ON THE LOOSE:Open your ears to biased professors - Forum

ON THE LOOSE:Open your ears to biased professors - Forum

A Man Said to the Universe

Of all the poems that we have read this semester, my most favorite is “A Man Said to the Universe.” This poem is my favorite because it is short, sweet, to the point, and it doesn’t have any metaphors or symbols where I would have to read between the lines just to get the meaning of the poem. The poem talks about a man tell the universe that “I exist” and the universe says in response “that fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.” In essence the universe is saying just because you exit, that has nothing to do with me. I don’t owe you anything. But in the universes defense, the man said it as if the universe was supposed to do something since he existed. Also while reading this I get the vibe that the universe is saying what he said with an attitude while laughing witch any person would do when a person is before them as if they are owed something. They would have to work for what ever they want just like everyone else. On the other hand the man could not have wanted any thing. What if the man wanted to let the universe know that he was there?

Good Country People

Although this story has a full meaning be think it is funny. In this story, Joy the main character has too many problems that she let control her life. In the story Joy has a heart condition, wooden leg, and she is personal issues. Joy also has a PhD and she thinks she is so much better than everyone. Another one of her problems is her physical problems. She has a heart conditions and her wooden leg that she has been hiding behind all her like. Because of this she doesn’t have friends or a boyfriend and has never had any. Also with the lack just life experience which leads to her down fall. All of this leads to her down fall because the falls for him to quick. She falls for a con-man that tells her he loves her and because she doesn’t have any life experience she fall for the game that he gives to her and by the end of the story Joy is left blind with one leg in a born with no one knowing that she was there. I finally behind this funny story, the meaning of this story is to just live your life and let what ever happen and not let control you life, because when you let it control your life, you loose your life.

A Small, Good Thing

The story of A Small, Good Thing is just a sad story of a boy loosing his life to a hit a run. The little boy’s name was Scotty and on the day of his birthday the incident happened. The car that hit him stopped but when they seen the little boy get up, they just drove off. In stead of going to school he went home where he fell into a coma. While in the hospital no one find what was wrong with the child. The doctors ran all kinds of test and couldn’t find any thing. Everyone kept saying he was fine, this was normal until he was in the coma a little too long. When the little boy is in the hospital, although it was a unhappy situations it brought the to parents closer together ever that before. Maybe that was the small good thing. Even though this is a sad story, I still like it because it isn’t the typical story that has a problem and then works it self out. Unlike those stories, this story doesn’t end well. At the end of the story, Scotty had die due to an unfamiliar sickness that was very uncommon.

Babylon Revisited

One of my most favorite stories that I have is Babylon Revisited. The whole story is about a recovering alcohol trying to get his life back together after losing everything. He lost his daughter to his in-laws, his wife died because she had pneumonia, and he lost his job because the economy wasn’t doing well. I like this story because here is a man who comes back after seven years and tries to get his daughter back. Over the past several years he has been getting his life back together. The last piece of the puzzle that he is missing is his daughter. When he finally returns he has to deal with a few things. He first has to deal with his in-laws who are keeping his daughter. The in-law are skeptical about him which they have a right to be feeling that way because he has been missing for several years and then he just shows up. One of the reasons that the in-laws are skeptical is because of his alcoholism and even though he says that he is only down to one drink a day, they still aren’t sure. He is even willing to wait six month to get his daughter to show his in-laws that he really has changed. In the end he didn’t get his daughter but he is unwilling to give up.One of my most favorite stories that I have is Babylon Revisited. The whole story is about a recovering alcohol trying to get his life back together after losing everything. He lost his daughter to his in-laws, his wife died because she had pneumonia, and he lost his job because the economy wasn’t doing well. I like this story because here is a man who comes back after seven years and tries to get his daughter back. Over the past several years he has been getting his life back together. The last piece of the puzzle that he is missing is his daughter. When he finally returns he has to deal with a few things. He first has to deal with his in-laws who are keeping his daughter. The in-law are skeptical about him which they have a right to be feeling that way because he has been missing for several years and then he just shows up. One of the reasons that the in-laws are skeptical is because of his alcoholism and even though he says that he is only down to one drink a day, they still aren’t sure. He is even willing to wait six month to get his daughter to show his in-laws that he really has changed. In the end he didn’t get his daughter but he is unwilling to give up.

