week 11 "A Raisin in the Sun" movie

"A Raisin in the Sun"

This movie was a great movie.  Although I had already watched it a couple of times throughout high school and in college, it never lost its meaning.  The setting begins with a family of five living in a small two bedroom apartment.  The father is Walter Lee Young he is a driver for a rich white man in town.  This is not at all what he thought his life would be like, and he has big dreams.  He wants to open up a liquor store and he is convinced that the insurance money his mother (Lena Younger) is getting is going to solve all his problems.  His wife Ruth Younger is a very strong woman.  She has just found out she is pregnant and has decided upon abortion.  She knows that it is already hard enough raising their son Travis and fears they can not handle the financial burden of caring for another.  Ruth loves her husband very much and is trying to deal with the struggle of letting him be the man of the house, she prays he can make the right choices.  Beneatha Younger is the sister of Walter and also has big plans for her life.  She is hoping that the insurance money will pay for her college.  She is very much about African culture even though she really does not understand it.  She fights to make more of herself than the previous generation.  She is kind of caught up in herself and struggles between two men.  One who is rich and has completely conformed to white ways and another who wants her to move to Africa with him.  Mama is caught in the middle of everything.  She is the glue which holds the family together.  She feels empathy for Ruth and tries to console her.  Mama decides to use the insurance money to buy a house in an all white neighborhood.  She only wants the best for her family.  Although she knows that society frowns upon them living there she wants to be happy. Mr. Lindner arrives at the Youngers’ apartment from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association. He offers the Youngers a deal to reconsider moving into his (all-white) neighborhood. All the while Walter has been given the remaining amount of the money to use wisely and save some for Beneatha's college tuition.  He loses all the money when one of the men runs off with it all.  Even though he mad such a huge mistake, mama still leaves the decisions in his hands.  It is up to him to decide if they will move into the house or take the money.  In the end Walter does the right thing and grows up a little.  They all move into the wonderful house and their is a feeling of happiness.  Ruth finally feels at ease and they decide to have the baby.  Everyone realizes what Mama was trying to do, she wanted to keep the family together.

Eudora Welty

"Powerhouse"

A story that really shows the different idea's between black and white society.  How each group interacts with one another and the values that each community hold important.  Powerhouse is a black band playing at an all-white dance.  The story is set during a time of segregation.  Although the band is playing their hearts out, the audience is not really dancing.  Music is everything to Powerhouse, and no matter where they are playing.  They have left there family at home and play shows all over.  The only communication they have is through the phone.  I can not imagine the hardship they felt.  It is not easy for anyone to be away from their family and loved ones.
 This band wasn't exactly in their comfort zone.  The white community simply viewed them as entertainment for them even though it meant so much more to them than that.  The people at the dance seemed like it was almost an embarrassment to have some black guy playing his heart out.  They were so wrapped up in segregation they couldn't just see them as people and appreciate what they were doing.  People had their song request, but he only referred to them as numbers.  I think that symbolized how they felt.  They were being treated as "blacks" not humans.  The songs were announced by number and not their real names.  When they took a break and went to the all-black cafe, you could really see the difference in the two cultures.  Overall this story really got the point across about racism of the time and how it affected people.
They are all the same, no one is better or worse, but they could not see through the color of skin to know that.

10-2 John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck grew up with a drive to be successful.  As a young boy he supported himself taking numerous jobs just to make it through.  When he finally began writing he showed deep empathy for migrate workers and those who struggle to survive.  He felt that they lost the enjoyment and the feeling of living with all the manual labor.  Steinbeck was able to write about these things because he fully understood them and experienced it first hand.

I Steinbeck's story, "Flight" he tells the story of a young man who wants to be considered a man. He is the oldest child of the family and his father has deserted them.  He now feels like it is his job to be a man.  His mother cares for him and her other children very much.  She wants him to act more mature and grow up a little, but at the same time he is her son and she loves him regardless.  One thing that was left behind from his father was a knife. Pepe loved that knife and he carried it around everywhere.  One day his mother sent him into town to get some medicine.  He was exposed to an entirely different world at that point in his life.  He got into an argument and ended up killing a man.  He has finally become a man, but at what cost?  He was forced to run out into the mountainside to try and flee.  In the end he was killed anyway.  He could escape what he has done, and had to face it like a man.  A very sad story that when all he wanted was to be a man like his father.  Everyone has to realize their are consequences to every action.

10-1 Richard Wright

Richard Wright came from a very troubled past.  Throughout  his life he struggled with the ideals of racism and felt its effects.  He was abandoned by his father at a young age, but still pushed forward and excelled in school.  Although he was a very talented writer he had trouble getting established.  He fled up north first to Tennessee and then later to Chicago.  He became and member of the communist party and they supported many of his works.  He writing reflected much of his life and he used his experiences to write his stories.  In the excerpt from, "Native Son" Wright mentions the communist party and what there goals were.  The story picks up as Bigger Thomas is getting ready for a job interview.  He lives with his mother and sister in a one bedroom apartment for eighty dollars a month.  He is nervous and skeptical about taking this job because he is extremely uncomfortable in a white neighborhood.  He lives in a place where black and white people rarely mix.  He goes anyway heavily armed with a knife and a gun to give himself peace of mind.  He arrives and finds the Dalton family warm and inviting.  Bigger's expectations of the family were far from what he expected.  They are warm and inviting considering they are " white people" and he feels angry.  I think his anger stemmed from just not understanding their way of life.  He finds himself taking their daughter Mary to school that very same evening, but when they arrive she tells him to keep going.  She instead goes to a communist party meeting and meets up with her boyfriend (I am assuming) Jan.  Jan and Mary are full of spirit and drive to change the world, but at the same time they are arrogant.  They make Bigger very uneasy and should have been more understanding of his view of the situation.  Although Bigger is highly uncomfortable and angry he finds himself going along with their plans for the night.  They ask to go to a local color restaurant to eat and he finds himself the butt of the joke among his fellow color people.  Everyone wants to know why he is eating with two white devils.  Soon the anger fades as they all three become drunk with shots of rum, and they head for a drive.  Bigger finds himself attracted to Mary and hates her for it, and likewise she shows a slight attraction toward him.  The sexual tension and anger build throughout the story. When Bigger and Mary arrive back at the home, Bigger realizes how drunk Mary really is.  He tries to resist temptation time and time again, but in the end he can not.  Bigger carries Mary to her room and in their drunken states inhibition is lost.  They begin to kiss and kissing leads to touching.  Bigger is startled by Mrs. Dalton and  he dosent want her to know he is there.  Mary is being loud so he accidently smothers her in order to keep his presence a secret.  A black man with a white woman was not acceptable.  He was so worried about being caught her killed her.  It was shocking and ironic.

