My Adaptation of "You're Ugly, Too"

PLOT

If I were to adapt "You're Ugly, Too" into a film, I would elaborate more on the individual scenes of Zoe's life. From the book, it is difficult to understand her relationships with her students, co-workers, doctors, and friends because we do not personally witness those common relationships when reading the short story. For example, I would want some sort of display of her every day life. I would want to see Zoe at her house in the morning and when she picks up her morning coffee on the way to work, and Zoe in the classroom interacting with her students. I want to see Zoe go home and make a TV dinner for herself while she laughs, alone, watching the pathetic lives of people on reality television shows. Also, I want to see her with her sister Evan, and how they communicate with one another. By showing their relationship through actions, the audience can see if it is a love-hate, sisterly relationship, or if it is more similar to being best friends or complete enemies. Towards the end of the story, there is a scene where Zoe is at a party and interacts with a man named Earl. Instead of ending the film at this scene, I would want to extend the movie to show Zoe leaving the party, heading home, and being comfortable with her life. I do not want some elaborate romantic relationship because Zoe seems to be happy when she is alone, and changing that would mean I was changing Zoe as a character. If the film were to be adopted, I would be sure to leave her personality unchanged.

SETTING

Similar as to what I said earlier, I would want Zoe to be active in several locations throughout the movie. I enjoy the modern time period because it fits Zoe as an independent character. However, I think I would change her location in the story. I want her to live in a suburban community in New York. By doing this, it would show Zoe being content with a less-glamorous life, and satisfaction towards the home she has made for herself. I would want a setting at her home, in the garden attempting to tend to her yard, at school where she interacts with her students, in the city with her sister, at the movies, and at the party where she meets Earl. Also, I want a few scenes where she is in the doctor's office. Throughout the short story, Zoe occasionally speaks of her illness, but we are never fully-informed. I want to see how she handles her illness and how she handles the news from her doctors. Having her in the doctor's office means that we are able to physically see the reaction on her face when she receives the news.

POINT OF VIEW

For the film, I would want first-person point of view in which Zoe narrates the film. I want her thoughts to become words, so that the audience can understand her reasoning behind her actions and her statements. Personally, I found her actions to be humorous; therefore, I am almost positive that her thoughts which develop those actions are more amusing. Also, I think that having her narrate the film would be mean that we would get to see Zoe as a more complex person. Although we occassionally see her emotional side, such as the scene where she decides not to tell Evan of the suicide, I want to see more of her serious side. I want to know if she feels lonely, and if she does, does it bother her. I do not necessarily want to provoke sympathy towards Zoe as a character, I just want people to understand the thoughts that process inside her head, instead of developing theories on their own. I know, an imaginitive audience is not a bad thing, but I really love Zoe and I want others to enjoy her, too.

Characterization

When adapting “You’re Ugly, Too” into a film, I would use indirect characterization to reveal the personality behind the main character, Zoe. Her eccentric behavior could not reasonably be described without demonstration. Her actions have to speak as a description of her character. However, the film would be narrated in Zoe’s point of view, so naturally the audience would hear her thoughts aloud which would also help reveal Zoe’s character. When she is interacting with others, I want her to tell jokes and be sarcastic, but I do not want her to sound bitter when telling the jokes, but light-hearted. I want to portray Zoe as a woman who is content with being alone. I do not want others to misinterpret her character, thinking that she is a bitter lady with resentment towards love utterly because she is lonely. Therefore, I would be sure to enhance the scene where Zoe tells Earl her feelings toward love. I want her explanation of love to look as if it is directed toward him because he hurt her feelings for calling out the piece of toilet paper on her face. I do not want her to look as if she is saying such pessimistic things because she really feels love is this terrible thing. Never will Zoe look desperate in my film, but rather, independent.

Theme

Throughout the film, there would be aspects of women independence. This is the reason I think I am so fond of the short story. I love that Zoe overcomes the frequent stereotypes where women are inferior to men, and women are these sappy, love-obsessed people. She is the antagonist of dependability. She tends to her home and her yard, when yard work is often seen as a man’s job. She provides for herself, and she does not rely on a man to make her happy. Independence would be the theme I would try to portray the most. Also, I want the audience to be aware of strength when dealing with difficulties. Obviously throughout the short story she is dealing with an illness in her gall bladder. I do not want to evoke sympathy, but I do want the audience to recognize her strength when dealing with the side effects of her illness. I want her to be a happy person, and when she communicates with others she has a smile on her face, even after she is making a blunt joke.

"The Body" --Film Blog

Plot

One of the main differences I saw in plot during the movie, was the way the differences between the older group of boys (the antagonists) and the younger group of boys (protagonists) interacted. In the book, we did not see a real entanglement between the groups until they both arrived at the scene of the body. However, in the movie, Ace throws Chris onto the ground and holds a cigarette to this face. Although it is not seen in the book, I think it helps to show a violent scene in the commencement of the film. Because the reader knows how abusive the elder group is, it is easier for us to understand the young boys' fear. Then, when they both are present at the scene of the body, it makes the younger boys' look far more courageous. Also, another difference in that scene would be the one who pointed the gun at the older kids. In the book, it is Chris who has possession of the gun during the scene; on the other hand, in the movie, it is Gordie who has possession of the gun. For the most part, because Gordie is the narrator, the movie seems to be more focused on himself, so when Chris had the gun and was threatening the older boys, it seemed to be more heroic. He was the underdog, classified as a thief and bad kid, who turned out to be the hero. One last scene in the book that was not displayed in the film was the telling of Gordie's story, "Stud City." In the book, it made Gordie's writing seem advanced and mature compared the story he tells called "Revenge of the Lardass Hogan." Because it is left out in the movie, we do not get to see how Gordie relates his work to his life. In "Stud City" there are aspects that reflect his dead brother. He said, "It was the first time I had ever really used the place I knew and the things I felt in a piece of fiction, and there was a dreadful exhilaration in seeing things that had troubled me for years come out in a new form." (page 327) Also, the frame story allowed the reader to know more complex details about Gordie's personality that we would have never picked up on in only the movie.

Characterization

Similar to the characterization in the short story, the author presents each of the individual characters in a direct manner. The beginning of the film is purely based on introducing the characters, their background, their town, and the upcoming adventure that will take place. Because of the direct characterization, it is easy to understand why the characters behave the way that they do on their journey to find the body. One difference I did see in the book and movie was Vern's personality and the way he reacted to situations. In the book, Vern is understood to be uneducated and easily-influenced. However, in the film, he is seen as more of a "sissy boy" or a "cry baby." While reading the book, I did not not think Vern was neither annoying nor naive. But while I was watching the movie, he always was panicking, or almost in tears. "'So anyway, you want to go see it?' Vern asked. He was squirming around like he had to go to the bathroom he was so excited."' (page 305) Instead of being scared and hestitant like he was in the movie, Vern is positive and excited about going to find the body in the short story. This made the group of boys seem different to me. In the book, they seem older and more mature than their age. In the film, the immaturity of Vern reminded me of their age and showed the boys' innocence.

Theme

The theme in the movie and the theme in the short story are very similar. In both versions, the boys are overcome aspects of innocence. One of my favorite lines in the movie is when the boys are walking back to town on their adventure, and the narrator says, "The town looked smaller to us than it had before." In the beginning of the book and the movie, Gordie tells the audience that although the town was small, it seemed like the world to them. The fact that the boys realize there is much more out in the world than they see in the small town made them seem like they had aged. The other theme, overcoming stereotypes, was not seen as much in the movie as it was in the short story. The ending of the movie did not focus as much on the boys' futures besides Gordie's. We were given short descriptions of each, but nothing that elaborated. Also, Chris was not the one holding the gun at the scene of the body, but Gordie was the hero instead. Both of these instances clarified that Chris had overcome the labels of society, but in the movie he had not.

Point of View

The film is also told in first-person point of view. Also, similar to the book, the narrator is Gordie, an older version of one of the characters who discovers the body. Because it is told in first person, the story itself seems more realistic; it is a pasttime. In the beginning of the movie, Gordie is seen holding a newspaper on the road near the railroad. The newspaper has an article about the death of Chris, his childhood friend. Because of this scene, the audience immediately understands that this event had a huge impact on his life. Although it was just two days in his entire life, it still had an effect on him as an adult. In the end of the movie, Gordie is shown typing the story at his computer in which he says that those were the best friends he had ever had. This shows that Gordie wanted to share his story with other people, and it created a more personal point of view to the story, instead of it being a stranger telling about four random boys. The story had more meaning because it was being told by someone who was impacted by the journey.

Setting

The film is also about a small town in Maine during 1960, and the entire setting in the film is almost exactly like the setting in the short story. In one of the opening scenes of the film, the boys are sitting around in their treehouse smoking cigarettes. Every time I have watched the movie, that scene is struck me as insane! I would never imagine a twelve-year-old-boy smoking cigarettes legally. However, knowing that this was fifty years ago makes the situation more believable. Also, it shows the differences in the lives of children then, and the lives of children today. Instead of going out and roaming the woods, kids sit inside and play video games all day. Although the cigarettes and cussing, such as "Suck my fat one," (said by Gordie in the movie) might be a little old-fashioned, the adventurous nature of the boys should not be.

