Poetry Reponse #7

In the poem “Unveiling” by Linda Pastan, the narrator is walking through a cemetery where all of her family is buried. Their graves are in rows, which reminds the narrator of how “they used to sit around the long planked table at family dinners”. In addition, the narrator feels left out instead of feeling sad. It seems that most of her family is dead and she is the only one left. She feels like they are keeping a “grown-up secret” from her, as she is not old enough, or not ready to understand it. I believe the secret is death and it is something she cannot grasp yet since it is not her time.

I think this poem could be interpreted in two ways. One way is that the narrator is very lonely and misses her family. She feels left out. The other interpretation is that she believes that people should live their lives to the fullest. She walks through the cemetery and remembers about the past and her family. She remembered the good times that made her happy.

Compared to the other poems I have read and commented on this semester, this poem seems the most simply written. There are not that many metaphors or other literary devices. It is only made up of two straightforward sentences. It is very easy to understand and to extract the meaning of it. The meaning behind it is simple: live life to the fullest.

Poetry Response #6

The beauty of the poem “Acquainted with the Night” by Robert Frost lies in its simple poetic form yet it relies on metaphors such as night, rain, and a luminary clock for impact. These devices allow many interpretations as to the meaning of the poem.

One interpretation is that this poem is about a person who is lonely and depressed. It seems that he is distant from society and possibly he has been rejected. He has experienced much sadness in his life as he has “looked down the saddest city lane” and has walked in and out of rain. It appears he is sad and has left home as he has “outwalked the furthest city light”. He might even feel guilty about something he did as he “dropped his eyes” when he passed the watchman and was unwilling to explain why. Perhaps, this person has even contemplated suicide or is running from the law as he “stood still and stopped the sound the sound of feet.” In addition, it begins the Then a cry brings him back to reality and he has hope as he sees a “luminary clock against the sky.”

I liked this poem because I how it had a certain rhythm and flowed. It seems like it could relate to many people as everyone deals with some sort of sadness, loneliness, or depression. It could show them that they are not alone and that someone is also going through isolation. In addition, I really like the style Frost writes in and always love to read his poems such as “The Road Not Taken” or “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening”. I really enjoyed this poem.

Awakening Ch. 35-39 (THE END)

In the last chapters of the novel, I think Edna is as confused as ever. She really wants Robert to show her some sort of affection, but he does not. This causes her to question him and she makes the move on him by kissing him. Robert reacts to this and tells her his feelings towards her. He tells her how he loves her and how he was thinking about her the whole time while he was in Mexico. When Edna has to leave to go help deliver a baby, she asks him to stay until she returned. However, Robert does not do this. Instead, he leaves the house leaving behind a note saying “I love you. Good-by—because I love you.” This is implying that he realizes he can never have her as his wife and that he needs to leave before anything bad happens. Edna is devastated.

The next summer Edna is back at Grand Isle, but she is there by herself. Probably before she arrived, Edna thinks about how she would never giver herself to anyone and would never sacrifice herself for her children. It seems she comes to an epiphany that there is not one thing in the world she wants besides Robert, whom she cannot have (it took her long enough to realize/come to a conclusion about something). She could have her husband, Arobin, her children, or someone else and it would not matter. As soon as Edna gets to the island, she wants to go for a swim. When she arrives at the beach, she takes off all of her clothes and is nude. This is the first time she has ever done it. It is like she has nothing to hide and she felt like a newborn baby that was opening its eyes for the first time. She goes out far into the ocean and starts to get tired. As she is drowning, she once again thinks about how she could not be a possession to her husband or her children. She ends up drowning with the idea that there was no purpose or meaningful role in life for her (outcast).

In the last part of the book, once again there is a reference to a bird. This time is a bird with a broken wing that can no longer fly and it falls to the ocean. This is an image of Edna. She no longer has the strength to fly and is falling just like the bird.

Awakening Ch. 30-34

In chapters 30-34, Edna has her farewell dinner before she moves into the pigeon house. At this gathering, Edna looks regal but she is alone. She starts to get bored and starts thinking of the unattainable Robert. While she is thinking about Robert, Victor starts playing Edna and Robert’s song and this causes Edna to become upset. It seems she is messing with three men. She is having a fling with Arobin while she thinks she is in love with Robert. On top of this, she is not being truthful with her husband since she has two other men. She obviously does not know what she wants. I think she should settle down and think so she can realize what she wants.

In addition, in this section we see how appearance is important to Mr. Pontellier. He hears that his wife is thinking about moving and he wants to stop this nonsense. It seems he is more worried about what society will think of the situation financially instead of sexually. He remodels the house to save appearances and to make his wife stay. However, the pigeon house pleased Edna too much and the remodeling did not persuade her. She can feel herself breaking away from the society because she is forming self-reliance. She realizes that this could make her go down on the social scale, but at the same time is increasing her spirituality. She is now seeing and apprehending things herself.

Also, Robert comes home in this section. Edna expects things to be like they used to be and she even expects more. However, her predictions at the moment are wrong. He says the reason why he returned was because of business, not because of her. Edna learns that Robert had been home for 2 days before she saw him and when she did see him it was accidentally. This causes her to think he does not love/like her the same way she does him. It will be interesting to see if the act Robert is putting up will last or not.

Awakening Ch. 25-29

In chapters 25-29, Edna becomes even more of a rebel. She starts seeing another guy named Arobin even though she is still in love with Robert. She starts seeing Arobin shortly after Robert leaves. They talk and are flirty with each other. They hold hands and at the end of the section Arobin kisses Edna. This awakens her senses, but it also causes her to feel irresponsible. She regrets kissing him because she did not love him and he didn’t mean anything to her. The kiss happened mostly because of her emotions and her sexual desires.

In addition, Edna moves out of her house into a cottage which she calls the “pigeon house”. This shows she is becoming more independent and free. She moves so the place can be hers, not her husbands. She does not want to feel like she belongs to anyone but herself. This will probably make everyone suspicious. Furthermore, this could be a place in the future where she can be private with Robert without having to worry about her husband.

Also, in this section there is mentioning of birds. Edna’s new house is named after a type of bird. In addition, Mademoiselle Reisz checks to see if Edna’s shoulders, or wings, are strong enough. She is comparing Edna to a bird and how a bird would need strong wings to soar. This is showing that Reisz knows that Edna will need to be strong to put with society’s criticism because she will be on her own. She will not be doing what is expected of her and will be going against the traditional customs. She will not be able to be weak or else she will break down.

The Awakening Ch. 20-24

In chapters 20-24, Edna tries to find Mademoiselle Reisz. When she finally finds her, Reisz tells Edna that she has a letter from her friend Robert and that he has talked about her in it. This excites Edna and she persistently asks to see it when Reisz says no. Reisz also tells Edna that he told her to play the Impromptu by Chopin for her and Edna asks her to play it. While Reisz plays the song, Edna begins to read the letter and cries as the music stirs her emotions. In addition to informing Edna about the letter and playing for her, Reisz tells Edna what it takes to be a successful artist. She says that one needs to be courageous and needs to have a “soul that dares and defies”. This could be foreshadowing what Edna will do. She might become even more daring than what she is doing now (might go for Robert).

In addition, in this section we see how Mr. Pontellier is becoming worried about his wife’s behavior. She is no longer fitting into his desired role. He goes to a doctor and asks for advice because he does not know what to do. The doctor tells him to give her some time because she is just going through a “phase”. The two men act like the understand women, but when in reality they do not. They also feel like women should obey men and their husbands. After their talk, Mr. Pontellier asks the doctor to come to a dinner so he can observe Edna. When the doctor comes, he does notice a slight change in Edna. He notices that she is more energetic and she seems happier. It seems like he can tell there is another man in her life (Robert).

The Awakening Ch. 15-19

In chapters 15-19, Edna becomes a greater rebel. She no longer listens to what her husband tells her. When she was supposed to be taking in visitors on the island, she was out doing her own thing which upset her husband. He got upset with her and left the house because it was against the tradition and social convention. It went against their normal routine or business. In result of his actions, Edna threw down her wedding on the ground and stomped on it along with breaking a vase. This shows she is starting to act out against what is accepted in the Creole society and she is beginning to do what she wants. She is no longer being submissive and will not fit into the artificial society. She starts to realize that she wants excitement in her life and does not want a typical relationship with her husband like the Ratignolles have.

Also in this section, the readers learn more about her passion for art. She looks through her sketches and takes a few of them to Mrs. Ratignolle to get her opinion. Edna even tells Mrs. Ratignolle that she wishes to draw her some day and Edna gives her some to keep. The reader also gets more insight in how Edna would never “give herself” for her children or for anyone, but she would give money or even her life. This means she does not want to lose or forget who she is and where she came from. It seems she wants to remain true to who she is.

The Awakening Ch.10-15

In the next section in “The Awakening”, we see how Edna is starting to rebel against her husband and she is starting to become more independent. At the beginning of this section, Edna finds the confidence to learn how to swim and she swims far out by herself. This gives her a sense of freedom and shows how the sea has some sort of power over her. It causes her to have some sort of awakening with her emotions and feelings. When her husband wanted her to go inside at night, she went against his wishes. This is showing how she is becoming less dependent on him and she realizes the power she has. She also feels free from her husband when she sails to the Grand Isle with Robert as it is a symbol of her sailing away from her bond to her family and Leonce.

