Flood Effort

During the recent flood I have been doing various things to help stop the flood. The area where my house is located was expected to flood pretty badly. Monday we started filling some sand bags around the area. On tuesday we started at 10 a.m. an ended around 6:00 p.m. During this period of time we had a bus of Detroit Lake High School students come down and help us sandbag. It was nice to have so much help because everything worked out more smoothly with more hands. On Friday I went over to my aunts house, who lives in South Moorhead, and helped them sandbag. Thier situation was a lot worse because the river is right behind thier house in parts. We got everything secured at thier house but right as we finished a dyke broke. That was quite scary to see because we didnt know what had happened right away an all we saw were people running away from this area. A fire fighter came over and told us all to be in our cars ready to evacuate, but in the end they fixed the breach so it was ok. I

Flood '09

The flood this year has been very chaotic. When my parents first told me about it I didn't think it was too serious. I realized when they canceled class for two weeks that it must be. My house is located just three blocks away from the river. Thankfully my house is alright, at least for now. My family spent a week at my lake cabin. I would have rather been in town and go to class than at my lake.Thankfully our community has worked together and thousands of people volunteered sandbagging. I don't understand why we haven't built a better dike after the flood in 1997. Hopefully this doesn't happen again this year!

flood

The flood this year has been pretty intense. I am one part of the area of moorhead that had to evacuate my home, but thank goodness I am back in it now. I feel though as if our town probably should have done a littl better job on creating a better system for something like this. It happened in 1997, and there will probably be plenty of more floods in the years to come. The city should think about building a better dike, or do something to help out the city of fargo/moorhead. Just like Grand Forks built those gates, so they are doing just fine. Our community has done so much to try and prevent this flood from getting any worse, and I think everyone has done a great job! hopefully their predictions about another crest is wrong!! cross those fingers!

The Flood of 2009

The last couple of weeks have been very hectic around the Fargo-Moorhead area. It's the time of year where disaster can occur. It's been 12 years since the last major flood and it's happened again. I have been out helping in neighborhoods and at the Fargodome and have never seen so many people work together. There are no words to describe it. The Fargo-Moorhead area is like a big family. I recall going to the a church to help and they were turning away volunteers because they had so many. That is just unreal. That's a huge credit to all the college students in the area and anyone who helped. The flood has gotten better, but it's definitely not over!!

We Flood it, It Floods us!

Alright, my title my seem confusing, but it makes sense to me and that's all that matters. Read with an open mind and respect for my beliefs. During the last 3 weeks, I didn't fill one sandbag. However, I did work on my days off at Avis-rent-a-car to help Red Cross and FEMA get all there cars they rented from us so they had transportation. I feel pretty good about that. I hadn't seen any of the water until I took a vehicle down to the Moorhead Center Mall for some CNN reporters. It looked pretty crazy, and I was shocked. Being a Biology major, I love this earth and have more respect for nature and all the other organisms in it than I do for the selfish overpopulating humans that live here. All we do is reproduce and since we have the most complex brains we think we are better than everything else. We are constantly destroying what we have and where we live with demolition, deforestation, and pollution without a care in the world that when Mother Nature comes in and ruins a few lives and destroys a city or two it kind of makes me a bit happier inside. I'm not saying that if it were me getting my house flooded that I wouldn't be angry and fighting to save what I have. I am just saying that we deserve disasters caused by Mother Nature. When you think about it, currently it is doing alot less to us with one half ass flood than what we do to it everyday. "Oh lets destroy all this land and build some shit because money is everything and our wilderness is nothing profitable." This flood is telling us that we are taking it too far as a population. I do feel for our community because we are North Dakota and Minnesota. I don't know about all of Minnesota but North Dakota is pretty damn good about not taking things too far and not pushing the limits and quite simply being clean. We must learn from our mistakes and from what Mother Nature tells us. Show some respect people. Nobody knows where we come from. All it is is we evolved a complex brain and money is everything and money buys us things and we love money. So in conclusion, I feel that any natural disaster such and a hurricane or a flood is well deserved by us and we must learn before it is too late. Before we cause our own extinction we have to open our eyes, make some changes, and respect every other living thing like it was your mother.

Flood 2009

What a scary time in our lives. I didn't live in Fargo for the flood in 1997 so this was a new situation for me, it was kind of crazy everything that was happening around us. I went to the dome and helped sandbag there and it was amazing to see all the people that were there helping and also I talked to some people that weren't even from Fargo, this one guy said that he was just here helping cause his daughters go to college here. I also met these boys who were probably 12 years old and they were from Rodgers, MN. I think that its amazing the amount of support that the town of Fargo-Moorhead received during this time of need. I knew that the flood was real but for me it didn't really hit me till they evacuated Meritcare. I have always felt secure that I have a job and that working in the health care field you will always have people sick and will always have a job. But when they evacuated the hospital and I no longer had a job to go to that is when the Flood 2009 effected me personally. Working in a hospital for six years I know that they do not close a hospital unless it is serious and Thursday night when they evacuated that's when I knew that it was bad. My home is not effected by the flood but I feel so bad for those people that have lost their homes and they are in my thoughts and prayers.

Fargo Moorhead Flood of 2009

Here we go again, reliving 1997 Flood in the red River Valley. But this time worse then before. I had taken some great pictures from the 1997 flood and was very close to a lot of people living South of Fargo. I drove school bus there for many a years and had gotten very close to the families. My house was located on the north side of Fargo couple of blocks away from Mickelson Field. Where the water was very high every night after being in the bus hauling sandbaggers I would walk down the alley to 8TH st and look at how high the water was. Being kept busy during that time helped keep my mind clear and my emotions at bay. This time around I used my talents as a bus driver again. After an emergency meeting at the MHD district office. I helped evacuate Eventide nursing home driving in white out conditions and very icy roads delivering the elderly people to different Cities in MN and nursing homes. From then on we hauled sandbaggers, police, guards men, and fire fighters around the city of Moorhead. I was stationed out the district office and was on call for anything that could happen. I thought of same details that the ones in charge over looked and gave my advise to them. Today I am still on call but I am able to do it from my home for just in case things come up. I did Sandbag my ex sister in laws home but we lost the fight against overland flooding and her home is still under water. To bad beautiful home to go to such a waste. My body and mind are fighting me my back and legs are feeling more pain then before my mind is mushy hard to concentrate on things that need to be done.I am lucky that my home is not in any danger of water but it could be in danger of losing it sewer and water if the dikes fail. Still have a suitcase packed and I have a safe place to go if needed. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost their homes to the flood waters and hope they can recover from their losses. To all those who helped with the first battle a big thank you and keep on your toes for the war in not over yet second crest is on it's way.

Flood 2009

When I first heard about the flood I was almost in denial. There was no way that I thought the FM area would flood like it did. Until one day, I woke up and saw army tucks blocking all the roads to get to my house. I live one street up from the river in south moorhead so I then began to panic. The next day there was a code red alert for our area. That means we had to move everything from our basement upstairs, pack a bag and get out! Once the national guard came knocking on our door we then had five minutes to grab our stuff and immediately leave. Then I started freaking out. I sat in my basement hoping and praying that this would not be the last time I see it without water in it. I can't believe this disaster happened to everyone in the area. It's amazing to see everyone come together as a community and help. I pray for all of those that were and are being affected by this evil flood.

Flood Fight '09

When I first heard the news on the flood I did not realize how serious it was. I live in a part of south Fargo that is greatly affected by the flood threat, which makes this whole situation very scary and stressful. I went to bed the night before the big flood fight began, not knowing what I would wake up to the next day. When I woke up the next morning and looked out my window I saw tons of buses sitting in front of my home, dropping of hundreds of volunteers and semi load after semi load of sand and sandbags driving past. I was too young to remember the 1997 flood, so it was an absolute shock to see this operation first hand. I spent the next week making sandbags, tossing sandbags and walking the dike overnight to make sure that the pumps were still working and the leaks were under control. My family also had to clear everything out of our home and into a moving truck for time being. Not knowing the outcome of the situation and hearing more and more bad news everyday, such as the crest rising, made for one of the most stressful weeks i've ever gone through. I am happy to say that so far we won the battle and will continue to monitor the river level and dike until the flood is over.