9-3 Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway was born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois.  His father was a physician.  He was taught the ways of hunting and fishing by his father.  Hemingway like many other writers worked for some time as a journalist.  Hemingway sought out to join the military, but was rejected due to poor vision.  He found a way on by volunteering as a driver and was later transferred over to work in the Italian front.  Unfortunately for him he was wounded in an explosion.  Upon his recovery he worked as a foreign correspondent.  Hemingway’s writing help create a revolution in literary style.  He used precise imagery, and an impersonal dramatic tone.  Hemingway became the spokesperson for a lost generation.

Ernest Hemingway's story, "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" was a whirlwind of surprises for me. Mr. and Mrs. Macomber are on an African safari hunting trip.  At a glance Francis Macomber seems like a strong man, but it becomes apparent he is a coward in so many ways.  His wife Margot is very beautiful and takes full advantage of his inability to be assertive and stand up for himself.  Robert Wilson is there guide for the trip.  Robert Wilson was a very unconventional man, he defiantly did not follow the rules.  He like to do things his own way rather it broke the law or not.  He even brought a double cot along when he thought he could sleep with women.  As he guided them on their hunting trip, Margot began showing interest in Wilson.  As the story progresses her interest becomes more open and she does not even try to hide it from Macomber.  She even kisses Wilson in front of Macomber and eventually she sleeps with Wilson.  She is dominant over him and uses his cowardice to her advantage.  When they were hunting lions, Macomber became very scared and fled.  I think that just was a symbol of how cowardly he really was.  Throughout the story he began to transform from a boy to a man.  Another opportunity arises and they are hunting water buffalo.  Margot at first was enjoying the hunt, until she saw a change in Macomber.  He was gaining confidence and she was losing control.  When he does not flee the scene this time she loses it and shoots him.  Wilson is shocked and knows this was not an accident.  He is in a position where he can not say anything.  She has too much dirt on him.  Now they are even.  Even though Macomber dies and Margot gets away with it, the story ends on a happy note.  Macomber finally got his manhood and he died a real man.

9-2 William Faulkner

He received a noble prize for his literature in 1949. Faulkner began his career as a poet instead of a fiction writer.  As a young man he wanted to join the military but like Hemingway he was rejected.  Instead he ventured to Canada and by that time it was too late.  He published many works in his time and is now a topic in every American Literature classroom.

In the short story "That Evening Sun" we see the story from two different points of view.  Quentin tells his story from the view of a 24 year old and then he tells the story from how he remembers as a nine year old.  His mother and father have a maid by the name of Nancy.  She is very afraid of her husband Jesus.  She is convinced that he is going to kill her.  She begs night after night for people to walk her home so she does not have to be in the dark.  She thinks he is waiting with a razor blade ready to slice her throat open.  It gets so bad that she even wants to stay the night and begs the children to come and stay with her.  The children are so young that even though they here what the situation is, they do not understand it.  They are not really concerned  with her situation but more concerned with what they wont have if she dies.  They dont really undertsand death. 

Nancy and Jesus had a very rocky relationship.  I am assuming their were many reasons.  It was mentioned how she was always around the white men and it was infered that she was pregnant by one.  The "watermelon" under her dress was indeed a baby.  This story portrayed the severe inequalites between black and white people.  How the white people view the black people and their horrible perception of people of color.

9-1 Langston Hughs

Langston Hugh's was born in 1902.  He had always had an interest in writing poetry.  He attended Columbia University.  Throughout his life he worked as a cook’s helper, a busboy, and a seaman.  Hugh’s was a humorist and a historian on the lives of black Americans.  Hugh’s wrote everything from short stories to lyrics.  As a young man he was even elected class poet.  Hugh’s used his work to speak out for the black community and its culture.  In his poem, “The Weary Blues” Hugh’s puts rhythm and structure into wonderful jazz inspired lyrics.  A picture is painted of an old man playing the blues.  He is lonely and music is his mistress.  He uses the blues to deal with the world and society.  He has a sad way about him and his lyrics bring it all together. In the poem he sings, “Ain’t got nobody in all this world, Ain’t got nobody but ma self.”  He is isolated in this world.   The music is his connection to this world and keeps his troubles at bay.  Hugh’s uses the last few lyrics to portray the mood and the sadness that is felt by the lonely jazz player.

Another poem I enjoyed was “Harlem.”  Hugh’s shows a vivid portrayal of hopes and dreams.  In that point and time many black Americans probably felt this way because equality wasn’t exactly on the minds of every American.  “What happens to a dream deferred?  Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?  Or fester like a sore and then run?  Does it stink like rotten meat?  Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?  Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.”  Many people have their hopes and dreams, but they never happen.  So what happens to the hopes and dreams that we put off?  Do they wither away and become forgotten?  Or do they stay in the make of your mind and cause resentment?  How do you handle those broken dreams and how do they affect your life.  This poem makes me feel a slight bit of sadness for everyone who has succumb to watching their dreams and aspirations disappear.

8-3 Willa Cather

Willa Cather was a seemingly strange woman.  She was born in 1873 and at the age of nine her family migrated to Nebraska.  She grew up among European immigrants who were full of courage, sensitivity, and perseverance which she used in her novels.  She challenged gender roles by dressing unconventionally.  she wore her hair short and dressed in men's clothing.  In 1900 Cather began publishing poems and short stories.  She published many poems and short stories among those were,"A Wagnor Matinee" and "Paul's Case."

The first short story "A Wagnor Matinee" was the story of a women and how she became lost in life.  Her nephew received a letter in the mail informing him that he was to take care of her for a bit.  His Aunt Georgiana the woman who raised him was coming to town and he wanted to show her a wonderful time.  As a young woman his aunt was a music teacher and had a great passion for music.  She met her husband and he convinced her to run away and elope.  She went from having a wonderful life to having nothing.  I do not think she hated her life life or her husband by any means, but she did regret it to a point.  They got land and lived on a small farm.  She spent the rest of her days working on the farm and raising children.  He was very close with his aunt and she had shared her loved of music with him.  She spent a lot of time teaching him many different works and taught him to play the piano.  There was a time when she told him not love the music too much or it might be taken away.  There was a deep sadness created by that scene for me, the thing she loved the most had been taken from her.

When his aunt arrived he decided to take her to the Oprah house.  She was not at all now like she was before, she had aged considerably.  He was worried she would not enjoy the Symphony Orchestra.  At first it seemed like she did not want to go, but I am guessing because it had been so long since she had been she felt a little uneasy.  Once in the Oprah house they sat together as the show began and as the songs played his aunt was moved.  They shared moments of sadness and happiness.  He was reminded of many times as a child and their time spent together.  She was in bliss and enjoyed every moment of the Oprah.  It took her back to a time way before the farm and before she was taken away from her music.  When the Oprah was over she did not want to leave.  It was back to reality, and back to what her life had become.

Often times I think that happens to many people.  Life sweeps us away.  In the business of life we lose our passions, goals, and dreams and before you know it life is almost at an end. 

