it was bound to happen during a day like this.

Moods 78 &81

Between the sections 78 and 81 you can see that 81 takes place before 78 since Hoffman states “In those days you could see in the sky (there were no factories or street lights) a million stars.” but in 81 he talks about a banquet hall which is more modern. 

When you compare both sections you can see the modern man is trying to sue the banquet hall because he cut his foot with glass. Hoffman implies that if a man is like this would end up with a wife that would be bitter for forty years. In 81 you see that he mentions that they might've not had a lot but they appreciated the little things such as the clear sky full of stars and that he couldn't wait for the day that a women would choose to be with him. 

In my opinion he's trying to indirectly compare the two by saying that even though you have nothing or if you have something minor going on you don't have to act drastically you just have to enjoy everything you have if not you'll end up living a bitter life. 

78-81 Moods

79-80
The two sections of 79 and 80 of Moods By Yoel Hoffmann tie into one another. In 79 Hoffmann talks about how people named Jorge are not by chance but rather scattered , I could connect this to 80 where he states "those who believe that movements like these are scribbled in the stars". He is talking about that things are bound to happen much like the concept of faith. Faith being things that cant be changed and are meant to be. Hoffmann later on writes about how life takes different turn and one is never the same as the other in 79.He also states in 80 at the end " after all, we too are made of stardust,and there is no difference between the stuff of the stars and us". The meaning behind this would be that the end of the day anything we do wont make a difference and the only change in between us is that in the end there is death,so our lives cant change in between or is unpredictable.

78 and 81
The sections that come before and after 79 and 80 correspond with the narrative he is trying to tell. In 78 Hoffmann talked about a man marrying and breaking glass and how it scattered about. I connected this to 79 since it talks about a man named Jorge and how they are scattered in life
then he goes on to Mary which is called "Jorge wife". In section 81 Hoffmann talked about how you could see millions of stars in the sky then talks  about the people in his life/ surround him.
This connects to section 80 with the stars  and how there is no difference between us and the stars , since his life down on Earth cant change and his only worry with him was to get a girl to like him and it was the same goal as the people around him.

78-81 in Moods

79-80

One of the cliches of love stories--either fictional ones or real ones--is that couples are "meant to be," that everyone is destined to be w/ some other perfect person, that a couple's love is "written in the stars." However, Hoffmann challenges that assumption w/ his 3 objections: The messages are "written on infinite paper" (i.e. they're too complex for us to understand or ever finish reading), they're silent (they're not speaking to us), and they're very old (long before humans ever existed).

And yet at the end of this section, he seems to take it all back, to suggest that the shining of the stars is like the shining of cans of food, that the cashiers who sell that food are made of the same stuff as the stars, that we're all one whether we've found the love of our lives, whether we've found someone else, or whether we live alone in a room-and-a-half.

78

I love the moments in the book that tie Hoffmann to his book, as in the way this section opens, "Yesterday we read..." We really imagine Hoffmann in the act of writing his book, taking off some time to read the paper w/ his coffee and so on. We imagine him reading this article and being inspired to add it to the book whether that's what happened or not. He seems to be arguing in this section that cutting your foot might not be the worst thing. That you could maybe marry the wrong person, someone who wouldn't make you happy. He seems to be saying that lawsuits sully what should be a poetic or mystical or spiritual experience and that maybe if you start a lawsuit on your wedding day you'll be doomed to be partnered w/ someone who will scowl for 40 years.

Moods 79-80

Hoffman is able to pull 79 and 80 together in the way that in 79 he says “Certain people are named Jorge and it’s quite likely that they are scattered, not by chance but along the lines of geometric patterns” he brings it together in 80 by saying “And there are those who believe that movements like these (that is, who goes to whom, etc.) are scribbled in the stars, but we lift our eyes and see something else spelled out there.” By saying this he is saying that even though things are "scattered" or  "scribbled" everything is bound to come together at some point.