Flood of 09

Reality did not hit me until Friday when I drove over Veteran's Memorial Bridge on 10. You could never see any water when driving over it before and that night I started to cry, the water was to the sides of the bridge. Oh My God kept going through my mind and I immediately started to pray. I went to the hotel that night to relax and warm up in the hot tub after sandbagging that night with a friend that was also helping. I did not realize the hotel was right next to a land built dike, I then began to freak out "why am I here why am I here." I am glad that I went though if I never would have seen that river I would still probably be in denial. Seeing all the people that come out to sandbag was incredible, people from the cities who have no family or friends around here still came because they really wanted to help. Seeing the outreach is amazing. Even though the river is going down we still have a lot of work ahead of us. The clean up has not even begun and will take months to do. People will need to find new homes because theirs have been completely damaged or need new construction to rebuild their home. In these times some people may not have the money to fix their home. We all need to stay strong and keep helping others. I hope everybody stays safe and strong. I can not wait to start discussing stories again and win this fight.

The Flood

When I first heard about the flood coming and the predictions i wasn't too worried about it. I figured that it would just be little and there would be no need to worry. I started reading the papers and watching the news and saw some of the footage of the flood and how bad it really was. The papers were mentioning evacuation and i was mostly just concerned about the people who were close to the river. I feel such sincerity for them i wish there was more that we could do. I have great respect for those people who have been sandbagging consistantly!! This takes much effort. I didn't begin to worry until i heard that the dam may not hold up, which means the water could reach all the way to west acres shopping center!! I can't believe this is happening again its a reoccurance of 1997 but only WORSE!! How could this be?? I pray that these families who are suffering from the flood are able to be safe and get help and i pray that things don't get as bad as they are predicting. I am thankful to God that our home has not been affected. I hope people remember to be safe and considerate to others by offering help to those who need it.

Fargo Flood 2009

Wow. It's very frightening what is going on here. From a distance many could see that this winter was going to lead to flooding, but not of this magnitude. I myself am shocked at how bad things have gotten. Family members are calling and saying they are being evacuated and it's just sad to hear. I went sandbagging the other day and it was good to see how many people were there. I started at the dome and the place was packed with people coming and going. It really was an inspiring sight. I really hope that we can keep up with all of the flooding. This whole situation has really left me feeling just awstruck. I never thought that stuff like this would happen here, so close to home. I remember Grand Forks in 1997, but never really thought it would happen again. I just can't believe the magnitude of this flood. Everyone I know is being affected by this disaster, whether it be school, work, or other things. It's just really sad that this is happening and causing so many problems for people. I really hope it gets under control soon, and does as little damage as possible at this point.

Fargo/Moorhead Flood 09'

Its the time of season that is thought about often through out the year, and now we are faced once again with mother natures mad waters. Personally this is the first time I have ever had to worry about the flooding problem in the Fargo/Moorhead area. I grew up by the lakes not having to worry about them overflowing. During this past week I have come to realize a little bit more in depth of how these people feel to have there homes and memory's in jeopardy. The amount of community involvement and physical motivation needed has been nothing short of amazing. The aches that are gained from knowing you have helped others in a time of crisis is priceless.

F-M Flood

The past few days have been quite trying for people in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Having grown up in the western part of North Dakota where it is usually dry and droughts are more common, the flooding here is a new experience. Monday night, a couple friends and I went and sandbagged in North Fargo in the rain and mud. The people there were in good spirits and making jokes and having a fairly good time considering the conditions. The homeowners were very friendly and offered the volunteers chili, hot dish, and apple cider. They also mentioned that college students made the difference in the 1997 flood and would have the same influence for this one. Tuesday night at the FargoDome filling sandbags was also an amazing experience to see all the people working together. Watching all the trucks, bobcats, and forklifts moving around amongst the people was quite the sight. This week has certainly been an inspiration and example of a community coming together as one against a great threat.

Flood 09'

The reality of what is coming has hit the residents of the Fargo/Moorhead area. This area knows what its like for raging waters to come rushing in and threaten life as we know it, but every time the waters rise people are filled with fear. Families have made their homes and memories here, and this flood threatens to take it all away. With every volunteer that comes out it gives residents hope of saving all that they have. Some volunteers may be family and friends, but most are absolute strangers. The best thing about this whole situation is people helping people. It doesn't matter if you know anyone or not. It is the fact that one person can help make a difference. The aches and pains from sandbagging are only temporary but the memories of doing a good deed will last for a life time. Whether the waters do rush in or not, at least the cities of Fargo and Moorhead can say everyone gave it their best shot.

More to it Than Shown

The flood gets very little coverage of the people underneath. It doesn't just compose sandbaggers, but the people who bring them refreshment, the people who drive the trucks, and those that sort through the droves coming in. The face of the flood is not a huge house in Rose Creek getting sandbagged like crazy, but the families that rebuilt after 1997 to create new memories who are now seeing them washed away again. It's the people that were safe before but now face eminent water with the crest nearly 6 feet higher. The fight belongs to the woman with brittle bones disease (osteogenesis imperfecta) who can't lift a sandbag, but is doing everything she can to help by making food and signing people in/out. It has the face of the elderly couple who pontoon their neighbors over the river so they can get groceries and their mail but don't ask for compensation. They are the people that are not pictured in the papers because they seem to be singular, whereas the lines of hundreds of sandbaggers make more of a headline, more of a sensational impact. The news seems to have forgotten about these smaller contributions of miracles, and instead is focusing on an important, but much known, topic.

Flood 2009

This is my first flood. I have lived in moorhead for a year and before that I lived in a flood free area. I have heard the phrase, "the flood of 97", and many stories to go along with it. Until you live within a community that is going through a crisis, in this case flooding, you cannot completely understand the situation. This week I have learned so much about flooding and the art of sandbagging. Before I thought a sandbag weighed about 50 pounds and was large like a bag of salt for a water softner. I also thought that when a house was sandbagged they built a super tall wall, like 8 feet tall. I know different, now. On monday I was able to volunteer a few hours of my time to make sandbags at MSCTC. It was enduring work, ecspecially due to the weather. But, it is worth it to know that the effort put in will help a family or more, somewhere. I hope and pray that I will be able to volunteer again before this is over. It is such an amazing feeling to be part of an operation that is so huge. The radio is constantly reporting everything in regards to the flood but today when I drove into an area close to the red river, it blew my mind. I work for a home health care agency and today I had a client that lived out of town. I drove out on University to Wall Street or County Road 20. At first I saw alot of commotion up ahead, and then the river. The river was massive! It was beyond what I imagined and knowing it will raise alot higher is crazy. Driving into these neighborhoods was mindblowing. There were trucks, buses, and military vehicles along the roads for miles. There were piles of sand in the middle of the highway. It is a relief, in this world, that people come together as they do to get through disasters, like these.

The floording in Fargo/Moorhead

The past few days has reviewed the patriotic spirit in Americans to me and i will say, it is just amazing. People in these states are willing to help regardless of their age or status, i went down to one of these sandbagging sites to volunteer and what i saw there was just shocking. I saw over 500 hundred people out there including children helping with the sand bagging and the most surprising one was that i saw the executive director of my working place holding a shovel. Though the flood is not a good thing but i think it is actually bringing some sort of unity and friendship among the residents in these states. I made some friends who were also students from other colleges and universities. One thing i hope for is that, all the other African brothers and sisters who are here will learn something from this altitude and try to educate the people back home about unity and patriotism. It will be very had to get people to participate in a work like this for free in Africa without expecting any form of payment. To every one who help with this flooding in any way i will say bravo and keep the good work up.

Blog entries 1-4...

...are below and have been graded

Barbie Doll

In poem "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy it starts out describing a young girls childhood. The first paragraph describes the barbie doll that the girlchild plays with and that is what shapes a girls image of a perfect looking female. As the girlchild gets older she becomes more self concious and begins to notice that she does resemble that perfect female image. As the girlchild got older the other kids began to tease her about her appearance, so she became so uncomfortable with her body she tried to morph it into what she believed was beautiful. The girl then died of old age and was made up to look like a barbie doll in her casket.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud"

In the poem, "I wandered lonely as a cloud", William Wordsworth uses connotative language. In line 3, the word "crowd" is used to describe a large collection of daffodils. The denotation of "crowd" would more commonly be a collection of people that have no relation to one another. In line 6, the daffodils are said to be "Fluttering and dancing in the breeze." The word "dancing" is usually saved for the activity performed by people. Wordsworth uses words such as "crowd" and "dancing" to personify the daffodils. In line 18, the word "wealth" is used to describe the collection of visuals obtained by the narrator. The denotation of "wealth" would be more of monetary gains. Wordsworth's writing style in this poem also uses rhyme at the end of several of the lines of the poem. Wordsworth also uses many words that give the reader a visual imagery of the poem. Words such as golden, shine, twinkle, ten thousand, and sparkling give the reader a good visual picture. Throughout the poem, starting with the title itself, I noticed the alliteration of the "l" sound in nearly every line and often more than once in the same line.

