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.

Trumpet Player

The "trumpet player" by Langston Hughes was an inspiring poem to me. I feel like the speaker in the poem uses his life, his talent which is playing the trumpet to create art and beauty. It seems like music is his life, it is his outlet of stress and relief to his soul. For example, he mentions how "the music from the trumpet at his lips is honey mixed with liquid fire." Here he expresses how music to him is sweet and it stirs fire within him. The speaker also seems like he is weary and tired. In the beginning he seems to be reminiscing on the past memories which seems to include his ancestors. He is sad yet the music delivers him from that state of weariness. Despite his troubles and worries he is feeling within his music picks him up.

"The Weary Blues"/ "The Trumpet Player" (Aauzsa Mack)

These poems by Langston Hughes show much similarity. Both of the individuals in the poem are playing music and it is coming from somewhere deep within. The music is used to express the way they feel but in a positive way although they might be down and feel like they can’t go in like the individual in “The Weary Blues”. The individual in “The Trumpet Player” seems to play more upbeat music even though his not feeling that way but the fire in the music is to help him cope with whatever he might be going through. You can tell that music was a great influence during this age and it had a positive light on some people’s lives. Another similar thing is how Hughes is describing them in a passionate way. In “The Weary Blues” they man is actually expresses himself through both music and words because it is the Blues. He repeats what is significant to him and goes on to create the beautiful music. In “The Trumpet Player” the individual do not have to say words but he just plays and people still feel the way he might possible be feeling without speaking words. Hughes really captured how music may influenced the time period in which this was written.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

This poem by Langston Hughes is in some way uplifting. He speaks a great deal about the black race in an open and yet obscure way, pinpointing there existence and involvement in History and culture. Also he uses the rivers as a reference indicating his people like rivers are as old as time and significant therefore stating they were not evolved but the ultimate race of creation. I suspect that during that time much racial tension influenced writers to talk in certain codes and use their words wisely to avoid criticism and ridicule. Being the time of the Harlem Renaissance writers and musicians greatly influenced the way people thought concerning situations, I would say mostly for the African American race due to the lack of equality that was imposed upon them. In all I felt the poem was very descriptive and greatly written for its definition of the subject at hand and the relevant usage of the words used.

"America"

In Claude McKay's view of America, it shows his opinion and hope for a better country. He first speaks of "bitterness', "Stealing my breath of life", and "vigor" all puts America in a dark light as something he can't even survive in. That is personal in that he's being put down because of the time's segregation and racial separation very alive in the time. He admits though that he loves America, saying it gave him strength. He's talking about the opportunity to make things better, to visualize a time where racial segregation could be lessened or vanquished. He leaves us with a dark revelation though. He regresses his hopeful guise with a look at the future if that things remained the same as it was then, "her might and granite wonders there... sinking in the sand." He's saying it will destroy America and the view of America that anything can happen and that we are given divine rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." His second mood of hopefulness emulates that quote from the preamble of the Constitution.

Harlem Shadows

Claude McKay's poem "Harlem Shadows" is very interesting because it makes you think about why people do the things they do. You can also see what people are willing to do just for money instead of relying on thier God to provide for them. This poem is talking about prostitutes in Harlem. It says that they stay busy all the time and never get time off. They are supposedly having to sell their bodies to provide for themselves. I really did not like the poem because he makes it sound like it is a good thing that they are working hard eventhough the situation is really tough. We all know that there is definitely other things that the women could be doing and that they are actually taking the easy way out of their situation. Just because someone is in poverty does not mean that they should dishonor or disgrace themselves. I like the first line of the poem where it is talking about how Harlem's veil falls at night. Things may be looking better for his race in Harlem but during the night you see the kinds of things that are happening to them such as the prostitutes. Things arent all better and happy but at first you don't really see that.

Blog 5

"I Thank You God" is a wonderful descriptive poem by E.E. Cummings. It is divided into three stanzas and it thanks God for his creation. I really liked this poem a lot because it discusses how a person changes his views about the world. In the first stanza the speaker is thanking God for this amazing day and describes how great this day is. The imagery used by the speaker is excellent and one can really picture what is being said for example: "...for the leaping greenly spirits of trees/ and a blue true dream of sky..." (Cummings 1648). The second stanza describes a person who has died and is alive again today. Also, it says it is the "sun's birthday" which could mean that the sun is rising once again to start the day. I thank God everyday for giving me so much. He always takes good care of me and helps me get through everything. The second stanza in the poem could relate to the feelings of a person. Sometimes when we go through rough times we ask for help and most of the time it helps if we pray which is the only communication we have with God. He is always there and he is always listening. After I finish asking for help I try to start my work and it motivates me that I always have someone looking after me. Everyone has a bad day once in while and it is only human to feel unmotivated, unhappy, and lazy. But we get through those times and they are replaced by times of happiness.
This poem is definitely worth reading and it is a very well written poem.

