Better Half

In this specific story, i found one theme to be central throughout. Anya, the main female character, continually points out negative aspects of her husband Ryan, never referring to any positive points. To me, the relationship is very forced and stereotypical in the point of view of Anya. In other words, she is doing it to match the definition of a normal female (husband, dog, picket face, etc.). She is also doing it to potentially gain access to a green card, due to the fact she is an immigrant. Nonetheless, the relationship is very forced.

Prior to marriage, the relationship between the two was still rough. Their personalities clashed and they constantly argued. In the story, it states "It was time to ask for a favor: marry now and sort out their feelings later." This quote proves that she was very eager to get married, not because she loved Ryan but because she wanted a marriage license. When talking about Ryan to herself, no positive points of their relationship are mentioned. Although she knows she does not truly love him, she says "After all, who else was there to [love]?". This shows how she is settling for anything, in a desperate attempt to get married, obviously for the wrong reasons. The only qualities she says she does enjoy were "his ponytail and overuse of her name" which are not reasons to get married or fall in love nonetheless.

As previously stated, Anya wanted a picture perfect life. This is seen in her eagerness to get married as well as her view of other couples. In the story, when talking about friends, she always speaks about their present and past relationships. Also, when visiting Erin's home, she noticed "no pictures of a husband or children, or dogs". This shows her infatuation and obsession of a stereotypical life.

Although their relationship seems bad due to the constant fights and arguments, to me Ryan still shows that he cares. I felt this was proven as he conscientiously is quiet when returning to their apartment at night. In other words, although they were in a fight, he comes into the apartment very quietly, trying not to wake Anya and showing he cares. Also, he lays close to her, putting his arm around her making his presence known and attempting to "keep her warm".

Overall, the relationship between the couple is very disfunctional, showing the life of Anya and possibly female immigrants in general to be hard, forced, and unhappy.

Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice

Within this story, the author incorporated many literary elements which i enjoyed, including metaphors to describe situations, description of nature to describe characters feelings, and many more. Throughout this story, i felt the main character continuously pointed out the negative aspects of his father, while still defending him in the face of others. In the story, it states "We forgive any sacrifice by our parents, so long as it is not made in our name." To me this represented the idea that no matter what your parents may do, you will always have some positive feelings for them because of the blood relationship you share.

Towards the beginning of the story, as the father arrives, the author describes the rain. In my opinion, rain usually being bad and unwanted, represents the feelings of the main character as he does not want his father to be there. A metaphor i enjoyed when describing the rain stated "a thluck thluck of a typewriter's keys punching out the letters", as it described both the weather and the hobby of the main character at the same time. With the fathers arrival, the mood between the two characters is somewhat awkward and forced. As described by the main character, "the fields are glass...like a shape in smoke, the poem blurred." To me this means that the physical presence of the father may be much difference than his mental feelings, as the son is unaware of the fathers new personality and thoughts.

After getting his father acquanted with his apartment, the son goes on to say to himself, "the truth was, he'd come at the worst possible time." I feel this quote shows the poor relationship the two characters have with one another. The father had been gone for three years, and in most cases a son would be ecstatic to see him regardless of the obligations he had at home. This may give rise to the father mentally and physically abusing his son, later discussed between the son and his girlfriend. The poor relationship between the son and father is also represented as the son tells his girlfriend his father does not know about her. It shows the the communication between the two is very generic, and is not on a very deep or hearfelt level.

The three year seperation between the two proves to be very detrimental to their relationship. In the story, it states "i could no longer read his smile. He had perfected it during our seperation." In other words, as previously discussed, the son did not know his fathers feelings, new personality, likes, and dislikes. Rather than being able to anticpate his fathers next move, each one now came as a suprise.

In this story, there are many instances that show the son and writer to be reliant on others for advice rather than following his own feelings. In other words, he does as he is told rather than doing what he thinks is right. To me, this was first realized as the son is searching on what to write his final paper on. He talks to multiple people, getting their opinions on literature and present and past politics, rather than writing about what he feels. Also, the son although now an adult listens to each and every one of his fathers commands, doing exactly what he says regardless if he thinks its right or not.

The Lazarus Project 241-292

I found the beginning of this section of the book to be very cruel yet intricate, as the pogroms mercilessly attacked the family.The details Aleksandar Hemon used and the way in which he described many characters feelings was very unique. Many personalities were noted throughout the section, especially ones of being quiet yet having many feelings embedded inside. In my opinion, this is how many people live their lives, sheltering feelings deep inside until they are proned and in some cases forced out.

For instance, towards the beginning of the book, Lazarus told his family of the events that happened at Mr. Mandelbaum's store. After telling them of the events, he showed little emotion of being scared or shocked as most people would. In the book, it states he "pulled a little paper bag out of his pocket and put a piece of candy in his mouth, rewarding himself for telling the story." This act of rewarding himself shows that he is concerned with the deed he just preformed rather than the acts he just witnessed. In other words, his thoughts of the appalling situation he saw is not discussed.