In addition, to becoming independent, Edna is starting to have feelings for Robert. When he is away from her, she misses him and wonders why he is not there with her. She starts to have a desire for him and even called for him to go with her to a church service, which she had never done before. She also gets very upset when she learns that he is leaving to go to Mexico and he did not tell her about it. (He is probably leaving because he knows he is falling for Edna and knows it is against his culture) This is when Edna realizes she is infatuated by him.

(The lady in the black and the two lovers were mentioned two or three times in this section, and were always mentioned together)

Poetry Response #5

The poem “In Blackwater Woods” by Mary Oliver is about autumn and the cycle of life. Its simplicity, reliance on imagery, and focus on the beauty of nature reminded me of other famous poets like Emily Dickenson. Oliver seeks to understand life through being one with nature. In this poem, Oliver captures the essence of the fall season by having the leaves not only turn colors, but by having them give off “the rich fragrance of cinnamon.” By painting this vivid picture of an autumn scene and appealing to the sense of smell, Oliver draws the audience to her work. To further stress the importance of nature, she uses personification when referring to the bodies of the trees and describing the cattails floating over the “blue shoulders” of the pond. It is curious why she chooses to describe the banks of a pond as a shoulder. On closer reading of the poem, it appears the ponds turned their shoulders to the trees as they were burning. The ponds were not able to stop the great fires that burned the forest and ultimately brought it death. That is why Oliver describes the water as “the black river of loss” and the title of the poem, “In Blackwater Woods” reiterates this idea of death.

Oliver uses the natural phenomenon of forest fires to relate it to one’s mortality. She does not seem to be lamenting the loss caused by the fires but rather accepts death as one’s ultimate outcome. Instead of being pessimistic about dying or worrying about whether there is salvation, Oliver offers a quiet celebration of life. She finds solace and meaning in life. She advises the reader “to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.” Implied by this is the philosophy that man should live his life to the fullest. Man should ‘saisir le moment’ or seize the moment since he does not know how long he will live or what happens to him after death. One should enjoy life and appreciate the beauty in nature.

The Awakening Ch. 5-9

In Chapters 5-9, the reader learns more about the Creole society. The husbands typically do not get jealous when their wives hang out with other men because they do not expect them to be faithful. The other men know they can flirt, but it will never be taken seriously. In addition, the readers get a sense how Edna is drawn to the sea. The sea is mentioned several times and Edna catches herself staring. The sea “reached her like a loving but imperative entreaty”. Gazing and thinking about the “seductive” sea causes Edna to have an “awakening” and realizes her purpose in the world as a human being and their relationships around her. She starts thinking about her past and how religion has been part of her life and is a habit. She seems to think how her life lacks purpose because she feels like she is walking aimlessly.

The reader also learns more about Edna’s relationships with her husband and her children. We learn that the marriage was an accident. She was drawn to him because of his devotion towards her. Her family did not like the idea of her marrying him because he was after all a Creole when she was not. Edna was also fond of her children, but in a weird way. She did not miss them when they were away for the summer, but when they were around she would “gather them passionately to her heart”. She sometimes felt that her children were a responsibility that was forced upon her.

The Awakening Ch. 1-4

In chapters 1-4 in “The Awakening”, we meet Edna, her husband, Robert, and Adele Ratignolle. In the first page of the book, Chopin refers to a birdcage, which could be a symbol of Edna being encaged by her life. It seems that she is a possession to her husband because he looked at her as a “valuable piece of personal property” (4). He accuses her of not giving their children enough attention and care when he is the one who is away from the home at the billiards. Edna is not one of those “mother-women” and does not idolize her children or worship her husband who it seems to think he is superior to his wife. The perfect example of a “mother-woman” is Adele Ratignolle because she is graceful and worships her children and husband.

We learn that her husband (Mr. Pontellier) gives people gifts to win them over. He presents his wife and children presents so they will be pleased with him. In addition, we learn that he is a Creole, which means he is mixed with Spanish and French blood. This means they are part of the aristocratic society and within the society they view highly of themselves. Edna is not a Creole so she is not accustomed to their traditions.

Poetry Response #4

In the poem “Blackberries for Amelia”, Richard Wilbur describes how blackberries transform from leaves to petals to fruit. He is painting a picture in the reader’s mind of nature and how the seasons change from spring, summer, and fall. He uses the blackberries to represent the beginning of a new year that will hopefully be prosperous. It is when one would plant the seeds and anticipate their growth. The fruit itself symbolizes summer where one does not have to worry about anything and just have fun. In addition, the seasons will return each year just like the berries. They give life stability and meaning since they are a constant in our lives.

In addition to just talking about seasons and landscapes, Wilbur compares blackberry leaves and their flowers to stars. He says their leaves reach “out in fans of five” and their flowers have “small, five-petalled blooms of chalky white.” He is making a connection between the flowers and leaves to having five points just like stars do. In addition, they are milky in color just like the celestial bodies. From here, the author becomes pessimistic because he suggests that the universe (stars) and the blackberries might not last for forever. However, Wilbur does not seem too concerned with this idea since he does not have time to worry about it. It seems he has accepted the idea and would rather spend time picking the juicy fruit and spending time with his grandchild. In conclusion, it seems the general theme for this poem is that man should accept the reality of dying and that he should live his life to its fullest and spend time doing things that are important to him.

An Image of Africa- Chinua Achebe

“An Image of Africa” by Chinua Achebe is an article that is critiquing and analyzing “Heart of Darkness”. It took me a little while to actually pick it up and read it because I knew the author wrote “Things Fall Apart”, which is a book that I did not particularly like. However once I started to read it, Achebe makes it pretty obvious that he thinks Conrad was racist by his comments about the natives and how white people were superior. He calls the natives savages, refers them to animals like dogs, talks about how dark they are, and uses the “n” word. Achebe does not think this story is a “work of art” because of its dehumanization of Kurtz and Europe. Also, Achebe says how some of Conrad’s facts/location stuff is wrong in the book. He says how the Congo was unexplored and unharmed by Europe. Achebe thinks that Conrad is a good writer, but he just has wrong/misleading info and shows racism.

Heart of Darkness Pages 64-END!

In the last section of the book, many events happen. Kurtz is sick on the ship, but then he escapes and goes back on the island. Then, Marlow chases after him and finally catches up to him. He manages to persuade Kurtz to get back on the ship by saying Kurtz might get lost. Back on the ship, Kurtz’s sickness starts to worsen and he starts to say random things that are thought to be from newspaper articles Kurtz wrote. From there, he gives Marlow some important papers and dies. His last words were “The horror! The horror!”. After he dies, they bury him on the shore. People start to bother Marlow about the papers because they want to see them and find out what is in them. However, Marlow feels like it is sort of his duty to not let them see. In the end of the story, Marlow goes and visits Kurtz’s Intended and gives her the letters. Even though it has been over a year since Kurtz died, she is still mourning. She wanted Marlow to tell her what Kurtz’s last words were but Marlow did not want her to know the truth. Instead of telling the truth, he said that the lasts word he spoke was her name. He does this to give her meaning and tells her what she needs to hear for protection of Kurtz. It helps control her happiness by hiding the truth.

Kurtz last words were vague and could mean several things. It could mean that he realizes what he has done and sees the impact of it and he is ashamed. He sees how what he has done is the start of more to come (people taking over the natives). On one of his last days he was looking out a window and he asked Marlow to close it. It seemed that he did not want to see what has happened to the Congo.

Also, Marlow starts to ponder about death and his destiny and purpose in life. He thinks that in your life you should gain knowledge about yourself. You should have something to say and say it. Something interesting that happened in this section is that Marlow started talking about grayness. It seemed he was relating death to gray. He is not using black and white like he had throughout the story.

Heart of Darkness Pages 54-64

In pages 54 to 64, we learn more about Kurtz from the Russian. We learn how raided the country in his search for ivory. Kurtz thinks he can shoot and kill whomever he wants if they had something he wants (aka ivory). He starts wanting more and more ivory. Also, we learn how Kurtz has lost himself in all of this. He forgot himself around these people and would get lost in all the adoration the people had towards him since he was seen as some sort of god. The wilderness had started to take over him and started to “whisper” things to him. You see Kurtz insanity when the Russian talks about how he went to his house. There were savage heads on stakes with their heads turned towards the house. The Russian even talks about how the first one he saw was a “black, dried, sunken, with closed eyelids…and with the shrunken dry lips showing a narrow white line of teeth, was smiling too” (57). This contrasts black and white. In addition, earlier in the book it said how Marlow’s helmsman died with a frown. However, this black man died with a smile.

Also, in this section we see that Kurtz is sick and he comes aboard Marlow’s ship. By doing this, Marlow gets to see Kurtz’s “mistress”. The crew doesn’t like the idea of this since she is a black woman and Kurtz is white. Marlow notices how magnificent she is as she is covered with ornaments. It seems that she could be covered in wealth because Kurtz has given her the possessions to show off his success and wealth from the ivory. From the book, we have seen that Marlow believes that women represent the ideals of civilization. Their beauty is supposed to symbolize the way of life and their country.

