Progression of the Fiend

At first we see him as a very baby like creature.  He starts off having really no moral compass to guide his actions off of at first.  However, the experiences with the Delaceys and the experiences soon after came to define the nature of the beast.  We often experience emotions filled with compassion for the creature for the terrible situations that he had to endure.  The awful weather, the treatment he receives, the fight that he has within himself all contribute to who the creature became.   We saw at first that the creature was heartfelt experiences with the family.  The creature even cries at one point because of the beautiful guitar being played. "...drew tears of sorrow and delight from my eyes"(Shelley,83).  However, mixed with that experience is the experience that he had in the town prior to taking refuge in the woods.  For no apparent reason aside from his appearance  he was viciously attacked.  I believe that it is safe to say that the Creature is a product of the treatment that he received from other individuals.   

Ironic Twist

Laughing uncontrollably, claiming victory, being the typical wretch he is: this is what I expected upon seeing that the creature was on the ship and looking at Victor. Instead, we see a different side of the Creature, still evil, but no uncontrollably evil. "Evil thenceforth became my good"(Shelley, 164).  We see that the Creature is now totally evil but he has a sense of remorse over the death of the creator.  Here's the key difference though from earlier Shelley's Frankenstein: he's okay with the evil that encompasses him now.  Earlier in the novel, he was still trying to distinguish himself from either evil or good and who he should be.  However, at the end, he is in full acceptance of the evil that he is.  He embraces it in a way.  He also has control over what he does now.  He states that he is satisfied with the way that things have turned out but still seeks Frankenstein's.  It;s a very confusing setup because of what we see the creature is capable of and what he can do.  Finally, we the wretch ask for Victor's forgiveness for taking everything from him.  In a way, he has become of mixture of what he aimed for in the beginning.  He is still evil, but he also recognized that and because of it, has a side of good.  

The True Creature?

I mean is the dude evil or not? The Creature, on multiple occasions, shows sympathy and positive signs for humanity. Him cutting the wood and saving the drowning girl are perfect examples.  He decided to be of assistance rather than being an evil wretch as is usually his characterization.  However, he also turns to pure evil on multiple occasions.  So evil, in fact, that he cannot even control his incredible rage.  He states"...and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish triumph; clapping my hands..."(Shelley, 102).  I believe this initiates his true being and reveals his inner workings.  How can any mortal rejoice at the death of an innocent and helpless life?  That's the point Shelley is trying to distinguish to the reader.  No HUMAN could ever do that to another and rejoice; however, it is perfectly reasonable to assume and wretched daemon could rejoice at such a horrible event.  This is also why the creature is referred to as a creature not a man or an form of humanoid.  He is not of this earth because of his truly daemonic tendencies.  

Solitude's Importance

Throughout Shelley's Frankenstein, hardly any character, besides Clervel, was portrayed as a social and people-loving individual.  Victory, before the wrath of the creature came into being, he committed himself to a life of solitude while studying at college.  There, he came up with bizarre ideas and did evil work to the max.  Similarly, the creature, not by choice, was isolated from the rest of the world.  He wondered the wilderness as an outcast.  These isolated situations for the creature only brewed evil feelings of hatred and contempt for others.  Similarly, Victor became very sickly and ill while isolated.  He visited no one and was hardly social.  I believe Shelley is trying to create a negative connotation associated with loneliness.  Nearly every character that is alone has an ill-fated experience.  William was killed as we wandered the cemetery alone.  Also, Elizabeth was murdered as she slept in her room alone.  "My person had become emaciated with confinement"(Shelley, 32). 

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing had a major significance in Shelley's Frankenstein.  Without a doubt, the most evident example of foreshadowing was the threat of the creature towards Victor. "I shall be with you on your wedding-night"(Shelley, 123). I mean besides foreshadowing, he is essentially telling Victor, prepare for bad stuff the night you get married. Upon hearing this, Victor goes AWOL.  He vows to devote the remainder of his life towards the end of the creature.  In the end, Victor eventually succumbs to nature and dread, but his final wish will eventually be fulfilled.
When looked at as a whole, the entire characterization of the two main figures can be looked at as a type of foreshadowing.  Victor, the nearly insane, sometimes weak, morbid figures dies before his work is complete.  The creature, a strong, mostly evil, sometimes good, individual outlasts Victor and eventually commits himself to death.  We can extract from the prior behaviors of the characters who will likely outlast the other as well.   

