"Porphyria's Lover"

In the poem "Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning, the way that I took the theme was that his love is dying of a tragic death, and in order to save her from the pain, he strangles her to death to give her a quick death. This idea presents itself in many poems throughout poetic history, the idea that in order to spare someone from pain, death is a form of salvation or a way to move on to a beter life. In the poem, the theme depicts the idea that a storm is coming in and it makes one wonder af first whether Porphyria is a storm that is in the sky, but then it states that Porphyria has arrived back and then it goes on to desrcibe that she is weak. With the theme set up at this point to let us know that she is week, it allows the opportunity to make the introduction of a possiblity for someone to come along and "save" the "danzel in distress", so to say. The idea that he is forced to wrap her own blonde hair around her kneck to bring her to her fate of death is odd because the poem brings up her hair prior to this event which causes the reader to beleive that he had been planning the killing of her. At this time, the theme is set up because it shows that he follows through to "save" her from her pain.

Porphyria's Lover - Irony

The tone of this piece is very straightforward and story-like. It almost seems like it's a story out of a love novel. From the beginning it seems like the poem is going to one of great love, the way it starts out by describing a woman coming in from the rain and describing the way she loved him and worshiped him. All of a sudden the reader is surprised to read that he strangles her with her hair. It is ironic that a story that starts out explaining love ends in murder.

My Last Duchess: All for Pride

The speaker in this poem seams to be unscathed about the death of his wife. She seamed like nothing to him, replaceable. Gazing at the picture of his potential arranged bride, he gets angry with the man that has brought it to him. The jealous nature of the man sparks a question. Why? Why is he angry that the painter and messenger see it before him. Is he that uncaring and vain that he wants a fair women to be his and only his? Both in marriage and in spectacle?
“Strangers like you that pictured countenance, / The depth and passion of its earnest glance, / But to myself the turned”(Browning l. 7-9) He loathes the fact that he is not the first to set eyes on her, also vanity seams to be ever prevelant the more he looks at the painting, looking at him. He does not care that he lost a wife, but he must have a high social status to have an arranged marriage with a Count’s daughter. Having a wife was a matter of pride for him.
As he talks to the emissary, the listener sees the depth of the speaker’s malevolence. “Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; / then all smiles stopped together. There she stands / As if alive. Will’t please you rise?”(l. 45-47) He apparently killed the woman because he was displeased. They was he spoke of the duchess was as if he thought she was a trinket for him to wear. This all goes back to the vanity, pride, but with all this said he seams astute in his observations and knows exactly what he wants.

Barbie Doll Reversal

The feminist’s views of Barbie Doll are a sharp observation of what over expectation can do to a child’s life. The role however can be flipped easily. The title would have to be named after Jackson Katz’s book Tough Guise. There is a façade that young men put on because of outside influence. Whether or not it comes from family, peers, or society it has been imposed on men for decades. Real men never cry, show weakness, and must be strong. This is what the world has stapled to the body of man.
“[A]nd presented dolls that did pee-pee / and miniature GE stoves and irons / and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.”(Piercy l. 2-4) The imagery of the man version would be equal and opposite. The boys would get big toy guns and big toy trucks and big toy war machines. Everything would be big, bigger, and biggest. That is what being a man is about in the world: violence, killing, ruthless competition. The diction, however, would be wildly different. The words word be short, because we are all dumb, ruthless, knuckle-dragging cavemen. The vocabulary would have rougher sounds: war, kill, death, hurt, and beat. All of these short, to the point, and easily yelled from the top of a mountain. But how would it end?
In contrast, Barbie Doll ended quite differently than the man version. “So she cut off her nose and her legs / and offered them up.”(l. 17-18) In the male adaptation, the speaker would go on a rampage through a jungle killing every other soldier that made fun of the size of his penis.
While this is a satirist description, bordering on sarcasm. This is a truth, sadly, that happens daily. Men are getting the same, but opposite, forced down there throats. “Boys will be boys, and girls will be girls.”

Barbie Doll from a mans perspective

In today's society, boys and girls are treated in much the same way. Although there are obvious differences, boys are supposed to like hunting and sports and play with cars, and girls are supposed to like dolls and clothes and makeup. Lines are getting more crossed and boys and girls interact on much of the same level these days. Boys have the same problems as girls have but they are not supposed to talk about them and ask others for advice. Girls look to others for advice and are more extroverted and boys are introverted in these aspects. It is rare for a boy to as his guys friends for advice on daily activities and things, girls seem to have no problem asking for advice. Men have issues with weight and appearance but it isn't widely accepted in our society to go about it the same way a girl would.

Theme of Porphyria's Lover

The theme of "Porphyria's Lover" by Robert Browning is one that I was able to pick out. The main character has the girl of his dreams come to him and be close to him. He even says she is "Murmuring how she loved me"(Browning l.21) and he assumes that her one wish is to be with him forever. Unfortunately he doesn't realize that she would willingly be with him forever and takes it into his own hands to make sure that she is by killing her and keeping her dead body close to him but he believes that he is merely granting "Her darling one wish would be heard."(Browing l.57) The man in this poem is clearly delusional but the theme to me is that he believes she will not willingly stay there and her one wish is to somehow still be with him forever.

"Barbie Doll"

In the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, the idea that the roles could be switched from a female onto a male is not a farfetched thought. In society; especially today; people of all genders are facing scrutiny and discrimination for personal attributes such as facial structure, weight, or even sexual orientation. It is not uncommon for peer pressure to negatively affect the outcome of a person’s character because in today’s society, people care more and more about what others think. Also, parental expectation plays a major factor into the creation of what is expected because it is normal to want to have your parents be proud of your achievements. If one cannot live up to what is expected of them by their parents, you may feel a change is necessary because in many situations, parents are viewed as the highest authority in ones lives, besides religion. If the roles were to switch, I think the outcome could still be the same because whether it be a man or woman, if one feels that everything about themselves is wrong, and they are not given a proper way to change themselves, they may jump to conclusions and suicide may be the outcome. If the roles were to switch, I think a more useful title would be “G.I. Joe” because this is an unrealistic character that men are expected to be. Diction could be changed from a female perspective to males which would engage the male reader into a realization of what peer pressure can cause. The idea on whether it be a male or female really doesn’t play a factor because in the end, everyone wants to be accepted by their peers and family.

My Last Duchess

In my last duchess, you can tell that the speaker is a man of great wealth, arrogance and jealousy. He is arrogant as he is trying to show off the painting of his late wife and although you don't know exactly who his guest is, you can tell that he is trying his best to impress him with the beauty of the duchess. His tone throughout gives off the impression that he thinks he is better than anyone else. His appearance seems very important and the way the duchess looked was important also. The duke also gives off the impress of great jealousy when it comes to the duchess and her admirers. In the end, the duke mentions that he kills the duchess as if it is no big deal. He didn't think she appreciated the gift of a nine-hundred year old name.

Barbie Doll

In “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, it tells of the struggles of one girl that they pressures get to and she takes drastic measures to get the results she desires. She wants nothing more than for everyone to just say she is beautiful instead of pointing out her flaws. This can translate to males but it is in a slightly different way. For the most part, boys do not have as much pressure to look perfect as they are to act in a certain way or to excel in some kind of athletic sport. Where girls normally get caught up in looks, boys are normally more judgmental when it comes to athletic ability. In the poem she describes the main character by saying “Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.”(Piercy l.11) This would be very different if it were pertaining to a boy. They may say something like he cannot make this shot or this throw. Boys have a hard time as well but the pressures are different. They may not go to as far as an extreme in most cases but they will go out of their way to get the attention they seek.

Ozymandias

“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley was an interesting poem that gave examples of how nothing lasts forever. He uses a statue in the middle of the desert as his prime example. Over the years the statue has fallen and only the legs are left standing. The head lay half buried in the sand after many years of laying on the ground. The pedestal is still standing as part of the legs of the statue. The pedestal has the words “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”(Bysshe l.10-11) making it seem that the statue is one of someone who was either very powerful or thought he was. He thought his power would translate into his statue and it would last forever but as the theme of the poem goes the statue must eventually break down. The use of three different speakers gives this poem very good depth. He makes good use of the three speakers he uses as the main speaker, the person he says he meets that speaks about the statue, and the way he presents the text on the statue’s pedestal makes it its own speaker. In the end it seems to me that he thinks that sand will last much longer than much the statue will but in no way says it will last forever, just that it will last much longer.

