needs a good home

Yesterday a 10 week old puppy came in with a shattered leg. The owners had no money and had a couple of options; take it home and do nothing, find the money for surgery ($1500-$2000), or euthanize. No one in the office could bare to euthanize this adorable puppy so we gave the owners one other option, relinquish ownership to the hospital.They agreed to give up ownership and she can now get her surgery.
We only need to find her a good home now. We will keep her till she gets her surgery and to make sure her leg is healing. We only ask, if you can, that if you want her you pay a little to cover pain medication.
We have named her Buttercup and she is a caramel colored pit bull. Her ears have not been cropped so they are cute and floppy. She is really playful (even with her broken leg) she likes to cuddle and give kisses. We already started potty training her. 
She is good with kids and other pets and would like to be with someone who can take time to train her and entertain a energetic puppy
Please if you or you know someone who would like her please contact me ASAP (510) 220-2696

I can get you better pics that aren't to blurry. Just let me know.

Fall English 2200 Course

Several of you have emailed me or spoken to me about my fall teaching schedule. As I mentioned in class last night, I am teaching an English 2200 course, Intro to Lit, and I expect it to be a lot of fun. We will learn a lot about literary forms and genres and then apply that knowledge to discussions of really great literature. My hope is that after this class, you will never again read a poem, story, novel, or play in the same way again. If you have enjoyed the reading we have done this semester and would like some more in-depth discussion of literature, please come aboard.

This class is an HH course, which means it satisfies your general Humanities requirement, which all majors require as far as I know. If you are an English major, this will count toward your electives requirement. If you are one of those people who takes a course now and again just because you want to (gasp!), this might be a good one, too.

If you can't take the class (or don't want to), I would appreciate it very much if you would help me to spread the word that I am teaching it (the catalog just says "STAFF," a rather innocuous word that is not likely to inspire anyone). I'll be putting up some posters over the summer as well in case you want one for your refrigerator.

The details: English 2200 Section 001, TR 1:00-2:15.

Cheers. I'll see you on Tuesday. Remember: LIBRARY, Room 206, 3:00-5:00.

Miss California

I just recently heard about the Miss USA pagent and the controversy surrounding that. Watch this clip and you can see for yourself. Miss California shares her beliefs concerning the question on same-sex marriage and has been booed for it. I'm just glad that we have some girl up there who is sharing her real beliefs and not giving a fake answer to make people happy. I'm impressed that there are still people out there who will share their beliefs, no matter what the stakes are. Hope you enjoy this little clip and feel free to discuss it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XMvviFbkf0

Maslows Hierarchy

Daniel asked me to post Maslow's Hierarchy. I find the idea of Self-Actualization most interesting.

Pretty Nervous

Not going to lie I am super nervous about giving my presentation. I have really enjoyed this class this semester. Mainly because of how insightful everyone has been during our discussions. You all have such a great minds! Which is why I feel a bit shy about giving my presentation. I am also looking forward to hearing everyone else's presentations, as I have learned a lot from everyone in our class. I also thought it might be neat or cool for everyone to share maybe their favorite comment or insight from our discusses this semester. I think I have two.

1. Would have to be when we were talking about adrenaline and hurting people...after reading I think "Sweat". I will never forget when the guy in the back(sorry I can't remember your name!) said, "having an adrenaline high is the best kind of high I have ever had, I have broken people's legs and felt good about it after."(or something to that nature). I don't know, I loved his honesty.


2. Would be when we were discussing "Silken Tent" I cannot remember who said it- but I wrote it down. There are things in our lives that seem to hold us down, our "ties". But as we grown and change we become bound to them with love. We only really notice them when they call attention to themselves. When they do call attention to themselves and we notice them, it's not because of resentment(like maybe before) but because we have changed and we notice them out of love.
   

How many?

How many sources do we need? How many from our reading and how many from outside?

Stick it to the Man!

So when we were first given this paper to write and the assignment to come up with an original thesis, I thought of something that has always intrigued me...the portrayal of women today compared to how we were in history. Sounds pretty simple I know, and its obvious that we've come a long way since the early centuries. But I have never been more frustrated in my life as I am at this moment finishing up my paper! Our world is so sick and twisted it's unbelievable! Looking up different sources led me to see a lot of things that even I didn't realize was going on that was so diminishing in our world to the female race...if any of you have seen the movie Taken it reminded me a lot of that. Woman are, and always have been, portrayed as sexual objects of desire and no matter how much the world tries to say that in our day and time everyone is equal its a bunch of crap. I think I'm going to be a sexist advocate when I grow up...whatever that is.

A little help?

I have written just about all of my paper but I can not come up with a good thesis. I know that might be strange but my brain is just done thinking for the year.

So my topic is the idea of innocence, being naive and delusional.

If anyone could lend me a hand that would be great! Thanks!

i-15 fatality

I thought you guys would be interested in this story. The picture to the left is the car wreck I responded to on friday on I-15 where the vehicle blew a tire. It was all over the news, you may have been stuck in traffic for hours that day.... Let me give you a quick run down on my experience.

Do you see where the top of the car is laying on the road, directly up from the Exit 261 sign? That is where the body was laying when we pulled up. There were 5 victims involved in this wreck. Two were ejected, and one of those was an obvious fatality. When we arrived, there was an 8 year old boy laying in the middle of the road and 3 other people trapped in the vehicle. We called in Life Flight to fly the 8 year old boy to Primary Children's hospital where he could get the best care possible for being ejected from a vehicle going over 65 MPH. We called in AirMed to fly the passenger of the car to the nearest hospital... we weren't sure the extent of her injuries. The driver of the vehicle was sitting behind the passenger seat when we arrived. Provo Fire and Rescue had to remove the entire top of the car to get both of them out, hence the reason it is laying in the road. Their ambulance crew cared for the driver. My patient was a 4 year old little girl who was trapped in the trunk area of the car. She was laying on her back with her legs were up over the seat. I am convinced that had her legs not gotten stuck, she too would have been ejected. 

We later found out that my little girl walked away with minor injuries. However the other family members were not so lucky... the damage done to their bodies is equivalent to the damage done to that vehicle. (Which is a ford explorer in case you were wondering.)

I bet you can guess where the point of my story is going... WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. Not one of these 5 people had a seatbelt on. If they had, the mother would have lived and the injuries sustained would have been minimal. 

I love my job and what i do, but situations like these really hit home for me. This is one of the worse car accidents I have ever responded to. I have a perspective on life that most people do not get to see. Yes, people like me are there to save lives when unfortunate situations like these present themselves, but I feel it is my responsibility to relate these stories to hopefully prevent that from happening. Drive safe and buckle up. 

Violence and Crimes

Why is there to much violence in the world? We live in such a violent corrupt world right now I cannot even imagine having children and raising them in it. I think that there should be a stronger penalty for those who commit violent crimes. Most crimes that happen are for no reason at all, Just for the fun in doing it. My mom went to school with a man who went to Las Vegas and shot a cashier in the head just to see what it felt like to kill someone. He now sits on death row, while his attorneys fight to get him out. It looks like he could get out with just a short time served. He should never be able to get out, the punishment should fit the crime.

Just desserts

"God, sir, does not plan to judge man until the end of his days. Why should you or I?" This is the attitude that I so often forget when thinking of ways that others have wronged me. It is so easy for one to judge another, or to see the mote that is in the eye of someone else without noticing the beam in his or her own. Indeed Sykes was mean, he was hurtful (both physically and emotionally), and it seems that he got what was coming to him. Yet something bothers me. It is my own attitude. I was extremely gleeful and delighted to see what happened to "mean ole' Sykes" and gave virtually no thought to his pain and suffering. I thought only of the relief of Delia's tribulations. Granted, this is what the author seems to lead us to think, but those truly sensitive and caring would also think of the suffering of another. This is just a story, but I worry about the implications it may have in my personal life. Sykes screwed up. Bigtime. Could it be that Delia, in her insistence to avoid the situation, has erred as well? Judge not lest ye be judged, forgive seventy times seven. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Do these mantras still hold true today?