Heart of Darkness Pages 42-54

In pages 42-54, Marlow and his ship sails on toward Mr. Kurtz. During dawn one morning, there is dense fog and the men on board hear a loud, wild cry that is followed by savage voices then silence. The white crew members are very scared while the black crew members are just quiet and alert. Marlow decides to not sail on until the fog clears up in fear of hurting the ship. He does not think the savages will attack. However, he is wrong. The ship goes by the shore which is filled with natives and the pilgrims start shooting at them. In this fight, Marlow’s African helmsman is struck with a spear and dies right in front of Marlow. To stop the fight, Marlow sounds the steam whistle which drives off the natives. Marlow then starts to wonder if Kurtz is still alive or not because of this encounter.

In this section, it seems that Marlow goes back and forth from being racist and not being racist. At one point, he views his helmsman as a “fool n-----” when he is trying to shoot at the natives. He shot at them without knowing where he was shooting and he stood right in front of the opened shutter. Later, he felt bad when the helmsman died and how he “was no more account than a grain of sand in a black Sahara” (50). He felt they had some sort of friendship or partnership since he had steered for Marlow while he looked after him. There was a bond.

Also, the reader sees how Marlow is becoming obsessed with meeting Mr. Kurtz. He feels like he would lose his purpose if Mr. Kurtz was not alive. It was like he would have been “robbed of a belief or had missed (his) destiny in life” (47). Mr. Kurtz was like some sort of hope for Marlow. Also, Marlow realizes that it is not so much him seeing Mr. Kurtz, but rather that he hears him. Supposedly, Mr. Kurtz was a “gifted creature” and had a great ability to talk.

In addition, there are several switches between narrations in this section. It shows how Marlow is reacting when he is telling this story. Also, Marlow again starts to think about the meaning of life. He realizes that you must rely on yourself, especially in the darkness, to get meaning from life.

Heart of Darkness Pages 31-42

In pages 31-42, Marlow starts off on his journey into the darkness. On his boat, there is a group of cannibal men, who are black, and the manager. Marlow thought the cannibals were fine men and that they were good to work with. He was surprised they did not try to eat him or his crew since there were thirty of the cannibals to five of Marlow’s men. All they did was ask for food. To respond to this, the leaders would give them brass wire that they could use to “trade” with tribes when the landed ashore. However, this was futile because there weren’t many villages, they didn’t stop very often, or the villages were hostile. They could not use the brass to obtain food so they went six months without eating.

In this section, the author uses the black and white theme. It talks about how the uncle was “the lone white man turning his back suddenly on headquarters…setting his face towards the depths of the wilderness” (32). However later in the section, Marlow says he sees the uncle was a “black display of confidence” (33) because he thinks he is evil animal with darkness in his heart. The uncle is going into the forest without a good reason.

Also in this section, the author uses the theme of work. He says how work keeps Marlow from thinking about the darkness. It keeps him from going crazy and realizing the reality of where they are going. It kept him from thinking about “the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention” (34).

Heart of Darkness Pages 21-31

In pages 21-31, Marlow’s boat gets damages (maybe purposely) and he has to wait even longer to meet Mr. Kurtz. While Marlow waits for his boat to be repaired, he meets with a bricklayer who knows about Mr. Kurtz. After talking with him for awhile, Marlow realizes that the bricklayer’s aspirations to be the assistant manager have been crushed because of Mr. Kurtz. In addition, Marlow also has to wait for rivets to come so he can repair his boat. However, they do not come. Instead, the Eldorado Exploring Expedition comes to the area with the intention of finding treasure.

In this section, Marlow also talks about how he does not like to work, but he likes the idea behind work. It gives humans a purpose and helps them find themselves and reality. They can figure out how to live and survive in life for themselves, not for others. However, the people where he is stationed at have no drive other than finding ivory and were “like a lot of faithless pilgrims bewitched inside a rotten fence” (23). The ivory is something that causes the men to lose their ambitions and Marlow believes it is unreal. The ivory even drives people to create the Eldorado Expedition. They were sworn into secrecy and traveled by donkey, while black people would follow. He believes they were greedy, cruel, and had no drive other than finding the ivory. They had no decency and were like reckless thieves with no morals. They were “sordid buccaneers” (30).

Heart of Darkness Pages 10-21

In pages 10-21, the narrator and Marlow focus on the black workers and racism. Marlow describes the black people who are paddling the boat to be full of life and energy as they are singing. He even saw them to be comforting to watch. He did not see them as criminals or enemies. After seeing some of the black people building a railroad, it seemed he felt bad for them as he thought they were “black shadows of disease and starvation lying confusedly in the greenish gloom” (17). He saw how they were mistreated, starved, and exhausted. However, after Marlow talks or interacts with other people, the reader sees that most of the people are racists. People saw the black people to be ignorant and felt uncomfortable around them. For example, when Marlow talks with Mr. Kurtz, Mr. Kurtz calls the black people savages and says he dates them to death. Also, Marlow himself makes a racist comment when he says the black workers “moved about like ants” (15).

In addition to talking about the black workers, the narrator often contrasts black and white. He talks about the white pupils in the black worker’s eyes. Marlow is even surprised when he sees a white string handing around a black man’s neck. He is confused and wonders why he has it and if it symbolizes something. He also contrasts black and white when he says the jungle is black while it is surrounded with white surf. The waves drowned people in their surf and it seemed that no body really cared if someone died. To the narrator “the voice of the surf heard now and then was a positive pleasure, like the speech of a brother” (13).

Poetry Response #3

“Still Memory” by Mary Karr is showing a short snapshot in the author’s childhood. She describes a typical morning with her family. Her father comes home from his nightshift as her mom is making coffee as the town is just waking up. This scene is contradicting to the title. This is not a still memory, but one with action with many descriptions. Karr describes how the “bed became unroped from its moorings” and how the flowers “open their narrow valleys for dew”. This gave me a sense of how the morning felt and I could picture how the flowers must have looked. In addition, Karr appeals to the readers senses when she describes her dad of smelling “of crude oil and solvent” and that the room smelled of coffee.

One of the things this poem is about is about the inevitability of death. The narrator of the poem is recording everything in snapshots because she is afraid there are a limited number of pictures. She illustrates this when she says that her father stood in the doorway, “not dead”, and how her parents were not “yet born each into a small urn of ash”. This shows that she has fear of them dying. Not only would she be without parents, but she would not have any money since her parents were poor. I assume the narrator of this story is Mary Karr because she said “my ten-year-old hand reaches/ for a pen to record it all/ as would become long habit”. I think this implies that she had a difficult life and expresses her hardships through her writing down daily events and thoughts. She shows very little optimism and emotion. This poem is a picture of the author’s reality that has had a lasting impression on her.

Eveline

“Eveline” is a short story about a 19 year old girl named Eveline who is about to leave to Buenos Aires with her lover, but then comes to a realization that this is not what she wants or what her mom or family would want.


Level One Question:
Where is Eveline supposed to go with Frank?

Level Two Question:
Why do did Eveline decided not to go with Frank?

Level Three Question:
If you were put in Eveline’s place, what decision would you make?

The theme of this story is that people, whether they want to or not, can sometimes feel tied to their families and cannot break away. They can feel like the have a duty to them.


This story has James Joyce’s main themes. The young woman, Eveline, lives in the declining middle-class of society. Her family has to struggle and work hard just to make it through. Eveline and Harry rarely got any money from their dad since he wasted it on alcohol. Any hard earned money was used in a pub, instead of for food, a better home, or a raise in the social class. She had to live a life without much happiness and money.

Eveline tried to get about from this boring life of “self denial and drab duties” because she wants something more. Frank becomes her escape from this environment when he asks her to go the Buenos Aires with her. She believes that if she goes with him that she will be happy and will not have any worries. However, once she is about to leave with Frank, she keeps thinking about how she promised to her mom that she would “keep the home together as long as she could” and this causes her to have an epiphany. She realizes that tradition and respect for her family is important. When she has to choose between happiness and her home, she chooses her home. She knows she has to do her duty to take care of her family as she promised. She thought she would have chosen happiness, but in reality, she had too many tires to her home and Dublin. She cannot free herself and perhaps she is afraid of uncertainties and insecurities of the outside world.

Araby

“Araby” is a short story about a young boy who is obsessed with a girl and his obsession leads him to Araby or bazaar where he has an epiphany about himself, his desires, and the reality of life.


Level One Question:
Who does the boy get the money from?

Level Two Question:
What was the boy’s epiphany and why did he have it?

Level Three Question:
How is the bazaar symbolic?


The theme of this story is reality versus fantasy. People can sometimes be tricked by other actions or appearances and believe things that are not true. Gradually over time people will become mature and realize that love is not just a physical attraction and fantasies may never come true.

The narrator of this story is an adolescent boy who is experiencing his first love. It seems that he is only in love with her because of her looks. In fact, the only have said “a few casual words”. He thinks he knows the girl because he lays “on the floor in the front parlor watching her door” and he stalks her. He feels that he needs to go to the Araby to buy Mangan’s sister a present to show his love for this girl. He takes the trip to the bazaar late at night and with only a small amount of money when he follows his dream. This fantasy turns to disappointment as he realizes that he was a “creature driven and derided by vanity”. He comes to the epiphany that the girl was only a passion of his adolescence and was only a dream. In reality, the boy cannot have the girl because she is most likely not interested in him at all. Although he followed his dream, it turned out to be a false hope, but one that would allow him to distinguish reality from his desires.