The idea of being oblivious of things happening around an individual is also seen in the perspective of the narrator. In the midst of the ruthless killing by the pogroms, the narrator states "mother sat down on the floor with her back to the stove. I was afraid that her dress would catch fire." Rather than attempting to defend his family, or show signs of being scared of the "killers", he worries about his mother catching on fire, an idea that would not come to many at that point in time. Beginning on page 250, Iuliana is also represented as being quiet and holding true feelings inside. Similar to Rosa, she is very soft spoken, generally only responding with one or two words and not answering questions to their fullest. When hastled and continuously bothered or forced however, they both prove they have in depth thoughts and feelings.

In this section of the book, there are also many ideas that point in the direction of going to the afterlife or recognition of it. This shows that characters recognize that they will eventually die, possibly believing that they will die soon. For instance, after Lazarus gets attacked and thrown onto the carpet it states "Lazarus used to pretend that was a magic carpet; he sat on it in the middle of the room and imagined flying to far off places." This far off place could of represented heaven, showing recognition and possible premonitions of death. Similarly in the same scenario it states "the down from the torn pillows floating, like souls, through the fog of what had just happened." The down represents the family members just lost, and the fog represents the blurriness and shock of the situation.

Overall, this section proved to be very grueling, at the same time having unique literary styles and ways of presenting information and characters thoughts.

The Lazarus Project 1-27

I find this book to be very interesting and intriguing in part because of the way the book is written. I feel the present and past method (or flashback) gives the story a sense of adventure and mystery, giving the reader an opportunity to serve as a detective and solve the odd murder.

Towards the beginning of the chapter, the narrator shows signs of not liking his life, having a very negative attitude towards it. For instance, he states "All the lives i could live, all the people i will never know, never will be, they are everywhere. That is all the world is." i feel this quote shows how the narrator may be impoverished and jealous of the lavish lifestyle other people live. Although the rich seem unhappy when describing them, he still shows sings of jealousy, proving that money is a very important characteristic to him.

The young man from Sarajevo shows further signs of negativity when referring to the winter conditions. For instance, the quote "He has been in Chicago for seven months, and cold much of the time," shows signs of the men being unhappy in Chicago and not enjoying his new and very different life; different from Sarajevo. Also, the quote "Yet he returns to the ghetto to be angry; there you are always close to the noise and clatter, always steeped in stench," shows Sarajevo may have been more peaceful and serene.

In the murder scene, the events give rise to Boston and its people being somewhat racist. Chief Shippy stereotypes the man because of his skin color, becoming more scared as he typically would with a white person, eventually shooting and killing him. His relief of the supposed murderer being dead is seen as it states "Chief Shippy stands frozen, holding his breath, exhaling with relief as the young man dies." No remorse for the killing a man is seen, just happiness as he is alive.

Racism is also seen as the Assistant Chief stereotypes the man beacuse he is clean shaven and bathed. Although this is a normal occurence for most people, he labels it as bizarre beacuse the man is foreign. Also, he believes the notes in his pocket to be a coded description of a murder plt, rather than taking the words for what they literally say.

Bharati Mukherjee "Orbiting"

In Orbiting, Bharati Mukherjee shows his representation of America, and how he views the overall culture and acceptance of others in the perspective of an outsider (or immigrant). The title refers to this idea, representing the various cultures, beliefs, and ways of life "orbiting" and intertwining into one nation of America. America is involved with other nations, thus other nations are involved in America. Although many ideas are present, majority are unheard or ignored, as immigrants generally play somewhat of a lesser role.

The story is about Renata, and her transformation from a life in India to a different one in America. The overall plot takes place at a thanksgiving dinner, where each family member shows qualities of being American while still being proud of their heritage. The food they eat is mostly American, TV shows they watch and ideas they talk about and discuss are American based, and acitivites they take part in (especially the children) are American. This idea shows that conformation for many takes place, as the overwhelming and dominant culture generally impowers the others. In one instance, it speaks of the fathers "North Italian heritage". Although it points out that he is still very proud of it, the New Jersey lifestyle and American mindset is the one generally shown and active. Similarly the fathers mother was Korean, but beacuse of the fathers outlandish acts and somewhat American rebellious nature, "she wanted him out of the house."

This story further shows American conformation as characters in the story even change their name. "Renata and Carla are what were christened. We changed to Rindy and Cindi in junior high." Changing of names and overall verbal recognition shows the cultures heavy dominance and leadership in the "orbiting" of all others.