"Popular Mechanics"

Another one of your freak show stories. I know this question has been asked a thousand times, because I was one of those thousand people, but I just want to debate on it for awhile. Is the baby at the end of the story dead or alive??! I am so sick of these stupid, vague answers that try and tell me it does not matter. Okay...maybe it does not matter in the opinion of the author because that is not what they're trying to convey through the story, but it matters to the reader! It's like in the movie Elf, when Walter Hobbs tries to publish a story without the last two pages, so the children don't know what happens in the end. The children were confused and wanted to know. They don't care about the hidden message or theme or whatever; they just want to know what happened in the end!! In my opinion, the baby did not rip in half. I am mostly saying that because I do not want to believe any of the limbs on the baby's body were ripped off, but also because I think it makes sense. The father was leaning so hard that he pulled the baby out of its mother's arms, so the mother lost and the father won. Honestly, this is the most ridiculous way to solve a debate between who recevies custody of the children and does not. And yes, I am guessing that this is the message the author is trying to convey, but still! I am so sick of ambiguous endings!

"You're Ugly, Too"

At the end of class yesterday, Mr. Costello, you asked the class to think about how we felt towards Zoe. Personally, I really enjoyed her character. Often times, I do not understand the humor in some of these extremely lame stories. When people point them out in class, I am always surprised because I would have never picked up on the humor by myself. But with this story, I thought there were many lines that I thought to be funny. My favorite is when she is at dinner with the second boyfriend she talks about on page 357.

"I knew a dog who could do that," said Zoe with her mouth full..."It was a Talking Lab, and after about ten minutes of listening to the dinner conversation this dog knew everyone's name..."

She has such a dry, sarcastic sense of humor and I love it. The guy she was on a date with was a total jerk, and she called him out on his poor sense of respect and women. It was hilarious! Also, I really like how blunt and pessimistic she is when she talks to Earl about her opinion on love. Not that I agree with her (because I am a total hopeless romantic), but I really like how brutally honest she is. She wasn't trying to win Earl over with some cheesy show, but she just told him how it was. Straight up. This was probably my favorite story we have read this year.

"The Drunkard"

There is plenty of irony to discuss in this blog, so here it goes. One of the most obvious, of course, would be the young boy getting plastered, cussing at old women ("Go away, ye bloody bitches!" pg 350), and stumbling down the street on his way home. How often do you see that? I mean, nobody would ever look at the boy and think the situation was normal. Another example of irony is how the father talks about the funeral. It is almost as if he is excited to attend the funeral of his good friend instead of mourning over his death. He even dares to call the funeral, "excellent". He sort of compares the funeral to some sort of social event he is attending, and uses it as an excuse to drink himself away at a bar. One last irony I found within the story was how for years, the family has been embarrassed by the father's drunk behavior, and his spending of money when he is on these drinking binges. However, when walking down the street with his son, the father is now the one who is embarrassed. He says, "Twill be all over the road...Never again, never again, not if I live to be a thousand!" (page 350)

"The Lottery"

According to dictionary.com, a lottery is either:

A.) a gambling game or method of raising money, as for some public charitable purpose, in which a large number of tickets are sold and a drawing is held for certain prizes.

OR

B.) any happening or process that is or appears to be determined by chance

When I first read the title, I expected it to be some sort of happy story about a family or someone who is fortunate enough to win loads of money. However, to my disappointment, I found that instead of being granted money, the lucky chosen one was granted death. Yippee! At first, I would have said that this story was not a lottery because I have become so accustomed to the meaning that society uses today. But in all actuality, this is a perfect title for the story (check out definition #2). Not that I enjoyed the story, because I definitely did not, but it was interesting how the entire town just let this innocent killing take place. I can't say that I would ever choose to read this story again, but I do have to hand it to you, Mr. Costello. You always choose the most bizarre and eccentric stories.

"The Body" by Stephen King

Plot

In order to build the suspense for the boys' finding of the dead body, the narrator tells of the journey leading up to their destination. The narrator consistently refers to his own thoughts to reveal his feelings toward seeing the dead body for the first time. The different images he conjures in his mind allow the reader to feel anxious, and anticipate the dead body and its appearance. In my opinion, there is a group of people who represent the protagonist role and a group of people who represent the antagonist role. Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy play the role of the protagonist; their older brothers and their friends play the role of the antagonists. This comparison can be seen on page 415, when Ace threatens the younger boys. "We'll get you hard...we'll hurt you. I can't believe you don't know that. We'll put you all in the fuckin hospital with fuckin ruptures. Sincerely." However, I believe that within the younger group, there is a division. Gordie and Chris play the protagonist role, while Vern and Teddy play the antagonist role. Because of the different personality traits between the four characters, it is easy for the reader to favor Chris and Gordie's courage and sensible actions. But at the same time, Vern and Teddy keep the balance by making stupid jokes and keeping a lighter attitude. At the end of the story, it is easy to differentiate between the four of them because of the manner in which their future plays out. Both Teddy and Vern join the wrong group of friends and die at a young age without achieving much of anything. Gordie and Chris remain friends throughout school, and they both take college courses in order to achieve success. In my opinion, the conclusion of the story results in an unhappy ending. I had high hopes for Chris and his ability to overcome his background and family; however, when the narrator announced that he had died while attempting to keep peace, I realized that my hopes had been let down. I love the story, but I hate how it ends.

Characterization

In the commencement of the story, the narrator presents the characters, their personality traits, and their family history directly. For example, on page 296, the narrator describes Teddy and the way he thought of him. "He was the dumbest guy we hung around with, I guess, and he was crazy. He'd take the craziest chances you can imagine, and get away with them." By describing the characters directly, the reader is able to understand why the characters make the decisions they do, and what they react to them in the manner they do. When the boys are trespassing at the dump, Milo Pressman continues to call Teddy's father a loony, and Teddy gets extremely upset and defends his father. At first, it does not make sense because Teddy's father burnt both of his years off. If the narrator had not told us that his father had served on the beach at Normandy, then we would not understand why Teddy was defending him. In my opinion, Teddy and Vern are both static characters. They have their emotional moments, but in the end they remain the same as in the beginning of story. However, Chris is a dynamic character. In the beginning of the story, he knows that he is worth more than people label him, but he does not believe there is ever a chance of him being able to achieve success. At the end of the story, though, we learn that Chris studies college classes and gets out of the town he dreads.

Theme

For the most part, the short story is based upon four boy overcoming their adolescence and becoming young adults. Therefore, the theme is the fall from innocence. In the beginning, the boys are obsessed with cards, cigarettes, and centerfold magazines. Also, they fearful of their older brothers and enemies. For example, when Vern tells his friends of what he overheard his older brother saying about the dead body, Vern says, "I dunno...Billy will know where I found out. He'll beat the living shit outta me." But in the end, after seeing the dead body and wanting to claim it as their own, the younger boys stand up to their rivals. "That's nothing to what you'll get...Gordie was right, you're nothing but a bunch of cheap hoods. Charlie and Billy didn't want their fuckin dibs and you all know it." After this scene, the boys lose their innocent fear and gain confidence. Additionally I believe overcoming stereotypes is another theme of the story. At the end of the story, Chris overcomes his family's background of violence, stealing, and alcoholic rage by studying in the attempt to become successful. Although he did not have much to say for his family's history, he did not allow that to stop him in applying himself to greater accomplishments.

Point of View

"The Body" is told in first-person point of view. The narrator is a character in the story, named Gordie, who is one of the four boys journeying to find the dead body. By telling the story in first- person, the story seems more dramatic. It also seems more real because it is a person recalling a past time, and their is detail on the emotions of the narrator during the different situations. For example, when the boys come out of the pond with leeches all over their bodies, the fact that the narrator could remember how he felt when he found them on his "private parts" made the experience seem more traumatic than funny. He even skips ahead to more recent years in which he remembered the event. "Either way, for one second I was literally in the past, pausing halfway up that embankment and looking back at the burst leech: dead, deflated...but still ominous." I like that Gordie is telling the story because I felt more attached to him as one of the characters, too. Knowing that he was the only one who was still alive and able to tell the story made the ending more unhappy. He had lost those friends he had throughout his adolescence, making the story more personal.

Setting

Even though the narrator is telling the story from present time, the literal story takes place in Maine in 1960. Because of the time difference, one must adjust to the differences in society. For example, the price of soda and food, and magazines and cards were very much different than they are today. The value of a dollar was worth more then than it is now. Also, one has to remember that children did not have cell phones, so when the four boys went off into the woods for days, no parents were able to contact them. Also, it was not very often that boys of their class and rank studied in college and achieved more successful careers than their family members. Also, this was after the time of World War II, but before the battle at Vietnam. Therefore, families had undergone the Depression and the difficulties of being at war. Because of this, we can understand Teddy's father's insanity. "Then he hung up the phone, went in to the closet, got his .410, and sat down to watch daytime stories on TV with the shotgun laid across his knees." If the audience were not aware of the time period, it would be difficult to understand the father's behavior. Also, the fact that the boys live in a small town plays a part, too. Information is more easily passed around, and everyone knows a lot about people and where they come from. The town is full of gossip-mongers which causes people in the town to stereotype others and their families.