The title of the short story, “Araby”, can be seen as a quest to the bazaar, where the main character experiences an epiphany. This is similar to the quest of the Arabs, who are primarily Muslims, when they travel to Mecca to pray. Here, they are enlightened by their prayers and religion. After they pray, they realize that they must redirect their lives in the name of their god, or cause. Likewise, the boy in the story makes his journey to the bazaar in search of something for a girl, and his purpose changed. He experiences an epiphany and realizes he has wasted time on an unattainable dream, which causes him to view himself as “a creature driven and derided by vanity; and (his) eyes burned with anguish and anger”.

A Good Man is Hard to Find

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a short story about a self-centered and manipulative Grandmother who eventually is the reason for her and her family’s death, yet she manages to find “good” in the man who killed them.


Level One Question:
What is the Grandmothers only son’s name?

Level Two Question:
Why doesn’t the grandmother react when her son and her grandchildren are killed?

Level Three Question:
Have you ever been manipulated into doing things that you do not want to do?

The theme of this short story is that people can be selfish and can try to manipulate situations to benefit themselves or to try to change others.


In this short story, the family takes a road trip and the kids do many things to entertain themselves and it eventually leads to the parents getting annoyed. This reminded me of when my family used to take road trips to West Virginia or to state parks in Indiana. Typically, my brother and I would listen to our own music or do our own thing for the first part of the trip until we got bored. Then, we would play games with each other for the rest of it. We would play “I Spy”, tick-tack-toe, and card games. However, by the end of playing these games with each other, we would become annoyed with one another. We should start doing things to make the other mad, such as poking the other and saying “I’m not touching you” or by calling each other names. This would cause us to make a lot of noise. In result, this would start to annoy our parents who would then yell at us. By the end of the car ride, everyone would be in a bad mood and exhausted, and because of this we did not take many long road trips when we were young. Our parents decided flying was the best decision for traveling long distances.

Rocking Horse

“The Rocking-Horse Winner” is a short story about a young boy, Paul, who lives in an “unlucky” family that is overly concerned about the need to have more money, and because of this Paul, wants to be “lucky” so he starts gambling on horse races to make money.


Level One Question:
What does the house “whisper” to Paul?

Level Two Question:
What is the significance of the rocking horse?

Level Three Question:
Do you think money brings happiness?


The theme of this story is that money does not always bring happiness and luck does not necessarily mean one will be wealthy. People who are overly materialistic often are unhappy as they find little meaning in life other than the need to obtain more tangible possessions. This was the case with the mother in D.H. Lawrence’s short story. Paul’s mother was unhappy and dissatisfied, yet she never knew what her fault was. She never spent quality time with her family and was not able to love as the center of her heart was “hard.” She found fault in everything and believed that neither she nor her husband were successful as there was never enough money to satisfy her. Instead of applying herself and being content with what she had, she always wanted more. She wanted more money to buy possessions, which she thought would buy her happiness. Since this did not happen, she blamed everything on having “no luck”. This became such an obsession and an excuse for everything that even her children and the house were “haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more money!”

This obsession of blaming everything on no luck and needing more money also haunted her son, Paul. It caused him to go crazy since he wanted to find a way to have luck. He would ride his rocking-horse furiously in search of luck, and on this horse he would try to figure out who would win the next derby race. When he started to become lucky with predicting the winner of the races, he could not stop thinking about the upcoming races and how much money he should bet. Paul wanted to be lucky and make money so he could give it to his mother to make her happy. The pressure of riding the rocking-horse to predict the winner of the races drove him mad. The final time he was on his rocking horse, he figured out who was going to win the next big race and he was saying the horse’s name, Malabar. He then passed out and later died, but he was right about the winner of the race. Although it brought his mother about eighty thousand pounds, it made her feel like her heart had “turned actually into a stone.”

I think it is sad how Paul’s mom negatively impacted Paul. She caused him to be worried about money all the time and made him go searching for “luck” which ended up killing him. Although he did get lucky and made great sums at horse races, it did not make his mom happy. It left her cold, callous, and incomplete.

Poetry Response #2

The poet, DonnaVorreye, cleverly compares words to wallflowers. She alludes to the fact that words can be like distant on lookers or “shy shadows” at a dance that do not participate in the activities, but long to be a part of the action. Words, like girls at a dance, do not want to be ignored but rather asked to dance or used in a literary work or common dialect. The author personifies words because they want to be noticed, just like humans would like to be. The poem “Wallflowers” suggests that it is importance to want to choose the best word to communicate and express one’s thoughts. It is necessary to appreciate a word’s nuance when using it for there can be great satisfaction in having chosen the perfect word to describe a person, thing, or situation. Vorreyer points out that if people do not have a love of words and use them, many words could disappear from our modern language. This would be a great loss as each word has its special meaning and helps people express their thoughts. In another way, words that are left hanging on the wall are detrimental to writers and readers because the art of writing cannot be fulfilled without them.

Vorreyer’s desire to keep words alive by taking unused words and turning them into “blooming flowers” made me better understand the need to learn vocabulary. Our weekly vocabulary tests broaden our knowledge and appreciation for words. By learning new words, we can more effectively communicate. When we take the vocabulary tests, we have to write the words, define them, and use them in a sentence. By doing this, we make the words “ours”, we give them a “home”, and we give them a chance to “bloom”.

I Stand Here Ironing

“I Stand Here Ironing” is a short story about a mother who realizes that she did not give her daughter all the attention she needed, nor did she show all the affection she should have during her childhood, and as a result, her daughter has trouble fitting into society and is in a state of depression.


Level One Question:
What is Emily’s gift?

Level Two Question:
Why is “Somebody” capitalized on page 15?

Level Three Question:
Do you think affection and love are vital like the story implies?



The theme of this short story is that it is often human nature to put work and yourself ahead of others and loved ones. By doing this, loved ones often feel neglected, which causes them to become depressed and have flat personalities that could have been fixed through love and affection.

Emily “was a child seldom smiled at”. Instead of taking time to talk to Emily to see how she was feeling and what she wanted, her mother would try think how to “iron out” the problems between herself and her daughter. Her mom could not deal with Emily’s moodiness, which was caused by her feeling alienated from society, so she sent Emily to boarding school and to live with relatives. All of this moving is one of the sources to why Emily had a rough childhood, especially through the years when her personality and self-esteem were supposed to develop. This caused Emily to feel like she did not fit into society and this in turn caused her to have little confidence. In addition to feeling alienated, Emily was deprived of affection. The boarding school that she attended rejected showing any affection. Not only would the school not allow her to have any possessions or to keep letters from her family that would be of sentimental value, it believed in maintaining an “invisible wall” between parents and their children to prevent love or affection. These things caused Emily to have a nervous condition, even to the point where she would no longer eat. Emily was in a state of depression with no love and no one to care for her. This caused her to start acting, which was her way of becoming “Somebody”.

"The Lesson"

“The Lesson” is a short story about a poor group of kids who go into a rich part of a city to realize that the economy, democracy, and the world are not fair.


Level One Question:
Who is Miss Moore and where did she take the kids?

Level Two Question:
Why would the students not have seen this before, even though they live close by?

Level Three Question:
What would you do/how would you react if you saw this situation?



The purpose of “The Lesson” is for the reader to see fortunate people and how they benefit from wealth through the eyes of a little girl. In addition to the girl’s point of view, the reader also sees how the other kids react to the teacher and to the stores. The author is doing this to show the reader that the poor do not always know about the world outside of their normal lives. This is exemplified when the children are oblivious to how much an actual boat or model really costs. They are used to making contraptions by themselves, which are cheap. They have never been in this setting before.

This short story also shows how some poor people can be afraid or they feel awkward to be in public around rich people. They feel like interlopers when they try to assimilate into the wealthy culture. In this story, the poor recognize that they are in a lower class and they feel inferior. I believe the teacher, Miss Moore, brought the kids to upscale New York City to show them how the wealthy live and how there are inequalities in society. By doing this, the children started questioning democracy and were trying to make sense of why people were living in poverty. I also think she did this to motivate the kids and to get them to think they belong anywhere that the rich belong. At the end, this shows through when Sylvia says “but ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin.” This means she is willing to work hard to improve her status in society and will strive to be better than others, including the rich people in F.A.O. Schwartz.

The theme of this story is that poor people do not have an equal opportunity to experience the same things as rich people do. Despite this, poor people still have morals and will strive to be their best.

THE VERY LAST BLOG!

At the end of the novel, Joe realizes he is the future. He represents what will happen to people if they go to war and fight. They will get hurt, cripple, be like him, or even die. Even though he is the future, he has no future and has no hope left because he cannot be free from the hospital since it is “against regulations”. He is not going to be able to enlighten people about what his views are and what he thinks the world should be like. The government and military just want to suppress him so people will still want to fight for their country in wars and be supportive.

He is pointing the gun at the “masters of men” or the authority that sends people to war like the government. They are the ones who organize it and plan it, but yet they do not fight in it. They are spectators while the soldiers they sent are getting killed. He realizes that people are being told that they are fighting for democracy, but in reality they aren’t. How can they be fighting for democracy when everyone is being shot and killed? The ones who fight are not given democracy since they are dead.

At the end of this book, it seems that the writer switched his point of view on wars. Throughout the book, Trumbo seemed very anti-war and that all wars are pointless. In the end, it seemed he was saying if a war has a good cause then people should stand up and fight.

