"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.

The Yellow Wallpaper

When I first read this story I over looked the details and just saw some crazy lady who thought the wallpaper was ugly and that there was a women living in it. But, then I read it over again and caught many details I had missed at first. Through out the story one thing stuck in my head and that was how John ignored how his wife was feeling and just "locked" her away. I really empathized with how the main character went through postpartum depression after having a child, because I also had it after I had my child. Postpartum depression, I think, can be one of the hardest things to deal with, because it is a time in your life when you should be happy and enjoying your child and you just can't seem to be happy. During that time you need the support and love of others and the main character in "The Yellow Wallpaper" dcesn't get that from her husband. John puts his wife's "illness" off as nothing and doesn't believe she is actually ill. I believe that John is the reason his wife went "crazy". John always made her go lay down to rest; she was always in solitude. I think this made her think about her thoughts to much and dorve her "crazy". The main character was going was actually ill and need help, but couldn't get it. John was overbearing and made his wife feel like she had to creep around and hide her illness.

"The Lottery"

This story " the lottery" was a kind of ritual or tradition performed by some people who lived in a small village on the 27th of June each year. In the begening of the story some kids were running into the twon square gathering stones and stuffing them in their pocket. Later the women and their husbands from evry household came and gathered in the twon square, even some of the women were still wearing their apron. At this point i realizes how important the villagers considered this lottery ritual, it like every one of them was present except the person was in a very critical condition. After a while one Mr Summers brought a stool and a black box which contained the lottery papers for them to commence the drawing, before he started, he began calling out some names to be sure of every one's present and what i realized is that, the villagers considered this particular man very important and commanded lots of respect. I enjoyed the story to a certain point because i thought the winner was going to receive a special award not knowing those stones were gathered for whoever wins the lottery. After taking a deep thought about this story, i began to think that, the black box, the stones and the drawing papers symbolizes lack of freedom, imprisonment and bondage. This is because the black spot on the winning paper was made by Mr Summers which shows that he automatically orders the stoning, the black box represents their freedom being caged and the stones were the weapons. They were actually slaves to their own tradition and this brings in mind one primitive ritual which is common in Africa female genital mutilation which is claiming lots of innocent lives, but in the name of tradition some people are still holding on to this barbaric tradition and have actually becomes prisoners of this evil act.

The Kite Runner

While reading "The Kite Runner", two quotations glared at me and refused to leave my mind. The first quote was in the beginning of the book when Amir tells us that his first word was Baba, while Hassan's was Amir, and how it sets up what will happen in the winter of 1975. I thought it was interesting because I found it relates to me. My cousin spent a lot of her time with me at my house when we were young, and she was so insanely perfect. In this way, she was my Hassan. My mom seemed to connect to her more than she ever connected with me, or so I felt. I resented my cousin for that, and while I love her dearly, if given the chance to beat her out, I would snatch at it. I think that is why I do not hate Amir for watching Hassan get raped. It was a horrible thing and I would never wish it on anyone, but I can understand Amir’s overwhelming urge to do anything to have his Baba say, “Well done.”

The other quote that stood out to me was between the two grown men in the study. Rahim Khan tells Baba that, "Children aren't coloring books. You can't fill them in with your favorite colors." Relating back to the competition for my mom, it was the realization that I was not colored the way she wanted me to be that began the tension between my cousin and I. Kids are so different from what anyone thinks they will be: it is how you get references to the bad egg in the family.

The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper I thought was a very good story. I'm not going to lie I don't read that much and i think it is because it has to be a really good story to keep my interest. I personally haven't found many books that do that for me but for some reason this story was so interesting i just couldn't put it down. i thought it was very interesting that Else was in one form or another was out of her mind and personally i thought she was just crazy because i totally missed the whole post part om depression that she was suffering from i didn't get that until we had our class discussion. I thought it was told very well about the lady in the wallpaper that felt trapped and couldn't get out and the only time she could get out was at night. Who would of thought to write about a lady in the wallpaper. I also thought the end was crazy when she locked the door and her husband was trying to get in and see her. I totally believe that she committed suicide just because they talk about the rope and the fact that she locked the door and wouldn't let her husband in. I really enjoyed the story i thought it was well written and messed up.

A Rose For Emily

I actually liked this story i liked how the story created so much imagery it was easy to not get lost in thought and to focus on the importance of the story. I think that Emily is woman who is just not accepting on any change; in the story the author mentions how her house has stayed the same for so long the only difference is it used to be white. She keeps to herself and i think the reason why she does so is because i think her father kept her inside and away from the outside world and after his death she didn't know any different and continued to live her life the way she knew it. After meeting Homer i think that she fell in love with him and actually did want to begin a relationship with him but i think for Homer it was simply just a friendship. On page 210 It says "She will persuade him yet, because Homer himself has remarked-he liked men, and it was known that he dreank with the younger men in the Elks' club-that he was not a marrying man" (Faulkner 210). I think that Emily clinged onto him becuase it was a man figure that she had longed for since her father past. She couldn't handle that he didn't feel the same and ended him. We as readers find out that Homer is dead at the end when the townspeople come to Emily's home after her death and find him in a room, we can also persume that she killed him with arsenic from when she went to the store to purchase some. After Homer the townspeople say that Emily no longer comes out at all where she used to come out every so often the only link she has to the outside world is her negro servant. I think Emily chooses not to go out because she feels she can not trust anyone and thinks that's probably why her father kept her inside thoughout his lifetime. I think this story is interesting and it allows you to think and be imaginative that's what i liked best about it.

The Lottery

This story takes place in a small village with population around 300.  It started off with all the village boys running around the town square collecting only the smoothest and roundest stones, and stuffing them in there pockets. When i heard they were collecting rocks i thought they were just going to play games since the whole family was gathered in between the post office and the city bank.  Mrs. Jackson's tone was really friendly and sweet making me think it was huge family event that happened once a year on June 27th. The lottery is a formal and fashionably organized event that everyone of the towns people are to draw a piece of paper out of the black box that was set in the middle of the town square on a stool. I thought that the winner would get a prize since there was so much anticipation and gossip by the villagers. It made me really think about what "The lottery" actually ment, and what they were actually doing by drawing the pieces of paper.  Through out the story it sounded like Mr. Summer was a very respected man, always joking with the village people, and having friendly conversations. At the very end of the story we found out that the person that gets stuck with the piece of paper with a black coal dot on it would get stoned to death by there former friends and family members. That was the last thing i was thinking about was getting stoned to death.  But when people started saying "Get up there Bill" and "Don't be nervous Jack" i had no idea what was going on. I think that doing the lottery  for 77 years the people didn't even ask questions it was just a part of living, and keeping up the tradition. I think the Lottery is kinda like the society today. For example buying tickets to watch a fight or gossiping behind our friends back. That was the Story by Shirley Jackson called "The Lottery".