Inception

Shelly does an incredible job of confusing the reader in Frankenstein. The frame story settup that she uses really sets up a realistic situation for the reader.  We are able to see the cause of all the turmoil that the people face through these frame stories.  It is an extremely easy read though.  I am able to pick up on other parts of the novel through past references.  Also, this story being written so long ago scared me.  I was initially hesitant to understand it.  However, it turned into an easy read once I got used to it!

Trial

The confidence that Walton showed of the creatures guilt was interesting.  He was absolutey sure that he commited the crime.  Interestingly, the evidence of the case did not support that.  Justine was acquitted for the murder and the evidence supported that.  THe creature was however spotted in the area.  It was very interesting that Walton jumped to that conclusion so quickly.  Walton however did say that no human would be able to commit such a horrible crime.  This being the case the creature is not human.  The creature was probably startled due to his lack of social interaction and reacted in a bad way.  Justine seems to convict herself too at the trial which was very interesting.  She seems to give evidence against herself!

Destiny

When discovering why Victor is telling Walton the story, we see that it is for Walton's protection.  "...and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wished may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been"( Shelly, 13).  We see that Victor is hoping that by telling Walton his tale, that he may be saved from a horrible tragedy.  What I found interesting though was the word destiny.  Multiple times, Victor brings up the word destiny and his desired goal.  Similarly, Walton speaks about how important this journey is and how he feels that it is something that he must do.  In  a way, Walton sees this journey as the fulfillment of his destiny.  I believe the reason that Shelly brings up the heavy use of destiny in Frankenstein is to give a deeper reason for the tale.  Victor failed at his life even though he accomplished what he thought his destiny was.  He tried to follow his destiny, but in the end, it was the thing that ruined his life.  Victor is relaying his failed destiny to Walton to allow him to see that something you may think is your destiny may rather be something that will lead one to their demise.  This destiny allows the reader to make another connection to the similarities of Victor and Walton.  

The Creation

Going into this novel with an open mind and an unbiased thought was difficult. Frankenstein, as the monster is called essentially everywhere but this novel, by Mary Shelly brings to light the original story of the favorite horror tale.  The first major difference I noticed between the novel's monster and folklore was the life process.  In folklore, the monster is zapped with lighting at the top of a tower. After a few tense moments, Victor is supposed to scream, "Its Alive!" Sadly to say, nothing of the sort actually was accurate according to the novel.  "I saw the dull yellow eyes of the creature open..."(Shelly, 35).  Honestly, that was it.  It seems that he sowed some parts together, waited a little, lit a candle, and there he was good to go and alive!

Another discrepancy was the appearance of the creature and the source of the parts. The skin was portrayed as having a yellowish ten to them.  In folklore, the skin usually was of a greenish tint.  The bolts on the side of the neck were also added at time after the novel was written.  In folklore, we imagine grave robbing as the source of various body parts for the creature.  However, in the original version, the parts were obtained from dissecting rooms and slaughterhouses! 

Walton and Victor

One substantial detail regarding Walton that really stood out to me in Shelley"s Frankenstein was the similarity between Walton and Victor.  Walton and Victor also shared something quite similar that was presented to the reader early on in the novel.  Loneliness affected both of them at some point in their lives.  "I have no friend.."(Shelley, 4).  Both of them are in different situations where they know very few people.  New, scary, adventurous situations.  This fact is why, I believe, they get along so well once Victor is on the ship. 
Both of them also have a desire for knowledge.  They both seek to know more and more out of the books.  Walton learned much from his uncle's books of insane voyage.  Victor also learned much about ancient science from the books of Magnus.  They both enjoy science and math greatly.  The connection is solidified even more when the novel states that Victor is only telling Walton the tale because he does not wish ill upong Walton.  This fact shows that Victor cares for Walton and realizes that the life he has lived has only brought death and turmoil. Victor's seach for extreme science and need for a friend allowed him to create the creature.  Thought Walton is not constructing a creature, Victor can still provide a valid lesson for Walton.  VIctor does not want Walton to neglect the people that mean so much to him.  He wants Walton to concentrate on the important things in life that will bring happiness, not horrors.