Joe's Desires

I agree with Joe and his desire to be as an exhibit to a certain extent. He wants people to come and view him since he is very unique. He just wants the human contact because he only he feels the presence of the doctors and nurses. He wants more than that so he can feel alive. If people would come and visit him, then he would not be lonely. However, by doing this he is making himself somewhat of an exhibition. He would be put on display and anyone and everyone would be able to look at him. He would not know what they were saying or thinking about him. He would be like an animal in the zoo, always being watched.

I’m not sure if I would want it or not. I bet if I were in that situation I would be desperate enough to put myself on display just so I would not feel alone. However, I would hate the feeling that people would be staring at me and judging me when they did not actually know me since I could not talk, speak, see, or hear.

What Joe Wants and What He Can't Get

Joe wants the things that people take for granted like legs, arms, and the ability to smell, taste, see, talk, and feel. He wants to be able to feel the air. He also wants to communicate to the nurses and doctors and have interaction. He desires to be considered an alive man and he does not want to be forgotten. Joe wishes to get out of the hospital so he can feel people around him that are of his own. In the hospital, he feels like a prisoner because it is like he is locked up and cannot do anything. He feels like is wrongly there since he has not committed a crime or done anything illegal. It is against regulations to let him out because they do not want people to see what war can do to them. They do not want people to be affected by seeing him and not fight for their country. They were afraid that Joe would show the soldiers the future if they went to war, so they kept him a secret. It was to keep people positive about war.

The Injured Joe

Joe is severely injured from being in the war. When a bomb was dropped right where he was, he dove into a hole. The next thing he knows is that he has no arms, no legs, and he does not have a face. He is deaf, blind, and without a nose. The places where he can feel something is on the top of his head and his stomach and on his stubs of his arms and legs. The only way he knows if someone is around him is by trying to feel vibrations from their footsteps or from the door (unless they touch him, then he knows). The way he can tell time is by really focusing on the temperature of his stomach or parts of his body that he can feel heat. When his skin starts to get warmer, he knows it is sunrise.

Even though Joe is incredibly injured and crippled, he is very much alive. His mind is always thinking about the past and of ways to try to communicate with the nurses or doctors. Since no one understands his tapping code, he cannot communicate. His state severely affects him.

What is Marriage?

Wolfson begins this article with an extended definition of marriage. He does this to show what marriage means to people and civilization. Society says that marriage is a relationship between two people who express their love and dedication to the other each other. It is a personal commitment that is an important decision in one’s life. Marriage needs the government to approve it so it is a legal or civil institution. He is also showing how marriage gives couples access to “health care and medical decision making for your partner and your children; parenting and immigration rights; inheritance, taxation, Social Security, and other government benefits...” Wolfson explains what a married couple can do and what rights they have. One of his main points was that marriage is a choice.

He is trying to set up the background before he makes his main point about marriage for two people who are the same sex. He wants the audience to know all the benefits of being married and for what reasons people get married for. I think his explanation of marriage is pretty fair and sensible. He just talks about individuals and doesn’t specific the sex of the people so the audience can understand his main points without thinking about the sexes of the couples. Wolfson wants them to understand the big picture of marriage and see its meaning. However, I think he left out the point that some people get married so they can have kids and start a family.

Airplanes

Dr. Wade Horn compares how kids can grow up to two airplanes. One airplane always gets people to their destination safely. This is the plane that relates to how a child’s life would be like if they have two parents (father and mother). If a child has mother and father in a healthy marriage, they will have a lesser chance of being a troublemaker and their childhood would be safer without problems. This is the plane that most people would choose since it is more reliable.

The second plane gets people to their location most of the time, but “significantly less than the first”. The second plane is compared to a home that only has one parent. This type of environment is supposedly worse for a child to grow up in. They will be more inclined to be mischievous and end up in juvenile. The child could be abandoned and will not be happy. It is too risky for a kid to be raised in a single-parent environment. Horn is trying to make a point that people should not take the second plane because he believes that the more families there are that have a mother and a father, the better it is for everyone and the community.

Appearances

People judge others based on appearance. By waiting to disclose that the men are not gay, but straight, it makes a bigger impact. Its shows how brutally they can be treated just because of their sexual orientation. She wants you to see how unjust the treatment is to the people who are gay or lesbian and for the people who are perceived to be that way. It also shows how much emphasis our society places on outside appearance. If a man might be slender and wears tight clothes or leather jackets, he is presumed to be gay. As such, if a woman wears her hair short and wears loose clothes, she is assumed to be a lesbian. These prejudices are encountered daily by gays and lesbians.

I do not think the issues of antigay violence changes because people are so predisposed to judge people based on their dress and mannerisms. They judge by appearances and stereotypes. Also, people should not have a negative or violent reaction to people if they are gay or lesbian or seem to be that way. It does not matter if the person is homosexual or heterosexual, their sexual orientation should not provoke others to be violent towards them.

Extending the Context #7 on p. 383

Take a bath everyday so you stay clean and do not smell; hold your utensils like this so you act like a proper young lady; say your prayers at night so you will go to heaven; brush your teeth every morning and right before you go to bed so you won’t get cavities; put nice clothes on when you go out to dinner so you do not look like a slob; say please and thank you so you seem polite to others; treat others like you want to be treated; this is how you make your bed; this is how you set the table; this is how you clean the dishes and put them into the dishwasher; this is how you wash and fold clothes; make your bed everyday; never use profanity or cuss words in front of others; never go anywhere alone at night or walk down a dark street alone; don’t let men hustle you; go to school and do all of your work; brush your hair everyday so it isn’t a rat’s mess; this is how you pick fruit and grow a garden; this is how you clip bushes to keep a maintain yard; sit with your legs crossed.

Manliness and Sensitivity

I disagree with Mansfield assumption that manliness and sensitivity are incompatible. Men can be “manly” men by having courage and confidence, fighting for their country, and standing up for something they believe in, but they also can be sensitive by showing emotions and their feelings. Men (husbands) generally will want to show courage and will want to protect their families. However, when someone in their family is ill, they will show their sensitive side and will try to care for the sick person. They will show their concern. An example of a person who does this is my dad.

I also think manliness and sensitivity can be compatible when it comes to women. Women are in general sensitive and emotional. They show their feelings and do not care what others think. Manliness is also in women because women sometimes feel like they have to prove themselves and they stand up for themselves. In addition, women even get into fights which Mansfield said is “manly”.

The Last American Man

Gilbert believes that Eustace is the “last American Man” for several reasons. Eustace is the last man who she perceives to go out and do things that man used to do in the old days when men were first coming over to America before the advancement of technology began. She thinks that he represents something that we have lost. He has the desire to do everything himself like cook, make clothes, find food, and build a shelter. He makes his home where wherever he is traveling. He does not rely on anything but himself. Eustace also has the drive to do crazy adventures like ride horseback all the way across America (what the cowboys used to do) and to hike the Appalachian Mountains. Whenever anyone tried to imitate or try to do the things Eustace did, they failed and could not do it. Also, everyone now lives their lives in boxes, while he lives his life in circles. Society is always in buildings using computers or machines to do their work. Everything is confined and there are limits. They rely upon others to build their houses, find food, or to provide electricity so they can see at night. In Eustace’s life of circles, he is not confined. He has no limits and he does everything for himself and he is successful at it. Nowadays, most people do not have the desire to do this because they are content with their life.

Tocqueville- True Women and Real Men

Tocqueville compares the social condition of American women to that of European women. He thinks that democracy, which is a fundamental part of the American society, creates a natural division between the sexes, yet, at the same time it allows for social changes that will lead women to be seen as more equal to men, just as social changes are bringing “nearer to the same level the father and the son, and the master and the servant.” It might take awhile for American women to be more equal to men, but underlying Tocqueville’s observations is the idea that although American men and women value each other’s contribution to society equally, the man will probably still be superior and the leader.

Tocqueville admires the way American society does not try to make the sexes “not only equal, but alike” as people in Europe do, but instead creates a society where the sexes have a set division of labor with separate roles. According to Tocqueville, Americans divide the duties of the man from the women because they believe the society would work better that way. Tocqueville thinks that America is unique because it takes much care in distinctly dividing the actions of the two different sexes. The sexes have to keep pace with one another, but in “two different pathways which are always different”. For example, the women could not be politically active, leaders of a business, outwardly manage the family affairs, or perform anything that required hard labor or exertion of physical strength. However, even though American men do not want the women to do hard work or take much action, Tocqueville states that the women are respected by the men and that the men never doubt their courage. Although the women retain their feminine manners, they “sometimes show that they have hearts and minds of men”. The women appear to like having the man as head of the household as it makes them proud. Tocqueville concludes that American men and women know they perform different duties yet they value what each brings to society and they consider both sexes “as beings of equal value”. Although women are still seen as socially inferior, the American democracy has allowed women to raise their moral and intellect level to that of men.

On the other hand, Tocqueville believes that in Europe, women and men are not only equal but are seen as “alike”. They have the same duties, jobs, and rights. Although supposedly equal, the women are not fully respected and esteemed as American women are, and even though the European women have equal opportunities, they are not seen as equals. The men flatter the women and the women in turn have seductive tendencies or act “futile, feeble, and timid”. They are not as virtuous as American women and Europe does not place as much emphasis on a woman’s honor. Tocqueville concludes that American women are superior to those in Europe.