The second story was Paul's Case.  Paul was a misunderstood teenager that desperately wanted attention.  He was a teenager that was basically hated by all his teachers.  They had a right not to like him, because he was constantly causing trouble in his classes.  He would tell elaborate stories about being friends with the actors at the music hall and things he did that never happened.  He felt his life was plain and boring.  He sat dreaming of a life he didn't have, and resenting his family for being so plain.  His father was no help and certainly did not encourage any of his hopes and dreams.  His family was not poor by any means, but his father did not like to give him money.  He let him work at Carnegie Hall as an usher to make some extra money.  It was there he became obsessed with he lives of the musicians and actors that graced the stage night after night.  He felt at home during the performances and was swept away.  He was a very peculiar person though.  After he was off work he would often follow the performers to their hotel and imagine what it was like to be there. 

One day at school he decided to take his smart little comments too far with one of his teachers.  Normally he gets out of trouble and normally he can go back to his life without much consequence, but not today.  That comment was the last straw.  He was taken out of school and away from his job.  His father told the people he worked for not to let him in anymore.  Paul was pulled out of his fantasy world and into reality.  This did not set well with Paul, and soon he was headed to New York.  He had stolen deposit money from his dad’s business.  He wanted to venture into the hotels he dreamed about and live the life of the famous.  He wanted to escape reality and be someone else.  He rented a wonderful room and enjoyed all the amenities of being rich and famous.  This bliss could not last for too long of course and soon all the money he had stolen was spent.  His name was in the newspaper and his father was looking for him.  He soon realized that he number was up.  He began to run with the little money he had left, and when he realized there was nowhere to run he took his own life.

8-2 Zora Hurston

Zora Neal Hurston was born in the small town of Notasulga, Alabama.  It was thought that she was born in 1891, but she claims she was born in 1901 or 1903.  She lived in an all-black town called Eatonville, Florida until she was thirteen years of age.  Her father was a carpenter and a Baptist preacher.  Her mother was a former school teacher and greatly encouraged her.  At the age of thirteen her mother passed away and she was sent away to live with relatives.  Her father sent them money to take care of her, but when he has trouble with his finances she was left on her own.  She worked as a maid and ended up going to college on her own dime.  She aspired to be a writer and in school she was awarded a fellowship to collect folklore.  She was often criticized by black activists for her work.  Her goal was not to lash out against racism or to cry for change.  Her goal was simply to portray the culture of black Americans.  Her aim was to write about human beings and not about race. 

In her story, “How It Feels to Be a Colored Me” Hurston gives us a taste of her life as a young girl.  She was once just a girl who didn’t have a care in the world.  She lived in the small, all black, town of Eatonville.  She told of the people passing through, and the way the neighbors acted.    She told of the white people who passed through and frequently had pleasant conversation with her.  She mentions remembering the day she became colored.  The day race became something more than just a different skin color; it was a different way of living all together.  In her thirteenth year she became colored when she was moved to Orlando, Florida.  She was once everybody’s Zora and soon became the little colored girl.  It was apparent that she was not ashamed of her race in fact she was proud.  She did not care that her former relatives were slaves and did not feel ashamed or sorry.  She speaks of the times she does not feel colored, but often times it is thrown in her face.  Rather it is her in an all-white crowd or maybe one person who is white in an all-black crowd she feels her race. She says, “I feel my race.  Among the thousand white persons, I am a dark rock surged upon, over swept by a creamy sea.  I am surged upon and over swept, but through it all, I remain myself.” 

Another story Hurston wrote seems very different from the first, “The Gilded Six-Bits.”  A young black couple lives in a cute little house in an all-black neighborhood.  There is Missie May and Joe.   The picture painted in the opening of the story was perfect.  Everything used to describe the setting was cheerful.  Missie May is introduced to us as a happy young woman.  Her husband is due home any minute and she hurries to make sure everything is ready for him.  She takes great pride in making sure dinner is ready and her husband’s clothes are set out.  When she hears his arrival she takes off down the steps and answers the door with so much excitement.  Joe greets her with pockets full of little gifts.  She searches his pockets and they play back and forth while she searches through his pockets.  He brings her kisses and always chucks nine dollars at the door.  They had a playful way with each other and seemed just absolutely head over hills for each other.  Over dinner Joe tells Missie May that he wants to take her to the ice cream parlor.  It was a new place that a man from Chicago had just opened up.  Joe talked about how rich he was and she mentioned she had seen the man.  They talked about his gold teeth and his gold pieces.  Joe kept saying how he wished he could have things like that, and Missie May told him she would much rather have Joe than any rich man.  Joe made Missie May his world and every Saturday night he was off work he took her to the new ice cream parlor.  Missie May insisted over and over how great Joe was and he loved her so much.  One night he got off work early and headed home to see Missie May.  As he headed home he thought of the money they had saved and how he was ready to have a child with her.  When he arrived home he decided to sneak up on her and surprise her.  As he came into their bedroom he was shocked with what he had found.  He went through every possibility in his head murderer or robber.  He was in absolute disbelief.  The man was rushing to get his pants back on and Missie May was yelling and screaming.  Joe hit him a few good times and realized that was the rich man that owned the ice cream parlor.  During the altercation Joe got a hold of the gold piece that he always flaunted around and shoved it in his pocket.  There was a part during all this that really got to me, “Oh Joe, honey, he said he wuz gointer give me dat gold money and he jes’ kept on after me-…Joe was very still and silent for a long time.  Then he said, “Well, don’t cry no mo’ Missie May.  Ah got yo’ gold piece for you.”

After that night the gold piece became the symbol of betrayal.  The best part was is that the gold piece was only a gold plated piece.  It reminded me of the saying the grass is greener on the other side.  Missie May longed for the money that Slemmons had, and there really was not ever any money.  She had a wonderful thing with Joe and that just wasn't enough for her. From that moment on she just wanted things to be better and she knew she did not deserve it.  Joe just wasn't himself anymore and did not come home with kisses and presents anymore.  He kept putting that coin in Missie May's sight just to remind her of what she had done over and over again.  Soon Missie May realized that she was pregnant and Joe did not really care either way.  Months and months pass by and their relationship does not get any better or worse.  When the baby was finally born he did not really want to have anything to do with it.  His mother talked with him and insisted how the child was a spitting image of him, a boy.  This is the moment when the story takes another turn, he begins visiting her bedside.  He starts to check on her and inquire about her health.  In the end Joe finally heads to the store and uses the gilded six-piece to buy kisses.  When he returns home he chucks money at the door and even though Missie May was sick she came to the door. 

This story really shows the struggles of marriage and how a couple overcame even the worst of betrayals. 