"Once Upon a Time"

This story was odd and scary. Often times, this story is how I picture the future. Last night, I watched the movie Bicentennial Man which has a setting in the future. There were definitely resemblances between this story and the movie, both of which worried me. I do not want the future to be so technological and soley based on making sure things are perfect. The family in the story wants the ultimate protection for their kids, disregarding the fact that what they are doing can actually injure the child itself. In the movie, they hire this robot to do many activities in the household. But, how are children supposed to learn chores if they have someone to do it for them?? Sometimes, mistakes and danger need to be present in order for people to learn and grow, and I am afraid that it will be near impossible to make those kind of mistakes in the future. I don't want my kids to think like robots, or never be concerned about things because they have been so protected their entire lives! Also, if this was a children's story that the narrator was dreaming up while lying in bed, it is terrible. What kind of childrens' story talks about thieves and how to escape them??? Moreover, what kind of childrens' story ends in a child getting tangled in wire!?

"Eveline"

There are a few mysteries within the story, "Eveline." For one, her mother's death is odd. From what I concluded, or from what I WANTED to conclude in order to make the story more interesting, was that her father killed her mother and brother, Ernest. Throughout the story, Eveline repeatedly refers to her father's violence, leading me to believe that his attitude and violence cause him to kill Eveline's mother. But at the same time, if that were the case, wouldn't Eveline be taken from her father's custody??? Also, Eveline seems worried to get married, but I do not understand what she is worried about. Her life is being threatened at home, and she admits that there is "no one to protect her now." She even says that after she moves and she is married that people will begin to treat her with respect, and not with the manner they treated her mother. SO WHAT IS SHE WAITING FOR??? Finally, in the last paragraph of the story, I assumed that she had not gone with him because she "clutched the iron in frenzy." The last line says that she showed him no sign of love or farewell or recogonition, BUT WHY!? She has been surrounded by hatred and violence her entire life, so why can she not show love towards someone who shows love to her?? She is so confusing and backwards.

"A Worn Path"

Although there were vague parts of the story, I think that the theme of "A Worn Path" lies in Grandmother's conquest of medecine for her grandson. Although she is old and frail, and the weather is cold and dreadful, the grandma walks with her cane into town. The entire story, I was wondering why she was walking, where she was walking to, and who in the heck was the narrator. It gave hints at the beginning as to who the narrator was, but I think I will have to read the story once more in order to understand. However, in the end, everyone treats the grandma as though she is some charity case, but she doesn't act like one. She journeys in the cold soley to help someone she cares deeply about. She has the ability to keep going even when conditions are rough. For awhile, I thought that maybe the grandmother was dillusional and the grandson was already dead, but now I am not sure. If he is alive, I do not know what his illness is, and I am not sure if they give hints to it in the story or not.

"Miss Brill"

Although there is almost no description of Miss Brill in the story, I managed to develop an image of what I believe her appearance looks like. Because she refers to her countless Sundays spent at the park (which I am assuming that is where she is located for the majoriy of the story), I assumed her age to be old. It seems as though she is alone, or lonely (possibly never marriedb because her name is MISS Brill), which is another reason why I pictured her to be of old age. Because of this, I see her with white-gray hair. Also, I pictured her to be elegant while she was wearing her fur. I think that the fur is black because she says that she used "black sealing-wax" on it when it was necessary. I think of her to be plump, not fat, just not very thin, either.

Although the story was short, making it more enjoyable than some of the other short stories we have read, I did not really understand some of the things occurring thruoghout the story. I do not understand the signficance of the "ermine to toque." I don't even understand what it is. Also, I do not understand why Miss Brill thinks she heard something crying in the last line of the story. There seems to be a hidden message, and I am clearly not getting it.

"Hunters in the Snow"

Honestly, I don't know what to make of this story. Peronally, I found it to be humorous, but at the same time I was kind of irritated with Frank and Tub for just leaving Kenny behind in the truck the entire time. The narrator in the story uses indirect characterization (for the most part) to identify the characters. It is almot as if the plot characterizes the people in the story. Without the plot, we would never figure out the secrets of Frank and Tub, and we would never find out their priorities when it comes to their friends. Frank is an interesting character, but kind of confusing. I have a hard time trying to figure out of he is making fun of Tub most of the time, or being genuine (the pancake scene). I think Tub is what made the story funny to me. It is harsh to say, but the fact that he is chubby and gorges himself with food just gets me everytime. What kind of person doesn't like to hear about a big boy getting excited around food??

"Bartleby the Scrivener"

This story is odd. Actually, it was more boring than anything. The lack of action and climactic events put me to sleep on more than one occasion. In the beginning of the story, the narrator, who is also the boss, gives a direct characterization of Nippers, Turkey, and Ginger Nut. The narrator comes right out and tells us what the characters are like and their mood swings throughout the day. He also goes the extra mile to tell us his opinion of the characters as well. But with Bartleby, the narrator knows little to nothing about him. This makes Bartleby the flat character. Although he never undergoes anything significant changes, and he never reveals any information himself, I still find him to be more interesting than the other characters due to the lack of information. I want to know WHY he is the way he is, and I want to know where he comes from. For now, I am just going to invent some theories on my own! Feel free to contribute.

"Everyday Use" continued!!

Part of this story confused me a little. Dee changes her name to "Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo" in the story. The book gives the explanation to this: "The names adopted by the two characters in the story reflect the practice among some members of the black community of rejecting names inherited from the period of slavery and selecting others more in keeping with their African heritage." Therefore, I understand that Dee appreciates her heritage. However, it does not seem like she appreciates her family's history or traditions. According to Dee's mother, she is named after a long line of women in her family, but Dee does not approve of this. She wants the hand-sewn quilts for decorations, but not for use. It is almost as if she admires her heritage from afar, but does not wish to participate in the practices of her ancestors. I don't know, it confuses me! Not only is she selfish, but she is embarrassed of her family, too, unless she acknowledges it for "show" or "decoration."

"Everyday Use"

In "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, Maggie is the static character. Throughout the short story, Maggie never undergoes a change. The reader knows that prior to the story, she was burned when her house had caught on fire years before. However, she never actually changes based on personality. As a reader, we still know much about Maggie. We know that she is shy, and has no self-esteem or confidence compared to her sister, Dee. Also, Maggie is very selfless which is shown when she offers to give the quilts to her sister, even though she was meant to receive them. Dee, on the other hand, is selfish. Not to mention, she irritates me beyond belief. It is one thing to be successful, but to be successful and arrogant is a different story! Reality check, sister, you're not all that and a bag of chips. hahahah

Relating Edie to Modern Teenage Girls

Out of the three short stories, the one I found the most interesting and least confusing is "How I Met My Husband" by Alice Munro. I think the girl in the story can easily be related to many girls in high school. They are flattered by the attention of older men and naive in their belief that men are not liars and they are genuinely interested in caring for them. I always stereotype men in the early 1900s to be more charismatic and respectful, and this short story is a perfect example of why it is wrong to stereotype. Not only is the story timeless, but I love that she feels fright when trying on the clothes of Mrs. Peebles. I know for a fact that if I were in the same shoes, I would want to try on the elegant dresses and expensive jewelry! The anxiety she feels after Chris Watters sees her in the dress was so easy to relate to, too. I always stress myself out when I am afraid that something so small will get me into huge trouble, and the secret becomes my main priority. Honestly, I do no think she would have gotten into too much trouble for trying on the clothes, but I definitely can see where she is coming from.

"A Rose for Emily"

This story had me a little confused at times. I don't understand why "they" keep referring to the taxes she had not paid. Not to mention she constantly said,"I have no tax in Jefferson." (Why wouldn't she have tax in Jefferson!?) I am assuming that they refer to her taxes to show how distant and isolated she was from the rest of her town. She didn't follow the same guidelines as everyone else. I also think that they elaborated on how the neighborhood she lived in was becoming deserted in order to show how she was removed from society. Another thing that had me bamboozled (hahaha) was at the end of story, when they discover the body lying in the bed with the imprint in the sheets next to the corpse, was the dead body her father or Homer, her supposed husband?? Those two characters confused me, too. As you can tell, I really need to read this story again because I obviously didn't understand well the first time!! If anybody can give me a clear explanation, too, that would be great. OH! and is the narrator the people trying to get taxes from Emily???

Interpreter of Maladies

This story, in my opinion, was a perfect example of SITUATIONAL IRONY. There was definitely a discrepancy between what I thought I was going to happen and what actually happened. At first, Mr. Kapasi seemed sort of apalled by the Das family and their lack of affection toward one another. However, when he becomes attracted to Mrs. Das and begins to look at her in a different way, I thought Mrs. Das felt similar feelings toward Mr. Kapasi. Even though I was grossed out (again) by the age difference, I knew that Mrs. Das felt lonely or insecure or something, and she defined Mr. Kapasi's career as "romantic," which made me think she felt intimate toward him. Therefore, the entire story I was convinced the two of them were going to get together, or something was going to happen between the two of them in the car when she refuses to go with the rest of her family. I DESPISE THAT WOMAN. Although it was wrong for Mr. Kapasi to have those desires considering he was married, the poor man was led on and felt confident with himself. She sparked some sort of interest in him (nothing that I understood, of course) and she totally shot him down. Both "Interpreter of Maladies" and "How I Met My Husband" had ironic endings that I did not predict!