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Childhood Story

When trying to think of a childhood story to talk about, I realized that the majority of the stories I was familiar with were about either about animals or about men and boys. The few stories I knew where the main character was a girl were about how the girl was waiting for her “prince charming” to come along and save her or some variation thereof. Examples of these scenarios include Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.

Cinderella has to wait on her aunt and cousins hand and foot. Her only hope to get out of this demeaning role is to have the prince fall in love with her. At the ball, Cinderella appears gorgeous in her beautiful dressed and she dances gracefully with the prince. The prince instantly falls in love with her and they have a wonderful time until she has to leave at midnight before her beautiful clothes disappear and she becomes a common peasant. Cinderella loses a slipper in her hurry to escape by midnight and the prince finds it. He is determined to find to whom it belongs. He goes through the town checking everyone to see if it belongs to them. Finally, when it he tries it on Cinderella, it fits her perfectly. He realizes what class she is from, how she is poor, and how she is not from the upper class. This does not mean anything to him because he only cared for what was underneath. In the end, Cinderella is saved by her prince charming and no longer has to clean and cook for her evil aunt and cousins.

In a way, this story teaches girls that they can be who they are and not have to try to impress people for someone to like them. They do not need fancy clothes or have to dress a certain way to be accepted. True relationships, friendships, or love should not be based on social class, appearances, or clothes; they should be based on understanding the other person and accepting them for whom they are.

Also, these types of stories make it seem like the only way a woman or girl can get out of a difficult situation is to find a man and marry him. These stories make it seem like the man always saves the girl. There never seem to be any situations where the woman is valued for her brains and personality as a means of success. Success seems to depend on being beautiful so as to attract a man. Then, although the couple appears to live happily ever after, the woman is dependent on the man and the relationship seems shallow as it is never developed in these stories.

Emerson's Nature

The lines I chose were…

“In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, -- no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, -- my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, -- all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God. The name of the nearest friend sounds then foreign and accidental: to be brothers, to be acquaintances, -- master or servant, is then a trifle and a disturbance. I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty. In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature.”

I picked these lines because I can relate to them from my experiences. Every summer I go to Wyoming to a dude ranch where I spend much time outdoors in the surrounding Grand Teton National Forest. If I ride horses or hike through this national wilderness preserve, I feel at peace and forget about the pressures and time constraints at home or about anything else that is bothering me. I am able to relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery and the perfectly deep blue sky. I, like Emerson, stand in awe of nature. I wonder how the towering, snow-capped peaks high lighted with wispy, feathery clouds came to be. I marvel at the countless varieties of intricate plants I encounter on my hikes. I am amazed at how the bison, bears, elk, and moose make this rugged land their home. Being so close to all this natural wonder makes me content and peaceful. I feel like nothing can bring my spirit down or ruin my mood. Being in Wyoming makes me feel like I am part of this striking Nature.

Starry Night- Vincent Van Gogh

The painting that I chose is Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. I have liked this painting ever since I was little. First, I am moved by the use of curves in this painting. It makes the night sky seem exciting, vibrant, and undulating. The curves even make the landscape look like it is rolling and changing. Even though the curves add a dynamic appeal, the painting still feels peaceful and calm. There is a sense of serenity. Next, I like this painting because of Van Gogh’s use of blues and yellows (blue is my favorite color). The different shades of blues and yellows give the sky a majestic feeling. It makes me feel like nature is a magnificent, yet uncontrollable force. Lastly, the stars remind me of how bright the stars are at the dude ranch where I go in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here, the stars shine so clearly and brightly against the dark wilderness. There are no reflections from city lights or car headlights to diminish the impact of the heavenly stars. Van Gogh’s orbital swirls of his painting remind me of the celestial beauty of the Milky Way that I see each summer at the ranch. This painting reminds me of the blissfully quiet and peaceful nights in Wyoming. It makes me appreciate nature and realize how small man really is.

Wright's Realization

At the end of the novel Wright realizes that the Communist Party has many limitations and he no longer wants to be one of its members. He first joined the Party because he thought communists did not have racial prejudices; and he was accepted even though he was black. However, he realized that the communists were prejudiced against his education. They considered him an “intellectual” and wanted to fire him from his writing job because he wouldn’t conform to their way of thinking. They did not like the tone of his thoughts. The Party members were afraid of him for having independent thoughts and not conforming to their mold. They “habitually feared a man who stood alone” (373). Even those members whom he thought were his friends accused him of being a Trotskyite and a traitor. Despite the fact that Wright “had officially (been) accused of nothing, he was an open enemy in their eyes” (381). Finally, Wright was physically thrown out of a demonstration march the communists were holding. This was the last straw. He realized these men were ignorant and did not understand that Richard was only trying to write about blacks and party members as human beings. He was only trying to understand their feelings and reasons for joining the Party.

Although he had “suffered a public physical assault”, he was not “belligerent” as he realized he had “outgrown (his) childhood”. Wright knew that these people were blind and their purpose was wrong. Communism was not about helping people to become better or to help them stand on their own feet and think. Rather, it was about accepting the party’s rules and fitting into the party’s mold. Being a Communist was a blind commitment to a faith that was ill-conceived. Wright realized he would “never again make so total a commitment of faith” (382). He was growing up and would have to search and figure out where he fit in. He would have to get back to analyzing and writing about how “to live a human life”. He had a “hunger for a new way to live”, yet it scared him. He was not sure what to do or where to go. He only knew he wanted a better life. When he realized this, he tried to write, but his feelings got in the way. He wanted to be able to choose the right words to express his thoughts, but it would be a struggle. Yet, he would be hopeful and wait until he knew what to say. Through his writing, he would use his words to “build a bridge” between himself and the “world outside” to keep alive what was “inexpressibly human.”

Arists and Politicians at Opposite Poles

If you apply Wright’s theory that artists and politicians stand at opposite poles to the communist part, then it is true. An artist would spend time thinking about life and how it worked. They would concentrate on the enhancements of life and then the politician would use this information. The politician would then organize people into different groups and if the artist’s information was not accurate or sufficient, then the politician would get upset. The artist would be striving for something not harmful, but something that would help explain things better to people. If the politician did not like it or agree with it, then he would think the artist as an enemy of communism.

Also, on a bigger scale, a writer writes what they see and view of life. They write their opinions and do not particularly change their thinking for the readers. Once they write something, it is permanent. They cannot change it and people will be able to read it. However, politicians typically say what they think their listeners want to hear. If they give speeches, they can change what they say from place to place just to get more people to like them and agree with their opinions.

Parenthesis Passage

Starting with part two of Black Boy, Wright uses the technique of making analytical comments through passages in parenthesis. In Chapter 15 Wright in concerned about not having found himself yet in his life. Wright has just moved to Chicago in the North and must learn that his view of the separation of white and black is based on his southern values. These values cause him to be suspicious of whites and constantly feel a sense of racial attack. He says that he would rather live in a feudal system because it would have defined him, limited him, ranked him, and would have given him a function in society as opposed to living in America where “culturally the Negro represents a paradox” (272). In America, Wright sees the irony that even though blacks are part of the nation, they are excluded from the culture since they are not given the same opportunity and are considered socially and intellectually inferior.

Wright also talks about how “color hate” has defined black life and how this hatred forms. This prejudice against skin color has made black life socially below that of white people and has caused black people to have self-hate. He talks about the reason why blacks hate themselves is because they are in a predominately white culture that hates them. Since they feel all this hatred towards them, it makes these black people hate themselves. They hate the fact that their lives are so thoroughly conquered by the whites that their lives are conditioned by the white’s attitudes. This in turn causes the blacks to hate the whites for evoking their self-hatred. This self-hatred causes blacks to be at war with themselves and with reality. It makes them hate themselves for thinking they can get somewhere in life when in reality they can not. None of their dreams are possible as the blacks have been molded into a second-class life form created by whites and the blacks do little to rise above this situation.

The quote I liked most from this chapter was “And, slowly, it was upon exactly that nothingness that my mind began to dwell, that constant sense of wanting without having, of being hated without reason” (267). Wright is just beginning to realize that he wants to write about the plight and suffering of the Negro race. Wright wants to explain and express the unconscious suffering that blacks have endured; he wants to reveal their “psyche pain” caused by their environment. He wants to show them as humans and as an important part of American culture.

End of Part 1

I think the change that happens at the end of part 1 for Wrights is good morally and mentally, but I am not sure if it is good logically. It is a good decision for him because he is getting out of the South. He no longer has to act how white people perceive him to be. He can be himself. He no longer has to try to read white’s minds, worry about someone killing him, or cover himself. He has the opportunity to make something of himself if he times it right.

However, when going to the North, Wright is not guaranteed a job and is taking another risk. It could be tough for a black man to get a job. White people might not hire him because they do not like the idea about how black people are coming north and are competing with white people for jobs. Even though it is the north, it does not mean there won’t be any discrimination or prejudices. He might not get as good as a job as he had at the optical company. There he made decent money and he made money to bring his brother and mom to Memphis.

Wright Steals!

I think Wright’s reasoning behind his stealing made sense. He realized what stealing meant and it took him a long time to get the courage to do it. He thought about how if he got caught, he would probably not even go to jail, but he would be killed. He never thought about directly being dishonest or breaking the law until he was so fed up with trying to act how a “black” person should act towards whites and he kept losing his jobs. He knew that he could no longer control and hide his emotions towards white. He figured if he would stay any longer, his chances of being caught by saying the wrong word or doing the wrong thing towards a white person would come. He did not want to think of what the consequences would be.