"I Thank You God"

This poem, "I Thank You God" by E.E. Cummings is a very strong and religious poem. To me when I first read it I thought of the Psalms. It seems more like a prayer of praise that is written for the glory of God rather than man. In the first stanza, he is thanking God for the day and for the wonderful creation that he has made. Which includes the trees, sky, and everything that is natural. So what I view from this stanza is that the words that Cummings put down are more of his praises to his Lord. In the second Stanza, Cummings is saying that he has died and has been made alive again and that it is the sun's birthday and the birthday of life. I believe this could mean that he is thanking God for a new day of creation and for a new day that he has been given to enjoy the great earth. Also I believe that this setting would be in the morning because he is talking of the rebirth of the sun, which either means the beginning of the week or early morning when the sun rises. This last stanza in the poem I am a little unsure on the meaning or what the writer is trying to portray. He says "human merely being doubt unimaginable You?" From the capitilized 'Y' in You, I understand that Cummings is writing about God and he is asking humans why we question or doubt God himself. He states after this that his eyes and ears are opened. I do not believe that he was blind physically but he may have been blind spiritually and he had a revelation from God and now he understands what God is telling him to do. This was a very strong poem to me, and even if no one read Cumming's bibliography I believe they could concur that he was a Christian in some form or another from this writing. I really enjoyed this poem because it relates a whole lot to a praise to God, and it gives me the picture of King David and his writing of the Psalms that are in the Old Testament.

I also believe this poem is how we should live our lives everyday. We should wake up thinking that waking up was a gift from God and the new day is a blessing to us and our lives. We should say "I Thank You God" just like Cummings does in this poem and it should be our prayer for everything in our lives.

harlem shadows

In Harlem Shadows, Claude McKay shows how young women were force into a life of prostitution. These women were the unlucky ones who could not make enough money to support themselves. They move from street to street all through and receive no rest until day break. As McKay is observing was going on he sees lass of innocent children who have lost their purity and halting their footsteps to bend and barter at desire's call. McKay feels sorry for these children because he knows this is a bad situation to be in. McKay calls the girls feet “slippered” which means they moving from one bed to the next to make a daily wage before daybreak. In last stanza the stern, harsh, wretched world turns its back and ignoring the plight of young girls who are forced to endure poverty while also earning dishonor and disgrace in return. McKay hates that he sees his race living a life of prostitution and his heart goes out each one of the girls living to see a better day.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

This is one of the few poems I actually remember reading before. I think it is because I have read it in almost every English class since the 10th grade, but this poem is interesting.
Langston Hughes speaks not as a single individual, but as a race of people, as African Americans. He speaks of the places where African Americans have lived. Langston speaks of the Euphrates, Nile, Congo, and Mississippi rivers, all of which have deltas. The deltas of the rivers are cradles for life. Life can flourish in these places and life can be sustained. I feel like Hughes is using that as a reference to the people of the Harlem Renaissance to flourish and stustain life in the time of expression.
Hughes appears to feel his heritage within his soul. He feels connected to people of the past and the people who played a role where he was and is today. Hughes "has grown deep like the rivers," as he repeats in the poem. this is the line that explains his connection to the people in the past.
This poem paved the streets of the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes was one of the most weel known poets of the time. His poems spoke directly to the people. He was able to capture the attention of the audience and keep their attention through his poems.

Road Less Traveled???

In this poem the speaker is walking through the woods and comes to a fork in the road. The speaker has to decide which road to take. He starts looking down one of the roads and sees that one is worn, overlaid, and has overtrodden leaves. He then thinks to himself that this will be the road to be taken however, the He noitces the other road has the same qualities. The speaker has to make two choices. Go down this road or the other. Eventually he chooses one the roads and considers taking the other sometime in the future. He then says that he doubts he will ever return knowing where the roads lead.

The Great Figure

Some people may not really like this poem. I'm not one of them. I like the image the poem puts in my head. It is amazing that William Carlos Williams can creat and image with just words. Not to mention the image is a vivid image. There is no vagueness at all when I read the poem. There is no questioning what is this about. It's easy to see it just a firetruck with five firemen riding the firetruck. It's a simple image in everyday life, but he makes it seem like it is more than just an everyday thing. He makes it seems s much more than that. For that reason, that's why this poem appeals to me so much. Critics and other poets said that his poems were no poems because they were so simple and to the point and not complicated. I personally like the up front, down and dirty version of writing. When I read something, I don't want to have to think about what I am reading. I would just like to see what is being described or told to just pop into my head and make me feel like I am there.

Tract and Red Wheelbarrow

William Carlos Williams was a physician first and was a poet second but many have wonder how is writing would have been he was poet first. The poem "Tract" Williams is teaching the townspeople how to perform a funeral. He doesn't want the use of anything materialistc or superficial. In the poem he says there no need for a hearse, curtains, and glass because what are they trying to hide? The man or woman that is dead can't notice us on their way to their grave. In "The Red Wheelbarrow" Williams wants the read to come up with its own idea about the poem. "So much depends upon a red wheel barrow," To me Williams was talking about a work and everyday he works with this wheelbarrow because everything that does depends on this red barrow.

Anderson's view of the world's inhabitants

In observing Sherwood Anderson's writings from a while back, I've developed an understanding and recognition of what he really was observing in people. He is a true modernist and looks at people to find if they have found truth and happiness. I believe that we all want happiness in life, but some people are blocked out by some of the choices we make early in our lives. In the story "Adventure", Alice made a decision early in her life that seemed to make her happy at the time, but stubbornness and the thought that without Ned, she couldn't be happy. Realizing that Ned was only a trap to lead her into a life of disappointment and despair, she knew her life didn't hold any truth. I believe truth and the search for love and happiness was the main goal within everyone in the modernism era. I believe a difference in politics prove a change in people's perception but I'll stay on task. "The Book of the Grotesque" showed a man looking at everything maybe with a little bit more wisdom because he has lived in another era where he may have known truth before. He sees these grotesques and reveals their faults and what they do makes them actually unhappy.