Bottom

Toni Morrison short story begins in a place Bottom and the story is based on these two girls that go through some hardships their entire lives. Nel and Sula became best of friends but they have totally different backgrounds. Nel’s mother Helen is very strict and has opinion about everyone and everything, and does a really good job of making sure that doesn’t have much fun. Nel and Helen are returning back to their hometown to visit their dying grandmother Cecile and this when the two girls finally met. However, Helen doesn’t approval of Sula’s mother Hannah. Sula’s mother Hannah isn’t concerned about what’s proper or improper, and her legged grandmother Eva entertains a string of men. Their house also has a man Tar Baby living there in the house and his only interest is drowning his self in a bottle. Hannah also has a habit of sleeping with married men for fun and Sula eventually adopts the same attitude and it plays a big part in the story. Throughout years Sula learns that her mother dosen’t likes her but she loves her and from there they get involved in an accident that results in the drowning of a boy named Chicken Little. Nel gets married to a man Jude and Sula leaves town but ten years later she comes back and has a affair with Jude. This story tells how Sula become the person and it cost her a losing a really good friend.

REP YO HOOD

In the poem "Chicago," written by Carl Sandburg, the author tries to reach out in a different aspect that I have never before seen. However, he connects with readers on different levels. This may be due to the fact that some people come from this type of situation, where as some have to be ampathetic to what is being spoken on. I concur with your opening statement from the blog that "sweets" posted about how people can take pride in where they are from even when there is so much that is wrong with it. I hate to make it seem that I come from all walks of life. However, I can relate to this also. The town that I grew up in, after moving to Mississippi, was very small. There is not much to be proud of when it takes five communities to make approximately 651 people....or is it? It is one of those things that depends on the quality of the person. I think that living here better prepared me to deal with adversity.

FINDING THE LOST

Going After Cacciato is a short story by Tim O’ Brien. It is about a soldier that went a.w.o.l during the Vietnamese War. This soldier was named Cacciato. He figured that he could escape if he were to reach a city in France. That was an unspeakable task to generate within one’s mind. Especially with the war going on, no one that was not from the area would be able to navigate themselves through the wilderness with a limited supply of resources. This story is like a true fiction story. A true fiction story reveals reality with unreal stories or plots. The plots ring out loud with truth beneath the cover. This means the things that happen may very well occur in the world today. The boy-faced soldier (Cacciato) ran into a man by the name of Paul Berlin. Paul Berlin is trying to distance himself form the war, but he ends up making a connection with his squad and Cacciato unknowingly. Other events occur in this story that is ordinary to the events that occur on a daily basis.

MAC AND CHEESE BLUES

This poem by Langston Hughes is telling of a piano player and how he is placing his mind, body, into his work. He is using the blues to tell his story. He even goes as far as to use lines from the music. In lines 19 through 22 the musician is singing about how, even though he's miserable, he's going to put his worries aside. It is like relaxing without being relaxed. In a sense, the mind and body can be at two different states of beings. The body can be tense while the mind is relaxed. The same applies vice versa. The man that is playing the old weary blues is going through a tough situation that will not allow his mind to be in a resting state. His body is calm though because there is no physical damage taking place. It is all within. The blues helps him let go of some of the pain. Letting go of this pain may better help this man become relaxed and find peace. Even though he speaks about how he is going to put his worries aside, he later-in lines 27 through 30 wishes that he were dead because nothing can cure his blues. He sings the blues so long and intimately that when he finally becomes tired and goes to sleep, and he sleeps deeply.

The Weary Blues
"Ain't got nobody in all this world,

Ain't got nobody but ma self.
I's gwine to quit ma frownin'
And put ma troubles on the shelf."

