My Papa's Waltz (Blog 5)

My Papa's Waltz writting by Theodore Roethke. Can be looked at as abusive and negative at first glance. It can be interpeted as a fateher absuing his son. "The wisky on your breath could make a small boy dizzy (l1-2) causes you to think that the fater drank soo much that it affected the child. Putting the poem of to pehaps a negative begining as it continues "My right ear scarpled a buckle" (l12) when we look at this day and age we realate a buckel with a belt used for spanking a child. Although once this poem is re read it is much easier to see that the poet did not intend it to be abusive at all but instead it is recreating a memory of a father and a son waltzing. "Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt." (l15-16) Shows us that the son is not wanting to go to bed but wants to continue dancing or haning out with his father. Which makes us rethink the whole poem from negative to positive because, the son would not cling to an abusive father. This poem is really a great poem and is great description of the closeness of a fater and son. How young children cling to their parents at a young age and everything they do is look at my daddy look at me. However when we get older that changes soo quikely.

The Human Reaction

The idea of watching a loved one falling into the clutches of death seems impossible to swallow. It is only natural, then, that one would beg for that person to hold on as long as they could. We see this very situation in Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.”
We know that our speaker gives us examples of different types of men and how they react to their impending fate. “Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright/…Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight/… Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight” (Thomas l. 7, 10, & 13). This is our speaker speaking about those men.
Then, we see in the last stanza, the speaker switch to his father. “Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray,/ do not go gentle into that good night” (Thomas l. 16-17). We see him begging his father to just resist, a totally relatable and human reaction to the idea of losing one’s father.

Deadly Porphyric Love

            I felt very replusive when I read the poem. I felt like it was very sneaky, which I had already knew about the man at the beginning. He came off somewhat sneaky, and callouse. He seemed uncaring, especially when Porphyria called for him, "When no voice replied," (l. 15), and how he wouldn't hold her at first.
            Throughout the poem, I found nothing but irony. She was willing to give herself to him and he killed her. It made me think that maybe the girl decided to surrender herself to him and knew that she was going to die? Maybe that was why the man was so confident that he was sure "No pain felt she; / I am quite sure she felt no pain." (l. 41-42) and "Her darling one wish would be heard" (l.58). There were many other point of views on whether the man was simply crazy, and we also discussed the reasons why he killed the woman, whether he had good reasons or not (but then, when is murder ever a good reason!?).
            Aonther irony of this story was the last line of the poem, "And yet God has not said a word!" (l. 60)... that is probably the most disturbing line because why would he think God wouldn't say a word? I am not a relgiious person, but according to the Bible, God doesn't need to speak for someone to know that he is there, therefore just because he isn't saying a word doesn't mean he wouldn't punish this man for the evil deed that he had done. I guess it takes a really crazy person to think something in the context of that last line.

The Calling is Dim

In Dylan Thomas's poem "Do not go gentle into that good night" you get a feeling to fight. It gives off the perspecive to live life and don't let death intervein. Do not go quietly into the dark, but rather strive to live. "Do not go gentle into that good night" (Thomas l. 13). This gives us that immage. Once your light goes out inside you, or you travel into the light, you are gone. You leave behind all your loved ones and life itself. People dont want to loose their loved ones. That is why I think that this poem is the speakers frusteration with death. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas l. 3). This gives the mood of the speaker. The Speaker is who is upset at the dimness of the light, not those who are dying. We find out that the speaker is in this mood because s/he is losing a father. "And you, my father, there on the sad height" (Thomas l. 16). Once your light goes out inside you, you have lost. Also once you go into the light you've lost. The message of this poem is to fight, no give in.

Jason Brown

"Stop all the clocks"

The poet A.H Auden creates a very dark and sad tone that begins even in the first stanza. This poem is very easy to relate to when you have lost a love one. Its very easy to sympathize with the poet as it is very hard to lose a love one weather that love one is a lover or a friend I think that becomes irrelavent because, the feeling is the same regardless. "Prevent the dogs from barking with a juicy bone." (L3) the line that does not belong to the poem that seems to throw it off a lot although by the time you are done reading the poem you tend to focus on more important aspects and draw more away from that line. Although that lines tends to create a odd image to the over all imagery of the poem. The poem has a rhyming scheme to the first two lines of each stanza. Although toward the end it changes on the last two lines rhyme. The structure of the poem is very typical. The over all structure is long and drug on causing a mourning effect to the tone of poem. "For nothing now can ever come to any good." Good can be seen as a word that is drug on and on GOOOOOD is almost the way it is read. The last word in each of the lines in the last stanza tend to drag on and on. Causing a good transition into the following line. The first stanza however tends to be choppey and you tend to read it quite the opposite you read it very quick and fast.

The way love works

In the poem "Porphria's Lover" is was to me that this guy was one crazy man. Right away when you read this you see how he kind of feels about this woman that doesn't really know if she wants to be with him or not, but as you read on in the poem you see that the woman leave the place she was at to go see him and she did this on her own. The was a place in the poem at which i didn't understand and to seem it felt as if he was wowed by her coming! "And, last, she sat down by my side/And called me. When no voice replied,/She put my arm about her waist," (Browning l. 14-16) When i read this is was like he felt she is here and she likes me and wants to be with me. He didn't see this coming and was at a shock with her being right there next to him. After this happened he kind of goes crazy in the head in knowing that she wants to be with and he doesn't want her to be with anyone but him and to a sure that he goes off and kills her. I don't think he planned it from what the poem has stated. I found that this poem is interesting and a great reading to see how someone can go from a great state of mind to a totally different one within a few minutes maybe even seconds. There is one thing in this poem that i really can't see happening because why on earth would someone let someone do this. "Three times her little throat around," (Browning l. 40). See three times, its going to be pretty hard to get around someones throat three time let alone two times. Other than that i enjoyed this poem!

The World at a Red Light

I liked poet W. H. Auden’s the poem “Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone” because of the way it presents the enitial grief that one feels at the loss of a loved one. When some people lose a loved one especially an imidiate family member one may feel like they just want everyone to just shut up and let them with it in their own way. I originally felt like the speaker was a mother or father who has lost a son. The line “Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves” made me think maybe the son may have died serving his country in a war (Auden l. 8). Although it could be that as with most parents the speaker just feels that their child is literally as the poem says “my North, my South, my East and West,” the devistation that losing someone that important would probably be very severe (Auden l. 9). As the speaker says with the last line “For nothing now can ever come to any good.” this is a very dramatic statement to say that nothing will ever be good again, the speaker has not only lost a loved one of some sort they have also lost hope. (Auden l. 16)

Violence, sex, storms ,Oh My!

I loved this poem, the dark intense emotion, the way browne approaches twisted thought with pure energy. This guy gets so happy and excited he chokes his true love to death, shocking her and shocking god himself. "all night long we have not stirred, And yet God has not said a word!"
Its so disturbing to think that someone could be so crazed with passion and love that they can not hold themselves back, "Made my heart swell, and still it grew While I debated what to do. That moment she was mine, mine, fair,"
Yet once again could see this happening some people especially who have struggle for love, can get real intense emotionally. Emotion of any kind can drive you insane, sadness, anger, love, happiness all can have they're extremes.
This poem also addressed the prudence and desolation of the Victorian era. How people ignored true love and married according to society and how also sex was for procreation not for pleasure, women were not allowed sexual freedom.

De'Sour et Le'Unfitting!

            When reading the poem telling tales of the tragedies the war had to offer, it disgusted me. Even after this poem was published, the same concept of war still stood in today's time. When we think about wars, we think about the bombs, the gas attacks, the emptiness black spots in today's soldiers' eyes, the constant "ecstasy of fumbling" for their lives and having consequences that tore many families' lives apart. How is it sweet and fitting for a soldier to die and leave behind a wife? A child who would never grow up to know who his father was and probably only has a dogtag with his father's name inscribed on it that his father's best friend, who managed to grab the dogtag before the bomb blew off his leg? He was probably the same guy who had to "fling him in" [behind the wagon]. Oh, that's very fitting and sweet, indeed!
            And on top of that, if men were to think that maybe they didn't want to serve our country because, for once, they wanted to be selfish and grow old with grandchildren running around and look back to their lives and say, "t'was a fitting and sweet life!" without the damages of the war etched in their memories. They, then, probably would have been slapped with saying such as "you should be ashamed of yourself" or "you are no longer honorable in the eyes of United States." Isn't it fitting and sweet to be a citizen of United States and be a peaceful person, is it not fitting and sweet to live life in harmony and peace with no hatred or jealousy in this world? But since the world is full of war and violence, it is now de' sour et le' unfitting!

"Dulce et Decorum Est" For honor, love, and Country?

Who is to decide what is sweet or fitting for another. Judgement such as this is in the hands of God, not humans. The title of this poem, "Dulce et Decorum Est," and the mood of the poem are on two completely different ends of the spectrum. The title is portraying to be an honor and sweet to die for your country. The poem on the other hand describes the absolute horror that war has to offer. "If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood / Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs" ( Owen l. 21-2). This doesn't sound sweet. It could be your best friend that is lying there on the ground with a shot to the lung and is bleeding out. Now you've lost your friend and they say that his death was for a cause and that he did his country proud. Well then I have to ask the question how will his death benefit anything? How will the death of anyone benefit? Going through the kind of fear that one goes through in war can not be put into words. The feelings they feel or the things they bare witness to. There is nothing "sweet" about dieing, or war for that matter. I believe that the phrase, and title of the poem, "Dulce et Decorum Est," was said by a nobleman who did not have to fight battles. He rather sat back and mealy watched them unfold. No matter what was lost the end result is what mattered. The loss of a life to them was for the betterment of the cause.

