Dear students. Andrew Carnegie and I would like to welcome you to our class blog. Below find the the days that you have been assigned to post. Please respond to the questions for that class assignment and/or write you own response. Please go through your calendar and syllabus and write down the days you are assigned to post.
Please post by Monday or Wednesday night, no later than 11:00 PM! Group number one has until tomorrow (Tuesday) before class to post.
Here is the first set of questions, for Charles, Kristen, and John: How does the narrative that Carnegie has to offer change in this middle part of the book (from the beginning). What did you find to be the most interesting? Where did Carnegie lose you? Why does he focus so much on banking and finance?
Tuesday, September 1, Autobiography, pp. 116-231.
Charles, Kristen, John
Thursday, September 3 Autobiography, pp. 232-320.
Graham, Sara, Tai
Tuesday, September 8, My Freshman Year, pp. ix-89.
Eumie, Aubrey, Jessica
Thursday, September 10, My Freshman Year, pp. 90-168.
Tetyana, Aaron, Eric
Thursday, September 16, This Side of Paradise, pp. 3-98.
Nolan, Tyler, Christian
Tuesday, September 22, This Side of Paradise, pp. 99-178.
Charles, Kristen, John
Thursday, September 24, This Side of Paradise, pp. 178-304.
Graham, Sara, Tai
Tuesday, September 29 The Plastic Age (film).
Eumie, Aubrey, Jessica
Thursday, October 1 The Plastic Age (film)
The Plastic Age (entire novel).
Tetyana, Aaron, Eric
Thursday, October 8, Faithful Are the Wounds, pp. 1-102.
Nolan, Tyler, Christian
Tuesday, October 13 Faithful Are the Wounds, pp. 103-211.
Charles, Kristen, John
Thursday, October 15, Faithful Are the Wounds, pp. 211-281.
Graham, Sara, Tai
Tuesday, October 20 Babes in Boyland, pp. 1-70.
Eumie, Aubrey, Jessica
Tuesday, October 27 Babes in Boyland, pp. 70-154.
Tetyana, Aaron, Eric
Thursday, October 29, Double Yoke, pp.1-84.
Nolan, Tyler, Christian
Tuesday, November 3 Double Yoke, pp.84-163.
Charles, Kristen, John
Tuesday, November 10, Wonder Boys, pp. 3-130.
Graham, Sara, Tai
Thursday, November 12, Wonder Boys, pp. 131-245.
Eumie, Aubrey, Jessica
Tuesday, November 17, Wonder Boys (film).
Tetyana, Eric, Aaron
Thursday, November 19, Wonder Boys (film).
Nolan, Tyler, Christian
The narrative Carnegie offers in the middle portion differs dramatically from the earlier part of the book in context and direction. While Carnegie originally places emphasis on his youth and his “boyish” joy in work, he dramatically shifts his focus and effort to more procedural and managerial tasks in business as he climbs the "corporate ladder". Carnegie shifts away from "it was the proudest moment of my life" and more towards pride in responsibility and efficiency, as he seems to develop a more mature and efficient approach to work rather than just a joy out of working to work. Carnegie’s narrative seems to morph from an inexperienced teen that enjoys working and contributing to the family’s well being, into a shrewd and experienced businessman who derives joy from out performing and being more efficient than his fellow colleagues.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found most interesting from the beginning to the middle of the novel was Carnegie’s reference to his fellow colleagues and acquaintances. Throughout the beginning of the novel Carnegie refers to his fellow colleagues more in terms of a reverence or as a mentor. Carnegie shares a wide variety of his early experiences about networking and meeting influential people from presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant to local leaders. Carnegie demonstrates the great respect he draws from these men and their ability to connect with the “everyday” worker rather than just the millionaires. However, once Carnegie ascends the “corporate ladder” he begins to stress his relationships with everyday man or his lower employees rather than his higher and more influential connections. Carnegie seems to strive to connect with members of other classes, and he places different emphasis throughout the book on these connections by always connecting to a different class in relation to himself.
Carnegie lost me with his continual reference to building materials and his changing business preferences. Carnegie assumes an underlying familiarity with the current events from 100 years ago along with knowledge of the steel industry, which was more accurate when the book was originally published. However, the background knowledge of the current events is lost in translation and adds a reading comprehension problem when reading a substantial portion of the biography.
I believe Carnegie focuses so much on banking and finance because it plays such an integral role in his life. I think banking and finance unconsciously works its way into his everyday discussion along with the fact most of what Carnegie discusses in terms of business has to do with securing banking loans and financing individual projects.
Reaching the middle of Carnegie's autobiography, his creative sense seemed to drift from the beginning of his writing. I found the beginning of his life to be entertaining and towards the middle of his writing it was more informative. He went into great detail about his career evolving, steel mills, and other details that i actually found quite boring. Maybe it's because I'm an English major and i love the narrative of a good story verses the informative text. I also sensed a change in Carnegie's mood; he seemed to go from a playful soul to more of a corporate suit. I could visualize the mental transformation of a young boy trying to earn his first dollar, to a business man trying to earn his first million.