"We Real Cool"

The word choice in the poem "We Real Cool" is very significant to how the reader perceives the people the speaker is talking about. Gwendolyn Brooks uses short phrases in order to emphasize the groups illiteracy. The group talked about in the poem think they are cool because they break the rules in their society. Brooks uses words like lurk, sin, and gin which all imply the wild life the group is partaking in. The word we is very important in this story. If this had been about just one person maybe they wouldn't have decided to do all the things the group does. The word we symbolizes the strong bond within the group. They are having so much fun breaking all the rules but in the end their lives will stop. In the last stanza Brooks says "We Die soon." (Brooks l. 7-8) The speaker leaves readers to wonder as to whether the group physically dies or if their partying life comes to an end.

Breaking Barbie

In the poem "Barbie Doll," in the first line they call her girlchild. The word girlchild is used as negative connotation in that it not only meant she was a female child but that she was a big female for being a young child. They use some literal denotations when they talk about the toys. Those toys are just that, toys for a child. "Then in the magic of puberty," is used in line 5. This is a connotation because it is not literal. Puberty is not a magic act. She just means it is a special time in a child life were their are changes. The second stanza is all really literal, just telling about her mental and physical attributes and how she trys to apologize. Stanza 3 she is "advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile, and wheedle." All denotations, playing coy is to be reserved and not attract attention. Exhorted to come on hearty is a denotation to come on to people in a warm way. Her good nature wore out. Just a literal line saying the goodness in her is tired and worn out. But they say "her good nature wore out like a fan belt" Like a fan belt is a connotation saying that her good nature didn't fray or snap like a belt but it just wore out emotionally and she stopped trying. "So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up." This is a denotation because she literaly did cut them off with a knife or something sharp. Reasoning for this is because their is an undertaker who painted cosmetics on. painting being a connotation because he didn't paint them on with a paint brush or roller. He just put her makeup on her quite thick. He also turned-up a putty nose meaning he had to put a putty nose on her. That is how we know she cut her nose of literally. "Dressed in a pink and white nightie. Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said." Their is no connotations in that. "Consummation at last." Denotation meaning literal fulfillment. The last line is the hardest one to determine what it means. "To very woman a happy ending" This is a connotation meaning although their is this bad look at women when they are young, where some get picked on for being ugly, fat, nonathletic, or anything else your peers can find in you to make fun of you for, their is always a light at the end of the tunnel, or a happy ending whether it be getting away from those people, growing out of your ugly stage, surgery, or even death, their is always a happy ending. This is not always true ex specially because death is sometimes the option some take. That in most cases is not something happy.

I wandered lonely as a cloud

The poem, I wandered lonely as a cloud, written by William Wordsworth is full of imagery. The use of imagery and figures of speech complete this poem. The first line of the poem, "I wandered lonely as a cloud" (878), is a simile. The author is comparing the narrator with a lonely cloud in the sky. After finishing the poem and looking back to the first line, I see a man surrounded by nature, alone. Trees, hills, water, foilage, flowers, sky all surround him. Everywhere you look, beautiful landscape, and no other human being in sight. To me, this signifies peacefulness. The first time I read the poem, tho, I took the word lonely as alone, miserable, seeking company of others, needing comfort, being lost in mind. But, as I look back now, I don't believe that is what the word lonely means at all in this poem. A cloud floats around in the sky, able to see things that some never will. Another simile in this poem is in the second stanza in the first line, "Continuous as the stars that shine" (879). This comparison is of the golden daffodils. The word used to describe the amount of daffodils before this comparison were, "a crowd" (878). I do not think this summed up the amount of beautiful dancing flowers by far. Wordsworth wanted the imagination to stretch and compare them to the amount of stars in sky, when you look up into the sky on a clear night. After the simile the author goes on to explain, "Ten thousand saw I at a glance" (879). I imagine a sea of daffodils and if you walk into them being completly surrounded as far as the eye can see. The use of the figures of speech in this poem not only put you past the literal meaning of a word but bring out the imagery that is so intense throughout this poem. I can put myself in the place this poem speaks of, by sense of sight.

We Real Cool

I thought We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks was a very well thought out poem, and can be related to any teenage person out there. The author talks about how they're a group of friends who have their own 'clique', and think they are the coolest kids in school or where ever, and think that everyone wants to be like them. When in reality high school is like that. Everyone is high school always has the 'clique' or friend they follow and want to be like. If your not with the "cool" crowd your a nobody, and that's what this poem is kind of addressing. I feel that this poem pretty much sums up a day by day of a high school life, and it will keep being like that forever.

"Work of Artifice"

In Marge Piercys poem called "Work of Artifice" it starts off using bonsai tree as a metaphor for women using imagery to create the issue has a whole. When Piercy said "its your nature" this meant that it was a women's job to be beautiful.  Women had the potential to grow as tall and reach out with open arms just like he Bunsai tree, but the men seemed to be holding them back by "pruning" them meaning the guys sculpted and shaped the women how ever they wanted to. It seemed like they were stripped from anything they could and wanted to accomplish. Women could of went out and worked or even voted but it was unseen or heard of for a women to do these kinds of things. I never went through these times, but it plays a great interest to me, on how things use to be. When Piercy said "domestic and weak" these were the words that was referred to women and still is. I think this story still kind of exists in today's society, when some men still expect the women to stay home and do chores around the house. Although most women are now growing freely there is still that percent out there that are living how things use to be back in the past.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Out of all the stories that were supposed to be read today, I wandered as a cloud was my favorite. I liked how the author used metaphors at similes to create imagery. The image of the cloud brings out how carefree wandering is. The plot is extremely simple and easy to understand what is happening. The speaker is compared to a cloud. I think the reason the author did this was because clouds are so far away from everything and that is how they character felt in this story, lonely. Then the character discovers of a field of daffodils by a lake. The daffodils seem to comfort him when he is lonely and cheer him up. The imagery that the speaker used made me picture the daffodils in my head. Overall, I think this story was peaceful and makes you relax. Nature in this poem seemed to calm the character down and make him feel that he is not so alone.

"Barbie Doll"

In the peom "Barbie Doll" the author Marge Piercy used good word choice to make the reader believe whatever they wanted to believe happened to the girl. In the beginning of the poem the girlchild as Piercy called her was subjected to all things that a little girl is suppose to play with or what society believes they should play with like dolls and make-up. This girlchild was smart, but it really didn't matter because the words decribe her as being a girl with strong arms and legs and a big nose and fat legs. These words decribed would make the reader believe that this girlchild didn't look like the barbie dolls that she played with but that she was a little bigger then normal size girl. This poem makes alot of readers go back to their childhood and think about all the times that they were teased for not looking like a barbie doll persay. Childhood and teenage years are hard on alot of young years these days, because there is a push to look a certain way or you won't be accepted. Piercy wanted to show readers the extreme of what could happen to someone that is not accepting of their body and wanted the readers to know that this does happen and people do kill themselves or even harm themselves because they feel so lonely inside. Some readers might have not believed that the girlchild really chopped off her legs and nose but that is what is so great about Piercy's word choice it can make the reader believe either way. Piercy does make clear is that this girlchild did die at the end and she left the reader to wonder was it because she cut her nose and legs off?

Photograph of My Father in his Twenty-Second Year

Was Carver's poem about disappointment and a confession about alcohol? Or was he just angry about not being able to go fishing with his father. This poem has given a person who reads it a picture in one's mind of the father and his display of a day away from his son. The father wanted to be bold and act strong for his family, never giving in which is a sign of weakness. This poem compares to my father who is a bold man never showing emotion except anger. Like the picture of the man, shows a man who uses their hands to make a living, worn and strong hands. Many eyes may have not shown love, they maybe had shown do as I say kind of thing. His eyes were they bloodshot from drinking too much beer? What was the photo trying to say? Alcohol changes lives it separates families and friends. Wonder if the boy even got to go fishing didn't sound like it to me. In the last line Carver wrote that the boy "don't even know the places of fish?"(Line15) An opportunity to spend time together whether on shore or in a boat fishing is a great time to talk or just listen to nature.