Jason Brown

Ozymandias

This was a great poem, i mean the meaning that was said in this and how many people was speaking in the poem, which i didn't catch until class today but when we talked about it, it great! To me this poem seemed like a ruler/King thought that he had it all. I mean you can only have some much power until you get over powered by your own power, and what i mean is that, you have some much power that you think that no one can conquer you. You can live this great life and have made something out of nothing or made something out of something, it doesn't matter because you come into this world alone and you are going to leave this world alone i think. In this poem is kind of shows that I believe, Of how he had can all this way and all of his works, that he wouldn't be able to take with him when he dies and you can only be remembered for so long so over time people are going to for get what happened and someone else is going take that place where you use to be.

Blog of "Ozymandias"

I totally got this "Clash of the Titans" feel from this story. The imagery painted a very mythological picture for me. A slain Greek statue that once held strength fallen weakly to the ground lying there in shambles but still with smirk of invincibility, "And a wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command". This poem held a lot of irony because the statue like most soldiers feel as if they are invincible as long as they have weapons and military to follow. Allowing themselves to get large egos, and the fact that they will always continue reign. But like the way all wars result someone loses control and as whole everyone loses soul because war can never be looked at without looking at the damages. "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair." The statue that was most likely created to give as a gift to some ruler or head commander is really just a fallen victim to the violence and destruction of war. The statue is a joke.

Revision of blog A

At first when I started to read this novel I figured some how it wouldn't be so modern I mean not that I think the nineteen nineties is modern but it was not that long ago. The first thing I found interesting in the novel was the relationship between Amir and Baba, The fact that baba was this strapping manly man with a quaint poet son for a writer and their inner battles to relate and create a relationship very familiar. Ive seen situations like this growing up with some of my male friends their fathers wanting them to be football playing ESPN watching types but instead they were more into skating and the Dead Kennedy's, they each too had mutual love and respect but found it very hard to find common ground and acceptance.They big difference with them and Baba and Amir's relationship is that Baba blames Amir for the death of his love and return Amir accepts this blame which is completely twisted no innocent newborn can be blamed for his mothers death. "And maybe, just maybe, I would finally be pardoned for killing my mother."(pg56). That statement is like he's saying sorry for his mother who made the choice to have a child and loved while he grew inside I pretty sure any true mother would give her life for her child even she had no choice. One part of the story that I find funny is when the boys find out John Wayne is not Iranian and didn't speak Farsi, "Hassan and I were stunned, Dazed. John Wayne didn't really speak Farsi and he wasn't Iranian! He was American, just like the friendly, long haired men and women we always saw hanging around Kabul, dressed in their tattered, brightly colored shirts". Thats also funny they have hippies.

"Digging" into "Digging"

The poem “Digging” by Seamus Heaney starts out with the lines “Between my finger and my thumb/The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.”(l. 1-2). The speaker is telling the reader that in that moment he is actually holding their pen writing this poem. Then he looks out his window to see his father “digging” in a garden (l. 5). The image of his father triggers a memory from “twenty years” ago (l. 7) when his father had to dig “potatoes” in order to feed his family (l. 13). With the lines “By God, the old man could handle a spade/Just like his old man.” we learn that shovels have historically been an important tool for his family (l. 15-16). The lines “The squat pen rests./I’ll dig with it” tells us thathe has replaced the shovel with a pen.

The Hidden Lesson In, "My Papa's Waltz"

"My Papa's Waltz," by Theodore Roethke, can be read many ways. At first glance I had the tendency to take it a completely different way then the second time. The first time I read it was a child being abused by his father. The line that made me think this way was, "The whiskey on your breath/Could make a small boy dizzy: " (Roethke l. 1-2). Seeing as how this was the opening line by the speaker, to me, it made it seem like the father was a drunk. So drunk in fact that he could make you drunk just by breathing on you. However, after I dug into the poem more I began to see a completely different side. A side of a father and son having fun. A father actually teaching his son to waltz. "You beat time on my head" (Roethke l. 13). The father here is actually helping his son keep in step. This is indication that there isn't abuse, but rather a boys father teaching him. The next indication that it is not a poem of abuse is, "Then waltzed me off to bed" (Roethke l. 15). Here is where the poem is ending. The father and son have spent their time dancing the night away. Perhaps the father is trying to put his son to sleep, seeing as that is where the story ends. This poem has the possibility of being read different ways, you just have to take the time to see them.

Doe Season: Magic Realist Language

In "Doe Season" by David Kaplan many literary forces contribute to making the story a great piece of writing. In the sense of contributing to the story's development characters play the most dominant role, along with setting as a close second. However, language seems to hold its own significance in the story, and even has its own name. Magic realism is a term I was opened up to as I read the background information about the author, presented before the text. This term can be defined as; "working outside the borders of traditional fantasy writing, seamlessly interweaving magical elements with detailed, realistically drawn 'everyday' settings. " For me, magic realism serves to turn an otherwise uninteresting text into an amazingly thought provoking work of art, and this is a great thing. If I were to have judged "Doe Season" simply by its title I would have assumed the story was about hunting, and tossed it aside, regarding it as another lame story about traditional male hobbies. Well, needless to say, I am very glad I didn't , and am grateful for being (in a sense) forced to read it.
Within the first line of "Doe Season" a reader can clearly identify what language can be considered as magic realism, "They were always the same woods, she thought sleepily as they drove through the early morning darkness - deep and immense, covered with yesterday's snowfall" (456) Before I was aware that such a thing as magic realism existed I was noting what great images lines such as this create in my head, never before did I imagine such an elaborate image can be conveyed about woods with such a short set of words. Throughout the story these images continue to be conveyed via beautiful descriptive language, and serve to engage the reader in every scene and setting. "Doe Season" has not only opened up my mind to the amazing works of David Kaplan, but taught me about a new literary technique that I will constantly be looking for in the world of writing.

Awesome band name

"The undertakers cosmetics."
thought i'd share that

Barbie doll

When i first read this i have to admit i related to it quite much. I know what it is like to not fit in for people to see for who you are not and using pain to hide your own existence so much that you end up hiding yourself completely and losing who you are,"Her good nature wore out" "like a fan belt" she snapped and the way she ended could have been symbolically a sucide or maybe a sucide of her innerself either way its a tradegy. A tradegy how women constently sacrifice themselves in many forms just to be accepted, we all might not sell to the same crowds but eventually we do lose a little to an opposing part, that part could be physically, emotionaly or soulful,"So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up". I hate the end because of the statement "To every Women a happy ending" it reminds me that no matter how much you love yourself you still will be admiring the other girl for something you do not have.

A Memory on Paper

            After reading "Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year" written by Raymond Carver, I had a couple of questions because some of the lines in the poem was not quite clear. When the narrator said, "yet how can I say thank you," (l. 14) it left me wondering what the narrator had wanted to say thank you for. To me it seemed that the narrator didn't know his father as much as a child growing up with his father would, as evidenced by this quote, "Here in this dank, unfamiliar kitchen," (l. 1). It seemed that he came to visit his father in a unfamiliar location, obviously a kitchen he never grew up in.
            Maybe the narrator wanted to say thank you for not passing down the father's traits to him (which in this poem, is the love for fishing [the yellow perch] and alcohol). As for myself, I can totally relate to the person looking at his father's picture and analyzing it with thoughts of thanks and the inability to relate to the father for his hobbies because I am the same way with the pictures that have been passed down in my family. How can you truly know someone if all you have is a photograph, much less have the same hobbies? Yet, it is possible to be able to read the inner thoughts of someone through the eyes as the narrator was able to, "But the eyes give him away," (l. 11) because I have been able to notice the emotions in people's eyes in photographs that I have seen whether it is from my family or photographs that belong to my friends.

Barbie Doll: A Broader Understanding

After reading "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy I had many questions concerning the last stanza. "Her good nature wore out/like a fan belt/so she cut off her nose and legs/and offered them up" (l. 15-18) These lines indicate a possible suicide, and have a sacrificial tone to them. At first I wasn't confident in the idea that the girl did indeed commit suicide nor did i feel positive Piercy intended to convey a sacrificial tone. Although, as I looked into other possible meanings to these lines such as cutting and plastic surgery the message became apparent, and once considering the context of these lines and all possible messages, suicide and sacrifice make the most sense. The context in this poem seems to be very significant in the writings' over all understanding, "In the casket..." and "with the undertaker's cosmetics..." (l. 19-20) struck me as concrete evidence for her suicide, rather than the idea of cutting or plastic surgery.
What I found most interesting about "Barbie Doll" was the sarcasm laced throughout, along with a more vulgar and tragic tone towards the end. The tones of vulgarity and sarcasm in a poem entitled "Barbie Doll" inspire a high interest in learning more about Marge Piercy, and I intend to look into her background, and become more familiar with her poetry.