"I got the Weary Blues
And I can't be satisfied.
Got the Weary Blues
And can't be satisfied--
I ain't happy no mo'
And I wish that I had died."

BAND

In this poem, Langston Hughes focuses on a trumpeter who is on stage playing his instrument in a bar. He is also telling his story through his music. Here the similarities are beginning to show. Though there are two different instruments being talked about in the poems, the concept is the same. However, the mood in the poem differs in regards to beliefs of the reader because the story that the trumpet player is telling focuses on the aspects of the different views of African American experiences in the United States as he speaks of the memories that are brought back to him in lines 1 through 5. I believe that he was actually referring to his ancestors. “And, like earlier expressive forms of the Harlem Renaissance, bebop's hybrid style reflected the social heterogeneity of Harlem while registering the jarring but liberating impact of a new urban environment.”(Lowney) In lines 17 through 20, he refers to the music as honey and liquid fire. This could be Hughes saying that the trumpet player’s music is mesmerizing and addicting.

The Trumpet Player
“The Negro

With the trumpet at his lips

Has dark moons of weariness

Beneath his eyeswhere the smoldering memory"

“the music

from the trumpet at his lips

is honey

mixed with liquid fire"

Plath & Her Ways (Aauzsa Mack)

Sylvia Plath was labeled as a suicidal and confessional poet. And why was this? The reason for this is because she conveyed her feeling through the poem without trying to alter the character, story, or the setting. “Lady Lazarus” and “Daddy” were both poems that identified to Plath. She used her suicidal tendencies to enhance her writings and would then describe the experience as in “Lady Lazarus” in which it was her being reborn, being revived from her attempt. Her insane ways has earned her a spot in the literature book but why? She is obviously a good writer and the way she writes has many symbolic meaning as in “Daddy” was she compared him to a “Nazi”. This is a powerful descriptive poem in a since that she despite her father even though he is one of the inspiration to her writings. She puts herself in a Jews position in the poem for instance, “Chuffing me off like a Jew, A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen.” Those were examples of harsh environments for the Jewish people during WW II. This is only part of how Plath used her life as motivation for her poetry.

Updike's Separating

John Updike's, "Separating," is a short story that I can relate too. Because I see many households go through the same problems that the Maples have in this story. The father Richard Maple has committed adultery has to break the news to his four children. All of the children reacted differently because each child is a different age. Mr. Maple was a very harsh and selfish man in this story. First of all he had another woman on side that he hoped to marry and he was not even concerned about how he effecting has his entire family. Another way he was selfish was by not being truthful and explaining to his children why had separated. They probably would just assume that the parent’s relationship is going as planed and not the fact that their dad had betrayed them. This story is a perfect example how America's society today looks at marriage. Divorce has become so common that it did not seem like a huge deal to anyone. I hate the way the story because the reader does know if the family separates or if they try to work out their problems.

Separating

John Updike's, "Separating," is a short story that many people can relate too. Many households go through the same exact problems that the Maples do in this story. Richard Maple is the father that has committed adultery. Most of the story is about him having to break the news to his four children. All of the children reacted in completely different ways. That was to be expected though because they were all of different ages. Richard was a very selfish man in this story. First of all he had another woman that he hoped to marry and he was not even concerned about how wrong he had been doing his entire family. Another way he was selfish was by not even telling the children the truth or reason for the separation. They probably would just assume that the parents aren't getting along and not the fact that their dad had betrayed them. This story shows how America's society today looks at marriage. Divorce has become so common that it did not seem like a huge deal to anyone. The ending to this story was awful. It ends by Dickie asking his dad "Why?" and Richard did not even have an answer. It just left the reader hanging, not even knowing if they go ahead with the separation or if he marries the other woman or what. Despite the ending, this was a great story and may possibly one day be looked back on as a reference of America in this time period.