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

For my fourth blog, I am choosing to comment on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by TS Eliot. This poem itself seems to be like an examination of the tortured psyche of the original man. He seems to be addressing his lover in the poem but he does not ever find the one he loves. He is thinking daily of those around him and is wondering what they are saying of him. This shows how insecure he is, by not knowing what might happen and where. This description of Prufrock explains many people in our world today. Because so many people are insecure with themselves and cannot live one day without wondering what others are thinking or doing around them. Also just like in this poem, when Prufrock does not find what he is looking for in his life or in women he chooses to go out in the world and find them in cheap hotels or restraurants. This shows the decline in morality in the poem itself and also people going out to find thrills in the cheapness that only lasts for a night. Unfortunately, I do believe this is what our world has come to. We choose to go out and find pleasure in the small things even though they do not last but a moment. Everyone chooses what they want to try and fill their lives with, and I believe that everything is a personal choice. It is just a matter of what we choose to do in our free time or who we choose to be around who influence us in the good or bad.

Blog 4

"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" also known as just "Prufrock" is an American poem by T.S. Eliot. This poem was very nice to read but it is very hard to interpret what it is saying. It seems like the poem is speaking of a middle-aged man who is sexually frustrated and this man wants to say something to a girl but he is afraid to do so. The poem gives us many examples on how and why he is afraid to say something. He judges himself and thinks he is not good looking for example he says " Do I dare?" and "With a bald spot in the middle of my hair-....". This man is not very confident and does not believe in his actions. In the poem he questions himself about what he should do or whether he should do something for example "Do I dare disturb the universe?" or "So how should I presume?" Moreover, the poem creates a very comfortable mood right at the beginning. The poem says: "Let us go then, you and I, / When the evening is spread out against the sky.....". I find it very easily to read poems that have rhyme because it makes it more interesting to read and it gives the poem more meaning.

THE FEELING IS DESIRE

(Aauza Mack)
In the poem "Peter Quince at the Clavier" first part, the speaker seems to be talking of music and then goes on to describe how music is not a sound but is a feeling. The speaker seems to have a desire for music which in turn leads into the transition of a group of men having a desire for a married woman. They watch the woman, Susanna, from afar and yearn her, but know that she can not be touched because she belongs to someone else, unlike today's society where a man or a woman do not care about the boundaries of a relationship. As presented in the first part of the poem it is obvious that looks and touch can cause desire but to what extent. What is the price of you desiring something that does not belong to you? Part one also described the men or “elders” that desired Susanna as being “red-eyed” which could possible mean evil or maybe tired from looking at something that they so desired so much but still they watched her. The speaker is comparing his desire for music to the desiring of a group of men for one single lady, the men seem to have much more desire than the speaker but still he is comparing them as though they were equal

Road Not Taken

One of the pomes that we had to read, and I like the most was The Road Not Taken. It about a man on a journey through life and he comes to a fork in a road and he eventually makes a chose of choosing the road that was least taken and him being not happy about his decision. Another reason why I like this poem is because the speaker is anonymous and he could be any one of us. What gives clues that the speaker isn’t happy about his decision is that in the poem stanza four, line one the speaker says “I shall be telling this with a sigh”, now any story that is a happy story is not going to be told sadly. In the poem the speaker is very detailed. When the speaker speaks about the scenery he uses words and phrases such as grassy, wanted wear, worn, and in leaves no step had trodden black. Another reason why this poem is so interesting is because it is a allegory poem. This poem coveys a message of how when we come to a fork in a road in this journey called life and we have to make a decision once we make it that is it, we now must live with the consequences, what ever that might be.

Adventure

In the short story "Adventure" by Sherwood Anderson, Alice Hindman is the main character. She falls in love with a guy when she was just sixteen. The guy's name was Ned Currie. He was a bit older and more mature than Alice and when he said things that he did not mean she believed him. She really thought he loved her. She was too immature and young to realize that he did not. He chose to leave her without even knowing for sure that he would have a job in Cleveland and then he also would not let her come with him. Alice should have realized then that he did not really care about her, but instead she gives up her whole life waiting on Ned when she should have known he was never going to come back to her. Alice becomes very depressed and lonely, but it is hard to feel sorry for her because she did it to herself. She would not pay any other guys any mind because all she cared about was a guy who had moved on and forgotten about her. Alice should have been more realistic with herself. It ends with with Alice accepting the fact that some people live and die alone. The mood of the story was very lonely and depressing.

In a Station of the Metro

I really didn't undstand the poem by Ezar Pound until I found a summary on "In a Station of the Metro." In the first line the poet is basically watching the faces appear in a crowded metro station. When I first read the poem I didn't know that we were in Paris, which means that everyone look really nice. The author is trying to get us to see things in perspective and "apparition" means that the faces are becoming visible to him very suddenly and disappearing just as fast. The faces are almost like ghost. by calling them "faces," the author puts us right in the middle of the subway. The station must be pretty full because their a "crowd." In the second line the author says the faces look like flower petals on a wet, black bough. The wet black bough and Paris are same because the wet and black. I enjoyed the poem because the author had a interesting story in a such a short poem.