A Different Perspective

Now, I agree with most of the things that have been posted: Sykes got what he deserved and Delia was in the right not to help him out at the end, or to be indifferent about it, but....like Daniel mentioned during class; haven't we been discussing what we do or do not do in occurrence of human suffering? Sykes was an AWFUL man indeed, but imagine this, you see the person you ABSOLUTELY detest, maybe this person shot your dog and laughed, walking a few feet ahead of you in the crosswalk just after they tripped you. BAM! He or she gets hit by a car right in front of you, but you're safe. What do you do? You know a few first aid tricks-unless you're Courtney who knows them all-but this person is severely injured, bleeding heavily and it's pretty obvious that they are not going to live much longer. They call YOUR name out, asking you for assistance. How can you not feel enough pity to eagerly assist in their last request for comfort? Even though it may seem unfair to serve him or her after the way you were treated, someday justice will be served, don't force justice to be served when it's not your authority to do so. Just a thought.

"Sweat" was a little hard for me to follow because of the different dialect. However, I did like how Skyes ended up loosing in the end. The snake that he threw on his wife in the beginning ended up biting him in the, helpinig Delia get revenge on her husband, Skyes. Skyes never respected his wife, causing her to never want to help him. Delia was never in the wrong, only her husband was because of the way he treated her.

Foreshadowing

After reading the beginning and how terrible Sykes treated Delia I began to think that something has to happen to Sykes for him to learn a lesson and once he brought home the rattlesnake in the box I knew that later on in the story at some point the snake was going to bite him and sure enough it happened. Once I picked up on the foreshadowing my reading sped up because I was soo excited to find out if Sykes was going to get what he had coming to him. The foreshadowing that the author used made the story more interesting and made me anxious to get to the end.

The analogy of sugar cane to domestic violence that Clarke made was a clever way of foreshadowing the end of the story. Just as sugar cane dries out after all the sugar juice is gone, Delia's sweetness towards Sykes had been beaten out through years of torment. Delia didn't want to help her husband in any way becuase it had never been returned. I loved the way Delia was vindicated at the end of the story, when her husband was the helpless one, being bit by the very snake he brought home to scare her with. Her husband was left to fend for himself, finally getting a justifyied taste of his own medicine.

Getting What You Deserve

Sykes “reaped what he sewed”. He pretended to be this great man and that everything he did was justified. He could beat his wife because she was skinny and he could spend her money because “it was his money too”. When he brought the snake home he just wanted to show off. Again gloating and saying that he was the best snake charmer. His whole life he planted lies and deceit and that’s what he got in the end when it literally came back and bit him. Delia had every right in not helping him and she had good justification. Like she said Orlando was too far and he might not even make it down the road so what's the point.

I see relationships like this all the time and sadly I was in one. Some men make up stories and go out with other women to make their life seem more exciting and worth something, when they realize that its not what the want they take it out on someone close to them, sometimes physically and sometimes mentally. Most of the time it takes some outside force to help get people out of abusive relationships. Delia at one point calls the snake Satan, when in the end it was her savior. It probably saved her life. Sometimes the things that can save us from bad situations look or sound scary.

Dialect

I think Hurston's portrayal of the characters using their local dialect serves two purposes:

The first helps the reader gain a greater knowledge as to the background, character, environment, and even circumstance of Delia and Sykes. It gives the story a much more authentic feel, which done right, is beneficial for the reader and helps one sympathize with the protagonist.

The second (and downside), is that it can give the story too authentic of a feel. By overly expanding and focusing on the dialect, Hurston is putting the reader in a position where it is possible to make assumptions and judgments that are not relevant to the story, but have the capacity to overshadow the story. I'm not saying the dialogue ruined the story for me, but I can see how it could for others.

For example, when Sykes says, "Gimme some kivah heah, an' git yo' damn foots over on yo' own side! Ah oughter mash you in yo' mouf fuh drawing dat skillet on me."

Very authentic, and it makes it clear that Sykes is kind of a dick. But I had to read it twice to really get a grasp on it. That can be a little annoying.

A Triumphant Indifference

The line,"A triumphant indifference," is used in the story to describe the emotion of Delia's reaction to Sykes kicking her rudely, stealing the covers, and threatening to "mash [her] in [her] mouf fuh drawing that skillet on [him]." Delia taking up the skillet, earlier in the story, in defense was something new and caused him not to, "strike her as he usually did." This exchange is where her triumph comes from, because it was the second time since the skillet that Sykes had delivered an empty threat. As far as the indifference Delia after so many years finally didn't care. She was still set on being a good woman, as we see throughout the story, but she was done trying to mend her marriage. She was triumphant over caring and triumphant over Sykes physically pushing her around.

This line can also be used to describe Delia's decision in the end. Pulling the skillet out on Sykes wasn't wrong, nor was doing her laundry inside. Sykes had cowed her with hollow threats concerning the skillet and again with the laundry by leaving the snake in her basket. She was triumphant in more ways than one. She now had her house, she could do her work in her house, and she never had to be mistreated by Sykes again. Not only did she know this, but Sykes knew it too. We can assume this because the narrator explains that Sykes one open eye, "could not fail to see the tubs." She was indifferent because she wasn't joyful about Sykes pain, but she wasn't sad either, she simply knew there was nothing she could do. Just as she finally discovered earlier there was nothing she could do about their marriage.

Karma

  I thought the end of the story was great. It ended just like a movie. This woman who has been suffering all her marriage is finally able to get the "revenge" she deserves. When people are as messed up as Sykes they deserve to get what is coming to them. Karma is a bitch. 

 Although it is quite ironic that the one thing that Delia hates the most in her life got revenge for her in the end. Her two worst enemies fought it out and the snake won.

 I don't blame Delia for hesitating to help Sykes. It would be really hard to run to his aid after experiencing pain for so many years. Im sure she went eventually, but she was in no rush.

"Sweat"

For Thursday, please make sure you have read "Sweat." We moved Hurston's story up on the revised schedule. Many of you did not know this, so rather than discuss the story tonight, we are going to discuss it on Thursday.

Before Thursday, though, I would like to hear your reactions to the story. Here are a couple of things you might write about, but feel free to write about other topics as well:

1. What does Hurston gain by writing the story in a local vernacular/dialect? What does she lose?

2. On page 714, paragraph 28, Delia shows "a triumphant indifference" to Sykes. How might this phrase be used to describe her choice at the end of the story?

3. On page 713, Delia says, "Sometime or ruther, Sykes, like everybody else, is gointer reap his sowing." Is this what happens at the end of the story? Does Sykes get what is coming to him, or is Delia in part to blame? How does she justify not helping him when he cries out to her?

Thanks. See you on Thursday.

We Real Cool

Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3GAQCLxICo&feature=channel

Buckle up or busted up... The choice is yours.

I sent this story out on my e-mail and got a great response so I thought I would pass it along to all of you. (Sorry Daniel, this has absolutely nothing to do with class, but it has a good moral to it.)

About two weeks ago, my crew and I responded to an accident on the freeway. A 42 year old male had just left the dentist office after he had some work done. The dentist had given him Novacane, a numbing agent, for the procedure. He left the office to head home. As he exited the freeway, he fell asleep and rolled his car into the ditch right off the road. He told us that the Novacane had made him drowsy. He was ejected out of the passenger window, and the car rolled over top of him. His legs were crushed underneath the car. When we arrived, we had to get creative in order to get him out, but we were successful. The entire time the man was conscious and complaining that he couldn't feel his legs. My captain and I yanked, scratched and pinched at his legs and feet, there was no painful response out of him. We called to have AirMed fly him out because of his condition. As we turned him on his side to slide the backboard underneath him, we palpated up and down his spine. About mid shaft, he had a lump the size of a grapefruit. He couldn't feel anything below it.