Last Day of Movie

The first part of this particular section of the movie involved describing war. War, in this sense, was seen as rebellion and finding oneself. To me this was similar to the author and writing a book, as the author is free to express any feelings and thoughts he or she may have. Letters of the mans personal experience of the war were written, which allowed for explicit description in the mans own point of view. Once again this is similar to an author, as an author can tell a story without any influence from outside parties. Books not only influence an author and allow them to have a personal experience, but it also effects the reader. In many instances, books allow a reader to be a co creator of it. In other words, each reader has room to interpretate the work differently. The imagery created by each person is different, the reader is not passive and open to incorporate their personal imagination.

This segment of the movie also talked about how many books are "one in done" books. To me this made sense, because the topic of an authors first book is generally one that they are most interested and passionate about, causing them to write the book in the first place. This one and done habit may also be cause by statistics, as with majority of cases authors do not top and make more money and recognition than their first book. Although a book may be very good, it still may not gain near the amount of fame as other books. This in part is due to connections, as specific publishers and famous reviewers have a large pull. This heavily represent the saying in the work place, "its all about who you know".

I found it very interesting how this man was so dedicated to finding the author of the book. Even after his father passed away, he continued the documentary in search of the author. This further proves the idea of readers becoming connected to pieces of art, in some cases making them somewhat obsessed.

In Class Free Write

In my opinion, every class is stressful. They aren't fun or interesting. Pulling all nighters in the library doesnt help you learn. You remember information through short term memory for about a day and forget it all the next. To me, hands on activities is what teaches you. Instead of being in a biology class learning about cells and metamorphosis, i should be at a football practice helping a trainer fix injuries and lead rehabilitation workouts. What am i going to remember more in a week, information i crammed for about prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and the genetic makeup of viruses, or how to properly wrap an ankle and an open wound?

To me i feel the preparation in college in my perspective as a hopeful physical therapist is somewhat of a joke. I pay large sums of money to attend an out of state college, and when i graduate most of the information i had once larned will be forgotten. Like i said, they need to incorporate more hands on hours. Credits should be given for kids working as an intern in their respective career, as they are learning real information, techniques and "go abouts" persay in their respective departments.

To me the role of Chris Offet in the "Same River Twice" is more intellectually productive than a college student. He is traveling from city to city working job to job and learning information about the real world, while making money rather than losing it through tuition. Pointless information in a book is not forced, he chooses what to delve into, increasing his knowledge in specific subjects he personally likes.

The Same River Twice, Second Segment

In this specific segment of "The Same River Twice" i found that many stories, quotations, and ideas showed different sides of Chris' personality. To begin, on page 54, it talks about a Greek named Heraclitus. In his day, Heraclitus was known for the quotation "you can't step into the same river twice." In the book, it shows how Chris valued this quote and believed it to be true, showing differences in feelings and thoughts between himself and his neighbor. Chris, on one hand, shows qualities in believing that everyday is a knew day, involved with new experiences, opportunities, and choices. This is further proven as he remarks how the water is different everyday, and the "water surrounding one leg is not the same as around the other leg." The neighbor, on the other hand, "has no use for ideas" as stated by the book. He performs the same activities everyday, having no options or sense of new and adventure.

The next set of personality traits i noticed Chris to have involved sense of sincerity and innocence. This was first seen as the doctor took some amniotic fluid out of the baby. After seeing this, Chris almost fainted, and after leaving the hospital "apologized to Rita's belly for the invasion." In this quotation, invasion refers to the baby's physical space. Chris feels bad for intruding and taking what was not his, showing his love and care for his child. Another quote that i found interesting stated, "Female mosquitoes land on my skin, needing fresh blood for their young." To me this quote shows his unselfish and caring nature, relating a mosquitoes baby to his own. In most cases, an individual would have killed the mosquito landing on their skin, but Chris felt that it was only fair to allow the mother to care for her child just as he was caring for his.

The final personality trait i noticed of Chris involved his sense of adventure, and possibly his personally feeling of not belonging and fitting in. This was seen as he simply moves from one area to the next, moving from job to job and city to city. To me, this shows how he is not scared to start over or acquire a new scenery and feeling of change. At the same time, it proves that he does not fit in and bond with people of each either, leading to the idea of Chris possibly having awkward and unappealing characteristics.

Overall, as of right now i have enjoyed this book more than the others in the class, as it is an easier read and to me more interesting having more of a realistic feel.

The Same River Twice pg 9-53

The beginning segment of this book i found to be very interesting, as it described the life of Chris, and his peculiar thought processes and differentiation between right and wrong. The way in which Chris thinks and forms opinions and various subjects is different than most people, as in most cases he adheres to norms, rather than acting on his own feelings. Chris both in New York and at home does not have very man friends, further showing his peculiar and standoffish personality. The quote "i am as alien here as in a city" proves that, as he refers himself to a fish "exploring an abandoned sea."