"Digging"

The young person watching his father from the upstairs window thinks very highly of his father and what his father has done in great excellence. The young person know that digging up the ground is not really for him but in a way wished they could follow in their father's and grandfather's footsteps of having this special talent. The father and grandfather yearned for the soil and loved to see the growth of the potatoes and the beauty of the new turf under their feet. The young person is upstairs writing, that is what makes them happy. Their male figuers show their work outside but this young person shows it through their writings.

"We Real Cool"

In his poem "We Real Cool" Gwendolyn Brooks uses the denotation "we" in an alliterative form throughout the poem. The speaker uses this denotation"we" to signify a group of friends or gang of students. Indicated from the begining of the poem "We real cool/We left school" (Brooks l. 1-2), shows the literal meaning of "we" and the repetition of that sound. In the first stanza, the speaker uses "We real cool"in a connotative way because considering the literal meaning of the word "cool" it signifies something good, calm or pleasant, but in this case, the word referred to the reckless life of teenagers without thinking about the outcome of such lifestyles. For instance, the second stanza of the poem "We Left School" indicates how careless teenagers could be, forgoing their education and leaving school with their friends chilling around without considering the foundation they are laying for themselves. Also, the speaker used the last stanza"We Die soon" in a connotative way to signify how their behavior will affect them individually, but not the literal meaning of dieing soon. Sometimes one might think that, if a group of people do something wrong, they all pay for it or it affects them in similar manner. This is not always the case, some of these people can change and go back to school and some will remain drop outs for life. One can even get pregnant and become a mother or a father unprepared which can shatter their dreams for life. some of these teens even loos their lives through drink driving and all sorts of indecent behaviors. Brooks used this poem to show where groups, gangs and friends can lead us to.

Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year

The saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" is one of my favorite quotes. And it relates very well to the poem "Photograph of My Father in HIs Twenty-Second Year" by Raymond Carver. In this story a young man describes his father and how his personality shines through even in a photograph. The poen is a great example of how a author's use of language can give a reader great imagery. Carver uses such descriptive language that you can "see" for yourself what the picture may look like. The young man notices how his father had this "emabarassed" look on his face while holding his fish in one hand and a beer in the other. The author describes every detail so that the reader feels like they are there with the young man looking at his father photo.

We Real Cool

Out of the many poems we were supposed to read today, I like We Real Cool the best. Not only is it short and easy to understand, but it also has some meaning behind each word. As I read this poem, I couldn't help but notice that 'we' is at the end of every sentence except the last one. I thought this was unique because I believe it to be a story about guys being guys, and most of the time, guys will be guys around other guys. The only sentence that does not end in 'we' is the last sentence. I believe this is so because when you die, you die alone. Also, because I think this poem is about guys being guys, I believe "Die soon" doesn't end in 'we' because it could possibly represent what will happen if you go down the wrong path. The only person you will hurt is yourself.

Another thing I thought about while reading this poem is whether or not it goes in chronological order, starting with dropping out of school. It's almost like a timeline of a guy who is mixed up. Also, I thought it was interesting how each word was one syllable. Not only does it make it easy to read, but it makes you think about why the author made it so simple in an English sense. I almost felt like I was reading a elementary school poem because of the fact every word is so simple. I kind of thought a little less of the author because I think even I could write a poem like this. It made me wonder why this poem was so special and got published. All in all, "We Real Cool" was a simple, good read. Although I didn't really understand its simple nature, I accepted the fact that it has an underlying message.

"We"

"We Real Cool" is a testament to the teenage psyche- "If I do it with my friends, my actions are justified, and it makes what I am doing less bad." The 'we' emphasis is important to the poem's structure: each line ends with we, so that it feels as though the beginning and end of each sentence is "We real cool We." This is an example of the narrator justifying dropping out of school and drinking because his peers are doing it as well. The ending is also important though because two things happen. One is that the poet's voice seems to switch in- there is no 'we' at the end of the last line, just "Die soon." This acts as a warning to their rebellion and their form of friendship- not only is it short term and frivolous, they will find that if they keep up their behavior, they will find themselves alone and possibly dead from their indulgences. Number two is that that narrator’s and poet’s voice seem to strike harmony, as if the narrator has suddenly grown up as they realize the depth and harm of their actions.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud"

William Wordsworth wrote a poem called "I wandered lonely as a cloud".  I think that when he was growing up he never took time to notice the beauty in nature. Finally taking time to stop for a moment and capture the beauty that was lurking around him it made him open his eyes.  As he was walking in the country there was a cool breeze and as far as he could see was a non ending patch of "golden daffodils" that stretched beside the lake. This story caught my eye because i love daffodils there is something about how they look and smell. Being outdoors is what i enjoy to do on my free time in the summers.  The waves seemed to be dancing with the daffodils. I can relate to that because i grew up on a lake when there is the slightest wind there would be little waves flowing across the water and reaching up to the trees that would surround me.  That memory in his mind has now been preserved just like is has been preserved in my memory.  The scene of the blowing daffodils helped him become not so lonely. His heart is now filled with pleasure when he knows he is companied by daffodils that brought happiness back into his life. I think it took awhile to realize where the beauty of life has been the whole time, when he finally just took the time to realize it has been around him the whole time.

I Stand Here Ironing

The setting that I got out of this story was happening during the Great Depression when Emily was born. I didn't quite understand the story right away just because it didnt grab my attention, but what I got out of it is that Emily was kind of "slow" in a way. She really didn't understand to much and was always compared. Her mother was a single parent taking care of her children. Their father left because he coulnd't handle all of the situation's that were happening. Emily's mother seemed to be doing the best that she could do for herself and for her children, but there was also emotional connection problems between Emily and her mother. This part was also kind of odd for me to read just because it seemed to jump back and forth with how Emily and her mothers relationship was. It also seemed like Emily wasn't to please with her sister Susan. Everytime Susan would say something to there mother Emily would come back saying that she said it first or she did it first.
Overall, the story was alright. It kind of took my a little bit to actually get interested in it, but in certain ways you can actually relate to the story, so I liked that a lot.

"I Stand Here Ironing"

Considering the setting of this story, Emily was born at the beginning of depression and to add to her troubles, her father left the mother because he couldn't endure the hardship of those days. This story truly portrays the reality of the pains and difficulties single mothers go through to raise their children. As a teenage mother and and a single parent for that matter, Emily's mother needed to look for a job considering the time period and cater for her daughter which caused the separation between mother and a daughter and also might have lost the bound between them.
Also,the story of the story had a significant effect on Emily's mother, which affected the love and the affection she was supposed to show to her daughter. She was depressed due to her condition and also under estimated her capabilities of catching up with her daughter, she always relied on time thinking that it was to late to undo what she has already done or to be there for Emily.
This affected Emily negatively, considering her looks being different as compared to her sister and the other kids, not getting her mother's attention and also trying to adjust with a new daddy whom she suppose to learn to love.

I Stand Here Ironing

Emily and her sister represent how different their historical setting has made them. Emily was born at the start of the Great Depression: the father left because he could not find work and "did not want 'share their want.'" She is described as slow, not necessarily stupid but conscientious and over thinking of everything. Emily is pockmarked from a bout of chicken pox, and is also "dark, thin, and foreign-looking." This is used to repeatedly describe her in comparison to Susan.

Susan was born five years after Emily, at the start of most of the New Deal efforts. Their difference is highlighted at the end, where the narrator tells us, "her younger sister seemed all that she was not." Susan has the blonde curly hair, dimples, and chubbiness that endeared her to people and offered her a spot in the world. Susan's Shirley Temple like appearance and quick wit are highlighted again: at entertainment during dinner, at the prestige offered to her, at the ease in which it seems she has so far passed through life.

Doe Season

Doe Season is a story that relates to the Minnesotan area. I myself am not a hunter, but a lot of my friends are so I hear a lot of stories about their hunting adventures. I like how this story shows that girls can do things guys can do just as good. It also shows that Andy has courage to actually shoot the deer because she had different thoughts about it. She didn’t want the deer to end up suffering, in the end it did anyway. Her dream about the deer was pretty cool I thought. It showed the pain the deer was going through when the deer’s heart started to burn around Andy’s hand. It shows how much she loves the outdoors and animals, but she doesn’t like to kill them she realizes. She has a very strong bond with her father also. She sticks up for her and lets her take the shot at the deer because she found it and he believes she can shoot it. She also says she wants to be called Andrea instead of Andy because she realized who she wants to be in life now. I think this story was easy to understand and comprehend also. The author explains everything so well.