8-1 Susan Glaspell

Susan Glaspell was a playwright who told stories about real women.   Glaspell portrayed women in a real way showing their emotions and their struggles.  This was an era when men often portrayed women’s characters as stereotypes.  Glaspell was brought up in middle class society.  Many of her earlier works were based on her upbringing in her hometown of Davenport, Iowa.  As Glaspell became older she became more aware of the world around her and of the inequalities that women were suffering from at the time.  Glaspell wrote many plays throughout her life and eleven of them were featured in the Provincetown Players.  Among the many plays that Glaspell wrote “Trifles” was one of the plays that gained the most recognition.

This particular play opens up in an abandoned kitchen in the home of John and Minnie Wright.  There in the house stands Henry Peters (the sheriff), Mrs. Peters (his wife), George Henderson (County Attorney), Lewis Hale (County Attorney), and Mrs. Hale (his wife).  They are investigating the murder of John Wright.  Lewis Hale tells the sheriff and the county attorney what he saw when he came to the home the night before.  Mrs. Wright was sitting in her rocking chair as calm as ever when Mr. Hale came to visit.  He had intended on asking her husband about getting a phone.  In those times it was possible to get a group line where they could all talk to one another.   As he searched the house he found Mr. Wright dead, he had been strangled by a rope around his neck.

While the men search the home the following day the women were left to look around the downstairs alone, the men told them they could take some of Mrs. Wright’s things to the jailhouse.  They all noticed how untidy the home was, but the men were more critical.  As the men criticized the home over and over you could feel the women becoming defensive.  As the story progressed the women began to take on a more sympathetic role for Mrs. Wright.  They began searching through the downstairs and found her quilt.  It was beautiful, but the last few stitches were done very poorly as if she was nervous.  Instead of turning this over to their husbands as evidence, they decided to undo the stitching.  They also found an empty birdcage, and when they began searching found the dead bird in a box.  When they took a good look at the bird, they realized that the bird’s neck had been broken.   The women began putting the pieces together.  Mrs. Wright’s husband had not been the nicest man.  As a young girl Minnie was lively and loved to sing, but after marrying Mr. Wright her light had fizzled out.  The women began feeling sorry for her, and decided to hide the evidence.  The men searched the house over and over looking for some kind of evidence or motive, but they could not find any.  The women came to realize that Mrs. Wright did kill her husband and in the end they protected her.

Glaspell was much like many famous writers of her time like Kate Chopin.  She explored the lives of women, and portrayed them as real people.  She looked at the differences between the roles of men and women.  Both the women obviously knew the law, but they had so much empathy for Mrs. Wright they hid everything.  They felt she has suffered enough and did not feel she should be punished any further.

7-1 Robert Frost and his poetry

Robert Frost was born in 1874.  Frost wrote poetry as a teenager and graduated high school as valedictorian and class poet. Frost attempted college a couple of times but had a strong dislike for academic convention.  He made a living teaching and farming.  Frost continued to write his poetry and get many of them published.  He had a deep concern with nature and had little faith in religious dogma.  He wrote many wonderful poems.  Who knew all of those great works could come from a man who was just a farmer.

Frost has many well known poems ,but there are a few that stand out in my mind.  His poem "Home Burial" was a very intriguing and sad poem.  A husband and wife have lost their child.  They have since become distance and blame each other for there loss.  She does not understand him and he does not understand her.  The wife wants him to talk about their child more, but he deals with death differently than she does.  They are both greiving and the wife is shutting down.  Her husband wants to help and wants them to have a relationship.  The man uses threats to convey his emotions to his wife.  Over time it gets worse and worse.  She becomes so emotionally distant she can not take it and she leaves.  The husband is left alone is his house, without his wife and child.  His own home burial.

Another poem I really enjoyed was "Fire and Ice."  Frost uses the comparison of fire and ice to describe the end of the world.  Fire is our desires and our lust.  The thing that gives us our passion.  Ice is the hatred and bitterness humanity holds on to.  Bringing our passions, hatred, and sins will be the end of the world.

The third poem I found a lot of meaning in was "The Road not Taken."  There are many people who have different opinions about this poem.  On the surface it seems so easy.  The narrator is confused about which path to take.  He does not know what the outcome of either will be.  In the end he decides to take the path less traveled.  Who knows really which path is less traveled.  It can stand for a metaphor about life.  The famous saying of taking the road less traveled is something that I have heard my entire life.  Many times taking the road less traveled is more difficult, but in the end it is the most rewarding.

6-3 Edith Wharton's, "The Other Two"

This story was very interesting.  It seems that this was a situation that is quite unlikely.  It was sad to see everything that was going on, it felt like I was in a soap opera. Mr. and Mrs. Waythorn are a newlywed couple and dealing with a very sick little girl.  The little girl is from a previous marriage and belongs to the now Mrs. Waythorn.  She is very much in love with her husband and seems to hang on his every word.  He is also completely taken by Alice.  He knows about her past, including her two past husbands, and still pursued her.  In those times and especially when speaking about high society this situation is very unlikely. 

It seems that things are already stressful during this time and both Mr. and Mrs. Waythorn are trying to keep calm.  Things get more complicated when Mr. Haskett, Lily's father, wants to come and see her.  He wants to make sure his daughter is doing well, and also wants to have an active part in her life.  Even though his relationship with Alice ended in divorce, Mr. Haskett gave up everything to be near his daughter.  At first Mr.Waythorn was almost enraged at the thought of Mr. Haskett being around, but over time he realized that his intentions were pure.  He could not be mad at him.  It made him question everything his wife had said about her relationship.  While dealing with this, he also has to deal with the fact that he has taken over a business deal with her other ex-husband.

At first he lets these things eat at him.  Through all these encounters with Mrs. Waythorn's ex's he begins to realize that it dosent change how he feels about her.  He still loves Alice unconditionally, and her past has made her who she is now.  What is the point in focusing on the past?  Alice is a wonderful wife and mother.  She is so devoted to her husband that she is willing to put herself in horribly akward position by acting completely at ease having to be around her two ex husbands.

Her husband through meeting these men realizes why he has such a wonderful wife.  Her first marriage has caused Alice to appreciate what she has and has helped her kind nature.  The second marriage that ended in fidelity, has caused Alice to appreciate the strong bond of marriage.  In the end he realizes that because of her past she is everything he has ever wanted.

6-2 Stephen Crane's, "The Open Boat."