Bartleby the Scrivener

Honestly, it seems like I just got a window seat into the "Office Space" or something.  It starts out extremely normal. Turkey, the hard worker in the mornings is a valuable asset.  Nippers is probably more valuable to the team than Turkey is!  Ginger-nut is the errand boy and is liked by most.  Finally, the ad-fulfilling Bartleby comes into the scene and is a good worker! He loves work so much he never leaves the office for home! That's awesome until we discover that he is homeless.  He would sleep in the office! However, the oddest part of Bartleby was the way he handled certain things.  "I would prefer not to"(Melville, 650).  This simple phrase defined who Bartleby was.   He worked hard but it seemed like he almost took advantage of the employment that he was offered in the business.  

Also, why Melville will not tell the reader what the Lawyer's name is in Bartleby the Scrivener is rather aggravating! I did not know how to address this guy in my notes.  I feel like the ambiguity of it provides a sense of the unbiased employer and how Bartleby was given a job in the first place.  

Miss Brill

The first serious connection that I made in Mansfield's Ms. Brill was the cupboard comments.  She mentioned that the old people looked restless and tired and looked as though they had come from cupboards.  Later on in the story, it states that she's returning to her apartment which is like a cupboard.  This gives the reader a hint of her older age
An overarching theme that I got from the story was a sense of loneliness.  She literally imagined the feelings people were having in their heads to suit her perfect image. It was really sad listening to because of all the rejection faced by others.  It made me feel bad for Ms.  Brill!  Also, she was talking to her hat. I mean, she must have really been lonely. The hat says according to Ms Brill,""What has been happening to me""(Mansfield, 182)?

APO 96225

The irony of this story is insane.  What else is insane in Rottmann's APO 96225 is how much I can actually relate to the story and the parent/child relationship.  Also, being able to tell the time era of the incident helps. We are able to see the time era based on the napalm reference and the monkeys. "You ought to see the funny monkeys"(Rottmann, 846).  After we know the time era, we are able to determine why the mother was so upset.  The public does not generally want to know what is going on.  Vietnam was extremely unpopular and it only makes sense that it was so blunt.  I sensed some weariness and a lack of emotion from the soldier.  It was probably because of the constant war and the lack of national support.  It seems that he gives up in his attempt to inform the people that what is going on over here is awful. Overall, the whole story was an understatement.  

Much Madness is Divinest Sense

When researching the word "demur", definitions implying rebelliousness came up.  Then upon further inspection, I saw that, against majority, she believes we should all be rebels.  "In this, as All, prevail-"(Dickinson,830).  This quote in Dickinson's Much Madness is Divinest Sense is essentially saying that most people believe the following words. The following words essentially say that doing what others do is normal and being a rebel is dangerous and looked down upon.  
 In the beginning, we see that she is saying that being mad is the most divine thing.  However, she adds a stipulation to that.  To see that madness is divine, one must know what to look for.  A person who is the most mad has much sense. In all, Dickinson's poem is a giant paradox of the norm.  Also, relating back to the previous poem, A Funeral In my Brain, we see some relation.  We see the similarity between the mind themes and how being mad is not always necessarily bad.  

I Felt A Funeral In My Brain

With Dickinson's odd capitalization in I Felt a Funeral In My Brain, it is difficult to separate special meaning, but one word stuck out to me: Brain. A normal funeral is corporeal and having to do with a body, however this funeral implies the death of someones mind.  Many images and senses are evoked when reading the poem and the situations she describes.  Initially, we notice that she is hearing things inside this coffin that she is in.  Oddly enough though, she is dead! This implies that, as readers, we are receiving a stream of conciseness from the author.  The author is essentially telling us all how her inner being is feeling at this point in life. For her, she feels as though she is losing her mind.  In the concluding portions of the poem, the final burial can stand for the complete loss of her mind. " And Finished knowing-then-"(Dickinson,776). This quote essentially states that her awareness and self-being is gone.  Either she is dead or she has officially gone insane. 