A&P

The kid in A&P is a lot more than just some horny teenager, trying to pick up hot babes. It's obvious to me that this story is about more than just that. The independence he wanted so badly and found in his job was taken away when he defended the independence of another(the 3 girls). I think that brings on a whole other side to growing up and gaining wisdom. A job will give you responsibility, self worth and financial stability but standing up for someone who's outside the box, and even admirable compared to your boring normal life, shows a real voice.
I don't deny the fact that Sammy wanted some attention from these girls but his transition into the next part of his life really made that decision to quit more about his beliefs and view on morality and respect than trying to impress Queenie and her friends. He envied the way they presented themselves even though he maybe didn't realize it in that moment. Most of us do secretly envy these crazy people who live on the edge and don't follow a structured path. We sit in our desk chairs with our 9-5's and wonder when the next really great, insane, out of this world thing will happen. And it usually never does.
Without people like Queenie and her friends we'd be even more hopeless. At least we can sit back, watch these people, and dream we had enough balls to be like them.

As I read Doe Season, I kept thinking about my dad. My dad is a big hunter and this story made me think of him and his adventures. I liked it how a girl was the main character of the story. In that way I could compare myself to her, except for the whole hunting thing. I liked it how the story revolved around a girl and her finding herself. Many girls could read this story and relate to Andy and her experiences of trying to fit in with the boys. I remember always trying to fit in with my dad. Now I've learned that he just wants me to be me.

I liked Kaplan's writing and how he used description. It kind of reminded me of North Dakota in the winter time when he was describing the snowfall and woods. He knew just the right words to get the point across. I almost felt like I was there hunting with Andy, worrying with her and feeling the cold.

Overall I liked this story. It was easy enough to understand and on many levels I could relate to Andy and her dad. Also, I liked how Kaplan used descriptive words when writing. It was easy to see what he was trying to portray. In conclusion, I would definitely read this again and recommend others to do the same.

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Arnold Friend makes me shiver. I think Joyce Carol Oates does a wonderful job in describing her antagonist, Arnold Friend. The name alone gives me the creeps. I felt the perversion and creepiness of Arnold Friend as I read this story. How he held himself and how he moved was terrifying to me. I would watch the scenes play out in my head and get the willies. "...and then take a step toward the porch lurching. He almost fell. But, like a clever drunken man, he managed to catch his balance. He wobbled in his high boots and grabbed hold of one of the porch posts." (517) As Connie actually started looking at him it was as if he was fake, "His whole face was a mask..., plastered makeup."(517+518)
Oates also did a great job of portraying the sheer terror that Connie felt at times in the story. She noticed with shock that Ellie wasn't a kid, either. She became dizzy a few times. She could not identify a room she was in. I wonder if she was just so terrified she was going into shock, losing her mind, couldn't think. When she tried to get through on the telephone, "...she was so sick with fear..."(520) I could feel Connie's fear throughout the story.
A part of the story that I cannot figure out is when Connie is sun bathing in the backyard and she becomes almost hallucinogenic. She opens her eyes and doesn't really know where she is. The look of her house startles her and, "She shook her head as if to get awake." (512) The story says it is too hot, heat can affect people. The first time I read through this story though, I thought Connie may have been tripping out on Acid or such.

Doe Season

When I read about Doe Season it reminded me of my home town. Allot of people there where hunter's so I have herd allot of stories and seen allot of dead deer. When the story would describe what the woods looked like and the deer that Andy had seen, it was like I was there with her. I could imagine the trees and the snow. I could also see them all in orange vest and all of their hunting equipment.
I think this story tells allot about Andy and how she is growing up and finding herself. Andy seemed to want to prove herself to her dad but also a little to the other men that were with them since her dad had told them how great she was. When she told them how she had seen deer when she was finding firewood, the boy Mac didn't believe her. Later when she found them again and had to shoot the doe it seemed like then she didn't want to she wanted the doe to run. When she pulled the trigger she didn't realize what she had done. At this point I think she just did it to prove to her dad and the others that she could do it.
When she had her dream about the doe I think that when she put her hand inside the wound and felt the heart that, that symbolized that the doe was just as alive as Andy was. I think that she realized then that hunting probably wasn't for her. I also think when she felt the blood and it was burning her hand that, that symbolized the hurt that she had cause the doe.
At the end of the story where they found the doe and she was dead and Andy ran away and did not want to see the intestines being pulled from the doe she then knew that she did not want to be called Andy anymore meant she did not want to be that person anymore maybe wanting to be the girl she was suppose to be.

Doe Season

Doe Season to me was the story of a girl battling her sex vs. what she enjoys doing. Their is also the influence from her parents, mainly her father on being a hunter. She gets pressure from all around. I can see this as a problem for alot of daughters who's father is a sportsman and does not have a son to bring with on all these sporting activities. In the beginning she seemed as though she was excited for the trip because she likes the outdoors and relates with the animals. Her father also puts the pressure on her from beginning to end by bragging her up to his friends. "Oh the animals come right out of hiding when she comes around," or "She is such a great shot." This puts the pressure on her to feel like jeez the animals better come out now that he said that, and if they do I have to shot them right away. One and done. As the story moves on I feel that she gets turned off of the sport because of the pressure from her father and his friends. They tease her and joke about her name and basically call her a tom boy, which in my eyes. If I were a little girl and got teased about a boyish name and being a tom boy, I would not ever want to go out hunting again. Exspecially with that group of guys. I think she shoots the deer because she has to. Her dad already talked her up and she feels if she doesn't perform like he says she can then the harassment will just get worse. So she shoots it and I sense a sign of relief right away because it went down and it was over. Although they did the approach all wrong. They should have waited a while longer until the deer died. Then they could have just walked up to it and got it over with. Instead they run right up to it and it runs away. Now Andy gets made fun of even more because she shot it in the wrong spot they say, and its gonna run 10 miles and they will never find it. Bla Bla Bla. They were just being bad sportsmen and it was pushing her out of hunting with her father. Which from the way I see it, is probably one of the only thing outdoorsy that she can do with him. Girls don't do alot of outdoor activities such as hunting with there fathers, and to go and push a girl out of it like that when she seemed to kind of enjoy it at one time is just the wrong thing to do. I suggest not taking her hunting with her fathers friends again.

Doe Season

I think the main theme of this story is the coming of self. I think Andy was trying to be impressive for her father by doing the things she did with him such as hunting fishing and other actvities that are considered male ones. Andy feels a connection with her father by doing these things with him. She has not discovered yet that this is not what she wishes to become. Andy soon finds out after killing a doe and having a dreadful dream about reaching her arm into the wound and feeling the heart beat which i think symoblizes that the doe is just as alive as she is. Also Andy says she feels great pain from the heat of the insides and i think that symbolizes that because the doe feels pain she is feeling pain as well. She soon discovers that she does not wish to be Andy anymore and wants to be Andrea after seeing the procedure used in gutting a deer. I think this means that she has discovered herself and came to a realization of what she wants to be.
I have experienced a moment such as Andy's. I used to be such a girly girl because in all honesty i didn't know who i was and i thought boys liked girly girls. Soon I came to a realization that it doesn't matter what other people want from you its what you want in yourself that matters. That's when i discovered i liked doing things like hunting fishing working on cars and just being myself!!!

Where are you going, where have you been

In this story, the author does a wonderful job as using Connie as the symbol for most young girls. Most young girls go through that stage where they don't get along with their parents, they feel like their siblings are favored more than them, and older boys/men seem attractive. It says in the story how Connie's father is away at work a lot, and when he does come home, he is very quiet. In Connie's eyes her mother continually finds fault in what she does, and she praises her older sister for everything. The story implies that Connie longs for attention, but when she suddenly gets attention from Arnold Friend it may not be what she wanted. Arnold Friend symbolizes all the bad in the world. He promises to do wonderful things to her and treat her nicely. He says he can take her away into a better life. As the story goes on, Arnolds true colors come out, and he seems to have a darker side. Connie shows signs of being afraid of him but his manipulation is too strong for her. Arnold Friend gets into her mind and eventually wins her over. Connie turns herself over to the dark side and will never return.
I think what the author is trying to say is that a young girl in Connie's circumstance doesn't stand a chance against the evils like Arnold Friend. If the "Arnold Friends" get into a young girls minds it is near to impossible for a young girl to get rid of them on her own.