He had to get out of the South, but the only way to get enough money to travel was to steal. One day, he was finally pushed to the limits. He decided to participate in the scandal with the movie tickets, he stole a gun, and he stole food and sold them elsewhere. He made enough money to go to Memphis.

His reasoning behind stealing makes sense because he understands his situation and he knows the only way to get out of the South before he does something that would get him killed is to steal in order to make money. In the end, it pays off.

"Learning to Live in the South"

By “learning how to live in the South” Griggs means that Wright should start acting like white people perceive and expect blacks to act. He has to be subservient to whites. Wright must listen to and do what the white people tell him. Griggs told him he must get out of their way and think before he spoke or acted. Wright had to be respectful of whites and make sure he said “no sir” and “yes ma’am” to them. He had to hide his emotions and the fact that he was upset when whites treated him unfairly. If he did not pretend to accept his lower status in this white society, it would make white people believe that he thought he was equal to them. This could lead to white people getting upset and maybe physically hurting him. Also, by not behaving as white’s expected him to act, it caused him to lose or quit several jobs.

Changing the way he behaved was hard for Wright to do. He normally he did not look at people and give much thought to whether they were white or black. They were just people and he did not treat them any differently depending on their color. Now, he realized that in the South there was a difference between what one could or could not do based on race. White people wanted to feel superior to the blacks, but how Wright acted made them think that he thought he was equal to them. Griggs said this would create conflict so Wright must adjust his behavior to survive in the white world. He knew Griggs was right but it was impossible for Wright “to calculate, to scheme, to act, to plot all the time.” Wright believed blacks were wrong in giving into whites and taking so long to stand up for their rights as equal human beings. He firmly believed the status of race and class was artificial.

Justified Refusal of Speech

I think that Wright is correct in his stance to not saying the speech. His principal told him to write a graduating speech to say at graduation. Wright did this, but only to find that the principal already had a speech made up for him to say. He did not like this idea. His principal thought the he had to write the paper himself because “white” people were going to be there, not just black. He stuck up for what he believed in and was not “bought” into dealing with something that was “unclean”. He risked graduating high school to prove his point that it is not right for the principal to write students’ speeches for graduation just because white people are attending. Wright thought the speech should be his own. He knew that the speech the principal wrote was better than his, but he believed the speech did not say anything. His was cloudier, but it said exactly what it wanted to. It had meaning.

Wright and Uncle Tom Conflict

Wright is angry with his Uncle Tom for trying to whip him for talking “sassy” when in fact Wright was not being disrespectful. Uncle Tom woke up Wright to ask him what time it was. Wright responded that it was eighteen minutes past five and he indicated that his watch could be a few minutes slow or fast. When Wright did not give him a precise answer, his uncle became enraged and said that someone should teach this sassy “black imp” a lesson. Uncle Tom proceeded to tell Wright that he would give him a whipping that someone should have given him long ago. Uncle Tom’s reaction puzzled Wright as he did not believe he had said anything sassy; Wright was merely talking to his uncle like he would talk to anyone else.

Wright did not believe Uncle Tom had any right to whip him as the latter had recently moved in to Granny’s house. Uncle Tom had never been a part of his life and as such should not try to control the way Wright lived. Wright had been working and trying to help his Granny out for a while. Wright was not being impolite towards his uncle. Wright was determined he would not be beaten wrongly by someone simply who did not like his tone of voice. In addition, Wright deeply resented his Uncle Tom for telling him that he would “never amount to anything” and would end up in the gallows. Wright had dreams and pride and his uncle was not going to shatter them. As such, Wright insulted Uncle Tom by telling him he was not an example to him especially since all he did was to repair the bottom of chairs so people could sit in them.

Wright Shares His Writing

Wright felt gratified after sharing his writing. Even though his piece did not include a plot or action and was instead about longing and death, Wright was excited. He liked it no matter how bad it was because it was his own creation. Wright was not concerned that the woman to whom he read his piece looked astonished and bewildered. She was baffled trying to understand why Wright would want to write, let alone why writing would give him a great sense of gratification. Nonetheless, Wright was proud of his writing and the fact that he created a piece of writing that was his own. He smiled because he realized that his environment had nothing odder than “writing or the desire to express one’s self in writing”. Writing would become the medium through which he expressed his feelings and dealt with adversity caused by his environment. It would help him cope and understand his world. In addition it would be the means through which he would rise above his lower social class and hopefully make a difference.

Wright's Response to his Mother's Paralysis

Wright changes when his mom goes through paralysis. He becomes conscious of his surroundings and is now terrified of being lonely because he is on his own without any one to depend on. He can no longer feel or react like a child, but must act more like an adult. Wright’s desire to play is gone and he now thinks and worries constantly. He worries about his hunger, his mother, and whether his Granny will get his letter so that he can live with her. Wright is worried about the future and what will become of him. Although hungry, he stops accepting offered food because he is ashamed that he is often fed by strangers. In the end, he withdraws into himself. He looks at joy with suspicion and he realizes he will always be restless and on the move. He changes from a rebel to an individual with a fixed attitude for life.

The impact of his mother’s suffering is so great it grows into a symbol in his mind. It is a symbol of how his childhood was and how his life will be with poverty, ignorance, and helplessness. He realizes he can not control many things in his life and it is full of pain. His life is like the suffrage of his mother. Like his mother is trapped in her sickness, he is trapped within his environment (always moving and hungry).

Wright Cultural Heritage

Wright talks about how he and the black people in his neighborhood hated Jews. The reason they hated the Jews was not because the Jews exploited them, but was because of religion. The blacks were taught that all Jews were “Christ killers” since they killed Jesus. Wright says that this thinking was part of his living and emotional life. The growing hatred for the white people and Jews had been implanted into his mind because of his family background or his ‘cultural heritage.’ He would feel hatred and tension whenever whites were mentioned. It would cause him to react emotionally without reason to some sort of natural threat “whose hostile behavior could not be predicted”.

Even though Wright never had been a victim or accused by white people, he still had negative feelings towards them. He mistrusted whites just like they mistrusted him because they were from different races. Wright had several experiences that confirmed this racism. He witnessed how when Uncle Hoskins was killed by white people the blacks had no recourse. There was no law to punish these white men who ruthlessly killed Hoskins just to acquire his liquor business. His family had to flee leaving all their belongings and land behind for fear that they too would be killed. Wright starts to learn how it is acceptable for white people to kill black men and that when the black men are killed, there is generally not a funeral and the wife could not see her husband’s body. His fear of white people starts to grow particularly after his Aunt Maggie’s boyfriend, Professor Matthews, set a white person’s house on fire and killed someone. Aunt Maggie and Professor Matthews had to sneak away and Wright’s whole family had to pretend that they knew nothing. When these things happened, it always resulted in Wright having to move. It also caused Wright to say that he would kill whites if they ever threatened him. He was aware that “the dread of white people now came to live permanently” in his feelings and imagination; he felt the “pressure of hate and threat that stemmed from invisible whites.”

Why is Wright Hungry?

Wright is really hungry because he is black and his family is so poor that food is often a scarce commodity. There is no opportunity for his parents to get ahead as they have no skills or education, and in addition, they live during a historical period where blacks are discriminated against. Furthermore, Wright’s father deserted his family for another woman after moving them to a tenement in Memphis. Without a father, the family has no income so they have no food. His mother has to find work as a cook, but she cannot make enough money to feed the family so Wright and his brother are sent to an orphanage where once again there is little to eat.

Although Wright is glad to be rid of his lawgiving father who was a stranger and seemed “alien and remote,” once his dad left and did not come home, Wright was always hungry. It took him awhile to figure out that the reason why he was hungry was because his dad was gone and was no longer bringing money home. He associates being hungry with how his life became worse and harder. He says that the image of his father became associated with his “pangs of hunger”, and whenever he felt hunger he thought of him “with a deep biological bitterness”. Wright’s father felt no obligation to help support his family. Wright has to learn how to care for himself and he grows up early with no childhood. He has to deal with gangs, he becomes familiar with bars, and he starts learning what bad words mean. He starts to see that there is a difference between how whites and blacks live. Whites can beat blacks and not get punished and blacks seem to always be hungry.

No School

I agree with some of Gatto’s points about how we do not need school. Without school, some people would educate themselves and would find solutions and figure out how things work. They could become great leaders from this and they would think independently and critically. These people would challenge themselves and would have time to think. They would also have more time to do other activities they enjoy instead having to do homework all the time. I believe this can happen but only in isolated circumstances. I think if the majority of society did not attend school, it would only learn the bare necessities needed to carry out their daily lives or perform the tasks needed for their jobs. People would not be motivated or exposed to different subjects so they would not learn much, for example, about math, science, English, or history.

Another point Gatto makes which I generally believe is valid is that people should not go to schools if their main purpose is to make them conform and be as similar to each other as possible. These schools’ environments will make people think its better not to act independently or to voice their opinions. By the school exerting this influence, it makes the students easier to control and takes less effort for the teachers to control the class. The view is that if a student speaks out in class or does not follow the rules, then their grade will go down or a note will be sent home. This will make people become followers, and not leaders. This will make people be afraid to think independent thoughts or to have views that are different than what are accepted. Also, by the school being controlling, the kids could lose their curiosity in things or they might not have time to explore things they are interested in. It could make them dislike learning, which could lead to them not learning anything.