Big Hearts never forget (Blog #6)

In the story “Big Two Hearted River” Nick is faced with the issue of coming home from war. Once he arrives, he finds the town burnt to the ground. Being as he knew nothing of the fire, it was as if he was returning to the war and such destroyed his town. The next task that Nick is tasked with is starting over. For him, this is something that has been long awaited. The freedom from not only war but the Army in general. He now has the choice to do things that he wants to do and make choices for himself such has hiking and fishing. During his time of relaxation he remembers his friend, Hopkins, who is one of his good friends he has lost. The blackened grasshoppers though are what represent Nick and other soldiers. Long after the fire the grasshopper still bare the scar, much like soldiers when battle is over. This story represents all people who have been through tough times, they must find a new way to overcome what has held them back and find happiness. Nick finds his happiness in fishing because for the most part it gets his mind off of the past. As for the problems that one has put aside, one must face them one day in order to truly be over it. Much like the swamp for Nick.

Barn Burning

I found this story quite interesting. The fact that Abner doesn't seem to change or falter for anyone is inspiring. Int he context of the story, he is not an inspiring character but the fact that he is not easily moved says a lot about who he is. Abner isn't a good role model in this story for obvious reasons. Not very many people want to be an arson, if there are people who do, you people have problems. As I stated in my presentation earlier this semester, Abner's name literally means "son of fire." I've done my PowerPoint and my research paper on this story and the allusions to 1 and 2 Samuel are abundant. I find it very interesting to see the allusions work in the story. William Faulkner makes Abner out to be this crazy man who sets stuff on fire for fun. Abner may just be that guy, but I feel like he is misunderstood sometimes. He just really cares about himself. Abner is not for having people cross him and get away with it without consequences. Yes, his consequences are extreme, but they get the message across.

Good Country People

In "Good Country People," In rural Georgia, Mrs. Hopewell runs her family farm with the help of tenants Mr. and Mrs. Freeman. Mrs. Hopewell's daughter, Joy, who got her leg shot off in an accident when she was a child, now lives at home with her mother. Thirty three year old Joy has earned a PhD in philosophy, but she does not seem to have much common sense. In an act of rebellion, she has changed her name to Hulga, and she lives in a state of annoyed anger at her mother and Mrs. Freeman. A Bible salesman comes to the door, claiming his name is Manly Pointer, and manages to get invited to dinner. He and Hulga make a date to have a picnic together the next day. That night Hulga imagines with her superior mind and education that she's in control and that she will seduce him. Instead Manly tricks Hulga to take off her glasses and leg and he packs them away into his suitcase and leaves her laying in the barn loft all alone.

Aauzsa Mack (Blog 6)

"Big Two Hearted River" by Hemingway was more directed toward change and what types of impacts it has on nature as well as human beings. The first thing Nick noticed when he got off of the train is that the town was no longer there, that it was burnt down. Coming home to that type of event can change ones view of the world especially when coming home from a war. The town could have been the town that Nick grew up in or had some close relatives there or it could have been the town in which his home was established in either way it had an impact on Nick's life that could possible lead him to think that he was active in a war for no reason. There are many other symbols of change in the story i.e. the grasshoppers symbolized change also because they had to adapt to the change around them which was also the burnt town. In the story the only time Nick got excited is when fishing. He fishing could represent a new life and a fresh start being that the fish always flowed with the river and he did not like fishing in the swamp. The fish is what helped Nick to cope with the life and the devastation of having to come back home from the war and seeing that the town is burnt down and him having to start his life all over again.

African Americans, moving like a river (Blog #5)

“The Negro Spreak of Rivers” speaks about the deep history of African Americans. In the first four lines the author says that he has “known rivers ancient as the world,” and that he and his people understand how nature has a factor upon civilization. Africans have the oldest known ancestries so therefore they would know how nature “rivers” can play are part in the foundation of life. He then goes on to link humans and rivers by saying “human blood in human veins.” With this the man feels as though he is one with the rivers. The Congo and the Nile, which are in Africa and the Mississippi, which is in America. The changing of location does not change his understanding and passion towards the rivers. He himself was a third generation American though he did not live in Africa he may have heard tales. The change in location is warranted by the act of slave trade. These men were brought to America from their “huts” along the Congo as well as various other places in Africa. Though he has moved locations, he still has the deep connection with his ancestry. I feel as though the statements made are to be motivational in some instance. That the people as a whole will be much like a river and continue to keep moving forward, grow, and in turn progress.