Death, Be Not Proud

Personification is the first literary term that comes to mind regarding John Donne's Death, Be Not Proud. "Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so"(Donne, 971).  This poems emphasizes the reasons one should not necessarily be afraid of death.  It almost seems as though Donne is mocking death by saying that he comes about in so many various ways and it relies on the doing of other men or the passage of time.  Donne then characterizes death as just a type of sleep that one experiences.  The only difference, he says, is that when we awake from that different type of sleep, there is no more death to be around.  One could easily be confused as to who is a "slave to fate, chance, kings,..."(Donne, 971).  Thou usually refers to a person, but because Donne is referring to death as a person, that "thou" is directed towards death. In a way, he is almost giving a pep talk to those who may actually fear death.  He says that everyone dies, even the best men.  However, on a positive note, he says that death will die when we awaken from our final sleep.  Donne almost has a sense of victory with the syntax and diction that he uses in the last sentence.  

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

The four stanzas after the first one of Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night characterize the different type of men in the world.  He specifies how these men will die and how they may view death.  "Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright"(Thomas, 968).  In this stanza, he states that the good men that eventually die should still resist that death.  He characterize four types of men total with that sort of classification.  For that classification, he uses the phrases "Do not go gentle into that good night." For the second phrase, he uses "Rage, Rage against the dying of the light."  Both of these phrases emphasize a type of rejection to the metaphor that both of these represent: death.
At the end of the poem, the final stanza wraps up why he was talking about these various men and how they all fight death in certain ways.  By stating to his father both of those phrases, he characterizes him as a wise, good, wild, and grave man.  Each one of these characteristics was given to the father by the use of those two phrases.  

Crossing the Bar

In the very last question, it asks why "Pilot" is capitalized in Alfred Tennyson's Crossing the Bar.  After reading the poem and concluding what it is about, the Pilot represents God.  A pilot typically guides the passengers around to different areas of the world because the tourists have decided to board that transport and allow that pilot to take them places. Similarly, we allow God to guide our lives and lead us in right directions, but we have free will, meaning that with our choice first, God can help guide us.
When reading this poem, a calmness comes about.  It makes the reader feel relaxed with his diction use of stars, sound and foam, and twilight.  They all bring to mind the serenity of a nigh-time beach experience.
He uses multiple metaphors in the poem.  His traversing out to sea symbolizes his journey to his peaceful death.  His embarking also symbolizes his death and journey and his wanting of no sadness.  Lastly, at the end "When I have crossed the bar"(Tennyson, 886). This crossing of the bar is a metaphor of the transition from life to death.

A Rose For Emily

Focusing on the questions provided by at the end of  A Rose for Emily by Faulkner, we are able to analyze multiple important aspects. Number five of the questions asks what important aspects would be lost if the first person plural point of view was not present.  By having this town-narrator, we are able to receive many more perspectives about Emily.  We see from multiple angles how truly messed-up and scary she is and by seeing that from multiple angles, it emphasize that fact.  It also allows the reader to see that nobody specific was regarded towards her in the sense of seeing her come out of the house.  "When we saw her again, her hair was cut short, making her look like a girl..."(Faulkner, 285).  This quote does not specify who exactly views her as this way.  Rather it states that the general consensus was the she had a girl-like appearance.  Lastly, question four talks about what the reader feels after reading the last paragraph and seeing it's bizarre twist.  After seeing that paragraph, it was clear that she did not want to move on, she was lonely, and she was certifiably insane.  Already we were able to tell that she did not want to move on based on the taxing situation.  However, she was so lonely that she wanted to be with that man that she killed possibly because he was homosexual.     