I feel that the poem Digging is about someone that has a great relationship with there father. It shows in this poem that he really cares for what his family did to get what they wanted in the way of life. In the poem it talks about a pen in relation with a shade. When i was reading this poem it seemed that this boy was talked about a memory that had happened when he was younger watching his father and grandfather work for there money. How they were down on there hands and knee doing hard work to get the money that would let there family live a pretty good life.
The title Digging seems to me that the son of the father that did really hard work to support his family was not doing what his father had to do when he was a young child, at which he does he digging=making a living by using a pen to do his work and that he doesn't have to be down on the ground working to support his family but is every proud to say that his father and grandfather were strong men for what they had to do for there family and now he has to do work with a pen to support his family. I really enjoyed that reading for this poem, it was really interesting how you can pick this from a poem like this and understand it more.

Poems

I think that poems are a great way to say what is on your mind, when you can't tell the person that you are speaking about in person. Poems have a lot of great meaning and can for the most part tell you about someone a lot if what is in there poem is what they real mean. I can write poems sometime but i have to be in this mood that i can't describe...I wonder if that is what happens with other people that can write poems. I can't just go and write a poem off the top of my head. The Poems that i have read are really great and i really enjoy reading them. Poetry is one of the best writtings that a person can write i think and yeah i know that other people think differently but that is what this world is all about. I hope that everyone enjoys reading poetry as much as i do and can't wait to come back to class!

Tess is a newlywed

The novel has only gotten more interesting. A lot happened in the beginning and i found it hard to believe that there could be any more drama. Tess runs into Angel once again, and to me he seems like a really great guy.
For me Tess really struggles with herself in this section of the novel. She is dealing with the guilt of loosing her child Sorrow, and at the same time is dealing with falling in love with Angel. Not only is there guilt from loosing her child, but she also is dealing with the perception that Angel has of her. Tess is hiding the fact that she lost her purity to Alec and Angel is lead to believe that Tess is really still a virgin. On Tess' defense i think that it is not really her fault what has happened to her between Alec and the child. I think she is too hard on herself and should trust herself with Angel. I think it is really unfortunate that Angel is disappointed with her especially since Angel does not have the cleanest past either.
I really hope the newly weds can work out their problem. To me Angel seems like a great guy. After all, all the girls on the farm were in love with him. Maybe Angels name has some significance. Maybe he is Tess' Angel and will help her through her hard times.
Over all I am sure the novel is guaranteed to get even more interesting, with more twists and turns.

The Lost Integrity

The second section of this novel shows the extreme change in our protagonist, Amir. He has undergone an extremely life changing event: his decision to not help Hassan in that alley. Because of this decision, his life is turned upside down.
This is obviously something that bothers Hassan as well. Ali tells young Amir, “’Lately, it seems all he [Hassan] wants to do is sleep’” (Hosseini 81). This, to me, shows a young man who is understandably affected, adversely at that, by what has happened to him.
The guilt of knowing what he did affects Amir as well. Amir and Hassan go up to their pomegranate tree and Amir laments, “the words I’d carved on the tree trunk with Ali’s kitchen knife, Amir and Hassan: The Sultans of Kabul…I couldn’t stand looking at them now” (Hosseini 87).
I really cannot imagine trying to live with having made the decision that Amir made. He knows that he has lost all shred of integrity that he may have once had. His life from that moment on was shaped by that decision. More than that, he knows that something that he had done, or not done, had changed the life of Hassan forever. He knew that he saw so much of Assef in himself.

Response: Angel Clare

Angel Clare was the first character I took a liking to in this novel. When he first appeared in phase the first, Angel really interested me. I enjoyed the idea of him and his brothers just passing through Marlott as they traveled. As Angel leaves, Tess and him have an unspoken moment, Angel regrets not dancing with her and the mysterious boy intrigues Tess. Immediately after I read of this would be encounter I sensed foreshadowing of them having a future together. However as I read further, I began to think maybe I would never hear of Angel again. Fortunately, this is not the case, and in fact, in phase the third, entitled, "The Rally", they begin to build quite a fancy for each other. Within the first description of Angel I felt he was superior to Alec, in a way, his replacement. The passage, "Beneath it was something educated, reserved, subtle, sad, differing."(87), was the first to give me this idea. In addition, an entire chapter was dedicated to informing the reader of Angel's past, and reasons for residing at Talbothays Dairy. This alone is a testament to how Angel is going to be a more significant and ethiclly sound character than Alec. Another reason Angel appeals to me as a character is how he lives and his way of thinking. Angel's desire to pursue agriculture rather than what his father wishes he would pursue also highly interests me, considering the time this novel takes place. I look forward to see how Angel and Tess's relationship builds and progresses.

Stand Up

In the novel "The Kite Runner" written by Hosseini, Khaled, Iam currently on Chapter eighteen. Although I am further ahead in the book I would like to go back to chapter 7 and 8. In the book "The Kite Runner" these are the most important chapter thus far. Although 8 is more significant than chapter 7. This is where all the shame comes from in the book. Amir does nothing and does not stand up for Hassan his life long friend. Although he runs away and comes back acting like nothing happened. Hassan said nothing. Amir feels so much guilt he is torn and feels hate towards Hassan. When Amir and Baba are in the garden Amir says "Baba, have you ever thought about getting new servants" (Hosseini pg.89). Of course his Baba gets very upset and wonders why. He assumes that is a fight between the boys, but he is wrong it is that Amir can't stand the thought of looking at Hassan. He know that day Hassan got raped he should have sticked up for him. Amir tried to get Hassan to fight with him, but he doesn't. After Amir tried to sabotage Hassan more he tells his father that Hassan stole from him. Baba goes to Hassan to ask him, Hassan says "Yes"(Hosseini pg. 105). That is the moment that Amir knew that Hassan new that he had seen what had happened. He new if he had said no that Amir would have gotten blamed, because Baba would have believed him. These two chapters are striking and explain all of the regret that Amir has on that day. He had let down his life long friend and brother of all people. Amir not standing up was the biggest mistake of his life losing a friend and having his Baba lose a son.

Truth Shall Set You Free

            I am now on page 165 for Kite Runner and at this point I am very disgusted and appalled at Amir. How could he subject his “best friend” and “brother” and someone who shared the same breast as him to such lies? Why would he want to get rid of Hassan and Ali and break his father’s heart? The father’s heart break is quite obvious when Amir notes, “Then I saw Baba do something I had never seen him do before: He cried,” (Hosseini 107). Amir talks about how his father forgives Hassan, “… When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth,” (Hosseini 106) and he was reacting with shock as if he couldn’t believe his own father would forgive Hassan yet Amir was a thief himself; he stole Hassan’s right to the truth, so why should he be anyone special? He was nothing but a total hypocrite, especially when he said he loved Hassan more than anything in that moment when Hassan confirmed that he stole the money and the watch. He loved him for not revealing Amir in his true colors, “…he was rescuing me once again, maybe for the last time,” (Hosseini 105). So why couldn’t he apply the same concept to himself – he would love himself more if he was there for Hassan or at least confess to the lies that he told.
            I am also kind of disappointed in Hassan… I would think after everything Hassan had done for Amir, that moment when he confirmed himself to have stolen the watch and the money should have been the moment where he spoke out, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.” But then, after pondering this part in the story, I realize that he did say “enough is enough” because it was then Hassan and Ali had decided to leave regardless of Baba’s protesting and pleading. I found that very sad because I couldn’t imagine myself like Amir who were withholding such truth and going through with more lies, and not only that but continuing to be selfish. I still don’t understand why it is so hard for Amir to just admit to Hassan that he was a coward and that he couldn’t be there for Hassan in the way that he wanted to be. Sure, it would be difficult but you know the common saying of, “Truth shall set you free.”
            I guess “truth” did set someone free… it was Hassan, because now he would never have to deal with the burden of being so damn loyal to Amir "agha".

After The Last Kite Fell....The Kite Runner.

Amir is growing from his youthful ways into adulthood. Amir has gone from poking fun at Hassan to courtship. I believe this is a key prospective in the story. In the beginning of the story Amir was childish in his ways. " I had abandoned the text altogether, taken over the story, and made up my own, Hassan, of course, was oblivious to this" (Hosseini 30). Amir has developed his character. He is now a young man and has strayed away from this. He's now ready for commitment and for his life to begin. "That summer of 1983, I graduated from High school..." (Hosseini 131). This was a mile stone for Amir to cross. He now had an education and was learning the civilized ways of America. He was making his Baba proud.
Now comes Amir's final jump into adulthood. His Soraya he had finally found. Amir has now found, what is to him, his life's partner. "My heart stuttered at the thought of her. Soraya Thaheri. My swap meet princess" (Hosseini 142). Amir continued to grow quite fond of Soraya which developed into much more. Amir decided that he was mature enough that he was ready to pursue his life long partner. After his father becomes ill he has one more thing to ask his Baba. "i want you to go khastegari. I want you to ask General Taheri for his daughter's hand" (Hosseini 161). This is the peek of Amir's growth in to adulthood. I believe that Amir's growth is essential to the story, and he is finally starting to grow.