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

At first, as I was reading I immediately had a connection to this story. I can relate a lot to Connie. As I was reading it was almost creepy, it was like I was reading a story about me. But, as the story went on that changed. One of the quotes that really stuck out to me and made me think that Arnold Friend did murdered her, was when he cornered her in the kitchen. "She was sitting on the floor with her wet back against the wall". Before this quote Oates mentions something about stabbing her and how her blouse was wet from blood. I really thought Oates described her thoughts well as she was dying. The readers know what she was thinking before she died.
I think Arnold Friend is really odd and everything that comes out of his mouth in the story is very creepy. I'm still not sure how he knew Connie and knew where and what her family was doing? At some points in the story there were hints as to maybe Connie did know him. But, most of the time she played it off as having no clue who Arnold Friend was. This scary story was very good. It kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to hurry up and reach the end of the story so I could find out when happens to Connie.

"Doe Season"

"Doe Season" really hit home for me. As a female hunter you have that feeling of trying to be perfect because you have in your mind you wont be good enough of a hunter to the males. I remember going with my parents every year before i could hunt to sit with them in the stand or in the van that my mom would always stand by. I learned from them how to be a good hunter from being quite to the more complex stuff like gutting out the deer. Doe season had great details and it made me feel like i was out there in the bitter cold opening morning. Some people think hunting is horrible and ask how can you kill something so innocent. Well if it were not for hunters there would be deer getting hit by cars left and right so hunting is a very important way of life. Andy doesn't know if she is ok with the whole fact of killing this doe. She does but realizes that this was not for her which is totally ok, she wants to fit in so much with her father and not let him down that she doesn't find herself until they begin to field dress the doe. She then wants to be called Andrea and be the girl that stays home with mom and gets treated like a girl. I think all of us need that re assurance of who we are.

"Doe Season"

The story "Doe Season" I thought was a very interesting story about a girl Andy whose father took her out hunting with his friend and his son. This story hit close to home because i come from a family of three girls and my dad's friends have all boys in there families. Before my dad had three girls he was just like Charlie and his son didn't believe that girls were suppose to do things like hunt or work in the fields. But he changed his mind because my two sisters both hunt and growing up we helped on the farm. The description in this story was very well done it made you feel like you were right there in the woods with Andy on her first hunt. It also described and made you envision what Andy was going through when she shot the deer and how she felt afterwards. The dream that she had about the deer and her putting her hand inside the hole that she had shot was crazy. When the author described it though I could totally picture her sticking her hand inside the deer touching the heart and burning herself with the blood and then pulling it out with blood all over her hands, that part of the story was very well described. I think that Andy realized in the story that she loves to be outside and with animals but that she loves them too much to kill them. I also loved how the story showed how close a bond between a daughter and a father can be and is. It just reminded me of my life and how my dad would do anything for me or my two sisters and how he would stick up for us.

"Where are you going, Where have you been

This is quite an interesting story and does happens in a real life. lots of teenagers gets into trouble due to certain awkward behaviors which comes with that particular stage in life. Considering the age of the central character Connie, she was just fifteen and that was a perfect age when teenagers to find identity and wants to feel like they belong and they are also been noticed. As a young girl in the story, Connie was always looking for attention and was what got her into trouble with Arnold Friend a guy who wanted to take advantage of her innocence by putting fear in her and touchering her emotions.
I felt so bad for Connie at that part of the story imagining my self in that kind of situation, thinking about my family's safety and my own life either to go with him or my family gets hurt. This story actually made me remember a story my mother told me about how she lost her twin sister when they were young in about the same age with Connie, to make a long story short, she said her sister lost her life on one Christmas eve when she sneaked out of the house after their parents has gone to bed and attended a birthday party with some friends and on their way back had a motor accident of which three out of five of them died which a sister was a victim. Teenagers does not see the implications of their behavior until the unexpected happens like the situation Connie found herself in with Arnold Friend.

"Doe Season"

"Doe Season" is a short story that includes several conflicts. I believe the main conflict of the story is Andy fighting with her own thoughts and emotions as she became more and more aware of what she was doing. At the beginning of the story, Andy is all for hunting with her father and getting the chance to spend the time with him. Throughout the weekend, Andy also has a conflict with Charlie and his son, Mac. Charlie doesn't believe that Andy should be with them because she is a girl. Also at the beginning, Charlie argues with Andy's father about her coming along and says that she should have stayed home. This statement of Charlie's could be interpreted as foreshadowing of how Andy will make the decision at the end of the story to never go hunting again because she doesn't like the idea of killing more deer. The imagery on page 466 of Andy's dream/nightmare with the deer coming up to her with the open wound is quite the vivid description by the author, David Michael Kaplan. I think this could have been the most important scene in the story because it details the pain that Andy is going through because of shooting the deer and why she decides not to act like a boy anymore and embrace being a girl, quite possibly for the first time in her short life.

A&P

As I read A&P by John Updike, I kept thinking to myself, "What is the point of this?" It's not your average short story. In fact, I don't even think you can consider it a story. To me it was more like a journal entry by a teenage guy. It made me laugh because when I have seen girls in bikini's, I thought the same way he wrote. It's for that reason I loved this entry. I don't know why but I couldn't take my eyes off the pages. His writing style was unlike anything I have seen before. It's almost like he blends everyday thoughts with some literary elements and comes up with a story. Updike is a pioneer in my book. Even though there was no point to the story other than to describe an event in a grocery store, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Another aspect of the story I liked is how I related to Sammy. Quiting a job for girls sounds like something I would do. On that level I connected with him. Also, I liked how he critiqued everybody that walked in the door. I thought it was classic when he called the customer's 'sheep', and all those people that went against the grain outsiders. I find myself doing the exact same thing at work...day-dreaming and looking at weird people. I believed I understood this story so well because I could relate with the main character nicely.

As far as the overall point of the story, that I had an opinion on. What I got out of this was that a person should do what they feel is right. If they feel they are doing the right thing, than how can anyone blame them for their actions. I liked how Sammy walked out after his boss had a fit with the girl's in bikinis. He was unhappy with his job and that incident was the final straw. I applaud him for that. Overall, I enjoyed reading this story because of the fact I could relate to the characters and due to the fact I got a life lesson out of it.

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

Teenage girls just want to have a good time, but when does that good time start to put you in harms way? In the short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", Oates, the main character Connie goes through a deathly terrifying experience. When reading the story I found my self getting nervous and scared; the way the author wrote the story puts you in the situation. I found myself really relating to Connie; she remind me of myself when I was younger. At times, teenagers do not think about the consequences of their actions just about what is occurring at the time and having fun. Connie liked the attention she got from others, but did her hunger for attention get her in trouble.

Anronld Friend is portrayed as almost a deviant character who uses Connie's innocence to take advantage of her. This part of the story got hard for me to read, I really sympathized with Connie. She did not want her family to be harmed, but also knew that if she went with this man she probably wouldn't come back alive. This story is very realistic and happens more often then people would probably like to admit. Connie's innocence and fear get her harmed.

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Oates' creepy short story has a murky ending layered in symbolism. Connie could possibly have been raped or murdered. I think that the content of "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" supports that Connie was murdered. Her breath "jerk[s] back and forth in her lungs as if Arnold Friend were stabbing her again and again with no tenderness." This not only shows that Arnold is stabbing her (most likely with a kitchen knife because she is in the kitchen), but is supported by the following quotation : "She was sitting on the floor with her wet back against the wall. She was hollow with what had been fear, but what was now emptiness...and deep inside her brain was something like a pinpoint of light that kept going and would not let her relax."
The very last scene, where she mentions that Arnold "was taken up by the vast sunlit reaches of the land behind him and on all sides of him, so much land that Connie had never seen before and did not recognize except to know that she was going to it." This means to me that Connie has died and succumbed to the point of light, and now she is on her way to Heaven, free of Arnold's devilish hands.

A&P

The story A&P by John Updike was kind of confusing to me at first. It really never said what the story was about or where it was headed. All he really did was expalin every charatcter in a very detailed way. He explained how there were three girls and the way they were dressed and how they acted with their bodies etc. Until I came around to the end of the story I got why he explained these characters in such detail. When Sammy's manager called the girls out for what they were wearing, and then the way Sammy acted towards it made sense. I can see in a few different ways he quit and then again I think it was kind of dumb in a way. Some reasons why I think it was okay for him to quit is because he knew that his parents were going to be very upset with him if he did, but he walked out anyway. Also, I think maybe he was standing up for his beleifs and he didn't appreciate the way his boss came at the girls, he may feel like his boss couod have approched the girls in a better way than wat he did. Now, some reason's I think it was dumb for him to quit is that you can also maybe tell that he was just tryin to "show off" for the girls and look "cool" in front of them, and maybe they would ask him to hang out. When Sammy walked out the girls were no where to be found, so it kind of seemed very pointless for him to quit so not oly did he just quit and the girls were no where to be found, now he has to go to his house with nothing to do and his parents are goin to be very upset with him. Overall, the story was very well laid out once it got to the end I finally understood it, and I like how detailed everything was it really helps you put the story in your head and understand it better.