The Lottery: Weirdness Abounds

Surprising, I though something was slightly fishy as I began The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.  "...and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest roundest stones"(Jackson, 264).  This was the first indication of the importance of the stones in the story.  Stones usually do not have much to do with lotteries in with the Hunger Games in the back of my mind, I knew that this was not a normal lottery that the town was dealing with.  As it progressed, it became more and more disturbing how nonchalant the townsfolk were regarding the situation.  Even the family near the end of the story seemed undisturbed and accepting of their mother's impending doom.  
The lottery itself though was not all that was out of place in the story.  The mother throwing her married daughter under the bus showed another discontinuity from the normal.  Any good mother would never throw their daughter in the path of death by stones.   Additionally, the widespread but shrinking use of this lottery is rather unnerving.  The peoples acceptance of this atrocity really confuses me.  They all walk to the town square knowing that they could be dead within the hour.  However, by the observed atmosphere, one would not immediately assume a lottery for a sacrifice.  I believe it's safe to say that this town is messed up.  

Class Notes- Internal Conflict

The conflict for Tom is essentially the same no matter what perspective it is looked at.  Tom hates the position that he is in. He feels trapped and unfairly burdened with the responsibility of taking care of his family.  He also has the responsibly of trying to help Laura find a caller! This constant trapped feeling is why he goes to the movie nearly every night.  Amanda's conflict is something that she eventually comes right out and says.  " My devotion has made me a witch and so I make myself hateful to my Children"(Williams, 1251).  This is essentially saying that by wanting what is best for her children, Amanda has caused a bitterness between them all. She hates the feelings between them all, but in her heart, she truly wishes to help her children out.  Lastly, Laura has some personal physical and psychological issues.  Laura, being constantly under comparison of her mother, has many self esteem issues that she must try and deal with.  By Williams using Laura as a symbol in The Glass Menagerie, we are able to see how fragile and breakable Laura is.  She knows how fragile her life is and tries to fix it.  However, like Jim said, getting over being shy and timid takes time and practice.   

Class Notes- External Conflict

There are essentially three sets of external conflicts throughout the play.  The first that I will discuss will be about Amanda and Laura.  As we see when talking about her past callers, Amanda is a very nostalgic and hopeful person.  However, I do not believe that she realizes that the time that she lived in is over and the prime time that her daughter is living in is just beginning. She does not realize that there is a difference between her and her daughter.  She is constantly comparing Laura to herself.  This constant comparison wears down Laura and causes her great distress.  This stress is slowly eating Laura down.  "Mother's afraid I'm going to be an old maid"(Williams, 1240).
 The second external conflict that arises in the story is between Laura and Tom.  Honestly, this conflict seems similar to any brother and sister tussles that arise in any situation.  Tom is bitter to nearly all because of the trapped situation he is in.  He feels bad for his sister but he also wants to escape the life he is in.
Lastly, the most important external conflict in Williams' The Glass Menagerie is the conflict between Amanda and Tom.  Tom is extremely sick of his mother's constant nagging and wishing that he would help his sister.  Amanda is extremely sick of Tom's selfishness.  This creates a near constant conflict between Tome and Amanda. 

QUESTION THREE

Looking at a part of question three at the end of the chapter, many intriguing things are brought to mind. Tom has multiple dilemmas throughout the play.  One dilemma that he faces is the dilemma of trying to find a caller for his shy sister.  Another dilemma is the constant nagging he endures from his mother about going to the movies every night.  However, the main dilemma is caused by someone not physically seen in the play.  His father left him with the burden of supporting the family.  Though he eventually leaves for his own life, Tom spends years working while his dreams and aspirations fade.  He is essentially trapped and restricted from adventure while he is there.  "Adventure is something I don't have much of at work..."(Williams, 1252). Williams is essentially saying throughout the entire play that Tom hates his position.  He constantly fights with his mom because of her constant talking and nagging.  He also has feelings of sympathy and pity for his sister.  By the way he talk to Amanda about Laura, I feel though he feels bad for her.  Obviously though, he does not feel bad enough to stay because we see him eventually leave the family all together.  