Symbolism in “Ode on a Grecian Urn”

The symbolism in this poem starts with the title. An urn is used to store the ashes of a loved one whom was cremated. Setting aside theism, nothing does last forever. An urn itself may last a long time, but it will eventually fade. Ironically the urn houses something that has already surpassed its expiration date, a body. The urn seams to symbolize eternity. The figures on it have passed on but there visage lives on.

“Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
Your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearied,
For ever piping songs for ever new;”(Keats, l. 21-24)

Here the flora that is discussed is inferred as being deciduous, it will lose leaves come fall. The seasonal changes are of birth to death. On the urn however, the branches will never lose their leaves, they are immortal. Everything that is on the urn isn’t mortal anymore and will live on. The urn, however, will eventually disappear with time. It is ironic, but there is symbolism behind the text. While there are objects and being depicted on the urn as immortal, the urn’s time is finite. Does this mean that while everything is finite, something that outlasts is the thought, or truth, behind the urn.
The truth is the urn was thought of, carefully sculpted and plan. It will eventually be gone, but the fact that someone created it will never cease. “ `Beauty is truth, truth beauty,”—that is all / Ye known on earth, and all ye need to know.”(l. 49-50)
The only thing that seams to out last everything is truth, it is the one thing one the planet that will not die.

"Ozymandias"

In the poem “Ozymandias”, the idea that nothing lasts forever is portrayed through the realization of what is left of the kingdom in which the king once reigned. It becomes apparent that the statue of the king outlasted the actual reign of power that this mighty ruler had and all that is left to show is a bleak and dissolving statue that stands alone amongst the middle of an empty desert. The told description of the statue lets the reader know that the statue has been there for some time with the knowledge that it has “trunkless legs” and has “shattered visage lies”. This allows the reader to gain insight into the fact that the “king of kings” was a harsh leader because it was stated that there was “a sneer of cold command”. Along with this, other characteristics in the description that engage the reader in this idea are the words written on the statue “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my words, ye Mighty, and despair.” Also, through the speakers view point, this has happened some time ago which also lets the reader know that “ye Mighty” is not mighty anymore, and that nothing; including temporary power; lasts forever. It goes to show that; in certain situations; power can be outstood by mere concrete because although his power has ceased, the statue that represents his power is still standing, in the form of a statue.

Diction/Tone choices: "Porphyria's Lover", "To his Coy Mistress" & "Ode on a Grecian Urn"

Diction is all about the words that you choose; the level of language that an author commits to. Diction can make a poem easily misunderstood or undoubtedly understandable. In Robert Browning's poem "Porphyria's Lover," his choice of words creates an emotional affect on the reader. "Three times her little throat around, / And strangled her. No pain felt she; / I am quite sure she felt no pain" (Browning l. 40-42) is an example of how his words strike the reader. The speaker seems to be emotionless yet calm. The manner of his tone creates an eerie effect that spills from the page.
In Andrew Marvell's "To his Coy Mistress," his choice of diction creates a convincing tone from the speaker to the woman in which the poem was intended. The speaker is essentially laying down the foundation of his case; trying to persuade the woman to subdue to his advances. Marvell uses hyperbole's often, "My vegetable love should grow / Vaster than empires, and more slow" (Browning l. 11-12). This quote describes the speakers love bigger than an entire empire and the tone of exaggeration comes to the surface. The tone of his poem is far from serious and somewhat playful.
Perhaps the most difficult to comprehend is John Keats' poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn." The diction he uses is often hard to follow and choice of words. In the poem he talks about the beauty of an urn and its representations in life. The tone of this poem is upbeat and happy as expressed in this line of the poem: "Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed / Your leaves, nor ever id the spring adieau; /And, happy, melodist, unwearied / For ever piping songs for ever new" (Keats l. 20-24). The attitude of the author makes the poem have a rhythm almost like a song has a tune.
Diction and tone go hand in hand in many poems. The language is in a direct relation to the attitude and the message the author wants to bring to his readers.

"Barbie Doll"

Marge Piercy's poem "Barbie Doll," explores the theme of perfection and always wanting more than what you have. The poem starts out soft and then takes a turn, " Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: / You have a great big nose and fat legs" (Piercy l. 5-6). This line reflects the harsh reality of a female developing into a woman. However, this harsh reality of striving for perfection doesn't just happen to females. Males also face a inward struggle; a conflict between beauty of the inside versus beauty on the outside.
This poem, reformed into language for a male audience, could be titled "Male Model." Ironically, that title could mean more than just one thing. The word 'model' can be thought of literally as what one should strive for, or the example one should follow. Also, it can be thought of as what one does for a career; setting a standard of what masculine beauty should be. The denotation of this word changes the effect it could have on the reader, depending on if they took it literally or not. When this poem is written in the intent for a male viewer the beginning lines of "and presented dolls that did pee pee / and miniature GE stoves and irons / and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy" (Piercy l. 2-4) that were intended for a female could be changed to a topic about cars, hardware and dinosaurs. Instead of looking a big nose and fat legs, the poem directed at males may talk about height and size of muscles. Regardless of being male or female, human beings are far from kind. Perhaps that's why perfection is so important and plastic surgery so abundant.
What ever happened to 'it's whats on the inside that counts?'

"Ozymandias"

In Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "Ozymandias," the theme that "nothing lasts" reoccurs throughout the entire work. I first line of the poem "I met a traveler from an antique land" (Shelley l. 1) mentions that land as old and fragile. This is a direct reference to the theme that nothing lasts; nothing will be as it once was. The imagery in the poem is vivid to the point of creating a picture in the mind. When the statue is first mentioned the language and choice of words work together like the man pieces of a puzzle that are becoming one. "Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, /And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command" (Shelley l. 4-5) is an example of this. Each word connects the one next to it, creating the bigger picture. The imagery of a statue that once stood so tall, so perfect and now to see it worn; crumbling at the mercy of the desert all ties back to the theme that nothing lasts. The different speakers in this poem all put forth some evidence that nothing lasts forever. The tone of the poem changes somewhat in line 10 of Shelley's poem: "My name is Ozymandias, kind of kings." This offers a commanding tone in a poem that seems to talk of things that used to be. There is one thing that lasts in the ending of the poem. "Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away" (Shelley l. 13-14) offers that the desert and its vastness will go on forever. This is the one thing in the poem that will never change.

Adolescence

"Barbie doll" by Marge Piercy, is a poem about a young girl struggling with adolescence and appearance until she's had enough. This poem is focused towards a feminist view but can also strongly be related to young men growing up in their teen years. If this poem was renamed it could very well be called "Adolescence". Teen boys suffer through similar areas of peer pressure, social norms, and parental expectations. Young men have difficulty fitting in with others at school, boys are called weak if they look too skinny, and people can pick on them if they are having a bad acne day. Even though this poem is focused to be feminist, it can also swing towards a masculine way if it were termed differently.

"Ozymandias"

The theme in "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelly, has one that seems "nothing lasts". Some imagery from this poem particularly caught my eye when the speaker said, "a shattered visage lies, whose frown, / And wrinkled lip" (Shelly l. 4-5). I pictured an old statue weathered from the elements and time; almost like the same condition of Egypt's Sphinx. The writings show that no matter how powerful and strong something is, or once was, "nothing lasts" not even "Ozymandias, king of kings".

"Ozymandias"

In the short poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley, the speaker begins right away with proving nothing lasts. "I met a traveler from an antique land." (Percy Bysshe Shelley 721) This quote right away is saying that even the land is getting old. Everything in life that is born or created eventually gets old and dies. The speaker goes on to tell about a statue found decaying in the sand once again an image that nothing will last forever. The various speakers in the poem are used to help readers better understand that even the best things in life don't stay good forever. They eventually become old and useless. The statues words seem to be what outlasted other things in the poem. "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" (Shelley 721) The speaker is trying to show that even though the statue itself is "lifeless", the words have outlasted the statue. The speaker seems to be trying to show the reader that yes, certain things do outlast others, but in the end, everything will die.

"Barbie Doll"

The poem Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy shows how societys image as "beautiful" effects young girls. Even though society puts an ideal image out there for young men, I highly believe that woman struggle with it more. If I were to re-write the poem through a mans perspective, I would base it more on being tall, dark, and handsome rather than super skinny with big boobs. I believe young men focus more on being muscular than skinny. I don't know any man who aspires to be skinny. Most are searching for a look that consists of muscules. If I were to name this poem based on a young man's experience, I would title it G.I. Joe. I think that would be the perfect name because young boys often want to be like him. He is a strong character portrayed as a hero which would be something young boys would want to be. I also think that boys would be able to understand the poem very well if it was written in a way they could easily understand and relate to.