I did not really enjoy "The Open Boat."  I know we can not all be expected to enjoy every story we read, but it just was not my cup of tea.  Four mean were out at sea after there ship sank.  They all four were very different and worked together in order to survive.  Each man had their own strength whether it be actual strength or smarts.  They shared a boat so small they had a hard time moving without tipping it over.  They had no food and were growing weak.  They all seem to stay in high spirits regardless of the face they were stuck out at sea.  All four men were in high hopes when they spotted a beach with a man waving.  They all assumed the man was going to come and save them.  If I were out at sea, I would assume the same thing.  They waited and expected for someone to send a boat and save them.  The men waited and waited until they grew tired, and eventually decided to swim for it.  When I read this part of the story it made me think about life in general.  People were all over the beach watching and almost waiting for the four men to drown.  No one on the beach got any help.  This is a lot like people in the world today, and how they watch people suffer and offer no help.  In my opinion that is exactly the point Crane was trying to make.  The four men represented humanity and the people on the beach represented the universe.  The universe does not care you are here and is not going to help you.  I am not saying that this is what I believe, but given Crane's outlook on life, this is what I assumed he was talking about.  In the end they decide to fight to save their own lives, and one man dies.  I honestly thought it would be the captain, since he was injured, but I was wrong.  After all the working together not everyone could make it.

Stephen Crane's Poetry

Stephen Crane was raised by a Methodist preacher.  He was raised with the idea that man was important in the universe, we all have free will, and God is good.  Like many children, he grew up to attack these ideas.  He had originally planned on going into the military, but ended up going to college instead.  He became a free lance journalist, and began publishing poems in 1895.  Crane was known for his use of irony and his christian symbolist.  Crane wrote many novels as well as poems and is known for his novel, "The Open Boat."

We were asked to read several poems written by Stephen Crane.  Many of his poems are full of irony.  It seems like he has a bitter view of the world.  His poems give me a sense of sadness, and give the feeling that man means nothing.  He addresses the deep conflict man has with himself and God.  Often times people write about what they know, so I am assuming that Crane struggled with religion for most of his life.  I have had several friends who are the child of a preacher, and often times they struggle the most with their own faith.  They never had the chance to decide for themselves what is true and what is not true, and rebel against religion as they grow older.  Crane does not title any of his poems.  I can relate to him for not titling any of his poems, because when you write with so much feeling in your heart you just can not chose a title.  I write poetry weekly and have never titled any of them.  My favorite poem I read was "In the Desert."  It told of a man eating his own heart.  The man asked him if it was good, and he replies yes.  He said it was bitter but he liked it because it was his own heart.  We all have feelings of bitterness, but it is our feelings.  It is our heart.  Everyone has their own feelings, and reasons behind why we feel that way.  We have our own way of thinking and would not want it to be any other way.  I also enjoyed "Do Not Weep, Maiden for War is Kind."  I love to be sarcastic and the irony of this made me smile.

I enjoyed Crane's poetry and found it easy to understand.  I loved how he used irony to get his point across in much of his work.

5-2 Charlotte Perkins Gilman "The Yellow Wallpaper"

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was oppressed from the start.  She was from a impoverished home and had little formal education.  She did marry but was very unhappy and wrote about her oppression.  Considering the time she lived she was expected to be a devoted wife and mother.  Women were expected to listen to their husbands and conform to society's expectations.  She began having episodes of depression.  The doctor suggested she refrain from basically all expression including writing, painting, and reading.  she continued to be unhappy and realized freedom and independence was her best option.  In my opinion she came to her senses and divorced her husband.  She did marry again later on to George Gilman.  This time she was engaged in a successful marriage.  She was a strong advocate of women's rights and even after being remarried she continued her crusade.  Throughout her career she had a profound impact on women.  She was also an advocate for health care, civil justice, labor rights, and poverty.  She spoke of many topics and reached a wide audience. 

In the story, "The Yellow Wallpaper" Gilman drew from her own life to create one of her most renown stories.  Her experiences with mental depression and suffering help to create such a complex story.  One of her reasons for writing the story, according to the text, was to expose the mistakes made by medical science in treating the insane.  This story saddens me because you can feel her sadness.  She is locked up in her room with her illness.  Her husband thinks he is helping her by keeping her locked up in her room, but he is only making her worse.

At first she is fascinated with the yellow wallpaper, and soon obsessed with it.  It takes on a life of its own, and consumes her completely.  She is the yellow wallpaper.  She is spiraling out of control, and is trapped in her own mind.  Her isolation is worsening her illness and day after day you can sense her falling apart.  I felt remorse for Gilman, because I knew this related to her life.  The more isolated she was the worse her depression was getting.  I think that in today's time anyone would agree that isolation is probably the worse thing for depression and mental illness.  The horror was the fact that she was suffering so greatly and yet her husband was ignoring her plea.  He wanted her to get better, but he did not listen to her.  She begged to get rid of the wallpaper, just like she begged for a change in her life.  In the end she ripped the wallpaper free and herself.  It directly relates to Gilman's life when she broke free of her first marriage.  She ripped the wallpaper down and felt free and relieved. 

5-1 Kate Chopin "The Awakening"

Kate Chopin was born into a considerably wealthy family, and was given a really good education.  She was married at the age of nineteen to Oscar Chopin.  He was a wealthy man and when he passed away Kate was left with plenty of money to keep her satisfied.  Even though Kate had six children to keep her busy, she became bored and began writing.  Her writing was unconventional and received a lot of criticism.  She wrote of things that were taboo and in her time no one wanted to hear those things.  If she were a writer in our time she would be praised for her writing, but in the 1800s women were expected not to speak of things like that. 

In Kate Chopin's, "The Awakening" she wrote of passion and infidelity.  This was one is her most criticized works and now one of her most well-known.  The main character is Mrs. Pontellier a wealthy young woman married to a well-liked businessman. They are spending the summer in Grand Isle with their two children.  The women envy Edna, she has the "perfect husband".  He makes enough money to give them a very comfortable life.  He is always concerned about his children, and makes a point to send his wife gifts every time he is out of town.  Edna is simply spoiled in the eyes of the other women, but Edna is unhappy.  She does not enjoy the things that the other women seem to enjoy.  While many of the women are devoted entirely to their husband and children, Edna is distant.  She is concerned with many other things, and is not the mothering type.  Her husband senses these things about her, but pushes his thoughts aside and tries think the best of his wife.

Edna meets Robert while they are staying at Grand Isle.  During her time with Robert Edna begins to change.  Her attention becomes more and more directed towards him.  At first she thinks nothing of it, and soon it develops into much more than a friendship.  She finds herself wanting Robert when he is away.  Everything in her life is seeming to change, and everyone is noticing.  People are asking questions and growing suspicious of what is going on. 

In this story Chopin shows how a woman opens up and discovers herself.  Edna finally felt alive, she finally felt free with Robert.  She was a mother and a wife, but Robert brought out the true Edna.  Her emotions were awakened with this new found passion.  Edna had her own voice, thoughts, and feelings.  It was like she was a child all over again.  This story was captivating because I could see her opening up to herself.  The thought of her betraying her husband and family did bother me, but her new found self made me happy.

4-4 Joel Chandler Harris

Mr. Harris was a well-known author.  He used many stories he had heard while working with people of color.  Stories that had been passed down for generations, to teach morals and bring smiles to children's faces.  I like how Harris used Uncle Remus to tell these stories.  He was old and uneducated, but brought a certain flavor to the stories. 