Later, I spoke to one of the nurses who had cared for him in the ICU and she said his spinal cord had not only sheared, but it had severed completely. This man will NEVER walk again. Had he chosen to buckle up, he would have walked away with minor injuries, of that I am convinced. Word to the wise: ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. 

a thought along the lines of the invisible man...

Recently, we've had some racial unrest at the alternative high school I work at in Provo. This has led me to ponder how much progress as a society we've really made, especially as I read the latest reading. Granted, we just elected an African-American president, and things are nowhere near where they were during Jim Crow. But I have also wondered if maybe we've focused on the wrong things...by this I mean there's channels like Black Starz, Black Entertainment Television, and programs such as affirmitive action. It's a really sensitive discussion, but it just seems to me like if we were truly moving towards a color-blind society, these things are counter-productive. Anyone got an opinion?

Battle Royal

Please choose one of the following prompts and write a one-page response. Remember what we have discussed about analysis vs. summary, and as always, please point to specific examples from the text to help you make your points.

1. Look up the term “allegory” in a dictionary or glossary of literary terms. How is “Battle Royal” an allegory? Or, more specifically, what, in your opinion, is it an allegory for?

2. How is the narrator’s dramatic situation in “Battle Royal” similar to the situations of the female protagonists in other stories we have read? How is his situation different?

3. How did you feel when you read “Battle Royal”? Angry? Uncomfortable? Excited? Guilty? Sad? There is no right answer to this question, but I want you to focus on your emotional reaction. Point to places in the story that evoked an emotional response, and, most importantly, try to ask yourself why you felt that way. Ask yourself what Ellison is doing that creates that kind of reaction in you.

4. Choose three objects or actions in the story that you feel are symbols and explain what you think they symbolize. Don’t use the fight itself as an example. I am looking for something more specific. For example, you might decide that the act of swallowing his own blood during his speech is symbolic, or that the electrified coins are symbolic, or that the dancing blonde’s American flag tattoo is symbolic. Nearly everything in an allegory is symbolic, so there is plenty to choose from.

5. Interpret the narrator’s dream at the end of the story. How does he feel about himself and the choices he has made?

6. "Battle Royal" was originally titled Invisible Man, but since it is the first part of Ellison's novel, also called Invisible Man, it is now commonly called "Battle Royal." Talk about the original title. What does the narrator mean when he says that he is an "invisible man"?

The case of the missing prompts...

I'm not going to lie... I've been on edge all weekend wondering what depths of our imagination is Daniel going to have us dive into for this last story we just read?

Alas. No writing prompts...

I hope we still get to discuss this story in class and if we still need to turn in a writing assignment that the due date gets bumped back.

PEACE!

bRaDy

Thursday 3/5 - Meet in Library

Tomorrow night, Thursday, we will be meeting in the library, Room 207. See you there.

a ThOuGhT...

I always enjoy hearing a feel good thought for the day. One of my favorites that seems to apply to everyone at sometime or another is "Life is like a warm shower, just when you get the water just right. Someone has to come along and flush the toilet on you!" I think whatever the situation may be, things can be going great, then all the sudden something has to change. Whether it be school, a relationship, work, or serious illnesses just when you think that you have conquered it, from out of no where something comes up and it changes everything. Would it not be nice to have the shower always stay warm no matter what the situation is.

The Future...

This last weekend the owner of the Jazz, Larry H. Miller, passed away. I am a big Jazz fan and watched the game the day after where they honored him. There were many video clips of his life shown before and during the game. A quote that was very important to him stuck with me and I would like to see what you all think of it. He was a big supporter of Education and did many things to help SLC Community College and gave many educational scholarships. In one of the banquets for education that he spoke at he read this quote as one of his firm beliefs: "Children are the messengers we send to a time we'll never see; what messages are we sending with them?" I had never heard this before and I thought it was quite profound. I am wondering what you all think of this quote and how it pertains to education today? Whether it be elementary or the higher education we're obtaining now. How should education work so that we can achieve greater things in the future?

"Glen" The Sex Kitten

If you weren't in class today while we were discussing Pygmalion here's something to chew on.

You probably recall that there is a character in the story named Gwen. The husband in this story has an affair with Gwen and eventually they ended up married. Gwen has a speech impediment and basically replaces all the "L"s with "W"s. If you look at the original paper that was written, the name of Gwen's character was Fritzie. Is there a reason for the change in name but not the change in speech impediment? Is Gwen really supposed to be Glen?

Discuss.

response to "The Silken Tent"

Is it to lame to wonder who is being referred to in the first line?  is the writer describing "she" or the silken tent?  upon reading aloud it is imagined that "she" is the described.  

the flow of this poem is so sultry, as waves on the beach at sunset.  people all around stop to watch in silence.  the author is definately captivating his audience.  

reading aloud brings each reader, each imagination, a different experience.  the words can be descriptive yet vague and sensible and senseless.  as reading, deeper and deeper falling in the words and the rhyme.  swaying back and forth emotionally, as though to feel the same way as the writer must have felt at that tie in that moment. 

line 6 describes the central cedar pole.  this can be thought of as the "rock" or "anchor" that holds the tent in its place or the soft touch and beautiful aroma that is encompassed by the surrounding tent, or woman.  

to think deeper, and to read aloud again.  this just might bring a heightened sense of understanding in such readings.

Defining Any Particular Definitive Response

From initial glance at Picasso's painting I would think there wasn't any sexual energy in it. What's seems exceptionally curious to me is the pure amount of anything that can be claimed as being in that picture. For example, if I start talking about how war is an intricate part of the painting, do you see war elements within it? Perhaps sadness? Happiness? Aging? Youth? Maybe this dynamic doesn't apply to you, but it certainly does to me. I could see anything that I wanted to see in a painting like this. If sexuality is in fact meant to be in the painting, it's probably lesbianism due to the substantial difference between the women and her reflection. Honestly though, where do I get off making any statement like that? I therefore conclude that Picasso's art is a pure masterpiece do to the fact that I can literally see anything I choose to within it.

I felt kind of ripped off reading the poems in direct relation to the painting. It's sad, but unfortunately true. I like finding my own perspective or insight about peaces of art, whether it be a painting or a poem. I found it increasingly agitating to have another's perspective on work that is not their own in an environment that I felt forced to look at them in conjunction with each other within.

From my perspective, any work of art has power only in that which I learn about myself from it. I cannot definitively say that the creator of the work is any particular way of being or has any unusual approach, for I am not the creator. The only thing that I have any true knowledge of is myself. I suppose I subscribe to a very Descartes-es philosophy in that respect.

The poem alone might lose a degree of dignity from itself were the presence of the painting to be removed, but perhaps I would have gotten more from it if I did not feel as if I'm was confined to the restrictions of it's relationship with the painting. Then again, I could very well be missing a certain level of creativity between the poem and the painting that has a whole new form of creativity within it. Unfortunately, if that is the case, I will be resigning myself from this particular art form because it holds no particular value to me. Yet, I hold it to be still possible for such a work to inspire on a level that would change my current state of mind on the matter.

Something That Crossed my Mind...

As I have been following and reading the blog entries people have made, a question has been brought to the forefront of my mind. Many of the posts concentrate on compassion, empathy, and the like emotions.

I have always believed that it doesn't matter why someone is empathetic, compassionate, or does a good deed; what matters is they act in that way and someone is postively impacted. However, do we do good things because they are just that, good? Or do we do good things because we want to feel good about ourselves?

Is it possible that we have a selfish motivation in selfless acts?