Theme of "Ode on a Grecian Urn", "To His Coy Mistress" and "Porphyria’s Lover"

The theme of To His Coy Mistress is love. The speaker shows his love for his mistress in the beginning of the poem. "I would/Love you ten years before the Flood,/ And you should, if you please, refuse/ Till the conversion of the Jews" (Marvell 831). He also talks about how they will be together forever and remain in love for life. The poem proves this in the end of the poem. It says, "And tear our pleasures with rough strife/ Thorough the iron gates of life" (Marvell 831).

The theme of Ode on a Grecian Urn is love. However, it is not necessarily happy love. "Bold lover, never, never canst thou kiss" (Keats 1036). It seems that the two are in love, but to an extent. They seem to be more in love with the chase of each other, but once they are both happy and in love, that trill soon ends.

The theme of Porphyria's Lover is love. Porphyria appears to be in love with the speaker of the poem. She came inside from a storm and sat next to the speaker and confessed her love for him. "From pride, and vainer ties dissever, / And give herself to me for ever" ( Browning 763). The two seemed to have hit it off and Browning makes it seem like they will be together forever. However, the speaker's feelings for Porphyria suddenly change. "In one long yellow string I wound / Three times her little throat around, / And strangled her. No pain felt she" (Browning 764). The speaker continues to be intimate with her corpse because he does still love her.

Barbie Doll

If I were to rename the poem "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy for more of a boy view, I would name it "Ken Doll". Girls aren't the only ones that have body issues, boys can too. Most boys however, aren't as concerned about being "fat". They are usually more interested in being muscular and having the perfect muscular body. I would send the poem more in the direction of being muscular as opposed to being slim and beautiful like Piercy did.

My Last Duchess

The character of "My Last Duchess" appears to be a well known man with a secret. No one expects the duke to be able to tell such a graphic story of his lovers death. "Who'd stoop to blame This sort of trifling?" (Browning 748). The people probably didn't know that the duchess was murdered and that the duke knew about it, which makes the poem so surprising. The duke must also have a little anger issues. He said, "Just this or that in you disgusts me; here you miss, or exceed the mark" (Browning 748). The woman he is talking to probably got a little worried and afraid of him at this point after hearing the story of how the duchess was murdered as she was passing the portrait of her.

Irony in Porphyria's Lover

Robert Browning's poem "Porphyria's Lover" is filled with irony. The speaker in the poem is recounting a meeting with his lover, Porphyria. The speaker starts by giving a description of the weather and Porphyria's actions once she gets into the house. The speaker goes into great detail when describing Porphyria's physical appearance. "[M]ade her smooth white shoulder bare" (Browning 763). After descriptions like this readers are probably expecting love making. However, the speaker moves on from this and turns to his worry that Porphyria will not overcome pride and vanity and completely love him. When he realizes that she loves him he decides to kill her. The speaker believes that by killing Porphyria he grants "her darling one wish" (Browning 764). Readers, however, understand that he is delusional. Besides this dramatic irony the poem also has situational irony. What starts out as a meeting between lovers ends in the unexpected, a murder.

Theme of "Porphyria's Lover," & "To His Coy Mistress

"Porphyria's Lover" portrays a theme of what love can do to a person. The man portrayed in the story seems to be insane. The two characters were in love and the man didn't want the love to ever end so he killed her, hoping it would last. Another theme is dominance. Usually it is male dominance, but in this poem the woman is dominant. It says that "she shut the cold out and the storm." Then at the end the man reverses the dominance, he kills her, and now he is in control.

“To His Coy Mistress” portrays a theme of time, the essence of time. Time reoccurs throughout the poem and is mentioned by the speaker of the poem multiple times. He is bothered by time and sees it as out to get him. The speaker refers to “carpe diem” or “seize the day.” The speaker is afraid that they are going to run out of time so he wants to make the most of that day and not put it off until tomorrow. He is trying to use this “carpe diem” on a woman he has sexual affections towards. He continues to persuade her throughout the poem to have sex before time runs out, but she is playing hard to get and will not give into his begging. The speaker eventually settles down at the end and realizes that he cannot be afraid of time.

“Ode on a Grecian Urn” portrays a theme of death. No one can escape death and the speaker mournfully realizes this throughout the poem. He so wishes that the young deaths could be alive and well, making happy memories. Although these deaths are inevitable, people leave behind a beauty about them, something of permanence. In the poem the speaker says, “When old age shall this generation waste, thou shall remain, in midst of other woe.”

"Barbie Doll"

Both young mean and woman go through that phase in middle/high school where they don't think anything could go worse. It is a tough time for any young man or woman. Although both genders have this rough point in their lives, young woman have it worse, only because of the higher standards that I believe are set for them. Young woman, at all times, have to look smashing, while for young men it just doesn't seem to be as important. Young men still have peer pressure though. They are expected by their peers to "act tough" and not be a "wuss" or baby. If a boy cries, well that is the end of any manlihood that he had in middle school. He will be teased about that happening until they are older and matured. Once again, I believe parents of girls expect more out of them when it comes to schooling, then parents of boys. Boys are more into athletics and therefore when it comes to sports, parents of boys expect more. Like I referred to earlier, a girl is expected to always "look good," when for a boy it isn't as prominent.
If I were to re-write this poem and write it about a boy's life experience, I would title the poem, "Average Joe." There have been references to the "average joe" on television shows before, and it is supposed to be the ideal man a woman would want. I would show the reader what makes a young man act the way they do, and I would use words that a young man would understand. Words that articulate the importance of the meaning I am trying to portray.

"Ozymandias"

Nothing does last. Not even the Everlasting Gobstoppers that Willy Wonka came up with. People are born into the world and the second they are they start to decline. In the poem "Ozymandias," the speaker ends the story on a note that tells the reader that "nothing lasts," which is the theme of this poem. The speaker is reminiscing about a travel that he took to "an antique land" where he saw a statue in ruins. It had been decaying for some time and was now "boundless and bare." The words that are used to describe the state of the statue give the reader a mental image of what it looks like and how things in the world will not last. The traveler that the main speaker met says a few words at the beginning of the poem. These are the words that describe the mental image to the reader. What lasts is the writing that is written on the statue and the "passion" of the sculptor. Words that are written down, in stone, seem to last forever. The words on the statue will and have outlasted man and the buildings. It does not matter who is more powerful or who isn’t, eventually everything will be gone. Nothing is permanent.

Barbie doll

Marge Piecy's poem "Barbie doll" examines how females derive their self-esteem from what others think of them, especially during the years of puberty. The importance of image to girls is well known and many authors have written about this subject, but it is considered somewhat taboo to suggest that young men have it as bad as young women. Young men wish for perfect physical appearance just as women do. If I were to rewrite this poem so that the subject was a man I would name it "Hero Action Figure". Action figures modeled after heroes from TV and movies posses all the physical characteristics a "perfect" man would. They are also a toy that many boys play with and hope to emulate, just like Barbie for girls. Instead of using the images of "a big nose and fat legs"(Piercy 1048), I would use scrawny. Just as every young girl hopes the word fat won't be used to describe her, young men must feel the same way about scrawny.

Ozymandias

In Percy Bysshe Shelley's Poem "Ozymandias" the speaker uses images of a statue in ruins to develop the theme that nothing last. The speaker depicts what, at one time, was a great monument. There is an inscription that reads "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair" (Shelley 765 line 11). The irony is that the statue is now in ruins. The speaker describes it as "half sunk, a shattered visage" (Shelley 765 line4). Using Ozymandias as a subject makes the statement "nothing last" all the more powerful. Even one of the great Pharaohs of Egypt can not halt the effects of time. What does last in this poem is the the sand. The speaker portrays the sand as though it were engulfing the ruins. The last line "The lone and level sands stretch far away" evokes the image of never ending sand (Shelley 765 line 14).

