Poems

Because I could not stop for Death

I think in this poem it is trying to express that death itself is inevitable or unavoidable.  This poem is a reflection of time that has passed in one’s life and that we never know when it’s going to be our time.  This poem is a bit gloomy in a way that it expresses that death has no restraints; this person was obviously not ready to die but had no choice.

Some people keep Sabbath going to church

In this poem she is trying to express that keeping the Sabbath doesn’t require going to church, it can occur anywhere like her home if she has faith…

Death of a Salesman

I agree with this author, this play is a modern tragedy and Willy is a perfect example of a tragic figure.  Willy’s wanted the all American dream but instead nothing went as he planned, his life was unpredictable and was chaotic.

Willy was a dreamer, he always had high hopes for himself, his life and his family but unable to make his dreams come true.  His wife admired his high expectations and always was supportive and his children were failures in his eyes.

Death of a Salesman is a perfect example of Modern American Society.  It seems we are all intertwined into believing we have to meet certain expectations to live the “American Dream”

But through this play Arthur Miller shows us that it destroys Willy and his family and his marriage…. That is the corruption of the true “American Dream”.

The Death of Ivan Ilych

Ivan Ilych was a man who dedicated to his family and career.  He was extremely successful and was in good standing in the public eye.  He was someone people looked up to because of the way he carried himself throughout life.  The suddenly, Ivan Ilych suddenly becomes increasingly ill with a mysterious disease that causes him agonizing pain and eventually leads him to his death.

I think the lesson that author wants you to learn is that death is inevitable part of life, that acceptance of this will make life more meaningful and that one day we will meet our creator.

Research Topic???

I really enjoyed reading “The Yellow Wallpaper”

So I think I would like to write my research paper on it…

“What is the meaning of the yellow wallpaper?”

What do you think?

Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin was a very talented writer; she put a lot of work into making stories seem realistic through very detailed imagery.  Throughout her stories, the reader can vividly picture exactly what is going on and follow the tone as it changes. 

Kate Chopin wrote upon the experience of her own life in the southern United States during the latter half of the 19^th century.  So as a result, many of her stories featured life and issues of class, race and gender as they were interpreted by society.

 

In “The Story of an Hour” I felt the lady finally felt free because she was trapped in an unhappy marriage for so long, that when she found out her husband died it opened the door to freedom.

This was during an era, when women really had to hold on to marriage to feel accepted in the society.

In “The storm” The lady and man both were in marriages that seemed stagnant and that this affair they had was something they both needed to fulfill some sort of happiness within themselves just for that moment.

This again was in the same era, when marriage was very sacred to one another.

What I’ve learned..

Now that we are halfway through the semester, I can honestly say I have learned a few things about literary analysis.  I think this course is important because it encourages you to really breakdown what you read whether it be a novel, short story or even a poem.  It truly is amazing how each author has their own unique style and can express it through writing; and we as readers can use our imaginations to vividly interpret what is going on as we read the text. 

As we move forward in this course, I would like to be able to understand more in depth what I’m reading… but I guess that’s the beauty of it… it’s your imagination…

“Hills Like White Elephants”

Ernest Hemingway known for his distinctive writing style, gives the reader just enough information by using symbols;  where readers can use their imagination to find deeper meaning from his text.  Hemingway includes life experiences, with the intent to reveal his own views on familiar, everyday occurences in his writing.

The time period in this story is symbolic because it depict a time period when woman made decisions based on the happiness of others (spouse) instead of their own. Men were more dominant and women were more submissive.

This short story reflects his writing style because it leaves you with an uncertainty of the situation being presented in this story, the symbolism is what you have to really interpret on your own and open your imagination to several possibilities.

This story was written around the 1920s also known as the “roaring twenties” where it was a time of great excess and self-indulgence.

Hemingway wrote this story, because it was similar to his own.  It was about a man whose was threatened by pregnancy and having a baby would complicate his lifestyle. Throughout the story it was quite evident that the man did want the women to go through with the “operation” however he responded as if he valued what she said but ordered her several drinks???

“A Good Man Is Hard To Find”

Part One: The grandmother is a complex character in the story. Some people strongly dislike the grandmother while others sympathize with her. As a reader, did you like the grandmother? What do you think about her attempt to use prayer to save her life? Be detailed with your answer.

In the story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the grandmother seemed to be very conniving and manipulating which I didn’t like.  From the very beginning she tries to convince her son (Bailey) that “the Misfit” is loose from the federal pen and headed toward Florida where the son and his family planned on going for vacation.  Only because she wanted to go visit her connections in Tennessee.  Then she tries to convince Bailey’s wife by telling her that the kids have already been to Florida and that she should take them somewhere else for a change so they can see different parts of the world and be broad.

In attempt to use prayer, I believed the grandmother never thought much about Jesus herself until it was the last few minutes of her life before she was shot down by the Misfit.  That’s why he said she would have been a good woman if someone was there to shoot her down every minute of her life.

Part Two: The Misfit is supposed to be a horrible character. His name is no doubt a characternym, and by the end of the story he has done horrible things. However, do you at all feel for him? Explain in depth why or why not

I’m not sure how I feel for the Misfit, He at one point states that he was a gospel singer, and that he had almost been everything, such as the arm service, married, been and undertaker, been with the railroads, plowed mother earth, been in a tornado, then he states he’s seen a man burned alive and then a women beaten.    He proceeds to say he’s never been a bad boy from what he can remember, but somewhere along the line he was sent to prison, “Buried alive”

If he was a good man, he could of easily turned away and left with the others.  Instead, since the grandmother noticed that he was the misfit he ended up killing everyone including her.

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

“The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The fall of the House of Usher”

These two stories written by Edgar Allan Poe were very interesting.  I enjoyed reading them because of the suspense and thrill he projected through with these stories.  Poe used a lot descriptive language and thought provoking details, like in “The Tell-Tale Heart” when he describes the old man’s eye, “one of his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale blue eye, with a film over it”.  Or in “The Fall of the House of Usher” when he describes the home, “I know not how it was- but, with the first glimpse of the building… I looked upon the scene before me- upon the mere house, and the simple landscape feature of the domain- upon the bleak walls- upon the vacant eyelike windows- upon a few rank sedges- and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees- with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly that to the after dream of the reveler upon opium”.  Through these stories lie a lot of mystery and leave the reader to open up their imagination as to what really happened??

“The Yellow Wallpaper”

What do you think happens at the end of “The Yellow Wallpaper”….?

In the end of “The Yellow Wallpaper”, I believe this narrator completely loses her mind.  I think she escapes but it’s too late for her.  She was psychologically imprisoned by her husband who couldn’t and wouldn’t understand her state of mental illness.  This lady was not in the right state of mind, she was very depressed had irrational thoughts and beliefs; she was very delusional.  Her husband could not understand and due to his credentials, he would blow it off as if there was no reason she should be feeling the way she was.  The yellow wall paper developed symbolism throughout the story as it unraveled.  The infatuation she carried with this wall paper developed into almost the same situation she was in life at that moment; she felt torn, unpleasant and trapped.  Just like the wall paper; it was torn, unpleasant and just had terrible unorganized patterns all over.  As her delusions got worse, she noticed a woman trapped behind this wall paper almost as if it was herself trapped in her home by her husband and family.  In the end of the story, it says she was able to finally free this woman in her mind but I believe it was too late she has completely lost her insanity.