Jason Brown

The Story Kite Runner Blog C

Amir and Hassan aren’t every good friends anymore or not friends at all. It seems that Amir is done with helping Hassan now. The last time they went up to the hill Amir hit Hassan “Hit me back!” I snapped. Hassan looked from the stain on his chest to me” (92). Right there I felt that they have lost of what happens to many friendships and wouldn’t be the same after that. “ What am I going to do with you Hassan? What am I going to do with you”(93). Amir just wants to worry about himself and not to worried about both Hassan and himself so Amir decides to let Hassan go as a friend and moves on. Later on in the book when you read you see that Amir has been interested in someone.
In Chapter 12 you see that Amir is looking at Soraya which Amir finds very interesting and wants to be with her. When Baba and Amir are in the flea market Amir runs off to get them a coke, and amir stops to see Soraya. “Salaam,” I said “I’m sorry to be mozahem, I didn’t mean to disturb you”(145). After that moment at the flea market Amir wanted Soraya more.
When Baba got sick he didn’t want to go to the doctor at all and wasn’t worried about getting sick or even dying. Amir gets worried about his father Baba and makes him go to the doctor but Baba won’t go see any doctor at all, he doesn’t want to see an American doctor. “Baba, I read Dr. Schneider’s biography in the waiting room. He was born in Michigan. Michigan! He’s American, a lot more American than you and I will ever be!”(145). Soon after this Amir wants to get married and looks to Baba for help. “I want you to go Khastegari, I want you to ask General Taheri for his daughter’s hand”(161). After Baba talks with general Taheri, Amir finds out that they will be getting married.

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

            The way the author, Joyce Oates, wrote about Arnold Friend, she made him sound like an illusion, almost like he wasn’t a real man but a devil. For example, when I read this, “One of his boots was at a strange angle, as if his foot wasn’t in it,” (Oates 518). It reminded me of the physique of the devil. The devil is short and ugly.
            The fact of how he knew everything about Connie and where everyone was, it is almost like he has God-like powers, the ability to see “down” on people and know exactly what they are doing and who they are struck me as odd. Granted he might have been asking around but it didn’t seem like he ever bothered to ask around, he just simply “knew”. If he was asking Betty about Connie, Betty would tell Connie about the creep that was asking about her, wouldn’t she?
            The next thing that I found really convincing that he might be the actual devil, trying to pass off as a human being was when he said in the story, “'But why lock it,'” … “'It’s just a screen door. It’s just nothing,'” (Oates 518). It sounded like he was stating that he could go through it with no problem, just like a ghost could pass through a door. He probably realized this and he was about to blow his cover so he hastily spoke, “’I mean, anybody can break through a screen door…’” He also stated he could just as easily set the house on fire (Oates 518) and we all know what main component Hell is made from – fire.
            Lastly but not the least, he seemed to have the power to “hypnotize” someone as it seemed to show when the girl tried to pick up the phone but “something roared in her ear … she could do nothing but listen… “(Oates 520). By then I was definitely convinced that Arnold Friend was definitely not a friend, much less a human being but a devil. How could he send such terror with something as simple as roaring noise in the ear and STILL be standing outside the house like the story implicated him to be, the story also never implicated that Arnold Friend made the noise at all yet it was obvious it was him.

"A&P"

At the beginning of the story the cashier sounds like a guy who doesn't have a lot to do and these chicks walk in and catch his eye. To the first two chicks don't really interest him but the third chick he seems to be very interested, like he has never seen a lady like this at which point seems to be very very interested more.
When you read on in the story you see that they don't like the girls in the store because the way they are dressed. "Girls, this isn't the beach" (222). The manager of the store which gave me the idea that he disproved of what they were wearing in the A&P story.
At the end you can see how Sammy felt about what the manager did to the girls. "I quit" (223). Sammy said this to be some type of hero for the girls in the store, but the girls just walked out. After Sammy quit he walked out of the store and when we walked out and didn't find the girls he maybe felt some type of regret for quitting and maybe wanted his job back.

A & P

The story “A & P” is a well written story with excellent detail. While reading this story I felt that John Updike had done an amazing job of describing everything to create a vivid mental picture. The detail that Updike uses in describing the three girls like “She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet bread soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it” (Updike, 1) is probably the most detail I’ve ever seen or heard to describe a girls rear. At first because of the great detail Updike uses in describing the three girls I started to form the opinion that “Sammy” (Updike,20) and even Updike himself is kind of a pervert. Then I found that Updike goes into great detail in describing a lot of things like how he describes the aisle “they come around out of the far aisle, around the light bulbs, records at discount of the Caribbean Six or Tony Martin Sings or some such gunk you wonder they waste the wax on, sixpacks of candy bars, and plastic toys done up in cellophane that will fall apart when a kid looks at them anyway.” (Updike, 12) reminds me of a small town grocery store that I’ve been to. The way Updike uses detail made me feel like I was in the “A & P” with Sammy and the three girls.

Doe Season

I think that there are a lot of girls that could relate to the "Doe Season" in some way or another.
Andy was a confused girl who was trying to figure out who she was becoming. The relationship she has with her father is one that girls die to have. She wants so much to be excepted for who she is and not for what she is. I think this is why she tries so hard to be one of the guys. The trip that she took with her father, Charlie, and Max would be the turning point on understanding who she really was. She was teasted about being such a tomboy. ""well, which do you like? Andy or Andrea?"'(463) Her fathers comments, made her think that she was more of a girl than she had thought. Shutting the deer effected her in a way that she wasnt confortable with. She didnt like hunting like her father did."Andy was running from them, back to the field and across, scattering the crows who cawed and circled angirly."(467) Max cutting the deer was too much form Andy to handle. She tried so hard to be someone that her dad would love that she never had the chance to figure out who she was, until the hunting trip!

Dos Season (Journal #4)

In this piece of literature I feel the author David Micheal Kaplan was very sexist. We still to this day assoicate certain sprots and activites with male or female genders. Although i feel there was a stronger association twenty years ago. As he continoulsy picks her gender apart through out the story. Charlie said in the very begining "I dont understand why shes comming." She was also picked apart by her name not being a typical female name. "Well, which do you like? andy or andera?" As if her name had a strong tie to her gender and changed who she was or how she should act. It seemed as if from ther very begining when Andy first stepped in the vehicle she had to try and fit in and prove to these "MEN" that she could hunt as well as they did. Its a story about acceptance of her fateher and the realtionship with him. I almost felt as she went along more for him then she did herself. I was also very surprised and grossed out by the way charlie dared to talk to a nine year old girl about seeing a pecker and penis. It seemed unnessary to the story as it nad no other point or draw into the stroy except to draw you away from him as a character. Over all i think this story was very good and a very easy read that encouaged you to continue to read as it continued to get intersting.

Journal # 3

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The Kite Runner
This navel written by Khaled Hosseini that takes place in Afganistan in in about the 1970's. The time period and author is very improtant to this story. The author is the narrator and does a very good job with describiton and introducing the characters i really liked the way that he introduced himself in the story. He did not let you know his name until the end of chapter two but did not just say his name but the signifacant of his name came along with it it was Hassens first werid Amir his name. I think that was signifacant to how much time they spent together and how loyal Hassen was to his friend Amir is proved over and over in the story but it begins as early as his first werid. I also see alot of sybolizim in this story the smoking room is a major one through out the story again and again we see Amir dragging Hassen along to sit and listen outside the smoking room where Amirs fathere spent most his time. This symbolizes the wall between Amir and his father as wel as how badly he seeks approvel although over and over again he his told to run along and play and ends up sitting out side the smoking room for hours on end. This is a very warming navel soo far on friendship and how far you will go for a friend. If was to give it theme to this point that would have to be the theme friendship as Hassen goes as far as getting raped for his friend. I think by the end of the story all the charcters will have somewhat of a dynamic change.

Journal #2

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

"The Crysanthemums"
This story starts out very dry and takes a while to pick up. In the very begining John Stienbeck does nothing but describe the farm land and the garden and Elisa. Which helps us be able to put our self in the situation but was hard to keep attention until the story line accutally picked up. There is alot of repeition in this story which makes you constintly try and find a reason or some kinda of sybolizim for it. "Elisa took off her gloves and stuffed them in the apron pocket with the sissors." Even after class discussion i can not figure out why that phrase has any importance in the story. However we can sybolize the Crysanthemums as her life, happiness and peace. Elisa inside seemed very depressed not satisfied or happy with her life although behind the Crysanthemum she found her joy and her happiness as if they were her kids. When the sales man or the man in the wagon appared and began to talk to her she seemed friendly as his talk became more pushey on his sales then she began to get annoyed but, when his interst became in her flowers its as if her intrest grow for him. In my opinion we dont technicaly know what happend between them which could start a whole other converstation about what really went on before he left. I dont feel she was very happy in her marital situation thats why she spent soo much time in the garden with her "children" perfecting them. Over all i feel this was a very well written story. Was not confusing and comming from a whole bunch of differnt narrators or using hard words to understand. Alhtought it did make you think and tie things together in order to keep the read a interesting one.