Doe Season

In Kaplan’s story there is a theme of initiation, or right of passage. Blood is mentioned on and off throughout the text. The blood suggests a loss of innocence, a transition that takes place in children’s lives when they understand the difference between life and death. Through this commencement children become closer to adults and comprehend more about life and what it means to be alive.
Andy was with the doe in the clearing and the bright moon shown it clearly. “…she had found the doe’s heart, warm and beating. She cupped it gently in her hand.”(Kaplan 521) Her dream was about the balance of life. When you hunt you have the decision: what lives, what dies? The conclusion was hers to choose back when she had the rifle raised to the doe. Her decision was a hard one as she did not want to disappoint or feel belittled by the men around her. She had a connection with the deer in her dream that can really only be felt by those that hunt and ultimately kill. It leaves a mark on you, not so much on you skin, but in your soul. “…her hand pulled free, followed by a steaming rush of blood, more blood than she ever could have imagined—it covered her hand and arm, and she saw to her horror that her hand was steaming.”(521) This passage was talking about the mark taking life leaves on a person. In the dream blood was on her hands, she had harvested a living thing, and she was terrified of this thought. There is however something else it could symbolize.
The changes in a woman from child to adulthood could be symbolized by the previous passage as well. This may not be such an abstract thought. Perhaps this is why the story was written about a doe and not a buck. The connection of one female life to another regardless of the species had strong symbolism. In the dream the mature doe was allowing the young girl a union between them. It was almost like the doe was teaching or showing the girl about life and death.

"Doe Season"

The transition from young Andy's childhood to her adulthood, would lie within one single trigger pull. The moment when she pulled the trigger and killed the doe, was when she entered her adulthood. Andy always mentioned how the woods stayed the same but the ocean never stopped moving; that day she killed the doe she changed the woods forever and was from there on a women. I really enjoyed "Doe Season" by David Kaplan.

"The Storm"

While I read "The Storm" by Kate Choppin, I thought there can never be an excuse to commit adultery no matter what the case may be. In this book it almost makes it seem alright in certain moments. Though I do not think it is ever right to do such a crime; the setting certainly does try to render the audience into believing it's o.k. when the mood is right. There is no excuse for the characters in this story to do the act they so chose. If I were to ever find out my wife had an affair while I went to the market to buy some shrimp, I would be outraged and would consider divorce! Calixta was lucky in this situation.

Doe Season (question 3)

Andy finds comfort in the woods always staying the same. It is growing up and maturing much like she is. The way the woods always seem the same and that comforts Andy in her quest to achieve adulthood. Because the woods are slow changing it is less intimidating to her, it feels safe, especially in comparison to the ocean. "It was huge and empty, yet always moving. Everything lay hidden" (Kaplan, 459). Growing up is unexpected and uncertain just like the ocean. It is a different world and it is full of surprise.

Doe Season

In the story "Doe Season" Andy feels comforted by the woods. "They were the same woods that lay behind her house, and they stretched all the way to her, she thought, for miles and miles.... The thought made her feel good..." (David Kaplan) She was able to feel comfort from the woods because they stretched all the way from her house: a comfortable place. Not only is her house a comfortable place but a familiar place as well. I think this is important because she is only nine years old, and at that age, comfort and familiarity are high on the list of priorities. However, when she talks about the ocean, she is unsure of herself because the ocean is unfamiliar. "She and her parents had gone last summer to stay for a week at a motel on the New Jersey shore. That was the first time she'd seen the ocean." (Kaplan) Since she had only seen the ocean once in her lifetime, it was unfamiliar to her, and she felt uncomfortable being around the ocean. I think she feels the same way about growing up. It's unfamiliar to her, so she doesn't know what to expect. "It was huge and empty, yet always moving. Everything lay hidden. If you walked in it, you couldn't see how deep it was or what might be below ..." (Kaplan) The same goes for growing up. No one knows whats going to happen. This really frightens her because she is not used to not knowing what to expect.

The Storm (question 9)

In The Storm, the weather played a key role in the act of committing adultry. The storm was responsible for stranding Calixta's husband and son in town while she was home alone. Also, Alcee was caught in the midst of the storm and he takes refuge with Calixta. The storm also plays a role in the setting, "...obscuring the view of far-off cabins and enveloping the distant wood in a gray mist" (Chopin 257) as if to demonstrate to the reader that they are all alone. Once the rain stopped and the sun came out, Bobinot and Bibi come home, Calixta acts as if nothing had happened. It seems as if Calixta and Alcee both feel regret of their adultery and they both do something nice for their spouse. Calixta makes a great meal and Alcee writes to his wife and grants her the choice of staying in Biloxi or returning to him.
The sunshine after the storm brought a great feeling of happiness for all of the characters in the story. Calixta and Alcee got to relive their past romance and it stayed a secret from their families. Bobinot got a feast and Clarisse got a taste of her maiden freedom. "So the storm passed and everyone was happy (Chopin 259)." Although the storm in no way excuses their actions, it was an excellent way of symbolizing the events of the story.

Doe Season

Andy makes a reference of the woods never change and they “stretch all the way to here, for miles and miles, longer than I could walk in a day, or a week even, but they are still the same trees.”(pg. 511, paragraph 1) This to me is here way of saying in a way she will always be a kid and will never change. She will always be able to be a carefree kid when she is with her father and be able to do the things she enjoys to do with him. I think this is a good way of putting it of how she feels, that her childhood will go on forever even though she has to grow up eventually and this may be considered the first step.
Later she goes back to a story about her summer at the Jersey shore where she went on vacation with her mom and dad. She refers to the ocean as “huge and empty”(pg. 514, paragraph 45) and that “you couldn’t see how deep it was or what might be below; if you swam, something could pull you under and you’d never be seen again.”(pg. 514, paragraph 45) She uses this analogy to explain growing up. There are many situations while you are growing up that you might not be able to see what’s next or what may be lurking up behind you. It may also be used to say don’t take to many chances because you never know what might be coming for you.

The Storm

I think using the fact that there is a large storm coming through is not a good reason to commit adultery. Yes there is a really bad storm and maybe it could have been a potentially deadly storm it is still no reason. I don’t understand how they could both be married and both be fine with it. It does set it up by saying the dad and son are going to stay at the store and wait the storm out and then this other man comes riding up on his horse almost as if it was planned for him to be there.
To me it seems like it may have been planned. He shows up when her husband is gone to the store and his wife is away. Then they commit adultery and neither feels remorseful about it. They both go on as if they are happy. She cooks supper and says, “J’vous reponds, we’ll have a feas’ tonight! Umph-umph.”(pg. 266, paragraph 35) He immediately goes home and sends his wife a letter “full of tender solicitude.”(pg.267, paragraph 37) With this as evidence, I think they planned it and it just so happened that there was a storm that they used as an excuse.

The Lottery

The Lottery
In this story there is symbolism in nearly every element of the setting. The black box that runs the lottery is both a symbol for heavy tradition and impending harm. The box itself is one of the only physical remnants of the traditional lottery and even the box itself had predecessor. This is due to the fact that it is the central vessel of picking the “winner.” It is worn with age and is well older than the eldest of the participant villagers. “The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the old man in town, was born…The black box grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer completely black, but splintered badly along one side to show the original color, and in some places faded or stained.”(Jackson 444) This weathered box is mentioned to have been made from the last box. While it never says how long the tradition has been occurring we know that it is many ages. The appearance also sets off a tone. It is black and weathered almost like a foreboding omen that something awful was going to happen when the papers are drawn. The color black is also very ominous and stands for harm, pain, isolation, and even death. The symbolism is even found in their clothing and conversation.
The clothes are symbolic of a church gathering, almost a religious ritual. Also, the clothes symbolize simplicity and ignorance. The townspeople are together and have seemingly nice, but weathered, clothes on and carry on talking. “The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters…greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands.”(443) These clothes represent the age and even circumstances that these people live in. In an important, once a year ritual, these people aren’t wearing exorbitant clothing. It is simple common people garb. They are farmers and expect a promising harvest from the traditional stoning of the person drawn. Their conversations are like a nervous gathering of chickens - clucking back and forth in apprehension of foreshadowed slaughter to come.

I Stand Here Ironing

The narrator in this story is overwhelmed by guilt because of the way she had raised her daughter compared to her other children. She feels that her eldest daughter Emily was neglected various times throughout her childhood. She had to send her away when she was an infant because she could not take care of Emily because the times were hard and that Emily's father had left them. The narrator expresses guilt in the fact that she would not tend to her daughter when she had a nightmare and would simply tell her that she was fine and to go back to bed. The narrator also explains that Emily missed quite a bit of school. " She had to be a mother, and housekeeper, and shopper" (294). In my opinion I think that the narrator tried being a good mother to Emily the best she knew how. Taking into consideration that the narrator was young when she had Emily and it did not help that the father walked out on them. I think that there are things that she could have done differently such as comforting her daughter when she needed it. In the end of this story Emily turned out to have a terrific talent of making people laugh. She brought laughter into the lives of others and I think that Emily turned out just fine.