"How I Met My Husband"

(I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you or not, but I am answering question #2 in this post!)

In "How I Met My Husband," I was a little surprised by the ending because I found the plot pretty predictable at parts; however, most of the time my inferences were proved wrong in the story. Throughout the beginning and the middle, I knew something was going to happen between Edie and Chris Watters...I was just waiting for it! However, I kept forgetting the age difference between the two of them, so now I am a little grossed out by Mr. Watters. Perve. Anyway, the climax was the intimate scene between Edie and Chris in the tent, which was predictable, but the denoument was the misleading part of it all. I thought for sure they were going to run away together! It's okay though, I didn't like Chris. So, while she waited for the letter by the mailbox everyday (definitely similar to the scene from The Notebook!) I caught on to the fact that he was never going to write her; yet, she still waited. Maybe it was my "blind optimism" (in the words of T-SWIFT!) that kept me hoping she would not get heart broken in the end. But when Carmichael showed up, the plot was no longer misleading. the entire time I thought the "husband" she was going to meet and marry in the story was Chris; I was not expecting Carmichael.

TODAY my blog will feature some videos. (Only because I enjoy watching them, too!)

This song reminds me of this story, too! I'm obsessed with Taylor Swift these days. This song is definitely worth your time. (It is written to John Mayer.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF3u1q_T8aw

EDWARD!

I saved the best for last! "Edward." Although this poem is creepy and weird and hard to understand, I found it the most interesting by far. I'm going to start with his mother. When I first glanced at the poem, I felt empathy for his mother. I thought that Edward was an arrogant, violent jerk and his poor mother had to put up with such a terrible son. This is a perfect example of me being incapable of understanding poetry. However, after looking back at the poetry, I realized his mom is the bad guy!! Or...the bad girl? Yeah. Anyway, I understand that his mother convinced him to kill his father so that she may have possession of the property and money, but I do not understand why the son agreed to doing it. My best guess is that he was raised to believe his Father was some sort of monster, or bad guy who made his mother's life miserable. But at the same time, he addresses his father as "dear" and his mother as only "mother." Therefore, he must have had some sort of hint before killing his father that it was wrong. I think I understand majority of the poem, but this little detail still confuses me! Can somebody help me out?

Delight in Disorder

The diction used in the poem, "Delight in Disorder," helped create the image the speaker was trying to portray. In the poem, the speaker describes imperfections and disorder to be perfect to them. This opinion is clear in the line, "a cuff neglected, and thereby ribbons to flow confusedly" in which the speaker says that disorder in the woman's clothes pleases him. The broken rhyme scheme in the poem also represents disorder, and strays away from repetiton. Two words I did not know: Wantonness, meaning careless or reckless, and stomacher, richly ornamented garment, also add to the image of a woman dressed in a disorderly manner.

In many cases, this poem can represent the modern world. Disorder is a common theme in the lives of many people today. The style in women's clothing is often disheveled, and the chaotic, busy lives of adults and teenagers represents disorder as well.

Lonely Hearts

In my opinion, the tone in "Lonely Hearts" is satirical. When I read the poem, I found that the speaker was making fun of those who send their expectations for a partner into a newspaper to be published for the entire town. The speaker addressed the expectations as though they were desperate, and too picky for a match to actually exist. Also, most of the people that were described in the poem would be labeled as the "outcasts" of society, further satirizing those who set the expectations. Throughout the poem, the speaker uses repetition and rhyme to show desperation, too.

This poem is different than any other poem that I have ever read. Although satire is often found in poems, I have never seen a poet use a newspaper ad as the format for their work. I really enjoyed the change for once; every poem we have studied is beginning to run together in my mind.

Different views of immortality

In "Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead," the father's view of immortality differs from the speaker's view of immortality. In the poem, the father is not dead; however, the speaker writes the elegy to their Father to tell him that they are not ready for him to leave because he is afraid he will never see him again. This is where the variation in immortality beliefs can be seen. The father thinks that he will meet his son again in the afterlife and "wrap [the speaker] in his arms and laugh, the way he did when [the speaker] arrived on earth." However, the speaker believes that there is no afterlife, and that after the Father dies, he will never see him again. In the line "I can't just say good-bye as cheerfully as if he were embarking on a trip to make my later trip go well," the speaker makes it apparent that he is being pessimistic about his father's view on death. He is not convinced that they will see each other again. Therefore, this poem can be seen as an elegy because it is the speaker's way of coping with his thoughts of his father's death.

Poor lads

"Getting Out." I LOVE THIS POEM! Number one, because I think it is romantic and heartwrenching at the same time. Number two, because I believe there is more to the poem than what everyone sees! (Except period 8, because we are AWESOME.)

Anyway! In the beginning of the poem, the speaker continuously uses the term "we." Every task completed in the first stanza, is completed by the couple TOGETHER at nighttime. However, all of the words have a negative connotation. For example, "inmates," "beat," "refusal," "escape," all imply some sort of imprisonment and the feeling of being trapped. Then, as one reads the second and third stanzas, the couple begins to do things without each other, during the day. At the end of the poem, the speaker suggests that the couple's departure at their divorce hearing ended in tears, while holding hands, hestitating to let go. In my opinion, I think this couple was truly in love, and continues to have very strong feelings towards one another. I think the problem between the two of them, since never stated directly in the poem or elsewhere, is their inability to have children. They "work" at night and "hardly [sleep]," but decide that it is best not to be together because they both want children. This theory/interpretation may be way outside the cone of meaning, but it is the only thing that makes perfect sense to me! This theory also made me interpret the tone as reminiscent or sorrowful, due to the fact that they had to give up someone they love, for something else. Nothing can ever work out the way one wants it to, I swear! The poor lads!

Haunting

I found the poem, "The Apparition" to be interesting, but eerie. At first, my small group had troubles on deciding whether or not the woman was LITERALLY killing him. However, we came to the conclusion that he was not actually dead, just growing tired of "it." I do not know exactly what "it" is supposed to represent, or the reasoning behind his punishment for her. Although, in the second stanza, line 5, when the speaker says, "and thee, feigned vestal, in worse arms shall see," I thought this may be his reasoning.

My interpretation of "feigned vestal" was a person pretending to be a virgin; therefore, I thought that the speaker would haunt his ex-lover because she tell her new partner that she had never been with anyone physically before then. Toward the end of the poem, the speaker talks about how he wanted to wait to haunt her when he is dead, but he grew tired of waiting so he haunts her now. In line 9, where the speaker is referring to a "calling" for more, I assumed that speaker was calling for more from the woman. At that point in time he would be haunting her, so he was asking for more trouble of some sort?? I don't know. Too many questions with this one!

Go Will!

The imagery in the poem, "My Mistress' Eyes," is really significant in order to understand the ending. Here are several comparisons used in the poem:

• "eyes are nothing like the sun" (the mistress has dark eyes)
• "coral is far more red than her lips' red" (colorless lips)
• "if snow be white, why then her breasts are dun" (her chest's color is dull and drab)
• "if hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head" (her hair is unhealthy and stringy)
• "but no such roses I see in her cheeks" (her cheeks are colorless)
• "in the breath that from my mistress reeks" (she has bad breath)
• "that music hath a far more pleasing sound" (her voice is not soothing)
• "when she walks, treads on ground" (not light-footed)

However, even after all of these negative comparisons describing all of his mistress' faults, he proclaims his rare love for her. According to the speaker, nobody could ever love her in the great way that he loves her. The way he accepts her as a whole, flaws and all, is really romantic. (Sorry, I love this stuff!) If it were my way, women would only wear make up on special occasions, and every man would appreciate a woman the way she looks naturally. Although he spends the majority of the poem focused on her flaws, he ends the poem on a positive note. Go Will!

Crossing the Bar

In the poem, "Crossing the Bar," the poet uses a metaphor to describe death. He compares death to a journey at sea, and wants to leave this earth without sorrow and mourning from his friends and family. The manner in which the poet refers to it, led me to believe that he was optimistic and comfortable with the idea of dying. For example, in the last couple lines of the poem, "I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar," hints at hopefulness for bigger and better things; I interpreted the Pilot to be God. Also, "may there be no mourning of the bar when I set out to sea," represents the speaker hoping for a non-painful death. In that line, the bar signifies the process of crossing into the afterlife.

Personally, I enjoy this poem and the topic of "farewell" in general. Most of the time, it is an easy concept for the audience to relate to, and it allows room for interpretation. Even though it may not be the correct way or the way the author intended it to be, someone could also see this as a literal journey instead of death.