Who is "Chicago" (Blog #4)

The poem “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg is one that shows how much a group of people can be frowned upon yet they take pride in where they are from. The poem starts off with telling us what the city Chicago is known to by the world,” Hog Butcher of the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler.” Immediately after it is followed by how life is within the city’s business district for the most part, “Stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulder.” The next stanza is portrayed as if he were listening to the argument of an “outsider” who sees what is wrong with Chicago. The presence of prostitutes luring in the farm boys, the gunmen who kill and are set free to kill again, and the women and children who are poor and starving. Sandburg seems as though he knows what they see on the outside and agrees that this is happening. Then he goes on to tell of how turns to those who “sneer” at his city and he does the same back. He asks to find another city that is so proud to be who they are. These people have gone through every type of adversity and still they keep their heads held high with pride, “laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle.” These people, all people, are the city. They are proud to be just what the outside sees them as hog butcher, toolmakers, etc. These people have been through some rough times and all they have to be proud of is what they are . During this section of the poem it seems as though Sandburg has stood up to this critic and “gave him the what for,” as LTC Bauer puts it.

Lessons to Learn before traveling the Yukon (Blog #3)

In the short story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London, naturalism seems to be a theme. This story does not sugarcoat any event or action, which is pretty straightforward which is the reason I chose it. The man has decided that he is going to meet his friends but he must travel through the snow and freezing weather to get there, on foot.

Lessons

1. Older men are usually Wiser men- The old man in the beging of the story warns this young man about the Yukon and how cold it can get. The older man attempts to have the younger man wait or possibly get better prepared before he starts his voyage, he does not and in turn dies.
2. Use common sense- Common sense would first of all tell your dumb ass not to go out in -50 degree weather on a nature walk of sorts while completely unprepared. It would also tell you not to make a fire under a tree drenched in snow.
3. Eat when you can- Yes I understand he brought a biscuit but for gods sake, that biscuit isn't gonna do you any good when you freeze to death or starve. In the situation where you are freezing and Fluffy has a warm body, fur, and meat on his bones.... Fluffy is gonna go to sleep for a long time.

This story shows its naturalism by way of natural selection. The dog survived because he was naturally equipped for that type of weather; fur coat, licks ice off feat, DOESN'T FREEZE TO DEATH. While on the other hand, the man is not and makes no effort to be. The strong are the ones to survive, or those who know how to adapt to the surrounding environment. Long story short, this guy may have been lucky enough to been found the following spring, or the dog could have eaten him (Lesson 3).

Writers...Meet Society (Blog #1)

In the poem, “Once I Pass’d Through a Populous City” by Walt Whitman is a poem, like most, can be interpreted in anyway that one pleases. As I was reading some literary criticism on the poem I ran across a blog that made a very strong point. As well all know, Whitman was bisexual and/or homosexual. One person made the statement that the original hand-written manuscript of this poem was discovered and that the poet had changed the gender before the poem was finished. After I discovered this I replaced “woman” with “man” as well as “her” with “him” and could see that this would fit Whitman’s lifestyle. If this is in fact true, Whitman was writing a poem about a man he once met while possibly traveling into a large city. This city was one that made an instant impressing on him by “imprinting my brain for future use with its shows, architecture, customs, and traditions.” Whitman goes on to say that there was a woman (man) that he casually met that made him more or less love himself. They were together day and night and spent a majority of their time together, which is what someone is likely to do if they find someone the are attracted to or have that “love at first site” feeling. He then gives reference to how he remembers how the woman (man) “passionately clung to me.” With that reference, it shows that they were sexually involved with one another. Whitman is known for PG-13 rated references in his poems and this one was no exception. The remainder of the poem leads me to believe that he has to leave for work possible because it says, “Again we wander, we love, we separate again, again she (he) holds me by the hand, I must not go.” This is some serious stuff. Put yourself in this position to where you have quite possibly found the love of your life but you can’t be together. What do you do? Make every effort to do such, though you know it will be a long and hard goodbye. The end seems as though she (he) takes separating harder that Whitman, “beside me with silent lips sad and tremulous.” This poem is one that is classically viewed as a love poem from man to woman, but during the time of the publication homosexuality was frowned upon by society. This goes to show that society can dictate what a writer in fact can write. It is, as if, limitations can be set on ones work. Then think to yourself, if Whitman would have published this with the word “he” and “him,” would we have read it in American Literature class. Just a thought.