Chris is oblivious in this segment to both the environment and people around him. For instance, Chris believed that his wife truly "loved [him] and wanted a family" but in reality she was simply settling for average and a normal life. This is proven as she refuses his two proposals, is not excited when she finally gives in the third time, and is wed in a small informal Municipal building. Chris is oblivious to his surroundings as he thinks for nearly a week that his apartment complex is full of African Americans, when in reality they are Puerto Ricans speaking spanish.

Chris adheres to norms, and is easily convinced by other people, seen in many instances involving Jahi. Throughout their relationship she easily controls him, seen in sexual relationships, activites at the beach and involving his work, and the overall daily activities they partake in. In other words, he follows her from day to day and area to area rather than making plans himself. Overall, from scenarios in this segment, Chris is somewhat helples, further proven as he is happy with his "knee ligmanet being destroyed" allowing him to go back home to the security of his family.

Stop Go Analysis

GO (I like this): Within the syllabus in this class, i like how the reading for each day is posted, so prior to class all you have to do is look in the syllabus on each specific day. The grading scale is posted and easy to understand, and the blog directions are clear and to the point, showing what needs to be done to receive full credit. I personally enjoy blogging, as it allows me to express my own thoughts about the reading rather than just listen to a teachers perspective or someone elses views in class. The books we are reading are very interesting, giving me many chances to expand my own knowledge on interesting scenarios and storylines that are presented. I also enjoy the way the actual class if formated, as more of a open lecture about the assigned reading for the day. It allows students to say how they felt towards the book, rather than hearing the perspective of the teacher alone. I feel eliminating the Music of Chance was a good idea, as it allows us more time to focus on the other books at hand.

YIELD (things we should do more often): I feel things we should do more often is watch the movies of the books we are reading. In my opinion, watching the movie shows the similarities and differences of the storyline i formed in my head, bringing about new thoughts and ideas based on the content.

STOP (please, no more!): I feel that reading aloud in class is somewhat pointless. If the student did not read at home as the syllabus assinged, i feel they should be punished for it by not understanding what is going on in class. Also, i feel the reading segments that are assigned for homework need to be shortened. Some assignments are to read fifty pages, including homework and studying from other classes. Sometimes the workload is just too much, proving insufficient knowledge of the readings both in discussions in class and in the blog. In my opinion, the book Lolita was hard to understand and somewhat vulgar. I did not like reading about the interaction and love affair between the older man and young girl, so if i had the chance i would eliminate it from the syllabus.

River of Names

"River of Names" by Dorothy Allison was an unfortunate story of a man's family, a family which was. By this i mean that nearly every member of his family died in some horrible accident, some intentional and some unintentional. The entirety of the story is quite simply based on the title "River of Names." After reading the story, the river is not water but composed of blood, and the names are the members of his family that are deceased. In the story the man's lover Jesse is always speaking about her family, continually noting positive aspects of each family member and funny and memorable stories. The narrator and main character is too ashamed to tell her the truth about his family, as he is forced to lie in reassuring her that he comes from a good background. "I come from an enormous family but i cannot tell half their stories."

In the story, multiple family members are described as dying in appalling ways. Kids and wives are beaten, raped, stabbed, and ruthlessly murdered, done so usually by older males. To me, dying in this case would be better than living. In many instances throughout the book, young children are raped and treated as pieces of meat. On page six it states "it wasnt funny for me in my mothers bed with my stepfather, not for my cousin Billie in the attic with my uncle, nor for Lucille in the woods with another cousin..." This list continues with many more cousins and siblings, showing the negative situation they all were forced to be in.

Due to the fact the narrator has seen so much death and heartache, he refuses to have a kid of his own. He states, "I can't have children. I never wanted children." In my opinion, this shows his kind heartedness. He is saving the child from a world of abuse, from his old family members and himself. In my opinion i feel he is scared he would hurt the child himself. Due to all the memories he has and all the pain he has incurred throughout his life, i feel the child could be an outlet to take his anger out on. This act would continue the trend in his family, continuing the appalling treatment of family and specifically children.

Emergency and Home

The short story "Emergency" by Dennis Johnson i found to be very interesting due to the fact it kept my attention throughout its entirety. In part, i felt i enjoyed it so much because the way in which Dennis Johnson wrote it made me feel as if i was there, somewhat of a third person party. The details, situations, and various scenarios (from hospital, to the road, to the woods) made the story easily understandable, easy to picture, and easy to relate with. Majority of people have been in a hospital and the woods at one point in their life, allowing this story to give out a picturesque mental image.