In Joel Harris's story, "How Mr. Rabbit Was Too Sharp for Mr. Fox" the dialect was very difficult for me.  It took several readings to get through the story.  It is an old classic and a story of trickery.  In fact I use that on my son all the time, reverse psychology.  The fox catches the rabbit and wants to hurt him so bad.  The rabbit says anything but the Brier patch.  Which we all know is exactly where Mr. Rabbit is begging to go.  Mr. Fox being ignorant of course throws him into the Brier patch.  I think life is like this many times, and the rabbits outsmart the foxes.  You just have to be calm and wait it out.  It seems all light hearted and funny, but the story in the end has its moral also.



I really enjoyed, "Free Joe and the Rest of the World."   Free Joe seemed like such a humble man.  Once a slave, now free.  It was such a sad story, because Free Joe felt more free as a slave.  He smiled, sang songs, and whistled as a slave.  He lived a good life, according to him.  He had a faithful wife, who he loved endlessly, and was always so faithful to himself.  Free Joe was freed one day when his owner could not control his gambling problem, he lost everything.  So he went and let Free Joe become free and then he took his own life.  The only problem was that Joe's wife was lost in that gambling to the judge.  Everything seemed great and Joe could see his wife whenever he wanted, she was well taken care of, until the judge died.  Which it seems like something horrible as this happens every time a story is going well.  His property including his slaves went to Calderwood.  A man who was mean and spiteful.  The opposite of Joe.  Joe continued to visit his wife until one day Calderwood said he was not allowed there anymore.  Of course he was not going to just stop seeing his wife so they devised a way to see each other anyway.  The old poplar tree Joe would sit and Lucinda would visit him.  I found it sad that people could not just be happy for them, and it came back to Mr. Calderwood.  He just snatched her up and took her six miles away.  Joe wanted to find a way to see Lucinda, but in the end never saw her again.  He waited and waited and was convinced his little dog Dan would bring Lucinda back to him.  His devotion was amazing and what I think someone truly in love would be like.  He waited until he died under that popular tree, smiling waiting for Lucinda.  He was a man than many men wish they could be like.  I feel like he was such a great character and it had me cheering for him throughout the story.

4-3 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Ambrose Bierce lived from the middle of the 1800s to the early 1900s. He was born to a poor family of farmers in Ohio.  His parents were very religious and in this case, he turned against it.  He developed a hatred for it, and expressed that in his writings.  He left home as quickly as possible, becoming an apprentice.  Soon after enlisting in the military during the civil war, he re-enlisted twice before getting out.  He served during a time when many bloody battles were fought.  He eventually like every other author got a job writing, and was known as "bitter Beirce."  He wrote of broken families, death, separation, and maiming.  His childhood really left him jaded in my opinion, but it served him well in his writing career.  What do we write from but experience?

In the novel "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" his life experiences and talents are really evident in this particular story.  He really puts himself into the story and uses his military life and childhood to develop the characters.  This story surprised me.  I was completely unaware until the very end, that in fact he imagined it all.  This was my absolute favorite story of all.  I was so surprised at first I did not even know how to respond to it.  This story takes place at Owl Creek Bridge Peyton Farquhar was caught and is now a prisoner of war.  A man with a wife and kids to support, it was a time of war and for that no one cares about who the enemy is, just the fact they are the enemy.  The soldiers were so cold in the movements and facial expressions.  I am sure Bierce was able to describe this scene so well because he had lived it.  It automatically made me wonder what he had done while in the military and what he had seen.  At the same time he was the enemy, the man with a wife and children. 

Different stories are said about what happens when you die.  I wonder if imagining your escape is something that ever happens.  I was sure he had dropped from the bridge and escaped into the water.  The man was so set on getting free and I was caught up in the story.  I see where the bitterness of Beirce's writing comes into play, making the reader beleive the man was free.  When you feel happy that he has escaped he tears the happiness away with the reality that the man died.  I actaully laughed I was so surprised, but I should have expected it.

4-2 Tennessee's Partner

Bret Harte born in the mid 1830s in Albany, New York.  Harte claimed to be a genius, reading Shakespeare at the tender age of only six.  Although he was born in New York, he moved in 1854 to the west.  This is where his novels were inspired, and he spend most of his life writing of it.  He had many jobs throughout his life: a school teacher, riding shotgun on a Wells Fargo Stagecoach, and writing for several newspapers.  Overall I believe his experiences shaped his writing and helped him to write some of his best work.  The time he spent in the west probably helped him develop many of his characters, and stereotypes.  Harte took a job once as a professional writer, and ended up running for his life after he said a little too much about a mobster.
His life seems as if it was very exciting, until he grew older.  His stories became stagnant and all the same.  He even admitted himself, he was churning out the same old stuff.  Most of his stories were similar, but after some time they became old.  There was no new development of characters and the stories were all to predictable.

In the novel, "Tennessee's Partner" Berte kept the tradition going.  The story is set in the wild west and the characters are all too predictable.  At first I have to admit I read the story and made no distinction between Tennessee and Tennessee's partner.  They were one and the same until I was about finished with the story and was highly confused about it all.  I quickly reread the story with the understanding that these were two different individuals.  Tennessee's Partner was a calm and collected man, and I would have to say loyal.  Tennessee's partner went out to find a wife, quickly found one and was married.  Tennessee also lived with them and one day he ran off with his friends wife!  When Tennessee returned alone he was welcomed with open arms from Tennessee's Partner.  I honestly do not know anyone who would welcome some one like that back.  To me they are opposite.  I am guessing that is a normal reaction since everyone was expecting a shooting.  They were partners.  Partners in crime nonetheless, but partners.  I guess that meant more to them than anything else.

Soon it seemed the guilt had built up in Tennessee, but it was a little too late.  He had met his match and was now going to be captured.  How ironic that the judge himself was the one to catch him.  As they stood their with their guns and ammunition, Tennessee realized he was no match and gave in.  The court system was unusually fair.  They wanted him to give a defense, and gave him every chance to defend himself.  Even though they say this, he was thought to be guilty before he even was caught.  Which I think is true of many people.  Their fate is decided before they have a chance to defend themselves.

Tennessee's partner once again shows his loyalty, when he arrives at the courthouse.  There to defend his partner to the end.  He stated everything with such confidence, I could see him walking around the courthouse in my head.  Taking up for a man that did not deserve it.  In his eyes that was his partner.  He even attempted to bribe the judge, which put his own life in danger.  I was surprised that Tennessee's partner went as far as he did to try and save this mans life. 

Tennessee knew his fate.  When his eyes met with his partner and they shook hands, his gratitude for at least trying was understood.  They were never to meet again both alive.  Tennessee was put to death in the morning saying nothing and holding his head high.  After his death Tennessee's partner was there ready to take the body of his partner.  He seemed so calm and collected as always.  I believe out of curiosity many men followed the cart, but slowly dropped off as time went.  It reminded me of friends in life, they all slowly drop off but one or two.  It reminded me of the dedication Tennessee's partner had for him.  Tennessee's partner was bringing Tennessee home for the last time, a thing a best friend would do.