Doe Season # 3

Andy finds comfort in the woods being always the same because it fulfills a child's need for stability. If the woods that she kills the doe in are the same woods as behind her house it decreases the feeling of being in an unfamiliar place, which is always comforting. To Andy, the ocean is unfamiliar "...huge and empty, yet always moving. Everything lay hidden" (Kaplan 514). Any transition from childhood to adulthood requires a shift from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Becoming and adult is often also a process of discovering things that were previously hidden. When Andy left for the hunting trip she seems excited to be hunting, until she discovers her feelings toward killing the doe.

Doe Season-#3

The woods in the story, "Doe Season" by David Kaplan symbolize the youth of Andy as a child. She begins the story on her first deer hunting trip with her father and two other males. Although at first Andy seems like a young boys name, Andy in this story represents a nine year old girl. The woods are a safe place to her, somewhere that is familiar and good. Andy doesn't have much to worry about when she is in the wood; no standards to live up to, no responsibilities to attend to.
During the hunting trip she begins to see the woods as a different place, a new place with uncharted territory. In the story Andy talks about the time she first saw the ocean: "That was the first time she had ever seen the ocean, and it frightened her. It was huge and empty, yet always moving. Everything lay hidden" (Kaplan, 459). This symbolizes her conflict with growing older, becoming an adult. When you're young, everything is simple, almost worry free. However, this transition from young to old often happens within the blink of an eye and before you know it, you are no longer a child.
"There just has to be one moment when it all changes from light to dark" (461), is another example of how Andy is trying to savor her youth. She wants to realize when she is going through the transition from childhood to adulthood. However this transition, as stated earlier, just happens. The woods are Andy's childhood, seemingly unchanging, and the ocean is her uncertain adulthood that is just around the corner.

The Storm - #9

In "The Storm," by Kate Chopin, the setting sets forth a series of events that eventually lead to an act of adultery. Calixta, a mother and wife, opens her house to a man that she has had a romance with in the past. While her husband and young son are confined to a store away from their home because of the storm, Calixta gives into temptation with Alcee.
As the storm grows stronger, so does the tension between them. However, is this a reason to cheat on your husband? Certainly not. The storm is no where near a justifiable reason to have sexual relations with a man other than your husband. Yes, Calixta was scared and probably felt alone, but why not play a game or tell a story if you need a distraction.
Temptation is, unfortunately, all to easy to give into most times but just because your body can't always control itself, the mind holds the key in the final choice. Calixta should have thought about her family, about her son, instead of thinking of herself and indulging in such a selfish act. In the end of the story, the storm passes and Alcee leaves. Calixta is reunited with her family and acts as if nothing has happened. She even seems worried and loving, as if what she had just done never happened at all. She should have taken responsibility for her actions, confessed what she had done and prepared for the consequences. Instead, she went on with her life; feeling almost shameless about what she had done. The astonishing part of the story seems to be the last words of Chopin, "So the storm passed and everyone was happy" (259).

A Worn Path

A Worn Path by Eudora Welty, is a symbolic and descriptive story of Phoenix Jackson's journey through the woods to town. Phoenix is symbolic in that a bird phoenix rises from its own ashes and goes through another cycle of life. I believe the author is trying to convey that the old women, thought very old and fragile, still is very full of life. She also is dress in very vivid colors like reds, which can also convey a full of life presence. She is on this trip for her grandson, which shows us that she is a selfless person and cares for her family. The main theme is her journey to town. But the theme of racism is also present. The hunter she encounters is rude to her and pokes fun at her. The nurse also refers to her as Aunt Phoenix instead of Ms. Jackson which can be looked at as racist. A Worn Path is a well written story and I believe it has a lot of underlying symbols that it can be evaluated time and time again.

The Chrysanthemums

I think that the main theme of The Chrysanthemums is limitations as a wife. Elisa has to stay behind when the man around her leave and go about their day to day activities. She talks about how she doesn't go outside of the ranch in which she lives often and says it doesn't bother her. “It must be very nice. I wish women could do such things” (Steinbeck). She clearly wishes that she could go and do the kinds of things that men can do.

The Storm

The Storm may have caused some temptation between Calixta and Alcee, but I do not believe that it excuses what they did. "Calixta put her hands to her eyes, and with a cry, stagered backward. Alcee's arm encircled her, and for an instant he drew her close and spasmodically to him" (Chopin 264). The two simply could have then just forget what happened and caught up with each other rather than cheat on their significant other just because they are going through problems.

The Storm

Honestly, I do not believe that the storm excuses Calixta and Alcee from their actions, but I think they believe it does. I think that Calixta could have prevented the situation even though, Alcee was tempting her. Many situations happened throughout the storm that Calixta could have walked away from. A situation like, "Alcee clasped her shoulders and looked into her afce. The conatct of her warm, palpitating body when he had unthinkingly drawn her into his arms, had aroused all the old-tim infatuation and desire for her flesh." (Kate Chopin) Calixta could have easily walked away or told Alcee he needed to behave. However, Alcee saw no resistance from Calixta, so he continued to comfort her. "Calixta," he said, "don't be frightened. Nothing can happen." (Chopin) She engaged in his comfort and enjoyed it. Then when her husband comes home, she acts like she was so worried. "Oh, Bobinot! You back! My! but I was uneasy!" (Chopin) I can't believe how normal she acts, as if she had done nothing wrong. She isn't the only one who acts like they didn't do anything wrong because Alcee goes home that night and writes his wife a loving letter. They both act like the storm gave them an excuse to commit adultery. Now that the storm is over, they go on living their lives like nothing ever happened.

"I stand here ironing" question #3

In Tillie Olson's "I stand here ironing" the narrator is overcome with guilt for past actions and omitions. The narrator believes that in a certain sense she has neglected to be a vital part of her child Emily's upbringing by not being there when Emily pleaded for her to be {"Can't you go some other time, Mommy, like tomorrow?" she would ask. "Will it be just a little while you'll be gone? Do you promise?"(20)}
To me, the narrator is haunted by a past over which she had little or no control. After all, who is to say which is more important, to feed your child or to kiss them goodnight? While some of the choices made may not always turn out right, the narrator did not appear to want to neglect her child. When the ball is thrown we do not always connect when we swing at it.
All in all, I think the narrator did what she could and thought was right for her baby girl. One must remember that this story is set during the Great Depression when choices for one's children where limited at best and jobs and food were not available in the abundance of this generation.

Yellow Wallpaper

In Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is shown a typical courtly yet condemning generation in which the treatment for the narrator's depression is to simply pretend that it does not exsist. As the narrator sinks deeper and deeper into depressed state, and becomes quieter and quieter, her 'loving' husband becomes convinced that she is becoming better in her drab and twisting environment. Oh! One might exclaim, but she is eating more and getting plenty of rest! But what are these to a mind that lies trapped within its self? To a mind that sees only one means of escape?
This was a sad story in which much of the author shines through into the narrator.

A&P

The story of A&P is of a feminist protest. It takes place back in 1961, and back then there was alot of different things going on one of them being womens rights. I think these girls were part of this so called generation. Updike states that [L]engel says to the girls,"this isn't the beach"(Updike 227). Queenie starts to blush at what Lengel had said to her and says"My mother asked me to pick up a jar of herring snacks"(Updike 227). Lengel was fine with that, he just wasn't fine with how they were dressed in two piece swimsuits. The girls weren't doing anything wrong, they just had to get one thing. It didn't matter to Lengel either,"we want you decently dressed when you come in here"(Updike 227). This is the main reason that Sammy quit his job at the A&P. He wanted to impress those girls, to be there hero. This is where Sammy had is epiphany and it was very short lived. As he walked outside and turned to look at the A&P he realized just how hard the world was going to be from then on.

"Doe Season"

As a person transitions from childhood to adulthood there are many changes. Andy finds comfort in the woods that are “always the same.” There is no sign of change and she likes it like that. When Andy refers to the ocean, “huge and empty, yet always moving,” she means that a person is always changing or moving and there is nothing in their power they can do to stop it. It is too mighty and great, like an ocean, and will always happen. Although most people don’t like change, changes will occur; it is a fact of life. An ocean will always be moving. The “huge and empty” part may go along with the feelings as you mature. Some people feel unfilled and unknown to what this part of their life will bring as they change. Finding your truth self is an epiphany and Andy finally found her true self at the end of the story, she found Andrea.