"Doe Season"

In the story "Doe Season" by David Kaplan I thought it stood for a journey of life that reminds me of my life. I feel as though you must go through many choices in your life and for Andy it was a very difficult one. The story first starts out with criticism from Mac and Charlie. Just because she was a female they didn't see why she should come. Although they did respect her, her father looked at her with the up most respect. It is the typical journey in life many people are going to put you down and judge you by first impressions. You are going to have to push through that and listen to people who are supportive. Although Andy's dad was very proud, respectful, and believed in her, some people aren't that lucky. Some people may not have anyone to believe in them. Also in the story when Andy runs away from them, I don't think she was necessarily running away from them I believe she was running from reality. She felt terrible that she shot that deer. There are sometimes things in life that you may have done that you are not proud of and you just try to forget about it and move on with your life. This is a good story in the sense it will remind you of life goals, choices, and consequences. Great story to give you a little reality check, and can really relate to anybody, even people who don't hunt!

Get Off My Back Mac

In the story “Doe Season” by David Michael Kaplan the main character Andy has a strong desire to please and show that she belongs in that type of setting. One the first day when Charlie Spoon instructed his son to gather some fire wood Andy jumped in and said “I’ll do it” (460). Even more so, after Andy had spotted deer for the second time and her father said “Andy spotted it, let her shoot it” (463) she said “I can’t” (464). Her father even asked her if she wanted to shoot it and she said that she would even though inside her head she was wishing that the deer would run away. Her desire to please and belong is most evident by her actually pulling the trigger. She could have just missed on purpose and the deer would have run away but then she would have to face Charlie Spoon and Mac. Those two would never have let her live it down. So in her desire to please her father and to show that she belongs out there she did something that she did not want to do.

A & P blog

I thought the short story "A & P" was both good and bad. I did not really get the point of the story, but i did really like like the feeling it gave me about summer, and being carefree.
I was not in class for the group discussion, and those really help me get a deeper meaning of the stories. From my own view point I felt bad for Sammy. It seemed to me like he was trying to impress the girls by quitting work only to find them gone and himself alone. It seems like he was trying to fit into a group he was not part of, sort of like his infactuation with the girls is what caused him to quit working at the supermarket. I am sure there is a deeper meaning in the story but i wasn't understading it.
One thing i really liked about the story was the way that John Updike describes the charachters. It really gives you a feeling of time the story takes place and the feeling the charachters had. The way he describes the girls in their bathing suits such as, " the dirty pink - beige maybe...bathing suit.. with a little nuble over it and the straps were down." or " There was this chunky one, with the two piece--it was brigh tgreen and the seams on the bra were still sharp and her belly was still pretty pale..." (220). By going into depth about the girls Updike not only gives you a good idea of what they look like, but also the feeling of a being carefree in the summer. Another thing i like about the story is how it takes place in around the 1960's. And to me life seemed to me like it would be much simpilar. People were not always in a hurry and trying to get things done.
Over all I am sure Sammy had other motiaves for the reasons he quit, and maybe the girls were just the final straw, maybe he wasnts to feel the freedom the girls have on their summer vacation, whatever it was it really wasnt clear to me, and i felt like the story just sort of stopped.

"Doe Season"

After class discussion on this story I gained a better idea of what this story was really about. I saw this story as a journey for Andy from childhood into adulthood/adolescence. I believe that Andy's character changed significantly. When they first set off for the the woods she was just a nine year old, but when she came out she was much more. " 'So ---nine. What's the difference? She'll just add to the noise and get tired besides' " (Kaplan 457). Andy, in the beginning of the story, is innocent and is like a good luck charm to her dad. " ' And she'll bring good luck, you'll see.' " (Kaplan 457). This brings out the youth traits in Andy, she is still following her dad. It's towards the middle of the story that Andy starts to change. "It trembled, still straining to keep its head high, as if that alone would save it; failing, it collapsed, shuddered, and lay still" (Kaplan 465). This was the point of no return. Andy had now taken a life, and you cannot return from that. At that instant she had grown up, whether or not she was ready, it happened. " But that wasn't her name, she would no longer be called that" (Kaplan 467). This was the final barrier to cross. She no longer wished to be Andy. With killing the deer it made her realize that wasn't the person she wanted to be. From now on she was going to be known as Andrea. She has made the jump into her beginning years of female adolescense.

-Jason Brown-

Where are you going, Where have you been

I thought Arnold had to be a social path. Honestly how can Arnold

know so much about Connie. He only meet her once yet he new about her

parents being gone. Arnold also new exactly where her parents were.

(Joyce Carol Oates pg.517) "He ain't coming. He's at a barbecue." Arnold

enjoyed taunting Connie by saying that if she were to call the cops that he

would come in her house after her. Arnold talked smooth and in a low

tone, almost seductive like. With the mental state Connie is in, it seems

that she is lured in by him. Connie wants to stand tall and not be intriged

by Arnold, but she finds it hard to do.(Oates pg 514)"Now she rememered

him even better, back at the restaurant, and her cheeks warmed at the of

how she sucked in her breath just at the moment she passed him-how she

must of looked to him." Throuh out the story Arnold keeps on talking

about how he wants Connie to come with him and Ellie. He is telling her

basically that she has nothing to loose.Connie keeps on saying that Arnold

is crazy.(Oates pg.517) "Shut up! You're crazy!" But how is it that being

told this does not deter Arnold. Any normal brained indivual it would.

Arnold goes on and on calling Connie names only people dating would

call each other.(Oates pg. 519) "Huh? What're you saying, honey?" Slowly

Connie decides towards the end of the story to give up and just to go with

Arnold. Maybe in fear of her own life or of fear that Arnold might hurt

her family.What the hell Connie is thinking know one will ever know.

1st journal

"The storm" writtin in 3rd person is very confusing as it starts out talking about many differnt people. With out really decribing each persons charcter in the story. The dialog was hard to follow as it jumped around alot. Although the story did a really good job at discribion and painting a visualize picture of the charters looks. "she was a little fuller of figure than five years before when she married; her blue eyes still retained their melting quality and her yellow hair, dishvelled by the wind and rain." Very well understaning of how the charcter may look. There is also good describtion on what the storm was like and how bad it really was. "It shook the wooden storen and seemed to be ripping great furrowas in the distant field." Some where it stated they had not had a storm this bad in years. This is a story where the conflict is man verses nature. These images helped me visualize the storm, its as if you were there. The setting is sourthen and ancient by the describtion of them riding in on horses and the dialog used. The story overal intesting and ending very classic like many others "happy every after." In happiness as the storm has passed.

Where are you going, where have you been.

I found this story to be quite layered, with many different appealing aspects. One aspect to look at is the fact that this could be a warning to young girls who are learning about their own sexual possesions and how men respond to these, showing them that flirting and acting sexually an attract a negative reaction. In the story Arnold will not go into the house but demands for connie to come out to him this part story demonstrates how young girls fall to the head games and hasty persuasion that males tend to have. Young girls can be easily controlled because their adolescent minds and not quite logical as most adult women would be, not always reconizing danger. I also like the real life connection of this story. The connection to Charles joseph schmid who in the same me period of this story, lured unkowing females in to his rad car and killed possibly raped in abandened fields. Smitty as he was refered to by the youth locals at the time was convicted of three muders including two sisters. Another aspect is the biblical notion it tends to preach. Showing how the evils of vanity and greed can distort the soul that is why arnold becomes more and more uglier to connie as the conversation progresses, giving connie a glimpse of what she might become if she continues to selfish and vain. Once again i also think this story shows light on how as we become adults and face new challenges we tend to do things we would never do like connie going with arnold after he threatens her family showing that in the worst possible situation she starts to grow up and relize the sacrifices adults have to make. Maybe thats why her mothers looks went down hill because she now had a family to look after disregarding her own up keep

Yellow Wallpaper

Here's a story about a woman whose experiencing post partum depression. The hardest part

is Jane is not really getting any support through it. Her husband John(he's a physican) feels that

his wife has a nervous condition. Pg.369 " Such a dear baby! And yet I cannot be with him

makes me nervous." Pg.372 " It is getting to be a great effort for me to think straight."

How can anyone not be depressed when your locked away in a nursery, with hideous

wallpaper. As a new mother Jane cant' even see her son, because shes nervous. This wallpaper

has different shapes, ripped up and just faded. Pg.368 "Stripped off paper- in great patches."

pg.368"Unclean yellow faded by slow turning sunlight."

From what Jane found out was no matter how hard you don't let your mind wonder. It

can still happen when there is know interaction with others. This wallpaper has a way of

putting you in a mind tripping spell. All Jane has is the four walls in this nursery and old

wallpaper. Pg.368 " I am sitting by the window now up in this atrocious nursery." Pg.368

" Stripped off paper-in great patches." Pg.368 " Unclear yellow faded by slow turning sunlight."

Pg.373 " On a pattern like this, by daylight, there is a lack of sequence, a defiance of law,

that is a constant irritant to a normal mind."