A Man Said to the Universe by Stephen Crane is a short, but very true poem. In the poem a man says to the universe: “Sir I exist!” However the universe had no obligation to the man simply because he existed. The poem is so true in the world today. As adults people are taught to go and get the things they want and that nothing is going to be given to them, as if they were still children. The universe was here before anything existed and will remain after nothing exists. In this poem Crane’s choice of words is great and shows how cold the world can be sometimes. Crane does not use any imagery or other literary tools; he simply tells it how it is. As a person, you don’t matter to the universe. We are not here for the universe, the universe is here for us and after we die the universe will continue. There is nothing that says life is easy and I think Crane realized that life was not easy. He understood that eventually a person has to grow up and face the harsh realities of life.

Nature Vs Man (Aauzsa Mack)

In Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” there many examples of how nature beats man. For one thing nature tore man down with the weather, it was cold below zero and not many men can survive for such a long period of time in below freezing weather. The dog was also another example of how nature beat man because of the dog’s naturally instinct to live and he was able to prevent frost bite by getting the ice off of his foot by gnawing on it. Nature is equipped with certain things that man is not in order for nature to survive. The man in the story also lacked common sense which was another minus for him. He would rather build a fire under the tree with snow on it than to find an open area and build a fire from there. I would say that is was the man’s own fault for dying because common sense should have told you to not go out in below freezing weather and try to hike a trail. Sometimes common sense will help man out but instead he did not use the better judgment and stay out of the cold but if it was absolutely necessary to go out into the cold he should have came equipped with things that might have helped him out on the way. In the story man looked clueless.

"Mending Wall"

I have known this poem for some time having read it in high school as well as last year. Reading it throughout the years makes my perception a little different. You have two neighbors in the spring that walk together to mend a wall that separates their property. The narrator likes the wall because it keeps him blocked from his neighbor. "He is all pine and I am all apple orchard" shows that the two are very different by personality and even what is on their lands. The narrator's neighbor has a different perspective though. He says, "Good fences make good neighbors." He says this to state that some distance is healthy. The narrator is taken off by this because he believes the wall to be something different. "He moves in darkness" shows that the narrator says that he doesn't know his neighbor at all. The narrator repeats "Good fences make good neighbors" again to reinstate his take on the wall in spite of the narrator's view. It seems there is tension between the neighbors and the wall keeps them apart and in some way sane.

Blog Number 3

In the poem "The Road Not Taken" Robert Frost expresses many interesting thoughts. In the poem the speaker has been walking around for a while and comes to a fork in the road. The person must decide which road to take. There is only time to take one. So in order to figure out which road to take the speaker starts comparing the roads and gives us descriptions. And after the person has made a decision they express their feelings on their choice. This poem includes two themes. The first one is individualism which is expressed well in the poem since the speaker has to make a decision on their own. It can be compared to an officer in the military. The higher ranking officer is always faced with a decision that has consequences. The officer is the leader and he must make the choices for his followers. Moreover, the poem also talks about another theme called romanticism. The speaker is considered to be a friend of Robert Frost: Edward Thomas. It is said that the poem has an ironic nature and origin because Frost uses Thomas in the poem as the person who must make the decision. The decisions we make will make all the difference in our future.

Mending Wall

In Robert frost’s poem a “Mending Wall,” A stone wall separates the speaker’s property from his neighbor’s. When spring comes, the two meet to walk the wall and jointly make repairs. The speaker sees no reason for the wall to be kept—there are no cows to be contained, just apple and pine trees. He does not believe in walls for the sake of walls. The neighbor resorts to an old adage: “Good fences make good neighbors.” The speaker remains unconvinced and mischievously presses the neighbor to look beyond the old-fashioned folly of such reasoning. His neighbor will not be swayed. The speaker envisions his neighbor as a holdover from a justifiably outmoded era, a living example of a dark-age mentality. But the neighbor simply repeats the adage. Like story because why have a wall in the first place. What exactly is neighbor trying to keep walled in or out?

Robert Frost

Robert Frost’s poem the “Mending Wall” has been a very significant poem that has been produced in the 19th century. The poem is a very realistic work because it describes two neighbors and what they go through after each winter, having to rebuild the wall that separates their two properties. The poem ultimately questions why the fence is needed. The speaker describes the wall as unnecessary but he initiates the repair of the rock wall. And his neighbor desires the wall saying that “Good fences make good neighbors.” From what I could see in this work is that the wall is a metaphor within the poem that shows the separation of humans. It tells us that humans and all people want to connect but they cannot because of the walls and barriers within their lives. I believe this is what Frost was trying to portray to the reader when he says that “Good fences make good neighbors.” Another part that is shown here is that the neighbors maintain their relationships through the attention of the walls that are in between them. This is an excellent description of the people that we live around in our home neighborhoods. Most people have their fences up so that they do not have to deal with the neighbor to their left or right and see what they do in their yards. The fences are a way of showing the increased distance that has been increased from family to family. I do not believe that when Frost wrote this poem he would have thought that it would be describing people in the 21st century but it is a very accurate picture in our world.