"next to of course god america i"

This poem, written by E. E. Cummings was difficult for me to follow due to the lack in punctuation. I went through several understandings of the poem, before deciding on what I believed the speaker was trying to convey. The way he rambles on about American pride and patriotism is much like the way I am at Church. I say things, and have no idea what they mean or why I am saying them, I just participate because that is what I have always done. It is not that I don't believe in what I am saying, I just do not comprehend the meaning during the Mass. I guess I could say the same thing about America. There has not been a time in my life, besides September 11th, that I have truly understood what patriotism is all about. I know that I should be proud of my country, and everyone that has worked for our freedom, but freedom has always existed for me; therefore, I take freedom for granted. I respect those who serve for our country, but I know next to nothing about politics and where I stand. I almost think it is unfair for those who do not register what they are saying, to be able to sing the national anthem and recite the pledge of allegiance.

The Mailing Address Poem

Funny enough, the title of the poem is the mailing address "APO96225". I"m probably the only one who thinks the title of my blog entry is humorous. Atleast I can laugh at myself.

Anyway, getting back on track, this poem reminds me a lot of The Things They Carried! The ignorance of society amazes me; not to mention, how selfish everyone can be. We ask for the truth, and the shun those who actually listen to our demands. Yes, I know, nobody wants to hear about torture, death, murder, and bombings, but if we cannot handle the truth we should not ask in the first place! Maybe it seems like the curteous thing to do, to show interest in our loved one's lives, but I am sure that the soldiers do not want to have to explain all of the terrible things they see to their family members, anyway.

The entire poem is an understatement. Even in the line where the speaker tells his mother that [he] killed a man and...dropped a napalm on women and children," he is understating what actually happened. He provided no detail as to why, when, how, and with who, he just left it at that. The poem also refelcts situational irony because the response the speaker gives is different from the expected response, and the same can be said for his mother. In addition to the speaker's parents' reaction, the rest of the world during Vietnam was responding the same way. Nobody acknowledged the soldiers, and nobody celebrated when they returned home. Everyone put Vietnam to the side, and pretended like the "war" did not exist.

Barbie Doll

Majority of the poems in this unit reflect the views and opinions of society. In "Barbie Doll," one can see the materialistic and superficial personality of society as a whole. To me, the poem was an example of a satire because society appreciated the girl, who had many appealing qualities to begin with, when she was transformed into society's image of the "perfect girl." In the end, they were not pleased with the girl herself, but with the body parts she had replaced using plastic surgery.

One of the symbols I noticed (and questioned at first) in this poem was the reference to "the casket displayed on satin she lay with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on." At first, I thought it may represent a literal casket, as though she had committed suicide due to her imperfections. However, after a group discussion, I am almost positive the casket referred to the doctor's operation table that she laid on during her plastic surgery. The speaker refers to it as a casket because she is putting an end to her original nose and legs; she is putting an end to herself and becoming something she is not. It drives me crazy to think that society would place this kind of pressure on a girl. Where did this "perfect girl" image come from in the first place!?

Going a Little Mad

Out of all the Emily Dickinson poems we have read so far in class, "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" is my favorite! Actually, it is in my top five poems from all of the units. I really love the point that she is trying to prove , and the continuous paradox she uses to describe it. For example, demur is madness to society; however, demur is sense to the speaker. In my opinion, this paradox is entirely true! Conforming to society is insane; individuality is divine.

The line "Demur--you're straightaway dangerous--And handled with a Chain," located in the last few lines of the poem, caught my eye. At this point in time, the speaker is describing society's point of view on what is right and what is wrong. They say that those who DO NOT conform to society are dangerous and need to be handled with a chain. In other words, they need to be restrained, so that they do not corrupt the people and turn them against the idea's of society. Those who stand out, are a threat to those who want everyone to fit in.

Drunk off Nature

Emily Dickinson needs to cool it off with her use of unnecessary capital letters and dashes...it is rather annoying. She's a strange, strange woman.

Anyway! For the first part of my blog I am going to define all of the words I did not know in this poem. Pretty much every other word.

• tankards- large drinking cups
• vat-a large container where wine is fermented
• inebriate- to be drunk
• debauchee- a person addicted to self-indulgence in pleasure
• reeling- a device that turns an axis
• drams- a small quantity
• seraphs- a member of the highest order of angels
• tippler- person drinking liquor
• foxglove- plant

Now onto a little breakdown of my opinion of the poem. Honestly, I had a really difficult time trying to interpret the meaning or the point that Emily Dickinson was trying to convey. However, this is my theory: the entire poem is about being drunk...on nature! Ding ding ding! There are several lines from the poem that made me think this way. For example, there is a reference to the "Rhine" which is a river, "air," "dew," "summer days," "Molten Blue," (which I am assuming is the sky), "bee," "foxgloves," "butterflies," "the sun," etc. Although the extended metaphor comparing alcohol and nature is clever and original, it is odd. Most of the time, being drunk is looked upon as something negative; however, she refers to "being drunk off nature" a good thing. In my opinion, she should have chosen another comparison.

Toad Action

I really like the point the poet, Philip Larkin, is trying to make in "Toads." From what my group understood during our discussion in class, there are two toads in the poem. One toad symbolizes work, and the other toad symbolizes pride; the work toad is revealed directly and the pride toad is inferred by the reader. In the poem, the speaker questions why he cannot use his "wits" to get paid, instead of working a job he hates. His point made complete sense to me! I mean, who wants to work six out of the seven days a week, in a job they find a burden? Nobody. However, toward the end of the poem in stanza six, there is a shift in which he admits that his pride (toad #2) overcomes his desires, and he wants to work for what he earns, whether it be in a job he enjoys or not. I understand where he is coming from in this stanza, too. Although my job is insignificant and I do not hold a position of admiration, I like to work hard for the paycheck I receive every week. In fact, it bothers me when I am at work and see people slacking off, or slowing down when it is a time to stay on one's feet. In the very last stanza of the poem, I like how he admits that losing both pride and work would be hard, after he complains for the entire first half of the poem about how he dislikes it. It seems to me as though he is arguing with himself throughout the entire work, which makes it easier for the audience to relate. I get in heated arguments with myself all the time, and it is nice to know I am not crazy.

Love for Cats

Okay, "February" was definitely the oddest poem in the unit by far. I know I mentioned that Langston Hughes' diction was disturbing, but Margaret Atwood has him beat! Lines such as "small pink bumhole" and "burped up meat and musty sofas" made me want to hurl. The funny thing is, this poem is all about the downfall of love...for the most part.

From the standpoint I took of the poem, due to the discussion in class, the central theme of "February" is how the display of love affects the lonely. Throughout the poem, Atwood uses comfortable lines followed by uncomfortable lines, bringing the audience back and forth. For example, "He settles on my chest, breathing his breath of burped-up meat and musty sofas." This line starts out by describing a cuddly cat, followed by a nasty action of the cat. In my opinion, the variations of lines used represents the speaker's opinion of love. At first, it is warm and comforting, and then it "does [one] in." Also, February is seen as a month of the celebration of love and relationships. So, for those who are lonely, or for those who don't believe in love, February can be a rough three weeks; this is similar to the feelings of the speaker. However, at the end of the poem, the speaker shifts into a positive outlook on love where the speaker calls the "cat" to action (which is really the speaker talking to themself), advising it to "celebrate" and "make it be spring." I do not think that the speaker is actually optimistic about love, I think they are trying to convince themselves it is for the better.

Similes galore!

"Dream Deferred" was my favorite poem out of this unit! It was fairly simple to break down, and I enjoyed the imagery that was described through figurative language. This entire poem is composed of several similes and one metaphor.

• "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" - The comparison between the dream and a raisin sort of grossed me out! When I picture a dried up raisin, I see a puny, squishy piece of old fruit. Ew. But looking at it through the eyes of a speaker, I think he was comparing the dryness to the lost of interest in the dream. Over time, a raisin dries up; over time, a dream dries up.
• "Or fester like a sore-and then run?"- This simile is gross, too. I immediately pictured an infected, open wound that was easily visible. When a sore festers, it bothers the person who has the wound, and could possibly grow to be more painful or it could spread to other parts of the body.
• "Does it stink like rotten meat?"-The disgusting use of details that Langston Hughes uses repulses me. Could he not use a different comparison to describe the dream? I mean, come on! Anyway, when something stinks, it turns others away from it. It becomes a repellent. Or, perhaps, maybe the dream has always been there, but one can no longer find it (similar to Mr. Costello and his lost meat issues).
• "Or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet?"-In my opinion, Langston was trying to convey that when a dream crusts over, it has been sugar-coated, or has been made to seem better than it really is because it has been put off for so long.
• "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load."-This phrase brought me to believe that when one has been carrying a dream around for so long, it has almost become a burden.
• "Or does it explode?" - This is the first and last metaphor used in the poem! It is also the most important line. I interpreted it as the dream is going to gain momentum and evolve into violence. Also, I think that this is what Hughes predicted to actually happen; hence, that is the reason why he used a metaphor for the comparison instead of a simile.
  

Wish Upon A Star

Compared to many of the other poems in this unit, "Bright Star," by John Keats was easier for me to interpret. Personally, I find the poem romantic. We have all heard of the cliche first date where the boy and girl lay under the stars, discussing higher powers and infinite universes; John Keats uses this imagery to compare his feelings toward a woman he intends to stay with forever. The way he describes the two ultimatums--spending the rest of his life with this lover, or "else swoon to death"--reflects a positive connotation, even when speaking about the death of him; the speaker finds death easier than a life without his lover.