In the story, i felt the potential positives and negatives of drug use were portrayed, as both the narrator and the orderly Georgie were on pills the entire time. Many negatives were seen towards the beginning of the story, as Georgie was seen trembling and weeping while attempting to mop up blood that was not even there. In this situation, Georgie states "There's so much goop inside of us man...and it all wants to get out." This quotation may be seen as a "bad trip" as Georgie is tying in all the deaths and injury seen within the hospital, making it seem as if its normal and supposed to happen. Drug use in the story also kept me on the edge of my seat, particularly in the instance where the narrator and Georgie are asked to perform surgery on Terrence Webber. Because they were inebriated, i was very anxious to see how the surgery was going to pan out, and if anything wrong and traumatic was going to occur. Drugs in this situation, after continuing to read, may have actually been beneficial. The head doctor when seeing the injury states "Im not touching that head. Im just going to watch this one. I know my limits." This quote shows signs of nervousness and pressure. Beacause Georgie was in a "high" however, he had no fear of the situation, and eventually went in to prep the patient and came out with the hunting knife in his left hand. After inspecting the patient, "it turned out that he had excellent vision in the one good eye, and acceptable motor and reflex" proving Georgie did a good job.

Drugs were also reprented in a negative light, making individuals take part in weird and abnormal activites. Some in the book included cutting the rabbit open and trying to save the babbies, picturing the drive in movie theatre as a military grave yard, and simply driving around aimlessly throughout the night.

The story "Home" by Jayne Anne Phillips i found to be depressing. To me, i found both characters (the mother and daughter) to be living in the past and living vicariously in the present through the news and events outside of their home. They show no sense of adventure of action, doing the same things everyday, which include the daughter watching the news and reading books in her room and the mother watching television and knitting afghans. Both characters show many signs of heartache. The first one in the mothers point of view included her bad marriage. "She married him in two weeks. It took twenty years to divorce him." This quote shows how she jumped into the marriage, due to her sick mother, and how the marriage was not enjoyable and was headed towards divorce the entire time. A heartache experienced by the daughter was seen in a description of one of her dreams. On page 414, it describes a dream of her father, and fear and remembrance of being molested by him. I came to this conclusion by the description of what the father was wearing (a towel) and the fear and attempt of avoidance by the daughter.

Due to her father molesting her, this in turn my have caused the narrator to be afraid of relationships with other men. In the beginning of the book, it states that she came home because she was not in love. But after seeing a class ring at the garage sail, and once again reminiscing about the past, she thinks about Jason and how much she misses him. She then begins to spend time with Daniel, which leads to further heartbreak for the mother. Her mother throughout her life urges her to wait till marriage to have sex. This apparently was not understood or taken to heart, as she has sex with Daniel in her mothers house, leading to controversy and uneasiness between the mother and daughter. Overall, the story "Home" is full of remembrance of unfortunate and painstaking events and the creation of new ones.

Lolita 179 to 236

Although the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov is very hard for me to understand and follow, i still enjoy reading it, as it is written in an intricate way and the main character Humbert is of a different nature than any other character i have read about. The way in which his mind thinks, the way in which he interacts with others, and his goals and motives are peculiar and in most cases perverted and somewhat disgusting. In this specific segment of the book, i once again found traces of Humbert being embarrassed and ashamed of his desire for Lo, but also showing no signs of stopping. On page 180, he states that he felt like he "lived in a lighted house of glass, and that any moment some tin-lipped parchment face would peer through." This line shows that he is scared of being caught and accused for his obsession with Lo, showing that he recognizes it is wrong.

One of Humbert's refuges in this section of the book is Gaston Godin. Although he does not tell Gaston of his obsession and unlawful acts, he feels as if Gaston is the only person that does not judge him in a negative fashion, accepting him for who he truly is. On page 181 he states, "the main reason why i enjoyed- or at least tolerated with relief- his company was the spell of absolute security that his ample person cast on my secret. " By definition, ample means generally sufficient, so in my opinion Gaston satisfies him as a friend not because they get along but because of Gaston's lack of interest in Humbert's "secret life". For instance, Humbert later states, "he was much too self centered and abstract to notice or suspect anything that might lead to a frank question on his part." Overall, Gaston serves as his "good herald".

While playing a game of chess with Gaston, Humbert's mind is fixed upon Lo, and her "bare feet practicing dance techniques in the living room downstairs." This line once again shows his deep obsession for the young girl, taking his mind off everything he is doing and focusing his attention on his "formidable Queen." Once again, his love for Gaston as a friend is also seen as he states "Gaston's outgoing senses were comfortably dulled, and he remained unaware of those naked rhythyms." Gaston's lack of attention for the girl provides comfort and sercurity for Humbert, not only allowing him to think he will not get caught but also giving him no further competition in the girl. As seen earlier in the book, Humbert tends to get very jealous when other men give the girl attention, even boys her own age. Overall, throughout this segment of the book, Humbert's "passion, tenderness, and torture" continually increase.