I Disagree

"Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course"

-W.H. Auden, Musee des Boux Arts

I have been reading this passage repeatedly, trying to get a greater grasp and find a deeper meaning. When I think of children skating on a pond by the forest, I don't see deep, complex, social awareness happening; I see just the opposite. Laughter, carelessness, innocence, even euphoria. In many cases (though not nearly all), children are immune to the trappings and stresses of adulthood, and consequently, the world. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Another line stuck out to me as well:
"About suffering they were never wrong,
The Old Masters: how well they understood
Its human position; how it takes place"

In our world, tyranny, oppression, and cruelty abound. I even heard somewhere that their are more conflicts occuring right now than at any other point in history. However, I see a noticeable change among the peoples of our time. These behaviors are no longer seen in the same light as days gone by. I do not mean to sound naive; I fought in Iraq and have a pretty good idea of the worst man is capable of. But I look at the international pressure bestowed on the middle east process, Northern Ireland, Rwanda, Darfur, and the famine currently racking Zimbabwe. Industrialized countries care, and I would bet that it is not merely over a desire for their resources. I would argue that as a generality, human beings have grown largely more humanitarian.

Concerning the stated line in the poem, I would have to disagree, and this ties in to what I wrote above. I do not think the masters of slaves understood the suffering inherent in slavery, or that Hitler completely understood the suffering of those in the concentration camps. I do not believe that Alexander the Great understood the suffering his Army imposed on all those conquered peoples, and I'm quite convinced that Oliver Cromwell did not understand the suffering of the Catholics in Ireland as a virtual genocide took place. Sure, all these people issued the orders, actively participated in, and saw the consequences. But I do not think anyone can fully understand how the human position takes place, because if they had, they would not have pursued the course they did.

And in This Corner...

I've really enjoyed this discussion. I thought your comments on Tuesday were excellent, and they have led to equally-thoughtful posts.

One thing that I have been thinking about, and it is something you (Amber and Katelin in particular) have been alluding to, is that just as human suffering often goes unseen by others, it is also true that human love or human charity "must run its course / Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot." In fact, one could argue that acts of love and kindness are often most sincere when they do take place "in a corner," where perhaps no one ever knows about them except for the person(s) being helped and, of course, the one trying to alleviate suffering. It isn't easy to turn the ship around or park the plow when no one is looking over our shoulder.

In my view, one of the truest--and most condemning--lines of the poem is "But for him it was not an important failure." The greatest tragedy of human suffering, apart from the suffering itself, is that we often don't care about it unless we perceive it as directly affecting us. In another of his poems, perhaps his greatest poem ("September 1, 1939"), Auden writes, "We must love one another or die." In so many ways that is absolutely true.

I will be back to post some writing prompts for next week. Look for those late tomorrow morning.

-D

Oops, minor error adjustments :)

Sorry, I was typing fast and didn't proof read for typos.
Here are some fixed:
peop0le *people
. for *. For
sdy *sky

Just 10 minutes of your time please?...

Hey! I really liked what you said Katelin! I agree, if a person takes a second to do a simple act of kindness; listen to someone vent for example--it would make both parties feel much better. That is why I think that in the imaginative world we were talking about in class--where if each person took some time out of their day to stop what they had going on to help someone suffering--it would in fact not have the entire world depressed all the time. It would be almost the exact opposite. I mean, yes, there would be some depressed peop0le during the time of the trial, but with the help of someone else bearing the burden, leaning on each other for support, wouldn't it be easier to get through together? That is what would keep joy prevalent. for example, in "Musee des Boux Arts", leke we discussed yesterday, the ploughman needs to work, yes, but if he had taken that day off, or just a few hours off to go save a boy's life who had just fallen from the sdy, Icarus, it could've changed his life forever. He and Icarus would definitely have remembered that act of kindness 10 years later rather than remembering another day at work. The impact of helping someone else out, outshines passive behavior and regrets any gloomy day.

Suffering and Selfishness

Since class on Tuesday I have been thinking a lot about our discussion on "Musee des Beaux Arts" and how one of the things that Auden is trying to communicate to the reader is that people are too busy to notice if someone is suffering around them. I think that this is true. Everyone needs to go along with their lives. Like we pointed out in class, if we stop to help every single person who is suffering nothing would get done. Everyone would always suffer and we wouldn't progress in our lives. We would pretty much just be stuck in a sad depressing world. During this discussion in class I was thinking of another meaning that Auden could've had in his poem. I'm sure that there are several different ways to interpret it, and I thought that maybe Auden was also trying to say that people are just plain selfish, and that we need to take the time to at least help one person out. I don't know, it just seems that the world we live in now is based on an individual's selfishness. I kind of look at it from a corporate point of view. There are some people who will do anything to get a higher paying job, or have a position with more power. I just seem to hear more stories of that nature than anything else, but I don't believe that every single person is like that. There are tons of good people around. But there are many people who are so busy and engulfed in themselves and their goals that it is so easy for them to ignore others and possibly hurt them intentionally or unintentionally. It's not like you need to stop and help every single person you notice suffering, but wouldn't you find life to be more fulfilling knowing that you took the time to stop and help at least one person? An act of kindness could go a long way and mean so much to that one person. I don't know this idea just kind of hit me cause I recently had a talk with my friend, and he is going through a really tough time. I didn't do much but cry with him and listen to him vent. He told me the next day that it meant a lot to him that I sacrificed some of my time to sit and listen, and I felt better knowing that I actually helped him.

Anyway, those are just my random thoughts on the discussion...

Paintings Response

I posted earlier about the trouble I have with understanding poetry. Thanks for your ideas Amber! I went back to the assignment and tried again. Reading these poems over and over I can pick out messages from the authors and meanings of the poems a little more, but the paintings in these poems really helped me. I think that without them I couldn't imagine what the Authors were getting at. From the paintings I was able to pick out my own thoughts on the poem. The poem made more sense to me having seen the paintings and I was able to look at it from different angles. For me I know I was able to better understand the peoms, but also to understand the paintings. The first painting was understandable, but Before the Mirror could mean so many things. Picasso is a little crazy and a poem about his art could be confusing, but with the words there I was able to understand it all.

poem response by curtis frost

"about suffering they were never wrong" the xplanation of things that are not positive. meaning, it is easy to concentrate on things that are negative. when a good experience is had, it is often forgotten and replaced by a memory or another experience that of which is negative.

when speaking of old master, being those that have lived for a time or a while. with more life experience comes better understanding, especially in things experienced in pain. the poem going on to describe the actions of others going on while such other things are left to suffer explains life in simple terms. "life goes on" i think that is how the saying goes? no matter the experience of life good or bad it remains that another would contiue the mundane things, such as "opening a window or walking dully along." life stops for no man, and though it may seem calast to continue life amidst turmoil and suffering humans drive on only separated by the emotions that make us "WE."

Auden interpretation

The "human position" of suffering, according to Auden, is how death can run it's course. It's inevitable that we're all going to die, "even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course." Auden views death as a sad experience, but also understands that death is not a failed experience. Everyone accomplishes something or leaves an impression on someone, making life and death a success story. After a death, all one can do is carry on creating their own story.

Pictures and Poems

It is a lot easier for me to make an image in my mind while reading a story but when I read poetry sometimes it is hard for me to understand and even harder to make a mental image about what I think is going on in the poems. The pictures used helped me overcome that problem of mental imaging while reading poems. I would have not gotten out of the poems what I did without the pictures so I was pretty reliant upon the pictures.

Girl Before the Mirror

I really liked the poem by Updike, but i was really interested in Picasso's painting. Im curious as to which side you guys think is the girl, and which side is her reflection...
I interpreted it with the girl on the left side, with her two faces. Maybe they represent the "faces" she puts on for the outside world. What I though was even more interesting was the right side which is how the girl is really feeling under her social masks. The right figure is dark and reaching out, as if to be reaching for help or understanding.
The painting is us. If we reflect how many of us are just like the girl in the painting?! Maybe were not reaching for help or understanding, but maybe its comfort, friendship, or even acceptance.