Kite Runner

I didn't think i was going to like the book Kite Runner when i first started to read. As i read through each chapter i enjoyed the book more and more. Its was interesting to me that Hassan is not able to read and loved to listen to Amir jan. For some reason i enjoyed the part in the book where Amir jan reads to Hassan and then stops reading from the book and makes up his own story and Hassan really enjoyed what Amir read to him, which then made Amir start to write his own short story.
Amir jan father seems to me that he blames Amir for the death of this wife, Amir mother because she died giving birth to Amir and thoughout the book you can tell that by what his father says about him. His father wishes that Amir would stand up for himself and do things like play soccer and interact with more people then just Hassan. His father thinks it is not right that a young boy/man should write stories or poems but that's what Amir jan enjoys the most in the book. It also seems that Baba is maybe afraid that the way his son act's is not going to be good for the business and he will not be able to pass the business on to his son.
I think this book is going to end well and i'm excited for the ending.

Who is Amir?

The Kite Runner is an excellent novel. I really felt that it has been easy to read, but it still has many layers to it. One of those layers, the one I really have focused on, is the layer of human nature.
Human nature seems to be a fickle thing. So many works of fiction are about this very topic. It is an almost obsessive topic because it applies to us, every one of us.
The Kite Runner has a layer to it where we see a little boy asking himself who he is. I found the first 79 pages of the novel were him trying to answer this question. Rahim Khan is speaking with Amir's father and telling him that Amir does not have a mean streak. Amir thinks to himself, "Rahim Khan had been wrong about that mean streak thing" (Hosseini 23). He was so much different than his father, so who was he?
Exploration and discovery, however, are usually not without cost. This cost seems to not only affect him for the rest of his life, but his servant Hassan, too. After Hassan finds a plot hole in Amir's story, Amir thinks to himself, "What does he know, that illiterate Hazara? He'll never be anything but a cook. How dare he criticize you?" (Hosseini 34).
Hassan gives up so much, but he always keeps his integrity. I believe it is this integrity that drives Amir for the rest of his life. He is always seeking to regain that lost integrity.

The Kite Runner

            I am fascinated by this story thus far. It is something new to me, not only is it new because it is a new book but I am also new with the location the book is based on. Whenever I read a book, it is most likely based in a location that is familiar to me – such as Boston, Massachusetts. Or maybe it is based in Hollywood, California. Or even Seattle, Washington. This story is based in the Middle East and that is not familiar to me so it is really interesting.
            The other interesting thing about this novel is the names used. I learned that there is a word that you use all the time to refer to any older male as Kaka or any older female as Khala which is basically “uncle” and “aunt” (Hosseini, 83). I just find that a little different because we don’t call every grown man “Uncle” or grown woman, “Aunt” here in America. There is also the difference in how they use the term of “mister.” They don’t say “Mr. Amir” they say “Amir agha” as Hassan always calls him. “Amir jan” is more of an affectionate way of referring to someone as it obviously shows when Amir stated in the book, “Baba hardly ever used the term of endearment jan when he addressed me,” (Hosseini, 31).
            Another reason why I really like the book thus far is because it is so similar to the American way of life – they work just like we do, they live their lives just like we do, there are bullies over there just as there are bullies here and there are bullies that have raped here in America so it struck a chord in me that made me think, “just because we are different in ethnicity, race, religion, socially, it doesn’t mean we don’t go through the same type of experiences in life.” I’m sure there are people who have been through experiences of wanting a father’s affection, or having a “servant” for a friend and not wanting to admit it, or being bullied. We are all similar more than we will think, or sometimes even admit.

Novel Blog

I thought the novel i started reading is really good. It is sort of hard to understand at first. For times sake i am going to refer to the novel as "Tess". Overall the story is sort of complicated to get since it was written long ago and takes place in the late 1800's. There are many details and little things to catch. Right away in the story i resented Tess' parents, i felt as though they are lazy, and just want to make a buck of their own child. Tess seems really responsible, and level headed, however i do think she is batteling with herself and her own issues. Some people say she may have been seduced, but i think she was raped by alec. To me this is really sad because before it happens i see the author adding details of how pure Tess is. After she goes home and quits working i feel like her mom wants her to marry Alec just for status reasons. After the baby dies i really feel bad for Tess and what she must be going through. Esecially since she is giving birth not only really young but in a time where its unacceptable to give birth back then and is still today is looked at as deviant.
So far i really enjoy the book. I am not that far into the book and so much has happend! The author does a good joob of getting the reader hooked right away. There are so many events in the first part that im excited to see what possibly could happen next!

Teh Kite Runner

In class today, when we discussed the story I felt that there was a wall up between Amir and his father. All he wanted was for his dad to except him as his son. I think that the smoke room represented that wall. He would sit outside the door and listen to his dad talking. Amir's friendship with Hassan was hard to except because he was envious of him. Hassan had a better relationship with Baba(Amirs father) than Amir did. For Hassan being a servant to Amir he never seemed to have any bad felling for not having the things Amir had. He was a loyal friend to Amir. Hassan would have to be the character that keeps me reading. With in the first 79 pages of the book, Hassan has been threw more any young boy. I am excited to keep reading!

The Kite Runner

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book or not when I started reading it, but now that I'm into it I really enjoy it. It is a very powerful piece of literature and is very moving, and eye opening. It really gives you a glimps of how life is through anothers eyes. The settings of the story, I beleive, are essential to this story. Some of the main ones are: Kabul, the pomegranate tree, the study, and many more. The begining is about two young boys, Amir and Hassan. Hassan is on of the servants to the Amir and his father. Hassan is a Hazara. I believe that this is an important parta nd aspect of the story. "People called Hazaras mice eating, flat-nosed, load carrying donkeys." ( Hosseini 9). The Hazara people are seen as slaves and have had everything stripped from them in the past by the Pashtuns. This, I believe, is important because Hassan, the Hazaras, are looked down on for being slaves, and illiterate. This is an issue because Amir and Hassan are so close. They do everything together, "Hassan and I fed from the same breast" (Hosseini 11). This just goes to show that they have been close from the very begining. Amir was even the first word Hassan said. Even though this close Amir makes mockeries towards Hassan and his illiteracy. With this in mind I ask is Hassan a friend or a servent? For example how could a friend just stand by while his friend was raped? "I ran because I was a coward" (Hosseini 77). For all the times that Hassen stuck up for Amir and all he's done for Amir, Amir did nothing. He ran away when he could have stuck up for Hassen. After all Hassen is getting raped for Amir. So which is it, servent or slave. I hope that with further reading it will become clear.

Jason Brown

Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Immediately I was aware that in order to understand this novel I would have to record my thoughts and take note of significant rising actions throughout the story. What caused this idea was the difficulty I had in understanding the language the characters use. Some definitions are provided for the reader, although some passages remain confusing for me. "...and in constructing his family tree on the new basis was duly reasonable in framing this intermarriages and aristocratic links, never inserting a single title above a rank of strict moderation." This passage in particular was especially difficult for me to grasp, even after reading it a second time. The only way I see this problem being solved is reading the text next to a dictionary, and simply removing myself form the modern day lingo I am used to and placing my mind in an 1800's environment. Although my knowledge of this era is quite scarce, removing myself from the modern day has come second nature to me though the years. Aside from the language being difficult to understand, it is also very interesting as well. The style of language Alec uses strikes me as well mannered and educated, (although his intentions are quite the opposite) and this continues to make the story engaging for me. Personally I love the endless use of words one has to choose from to get their point across, and reading such a different style than what I hear everyday is something I love to experience. In this aspect, along with others, "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" promises to be a interesting and insightful experience.

"The Chrysanthemums"

I did not really like this story too much, I thought that Elisa should had left like she wanted to . But instead she stuck to her role of little o'housewife which sucks. She wanted to spread her wings and go out into the world but instead she stayed with the traditional role that society expected her to do. Elisa had a expert knack in growing plants she could have used that out in the world. But all she did was stay in marriage with a man she cannot communicate with or that understands her. she just continues a nameless and boring existence hindered by her own fear. of the world. She can barely take pride in herself she gets all weird and emotional when her husband complements her and instead of admtting she wanted to go to a fight she just hushed herself and looked into the open field where she pondered where the road could take her. know wonder she wanted to drink wine maybe then she could forget about how crappy she felt.

"The Chrysanthemums"

On the surface “The Chrysanthemums” seems to be a rather odd tale. The ending, without a doubt, is quite strange. Yet, after having the class discussion, I think there really is an underlying story somewhere in “The Chrysanthemums.”
The real message for me is one of a woman who is not content with her position in life. She is the wife of a rancher and her husband seems to be nice enough. He encourages her and compliments her abilities as a gardener saying, “’you’ve got a gift with things’” (Steinbeck 633). He seems to want to make her happy when he suggests a night out.
I think we see her lack of contentment when a traveling repairman seems to get under her skin. After having heard of his nomadic lifestyle, our protagonist says, “’I wish women could do such things’” (Steinbeck 637). The repairman tells her that “’it ain’t the right kind of a life for a woman’” (Steinbeck 637) and she is obviously not pleased “her upper lip raised a little, showing her teeth” (Steinbeck 637).
Later, when she gets into a little tiff with Henry, Elisa tells him (really, it seems, she’s more telling herself), “’I’m strong…I never knew before how strong” (Steinbeck 638). Here she shows her insecurity and tries to reaffirm, in her own mind, that she has self worth.