The Unseen Character

"This is our father who left us a long time ago"(William , 1237).   Tom initially addresses the fifth character in Williams's The Glass Menagerie as one who does not physically show in the play.   However, the father's impact on the lives of the family cannot be understated.  One specific thing that I noticed was the numerous times that Amanda would mention the man.  I would also assume that if someone hurt me in the way that he hurt his family, his pictures would be either thrown out or kept from public eye, not hanging for all to see.  I suppose this is rather peculiar to me and probably part of the non realistic portion of the play.  The father also is keeping Tom trapped where he is.  He is stuck providing for the family that should be provided for by the father.  Tom's dreams and inspirations are quickly fading due to where he is at in his life.  The father also serves, for Amanda, as to something that she cannot let her kids become.  She constantly is expressing her paranoia about Tom showing traits similar to his father.  This serves as a reason as to why Amanda comes off as overbearing and oppressive in a way.  Lastly, the fathers impact on scene understanding is significant.  When Tom mentions his father and what he did, his father's portrait lights up.  This shows, in a way, how the father, though gone, still has an impact on how the family operates.  

Symbolism- Tennessee Williams

In Tennessee William's The Glass Menagerie, the use of symbolism was made know early on in the play.  We soon see that the character with symbolic focus is Laura.  Laura is a fragile, easily-hurt character that is consistently hurt and injured.  These injuries range from her crippling feature to her getting ill, but they can also refer to the poor mental state that she is in.  Glass is looked upon as something that is hurt and broken in a very easy manner.  We instantly can make the connection between glass and Laura. "I hope it wasn't the little glass horse with the horn"(Williams, 1282)!  This quote could be used to symbolize the unintentional harm that Jim will soon be inflicting upon Laura.  Though Jim accidentally breaks that glass horse, he still does with only the slightest bump.  Similarly, Laura, for the first time in her life, was shown ten minutes worth of attention from someone outside of her family. The time was brief but the impact was large because of how meaningful it was to Laura.  She was severely hurt when Jim informed her of the other girl that Jim plans on marrying. 

The Drunkard- O'Connor- Questions-5

Pertaining to the first question, there are many humorous aspects to this story.  Much of the humor dealth with the way the individuals in the story spoke and the accent we could extrapulate from outside knowledge.  Another humorous aspect arises when there is a cuss word said. "Go away, ye bloody b******"(O'Connor, 350)!  However, there is a deeper meaning to this story than just the humorous aspects.  Near the beginning, the Father shows his reverence for a deceased friend.  Also, the most interesting emotional appeal deals with what the son did.  Yes, he did consume the alcoholic beverage, probably out of curiosity. However, I believe what he did, saved what could have been a very drunk and messed up father.  Though he may not have realized what exactly he was doing, he actually prevented the father from coming home drunk! At the end of the story, we see the mother address her son as the brave boy.  I believe she calls him that due to his risk taking and him helping his father. 

Once Upon A Time-Gordimer-Irony-4

 Honestly, the first word that popped into my mind after reading this was "ironic". Multiple times, the author pointed out that they were living a happy lives with no worries. They had each other, the wife, the husband, the child, and the maids all were relatively happy. However, I realized as the story progressed, what defined their happiness? They were constantly under siege from the external riots. They were also constantly at risk of their house being broken in to. I feel that they initially assumed that they will live happy lives, but as they realize their situation, those feelings may change. On a side note, I was very confused as to why the grandmother was referred to as a witch. There were multiple situations of irony though out this story. The last and most recognizable ironic situation happened with the boy and the barbed wire. The irony comes from the fact that the wire was supposed to keep injury and harm outside, but the wire actually inflicted serious pain onto whom the wire was supposed to be protecting.

The Joy of Cooking-Elaine Magarrell- Questions-3

Reading the passage in the beginning, it seemed very sick and grotesque.  However, as I finished the poem, I realized that the cooking may not actually be cooking at all.  The tone of this poem is undoubtedly bitter and almost sarcastic.  "I could also have it braised and served in sour sauce"(Magarrell).  After reading this part in the poem, I realized what the author is trying to portray.  The heart of a person describes who they are and what they are like.  A good-hearted person is someone known for helping people out and assisting those that need it.  However, a sour hearted person is someone that does ill towards people.  The cooking techniques and methods are used to describe the appropriate classification of what that person's certain body part is like.  Similarly, the author's sister's problem is described as being her tongue and what she says.  The spices, tastes, and sauces of the foods that the author says would be appropriate for each character describe the in depth problem of each character.  