Anyways, what to ya'll think?

Paintings

I really liked being able to look at the painings. When I was reading the poem I had a picture in my mind, and I liked looking at the painting and compairing those two pictures. I dont usually like to read poetry, Its harder for me to read than just a story, or a play, but it really helped me to be able to look at the pictures.

Sexuality

Daniel poses a good question when he asks what the correlation is between the sexual imagery of the poem Before the Mirror and Picasso's painting. I think there is a huge relationship and a good reason for the sexuality used in both the painting and the poem. I have actually studied a little bit about this painting, and one of the main motives behind it was in order to show a girl looking in a mirror and seeing herself in a mature, more sexual way. There is most definitely a reason why the colors on her face are the ones they are, and a reason for the "erotic balls bouncing back and forth" that show this girl going from innocence to adulthood by maturing sexually. Of course, there is a lot more to it than just that, but the sexuality used in both the painting and the poem are significant and help us see the relationship between the two.

She didn't go crazy over wallpaper, kill her husband, or even leave him-what she did was worse. The best part? This isn't a story. It's real.

So a common theme that I have noticed in these stories we have read is how women react to the circumstances in which they find themselves. Especially pertaining to their marriage. In Trifles, The Yellow Wallpaper, and A Doll's House, the women all found ways to retaliate the hurt they have felt. Well I went on a call a few weeks back that really tie well into what we have been reading about. I hope this doesn't disturb you...

We responded on a domestic violence, this really old couple that had been married for over 30 years. Well on this particular day, this old granny wife found out her husband was having an affair. Yes, i know, disgusting! We we got there and she was screaming and hollering about how their whole marriage had been based on a lie because of his unfaithfulness. So what did she do? How did this women deal with her life circumstance? She tried to claw his eyes out. We got there to find our patient, an 86 year old male, bleeding from and around his eyes. She even bursted blood vessels on the white part of his eyes! She used her finger nails. We were shocked when we found out that he didn't go blind with that type of trauma. 

Anyway, the things women do when they reach a breaking point!!!

a PiCtuRes WorTh a ThoUsAnD wOrDs..

I felt that by showing you the picture with the poem it helped you understand the poem. The statement is true "a picture is worth a thousand words." By looking at these pictures the words of the poets became more clear to me what the poet was saying. I usually have a hard time understanding poetry, but by looking at the pictures while reading the poems it gave me a better understanding of the peom. I feel that the mirror poem was a little more confusing but when I looked at the picaso painting it really helped me understand the depth of the poem. The Musee des Beaux Arts poem really went hand in hand with the painting. When looking at the painting you could feel what the peot was saying, the clouds the discription of the ship, and the sky, the picture says and showed it all. I think all poets should include a picture with their poems. I would read more poetry if they did, becuase it really did make more sense to me.

Everyone Suffers

The "human position" about suffering is merely an artsy way of saying that everyone suffers. We all have problems, we all have hardships and trial, but the world goes on. The ploughman has physical hardships, trying to make ends meet, doing his daily job. When Icarus falls into the sea, he is literally facing a failure in his life. Because the ploughman has his own things to worry about, he never looks up. Icarus goes unnoticed. His fall was a trial he had to deal with, just as the ploughman had work to deal with. Often times in life, we feel as if the world should stop because ours has. However, are pains often go without an expression of sympathy from anyone. Auden uses phrases like "the torturer's horse scratches its innocent behind on a tree" and "when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting for the miraculous birth, there always must me children who did not specially want it to happen" to exemplify the unfairness of our individual worlds. The torturers horse, not knowing his masters' disposition, had a scratch (a hardship) which went unseen. The children did not want another birth, and the old people did. There is opposition in all things. That is what Auden is saying. More often than not our sorrows go unspotted from the world because we all have our own. That is the "human position."  

Pictures with Poems

 The pictures were a huge help. I had to read through the poems a few times to even begin to understand what was going on. It wasn't until I connected the picture with the poem that they started to come together and make sense. Usually I am able to imagine stories in my mind, but with poetry it is more difficult.  The words used in poetry tend to be hard to understand. A person needs to be very intellectual to understand and apply poetry the way it is supposed to be used. I don't claim to know anything that is of value from reading either of the poems, but i do feel like having the pictures there gave me an added understanding. Another huge help was reading the introduction. Having a little background of the author made it easier to relate with them and figure out what message they were trying to convey.

We see what we want to see

I like poetry, I think it's quite intriguing although it is hard for me to understand sometimes. The first time I read "Musee des Beaux Arts", I just read through the poem. I didn't even see the picture by it. Well I did but i didn't realize it was tied to the poem. So at first read, I was a little lost. But because I didn't have a picture to look off of, I was able to imagine it myself. Which afterwards I realized I kind of preferred, because it was what I initially thought, not a picture to tell me what to imagine. So initially what I understood from that poem was, that sometimes people are going through the hardest trial(s) in their life, and need some assistance or just guidance, and no one even glances their way. "The ploughman may have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, but for him it was not an important failure;". To me that is saying, many people are too caught up in their own lives to worry about someone else's problems. They pretend like the person falling is not even there. Perhaps they are waiting for someone to reach out to them before they reach out to someone else. At the beginning of the poem it reads, "About suffering they were never wrong...they understood its human position;". Perhaps this means they know what it's like to suffer immensely. Or maybe suffering takes the form of a human when it is in full attack mode. Or maybe the suffering becomes a part of their human body and that's why they understand it so well.
Once I realized the poem was relating to the picture beside it, it helped me peice together some other things. Regarding the falling of Icarus and his legs going into the water. It made more sense, but I felt like perhaps I could've lived without the paintings.

Paintings

Having the paintings right in front of me while I read the 2 poems really helped.  It gave me something to visualize and it helped me understand what the poems were about.  I found that not only did it help me understand the poetry but it also helped with the understanding of the paintings.  In "Before the Mirror" when Updike says "She bounced between reflection and reality." it helped me see the painting as two different realities, the way the girl and the way she sees herself.

In "Musee des Beaux Arts" Auden says "the ploughman may Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry, But for him it was not an important failure, . . . " It made me look more closely at the painting, to pay attention at the details. Also, it helped me understand way no one in the painting cared why there was a drowning man. 

(I hope I made sense)

Why can't I understand POETRY??

I have just finished reading the Poems that were assigned to us in class and I am having bad flashbacks to high school. I took honors english classes all of high school up to my senior year and did great in them. I then decided to take AP English. The first day of class I sat down and started listening to the AP teacher. She began telling us of all the things we could expect out of the class that year and poetry was going to be a big part of it. She handed out our first assignment telling us to read through these poems and write the meaning of them down to turn in at the end of class. This packet was 20 pages long, FULL of poems! I started reading the first poem, then the second, the third, and I couldn't tell you what one word of those poems meant! I started looking all around the class and everyone else seemed to understand just fine. They had even begun to write their summaries. Apparently my teacher saw me looking around the classroom and back to my sheet of poems and the look of horror on my face. She came over to my desk, knelt in front of me, grabbed my hands, and whispered, "this assignment is due at the end of class, but I'll give you until tomorrow to finish." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! I felt so stupid. I kindly thanked her and waited for the bell to ring, while pretending to read through those poems. As soon as class was over I ran down the hall to my mom's office (she worked at the school as the Principal's secretary) and asked her to tell me what the poems meant. She, being an amazing writer and English major, couldn't define them either. So I told her of my troubles and told her I wouldn't be returning to class the next day. Let's just say I finished the year in regular English, watching the movie "The Princess Bride". Now this is a long story of my struggles with poetry, but to this day I have the hardest time understanding it. I read and re-read it, but to no avail. It might be the way the lines are written that throw me off. Also most poems aren't the Mother Goose type poems, or haiku's (I'm great at those). It is my weakness!! So I'm throwing this story and life lesson of mine out there to you all with the hope that you can help me get through some poetry this semester. Any suggestions?