However, I think there are schools that do not make you conform and that these are the schools people should go to. If kids go to schools like University, they are not forced to conform. Students are shown different sides of conflicts and are able to decide what they believe in themselves. They can stand up for what they believe and it’s ok. There isn’t a note sent home and their grade does not drop as long as they have backing to their argument. Also, students have a chance to take a J-term class that allows them to study something different than the normal boring classes. In these types of schools, the teachers guide the students, but the students have to take the initiative. The teachers challenge the students to think critically and to think for things on their own. The students could become leaders.

"Nonacademic Education"

I value the “nonacademic” education I receive for several reasons. First off, knowing how to exercise and how to have a balanced diet are valuable “nonacademic” things to know. Knowing how to exercise helps you stay healthy, keeps you from gaining weight, and helps you live longer. If you learn the proper techniques and routines to keep your body and heart in shape, then it will help decrease the risk of having health problems when you are older. If you do not learn these techniques, your arteries could get clogged and you could have high blood pressure which might decrease your life expectancy. Also, you should learn how to maintain a balanced diet so you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly and stay healthy. Learning the correct ways to keep your body healthy is a valuable lesson.

Next, you should be informed about politics and the government which are not necessarily academic subjects. It is essential to know about what candidates believe in, as this might determine how much taxes you pay or the health care you receive. You also need to take the time to figure out and discover what you believe personally so you can vote for the candidate that best represents your values. If you do not determine which candidate bests supports your ideas, then you could vote for a candidate who might impede your life style and could possibly hurt the economy and country. It is important to have the same political ideals.

Nonacademic education has just as much merit as academic education. Book learning, however, is a fundamental prerequisite, as it gives you the fundamental tools to understand and analyze how best to try to succeed in life.

Soo Many Risqué Stores

Once again, the class was very creative with their examples of rhetoric and the topics varied from person to person.

A few people talked about Hollister and Abercrombie. The Hollister ads were risqué and showed a lot of skin, but hardly any clothes. It was more like they were advertising the look and the body rather than their actual clothes. Abercrombie had a picture of a man with ripped abs. Hollister and Abercrombie are trying to get you to think that if you buy clothes from their stores, then you can look like their models and mannequins with a great body.

Also, Mallory made an interesting contrast between Victoria’s Secret and Gap Body. She talked about how Victoria’s Secret is trying to make you feel sexy with using words that represent lust. The colors they use are “naughty” since they are reds and blacks. Also, their front display cases have mannequins doing suggestive poses with hardly any clothing on. On the contrast, Gap Body uses white to represent innocence and use caring words like “love”. They also have mannequins with more clothes on than Victoria’s Secret. I had not realized this before Mallory pointed it out.

What Is SEXAYY-- Victoria's Secret

I thought people were very creative with their examples of rhetoric. The class covered a variety of different subjects. The subjects went from politics, to stores, to magazines.

One of Kendal’s examples of rhetoric was of Victoria’s Secret. The picture was of the entrance to Victoria’s Secret in Clay Terrace. It showed the outside display section of lingerie and the font in the window said, “What is Sexy”. This means that people define sexy as people who wear the underwear, bras, and products from Victoria’s Secret. This makes people want to go buy products from the store so they can feel like they are attractive. Also, since the front display of lingerie is risqué, it attracts attention to the store. This is why I think they put the display in the front window.

Some people brought up how this display case should not be there since it is suggestive and many young children walk by the store daily. I somewhat agree with this. Sometimes, it seems the mannequins are doing very suggestive poses in their “sexy” lingerie that would barely cover anything on a real person. I think these mannequins should not be in the front window case.

It should be interesting to see what other examples of rhetoric the class has found tomorrow in class.

Comments on Commercials

I thought our class did a very good job making commercials. Everyone was creative and had a good time crafting a commercial. I really liked the commercial advertising hats and the one advertising bubble gum.

The hat commercial was done by Eli, Tony, Christina, and Jordan. Tony kept repeating how his company had 10,000 hats and each time he would get more and more excited. Each time he would repeat his line and would put more emphasis in his voice. This was funny and kept me interested. Also, I thought Eli was hilarious in the beginning by saying something like, “Oh Dee-Dee, it’s so cold out here… my head is going to freeze!” and when Tony came over and offered him a hat. I think this group did a nice job giving different situations where you would want one of their hats (in cold or sunny weather, for style, or for cheating on a test).

The other advertisement that I thought stood out today was the commercial for Bubblicious Bubble Gum. This commercial was done by Kendal, Derek, Malory, and Lauren. At the beginning of it, I was not sure what they were advertising since it took awhile to get into the commercial. But once they got into the commercial, it was funny. Before Kendal and Derek had their gum, they were dull and boring. However, once they popped a piece of gum in their mouth, they became alive. I liked how they closed their advertisement. They walked, strutted, and danced down an isle in the library. Once they got to the end of it, they put a gum package in front of the camera to advertise it. This was like what real commercials do for gum.

Pottery Barn

It seems that the Pottery Barn’s focuses on customers who are middle to upper class that like the finer items in life. Pottery Barn offers high quality sophisticated products such as towels and furniture. People who are into material objects are the one who are willing to pay 24 dollars for a towel. When making their products, they think that it has to look good, feel good, be of high quality, durable, and that it has to emotionally feel right.

Pottery Barn knows that their high quality goods will get previous customers to come back because they are so pleased with the product they recently bought. Their high quality items will also attract people to come into their store even if they are not interested in buying something. In the end, they will most likely buy something because they can not resist. Pottery Barn also sets up scenarios for rooms based on their consumers. For example, they set up rooms that could be a teenager’s to attract their attention. It gives the customer the sense of what the lifestyle might look like, which is appealing.

Pottery Barn improves their products by encouraging their staff to go places to notice details of things. For example, employees would go to restaurants and see how tables were set. They could browse real-estate open houses and model homes to find new architectural and design trends. They could just ask their friends about what products they wish they had. I think that this is a good idea for a company to have. They do not want their employees to be “working” 20 hours a day, but they would rather have them out in the world experiencing things that they can bring back to the company so they can produce a better product. I think this is a more effective way to make products better.

A Store's Influence

A store that tries to influence me is Dick’s Sporting Goods. Dick’s has a variety of name brand products like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour, which are appealing to buy since they are popular. Famous athletes and celebrities do commercials for these products, so it makes consumers (aka me) want to buy these goods. It makes me think that if a famous person likes and supports this particular product, then the product must be worth buying. Implied is the idea that the product is of good quality and that it might even help your athletic performance. People also buy this product as it might make them feel “cool” if they wear the same product as a celebrity does. They see themselves as celebrities.

Dick’s promotes these name brands by putting them into separate sections of their stores and labeling them with signs. For example, there are individual areas for Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour. This makes it easy for the consumer to find the name brand he or she wants. In addition, the stores often have life-size cardboard images of famous athletes or race car drivers sporting the products to draw more attention and thus, to create more sales. By having all these name brands, Dick’s influences people to go to their stores in search of these popular brand names.

Dick’s also persuades people to frequent their stores by having a large inventory of products for any sport. This includes a great selection of athletic shoes, clothes, and sport bags. Dicks also has sports equipment for every game whether it is golf, tennis, soccer, or basketball. This company also specializes in hunting and outdoor camping needs. What is particularly appealing about Dick’s is that you only need to go to one store to find practically everything you need for all your sporting needs. In addition, the quality is good and the prices are fair. Dick’s makes it convenient for its customers by having a wide range of products in one location.

Super Bowl Commercials

I watched many commercials tonight during the Super Bowl. One which held my attention was a commercial for T-Mobile. This company was advertising its cell phones and its Fave-5 plan. The ad had Charles Barkley and Dwayne Wade, two famous basketball players, in the commercial to endorse the product and give it more appeal. T-Mobile used these famous athletes in their ad because they are widely recognized by millions of people and, as such, more consumers will want to buy the product just because these celebrities are using it. T-Mobile shows Barkley and Wade talking to each other nonstop on their cell phones whether it is in the shower, in bed, or right after a basketball game. T-Mobile’s ad is making the point that their service is available everywhere and that if someone is on your Fave-5 plan, then you can talk to them at any time of the day for as long you want and it does not cost extra. The reasoning behind this ad is since famous athletes use this mobile telephone plan shouldn’t you?

Another commercial I watched was an advertisement for Vitamin Water. This commercial also relied on using a basketball celebrity, Shaquille O’Neal, to appeal to the audience. This ad opens with a thoroughbred horse race in progress and an announcer talking very fast and excitedly. The announcer mentions that Shaq had tried Vitamin Water and decided to saddle up for the race, although he is dead last in the race. The camera then zooms onto the very large Shaq, who looks awkward perched on top of a small horse. This creates quite a comical effect. As the race continues, and supposedly as the invigorating Vitamin Water kicks in, Shaq and his horse start passing all the other mounts. It’s a close race but Shaq pulls through with a photo finish victory. He celebrates his triumph by drinking Vitamin Water. This commercial implied that if someone drank Vitamin Water, then they would have success in tough competition.