Those Winter Days-Robert Hayden- Question Two

Without diving deep into this poem, I can already tell it has a darker tone to it.  The mood of the poem comes across as quite dull and hostile.  Looking at the imagery, as question two states, we can actually support this initial glance.  Immediately, we see some resounding imagery. "...put his clothes on in the blueblack cold"(Hayden, 781). The combination of those two dark colors and cold but together a rather dark image in an audiences mind.  Following that, the mention of the cracked hands indicates a hard working, serious man.  After that, the most important statement in the poem, "chronic anger" really emphasize what Robert Hayden is doing in Those Winter Days. The way he describes that house actually sums up the entirety of the feeling, tone, setting, and vision we have of the house.  Lastly, the image of the polished shoes and the work that the father obviously does for the children capatilized on the poems mood.  The father goes throughout life, providing to the needs of his children and even polishing their shoes; however, the house remains a dull and hostile place. 

A Worn Path- Eudora Welty- Analogy

Immediately following the beginning of A Worn Path by Eudora Welty, we see the heavy and vital use of analogies. "...meditative like the chirping of a solitary little bird"(Eudora, 223).  The use of this analogy shows the initial theme and setting of where Phoenix Jackson is located.  Similarly, her analogy connecting the resemblance of cabins and woman under a spell invokes an interesting image.  The cabins, empty for some reason, remind Phoenix of women sitting still because of a spell they all may be under. The territory that Phoenix is travelling is hard for us to understand.  Though we know the general layout of the land she travels, we do not actually no exactly what it is like.  The use of analogies assists in accurately describing things that an audience can relate to, to better understand the work.   Finally, near the end, we see a continued use of analogies that helps decifer the condition of her grandson.  She describes her grandson as a little bird that has to hold his mouth to talk.  This statements directs the audience to believe that the grandson is not dead, but he is not doing very well due to him having a difficult time speaking.  Analogies in this novel are not necessarily required; however, they help us dive deeper into figuring out the secrets in the story. 

Symbolism. A Raisin in the Sun. 5

     Without symbolism, this story would lost much of what makes it deep.  It is a vital portion of the play that will be passed up if not read with intent to discover the underlying themes of the play.  Initially, that little plant that Mama kept in the sole window frame of the apartment seems minuscule and insignificant.  However, we we I read the end of the play, I realized the importance of that little plant.  It clearly was a metaphor for the family and how it is doing.  "Lord, if this little old plant dont get more sun that it's been getting it aint never going to see spring again"(Hansberry, 40).  I feel Hansberry in, A Raisin in the Sun, purposefully put that dialogue said my mother directing following a fight between Walter and Bennie.  This comment is meant to imply that if things do not change from the direction that they are heading right now, things will not turn out okay.  Also, later on in the play, Mama states that she will be able to cultivate a garden at the new house.  I believe that Hansberry is trying to convey that the family will flourish in their new environment.  The new tools, as a gift to Mama, represent the cause of what will nourish the new family.  Symbolism was mostly conveyed through plant life and by doing this, Hansberry added a required depth to the work. 

Question Eleven. A Raisin in the Sun. 4

     I believe that there is not a single important character in this play that does not feel a sense of loneliness.  Mamma misses her husband, Ruth wants a husband who cares, Beneatha needs a person to support her, and finally Walter needs the support and understanding of the rest of his family.  Walter continually goes on random tangents as to why he needs the support of his wife and family and how it is affecting him that no one will listen to him: he feels alone.  While reading this, I noticed that Walter is suffering the most from this loneliness.  Walter plays many angles in this play.  We always see him trying to push ahead and make money for a better life, making him a protagonist; however, we also see him fighting his family and slowing progress between their bonding, making him an antagonist. The external conflict that he continually feels is obviously taking its toll. Whenever he proposes another, crazy idea, he is rejected by at least one member of his family.  This constant rejection is making Walter feel isolated from his true family.  However, when the situation and joy of the family is created equal when Mama buys the house alleviates that loneliness that Walter has felt for so long.  