Lolita pages 62 to 109

Lolita in my perspective is a very interesting work of art. Although the content and overall setting of the book is very wrong and somewhat disgusting, the way in which the piece is written is remarkable. To me i find the technical part of the book to be very impressive, as the details and way of expressing thoughts and situations is different than any other work i have ever read before. Throughout these pages of the book, i found the first few pages to be most interesting. Humbert, the narrator, is contradicting himself whether his actions are good and moral or wrong. At first, it states "The child knew nothing. I had done nothing to her." Due to the fact the child went about as nothing was wrong, Humbert tries to justify his actions, believing the child would act hurt and tarnished if something bad happened to her. Because to himself his actions are somewhat justified, he then states "nothing prevented me from repeating a performance." Performing bad deeds until one is caught is known as a bad habit, this being one of a serious degree. These quote shows his intentions for the future, proving he intends to continue his actions.

Later in the chapter, Humbert shows signs of recognition of his bad habit, somewhat chastising himself for his actions. When referring to the girl, he represents his feelings by saying "I adore her so horribly." Although he does love her, the way in which he shows it is wrong and simply immoral. He goes on to "qualify it as pathetic" realizing his wrong actions and showing some remorse for the past. Throughout this section of the book he goes back and forth, trying to decide whether he should act morally and normal, or act immorally and fulfill his "hunger".

After going back and forth on the direction he is going to take, he states "I intended, with the most fervent force and foresight, to protect the purtiy of that twelve year old child." In my opinion, his addiction and habit will overcome his goal, leading to a path of filth and dishonesty.

In the Baggage Room at Greyhound

I found this poem to be very interesting, as it noted many aspects of society, from how people live, to how people act, and the positives and negatives individuals face daily. The poem was written through the eyes of an Operating Clerk and bag unloader, describing events he saw during his work routine, and the significance these events had on him and people around him. The main message i found within the poem included the racks on the bus, or the "great wooden shelves" as the poem described them. These racks on a Greyhound are used by many people, many of which are traveling to different places, believe in different ideas, and come from different cultures. In the narrators eyes, however, "the racks were created to hang our possesions, to keep us together, a temporary shift in space." In other words, it was the one place where individuals of different size, shape, and color could come together. The racks served as "God's only way of building the rickety structure of time" allowing the many types of people he created to come into unison. The many types of people are shown as the author mentions many nationalities and places within the poem, including Japanese, Mexican, Hawaiian, Sacramento, Stockton, and many others.

In the poem i aslo noticed some signs of racism and harmony. To me i interpreted the line "an indian dead with fright talking to a huge cop by the coke machine" to be some sign of tension between different races, as the cop (most likely either white or black) may be skeptical of the indian just based on his physical appearance. On the other hand, i interpreted the role of Spade as the Angel to bring signs of harmony and togetherness between the races. As described before, the bags together represent the different cultures coming together, and sense Spade physically puts the bags in the racks next to one another, his role is the Angel or peace maker.

Towards the end of the poem, i feel that the clerk narrorating the poem is quitting the job because of the tension and unfriendliness between people today. I feel that he realizes the only way people come together in this world is through the bags, proving that the relationship between cultures is negative and quite unfortunate. Within his job he see's dreams of harmony, but returning back to reality shows him that many changes need to be made in society. "Farewell ye Greyhound where i suffered so much."

Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin

"Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin was about the struggles faced by an African American family, and the hardships that come from racism and the unfair treatment of blacks at the time. More specifically, it shows Sonny's difficulty to advance and positively grow in life, leading to profound drug use and worry by his brother and beloved family members. Throughout the entirety of the story, it involves the two brothers coming to understand one another; the oldest trying to understand reasons for his brothers bad habits and the younger trying to understand his brothers constant pestering and nagging. The story is written in a specific order to show this, by beginning with no understanding and eventually working its way to an ending of love, confidence, and trust. Although the two brothers are very different, with one having a family and job and the other living off the streets, they eventually find common grounds and learn to appreciate one another for who they truly are ("The seven years difference in our ages lay between us like a chasm: I wondered if these years would ever operate between us as a bridge.")

To me racism played a huge role in the story. It showed that even if a black man worked hard to be successful, their achievements would never live up to that of a white man. For instance, although the older brother worked hard as a teacher, he and his family lived "in a housing project" one of which was described as "rundown". This in some instances lead to a lack of desire, eventually making some give up and take part in illegal activities, similar to Sonny. Racism was heavily shown in the story told by the mother about the dad's brother. His brother was hit by a car when they were younger by a group of white men after work. It states that "when they saw yours father's brother they let out a great whoop and holler and aimed the car straight at him." This shows the extreme differences and hatred between the two races, showing how difficult it was to live at a time of such negativity.

Sonny was eventually understood at the end of the story through his music and craftiness on the piano. "Sonny's fingers filled the air with life; his life." He expressed his thoughts and feelings through jazz, both negative and positive. Music proved to be the only way he could truly communicate his feelings, allowing him to release wait off his shoulders as well as bring he and his brother closer together.