A & P

The story A&P by John Updike at first made me really confused about where this story was taking us. For the first couple pages he was just explaining the characters and I didnt understand why? John used alot of descriptive word choices when explaing what the three girls looked like and was wearing for example, "There was a chunky one, with the two piece" and "kinda of dirty-pink...bathing suit with little nubble all over it, and what got me was the straps were down." It made me have a really descriptive overview of the girls. When Lengel told the girls that they coudnt be in A&P with just there swimming suites they got kind of mad, and almost embarressed. But i personaly think that he was doing the right thing. Almost every store has no shirt no shoes no service. So it wasnt like it was somthing random and he only forced the rule on them. He must do it to everyone. But the thing that i dont get is why Sammy quit working and pretty much walked out. He really had no reason, because the girls payed no attention to him anyways. I could maybe see if the girls were flirting with him, but they werent. He kinda had a reason when he said "You didn't have to embarrass them." He must of been sticking up for his age group and what he thought was right. My over all thought of the story is that it was okay, and has a good point of sticking up what you think is right as a individual.

Doe Season

When I read this story, it reminded me of my first deer hunting experience. The characters were the same in number, my Dad uncle Ernie and cousin Paul. This story brought back memories of the hunt, the smells, the crisp air the coldness the sounds of the forest. It made me chuckle too remember all the goofy things that I did and the goofy things that happen to me during the first hunt. Finally a story I enjoyed reading so far, guess it was because of the closeness of the characters and the way things happened. Even though the writer was a man it made me wonder how he knew of the feelings of Andy and what things went through her mind unless someone told him about these things. Being a girl and having different thought process then a boy would have. The only way that could happen was that someone shared there thoughts with hem. People think that deer hunting is a crime but I believe that deer hunting is a humane way of helping controlling the deer population so they would not over breed and become sick and die a slow and horrible death.And I know some will argue but to me, I would rather die quickly then to die from a disease an suffer longer. I liked the part of the comparison to the ocean and the Forest. The drift of ones mind to a different place and a different time seeing other people and the fun times they had with others. My mind drifts as well it goes back in time to different places and sometimes I wonder what if? But, I am so glad I still have a chance to do that and to have the memories of the younger years. Each of us has a good chance of going into adulthood and making memories and each of us will have different rituals for doing that. I hope that everyone who has made that change has fond memories and have the chance to tell others their story to others whether it is in book form or verbally.

A Worn Path

I like how this story symbolizes so many things throughout the story. I think the title sticks out in that it is a symbol itself. I believe it symbolizes phoenix’s life in general. How she is getting old and she doesn’t want to do much of anything. She brings up how she feels chains around her feet, which symbolizes slavery in that time period. This story was really easy to connect what she said to what it actually meant. It described a woman how was aging fast, walking down a path who supposedly had nothing going for her anymore. I really like this story for what it stood for and it being easily understood.

Kite Runner

I am reading the Kite Runner, so far I am through about the first eighty pages. I never thought that it could be as interesting as it is. I think it does get confusing though with all the different names I get mixed up and then I get lost. I think Amir has most of the right morals and is on his own path most of the way. He hangs out with his "slave" most of the time. Sometimes though I get the feeling he thinks that he is better than him or is scared of of being teased and ridiculed just like him. I do wonder though, why Hassan is Amirs only friend? Is it because he is wealthier than the other kids or just because he doesn't make friends that easy. Well I m looking forward to continue reading this.

A worn Path

I like how this story is so symbolic. In class we learned all the symbols it portrays and a few were the connection of slavery and every day life. I think the title of the book is a major point. I don't think it is called a worn path because phoenix takes the path consecutively but because the path has so many connection to events and situations that phoenix is linked too. It talks about how she feels chains on her feet and she feels like the path does not want her to contines this is symbolizing slavery and how she felt so tied down and how it seemed like she would never go anywhere. She also talks about closing her eyes to cross a log. This can be related to blind faith and how we sometimes just have to hope for the best not knowing the outcome. The story gave a great imagery of a woman walking on a path and being able to connect it with certain refrences. I liked how it was understanding.

The Lottery

For myself, "The Lottery" was a mixed bag as far as whether I liked it or not. The fact that the children were gathering stones together and then all the townspeople gathering together also gave away for me what the ending was going to be. I don't know if the ending was suppose to be more surprising for readers or not. I suppose back in the forties when this story first came out it might have been more of a "shocker" ending. For me, the story is more about figuring out why people would do such things and the purpose (if any) of the plot. There's the theme about having men in control of the town shown on page 407 when Mr. Summers asks a couple of the women if their sons will be picking the paper out of the box for them that gives the impression that the story is about the idea of man's control over women. I'm sure that back in the forties this was a more prominent issue than it is now. Also the idea that small towns have a tendency to shy away from change is another theme addressed in the story. On page 408 when the townspeople discuss other towns in the area that have gotten rid of the lottery; maybe this hints that as towns become bigger, they also become more progressive and open to new ways of life. So even though the story itself didn't have a surprise ending for me, it still made me think about a couple of the themes in it.

The Lottery

I think that the story The Lottery is not a very good story. I have had a chance to read this story a couple different times for some of my other classes that I have taken. I think that the story gets worse every time that I read it. Those people who through the stones, I just don't understand how they could do that. Do they not have a heart. I mean to through a rock at your best friend because that is what they say to do. Her own kids through rocks at her. I just think it is wrong. You don't decide who is dying that day by who has the unluck of the draw. Stand up for yourself. I don't understand how the author could even write a story like this. There are better things to write about. This is just my opinion.

The Kite Runner

Amir has a hard time finding himself and where he fits in with his father Baba. Baba in hand also has a hard time accepting who Amir is and accepting that Amir is in fact his own blood. Amir is jealous of the relationship Baba has with Hassan his best friend. Whenever Baba gets Amir something he gets the same for Hassan. Hassan is such a great friend he will do anything to stick up for Amir and to be by his side through the easy and difficult. Amir on the other hand tends to think about himself and the consequences he may face. For instance when Amir did absolutely nothing to save Hassan during the disgusting incident in the alley. That alone tells you what type of friend Amir is to Hassan. Amir was afraid of getting his behind whooped by the other boys and did nothing to stop the rape of his best friend. Now i see when in the book it says that "that was the last time i seen Hassan smile" I myself would have a hard time smiling after something like that.

The Lottery

The Lottery was a story that did not make much sense. I found it to be very hard to read, because there wasn't any excitement and it took forever to get to the point of the story. When it reached the end of the story and I found out what the 'lottery' was all about, I was shocked. I assumed that the person holding the ticket with the black dot won some type of prize, however, they were actually stoned by other villagers. I did not like the ending of this story and I felt as though the entire story could not end soon enough.

The Lottery

Although this read is about the townspeople of a small village who draw out of a box to see who gets stoned more or less. The story has more of a hidden message in it that I find quite interesting. As I read this story my mind catches the big picture and sees what I think Shirley Jackson is trying to get at. The title is just right for this story because they are playing a lottery game. It may not be the same lottery many people now day play but the same concept. Half ass backwards, but the same concept. In my eyes Shirley Jackson was trying to point out about how much we gamble now days. On everything. You sign up for school, you are taking a gamble. Do you go to all your classes and participate, or do you skip out on it and loose a bunch of money. Maybe a better example than that would be. Say I hop in my car and go to the bar. Right away their I am taking a gamble. Just having my car there makes the chances go up that I will drive it home. Not only that, but I go inside and have a few drinks. This makes me want to drive and jam out. Say I do get in the car. Now the lottery comes into play. I am taking a big chance driving home. Either I do it, get lucky, hit the jackpot, meaning I made it home. On the other hand maybe my luck has run out and I loose my bet with myself and find myself locked up for DWI. That is the gamble I made. Of course their are many many situations were people take gambles just like the village people. You gamble everyday. Win or loose, as long as you know the consequences your free to play, but if you loose, you must pay. Therefore I feel that is the point of "The Lottery".