Poetry

Poetry is elusive. It plays cloak and dagger games letting you believe you know something only to twist you around in the next line.
In "Musee des Beaux Arts" by W. H. Auden. He plays at the fact that all of us with our busy lives miss out on all the amazing wonders that surround us in are day lives and at the pains that we must bare by ourselves. Because everyone else is to busy with out own tasks. Like the plowman in the painting Landscape with the fall of Icarus. Yet there is more than just that runs and hides.
Also In "Before the Mirror" by John Updike. He taunts the younger generation of days gone by and refreshes memories for the people of his time by remembering a time when a painting said "Enter here and abandon perconception." Like it bets you to continue on with an open mind to all that will come. Yet he seems to morn the lose of days past and how this age old painting mocks the lines that time has draw upon his face and how it still keeps its youth after all this time.
Poetry is elusive and can never give me a clean answer or a simple truth it seems. That is why I dislike it.

"Musee des Beaux Arts" and "Before the Mirror"

1. These poems are not merely descriptions of paintings. How do Updike and Auden use the paintings? Why do you think they refer to the paintings instead of writing poems without them?

3. Do you think having the paintings right there to refer to helps you or hinders you as you are reading the poems? Do you rely too much on them, or do they help you to understand the poets' angles of vision? Explain.

2. Discuss the significance of these lines:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.

3. What is the "human position" of suffering, according to Auden?

4. "Before the Mirror" is about more than one kind of "reflection." There is the literal reflection in the mirror, but in what other ways is "reflection" important to the poem?

5. Updike uses sexual imagery in "Before the Mirror." Do you think the sexuality is in Picasso's painting as well? And, perhaps more importantly, why is the sexual element in the poem at all?

6. Talk about Updike's poem in terms of the theme of innocence vs. experience.

7. Why does it matter to Auden that it is Icarus in Breughel's painting and not some random swimmer?

8. If Picasso's painting says, "Enter here/and abandon preconception," does Updike's poem say the same thing? Explain.

Weather Emotions

I really like how the mood of each story is told through the weather. I think by creating this setting it definitely gives you a sense of what the characters are feeling. In the story of an hour you knew Mrs. Mallard was at first cloudy, and stormy (sad and angry) about her husbands death then as she relaxed and thought it through, the clouds began to fade and blue skies shined through. She knew everything was going to be ok.
In the storm I felt that as the storm intensified so did the love affair, the thunder the rain the wind you could feel the emotions that were going on. As the storm faded so did the love affair, the storm was over, so was the love affair.

A Storm Was Created

Like Norah, Calixta now has a major secret because she had an affair. At the beginning of the story of A Doll's House everything seems to be picture perfect but it just isn't realistic, Norah's life and relationship with her husband was fake and the realness came out once the secret was revealed. Maybe Calixta won't tell her husband and everthing will "seem" to be happy but it won't be real happiness because she will have to keep something from her husband. I feel that Calixta has created a storm because now she has to have that in the back of her mind until she reveals it and the storm won't end until the affair is revealed to Babinot.

Most like Nora and Having an Affair

I agree with Amber, I think Calixta is most like Nora. Like Amber said Nora and Calixta go behind their husband backs in different ways leading one husband to an affair and the one to saving a life. Having an affair should ever be option in a marrraige. I don't believe that cheating on your spouse can ever be a good thing. If you truely love your spouse, the two of you will find a way to work through it with eachother. And if this seems next to immposible, then maybe the marraige isn't worth saving even though I do not believe in divorce. Going as far as an affair is definately the wrong path to take.

Not Really a Happy Ending

In a way I don't believe the last line of "The Storm" is really true. For the moment everyone is happy at the end of the story. But there are many more storms to come in the future. Sure everyone is happy after this particular storm but who's to say that it would not happen again? I say that if Calixta and Alcee couldn't resist their passion during this storm then they'll most likely do it again during the next "storm." It's kind of funny to me that everybody is happy at the end, but I feel that the happiness is mainly focused on Calixta and Alcee. What about their families? Bobinot and Alcee's wife Clarisse are completely ignorant of Calixta and Alcee's moment of passion. Do you think that they would be happy if they knew about it? I'll answer my own question and say I highly doubt it. So is everyone really better off and happier? No, I don't think so. If you think about it, not every affair is a one-time thing. Calixta and Alcee would most likely find themselves in the same position again. True happiness is not brought in a marriage or any relationship for that matter if one in the relationship is full of lies and deceit. I feel that if the story went on Bobinot and Clarisse would eventually find out about Calixta and Alcee’s affair, and it wouldn’t be a very happy ending.

Nora

In response to Dave. I agree that an affair is only going to end with hurting a relationship most times cause the relationship should be about more then just the sex and if it is not it will come to an end. However, in a broken relationship an affair can sometimes help both or one of the people realize how broken their relationship is quite possibly allowing them a chance to step back and see their problems and find a possitve resolution so I would say on rare occasions it can save a relationship.
In storm though I didn't get the feeling that Calixta's husband was over powering or mean. It seemed that, that was more her role to lead relationship, the way he came in. Having a lie all prepared so that she won't be mad at him or his son for being a mess. Maybe though I misinterperted the end cause it seemed like it was setting up for a repeat performance and them being able to lie to their spouses however if it made Calixta and Alecca(?) appretaite their own spouse more I could see how it may strentghen their relationships. But they would have to be honest with their spouse and communicate.

The long and short of it

Daniel poses an interesting question in the prompt, can an affair be a good thing in a relationship? On the one hand, marraige isn't all about sex, but it definitely plays a big part in the success and level of contentment one feels in a relationship. Things are just calmer, less complex. If there was no satisfaction, the marraige could be in jeopardy. So the addition of an outside satisfying element could indeed prove beneficial short term, or so one could argue. However, I believe that what is most important in a healthy relationship is open communication and trust. If these elements are lacking, at some point the relationship will suffer, especially if what is compromised is the fidelity of one half of the whole. Affairs are full of deceit and mistrust, ultimately poisoning what could possibly be a happy situation. In the case of the storm, Calixta and Alcee seem to have satisfied some desires that may have gone unsatisfied, yet they have both betrayed the trust and love of their spouses. The storm may be over for now, but I foresee in the end a falling out of some sort when their secret passion is discovered. So there you have it, the long and the short of it.

Most Like Nora

Between the two stories I think that Calixta is most like Nora from "A Doll's House". Both Calixta and Nora go behind their husbands backs, for very different reasons, Nora's is to save her husbands life and Calixta's is to have an affair. Although it can be argued that Nora did what she did for power, therefore, not entirly just for love.
Also Calixta married Bobinot, when she has had a past with Alcee. That makes me think that she married Bobinot for a certian reason that is not menioned in the story. Nora marries Helmer to help her father, and also herself.

The Story of an Hour

I really enjoyed reading The Story of an Hour. Chopin effectively used the setting to portray Mrs. Mallard's true inner feelings. Death is generally a mournful time for most people. It is associated with dark, dreary, sadness, black, all negative feelings. Not for Mrs. Mallard. The way the scene is described depicts very well how happy she is to know of her husband's death. The description of the outdoors, such as "new spring life",  "delicious breath of rain", and "countless sparrows were twittering in the leaves" all reflect the inner peace Mrs. Mallard feels now that her husband is gone. Spring is symbolic of new life coming forth and for Mrs. Mallard, her life is set anew. She is now free to live her life "free, free, free!" A normal, loving, and mournful wife would be in a winter setting possibly. Throughout the story, there are several little details about the scene that give away Mrs. Mallard's true feelings on the matter.