To Build A Fire

This passage by Jack London was quite interesting. When I first began to this story I didn’t think it would catch my attention like the way it did. This story is about a man traveling through some pretty harsh weather, but he thinks that he can do it and do it alone. There seems to be a bit of forecasting in this story; the man realizes that an elder man told him that no man alone can travel the path he is taking alone in such harsh weather as such. Obviously he did not listen, and with his luck the one thing that he is trying to avoid the whole journey, brings him to his demise. In class we talked about how this story is basically about nature versus man. On this journey the man tried to take on nature single handedly and sadly, lost. He was told by someone who had more wisdom to not travel alone, but he truly believed that he could travel alone and would need no help getting him to his destination. He tried all he could to stay alive, but in the end his efforts meant nothing as he fell asleep forever.

LOL

“The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” struck my interest for a couple of reasons also. For one, it is a product of the infamous by Mark Twain. Two, it is quite an interesting work of art to take breath of or read. Three, it is interesting to read about how luck is struck with/by different people. It makes you think about a lot…like: “What if this were real?” or “What if I were him?” Last, but not least, I also read this story in my Advanced Placement English class. In everyday situations, many people over the world gamble their personal belongings-to include money-away. While this story tells of an extremely lucky individual who places bets on just about everything. Not only is he placing many bets on preposterous reasoning, but he is winning. If anybody dared make a bet, he was ready to take the opposing side. Though luck can take you far, it does not account for the slithering cheaters of the world. This is also portrayed in the story. The lucky character of this story goes by the name of Jim Smiley. He met up with one of those cheaters. Jim Smiley found a frog and bet that his frog would jump higher than any other frog that challenged it. This frog was not anything special. The cheater put a couple of teaspoons of quail shots in Jim’s frog. This made Smiley’s frog heavier and allowed for the stranger’s frog to out jump his.

To Build a Fire

In Jack London's "To Build a Fire", you can definitely tell that he is a realist. The tragic ending proves it. The man dying at the very end after fighting so hard for his life was a tragic way to end the story. In real life the man would not have made it because we was not able to build another fire and it was just too cold so London is showing how it really would be. I really liked the story though because of how London explains the terrain of Alaska. Not many people have experienced such harsh weather conditions or have any idea such conditions exist. A part of the story that I found a little humorous was the relationship between the man and his dog. Most people treat their dog as a friend but this dog meant nothing to him. He made him go out on the ice first and then even tried killing him to warm up his hands. When the man died the dog does not stick around like most dogs would. It left and went on about its life and just left the man. I could imagine the dog being glad that the man got what he deserved for treating him like that.

WE ARE JUST ALIKE

I want to comment on Mark Twain’s story titled “Life on the Mississippi” for a couple of reasons. For one, I just so have happened to have read this story while I was in Advanced Placement English in my senior year of high school. Some things did not seem as obvious to me then as they do now. It portrays how young adults and/or teenage children have goals that they have set for themselves. Not only that…but they are ambitious in their train of thought. My other reason for choosing this story is that it stuck out to me in a since of reminiscence of my own childhood. After my mother passed away and my father was incarcerated, my brother and I moved to Mississippi and were nurtured into the young adults we are today. We were brought up in a small town called Shubuta. There are about five surrounding communities that together have a population of about 681 people total. The only reason that Shubuta shows up on the map before the other communities is because the Post Office is located here. Along with other growing individuals of this community we always dreamed of going big and leaving this small town we grew up in. I think that the pursuit of happiness is the real them shared in this story as well as the lives of the readers.

The Unforging Flirtatious Flower...

In nature, flowers die, and rather quickly, as most get plucked away even before their short times end. They show their beauty with haste, but what else do they have to offer in life; they are unable to mate on their own, utilizing others (bees) for their futures sake. They are mother natures flirtatious being and they are unable to tend to their dire needs, such as safety. Their is a young lady named Daisey Miller, from the short story "Daisey Miller", and her character could resemble that of a Daisey in many ways. Her personality is that of someone in dire need of attention, she is an obvious flirt, with nothing to gain other than her intent for never ending attention. Her ways lead to her demise for she is only conscious to the attention that she receives rather than what she need to survive. She knew that her life was endangered when she entered the Coliseum, but the attention she received blinded her as the sun would blind a Daisey. Like a flower, she got sick and slowly withered away until she finally became food for the earth....

Life on the Mississippi

For my second blog post I chose to comment on Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi." This story stuck out to me at the very beginning because when reading it, it reminded me of my childhood and how we always dreamed of going big and leaving our small town we grew up in. I believe that all children and all people have dreams that they try to pursue but there are only a select few that reach them in the end. I believe that like Twain did in his story, that we should all pursue the things that we dream because we never know how they might play out as we are in pursuit. This story is also very good because while reading it, you understand what Twain is saying in his story and as the reader it feels like you are actually there. You get a very good description of the daily life in the village and also the navigation from Mr. Bixby while on the Mississippi River. While on the river, the steamboat pilot Mr. Bixby seems to test Twain but he is not prepared because he did not listen to what Bixby said to him about the river. He felt that he did not need to know it but Mr. Bixby showed him that he needed to know even the little details for the safety of the crew and passengers on the steamboat. I believe this application can even be applied in our own lives. We need to pay attention to the little things in our daily lives so that we can either learn from our mistakes or the mistakes from those around us. Because we never know when we might have the life lesson that would test us.