4-1 Editha

William Dean Howells was known for many things.  He wrote novels, edited a magazine, and was a well known critic.  He was unexpectedly from a small town in Ohio, the son of a printer.  As a child he showed promise and was remarkably smart.  He spent much of his childhood days reading, and I have noticed that many well known writers and poets spent much of their life reading.  He went on to be the editor of several magazines, and wrote over a hundred novels.  I can not imagine the dedication this man must have had to accomplish the amount of work he did in his career.  Howells was a writer who made characters very real and did not make out a hero in every novel.  I admire the realness of his stories, because life is not full of heroes.  It seems to focus on real life situations, and things that would actually happen.  Humans are not perfect and I like to read stories that are portrayed in that manner.

We were asked to read William Dean Howells, "Editha" a short story.  Editha was very real to me, maybe because we are recently in a time of war.  This story really hit home.  Editha is a beautiful young women caught up in the idea of having a hero.  She is determined to have her fiance go to war.  Does she even know anything about war?  Her reasoning behind him going is almost childish.  She wants him to go so bad, but she has no true reasons for him to go.  Her boyfriend Gearson is very committed to Editha.  At first as they are talking, Gearson is against war.  There are many valid reasons he is against war, and he does not understand why people resort to such fighting.  She presses and presses him to think her way.  Women are very good and saying things in a way that manipulates, and sometimes they do not realize what they are saying.

She was so set in her way of thinking, believing she needs him to prove he is a hero.  What better way than to fight for your country?  He leaves distraught, and thinking a lot about what she has said.  She is so convicted that he must go to war she even writes him a letter saying so.  Her mother is against the idea, and I think her wisdom is a reason for that.  Editha is very young and has not experienced life or death.  She does not think about the bad things that could happen, because like most people "it can't happen to me" holds strong in their mind.  When Gearson comes back he is excited and has completely done turn around from the talk they had had before.  Gearson is now going to war, and sends a sense of thrill through Editha.  She is excited by the news and encourages Gearson to go.  He is so "high" on the idea of going to war, that in that moment no one was thinking about what could happen.

It turns out to be very ironic, which I already predicted.  Gearson is killed in battle.  The news comes very soon, since he was one of the first to go to war.  Editha is shocked and does not know what to think.  She had promised to visit his mother and so she did.  His mother was furious, because she knew why Gearson went to war.  She knew that Editha was a child and had wanted a hero.  Now all she had was sadness and  the dream of her hero coming home was gone.  It was all fantasy built up in her head, like a love story.  Gearson's mother spoke the truth and Editha finally realized and felt the pain of losing Gearson.  In the end we all witness the moment when Editha moves from a world of fantasy to a world of realism.

3-3 Jewett

Sarah Orne Jewett by far was my favorite writer of short stories.  She was raised by her father, a doctor, and frequently made rounds with him to visit patients.  Similar to Freeman, Jewett was a sickly child.  She found much pleasure in reading.  Soon her passion for reading developed into a passion for writing.  She closely studied the dialect of the native people, and the way they lived their daily lives.  She was fascinated with the hardships the villagers and farmers endured, yet they seemed happiest of all. Jewett focuses intensely on the character  making sure the reader understands the intense hardships many of them endure.  Although she captures this in her short novels, she shows great compassion for her characters. They live a life of poverty, loss, hard work, but still have so much joy.   Jewett's writing skills only further improved and she grew up to become an accredited author.

In Jewett’s short novel, “A White Heron”, Jewett focuses on a little girl named Sylvia. Originally from the city she has moved to live with her grandmother. Although you would think that moving from the city to the country would not be favorable for a little girl, Sylvia loved it. Her grandmother had picked her out of her other siblings to come and help on the farm. As she first set eyes upon her grandmother’s home in the country she said it was beautiful and she never wanted to go home. Sylvia’s memories of the industrialized city only made her shutter, she finally felt alive on the farm with her grandmother.


The story opens up with Sylvia searching for her cow, what used to be the job of her grandmother. She is having fun enjoying the evening light and looking for the cow in a playful manner. This scene in my opinion really captures the essence of childhood innocence. The way children enjoy nature and seem to take everything in, a freedom that only a child can seem to enjoy anymore. When she meets the stranger she is frightened, which is understandable. I am sure it is human nature to be frightened of a random stranger. When Sylvia made it back to her grandmother’s house she was surprised to see how openly she took in the stranger. I think this really showed a huge difference between southern hospitality and people in the city. I am sure in the city most people would not dare take in a stranger.

Soon the stranger revealed he was a hunter. He was tracking down a white heron and was wanting the little girl to help him find it. He was wanting to add it to his collection of birds he had stuffed. Sylvia did not want him to kill the beloved bird, and had fond memories of watching it fly by. She tracked down the bird, but in the end kept the secret to herself. She loved the country and everything about it. This story really captures the importance of nature and preserving its beauty. It really captures the heart of farmers and the people who live in the country. Which is Jewett’s main focus often times.

3-2 Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

Mary Freeman was from a time when things were tough.  It was the years following the Civil War and many shops were closed down.  Things seemed to be decaying.   As a young girl, Freeman suffered in her health and because of that focused on reading.  As Freeman grew older, her love of reading progressed into writing. Many people began to move to the west, but many unmarried women stayed behind.  These women were strong willed and often referred to as a "stern old maid".  As stated in the text, it was these women who became the brunt of many jokes in poems, cartoons, and songs.  As Freeman grew older her works began to pick up popularity , and she was published many times.  Our class was asked to read Freedman's short story, "The English Nun." 

The opening setting paints a perfect little picture of a woman sitting by the window sewing.  To me an almost cliche scene, that automatically places the woman in her traditional role.  She is very dainty and meticulous about how everything is arranged and looks.  She picks her own tea slowly and carefully.  Almost every movement she makes has a particular purpose, in which she finds pride in.  Although Louisa Ellis was no better off than any other person in her town, she likes the finer things.  She decorated   her coffee table with fine linens, and used to best china.  At first I assumed that she would have company over for tea, but she only had a single cup out.  In my opinion the description of Louisa Ellis fits the stern old maid stereotype. 

Soon we are introduced to another character by the name of Joe Dagget.  He is seemingly a sweet and well reserved man.  He is a love interest of Louisa Ellis.  When we are first introduced to Joe Dagget, it would seem as if he was just a friend.  The story begins to unfold, and we realize that they are engaged to be married.  This along with many other stories, is not the happy ending it seems.  At a time Louisa Ellis was in love with Joe Daggot.  Unfortunately, he was determined to go off and make enough money to start a family with her.  Fourteen years later, Joe Daggot is back with his fortune.  He seems as though he is ready to settle down and be married.  During his years away, Louisa has spent the majority of her time alone.  She had grown accustomed to her own way of living.  The thought of changing her entire life for a man she no longer is in love with does not seem like an option anymore.  She had grown into a different person. 