The Storm #9

While the storm gave Calixta and Alcee the opportunity to commit adultery, it does not excuse their actions. Calixta and Alcee could have just as well sat down and talked about their families over a cup of coffee than cheated on their spouses. They both knew that this situation could lead to trouble. The narrator gave an indication of this when they said "She had not seen him very often since her marriage, and never alone" (Chopin 264). On page 265 there is a series of events that leads them into each others arms. In the first of these events Calixta and Alcee are standing at the window and a lightening bold hits a nearby tree. This startles Calixta and she "staggered backward" into Alcee's arms. This time, she frees herself. If she were uncomfortable with what was happening she could have made an excuse to go into another room, but she chooses to stay with Alcee. Both characters made a conscious choice to commit adultery and to excuse their actions because of a weather occurrence is outrageous.

"The Storm"

No. There is absolutely no excuse in the world to commit adultery. Once a person vows to their husband/wife for a life-long marriage (through death do us part), they should not be having any outside communication with other men/women besides being friends. Just because a storm passes does not give Calixta a reason to have a sexual relationship with a man that was in her life years ago. She had already given her heart to another man and was supposed to stay true to her word. Although Alcee did coax her into committing adultery and Calixta tried to stop him a couple of times, she still gave in eventually and that was wrongful on her part. Like I said at the beginning and I stand for what I said, there is not an excuse that can justify committing adultery.

"A Good Man Is Hard to Find"

The grandmother is a religious pretender. She acts very selfishly towards the beginning when she doesn't want to take a family trip to Florida, but to Tennessee. But, when the car breaks down and there are men with guns, shooting her family one by one, she preaches to Misfit. She doesn't seem to care about the other family members who are being brought into the woods and shot, yet she is worried only about her life. She only seemed to care about her faith when her life was in jeopardy. I feel as if the family has true faith, because even after the grandmother tells them of the Misfit they still go on their journey to Florida. They have faith that they will hopefully not encounter this Misfit.
The grandmother realized before her death of the mistakes she had made. But God grants grace to people even if they have made many unrepairable if they accept him into their life.
Violence shows the reader that the world is not perfect and never will be. That even people that murder others can attain grace.

A Rose For Emily

As I try to reason who I believe is the narrator, I come to the conclusion that it is a towns person that lives in the town that Emily does. It never says if it a male or female, but whoever it is, doesn't look down upon Emily. They are respectful to who she is. Emily buys arsenic not to commit suicide but to murder Homer. It mentions that she wants to be married to him but he has not proposed to her yet. I think therefore she wanted to kill him so she could be with him the rest of her life. She ends up killing him and then lying next to him every night for the remainder of her life. Once again, it makes me wonder that Emily loves the dead.

The Yellow Wallpaper

The protagonist in this story is also the narrator. A woman suffering from what her husband calls “temporary nervous depression” (Pg. 367), ends up believing she is a women trapped behind yellow wallpaper, finally free and aloud to “creep” as she pleases. She had been suffering from postpartum depression, and in those times rest and isolation was the “cure”, when in fact it was not. When her husband John brought her to the home the woman seemed to optimistic about the gardens and even fond of one of the bedrooms on the main floor. But she still felt “there is something strange about this house” Pg. 367. John did not let her have a say in what room they would stay. She described the wallpaper as being “One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin.” Pg. 368.
Despite the fact that she did not like the room and complained of the wallpaper, her husband insisted she stay in that room. She was not aloud to use her brain, her mind was supposed to rest. The women would stare at the walls trying to follow the pattern while due to the many windows in the room different tones of light and shadows were cast on the walls. This would cause the patterns to appear to be moving. This would be enough to drive any person trapped in that room insane, let alone a depressed person.
A major shift in the plot occurs when she tries to talk to her husband about leaving. “….so I told him that I really was not gaining here, and that I wished he would take me away.” (Pg. 373 paragraph 135). Her husband ends by telling her they will be staying three more months. It’s as if she gives up then and there and continues trying to figure out the pattern on the wall. She comes to the conclusion that there is a woman in the wall. “I didn’t realize for a long time what the thing was that showed behind, that dim sub-pattern, but now I am quite sure it is a women.” Pg 374 paragraph 154. The woman also starts to believe that John and the caretaker Jennie knew about the women.
Another shift in the plot is when it seems the women is getting better, when in reality she has become worse. She has become obsessed with the women behind the wallpaper and it has given her meaning in life. “I’m feeling ever so much better! I don’t sleep much at night, for it so interesting to watch developments; but I sleep a good deal in the daytime.” Pg. 374 paragraph 170. She soon begins to think that the woman can get out from the wallpaper during the day and “creeps” around outside. This soon leads to her believing that she is the woman in the wallpaper.

A&P

I think that this story is lined with feminine protest. When I noticed that the story was written in 1961 I began to notice that this was a time of great rebellion for women. They were beginning to fight for more rights and burn bras and speak out for themselves. It was the opposite of conforming for some women. They were changing the way they lived and they were creating a new generation of women. I think these teen girls were part of this new generation. They lived how they wanted and wore and did things that demonstrated this. Although Lengel thought that the girls were not dressed appropriately, they most likely believed that they were as the one girl pointed out, "we are decent," Queenie said (Updike, 223).This was something that men and women were still getting used to in the 60s. I think the main reason why Sammy quit his job was to ultimately impress these girls that had caught his eye. He was probably unhappy with his job and this was a way to quit with what he saw as a good excuse. I think Sammy's epiphany was shortlived. He realized when he walked out to find the girls gone that he had just quit and had nothing to show for it. I think he instantly regretted his decision.

Yellow Wallpaper

In Gilman’s Yellow Wallpaper, the protagonist at the end of the story became more and more insane. Her mind led her to believe that she was the woman behind the wallpaper. She assumed the behaviors and mannerisms of the woman by creeping around the room and thinking that she had come out from the wall. She said, “It is so pleasant to be out in the great room and creep around as I please” (Gilman 405). The shifts in the plot, narrative and point of view happen as the woman slips deeper into insanity and becomes more involved with the wallpaper and the woman behind it. She became more pleasant and seemingly became more sane as the story progressed. It wasn’t until the end that we figured out that she was actually getting worse. She started to become extremely paranoid and she told the story as if everyone around her was becoming crazy. “I’ve caught [John] several times looking at the paper… I caught Jennie with her hand on it once” (401). She did not like the location of her room and all the windows in it. It was too big, too many windows and the sun and moon constantly shone in the room. The wallpaper obviously upset her; she didn’t like the color, pattern or the flow of it. She didn’t like the layout of the furniture either. She didn’t like the grounds because she constantly saw people creeping around. It’s odd that John kept her there when he knew she was uncomfortable in the room, when she was in fact brought there to become healthy.

A Rose for Emily

A Rose for Emily is written in the third person. The narrator is one of the neighborhood women.I think the way that the story is written and not in chronological order is confusing at first but in the end I can see why the author did it. It showed the progression of Emily's life and it painted a picture of how unhappy she seemed. Growing up and being alone really took a toll on her life and it explained why she could never let go of people or things. All of the towns people had a large interest in her life. She was different from everyone else and it intrigued them. Her life was taboo for the time because she lived with her father and she never married. In this time women were typically married at an early age and Emily never did this. The tone is dark and mysterious because the narrator really doesn't know anything about what really happens behind closed doors at Emily's house until she dies. I assume that because Emily meets a man, Homer, and they begin to start seeing each other but things don't work out, Emily is ashamed. She seems to be a very prideful person and when it comes out that Homer is a homosexual she murders him. Instead of being left again, she turns to murder so she can always keep him and not be shamed again.

A&P

After reading this short story I believe and agree with Updike that this story is a "feminist protest". I say this because the girls went into the store with nothing but bathing suits on and when Lengel see's this and is upset. He says to the girls that the next time they come in that they should be decently dressed and they should have their shoulders covered. One of the girls says that they are decently dressed and this is were I see that this story could be a "feminist protest". Sammy I believe quite because he wanted to get the girls' attention and also he might have agreed with the girls in the fact that they were decently dressed and there was nothing wrong with them going into the store dressed in the manner they were. As far as Sammy's epiphany I believe that happened when he was standing in the parking lot of the store right after he had quite and walked out. He realized that he might have made a mistake because of the way he describes how his stomach kind of fell.