 She died because she realized her new found freedom had been stripped from her when her husband walked in the door at the end. I find it interesting how in almost all of the stories we have read in the past couple weeks, the one common theme is the suppression these women feel. Their husbands seem to be completely dominant. They all end with these women trying to find themselves, to find who they really are. All with drastic measures. 

Multiple Meanings

When Kate Chopin wrote The Storm, she intended the meaning of the title to be interpreted in different ways. There is the obvious fact that a literal storm is occuring, and then there is the figurative storm that rages inside Calixta and Alcee's passion for each other. One thing that is also known about storms, is the fact that they are never ending. Storms are always raging somewhere, in some form, and weather permitting, will come raging back in the future. So feeding off of Megan's comment about the calm before the storm, it can also be looked at as a storm that occurs (figuratively) that will definitely be around again. Everyone might be happy at this point in time, but the storms are not over.

The Story of an Hour

 In the last line of "The Story of an Hour" my first impression was that she had passed away by joy of her husband dying. Then after reading it again i came to the conclusion i was wrong. Mrs Mallard shows definite emotion upon hearing of her husbands death. She even mentions how she will weep again at his funeral. The time she spends looking out her window is when i feel the last line of the story is brought to life. She feels a sense of freedom, and feels alive with her ability to see everything alone. No one watching over her she was able to be "free". Joy overcomes her body and she  slips away. With your loved one gone and your health failing, with ultimately nothing to live for it wouldn't be hard to let go. I also think some of her joy could be attributed to knowing of her own death to come soon and not being able to be with her husband any more, and upon news of his death she thinks their separation will not be long. Making her passing that much more timely and understandable. 

Nearly a Feast of Freedom--swept from the tounge before the taste

First I'd like to say I love how the author, Chopin, uses the setting to reflect the emotions of the characters. For example, in "The Story of an Hour""the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life...delicious breath of rain was in the air...countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves". These phrases represent happiness, a sense of being reborn, or a new life. This is how Louise was feeling when she realized she was free. I like this technique. Chopin also used it in "The Storm". I quote, "they did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements". That was how Calixta and Alcee felt in their irresponsible moment of passion. Chopin then writes, "the growl of the thunder was distant and passing away...the rain was over." After the affair was over, they were more calm, immitating the whole time the storm.

I really liked "The Story of an Hour". I thought it was both interesting and engaging in a short amount of time. It was sad that her husband "died" at the beginning of the story. I felt terrible for her. Here is this woman with a heart condition and no children--at least no children are mentioned--she was bound to be all alone now that her husband was "killed". This story somewhat reminded me of Romeo and Juliet. Now let me explain what I mean by that. Not the unquestioning love those two had for each other, but for all of the devious or remote plots happening at the same time which no one was aware of throughout the play. Most of the characters in that play had a certain plan for their personal success, or a hidden agenda, if you will. Only the audience knows the entire outside story as they read, the characters are oblivious. In "The Story of an Hour", we know exactly what Louise just crucially realized or comprehended in a matter of minutes(I'm guessing it was minutes since the whole story takes place in an hour). Her emotions ranged from the deepest sadness imaginable(debatable) to perhaps the most superfluous happiness she sought after without knowing--her freedom. I guess the connection I make between these two texts is that both Louise and Romeo died from what they didn't know. Kind of. Also, the doctors, Louise's sister and brother-in-law all thought she died from happiness or shock of finding out that her husband had actually not been killed. Not communicated to them that it was in fact the opposite, under confusion without knowing. We as the audience know or interpret her death to be from her realizing she was not free after all. Especially after her terrific realization, a fantasy, which freedom she merely, nearly tasted.

A Calm Before the Storm

The last line of "The Storm" I believe is a false statement.  I think a better ending would be a calm before the big storm.  With the passion that was described between Calixta and Alcee I don't see how they couldn't stay away from each other if you know what I mean.  And if they keep it up then I think that it would be a really big storm.  

They might be happy now but somewhere, sometime something is going to sleep and they are either going to be caught or someone is going to say something and all hell will break lose. 

"The Storm" and "Story of an Hour"

Choose one of the following five prompts and respond to it on the blog. Remember that we are not turning in reading responses on Thursday. Instead, we are discussing Chopin’s stories here.

1. Point to examples in both “The Storm” and “Story of an Hour” where Chopin uses the setting to reflect the emotions of the characters. Do you like this technique? How is it different than being told what the characters think and feel?

2. Interpret the last line of “The Storm”: “So the storm passed and everyone was happy.” Do you believe this? Has the storm passed? Is everyone better off and happier because of what has happened? I’m not looking for a specific answer. Respond to the story’s last line any way you wish.

3. This question is related to the last one. Can an affair actually be a good thing for a relationship in some cases?

4. The last line of “Story of an Hour” is, “When the doctors came they said she died of heart disease--of joy that kills.” Argue that the doctors were right about what Mrs. Mallard died of.

5. Who is more like Nora in A Doll’s House, Calixta or Mrs. Mallard? Point to specific examples when making your claim.

Thank you. Blog away!

Yellow Wallpaper

I have a proposal to make and I would like to know your opinions.

Is John really her husband? Or is he just her doctor, and she imagined the whole thing? When he is in the room with he at night could he not have been making observations?  He always has other patients that he have to be tend to over night so couldn't she be just a patient too? If she truly was in a mental institution wouldn't this make sense?

-Megan

What the

What the crap Dan are you sexist against men or something cause I would say these last few peices have been pretty sexist. But any ways that isn't what I got on here to blog about. I thing Torvald is a terrible character he is shallow and self center, also he's arrogant. I just think in all reality though he isnt the antagonist or hero in thie play although he is important he is just a round character. The true antagonist of this play is Nora, she has all her little secrets that cause the action of this play and Krogstad is the hero doing what must be done when no one else would and revealing the true of what happened. But really the only person in this play with any courage is Mrs. Linde cause she see's everyone for what they are and instead of saving poor stupid Nora form her secrets, she instead lets the truth come out allowing a kind of resulotion. Kristine gives everyone the opportunity to show their true colors even Krogstad so maybe Kristine is the Hero mmm... now that is an idea. The women lead though whole play and the men are just there reacting to what the women do. So is that the moral of this story that Women lead the world no matter what men think? I like that. I'm going to have to think on that some more.

A Doll's House

Please choose one of the following prompts and write a one-page, double-spaced response. Remember what we have discussed about analysis vs. summary, and as always, please point to specific examples from the text to help you make your points.

1. Do any of the characters in A Doll’s House remind you of other characters we’ve read about this semester? If so, explain which characters you are reminded of and why they come to mind.

2. On page 821, Nora says, “Torvald is a man with a good deal of pride—it would be terribly embarrassing and humiliating for him if he thought he owed anything to me. It would spoil everything between us; this happy home of ours would never be the same again.” In your opinion, what is this “happy home” built on? What hangs in the balance here? Why is Nora trying to protect her “big secret”?

3. Why do you think Nora confesses to forging her father’s signature when Krogstad confronts her about the date?

4. To Europeans in the 19th century, the ending of A Doll’s House was scandalous. Although the play was popular, it was not socially accepted; much like Torvald, the European audience cared very much about appearances, and they did not want to endorse Ibsen’s ideas. The play was banned in Britain for many years. At the time, the marriage covenant was considered sacrosanct, beyond reproach, and Ibsen caused an outrage by portraying a dysfunctional relationship. Nora’s leaving at the end of the play was particularly scandalous. People rioted. In the German theater, the actors refused to perform the play as written, and the ending was altered. In the alternate version, Nora does not leave. She is forced to stay with Torvald and the children. Ibsen defended his original ending, writing in a letter, “I may almost say it was for the sake of the last scene that the whole play was written.” Why is this so? Why is the ending so important to the play? Why must Nora leave Torvald at the end in order for the play to be “true”? How would it be different if she stayed?