I noticed the meticulous why she quickly fixed everything he touched.  In my opinion it symbolizes the fact that Louisa does not want to change, she likes everything the way it is.  She brushed his footprints off her carpet like she was brushing him away.  The thought of taking care of a large household, and Mr. Daggot's sick mother only encourages her feelings of wanting to be free. 

In the end Louisa Ellis hears a private conversation between Joe and Lily Dyer.  They had been having a secret affair.  Louisa feels hurt, but in a way relieved of her duty to marry Joe.  She was not in love with him, but was still going to go through with the occasion.  I think originally she was marrying him simply out of obligation, and the fact that she was expected to have a husband. I found it sad that she was sewing her wedding dress.  After hearing their conversation, she simply stopped.  To her there was no reason to finish sewing the dress. It seemed to turn out to be a happy ending for all.  The nun, Louisa Ellis, who is devoted to her home and perfectly content with that.  Then Joe, who seems just to want to settle down and start a family.  In this story their is no bad guy and no hero.  Just a man and a woman who once felt that they were in love.  After many years apart, their feelings have changed and they are different people.  One happy to be alone, and the other looking for love.

3-1 Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson has been regarded as one of the most gifted poets of her time. She was born in 1830 and lived until 1886. Dickinson was from a prominent family and was well educated. She spent much of her life in her home in Amherst, Massachusetts. Throughout her years she spent countless hours alone writing poetry in her bedroom. At a glance it would seem that Dickinson was withdrawn from society and therefor understanding human emotion. In fact she was deeply connected with it all: writing of love, death, nature, and immortality.


In her early thirties she developed a relationship with Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a man her worked as a poetry critic. She sent him many of her poems, and in return he corrected and criticized them. Although he had much to say about her style and grammar he could not deny genius that Dickinson possessed. Maybe this is the reason they carried on this relationship for twenty-two years, all the way up until her death. I am not surprised that only eight of her poems were published while she was alive. It seems that many of history’s famous poets and authors did not get their break until after their death. When Dickinson’s work was discovered in her room there were 1,800 poems neatly packed together, which makes me think it was her pride and joy. Although many of her poems were not published during her lifetime, or even read by others, Dickinson took immense pride in her work.

I cannot say I completely understand what she was thinking as she sat hour after hour writing her poetry, but I do know the joy I feel when I finish a poem. Often times, even if no other eyes will ever see it, I feel relieved when I am finally finished. Dickinson was withdrawn from society and only shared a few meaningful relationships with other people. She used poetry as an outlet for all the thoughts and feelings she could not express otherwise.

Emily Dickinson’s poetry for me is very hard to read and to understand. The words are from a time where the language was different. Although I do not understand the meaning of all the poems or exactly what she is trying to say, I see the passion in her work. I particularly liked poem 732 and did feel like I found meaning in its words. I know that Dickinson spent her years alone, and was left with her sister to run the house. I get the feeling that she felt trapped in her own home. In poem 732 I get the feeling that Dickinson was not very fond of the idea of marriage and the role that women played in it at the time. During her time, women were expected to cook, clean, raise the kids, and be obedient to their husbands. Emily believed in women pursuing their hopes and dreams. Overall this is just my opinion of this poem and could be completely wrong.

Blog 2 "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

In Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” I found myself with so many things running through my head as I was reading the novel. I had read this novel as a child, but still found myself caught up in the suspense and adventure of it all. So of course after satisfying my own imagination, I went back and reread the story and was able to better focus on the meaning.


As the novel opens up I found Huckleberry Finn bored and ready for an adventure. Although it seemed as if he would be thrilled to be in his current situation, he was longing to be free. When it seems like Huck is beginning to settle down slightly and adjusting to the idea of school and becoming more civilized, a twist is thrown in. Huck’s father, the complete opposite of the Widow, takes Huck and locks him up. Once Huck made it to the river, the true meaning of the story began to unfold.  Huck reminded me of the innocence a child has, and the struggle that many of us have within ourselves with morality.  What is right and wrong?  In what situations do the rules change?  Society teaches us these things, but over time what is seen as right may not be later, such as slavery.  It seems like even when many people feel something is wrong in their hearts, they just follow the norm anyway.  Children, such as Huck, also have a feeling of what is wrong and right.  It just seems to be lost as we age.  These where questions that popped into my mind as I was reading.

Then there is Jim, the slave of Miss Watson. Jim is a man seemingly treated well, considering the circumstances, and is also longing for freedom. They both seem to be trapped, but in different ways. On the surface, Jim was portrayed as a typical slave. It fit the time and setting of the novel and also the perceptions of what many people thought of African American people. In my opinion, Mark Twain was well aware of how he portrayed Jim on the surface, and let the reader see how many people viewed, at the time, and may have still viewed African American people.

. As the story unfolds so does the fact that Jim is not just a slave, but a human-being. Jim may have been seemingly portrayed as ignorant, but he was determined. As they ran into adventures time and time again along the river, he never gave up. Jim had a dream and no matter what obstacles got in the way, he pushed forward. It made me think of one thing he said in particular when he said he was once rich and will be rich again, because superstition says men with hair on their chest and arms are rich. In the end Jim got his riches and freedom. It sounds silly even to me, but that was not the point. Having faith in something and sticking to that belief, even when you are at the lowest of the low, is what I thought about when I read about Jim. It seems like so many people today have trouble being true to themselves when things take a turn for the worst. Jim always stayed true to who he was.

The river to me was a metaphor for life, and the twists and turns along the way made me think of the difficult decisions we face in our lives. As Huck and Jim ventured along the river together, Jim made me think of a father figure for Huck. He really seemed to look out for him and protected him. When he found his father dead he kept it a secret from Huck because he did not want to upset him or cause him any pain. He was always looking out for Huck and what was good for him, unlike his real father.

Week One

My name is Danielle Burton.  I am currently completing my last year at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.  I am pursuing a degree in psychology, which I plan on beginning next fall through the partnership program Appalachian State University offers.  I enrolled in American Literature because I enjoy learning about American History, and our authors are part of that history. I am hoping to learn many things about American Literature and to read some old favorites.  My interest in reading is varied, I enjoy anything from reading science fiction to reading biography's.  I do not read near as much as I used to and admit that I have not read anything over the course of the summer.  Having a family of four, soon to be five, puts a limit on the quiet time I can muster up to read.  I am still determined to push forward this semester and take all online classes instead of taking a semester off.  I am excited to be finally finishing up my AA and to be moving forward despite the challenges that we all seem to be facing in this economy.