Are you a Lucky man or a Betting Man (Blog #2 LOL)

The Mark Twain short story, ”The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is one for the ages. The narrator of the story tells the story of a gambling man by the name of Jim Smiley and the animals that he uses in his schemes to win money. Smiley, has made a true name for himself gambling and unlike most gamblers he will let others choose which side they would like to bet. The story of Smiley is brought to light after the narrator arrives at a mining camp in search of Leonidas W. Smiley. When he questions an older gentleman by the name of Simon Wheeler who can not recall a Leonidas but he does know a Jim Smiley and goes into the story of Smiley. Smiley was “uncommon lucky” and could win any bed. He bed on everything from horses and mules to birds and dogs- and won. His frog, Dan’l Webster was a remarkable jumper and Smiley challenges anyone from Calaveras County to bring a frog that will out-jump Dan’l Webster. A stranger appears and bets $40 but has no frog. While Smiley is finding him one, the stranger fills Dan’l Webster’s mouth with quail-shot and once Smiley find a frog, Dan’l can’t jump. The man makes of with $40 before Smiley discovers what had happened. I know many men who take pride in being lucky and some who just know how to bet. Smiley was lucky in all aspects but when a true betting man came along it was his demise. A lucky man will cling to his luck in all instances much as Smiley did when he ran off to find a frog because he knew his would win due to luck. A betting man on the other hand is out to win; he can’t rely on luck so there for he will do what is necessary to accomplish just that. In the Army we have a phrase that goes, “If you ain’t cheatin, you ain’t tryin.” The stranger, much like a poker player glancing at another players cards, did just that. This is a great story that gives a comic relief to the more tragic events occurring during this time period.

Nick Adams' Journey to Psychological Healing

We all understand what PTSD is and how it can really affect a person. Back in WWI, it was coined shell shock and no one really would give a great deal of attention to theses mentally weak persons. This story of Nick can be taken two ways: as just a narrative of him going on a hike and then fishing after wards halting by a swamp to end his trip or its that journey Nick's mental state goes through to find enlightenment from his burnt past to the happiness he finds in his natural home to facing his psychological dark side that is in front of him. I could go on about this story. in fact about six pages worth, but I'll focus more on the burnt state Nick's mind is in a destroyed state. "There was no town, nothing but the rails and the burned-over country...the one street of Seney had not left a trace." So you get the sense that Nick starts burnt because of the war in which his past was unrepairable. The most important part about his burnt state-of-mind, Nick moves on. He's strong enough to go from his burnt mental condition to try and find happiness in nature.

Song for a Dark Girl

Song for a Dark Girl by Langston Hughes was the essentially what most black, young lovers were feeling during the 1920’s. The young girl is heart-broken because her lover is being hung and there is absolutely nothing she can do about it. In her mind she knows that this is wrong, but what can a black woman do? The answer is nothing; she can do nothing to save the man she loves from being hung on a tree. In the poem the woman says, “I asked the white Lord Jesus what was the use of prayer.” The young woman is losing hope in the Lord and hope in everything that stands for right because she and her lover have been done so wrong. She still loves the man who hangs on the tree, but he cannot love her back because his love hangs on a gnarled and naked tree. The woman feels like her joy has been taken and this is the song that most African American women would sang during the times of lynching and racial discrimination. “Way down South in Dixie” shows that most of the wrongful lynching’s were taken place in the deep south, which made sense. Hughes made this poem graphic and brought to light the “Song for a Dark Girl.”