The form, or pattern, of this poem is significant in the way that it is structure. In the first line, the speaker describes a positive star quality. However, the next seven lines state qualities of the star that the speaker does not like, and does not want to resemble. Finally, at the end of the poem, the speaker reflects back on the qualities he likes. In the end, the reader can infer that he would rather "have loved and lost than to never have loved at all." Cliche, but cute. I wonder if this poem was written about someone special to Keats. Hm...

Ahh...the light!

In my opinion, the central purpose of the poem, "Those Winter Sundays," is to recognize the poet's father and all of the hard work he has endured throughout his lifetime. It seems as though when the poet was young, he never appreciated the labor and love his father displayed, so this is his tribute to his father as an adult. Throughout the poem, Robert Hayden's tone seems guilty. For example, in the line "No one ever thanked him" (line 5) Hayden reflects on his behavior and gratitude toward his father when he was a child, feeling ashamed at how he took his father's love for granted. Now, Hayden has the opportunity to recognize him and to thank him.

At first glance of the poems in this unit, I interpreted them better than poems in the past. They were easier to relate to, and I did not have as much trouble finding the meaning behind the symbols and figurative language. Also, working within the groups opened up my mind to other interpretations and showed me how poems can have more than one meaning. For example, "I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain," was interpreted in two different ways within my group, and both interpretations were determined valid. One way said that the author was being literal and describing an actual imagined funeral; the second way was interpreted as a swim meet. Furthermore, neither interpretation had contradicting qualities, so they were both in the cone of light.

What a Creep!

The poem "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain," was such a WEIRD poem!! Emily Dickinson is a creep. Who writes about imagining their own funeral?! Anyway, Emily consistently uses her senses throughout the work, except for one: the sense of sight. Frequently one imagines the various sounds that she is hearing ("And then I heard them life a Box...") or the way that she feels while lying still; however, she never describes what she sees. The absence of sight is what revealed the image of her lying in her own coffin. I love that she ends the poem with a dash, leaving the reader to develop their own ending and ideas of what might have happened. I am assuming that this is the point where she is moving on to the afterlife, or to Heaven depending on her beliefs. When she hears the people walking by her casket in "Boots of Lead," it automatically gave me an eerie feeling. I am still confused as to why she is imagining her own funeral, and also, I want to know how she was picturing her death taking place. I cannot tell if the poet is suicidal, or just enduring a painful event that led to these thoughts. Another point that confused me was the use of random capital letters throughout the poem. It is used in other works, too, but usually it is because those particular words are of more importance; however, the only thing I notice about the capitalized words in "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain," is that they all are nouns. Does anybody have any answers or theories?

Destruction of Vanity

"The Convergence of the Twain," is a deceiving poem because it is introduced as a work based on the loss of the 'Titanic,' a prominent ship that sunk in 1912. This statement encourages the reader to believe it will be a non-fictional poem. However, the poem does not only retell the events that took place the day the ship sank, but its theme reflects the destruction of human vanity. Similar to the wealthy people of that time, the ship was the pinnacle of engineering, holding high respect in the eyes of the world. It was meant to be great, but ended up at the bottom of the sea, just as human vanity took the people down. Now, the ship lies in the same spot it has for almost one hundred years, and nobody pays mind to it anymore. In the end, nobody cares how much money or fame the wealthy have, it is all irrelevant. In the poem, the terms "Immanent Will" and "Spinner of Years" are capitalized; therefore, I assumed they served as symbols. "Immanent Will" represents fate, or the decision made by God; the "Spinner of Years" represents God himself, the one who controls everything and everyone. These symbols add to the theme "destruction of vanity" because it was God who destroyed the world with a flood in order to abolish human arrogance.

A New Form

The form of the poem "After Apple-Picking" is different compared to the other poems in this unit. In my opinion, the poem was a progression from hard work to retirement to death. Instead of telling a short story or a particular feeling, this piece of literature described a journey using very few words. The apple-picking represents the hard work, the decision to stop picking apples and take time to rest represents retirement, and "long sleep" represents eventual death. The character in the poem is tired of working hard and wants to move onto something else.

There is one aspect of the story that I am confused about. Do the apples have a negative connotation? Or are they the fruit of life? History of the Bible describes apples as a fruit of a corrupted life; however, modern-day teachings never use the apple as a poisonous fruit, but as something positive. Somebody help me out!

Lament in Springtime

In the poem, "The Widow's Lament in Springtime," the tone of the poem is depressing and desperate. Throughout the work, the author expresses the Widow's broken heart by using negative words such as "sorrow", "cold", and "grief" which implies that the widow is mournful and reflective on her husband's death. The voice and diction used in the poem allow the reader to feel the sadness that the woman feels, and come to terms with the pain she is enduring. Although she still has a lot of life ahead of her, she wishes to skip life without her partner, and arrive at her final destination. This desire led me to believe that she was unhappy with her life now, even though beauty still surrounded her.

The colors and descriptive words used in this poem could be considered symbols. For example, "color some bushes, yellow and some red...he saw trees of white flowers," (lines 13-24). In these particular lines, the choice of colors the poet used signify individual emotions. "Red" usually represents passion, "Yellow" represents love, and "White" is usually seen as purity. These words describe the emotions felt by the widow after the loss of her husband. Another device used in this poem is an oxymoron. In the fifth line, Williams uses the phrase "cold fire" which implies a contradiction. Different from the norm, the fire is no longer warm and comforting, but it is cold and uncomfortable. Instead of providing comfort, it provides pain.

Yikes...

Okay, so I was completely unaware that this blog assignment was due before 11:00 p.m. tonight! Reflecting on the title of my blog...this is completely inconvenient considering I just arrived at my crib about a half an hour ago. Mr. Costello, I beg of you, show some mercy and change the time that it is due!! And as for the assignment...

Prior to reading the article, I would not have agreed with Perrine's argument. I have always had the idea that poetry could be interpreted in whatever way one chose to see it. However, when Perrine describes how a reader's image of a poem cannot have contradiciting qualities in order to be a correct interpretation, I realized that most of my interpretations were incorrect. For example, when addressing the poem written by Emily Dickinson, I would have never, in a million years, guessed that it was written about a sunset. I took the descriptions literally, and I saw it as a ship on a sea with sailors that mingle. The way that poets dive into abstract details amazes me! Although, verb usage confuses me. I can never picture the noun performing the act of the verb that is attached to it. I think if I allowed myself to use my imagination more, I could develop theories on the various meanings of a poem without giving up and being rational.

“'A symbol,' writes John Ciardi, 'is like a rock dropped into a pool: it sends out ripples in all directions, and the ripples are in motion.'" I think that the simile used to compare the meanings of symbols to the ripples of water is perfect. Symbols are another reason why I find interpreting poetry so difficult. I do not understand how the thought's of the poet are supposed to magically be understood by the audience. Everyone should be allowed to view the symbol as they wish; in my opinion, it is the purpose of poetry. Poetry seems more philosophical than logical, which gives permission to the audience to conform their own interpretations. In the article, it says that no poet wants to explain the meaning behind his work. Therefore, how can there be wrong or right answers when it comes to poetry? If the writer intends for a person to find their own meaning in a poem, who is Perrine to say they are wrong?

Round of Applause!

"Linda was nine then, as I was, but we were in love. And it was real. When I write about her now, three decades later, it is tempting to dismiss it as a crush, an infatuation of childhood, but I know for a fact that what we felt for each other was as deep and rich as love can ever get," (page 216).

This is the cutest story I have ever heard! I am a hopeless, sappy, romantic I know that for sure, but EVERYONE has to find this story touching. Love is always thought to be a mature feeling, for those who have experienced more in life and are more wise than a child, but why does it have to be restricted to our elders? I bet there are more children in this world that love each other than married couples. Children treat each other with care, excitement, and laughter, when it is very rare to see that sort of affection displayed between two adults. I find Linda to be more of a hero in this story than any of the other men in this book. She battled with something inside herself, her own war, and she lost with dignity. That is a lot to say for a nine-year-old girl.

I do not think that Tim O'Brien could have ended the novel any better. I love the way he portrays stories as another dimension, or another world. It is true. One can escape reality by changing parts, and skipping the endings only to add more. People can live forever in your memories, stories, and dreams, the same way one can be whoever they want to be when telling a story from their own point of view. This book was so much better than The Sun Also Rises, and as much as I am dreading school, I am looking forward to discussing it in class! See ya soon!

Wild Imaginations...

Alright, honestly, I do not blame Tim for wanting revenge on Jorgenson. I know that Jorgenson did not mean to intentionally mess things up with Tim, and that he was nervous with no experience, but the guy has to rub ointment on his butt several times a day. I would be pretty ticked off, too. Maybe Tim takes the revenge thing a little too far, but hey, it was entertaining, right?

"You don't try to scare people in broad daylight. You wait. Because the darkness squeezes you inside yourself, you get cut off from the outside world, the imagination takes over. That's basic psychology," (page 195).