ReplyDeleteCarnegie stated, "A wise man is the confirmed optimist." Aside from Carnegie shining a huge spotlight over his career achievements, i actually found that statement to be very meaningful. As a self proclaimed cynic, i actually find optimism to be endearing and a trait that i highly admire. I have learned (even if difficult at times), that even the worst thing in life can simply not be the worst thing in life. It simply means that at times if it seems the world is ending, life goes on. I believe that's what Carnegie was trying to say. It's like the saying "there is no use crying over spilt milk," just clean it up and realize that there are more important things in life to focus on. I also found it interesting that Carnegie focused so much of his writing on his achievements. Let me clarify, it just made me wonder that if i ever wrote an autobiography would i want to insistently brag about all of my accomplishments and still try to come off as humble? Countless times Carnegie tried to play off his accomplishments as if he were so grateful and that every single accomplishment was the best thing that ever happened to him. I realize that Carnegie did amazing things, thus giving him a right to essentially brag about these amazing things. However, when does the bragging and constant repetitiveness of gratitude come to a believable approach? I simply cannot believe that Carnegie held every achievement at the same level, and analyzing his writing there is a huge difference from the boy that earned his first two dollar raise to the man that traveled the world on a growing salary. I also found it interesting that when mentioning names (and trust me, he mentioned countless names), he always had to provide some sort of dialogue or documentation to go along with what was said about the relationship with that particular person. It just didn't feel realistic that Carnegie could remember the exact words said amongst colleagues, or the steel workers, or anyone that told him how great he was (as was the implication i received from the book). Furthermore, it seemed odd that Carnegie had to offer some sort of "proof" that the things he said were true about these people, like saying i really was a good soul and here is a letter from so and so to prove it! I realize Carnegie was a powerful man, but perhaps setting this picture perfect image of him wasn't the way to go. I would have just preferred a real depiction of Carnegie, instead of the lets sweep the dirt under the rug and I'll only tell you about the people that admired me story.
Going along with what i said, Carnegie lost me at the start of naming numerous people that i really sense had no purpose in the book except to make him look like an ideal citizen. I would have preferred more detail and his references almost seemed to go all over the map, thus losing me from going to one point to the next. Carnegie seemed too caught up in explaining the success of his work to consider adding emotion to the text. Even if a story is completely outlandish but has soul, you can use imagination to believe in it. As much as Carnegie talked about having a heart and being a caring individual, i sensed none of that in his writing. He lost me when his words and actions fought against each other, also when he transitioned into more of an informative state
ReplyDeleteWhy does he focus so much on banking and finance? It was his life. Even if one knew nothing about Carnegie, just reading the last ten chapters of his autobiography you can tell were his heart was. As much as Carnegie tries to play the innocent boy who had to work to the top, he cannot leave out the role of the greedy business man pushing his way through the corporate door. In a sense it was like he was trying to educate his readers on banking and finance, however, i saw it more as it was simply what he mastered and loved.
Apparently i wrote too much and after trying to cut it short i just gave up and put it into two posts. Maybe it will make up for me posting after 11pm (sorry!)
As an industrialist, philanthropist, and businessman, one would not expect Andrew Carnegie, a man without an extensive formal education, to write an autobiography. However, being the dynamic character that he is, Carnegie published a memoir in 1920.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the first 1/3 of this book, the reader gets to know Carnegie on a more personal level. The story of how Andrew Carnegie's childhood and young adulthood shaped his life is vividly explained.
So why did Mr. Carnegie wish to document to own life story? Simply, in opening page of his text he states, "I intend to tell my story, not as one posturing before the public, but as in the midst of my own people and friends, tried and true, to whom I can speak with the utmost freedom, that even trifling incidents may not be wholly destitute of interest for them" (pg. 7).
The following passages details the authors parents and childhood. From his good ol' days in Dunfermline, Scotland to his harder life in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, Carnegie shares refreshing stories only as he knows them.
For example, he shares that he had a hobby of keeping care for pigeons and rabbits. A small detial but significant nonetheless. It harbors on the theme of caring, giving and philanthropy, something for which we all know was a past time of Carnegie's later in life.
Furthermore, the author touches on some of the struggles/eccentricities that immigrants face as they move to other counties. Specifically, recollects on this theme with a profound quote:
"As I look back upon the early struggles this can be said: there was not a prouder family in the land. A keen sense of honor, independence, self-respect, pervaded the household." (pg. 34)
Later, the reader learns of how Carnegie fell in love with the arts. First, Carngie would memorize poems as a young boy and much later he served as a messenger where he became exposed and fell in love with Shakespeare and theater.
Later, Carnegie would go on to be hired as a personal telegrapher, where he would obtain savvy business skills and work his way to superintendent of the Pennsylvania Ralilroad in 1956. Unsurprisingly, success soon followed.
Finally, when the Civil War hit, Carnegie would become became actively involved.