Dulce et Decorun Est

The poem is fitting to the thousands of soliders that are being killed in Iraq. The Author has obviously experienced war of some kind to have such a graphic image about war in his poem. I don't think the author approves of war, being that the title means sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country, and he refers to this as "The old Lie:" (27 )
When you read the title you really don't understand what the poem will be about, but as you start reading it you understand its about war, and the end ties it all together. Maybe this author experienced a war that he did not agree with. "His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin" (20) he clearly sees the war as evil, instead of feeling like he is fighting for his country.

Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year

This is another poem that refers to alcohol. A son is remembering his father through a photograph. What the son remembers is his dad away most of the time fishing and drinking beer. I study my father's embarrassed young man's face ( 2 ). The father must of been embarrassed of his drinking problem, and that is probably what killed him. It seems the son could of been an alcoholic, but realizes he can not hold his liquor, so he chooses not to drink.
And don't even know the places to fish ( 15 ) suggest one of two things. Either the father never took the son fishing, that why he does not know of any places, or that because he is not a alcoholic and spends all day drinking and fishing, therefore he doesn't know of any places. No matter what problems the father had, the son still loved him.

My Papa's Waltz

This poem to me represents a father who has been drinking, and probably abusive to his wife, in the line suggest The hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle ( 9-10 ). I think that father was abusing his wife, the son woke up, and the father started dancing with the son. The poem refers that the son does not know any better as the father then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt (15-16). Usually children in abusive homes do not know any better. Children think this is the norm, so regardless of the abusive, the son still loves his father. This is probably the only time the son gets attention from his father, and wants that attention to last even with his father being drunk.

"Kite Runner"

I can not believe the deception of one friend to another in this story. How could Amir set up his best friend, Hassan? To put his Birthday money and his watch under his mattress and then let Hassan take the fall for it, is so surreal. I don’t know if it’s because Amir is that jealous of Hassan and Baba’s relationship, or if the secret is eating him alive, so every time he looks at Hassan, he is reminded of the betrayal of a friendship.
And then to sit back and let Baba’s best friend Ali leave, is so shameful. Baba was clearly upset when Hassan, and Ali were leaving, I thought the writer did an awesome job with the imagery in that. You could feel Baba’s emotion. For Baba to forgive Hassan in the greatest sin in their culture, surely proves his feeling towards Hassan, and Ali. But Amir sat back and watched it happen. I can now understand how Baba is disappointed in Amir most of the time.
When Amir proposed to Soraya, and she told Amir the truth of her past, that Amir should have been honest with her, and told the truth at that time. Once again, it show’s Amir’s cowardness, and willing to go into a brand new marriage with a lie. Soraya did not want to go into the marriage with secrets, and she told Amir regardless of the outcome.
If Amir would just tell the truth he could get the monkey off his back!

"Where are You Going, Where have You Been?"

Like I said in class, I thought Connie's mother was trying to bring Connie back down to earth because of her better than everyone else attitude. No, here mother didn't have to be so cruel about it. We still did not come to a solid conclusion on how Aronold Friend knew so much about Connie. I think the fact that he was a vampire is a little far fetch, but I guess you never know. I think he was just a boy who is messed up, and finds some thrills into kill young girls. And who says he was gonna kill her, maybe he was going to keep her for a long, long, time since she was young and pure.
Arnold Friend reminds me of Ted Bundy, who went around rapping, and killing young college girls. They stock their pray for along time before they act on their illusions.
Maybe Arnold was stocking Connie for along time, and no one knew about it.
It was a mysterious story, with alot of elements in it, like the numbers on his car, and the unusual way Arnold was acting.

"The Kite Runner"

I think this story is about a son who starves for his father's approval. Amir did not want to ruin his day, of his father finally being proud of him, that Amir did not tell him about the rape against Hassan.
I have mixed feeling about that, because yes, they were friends and Hassan would of done anything for Amir. If Amir would of stepped in on the rape, he would of made fun of standing up for a Hazaras, and probably beaten himself. I would of done the morally right thing, and tried to save my friend from Assef. I realize that is probably either said than done.
I was shocked to read that whenever Amir would have friends over, Hassan was always left out. It sounds like Amir and Hassan spent alot of time together doing things they both enjoy.
Hassan is a very loyal friend, more so than Amir. I think Amir is jelouse of his father's feeling towards Hassan, because Hassan get approval and Amir does not.

"The Storm"

Like I said in class, I would assume that this was a marriage due to pregnancy. The reason I think this is because, I don't think A women who was truly happy in her marriage would of risk the infidelity.
Since Calixta never reached a climax with her own husband, suggest to me that she was not that in love with him. Calixta was probably content in her marriage, but I don't believe she as truly happy.
I think Calixta, and Alcee have probably lusted after each other, and with given the right circumstances, they both acted on those feelings.
Being that Alcee is ok that his wife stays away for a while, I believe he is wanting more than just a one time fling. And I think Calixta will go on to being content in her marriage.
Obviously Calixta has no shame in what she did, and will probably take this secret to her grave.

"Rose for Emily"

I agree with the class discussion, that this story had many of layers to it. It was hard to keep track of what was going on.
I thought Emily was a rich lady, and everyone else was beneath her, but after the discussion today, I agree with the class that her, herself was poor.
I think Emily is a true example of Erickson's stage, intimacy vs. isolation. I Think by keeping her dead boyfriend in the home for thirty plus years shows that she chooses intimacy vs. isolation. Even though Homer was dead, she still laid her head on him, which shows intimacy. But yet she stayed isolated in her home.
I don't know, I think Miss Emily had a lot more problems than we, the readers are aware of. The first signs of that was when she was in denial of her father passing away.
I enjoyed the story, it really made you think after you read it, that someone could actually keep someone dead in their home for that long, and be lying next to it.