So true! This quote reminds me of the nights after campfire when I was on Summer Field Studies this summer. I swear, every night when Rachel Simpson and I would walk back to our tent, we heard a bear. She would cuddle up really close to me and we would try to think of happy thoughts to take our minds off of it. Of course, there was most likely never a bear, but the dark plays tricks on your mind! You see and hear things you would never see or hear during the daylight. It is almost as if an entirely different universe comes out. I could not imagine having to sleep out there every night, holding a weapon, knowing that your enemy could be close at any moment. My imagination would drive me insane!

AHHH!!!!!

OH MY GOSH!!!!! "GOOD FORM," BAFFLES ME! I HAD TO READ THIS CHAPTER ATLEAST THREE TIMES. I'M TRYING TO FIT ALL OF THE PIECES TOGETHER...THIS IS WHAT I HAVE SO FAR:

"What stories can do, I guess, is make things present. I can look at things I never looked at. I can attach faces to grief and love and pity and God. I can be brave. I can make myself feel again," (page 172).

Okay, so let me sort this out a bit. He did not, in all actuality, kill a man. However, because he saw a man dead, he felt responsible. But actually, he did not SEE the man because he did not have the courage to look, so he made up a story in which he can put a name to a face in order to cope with what happened. So, in his stories, he can be the person that he wishes he was during the accident. He can be everything he is not. This is situational irony at its best! I knew there was something special about the chapter when I was reading it because of the repetition O'Brien uses. He says that, "story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth," (page 171). This confuses me. Does he say that because he has convinced himself that the story-truth is what actually happened? Or, is it because that is what he wants people to believe happened? Somebody help me sort this mess out!


P.S. I love this book!!!

I Blame You!!

"Like those old cowboy movies. One more redskin bites the dirt," (page 158).

Are you kidding me!? Could Azar be any more rude in this chapter? One of his good friends and teammates just died and he makes a joke about Indians dying. This quote makes me want to punch him in the face! The way some of the characters cope with death is strange.

"You could blame the enemy...the mortar rounds...whole nations...God...an old man in Omaha who forgot to vote...In the field, though, the causes were immediate. A moment of carelessness or bad judgment or plain stupidity carried consequences that lasted forever," (page170).

I adore this quote! Everyone is always trying to put the blame on somebody else when it comes down to something serious. Nobody wants to admit to their own faults and mistakes. Yeah, sure, they could have blamed the government for choosing war, and they could have blamed their Lieutenant for camping out in that particular spot in the first place, but none of them have control over the future. It is one's own responsibility for taking care of themself and making good decisions. It reminds me of school, when everyone tries to blame a teacher for the grade they receive in a class. Maybe the teacher grades differently than one thinks is reasonable, but one has to get used to that teacher's style. Every student is responsible for the grades they receive, whether they want to admit it or not.

Annoying, Patriotic Idiots...

"I mean, who in his right mind wants a parade? Or getting his back clapped by a bunch of patriotic idiots who don't know jack about what it feels like to kill people or get shot at or sleep in the rain and watch your buddy go down underneath the mud? Who needs it?" (page 150)

He is right. It is amazing how "in the dark" everyone is when watching the war from a distance. To be honest, those who don't fight in a war really don't know anything about it. It is easy for us by-standers to give our opinions on the war and our gratitudes toward the soldiers for all of their hard work when we do not know the reality of it. I mean, what hard work are we thanking them for, exactly? I can understand where Bowker's annoyance is coming from when he writes the letter to O'Brien. It is not as if the admiration he receives is hurting him any, it is just simply annoying. During the hardships I have experienced throughout my life, I thought the same thing towards people who pretended to empathize what I was going through. I know that they did not mean any disrespect, but I just would rather have not heard "it's going to be okay," when they have no idea. Sometimes it is just better to listen and accept than to give your two-sense, which is why I have great respect for Norman Bowker in this novel.

Simplicity!

"'Well, hey,' the intercom said, 'I'm sure as f*ck not going anywhere. Screwed to a post, for God sake. Go ahead, try me,'" (page 146).

This scene is wonderful. Actually, the entire chapter, "Speaking of Courage," is kind of wonderful. The boy working at the drive-in restaurant reminds me of a bartender. They don't have much to do other than take orders, so listening to boring stories and life problems can become a part of the employee's responsibilities. It made me laugh how interested the boy seemed in Norman Bowker's life when he had no idea who he was or where he came from. I wish Bowker would have taken the time to tell the boy his story. Maybe afterwards, Bowker would have felt better having told someone like he had been longing to do all day long.


Norman Bowker's day is mundane, and O'Brien repeats himself over and over again to show the day's simplicity. The local color O'Brien uses when describing the town, it's landscape, the people and how they celebrate the fourth of July, allowed me to create a mental image of how the town was set up and what every day life was like for its citizens. "The lake divided into two halves...picknickers now waiting for the evening fireworks...four workmen labored in the shadowy red heat..." (page 138-141). The town is almost the opposite of the fields, paddies, forrests, and mortar rounds Bowker had experienced in Vietnam. O'Brien portrayed the differences perfectly when providing the details.

Dance, Dance!

"She took tiny steps in the dirt in front of her house, sometimes making a slow twirl, sometimes smiling to herself," (page 129).

This dancing girl confuses me beyond belief! Who the heck dances after their entirely family has been burned and you're the only one alive? I am almost positive it is not a ritual because Henry Dobbins seemed pretty sure about himself when he stated that the girl just liked to dance. So I am going to assume that it was a coping mechanism for the girl. I guess it is a good thing that she can celebrate their life instead of mourning their death, right? It always pays off when you can look at the glass half-full instead of half-empty. But I'm still confused as to why O'Brien would put this scene in the novel. It doesn't add much to the book, but it does make the audience read the chapter over a couple of times (atleast I did). He's trying to send some sort of secret message (they always are), but I can't figure it out! Anyone have any idea?

Reality vs. Fantasy?

"...this is why I keep writing war stories...Even now I haven't finished sorting it out...In the ordinary hours of life I try not to dwell on it, but now and then, when I'm reading a newspaper or just sitting alone in a room, I'll look up and see the young man step out of the morning fog. I'll watch him walk toward me..." (page 128).

In the chapter, "Ambush," O'Brien has a strong desire to be able to tell his daughter about the man he killed. When he states that he hasn't finished sorting it out, I think that is how he feels about all of the stories he writes. He is constantly narrating the flashbacks he has years after the war to work through the details and make sense of it all, so that one day he can tell his daughter about all of the horrible things he experienced while in Vietnam. In war movies, such as Brothers, the actors and actresses that return from battle always seem to be haunted by the ongoings that took place while they were away. However, O'Brien doesn't seem to be haunted exactly, but he seems to be confused. He can never give a definite description of what was real and what was a fantasy, which leaves the reader to differentiate between the two. It is difficult for me to determine whether or not these stories actually happened or if they are just written to provide examples to the kind of situations that took place during war. For example, in the story of the baby buffalo, did Rat Kiley ACTUALLY continuously shoot the animal, or was it just a a story to demonstrate the hardships the men had to undergo? It's amazing how these men have yet to turn crazy.

Justification of Killing

"The Man I Killed," reveals a lot about the author of the story. Tim rarely participates in the violent action until this chapter in the story where he contemplates on the man that he killed. Throughout the chapter, he continues to repeat himself while describing the young man, as if he knew him. This displays O'Brien as a gentle man. Yes, he was a man at war, but at the same time he didn't put his whole self into the violence. He was there because he had to be, not by choice, and you can see his sensitivity towards death when he stares at the dead man.

"Tim, it's a war. The guy wasn't Heidi- he had a weapon, right? It's a tough thing, for sure, but you got to cut out that staring," (page 120).

It is funny how Kiowa tries to rationalize killing in this scene with his allusion to Heidi, a young girl who is in care of her grandfather in the novel Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidi) Obviously there is a reason to feel guilty if they have to try and convince themselves they had a good reason for doing so. I do not know where I stand on the killing in war. I know that it comes with the job and that is what they are trained to do, but is that how one is supposed to justify it? One HAD to do it because it is their responsibility? Would one call it murder or self defense? It just seems too complicated to give definite answers to these questions.

Comfort in the Quiet

During the chapter, "Church," all I could think about was how odd it was that the monks were cleaning up the machine guns and reassembling them. I thought that monks were known for peace and solitude and then O'Brien has them putting together life-killing weapons. The irony is kind of funny, actually. I almost think that O'Brien did it on purpose, making fun of the Church or something. The Church is always professing their negativity towards war and violence; yet, there are still wars about religion. I think O'Brien is trying to bring that to the attention of the audience, much like Hemingway did in his book, The Sun Also Rises.

"...but I do like churches. The way it feels inside. It feels good when you just sit there, like you're in a forest and everything's really quiet, except there is's still this sound you can't hear," (page 116).