A Rose for Emily

In the story, A Rose for Emily, I believe the narrator is a "towns person(s)". This influences the story's development because it is a person(s) looking back on Emily's life. To me, when people are telling a story of the past, the order is not always chronological. Remembering one thing may bring up a reminder or an example of something else.
At the time of Emily's father’s death, she had a hard time coming to terms with him being dead. She was unwilling to let him go. Any man who had come into Emily's life had been driven away by her father. Now, he too had left her. Emily became interested in Homer, a "Northerner, a day laborer." (Pg 209), the summer after her fathers death. The town’s people began to feel that Emily and Homer were living in sin and were setting a bad example. The town’s people, sticking their nose in Emily's business, began to persist her and Homer get married. The story of course does not talk about Emily's view, but I feel she began to try and persuade Homer into marriage, only to be denied because Homer was homosexual. "... Homer himself had remarked- he liked men, and it was known that he drank with younger men in the Elks' Club ..." (Pg. 210 paragraph 43). Emily, not only wanting to keep her pride, but Homer as well, turned to murder. Unlike her father's corpse, no one was there to try and take away Homer's rotting body. So she kept him, all to herself.

A&P

From the first line of the story he is infatuated with the three girls because they walked in the store wearing, “nothing but bathing suits.”(pg.224, paragraph one, line one.) My original assumption after finishing the first paragraph is that he is going to ask the chunky girl, “with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can” out.(pg.224, paragraph one, line four.) I came to that conclusion because he stopped checking his groceries and stared but as he went on to talk about the other two; I realized he liked certain qualities of all three of the girls. He seemed to enjoy whenever they would come in throughout the summer and then it came to a head when the manager saw them in only their bathing suits. He says, “We want you decently dressed when you come in here.”(pg.227, paragraph seventeen, line two.) He didn’t feel it was appropriate for them to be in there dressed in only their bathing suits. When Sammy realizes he isn’t going to get to see the girls anymore he tries to stick up for them by quitting his job but it is too late because they have already left so they don’t even realize that he had done that sticking up for them.

Story of an Hour

The significance of paragraph 5 is that Mrs. Mallard is seeing everything in a whole new light. Kate Chopin notes, "[She] could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring of life. The delicious breath of rain in the air."(198) Reading this I got a sense of being there in her shoes, I could feel what she was feeling. In the 7th paragraph Chopin writes that Mrs. Mallard has a "dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of the patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought"(198). I think her thoughts were kind of lost, or her mental state of mind was frozen. As the story moves on, Mrs. Mallards demeanour changes and she starts to feel free. What really hit me hard was when Mrs. Mallard saw "beyond the bitter moment(husbands death) a long procession of years to come that would belong to only her. There would be no powerful will bending her in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature" (Chopin 198).
This story shows the kind of power a man has over a woman and how hard it is for a woman to break away from that power.

A&P by Updike

I can see in this being a "feminist protest" as the author John Updike describes because, the three girls decided to wear their swim suits into a grocery store and the manager was not happy with their decision on doing so. They had a little argument with the manager and tried to tell them they were dressed decent but, the manager would still differ his point to them. In my eyes i can understand how the author can say its a "feminist protest".
Sammy was the store employee who decided to quit after he thought his boss was rude to some female customers. A few of the reasons why he quit were: he wanted to go after the girls that his boss made blush, he disagreed with his boss, he wanted to impress the girls for standing up for them, and he disliked his job. He realizes his job suck and he wants to move on when the females were in a hurry and he wanted to help them. This story is a little dull to my taste but, i guess other people may disagree.

A & P

In my eyes A&P was a story of a boy reaching out for an unattainable girl who seemed to be able to control the actions of the boy without ever darting an eye towards him. The story kept my attention while describing "Queenie" as though she were a goddess. I feel the imagery details involved in this story were very captivating. The fact that Sammy had quit his job in such informality wasn't surprising to me; a teenage boy will do almost anything to captivate a girl into his world. When Sammy says “hold me tight”, it’s as if he is dreaming of an inconceivable achievement. Sammy realized in his mind she was the type of girl to play games and lead others, but yet he still pushed for bulletproof evidence that this girl was not his. Sammy had to do something drastic to book the realization that his incompetence had got him into trouble. Sammy had an epiphany that probably ended up changing his life. When he states “my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter”, he realizes what he has done will affect his future and relationships had been tainted due to one spontaneous decision.

The Story of an Hour

Kate Chopin's use of imagery in the fifth and sixth paragraphs of The Story of an Hour gave me the impression that Mrs. Mallard was seeing the world through new eyes and was noticing things that she had not before. Chopin writes, "[T]he tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life" (198). Later in the story we learn that the main character feels much the same way after she learn about the supposed death of her husband. In the seventh paragraph Chopin writes that the look in Mrs. Mallards eyes "indicated a suspension of intelligent thought" (198). When I read this I imaged her staring off into space, as we would say today. I think the line from paragraph eleven "The vacant state and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright," (Chopin 198) would have been the opposite of staring off into space. The three words that show the story's significance are "Free, free, free" (Chopin 198). When I read them they had such impact. Without them the story would read very different.

The Yellow Wallpaper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman use of stream-of-consciousness narration in The Yellow Wallpaper gives readers a dramatic account of the narrators break from reality. I feel like her mental condition changes every time she wrote. At first, the changes are slight. In the first passage the narrator talks mostly of her illness, her husband, and the house they have rented. She speaks only briefly of the yellow wallpaper. In the second passage on page 396 the narrator tells of her attempts to get the room repapered but still gives descriptions of the house and her interaction with her husband. In the third passage the narrator says of the yellow paper "It dwells in my mind so" (Gilman 398). After this the rest of the passages are dominated by her obsession with the wallpaper. On page 402 she takes this obsession beyond what most people would consider healthy when she writes of a woman being “behind the pattern” and staying up at night to "watch developments". The sentence "I think the woman gets out in the daytime" (Gilman 403) shows just how sever the narrator's break from reality has become. At the beginning of the story I would have considered her a reliable narrator, but by the end her distrust in others and complete break from reality make her very unreliable.

A&P

I think the main point to the story is about 'manly decisiveness.' The story falls into that category for many reasons. Number one, the story is from the point of view of Sammy who is a male character. Number two, the decisions in the story that have the most impact are when the manager chooses to confront the girls about they way they are dressed and then at the end of the story when Sammy stands up for the girls and himself by quitting. In the text Sammy speaks out; "I don't think you know what your saying" Lengel said. "I know you don't but I do" (Updike, 223). I think that statement says a lot about the intelligence Sammy holds. It was his decisions that ended his career at the grocery store and his voice that probably left a lasting impression in the mind of the manager.
I think Sammy had several reasons in his mind for which he wanted to quit and the final act of his manager embarrassing the girls put him over the edge. When he talks about the grocery store in which he works he sounds jaded. He talks about the customers as 'sheep' and doesn't seem to have great respect for his manager. He also quits because he wants to seem superior in the eyes of the girls he finds attractive. I think he did it to make a statement; to sweep them off their feet with his heroism.
Sammy's epiphany occurs at two points in the story. The first is when he realizes he has the power to stand up to his manager. He stands up for what he believes in and decides quitting is the best way to show it. The second time is at the end of the story when the manager says, "You'll feel this for the rest of your life" (Updike, 224). He realizes that might be the truth but then remembers the intensity of the situation and is reminded that he made the right choice in his eyes.

Story of an Hour

In paragraph 5 of the story I think the author is trying to get the reader to relate to the images Mrs. Mallard is viewing. The sentences create an image in the readers mind so they can feel as if they are standing next to the character. The author also delves into more than one of the human senses but talking about the smell in the air. "The delicious breath of rain was in the air" (Chopin, 193) is so detailed and deep it allows me to remind myself of that actual smell. When Chopin talks about Mrs. Mallards "suspension of thought" in paragraph 7 I believe she is talking about her state of mind. The descriptions of Mrs. Mallards manner throughout the story shows how detached she truly is from the situation. She is in the grieving process and isn't quite in touch with reality. As te story goes on the author portrays Mrs. Mallard as feeling free. I think this is where the story takes a turn in her demeanor. I think one of the most important passages in the story is when Mrs. Mallard is describing how her life will go on without her husband. "There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself.......and yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not" (Chopin, 194). This part from the passage is very powerful. It shows her desire to live for herself and that she finally felt free of the walls her husband had built around her. This shows the stories significance because it emphasizes the power many man have over the women in their lives. Many are just waiting to break free, and unfortunately for Mrs. Mallard, that might have been what abruptly ended her life.