Mark Twain is Larger Than Life

I noticed while reading the section of "When the Buffalo Climbed a Tree from Roughing It and Life on the Mississippi that Mark Twain makes his protagonists a little larger that life. The man who was up the tree built suspense of the buffalo coming after him. The man though built himself up from a little cowardly person to cunning and being able to defeat the animal. It gives a emboldening statement of the man being a conqueror. It gave the buffalo a superior stature even though he died in the end. His fictitious ability to climb a tree combined with his factual rage made the buffalo a more realistic fake than the man making himself emboldened by his story (that might have been skewed a little to make his story seem good). The other character that I feel seems larger than life is Mr. Bixby. In his view, Mark Twain looked up to Mr. Bixby and in turn makes him bigger than maybe he really was. He noted Mr. Bixby's great attributes of memorizing the river and knowing exactly where to go in the dark on the river. Back then that was probably real and not made-up but the part where Mr. Bixby got past Hat Island definitely made Mr. Bixby in Twain's eyes and the other pilots as great. Twain made these characters from real life experiences and in my opinion might have given a little twist to them in order to make them and the story larger than life.

A Flower?

Daisy Miller? Was she really just a big flirt and in dire need of attention? I most deffinatley do. For a woman of this time period to be out galavanting with men, she has to have some alternative desire. She may not have been in pursit of sex, but the idea of making a guy think that may happen later on, seemed like the game she wants to play. Daisy was so caught up in attention and doing what she had to to get it that it ultimately cost her, her life. We can apply this to our lives. We must think about what we are doing and the consequeces to follow. If you cheat on the test, the consequence could be, you get in trouble, or you might not, but you could possibly need to know that answer later on in life in a weird crazy interview for a job. I mean, life is too great to make it a game and to play with your life. Daisy was in oursuit of something that wasn't good by any means. Thus is why she dies.

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain was quite interesting to me because it was fun. There is no real point or lesson to be learned from this writing, which I guess is a reason why I like it so. This fictional writing was about a character by the name of Jim Smiley who liked to bet on basically everything. It would not matter what the chances were of Jim Smiley winning the bet were, it did not matter how dumb or crazy the bet was. Jim Smiley played the cards he was dealt, and always seemed to win his bets. In this particular story, Jim Smiley found a frog and bet that his frog would jump higher than any other frog that challenged it. There was nothing special about the frog at all; it just was like any other frog but Smiley chooses place bets like that. With his luck he wins all of his bets until one day a stranger comes to town; automatically Smiley wants to bet him, but he doesn’t have a frog. So Smiley leaves to get him one, but while he is gone the stranger cheats by putting a couple of teaspoons of quail shots in the frog. This made Smiley’s frog heavier and allowed for the stranger’s frog to out jump his. Smiley’s luck finally runs out.

Was Life on The Mississippi this good?

In Mark Twain's story, Life on The Mississippi, Twain talks about his and other boys ambitions to become a steamboat pilot. This story is actually a memior, which is a story told about previous memories in ones life, about how he worked as an apprentice and then eventually becomes a steamboat pilot. Twain states within the story, that becoming a steamboat pilot was every young boys dream, and that was the job of the time. Twain was still under his name Samuel Clemens, while under the apprenticeship of Horace Grixby. Eventually Twain becomes a steamboat pilot himself. He talks about how much fun he had and how it was everything he had wanted. When the American Civil War broke out, his time a pilot was brought to a halt because Union troops were using the steamboats to transport equipment up and down the Mississippi. Twain's pen name, comes from the word "Tawin", which is used as a word to let pilots know the water is safe for them to bring their boats through. Twain's last ride was from New Orleans to Saint Louis. After the war was over, Twain did infact return for more rides as a pilot. I like this story alot, because it shows the motivation to want to become something you love to do. It reminds me of my time as trying to become a volunteer firefighter while in high school. The thrill and excitment, and the knowledge that i could save someones life in a burning building was motivation enough for me to stick with it till the end. After i graduated, i went off to college to face my new endevor of joing the United States Military. While in college, i still return to my home town to volunteer.
"

The Outcasts of Poker Flat

I really enjoyed reading the story by Bret harte, "The Outcasts of Poker Flat." The story begins on a on the morning of Nov 23 1850 when John Outhurst steps on the main streets of Poker
Flat. Oakhurst is a professional gambler, but the citizens of Poker Flat see him a villian. John would be is a favorite character because as the story goes along we found that he's a cool, calm, and collected guy. He's doesn't drink any liquor because it would affect his mind as gambler and He also says, he "couldn't afford it." The townspeople form a secert committee which saw a hanging and banishment of a couple a residents. They also wanted to hang Mr. Oakhurst but a couple coolheads decided that banishment was a enough. Mr. Oakhurst wasn't alone, he also other people been banished along with him. The Duchess and Mother Shipton were prosititutes and lastly, was Uncle Billy who was a thief. On their journey, they run into Tom Simson and his girl Piney Woods. Tom and Piney were on their way to be married because Piney father Jake had opposed the wedding so they ran away together. The group found a cabin a rest for the night but the next morning Uncle Billy and the two horse were gone. So for 10 days the group stayed there under open fire singing song and telling stories until supplies began to dwell. Mother Shipton passed away from stravtion but did save some food for the young. The next morning Mr. Oakhurst walked Simson half to Poker Flat for supplies but nightfall had came along and there was any sign of Oakhurst. The follwing morning the two ladies found note in tree with a knief in center saying that here lays the body of John Oakhurst Dec 7 1850.