Moods, Week 2

In Moods, Hoffmann writes about weighty subjects--history, philosophy, religion, death, life, and so on--by writing about everyday subjects: the stars in the sky, shopping, crushes, sex, etc. Can you pinpoint one of these moments? Why/how is he doing this?

Other questions:

• Read 83-84 again. How is the italicized section a "real story"? What does it mean to call it this? Why doesn't he finish this real story?
• 95: Why does Hoffmann offer practical uses for the book here? 
• 103: What is Hoffmann's view on writers and boredom? Is his book boring? Does he think his book is boring?
• 109-110: Why do you think Hoffmann writes about writing so much? Is this process writing like the writing I ask you to do (author's notes, cover letters) or is it something else?

What questions does this book raise for you?

Beginning Moods

As Adam Kirsch's essay states, and you no doubt have realized, Moods is a fragmented book, in some ways as much like poetry as prose. Since you'll be reading poetry next semester in 102, I think it's good to develop some strategies about how to read complex texts. One good strategy in a text like this is to mark as you read specific sections that strike you as interesting, important, peculiar, puzzling, etc. and then return to those moments and try to make sense of them apart from the whole text. That way you learn to focus and be specific instead of making generalizations and vague statements unsupported by the text. Let's practice together:

45 begins:

      "Penina Tuchner we loved like the Twin Towers, especially when they were burning. If her bra were preserved in a museum, we'd go there and break the display-case glass.
      How she'd say 'Shalom,' ["peace" in Hebrew, used both in greeting and farewell] with that first syllable precisely placed between s and sh. Generally. She pronounced words like a swan sailing along on the Thames, next to the hotels..."

It's easy to see how 46 follows 45, esp. w/ this delightful statement:

     "We thought to ourselves then that they (which is to say, Mr. and Mrs. Tuchner) brought a baby girl into the world and waited until she grew up and now we take off all of her clothes."

However, how does 47 go w/ these two sections? A big part of reading Hoffmann seems to be the fluctuation between traditional transition and juxtaposition. Explore these three sections to see what the book is doing.

You might want to try this w/ some different sections in the reading. 


Also...

One question that I asked last week, which I feel we're only starting to explore, is the importance of the Holocaust to Hoffmann (we could just as well ask the importance of the Holocaust to all Jews). Neither Hoffmann nor his parents were put in a concentration camp, in fact, the reason they immigrated to Israel was to escape the Nazis. Still, the Holocaust seems to be a big part of Hoffmann's book, like it is for a lot of Jewish writers. Why do you think this is? How does he write about the Holocaust? (One good example is in section 49 where the narrator tries to see if the tattooed numbers on Mr. and Mrs. Hirsch's arms are in sequence. Jews were tattooed w/ numbers as they were being interred into the camps during WWII.)

Primal vision

  For me, I think primal vision it from our imagine. What we think about, what we perspective about something it's all come from our imagine before we know about them. In this book it tells me "here is a persistent intuition that the world we see has a reality that this Babel of tongues can only obscure. ". We were born with our insights, we were learn everthing after we born. But the things come out from our mind that was our primal vision i think. 
  I didn't read a lot books before(specially English book). But i think Professor were share some good books for us. I were never read this kind of book, and i learn a lot things in it. Even though i need to do a lot research and translate, and it will take a long time. I agree with the correct order is different. It’s impossible to say what it is (if it were known, it would be thrown into disorder). It was like Parallel universe. This book is very abstract, but the author is lead you to tell there story and a chance to show it to the world.