The Kite Runner

If ever I have read a book filled with emotion, nothing compares to the intensity of the Kite Runner. I actually read the book about a year ago, but my feelings for the book haven't changed. On the front cover of the book The New York Times Book Review calls the book, "Powerful...Haunting." The Kite Runner is just that. Even though it has been only a year since I first read this book, I haven't forgotten about it. Honestly, I think if it had been ten years since I read it, I still would remember it. What captured me while reading this story was the pure evil in the character Assef. When I think of an evil person, I definitely don't think about a young boy. While reading this book I have to continually remind myself of Assef's age. The horrible things he says and his actions would appear to make him older, but he really isn't. I find it frightening that someone so young could do such unforgivable things.
What makes the Kite Runner so riveting is that the author creates two extreme characters. Assef is the evil boy, and Hassan is so pure and innocent. When their two paths cross and Assef is so cruel to him, I think it would be anyone's reaction to want to save Hassan. Hassan represents our brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, or even children of our own. Our heart goes out to him, and we want to save him. The worst part about it is is that sometimes evil things happen, and sometimes we can't do anything about it.

In the beginning of the story I didn't know exactly what the lottery was all about. I thought they would win money or something of value. It didn't occur to me when the kids in the beginning were stuffing their pockets full of stones that they would be the prize. It wasn't till the end that I realized that the winner would just get stoned. I didn't understand why the lottery was such a big event every year in the village when the prize wasn't anything of value.

The Lottery

The title of the story had given me a different idea of what this story was going to be about,even though I had read about the author and the context. When I think lottery I think of winning cash or great prizes, not being stoned by all of the winners. It gives a whole new meaning to winners and losers. Reading this story the other day when it was below zero the beginning gave me the feeling of warmth since the setting was a warm summer day which we look forward too on such cold winter days. The village seemed peaceful and friendly and being very careful of that black box. I wonder what kind of song they sing as the official song of the lottery. Now hear comes some sick humor " everybody wants to get stone" I thought would be the theme song.
Mrs Graves has the sense that time sure does go fast "seems like we got through with the last One last week"(408) I know the feeling about time just a flying the older one gets the faster time flies. And time changes most things like population of cites and migration of people in and mostly out of the rural settings of our times.
In this lottery I would hope to be one of the ones with out the spot on the paper, I just don't think I would like to have people throwing stones at me.

The Lottery

When I began to read the story I found it quite interesting that this village would come together, everyone from a house hold, to the town square for a lottery. At first I had thought that they were actually going to win a lottery. I thought that they would win money or something of value.

In the story they talked in detail about this wooden box that had been around along time. They also used wood chips to pick instead of paper. they started using paper because the village had gotten bigger and there wasn't enough room to use wood chips anymore.
When the story told of boys gathering together and finding rocks and putting them in a pile in the corner of the town square, I also didn't think much of it. I thought they were just boys and that they were playing a game or maybe going to throw little rocks at the girls. Boys will be boys.

In the story only the head of house hold could pick from the lottery box. Which it seemed that only the men of the house could pick a piece of paper and if the father couldn't pick then and older son had to before a woman could pick for her family. I found that kind of odd but also the story seemed to be set in early times were the head of house was in charge.

It wasn't till the end of the story that I realized that this wasn't a good lottery it was a lottery to see who would get stoned. I don't quite understand why they did that or why it was such a big event and the towns people would let it happen. In the story it had said that other villages had stopped doing the lottery. When I read the ending where I found out that who ever was the winner or looser I suppose would get stoned I understood why the other villages stopped giving a lottery. I still do not understand completely why this was happening. I wish there had been more detail about why they had this lottery and why they called it a lottery when really they didn't win any great prize.

The Kite Runner

The first 80 pages of the novel, "The Kite Runner", grabbed me and didn't let go. I could hardly put it down when I reached page 80. The exposition of this emotional story definitely tugged at my heart as i read about two boys, Amir and Hassan. Two boys born into a culture, a society, a religion, a country they have no control over. Two boys that have lost their mothers. Prior to the end of chapter seven I felt as if Hassan was very content and happy with life. Even though he was born into poverty, was a servant, and outside Baba's home was an outcast, his father's love for him and his religion was so strong, nothing seemed to come over that. On the other hand is Amir, a boy born into wealth. Unlike Hassan who is sheltered, Amir must go out into the big world and learn. I feel like between his father, his teachers, and society Amir struggles with so much. Amir does not live up to his father's expectations. Amir so desperately wants his father's full approval and attention. Amir's interests are different than that of his father so it puts up a wall. I just felt awful when Amir was eavesdropping and heard his father say he wondered how they could be father and son. I thought these passages from page eleven were very important, "And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name. Looking back on it now, I think the foundation for what happened in the winter of 1975-and all that followed-was already laid in those first words." (11) Amir is seeking the love and attention of his father. Amir will hurt people that get in the way of this. Throughout the story there was a couple times Baba wanted Amir to invite Hassan along on different outings and Amir would lie, make up excuses that Hassan could not join them, so he would have his father's undivided attention. Hassan has a brotherhood with Amir and would do anything for him, "For you, a thousand times over." (2) Those were the words Hassan spoke to Amir before going after the blue kite, the last fallen kite.

Kite Runner

The Kite Runner so far, has been pretty interesting. I didn't like how boring the begining of the book was, but then if they didn't take the begining slow we wouldn't be able to understand what is happening at all right now. I really like how detailed the book is. It really helps to make out what the city and everything within it may look like and also what the characters look like. Being able to have a visual of something makes it so much more interesting. I also find all the characters very intersting, but yet some of them I just don't quite get yet all the way. I wish that Amir would treat Hassan just a little better, and I'm still shocked at the fact that he just sat their while Hassan was being attacked. It was a suprise, I thought for sure that, that would have been the time that Amir finally helped him out, but then he let me down a little bit. Over all, the book is very good far and I can't wait to read the rest!

The Kite Runner

I've always had a hard time staying interested in books. I love to read, but there aren't many types of stories that interest me. So far, I think this book is great. I love the story and how it's told by a child. He's still so innocent and I think it makes the story more believable for some reason.
I hate how Amir is treated by his father. It's not right, especially since his mother is dead, he really needs someone to care for him.
Amir and Hassan's friendship is great. I love that Amir doesn't look down on Hassan because he's their servant. On the other, hand I can't stand how Amir denies Hassan when there are other children around. If he loves him like a brother then he shouldn't care what anyone else thinks.
The bombs must have been frightening for those young boys. I couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like. It's too bad that it was Hassan's dad that was the only one with them. I'm sure Amir would've felt safer if his own father was with him.
I was very happy to read that Amir won the kite contest, he needed that confidence and praise from his father. It was terrible that Asef and his little cronies had to ruin it by raping Hassan. I know they're bullies and all, but come on, that was just terrible. I don't know what was worse, the rape, or Amir watching and not doing a thing to help his friend. I feel sorry for Amir, he is such a little wimp. I'm hoping that Hassan doesn't know, or never finds out that he was there. It would make the whole ordeal so much worse.
I can't wait to find out what happens next. I just hope that what's to come is better than the last few pages I read, but I have a feeling that it won't be.

The Kite Runner

I now know what they mean when they say, "Don't judge a book by its cover." I'm going to be honest and tell you that when I first looked at this book I thought it was going to suck worse than the Detroit Lions. However, after reading the first 80pages, I found myself not being able to put it down. The first couple chapters started slow, and I will admit I was timid on going further, but I liked how the author, Khaled Hosseini, kind of fish-hooked me back in. He would throw in little tidbits that I knew were forshadowing future events. It's these sentences that kept me reading. I wanted to see what was going to go down. Another thing Hosseini did was describe objects and people very well. I felt I could get a good picture of what Hassan and Ali looked like from his description. He's very good at giving just enough detail to get a picture, but not giving too much to where you mentally drown. I also liked how it was an easy read. Aside from the occasional culture talk, I found I understood almost everything that was being said and going on.

The Kite Runner so far is a very intense book. It has a lot of vivid events going on, many of which have caught me by surprise. One such event is when Hassan is raped. I thought I had misread this passage at first so I read it again to fully understand. I was very saddened by this scene because Hassan's innocence was taken from him for doing nothing wrong. It upset me greatly. I did not like it how Amir just stood there and didn't help. However, I understand why he didn't and couldn't. These boys are 12 years old and they are going through all these intense adult situations? Wow. I'm sure it will take me awhile to shake this scene off.

Overall, I have no complaints thus far. I feel this book is very well written and easy enough to understand. One question I have is whether or not Hosseini took some of the events from his life and incorporated them into this book? If he did I feel sorry for him.