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The Chrysanthemums
I think that this story was about a young woman that really didn't of much and did'nt care to meet other people. She loved her garden and that's where she spent most of her time. She didn't really want to go into town to eat dinner or go to a movie because i think she was afraid of the people or to meet new people. When the guy came up to her when she was working in the garden she didn't really know what to do i thought until they started to talk about Chrysanthemums. When she starts talking about those it was like she was in control of the her world and was happy. She loved Chrysanthemums like there which part of the family and would care for them like they were her kids.

The Yellow Wallpaper

I enjoyed “The Yellow Wallpaper” because for me it was sort of a mystery as to what was reality and what was fantasy. While I was reading I wasn’t sure just how crazy our narrator was. I had questions about if the house they where living in was really just a house or if she was in a mental institution. Even towards the end I wasn’t sure I thought maybe the woman that she saw “creeping” outside may have been other patients. The lines “ I often wonder if I could see her out of all the windows at once. But, turn as fast as I can, I can only see out of one at a time.” (Gilman, 205-206) really made me think it just other patients in a mental institution. I now know that it was just a house but for me that was a cool part of the story. During our discussion I thought it was interesting to find out when she “became” the woman in the wall, I didn’t think it happened that early. Someone had mentioned when they are just sitting around bored they notice weird patterns on things around them. That’s exactly what I thought was happening with “Jane.” Right know I’m sitting in my living room with wood panel walls and I can clearly see a bird in the pattern of the wood grain but nobody else says that they can see it. It first appeared to me one day when I was staring at the wall thinking about a problem. So if a person in a room all day I can see a person going a little stir crazy or just fixating on an object in that room.

The Chrysanthemums

This story was strange and confusing the first time I read it. It was not until I stopped to think about the story that I understood it for its face value. When I was thinking about it I came to the conclusion that there is more than one theme. I believe there are two themes. First, Elisa had a deep sense of duty and commitment to her husband, even though she was very distant to him. Another theme would be that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

The first time I read it I noticed the theme was that there is a sense of duty. When Elisa takes care of her Chrysanthemums she takes great pride in caring for them. She is so involved in them that it seems her life is revolved around them. She kind of treats them like her children with the intense year round care for them.

The other theme that I came across was that the grass is not always greener on the other side. With Elisa’s intense care for her flowers, her sense of duty, she seems to want to get away. It seems that she wants to live the life of the wonderer, and get away from her boring life. She wants to experience a different life that is very different from her own. When the wonderer explains that his life is very difficult and very straining, Elisa realizes that she cannot leave her husband and her life. That is why she gave the wonderer a Chrysanthemum. She gave it to him to take her place. With these two themes the story is very confusing, but once you realize them it became clearer. John Steinbeck wrote a great short story that was thought provoking and interesting

The Chrysanthemums

By the middle of this story I was beginning to feel as though Elisa's chrysanthemums were somehow connected with her and her husbands relationship. When the author described how she replaced the past years flowers he wrote "Her face was mature and handsome; even her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful. The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy" (Steinbeck 632). I interpreted this as Elisa wanting change in her life, like she was ready to move on and start fresh. When her husband commented on the strength of the new flowers, she responded "Yes. They'll be strong this coming year" (633). I think she wanted to mend their relationship or perhaps maybe even actually try to put some effort into it. When the "man" came she was not at all interested in what he was "selling" her. until he pretended to be interested in her chrysanthemums. She was so excited to finally have someone to share them with, I think for her it was almost like she had an emotional affair. She was so impressed with him that she too gave a fake face and paid him for a job that she could do herselfjust to keep him around a little longer. "You might be surprised to have a rival sometime. I can sharpen scissors, too.And I can beat the dents out of little pots. I could show you what a woman might do" (637). (After it was mentioned in class I too changed my mind about the black speck on the road being the flowers, I too think it was the "man") When she started crying I think she not only felt as if she was losing the one person that understood her, even if it was just for a brief amount of time, but also out of guilt. She gave a complete stranger more of herself than she ever did her husband. She may have also realized, beacause of the closeness that she felt with the man, that the distance between her and her husband was her fault. What really made me think that she was going to try and make their relationdship work was when she started inquiring about the fights, this time it was her that was going compromise and meet him in the middle.

The Chrysanthemums

In class today or group talked about the theme of the story. I think that the theme was about relationships.I thought that Elisa was a strong women who didnt know how to let people get close to her. The only thing that made her happy was her chrysanthemums. I think that they were like her kids. She was very protective and took very good care of them."Back at the chrysanthemum bed she pulled out the little crisp shoots, trimmed off the leaves of each one with her scissors and laid it on a small orderly pile."(633)

She seems to have communication problems with her husband. He tries to talk and complement her work."You"ve got a gift with things"(633) For some reason she doesnt show interest in what he is saying.When the man showed up at the farm she was not talkative. He wanted to do some work for her, to earn some money. Until he showed interest in the flowers, she wanted to send him on his way. She was happy that he liked her flowers and wanted to help him out. Somehow he got her to open up. She seemed to change at this point. It was almost like she had finally found someone she could talk to and trust. After he left, it was almost like she wanted to try to make her relationship work with her husband. When heading into town with her husband and she saw the flowers she had given the man on the side of the road, she was pissed. I dont know how she could open up to a perfect stranger but couldnt with her husband. Maybe seeing the flowers on the road opened her eyes to try harder with her husband.

The Chrysanthemums

            The feeling I had about the woman’s personality in this story is she was hard-headed. She liked to be smug, was boastful and wasn’t quite friendly. I felt like she was constantly trying to prove something to herself by being snippy to her husband and the wagon man. Maybe it wasn’t about her trying to prove anything; maybe it was just her liking to be in control.
            I think the reason why she was so angry and upset in the end is because out of everyone in her life, a stranger got under her skin. Someone she didn’t even know got her to be a person of softness and excitement as derived from this quote, “The irritation and resistance melted from Elisa’s face. ‘Oh, those are chrysanthemums, giant whites and yellows…,'” (Steinbeck, 635-51). Once the wagon man saw that she found pride in taking care of the chrysanthemums and how she loved them so, he dug into that weakness by getting her to talk more about them and she did so. When she asked him if he knew what planter’s hands were, “her breast swelled passionately,” (Steinbeck, 636-72) and she seemed almost breathless and vulnerable after talking about the chrysanthemums. It was then when the wagon man pressed on her vulnerability by stating he would have no dinner tonight. She then felt guilty and decided to give him saucepans to work on for fifty cents.
            When he left, that was probably when she realized that she wasn’t as strong as she always believed herself to be. This angered her because she then went to bathe, “Then she scrubbed herself … until her skin was scratched and red,” (Steinbeck, 638-93). It seemed like she was trying to wash the shame (or truth?) from her body. She knew that the wagon man manipulated her and seeing the pile of the dirt that was originally from her flower pot that the wagon man dumped on the side of the road confirmed her suspicions. That is probably why she was so snippy to her husband when he complimented her, she felt justified to try to feel “strong” again and this was the only way she knew how to feel strong – by being bossy-like to her husband, and being back in control. But I think in reality she was only fooling herself because she knew the truth: she was weak. Now I wonder how she actually feels about her precious chrysanthemums. Does she hate them now because they represent her definite weakness? Would she be so passionate about them now, knowing how the wagon man manipulated her with the chrysanthemums?

The Chrysanthemums

After taking a closer look at the theme of the story I have a much wider understanding of it. Due to this new understanding I am able to see more possibilities as to what the message could be. Before discussion I had some skepticism about the symbolic connection between Elisa and her chrysanthemums. At first I believed the only connection was Elisa sending her flowers with the traveling tinker because she would not go with. Although looking deeper into the story I see that they also represent her as a woman, and the chrysanthemums also seem to symbolize children. Observing other classmates make these connections really helped me understand how many possible themes there could be in a story, even if the story seems like it lacks elements. What came across to me as very interesting was the fact that I failed to see a very significant element in the story. That element was the traveling tinker using Elisa's interests to manipulate her. Even now that I am aware of this element, I am still having difficulty finding the reason behind the tinkers manipulation.

"A Rose for Emily"

" A Rose for Emily" is a story with many twist and turns that really are very disturbing. When I think of poor Emily, I see a girl who has no self confidence, has never been able to make her own decisions, and is so mentally undeveloped. The story was overall pretty interesting, however not suprising since we read this in high school.
In the story emily never really grips the death of her family and once her true love Homer Baron wants to leave her she is unwilling to let him leave. She goes to the local pharmacy buys arsenic and kills Homer with the poison. Emily goes on with her regular life like nothing has happened even so much as to pretend their still "happy". The towns people start to smell awful odors coming from the house and try to confront her about the smell, she wont say a word and tells them to go away.
the story is a sad story, and i can still see some simularities today. People with always have a hard time coming to grips with loss, however they do deal with it in better ways than her. I think emily's problems are a direct correlation from the way she was brought up and I feel sorry for her.

The Chrysanthemums

The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck is a story filled with gender specific ideas, as well as the main character, Elisa Allen, desire to break down these gender related roles. Right away she is described as “handsome” and “over-powerful” (632). These are two words I would not generally associate with women. Later on while the traveling potsmith was talking about sleeping in his wagon as he worked up and down the pacific coast Elisha said “It must be nice, it must be very nice. I wish women could do such things” (637). I believe that Elisha is expressing her contempt for the socially acceptable role for a woman should be. She has been stuck in a rut for a long time and is beginning to wonder if maybe she has missed out on all that life has to offer. To me the most glaring of the gender issues was before Elisa and her husband Henry went into town for dinner he said that she looked “strong” (638) when he first saw her all cleaned up and wearing her dress. Strong is an interesting choice of word. I would not usually think of a female in her best dress as strong.
Gender specific ideas were a constant theme throughout this story and show a lot about the characters.