Kiowa is on target with this one. When I attend Mass on the weekends, the actual liturgy does not ever do much for me. Every once in awhile, when I can pay attention to the homily long enough, the priest can reach me and I understand and enjoy the message he is trying to get through to the congregation. But more than anything, the silence can always reach me. I love to think and meditate and there is no place better than when you are sitting in church surrounded by a hundred people doing the same thing you are. There is a senes of comfort in the quiet. For the men in the story, they know violence; they see violence every day. Because of that, they also know peace, and I cannot imagine what it would feel like to be a hostile soldier with a peaceful soul.

A litte good luck

"No cover at all, but he just slipped the pantyhose over his noe and breathed deep and let the magic do its work. It turned us into a platoon of believers. You don't dispute facts," (page 112).

This quote reminds me of the first chapter when O'Brien is listing the things the soldiers carried and he mentions how they all have their own good luck charms. Someone carried a rabbit's foot, one carried a good-luck pebble, and someone else carried a thumb that had been presented to him as a gift. In this chapter, Dobbins was invulnerable because he carried his girlfriend's panty house around his neck. It seems stupid at first, but I can see where he is coming from. Sometimes things like that are unexplainable. I do believe in luck, which not many can say. There are several situations that one has no control over and it has nothing to do with decision-making. You are just at the wrong place at the wrong time and it's not your fault you didn't see it coming. It is luck. My junior year, my luck was terrible; therefore, I bought a bracelet with a bunch of saints and icons on it. In my mind, it keeps me safe and has brought me good luck all summer! Atleast, that's how I see it. Sometimes it's comforting to believe that you can rely on an object for good fortune; it relieves the pressure to make your own luck.

Questions!

"You come over clean and you get dirty and then afterward it's never the same. A question of degree...For Mary Anne Bell, it seemed Vietnam had the effect of a powerful drug: the mix of unnamed terror and unnamed pleasure that comes as the needle slips in and you know you're risking something...She wanted more. She wanted to penetrate deeper into the mystery of herself, and after a time the wanting became needing, which then turned to craving," (page 109).

Mary Anne Bell is one confusing girl. I don't really understand what happened to her in this chapter. They keep saying that she wanders off with the "Greenies" and I am assuming that they are the enemy special forces. So basically in "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong," Mary Anne becomes a traitor and sides with the opposing forces. It is DEFINITELY situational irony. I never thought the sweet, teenage girl would become a rough, war woman. First of all, how does that even happen? How does Mitchell Sanders even get her over there without being caught? It is hard for me to believe that she could just live over there with him, and everyone was okay with it. Even if that did happen, how did the Greenies allow her to just switch sides and stay with them? If she was supposed to be an enemy, wouldn't they take defense to her presence? She literally just made herself right at home with soldiers and made a life out of it. That is like me going over to Iraq and just hanging out with the army! I really liked this chapter, but I thought it was really confusing. Can somebody help me out, please!?

Ruthless Therapy

"He shot it twice in the flanks. It wasn't to to kill; it was to hurt...Rat Kiley was crying. He tried to say something, but then cradled his rifle and went off by himself," (page 75-76).

I find the story where Rat Kiley kills the baby buffalo particularly disturbing. The poor guy lost his best friend and now he wants something else to feel the pain that he does. It was almost like therapy for Kiley. As much as I love war stories, I hate actual war. The thought of millions of people walking around with life-taking weapons makes me cringe. I wish all of the tales that came from war were fictional. I have someone very close to me who is enlisting into the armed forces this year, and it scares me. War can turn people into someone they aren't; it can bring out the worst in people, which is what I think O'Brien was trying to explain in this anecdote. Rat Kiley himself was an animal. It is disgusting that a man can feel a sense of revenge and comfort by killing an innocent animal. One thing is for sure, I would never be able to see my best friend killed and then live a sane life afterward. I guess I can't really blame Rat Kiley for what he did.

Never-ending contradiction!

"How to Tell a True War Story," contains several events squeezed into one chapter! It is interesting to say the least, but there are a few points that I want to cover.

"When a guy dies, like Curt Lemon, you look away and then look back for a moment and then look away again. The pictures get jumbled; you tend to miss a lot. And then afterward, when you go to tell about it, there is always that surreal seemingness, which makes the story seem untrue, but which in fact represents the hard and exact truth as it seemed," (page 68).

What I have to say does not really have much to do with the book, but I enjoy this quote because I can apply it to my own life. I have been in a total of three car wrecks in the last year and a half. Yes, I know, I am a terrible driver. Actually, I am not a terrible driver! I just get distracted and pay more attention to things other than the road. But anyway! Everytime I get into an accident, I have to file a report and tell the police and my insurance company (which is most likely going to drop me now...) what happened the day of the wreck. I try my best to fit all of the pieces together, but when something scary and tragic happens to you, it is hard to pay attention to all of the details. That is why I understand what O'Brien is trying to say in this confusing quote. I tell the officer what I think happened, because that is how it seemed to me; however, what ACTUALLY happened might be a bit different than the way I saw it.

"War is hell, but that's not half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead," (page 79).

This entire quote is a juxtaposition. He associates war with entertainment and thrill, while saying it is hell and nasty. It is brilliant! Everything he says right here describes the entire novel so far. He demonstrates stories where there is excitement and where there is depression and so on and so on. War itself is a juxtaposition or a contradiction, which is why I enjoy war stories and movies. There is never a predictable ending!

To be continued...

Fake Friends

So now Dave Jensen and Lee Strunk are supposed to be BFF. I still don't understand why they couldn't just be friends in the first place, but whatever. Anyway...in the last line of the chapter the book reads, "Later we heard that Strunk died somewhere over Chu Lai, which seemed to relieve Dave Jensen of an enormous weight," (page 63). I do not understand why they refer to each other as being some sort of a burden. If they are friends now and have each others' backs, then why would their friendship feel like some sort of weight they had to carry around? If the whole time they were acting as friends just for selfish matters, or in other words to save themselves, then why not just be strangers? I am so sick of people being friends for fake reasons. I thought that kind of stuff only happened to kids in elementary school and high school. I am so glad that I have had the same set of close friends my entire life. I like knowing that I can trust them with anything; I have no idea what I would do if I had to worry about a "friend" the way Strunk and Jensen worry about each other in the book. These past two chapters are rather annoying!

Trust Issues

In the chapter "Enemies," Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen act as foils to one another. It surprises me how two people fighting on the same team would WANT to steal from each other and then hospitalize them for doing so. I know that I have no idea what it is like to be in a war, but how will they ever solve problems with the ACTUAL enemies if they cannot resolve issues amongst themselves, first? I find it annoying how immature two men can be when they are dealing with matters much worse than a stolen knife. They are supposed to have each others' backs when they are in battle, but that isn't going to work if they can't trust each other. "But in the morning Lee Strunk couldn't stop laughing. 'The man's crazy,' he said. 'I stole his f*cking jackknife,'" (page 61). This quote urges me to want to punch Strunk in the face! Jensen is obviously worked up about what happened, and feels guilty for hurting Strunk the way he did, and Strunk turns it all into this big joke. After the last line of the chapter, I labeled Lee Strunk as the antihero. I'm not quite sure on how important his role is in the story because I haven't gotten that far yet, but in this chapter he definitely portrays a selfish teammate who lacks any sort of moral scruples. He deserved everything he got!

There's Always a Silent Audience

Elroy Berdahl is an amazing character in the chapter, "On The Rainy River." He is such a simple man who knew how to give Tim his space and let him make the decision between war and Canada, or right and wrong, on his own. Although, what exactly is right? Growing up, Americans are always taught freedom of choice and following your heart and blah blah blah, but then a draft comes along and forces one into something they may never have chosen for themself. I mean, technically if Tim did not want to spend four years of his life participating in something he knew nothing about, why should he? The laws and ways of the United States Government always seems so contradicting to me.

This chapter also displays Tim O'Brien and his internal conflict when deciding whether or not to illegally immigrate to Canada or to draft into the armed forces. He had to choose between two completely different lifestyles, leaving him in a rough place. There is the noble choice, and the choice that he wants and desires for himself. How is he supposed to easily choose between the two?

"I couldn't endure the mockery, or the disgrace, or the patriotic ridicule. Even in my imagination, the shore just twenty yards away, I couldn't make myself be brave. It had nothing to do with morality. Embarassment, that's all it was," (page 57).

Embarassment can be such a hinder to our lives, and sometimes we don't even realize it. Every day people choose to opt out on something due to fear of embarrassing themselves, especially in high school. There are several people I know, including myself, that chose not to participate in school plays, show choir, team sports, and other activities purely based on the fear of being inadequate and making a fool of themself in front of a crowd. Is it because the audience in our lives is not so silent as Elroy in The Things They Carried, or does it have to do with our self confidence? However, embarassment does not always have to be an inconvenience, but it can also be a motivation, too. How many times do you choose to make a moral decision because you are afraid of humiliation and an embarassing reputation? I know that growing up in a large family means that no matter where I am, someone there is most likely associated with my relatives. No matter what I do, someone from my family could and most likely WOULD find out. And if someone from my family finds out I did something immoral or illegal, I would never see the light of day again. I always feared what they thought of me and I wanted them to be proud of me; therefore, embarassment kept me out of trouble.

In this chapter, I was also confused on how crossing the Canadian border could be that easy? Wouldn't there be border patrol around the lake, too?