A Rose for Emily

The narrator of A Rose for Emily is a townsperson. He/She seems to be just overlooking the story but knows a lot about Emily. The fact that it is told out of order is very interesting to me and kept me reading through the whole thing. I like that there is foreshadowing and irony like on page 210 “So she vanquished them, horse and foot, just as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before about the smell. That was two years after her father’s death and a short time after her sweetheart- the one we believed would marry her- had deserted her.” The smells is foreshadowing for the Homers body, which is not told until the end. And the Irony in the man who had deserted her even thought Emily made sure the desertion did not happen. She was afraid he would leave her just as her father did. Emily kills Homer and keeps him in a bed. She lies with him and almost seems to cherish him. I believe Emily felt an extreme lose from losing her father, but in turns kills Homer to keep him from leaving her.

A & P

After reading the story A&P, I believe this story focuses on conformity. The reason I believe this is because Sammy's attitude and behaviors are influenced throughout the story by the three girls in bikinis. First of all, he knows he shouldn't allow them to be in there without shirts and shoes on, but he allows it because he enjoys watching them. Once Sammy's manager confronts the girls about their inappropriate attire, which then leads to their embarrassment, Sammy decides to quit. Sammy didn't believe that Lengel needed to embarrass the girls in the manor that he did, and so Sammy wanted to become the girls' hero by quitting. His epiphany occurs when he quits, and he thinks the girls will be waiting for him when he comes outside. To his surprise, no one is waiting to thank him for what he has done, and now he is faced with the hardships to come.

The Story of an Hour

In paragraph 5 of The Story of an Hour, I believe the focus of the external images is to the readers Mrs. Mallard's calmness. As the story continues into paragraph 7, Mrs. Mallard continues to let her body and mind escape reality. I believe this is what Chopin means by "suspension of intelligent thought." She isn't thinking hard about anything but rather letting her mind be free. I think a situation opposite of this would be in paragraph 8. "There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know: it was too subtle and elusive to name." (Chopin) In those sentances, it seems that Mrs. Mallard's mind is no longer free, but now she is searching for an answer. She's confused, and therefore, her mind has not been "suspended of intelligent thought." My favorite paragraph in The Story of an Hour was paragraph 19. "Her fancy was running riots along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own." (Chopin) These few sentences were the ones that made me realize how happy she was to finally be alone. It was almost as if she felt a new found freedom that she had never felt before.

Rose for Emily

This story written by William Faulkner was a strange story because of the order and the ending. The narrator of this story was a man who had lived in the same town as Emily and knew quite a bit about her life. For me personally because this story was told out of order it was hard for me to follow. Emily's father died and because of that I think that was a reason why she wanted to keep Homer. I think that she didn't want to be alone and she didn't want to lose yet another man. So she killed Homer and ultimately he never left her. In the end of the story it was said that she would lay next to his decaying body because some men saw that there was an indentation of a head in the pillow next to Homer with a strand of iron-gray hair. That to me was very strange and unexpected.

A&P

I think John Updike’s short story, A &P, is about manly decisiveness. He talks about how the dress code in the store states that your shoulders must be covered whilst in the store, but Sammy disregards the rule so he can “enjoy the view” of the girls in the store. Sammy ends up quitting his job at the A & P because of rude customers, how his boss treats the inappropriately dressed customers, and because he wants to be a hero to the girls. “The girls, and who’d blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say ‘I quit’ to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they’ll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero.” At that moment, Sammy has an epiphany and decides to quit his job for the girls he stood up for and hopes that they will be outside the store waiting to thank him for what he did, but they aren’t. He realizes “how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” seeing as how he just quit his job for nothing.

A Rose For Emily

The narrator of the story is a citizen of the town that Emily is a resident of. This person being the narrator shows more how he\she feels about Emily and the things she said and did. The narrator actually says she was “a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town.”(pg. 209, paragraph three, line one.) The order jumps back and forth from present to past and then back to the present. It starts by saying they are going to attend Emily’s funeral and then goes back to tell about who she is and how she has acted. It then comes back to them attending her funeral and going through her house because no one had seen the inside of her house in nearly ten years.
Emily uses arsenic to poison Homer because he won’t be with her because he is gay. So she decides to make it appear as if they are getting married and then poisoned him and left him in the bed. She then continued to sleep in the same bed with his dead and decaying body. The people looking through the house find something more disturbing than the body of Homer in bed and he\she says, “Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head.”(pg. 215, paragraph fifty, line one.) They then found one of her iron gray hairs on the pillow suggesting she had been sleeping in the bed with his corpse recently. She decided that she wanted him because her father was not around to run him off, but with him being gay she had to take drastic measures to be sure she could keep him to herself.

A Rose for Emily

In Faulkners' A Rose for Emily the narrator seems to be a randon outside townsperson, not directly involved with the plot but an onlooker watching the story unfold. I believe that the reason the story is not told chronologically is due to the recollection and memory of the narrator. It is almost as if the narrator is trying to piece together and make sense of the story himself, trying figure out why details happened as they did. The narrator did know details about converstaion amond Emily and the druggist, "I want some poison," said Emily. "Yes, Miss Emily. What kind? For rats and such? I'd recom--" responded the druggist (212). The narrator seemed to be there, for those conversations, but was not involved in them. The drugs were for killing her husband. But why did she do it? I have two theories. Emily did love Homer, but she was a proud woman. Maybe she killed him because he was not as high in the caste as she was. "Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, as a day laborer." (212) But she left him in the house and slept next to him. But, was ashamed of herself and about her name in town. The other theory is that he was gay. Maybe the terminology and circumstances was different in this stories time, but there is a curious excerpt in the plot "Then we said, " She will persuade him yet," because Homer himself had remarked -- he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elk's club-- that he was not a marrying man." (213) It could be a difference between the phrasing not and then, but that line stood out.

The Story of an Hour

Paragraph five pays a lot of attention to the external images because, the author tries to show us for ever life taken there is life given. It makes the life spring out of the story with the way she writes that paragraph. In paragraph seven "suspension of intelligent thought" was the author's way of showing Mrs. Mallard feelings on the verge of crying. In paragraph 11 Mrs. Mallard says under her breath, "Free, free, free!" This is somewhat the opposite of the earlier passage i described. My favorite passage in this story all of paragraph 5 because it shows so much life and imagery in it.

A Rose For Emily

The narrator of William Faulkner’s story A Rose For Emily is not officially mentioned. However, there are hints throughout the story as to who the narrator is. The narrator appears to be a third party observer in the town. The narrator influences the story’s development by telling us what happened in the past and present, changing the tone to be sometimes positive and sometimes negative. Once Miss Emily dies and is put to rest, the townspeople enter her home and find her husband’s, Homer, dead body in her bed. It was obvious by the indent in her pillow with her hair on it that she had been sleeping next to her dead husband for years. It is apparent in the text stating, “Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer” (Faulkner), that she did this to Homer because she was ashamed of herself for loving him and knew their relationship would not be accepted because of her high social status and his low social status. So she killed him and kept his body so she could keep the relationship alive for herself in private.

My thoughts......

I found "A rose for Emily" to be a little hard to follow, but deeply interesting just the same. It strikes me as sad how Miss Emily obviously did not trust her lover to stay with her thus bringing about the 'necessity' of the arsnec purchase. It was very morbid but a good read none the less.
"Story of an Hour" was very good at touching on the verious stages of a new widow's grief. First is the shocked tears, followed by the painful seclusion stained with memories, and finally the realization of the freedom the death of her husband entails. And last but not least, the shock of seeing someone thought to be dead alive and walking proves too much for a weak heart, and she who rejoyced at her own freedom is actually the one who ends up granting her husband a freedom of his own.

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Yay me

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I think I did it right.

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cool beans

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Easiest test of the semester.

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Just wanting to make sure I got this figured out

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i got it!

This must be where I'm supposed to be!!

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This is a test. Yay me!

Welcome to Spring 2010!

This is the course blog for College Writing II at MSCTC. Each student has access to post to this site. So does anyone else in the world: my friends, your parents, a teenager from Istanbul, etc. :)

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