The Glass Menagerie Scene 7

Scene 7 ended up being the opposite of what i expected. I thought Laura and Jim were going to fall in love with eachother, making a better life for themselves and giving Amanda a better attitude and some sense of relief for her daughter. Jims reassurance of nothing wrong with Laura, seen in the quote "You shouldn't have been self-conscious", may have given Laura some false hope. In this scene, however, there are many signs of heartbreak. The first one i noticed was the unicorn falling over and breaking. In my opinion, this represented Laura's love for Jim being broken after he tells her of his fiance. Just as Laura was beginning to open up and not be so insecure about her disabilities, her "comfort" in Jim was taken away, and her representation of the "blue rose" died.

In this scene i also realized that each character in the play is attempting to escape from reality in some way. Laura escapes from her disfigurement and shy personality by interacting with her animals and glass menagerie. Amanda and Jim disregard the real life by reminiscing about the past; Amanda with her past callers and Jim with his high school achievements. For instance, while talking to Laura, he asks "You remember that wonderful write-up I had in The Torch?" showing his arrogant and flashy personality. Tom leaves the ordinary world and the safety of his home by going to the movies every night. Overall, each person in the play is not content with their present lives.

With Jim leaving i feel the family is torn apart. His high expectations and eventual downfall lead to a fight between Amanda and Tom, and ultimately Tom moving out of the house. Tom, in my opinion, kept the house together by being there for both Laura and Amanda. With his absence, things may drastically change. Although Tom wanted to move out, and showed signs throughout the entire play of wanting something different, leaving was apparently pretty hard. By saying "Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be!" it shows his love and strong attachment to his family. Similar to the college experience, leaving parental control is great at times, but not having them around for instant comfort is always hard.

The Glass Menagerie Scenes 1-6

Throughout scenes one through six of the "Glass Menagerie" i found the work to be somewhat boring and dull. As stated in my letter of introduction, i enjoy works of art with some sense of adventure and action. As of right now, however, this work of art simply describes the life of Tom, and his mother Amanda and sister Laura. In scene one, as the setting and beginning scenario were described, i interpreted the main character to be Tom. As a result of Tom being the main character, there may be some bias, as each memory and account stem from his personal interpretation. Each character in this play in my opinion is extremely different. Tom is not content with his life at home, as each night he leaves his family and goes to the movies. He is also not happy with his job proven as he states "Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter". None of these can he accomplish in the warehouse. His mother Amanda seems bitter about her husband leaving and also her daughter Laura not going to school and not having a husband yet. Not having a husband may be due to Laura's physical disabilities, and as a result her shy and somewhat standoffish personality.

Throughout scenes one through six, the only "change" that occurs is the introduction of Tom's friend and co-worker Jim. Jim is invited over in order to meet Laura, although he is not originally aware of her presence. Amanda is very excited, as she believes his presence will change Laura's demeanor and lonely life. In my opinion, Amanda seems to live vicariously through her daughter, trying to improve her past mistakes through Laura. She feels as if Laura can't succeed, she did not exceed as a parent. As previously stated, Laura is insecure about her disabilities, seen at the dinner table as she has to excuse herself after "feeling sick". By not impressing Jim, the scene is described by Tom as the family having no sense of "change or adventure". I am interested in how the play will resolve, anticipating any hopeful positive changes for each member of the family.

Alice Walker and Jamaica Kincaid

The short story “The Flower” by Alice Walker I found to be very interesting and detailed. Although the writing techniques and literary elements remained the same throughout the whole poem, the vibe and mood changed half way through. At first, it vividly described a day in the shoes of a ten year old girl, through bright details of the girl, her actions, and the surrounding scenery. For instance, the scenery was noted as having “silver ferns and wildflowers”. The second half of the poem became bizarre, however, as she came across a corpse without panicking or showing any signs of fright. I feel this story may be a representation of the narrator’s life. For instance, in my opinion, I feel that the narrator’s life was good and happy, similar to the girls, until something tragic came along or occurred. Instead of becoming upset or trying to deal with the situation, the narrator acted as if nothing happened. This “tragedy” may be something like an addiction that he or she has accepted or a divorce that hasn’t been coped with.

The second story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid was full of directions and advice from what I thought to be a mother to her daughter. I discovered that it was a girl from the quote “prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming”. Also from this quote I inferred that the narrator had very strict parents that may have been mean and possibly verbally abusive at sometimes. This short story also shows that the narrator may have not learned life lessons on her own, as her parents obviously told her what they thought to be right and wrong rather than letting her form her own opinions. From my interpretation I also feel that the mom may be trying to live through her daughter, especially because of an unsuccessful marriage. By attempting to teach her daughter how to find “love” and how to go about keeping it and not keeping it, it shows that the mother may not have been successful in one of her marriages. Overall, the story represents the life of both the narrator and her parents.