Daisy Is A Flower (Aauzsa Mack blog post 2)

Daisy is a flower not a tease. Daisies are there for beauty and not to please. In the short story, “Daisy Miller”, Daisy is portrayed as a tease. When you think of a daisy I think of a daisy I see a white flower with a yellow center. White equals the main appearance which would automatically attract attention because of the purity that the color white portrays. The yellow reminds me of the sun which is bright and not easily forgotten or missed. All of these things describe Daisy Miller, but in the end she died from being too careless with her beauty. Daisy was just like the flower and wanted and need attention in order to live. You have to tend to the flower in order for it to live and then in the story Daisy needed to be tended to because she had malaria which is not like the common cold that would subside by itself and if the flower does not get its proper watering and sunlight it would eventually die. This is what happened to Daisy Miller, she did not get the proper attention that she wished to have and in return she ended up dying in the end.

The Passing of Grandison

My first thought after reading this short story by Charles Chestnut was that slavery was the main point or issue. But after thinking about it again I realized that Dick Owen's love for Charity Lomax was the reason that Grandison even became a part of the story. He was so in love with her that he was willing to do whatever it would take to get her to love him back, even if it was something he did not believe in or agree with. He did not really care about the slaves and whether or not they were free. His motive was very selfish. Eventhough Charity was not very happy with how Dick just left Grandison all on his own she still married him which did not make much sense. I like how the story has a very unexpected ending! The whole time Dick thought he had been the sneaky one that left Grandison behind but Dick was actually the one that got outsmarted. In the end, things work out great for both of them. Dick marries Charity and Grandison gets to be free along with his entire family. Something else I liked about this story were the accents. Even if Chestnut would not have said that they lived in the South, the accents would have given it away. It was kind of odd though that only the slaves had the accents and not any of the others. But having the accents make the story more interesting and entertaining.

Jaraid's post of lif on the Mississippi

The best story that I have read for this semester has to be Mark Twain’s Life On The Mississippi. I really think that Twain captured the essence of his time with a bunch of young men of that time. It is also seen that the young men along with the rest of the town just wanted to get away and make a name for themselves in their town or where ever he lived. Every one had aspirations to be something great, and that just happen to be a steamboat men. The story is mainly about following a young man and his dreams to be become a steamboat pilot and his journey to become it. In Twain’s writing he is very descriptive. He describes the scenery very well. One example of this is when he describes who every thing looks when they are trying to find Jones’s Plantation. Another aspect of Twain’s writing that I really liked was his use of language in his story. In his writing, he aloud his readers to know how people of that time speak so that the reader can connect with character of the story. Over all, the story is a good story because it is a relevant topic because everyone wants to grow up and be something great.

the notorius jumping frog of calaveras county

“The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain is one of Twain’s earliest examples of humor and exaggeration. From the beginning of the story, one could see that it was filled with humor. Jim Smiley was the man who would bet on anything, but he always seemed to win. He would bet on animals that had absolutely no chance of winning anything, but he still won. He had an old asthmatic horse that he enters into races and the horse always finds a way to win. Smiley also has a dog, Andrew Jackson that would lose every fight until there was money involved. Smiley then got a frog and trained the frog to jump higher than any other frog around. The frog began to win and one day a stranger challenged Smiley and the stranger won. The stranger had secretively given the frog a quail shot to hinder its great jumping abilities. The frog eventually burped the quail shot up and Smiley realized that he had been cheated. He went looking for the stranger, but the stranger was long gone with his money. Mark Twain really uses humor and exaggeration in this story to keep the reader’s attention. The entire story is very interesting and the humor is great.

Daisy Miller

Daisy Miller by Henry James was an interesting story to read. However, personally I didnt really understand the moral behind it. The story focuses on two main characters, Daisy Miller and Winterbourne. Winterbourne is an american but lives in Geneva and studies there as well and he speaks like a German. He seems to come from a very wealthy family and is wealthy himself. Daisy Miller is a very pretty, young lady. She is wealthy as well. The first part of the story the setting takes place in Vevey, Switzerland. Diasy and Winterbourne are introduced by her little brother Randolph. Winterbourne finds her very pretty and admirable. however, as time passes by and they exchange a few words. He realizes she is just a flirt. Daisy is just a simple young minded, adventurous little girl. But she is innocent and Winterbourne realizes that at the end. In my opinion i think the story centralizes on the innocence in Daisy little world.

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

I really liked reading this story by Mark Twain because Jim Smiley will place a bet on anything that comes his way no matter how dumb the bet may be. In the story Jim has three animals that he places bets on and no matter what their appearances may look like they always turn out to be the winner. the first animal is Jim's horse and her is The Fifteen Minute Nag. This was given to the horse because of how the horse looked so sickly, but when places a bet on the table she turns on the speed at the end of race and wins. Next is Jim's bulldog pup named after 7th president of U.S. when all bets are down the dog character changes and he grabs onto the hind legs of his opponent and hangs on until the fight is over. lastly is Dan'l Webster, Jim's Frog, Which he trains to be the highest jumping frog in Calaveras County. However, Webster loses a the bet because a strange fills his frog with a teaspoon of quail shot while Jim is looking found a frog to place a bet against. I believe that Jim is a lucky person and so how finds a way to win.