primal visions

What I expect from Yoel Hoffmans Novel is to be kind of abstract asa a book. In the Essay it talks about how there is no real story to be found in the book, the book doesn’t have paragraphs that breaks them apart. What I’m overly expecting from the book is to be short and meaningful.That stories being so short also make a reader more invader as they are always intertwined and not losing interest in the same topic.
The Voice in writing that Krishna writes about would what the writer wants to tell a viewer/listener. Writing  creates visuals in your head much like when you look at a painting.when telling a story a writer would describe the visuals with words to compensate not actually being there in the story itself.A writer has the ability to tell there story and a chance to show it to the world.
Coherence is defined as being consistent, but In the context of Moods I believe its the way each short story flows into one another overall creating one combined story.Yoel uses coherence in His book by showing how he can write as story and visually it makes his story keen.
This essay is called primal visions since the book itself is not like no other . The visuals of this book makes you intrigued to read it , it also gives your a perspective of the idea the author is trying to portray
the quote “The More wonderful than the wonders people sit and talk about, is the fact that they sit and talk...” means to me personally is basic human interaction. Humans are social species and social interaction is needed for human survival if you look at to in a base level.The conversations you have with people can variety from small interactions to your deepest secrets but in the end you don’t feel alone. In a world where humans didnt interact with each other would cause a lot of stigma between people and humans feeling alone.

Primal visions

       The essay is called primal visions because it is meant to be an intro into the book moods. You get a feel for what the book is about and for me it’s seems like a bunch of thoughts in one book. The book is not like a normal book with long rows of text but small paragraphs of his ideas and memories.  Yoel Hoffman talks about his childhood a bit explaining how his parents died when he was young to his love for a girl. It seams Yoel likes to write about love he explains about the girl he likes and talks about her body parts mostly her feet which He talks about touching them.

The word fragment is used by Yoel to break up memories which are bits and pieces of events in his life it adds to the books making his life more interesting. I think they way he uses his words and format  makes the book have a different feeling then if it was written like a normal book with linear format and less erratic thoughts.

Malcolms trust in alex

When Malcolm told Alex that he trust him 70 percent it was a good thing because malcolm x doesn’t trust anyone 100 percent. In the beginning he told Alex he trust him 25 percent because they had a bad first start. I think malcolm can’t trust people 100 percent because of what happens to him his friend and leader of NOI who he trusted in was caught having affairs which hurt malcolm. This leads to malcolm having little trust in many people which this is a good thing for malcolm because he can’t be hurt like he was when he found out about the affairs he had it lead him to no trust NOI 100 percent. This Seoul’s lead him to be a target by them

Alex’s view on the Nation of Islam

Alex Hailey showed the Nation of Islam in a new light with his view on them being a cult more than a religious movement. We see through Malcolm x a member who supported the group till he saw there leader and close friend Elijah Mohammad break many of the rules of Islam with him having an Affair on his wife. After Malcolm trying to distance him self form NOI they tried to kill him by shooting at Him and trying to blow up his home and they were successful in killing him. This backs Alex’s point that the NOI changed from Malcolm wanted to t be to a violet group and as a reader you can see that it’s not all about the fallowing of Islam. Alex also said that Islam is like Christians they were formed and had a fallowing which grew and this would be the definition of a cult.

Primal Visions

Now that you've read this essay, what would you expect Yoel Hoffman's novel, Moods, to be like? (If you've started it already, how does the book align w/ what you've read here?) Adam Kirsch writes that "Voice and imagery do much more than narrative to make his work cohere, to the extent that he is interested in coherence..." Remember: the theme of this 101 class is "voice." What is voice in writing? What is coherence? Choose one of Kirsch's quotes of the six Hoffmann novels under discussion here and write about what you think the quote is doing. Other questions that I have:

• Why is this essay called "Primal Visions"?
• To me, one quote that Kirsch offers captures Hoffmann's philosophy, aesthetics, and style/voice (from the novel Bernhard): "More wonderful than the wonders people sit and talk about, is the fact that they sit and talk..." What does this quote mean to you?
• What significance does the Holocaust seem to have for Hoffman's writing? 
• The word fragment is used five times in the essay. What is a fragment and what do you think it has to do w/ Hoffmann's writing?
• Kirsch compares Hoffmann to the modern paintings of the Russian-Jewish artist, Marc Chagall (b. 1887, d. 1985). The following are some paintings by Chagall. What qualities do you notice about these artworks? 

To Russia, Asses and Others, 1911


Calvary (Golgotha), 1912

The Drunkard, 1912

As we start this new book, what question(s) do you have?