Robert Frost "Birches" and "Mending Wall"

Robert Frost's poem "Birches" was full of self interpretation and personal theories. After reading the poem multiple times, i discovered what i thought to be many sexual references. In my opinion, the author is describing the difficulties of manhood, constantly referring to and remembering the joys of childhood. In other words, he feels as if childhood, and the luxury of multiple sexual endeavors is better than that of manhood, where one generally settles down. For instance, in the poem it states "So was i once myself a swinger of birches. And so i dream of going back to be." To me this refers to "swinging" from one girl to the next instead of "love". Similarly, the "pathless wood" symbolizes the freedom adolescence brings. But as seen in the poem, with age comes expectations, and with expectations comes the formation of a path with only one direction. Throughout the poem, the birches refer to females and their development in different "seasons" and the boy refers to the authors view of adventure, curiosity, and changes in manhood.

The second poem "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost in my opinion is about boundaries that an individual makes in his or her life. In other words, people have the choice to block out and ignore certain ideas, information, and theories while accepting others. In the poem, the blocking of ideas is associated with the "boulders" while letting in objects is associated with the "fence". As i interpreted it, boulders are large and solid objects, thus letting nothing pass. On the other hand, fences are not completely solid, allowing some ideas to pass through, but not all. This to me showed the freedom that individuals have to preserve personal ideas, keeping certain things to their self. In my opinion the poem also had reference to individuality. For instance, in the poem it states "Before I built a wall I'd ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offence". To me this quote shows that people may have different opinions on what is acceptable and unacceptable, ultimately absorbing many different ideas.

Being the first two Robert Frost poems i have ever read, i found the author and his writing to be very different and interesting. His poetry makes people think, giving room for different interpretations and mental pictures.

Ezra Pound and Raymond Carver

Ezra Pound's poem "In a Station of the Metro" to me was very confusing at first. Being only two lines, the poem was hard to interpret and thus hard to understand. After analyzing each word separately, however, a meaning i feel to be correct was portrayed. The first word that stuck out to me was the word "apparition". Apparition in most cases stands for a ghostly figure. From my interpretation, i feel that this word stands for more of a surprise from the mixture of people the author sees in the station rather than an actual ghost itself. The next word that i noticed was the word "petal". Petals in most circumstances portray beauty as they are the most colorful and distinctive part of a flower. As a result, i feel the main message from this poem is the fact that although their is a large array of people in the station, many with different characteristics and features, each individual represents a different yet positive type of beauty.

The second poem "Photograph of my Father" by Raymond Carver to me seemed more interesting and easier to understand. With more details and information, i feel I reached a more accurate interpretation. The main idea of this poem involves the main character looking at a picture of his father, remembering his negative aspects and poor qualities as a father yet showing some compassion and love for him. Two times within the poem the author recognizes the "perch" and "beer". I feel this represents the father being an alcoholic and as a result not being trustworthy. The poem states the "all his life my father wanted to be bold" which in my opinion shows the fathers recognition of not being a good father and living the way he ought to. The final three lines in my opinion were the most important to the message of the poem. It shows the desire the main character had for a role model and true father figure, one that would guide him in the right direction and do simple things like show him "places to fish". Overall "Photograph of my Father" had a sad tone, showing conflict between a family and the father son relationship.

Both poems had very different characteristics, representing the overall theme in message in varying ways. One was very short leaving room for self interpretation while the other was long and more self explanatory. Overall, each was successful and interesting.

Letter of Introduction

Throughout both high school and college, i have never really read or composed essays or stories on my own. As bad as it sounds, the only time i have is when it was forced from a class in order to receive a good grade. When forced, however, i do enjoy reading books. Majority of the time i enjoy mystery novels, those of which involve you to think and figure out the problem being discussed. For instance, books like Sherlock Holmes and other of those nature usually keep my attention. History novels, on the other hand, i find boring and hard to keep up with. Although they are full of information, there is not enough action or suspense to keep me interested.

In high school, a teacher that really excelled my writing skills was Mrs. Lovelace. Being an IB teacher, she was very good at critiquing techniques and finding the problems in students writing abilities, and in turn offering a solution and ways to better the situation. For me, transitions from one idea to the next seemed to be the problem but with her help i feel i have heavily improved. Throughout my senior year, the primary pieces of literature we composed involved critiquing both poems and short stories. As a result, i feel i am prepared for the many blog entries to come. Other than these required in class essays and critiques, however, i have not done much writing.

In the writing i have done, i feel that i try to be too detailed and use too much intricate vocabulary. Sometimes i feel like it hurts my overall message and makes things confusing. This habit, in my opinion, alters my online persona from my essential I. Overall, with the help of this class, i would like to change this habit. Although i am required to take this class because of my major (Pre-Rehabilitation Science), i still hope to learn a lot and better my writing skills.

Clemson Poem:
Clemson has been everything i dreamed,
from making friends to growing into an older me.
I have changed my actions and goals when at home,
after leaving the family and living on my own.
Although it is sometimes chilly,
i have learned facts and information a many,
and hope to do so in the years to come.