Emily Dickinson as a Person

Obviously I do not actually know Emily Dickinson, not very many people alive do. I see that people seem to question Dickinson's faith in some of her poems. Her poem such as "249" discusses wild nights. Some see it as her risque nights at home with her lover. I do not see it as that. I honestly see it as an intimate night praying a loving God. I would not think that had Dickinson not capitalized "thee" in line 12. Had she not done that I would believe that she was referring to a lover, but since she capitalizes "thee" it makes me think she is talking about something greater than herself.
Now with that said, some people don't understand how that matches up with God. God calls for Christians to seek a relationship with Him. In most relationships have intimacy. Correct? So God is no different. It is a way to show one's love for Him. It is the same case here. I feel that she is strengthening her relationship with God. Honestly I don't think that anyone can tell me other wise. That's my opinion and I'm gonna stick to it.

Song of Myself Walt Whitman

As said in the prompt Walt Whitman was ahead of his time and definetly had a hand in the beatnik poets and even some of the pra and hip hop seen today which is often spoken in free verse style. Walt Whitman uses many of the naturalist ideas in his work with a prime example being the, "what is grass," question. He than hits on the ideas of the budhists with his idea that everything is interconnected and when we die we merely move to another state and benefit the world around us. This is very similar to the idea of reincarnation that the buddhists have but without the up and down movement depending on the life that you lived. These types of non traditionalist traits are seen throughout Whitman's work and are what made him such an unconventional but well known and famous poet who was ahead of his time.

Failure Comes Before Success (Blog Post1 Aauzsa Mack)

Emily Dickson wrote series of poems just like the many famous poets before her. Upon using different rhyme schemes, her writings are interpreted in many different ways. One of the poems, poem number 67, really grabbed me because of the first two lines in the first stanza “success is counted sweetest by those who ne’er succeed.” Those words alone express a lot of meaning and can be defined in many different ways, but the way I perceive it is that in order to feel the sweetness of success you must have failed at least one point and time in your life. How would it feel to be successful all the time? You would not know how to be thankful that you are succeeding if you have never felt the bitterness of failure. Towards the end of the poem she describes the feeling of the losing side. She used the words defeated, dying, and agonized to describe the scene of the individual that’s watching the opposing team triumph. When you see those three words, defeated, dying, and agonized, there is nothing bright or cheerful about them. Those are words that hurt, words that will put a dent in your pride, words that will either boost you up enough to want to be successful or that will lower your self-esteem even more it is all in the way of how you take it.

Dickinson's Sense of individuality and loneliness

A repeating theme that's prevalent and what sets Emily Dickinson away from Walt Whitman's view of a close community is her willingness to stray away from conformity and become more of an individual. That in itself leads to a meditation on how she views loneliness and death. I believe because she is more alone she thinks more about death as "49" shows about losing someone as well as "449". She leans more on being herself and doing her own thing. "303" and "324" explains her want to not conform to the regular way to worship. She explains to become her own self and worship or concentrate on her issues or important things. Even with her belief in individuality, she writes a lot about longing for someone else or writing how she's apart from someone like in "511" and "249". I believe that those ideas contradict themselves but shows the gloominess she possesses that makes her writing seem so dark.

Jarid's post of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

“Crossing the Brooklyn Ferry” is a poem written by Walt Whitman. The poem is telling a story about a person’s trip on the Brooklyn Ferry and how the people before him and after him will share in this historical experience of riding the boat, being under the same shy at a certain time, feeling the boat hit up against the waves, being amongst the crowd, ect. While on the ferry the author also talks abut what he sees while riding the ferry. He is watching the city itself / buildings and the river sea-gulls, the sky’s reflection in the water. I personally like this poem because he is taking a simple subject such as riding the ferry and he is broadening it be cause he is point out things that people would normally not even pay attention to. The author also uses a since of everyone being equal in a way that everyone has to wait on the ferry when they ride it, everyone sees the same thing , they feel the same thing as they ride the ferry. Finally at the end of Walt Whitman’s poem he says that they are one, he loves him and he won’t get rid of him and that they will be together forever.

a sight in camp in the daybreak gray and dim

A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and grim, by Walt Whitman is a very vivid poem that expresses the title of the poem to the fullest with the setting of the poem. The first stanza gives the reader a great mental picture of the setting. The tone is an awful grim and dark feeling with the notice of death in the air. Whitman uses many kinds of symbolism in the poem; two great examples are spiritual and patriotic. Spiritual is characterized when Whitman states that the middle aged man looks like Christ himself. Furthermore with the three dead bodies represents the three stages in life as well as the trinity in Christianity. Whitman uses a patriotic theme with the setting being in the civil war and seeing these three dead soldiers that have died for their country to fulfill the American dream of being free. With the allusion of the middle aged man being Christ is especially important which ties both of the two types of symbolism as to emphasize the sacrifices soldiers commonly give in war, and the religious view of the colossal sacrifice of Christ. Whitman uses symbolism to with the great use of vivid imagery to draw the reader into the poem.