5. Why is Nora so upset when Rank declares his love for her? Why doesn’t she want to hear it? Use this example to discuss the theme of dream vs. reality.

6. On page 841, Nora tells Rank, “Well, you see, there are those people you love and those people you’d almost rather be with.” Interpret this statement. What does Nora mean? Do you think she still feels this way at the end of the play?

7. Do you think Mrs. Linde is justified in her actions on page 850? Krogstad offers to take the letter back, yet Kristine decides that “this unhappy secret must come out.” Is this her place to decide? Why is she interfering? Would you have done the same in her place? Why or why not?

8. Explain how the tarantella (a traditional Italian dance) and everything that surrounds its preparation, practice, and eventual performance can be viewed as a symbol for the change that is taking place in Nora.

9. At the end of the play, Nora speaks of the “miracle of miracles,” defining it as a “real marriage” rather than a relationship with a “stranger.” Do you think this “miracle” is possible for the Helmers? Do you think there is any chance for them in the future? Explain why or why not.

"Imagination is a killer."

During our discussion about the line -"Imagination is a killer" in "The Things they Carried." We spoke about how not facing the reality, or fantasizing that it's not as bad as it seems, or putting ourselves somewhere else could be not only fatal to our sanity but to our survival . And although I agreed with all this in the context of this story, I couldn't help feeling hypocritical or torn. The reason why I couldn't help feeling this way was because of one of my favorite movies- Life is Beautiful. For those of you who have not seen the film here is a synopsis(don't worry I won't spoil anything for you). In the case of the film imagination is a savior. It keeps Guido and his darling son not only sane but, alive long enough to see the U.S. troops come to the rescue. I hate to argue, because I have not personally experienced either of these situations, that these two stories circumstances are similar. And if that is the case, then why is imagination a killer in one and a savior in the other?
I have thought long and hard about this and cannot come up with anything, I would love to hear some one elses thoughts.
Cheers-Sarah
(Disclaimer, I apologize in advance if something is spelled incorrectly or the grammar is off, I struggle a bit.... but I am working on it.)

Prompts for The Yellow Wallpaper and Trifles

1. “The Yellow Wallpaper” was written in 1892 and Trifles in 1916. Is there anything in these works that seems contemporary? That is, do these pieces remain relevant in 2009? Be specific.

2. “You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well under way in following, it turns a back-somersault and there you are. It slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you. It is like a bad dream” (771). On a very surface level, these lines are about wallpaper, but what are they really describing?

3. How is the narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” similar to Minnie Wright in Trifles? How is she different?

4. A literary symbol is something, usually an object, that stands for something else. For example, the pebble that Jimmy Cross carries with him is symbolic of Martha, his fantasies, his innocence, etc. Write about three symbols in Trifles and/or The Yellow Wallpaper and discuss what they are symbolic of.

5. Talk about John in both stories. How are the Johns similar? How are they different?

6. Does either of these women escape her situation? Explain.

Cathedral

I was really interested in why the story spent so much time explaining the background of mostly the wife, and some of Robert. The story would have been completely different if it hadn't given such information. I think that I could connect with the characters in the story more effectively knowing their background. I had compassion of what his wife had been through and why she might hold onto friendship that was so dear to her. She hadn't had much stability in her life and Robert had always been the one constant. It was important to know this info because it gave you all points of view. You could gather opions about the characters, even though it was the husbands narration. It gave you insight to how the husband might view Robert in the situation of meeting him and had you anxious to meet him. Knowing this info made me want to care about them and continually read. I personally think the background was intrumental to the characters and that the author did well to put it in there. It is always good to read a story that gives full understanding of the characters and their niches.

The Things They Carried

Blackboard is acting up right now, so I am going to post the prompts on the blog until further notice. See you on Tuesday.

Prompt #2 – “The Things They Carried”

Please choose one of the following questions and write a one-page response. Please come prepared to discuss all of the questions and all of the prompts, even the ones you do not choose to write about. This will ensure quality class discussions and will also prepare you for future writing assignments.

1. At one point, O’Brien writes that “Imagination was a killer.” What do you think this means?

2. Talk about repetition in the story. What kind of things get repeated? How does repetition figure into the story itself and to the way O’Brien tells it? Why is this significant?

3. Why do you think O’Brien spend so much time detailing all of the things that the men carried with them? Is this really important to the story? Use examples in your response.

4. Why do the soldiers do things like kick corpses, cut off thumbs, and make jokes about people dying? Isn’t this offensive? Does it make you think less of them?

5. Why do you think Jimmy Cross burns Martha’s letters? Is this a symbolic act of some kind? An act of anger? Explain.

6. In the final scene, as Jimmy Cross sees Martha in the rain, O’Brien writes a two-word paragraph: “He understood.” What does Jimmy Cross understand?

7. How is this story different than other things you have read or seen about Vietnam? Or, if you have not read or seen anything about Vietnam, what is your impression of that war/conflict after reading this story?

8. Is this story about war? If you think so, what does it say about war? Is there a moral? If you decide it’s not about war, then what is it about?

There was one statement that really stuck out me as the narrator was telling about his wife’s past with Robert. It reads, “… the blind man asked if he could touch her face, … she never forgot it.” An experience like this is something you would never want to forget. Yes, it might be hard to hear your wife or husband talk about an old friend and how great of a time you had together, but it should hopefully show that you can trust one another and not let the past get in the way. I admire the narrator for being able to become friends with Robert when he came for a visit. I know this couldn’t have been easy, but he was able to start putting the past behind him and move on with the future. I think their friendship will improve because it seems like the narrator realized that his wife is happy with him and not Robert.

Okay, for the record, the narrator from the cathedral was EXTREMELY biased toward the blind in general. But what was the number one contributing factor? The wife was rather cold and uncaring as to whether he was okay with the relationship. She never actually asked him what he thought about the situation. He also had some habits that are less than healthy (such as drug use) that may have given him a calloused attitude towards those who are different. But what really made him refer to the death of Robert's dear wife and what happened after as "pathetic"? I believe that the number one contributing factor had to be his wife, and maybe some jealousy that he had there, or possibly just frustration that he didn't have that same open relationship. That's my opinion, and I imagine that since this is the first comment on here that I won't get much feedback, but if you agree or disagree with me, let me know about, and tell me why.

Writing Prompt 1 - "Cathedral"

Normally I will be posting writing prompts on Blackboard only, but because some of us have had trouble logging on to Blackboard this week, I am posting this first prompt here as well.

Please write a one-page response to “Cathedral” based on one of the following six prompts. When you respond to a prompt, you don’t have to answer it exactly. It is meant to spur your thought process, not dictate your response. You certainly don’t need to quote the prompt or use its exact language. However, please do use specific examples from the story when responding.

1. Before Robert arrives, there is quite a long section of back story, where the narrator (we are never told his name) describes his wife’s relationship with Robert along with other details from her past. Why are these important to the story? How would the story be different if Carver began it when Robert is arriving?

2. How does the narrator feel about his wife’s past relationship with Robert? Is he jealous of Robert? Angry? Bitter? More importantly, why do you think he feels this way? What clues does Carver give us?

3. How does the narrator change in the story? Is he different at the end than he is at the beginning? If so, how? When does the change begin to occur? What causes it? Do you think it will last? Why or why not?

4. Interpret the story’s title. Does Carver choose it simply because there is a show about cathedrals on TV and because of the drawing? Or does Carver intend for it to mean more? Explain.

5. Why do you think Robert wants to draw a cathedral with the narrator? Does he really want to know what it looks like, or does he have other motivations?

6. How would you describe the narrator’s experience at the end of the story. Is it a spiritual experience? Is it a pot and alcohol-induced good time? Does it have anything to do with his wife? I’m not looking for any specific answer. I would genuinely like to hear your interpretation of the ending.

Thank you. I am looking forward to your responses.

-D