Big Two-Hearted River

"Big Two-Hearted River" is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway. This is an example of how Hemingway writes a lot of stories about war. The main character, Nick, was just getting home after being off at war. When he gets home, Seney had been completely burned down. For most people this would be very upsetting, but Nick was able to find peace. He was happy just walking the land and building a camp beside the river. It does not say anything about what happened to Nick while he was gone but whatever it was seemed to make him content and happy by just being back on safe ground again. The setting is peaceful while he spends his day fishing and just relaxing at his camp. Nick was a bright youngman because he was able to make himself a camp and he was smart enough to make a fishing pole and catch his own bait. He was also able to skin and cook fish on his own too. These all show skills that he probably possessed while being off at war because he would have had to learn to provide for himself. This story will definitely leave the reader wondering what is going to happen to Nick and what will he do. It does not give an explanation. It ends with him planning to stay at his camp that he had made.

Sino

For this week’s blog I have decided to discuss the “Barn Burring.” I like this story because is your basic story of right and wrong and it is unfortunate that the sin knows more about right than the father does. In the story the farther burns down people barn because he didn’t like the way he was being treated by the other person. The was a part in the story where the son was actually going to testify against his father but right at the last second it was decided that he did not have to testify his father, but because of that the father was able to get off. Once they left the court room, farther told his son that family never goes against family. Later on in the story the farther does the same thing but this time son has had enough and goes to warn the person who the barn belongs to and the father is caught. Even though the son went against his father, I agree with his decision. His father was totally in the wrong. The was setting the wrong type of example for the son, but the son knew right, which teaches me that even though a person who is raised a certain way does not mean that they can become that way which they are raised

Blog 5- Shadows and Street Corners

Harlem Shadows by Claude Mckay is about the Harlem prostitutes. The speaker describes seeing the shapes of young dark girls bending over at the will of their customers. These girls are always working, just to stay alive. They have no moral or ethical character, and the only way they know how to survive is to sell their bodies. These girls are in poverty, but the decision they have made to sell themselves has placed them at a level of disgrace, they are lower than the dirt that they stand upon. These women could be doing something more productive in society to support themselves and keep themselves alive than defiling themselves. These young women reflect the time rather well...

Blog 4- Prufrock

Prufrock is the abbreviated name of the poem The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock by TS Elliot. While reading the poem, I didnt understand exactly what was going on; it was rather difficult to interpret because it is only showing the surface of the situation. The speaker in the poem is having these random thoughts and they arent that logical. Because of that, it is hard to determine what is literal. The man is middle aged, and has something to say, but he is unable to; he is obviously sexually frustrated. I believe these thoughts are all internal and he is speaking to nobody. He plays through scenes in his head that he wishes he could enact, but he is too afraid. the speaker has an overwhelming question he most likely wishes to ask a certain female; probably about is romantic desires, but I am not even 100 percent sure there.

Blog 3- Which road should I take?

In Robert Frost's, The Road Not Taken, the speaker stands at the fork of a road. He does not tell where he is going, making the poem somewhat of a mystery. He looks down one road. That road is obviously the path that most people take. It is bright, has a smooth green path and seems to lead to no danger. The second road is the path that is least taken. This road is dark and ominous and the speaker wonders if he would ever come back leading the reader to believe this path will most likely lead to danger. The speaker wishes he could be the traveler of both paths, but knows he must chose one. The speaker makes the choice to take the path less taken and I assume he is a man that enjoys thrills and excitement. He knows he may not make it out of the path alive, but what is a life without risks.