A rose for emily

A rose for Emily was a pretty interesting story. It was kind of confusing since not everything goes in chronological order. I thought the characters in the story were also really interesting. Over all the story was okay, but it really was kind of disgusting.
Obviously the main character Emily is suffering from some sort of mental illness. She doesn't want to believe her father died, and then kills Homer Baron because she does not want anybody else to have him. To me she seems lonely and will do almost anything to have a companion. What really grossed me out was in the end of the story the last lines that said, "We noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, the faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair"(212). This proves that she did not only kill him so he would stay with her forever, but she also laid by his dead body which to me is really sick.
Besides some of the bizarre things going on in the story, A Rose for Emily did give me a good idea of how times were in the deep south in a small town. Everybody seemed gossipy, and everybody wanted to know each others business. On Emily's behalf i can understand why she probably felt crazy, everyone wanted to know what was going on with her,and in her business. Not only was this town gossipy but it seemed to be very racist and full of bigots.
Overall the story was a good read and having the discussion in class really helps me look deeper into the story and really understand in depth what is going on. It makes the story a lot more enjoyable.

A Rose for Emily

"A Rose for Emily", may be one of the most intersting stories I have read in a long time. When I read it at home for the first time, I really didn't even know what to think about it. I was confused and had no idea what I just read. Although after doing some in class projects I really enjoyed it and have since reread it to get a better understanding. Emily is a soft hearted women who you think is just a mean person, but she isn't. She is almost lost in time she is a very traditional woman. When she finally passes away and they find the hair around her neck. I was very disturbed, until I finally realized that it was from her lover. Who had passed away before her. Although the story is one of my favorites so far you may not like it, but give it a more in depth look and they you may understand more. Definately worth reading "A Rose for Emily" and get your won feelings bout the short story.

"The yellow wallpaper"

I found this story to be quite interesting, The tale of a young woman's journey into seclusion and partial insanity. It seems that the woman is suffering form post partum depression hence the anxiety and nervousness. But i assume in those days(Victorian) people didn't have a real grasp on mental health. They tended to belive like John, the woman's husband, that anything none physical could be cured with rest and a healthy diet. But instead the solitude and constant restrainment to the room pushed her closer and closer to the edge. She had no one to relate to or no way of expressing her thoughts and feelings. John just wanted her to sleep and eat secluding her to room she didn't like and not taking her feelings legitimately. I feel John disregard with emotins and lack of encouragement added to her insanity. Thats how she got to the point she did her only escape was her own mind turning her own emotions and feelings into a head game, a head game that involved the wallpaper and the room and the only two other people. Thats why she started to get antsy with jennie and John she didn't have anything to focus on but the wallpaper the wallpaer was hers and they couldn't have it. I didn't really see this as ghost story but i do believe that because of the bars and the lingering energy left over by the children had a great deal to do with the ending of her journey. the room had negative energy reflecting on the woman negatively in return. Good story shows how woman were treated in victorina days, like trophies like something to have not to be equal to.

"The Storm"

When I first read “The Storm” I came away with a feeling of sadness. After having our class discussion, I now have some new insights. Despite these new insights, I still find the short story to be a sad one.
On the surface this story just seemed like a tale of suppressed passions coming to fruition. It’s hard not to despise Calixta and Alcee for what they do. They are both married and whether or not they harbored these feelings from long ago, they still have no excuse for committing adultery.
After having the class discussion, I really see how well Chopin was able to use the storm as a symbol of the sin that is committed. In the beginning I love how the clouds “were rolling with sinister intention” (Chopin 255). What great use of foreshadowing for what’s about to happen.
Later we see how the rain came “down in sheets obscuring the view of far-off cabins” (Chopin 257) really illustrating how there was a feeling of isolation in that cabin. They felt that they could get away with what they were about to do. Then, as the atrocious act is about to happen, “they did not heed the crashing torrents” (Chopin 257) showing their lack of moral fiber to resist their own lusts.
With all of this in mind, I really still feel sad. These are two people who knew full well what they were doing; yet they still do it. Even worse, after all is said and done “everyone was happy” (Chopin 259). How could Calixta and Alcee just go on and pretend as if nothing had happened when they had committed the ultimate betrayal against their spouses? Sad.

"The Yellow Wallpaper"

My initial reaction after reading this story was one of dissatisfaction. I did not particularly enjoy reading it even after class discussion. However, I did get a better understanding of the story after class discussion. It this story we basically watch, through her own hand, a woman go insane. What is driving her to be this way is the yellow wallpaper that lines the walls of the room she's in. She goes from hatting the paper, "I'm really getting quite fond of the big room, all but the horrid paper" (Gilman 369), to growing to be a part of the paper, "I'm getting really fond of the room spite of the wallpaper. Perhaps because of the wallpaper" (Gilman 371). The main character despite the wallpaper in the beginning of the story becomes quite fond and protective of the wallpaper. There is even a passage that reads: " I caught Jennie with her hand on it once....she turned around as if she had been caught stealing, and looked quite angry --- asked me why I should frighten her so!!" (Gilman 374). She, in her mind, had become a part of the wallpaper and the wallpaper a part of her. She didn't want anyone else to know if it or to be a part of it. She also claims of a person who is trying to come out of the paper and is trapped behind it, or is it her who she is referring to?? "I always lock the door when I creep by daylight I can't do it at night, for I know John would suspect something at once" (Gilman 376). I believe that she is in fact the person behind that wallpaper and she, being herself, is out during the day, and her other personality comes out at night....

Jason Brown

A Rose for Emily

The story “A Rose for Emily” was at first confusing to me because of the fact that the events don’t happen in chronological order. It also doesn’t tell the reader when things actually happen in an effective way. This story to me is a classic lover scorned story. Emily is in love with Homer Barron, but he does not love her. He enjoys her company and probably the appearance of being a straight man. I think Homer Barron was a homosexual because of the line “because Homer himself had remarked - he liked men,” this is why he doesn’t love her. She buys arsenic and people think she is going to kill herself, but they don’t try to stop her. Ultimately she did not use the arsenic to kill herself, but to kill Homer instead. Her murdering of Homer is her way of saying if I can’t have you nobody will. Although in the end she did have him, well at least his rotting corpse.

A Rose for Emily

Initially my reaction to A Rose for Emily lacked depth. My opinion was the story was simply a tale of an of an elderly woman who spent her most of her years in her home, secluded from her neighbors, and potential loved ones. Aside from the effective imagery, A Rose for Emily just didn't accomplish to catch my interest. Although, once I began to look at the story more closely, through the help of the worksheet and classmates, I started to notice a wide variety of symbolism in the story. In particular the words "dust" and "rose" became very much connected to Emily herself, and the house as well. Along with noticing the symbolism, I realized the order of events, and the point of view served to not only make the story engaging throughout, but also provided different perspectives. I also gained an appreciation for the values of the characters and how they affected themselves, the towns folk, and the events in the story itself. All together the class discussion really helped be open my eyes to the depth of the story, and without the worksheet I would still be blind to most of the symbolism.

"A Rose for Emily"

When I read "A Rose for Emily" my first impression was Emily appeared lonely and depressed.Why would anyone allow their house to be dark and dusty. "Blinds opened from one window"by the Negro. "dust on the thighs of the alderman" after sitting on the cracked leather furniture.
Emily showed total disregard to her surrondings. It was her butler who took care of her.
"The Negro man went in and out wiht the market basket, but the front dooor remained closed.
After classroom group discussion I came to the realization that Emily was lonely. "After her father's death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away,people hardly saw her at all.
Questions that arised during discussion, where is Emily's family? With her father being dead
who else could there be. "Emily had some kin in Alabama:but years ago her father had a fallen out with them over the estate and there was no communication between the two families."
Emily had a beau once, but he left Emily. It came to be around the same time as her father's death. Poor Emily no one in her life. So when Homer Barron fixed the streets by Emily's house.
Emily swarmed in on Homer, like a vulture to a dead carcus. Emilys' lonely no more.
At story's end, town people pried into the only room not on display during viewing the house. "In the bed lay a man. Next to the man a pillow with a indentation to which a long strand of grey hair was found."

"The Storm"
I find the storm a interesting story. The really interesting part about the story was the can on Shrimp, In the beginning i didn't know what the can of Shrimp really meant but to read later on in the story I found out that he was for the family that he was suppose to return to right after he got the can of Shrimp so that they can eat. During the storm these two people became closer then they have before the storm or maybe they had something before but broke it off and now want to be together. The reason why they want to together because the thought of death scares them and they don't want to leave this beautiful place alone. In the story in says "Do you remember---in Assumption, Calixta?" that tells you that they were into each other and something happened. At the end of the story his family or mom seems to get mad at him because he is all dirty, shortly after he shows them the can of Shrimp and everything is alright... I really didn't get the ending, all around I liked this story!