Question Five. A Raisin in the Sun. 3

     Much of the issues that occurred in the play dealt with the disagreements between beliefs and morals.  Mama was the righteous, good heart-ed woman that tried to make all issues between people history.  Walter, the less righteous and more free lanced individual was always looking to make a buck regardless of what Mama thought about it.  Finally, Beneatha is portrayed as the typical teenager that is trying to make herself useful through her profession.  Every single one of these people had a type of generation gap between them.  This generation gap is what caused many of the feuds that occurred. Mamma believed that Walter's plans to open a liquor store were deplorable, but because Walter was in the modern world, he never opened his mind to the thought that in his mother's generation, that profession may not have been honorable.  Mama grew up in a time that promoted honest working and honest money making.  Walter views the world as a "dog-eat-dog" world where to survive, one must do whatever is required. Finally, Beneatha is an educated young girl who tends to go along with societies rejection of faith and the rules.  Consistently throughout Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun, Beneathe rejects her families beliefs and defies rules set down by her mother. "...and God is just one idea I don't accept"(Hansberry, 51).

Question Three. A Raisin in the Sun. 2

It is extremely evident while looking at the novel as a whole, how certain characters contribute to the play regarding action.  Without diving in deep into the reading, we can clearly see what character plays the instigator, observer, and the bewildered. 

     Walter, though often times failing, attempted and occasionally succeeded in being the instigator.  He was the individual that went out every single day to bring the meager amount of money back home. Though it was not much, it allowed them to live.  This fact alone dignified him as an instigator because on many other occasions he dreamed in excess.

     Without even reading the questions prior to reading the play, Travis honestly stood out to me as the observer of the play.  He never truly had a deep impact on the action of the play, but he seemed to be in the picture when something significant was happening. In being the observer, he retained much of what happened in that house.  

     More so in the later portions of the play, Mama played the bewildered and confused individual. "Once upon a time freedom used to be life-now it's money. I guess the world really do change..."(Hansberry, 74).  The generation gap that separated her from the rest of her family prevented her from being aware of society's changes.  This being the case, it caused her to be in perpetual disbelief in Walter's motives, Bennie's beliefs, and society's new found love in money. 

Personification. Raisin in the Sun. 1

Personification does not occur abundantly in the play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry; however, when it is brought up, the effect is significant.   The house itself is dreary, dull, and a painful reminder of their failed dreams.  We see this early on when the environment was being described. "...-and they are tired"(Hansberry, 24).  Much of this story is derived from that one quote. As we read, much of what the characters do throughout there daily doings is focused on the escape from they place they all live in. Mama wants the best for her family and we see this when she buys a new house.  Walter is focused on his escape from poverty and filth; relating to the escape from the house.  As Mama describes the original purpose of the apartment as a beginning step to her and her husband's dream.  They did not want to live in that shack for a long period of time.  The life literally left that place, as we see, making it tired.

Hazel Tells LaVerne- Machan-5

This poem no doubt struck a humurous cord within the class.  I feel that in Hazel Tells LaVerne, Machan is trying to prove a point about how someone feels about themself while using humor as her tool.  She also uses satire in a way at the end.  "me...a princess"(Machan). We can easily see that the woman being talked about is a maid with reference to the Howard Johnson's.  We also see that she may not be very confident in herself.  Twice, she downplays the compliment of being a princess showing her lack in confidence.  This shows that she may not be content in where she is in her life and is looking for more.  I also noticed that this poem may have been the mock of the old fairytale about the frog and princess.  However, with a realistic spin on it, we get a taste of the modern version of how that story would unfold.  Overall, I feel that Machan is trying to show the discontent that a low-educated, poorly employed woman has with herself.  This is emphasized with the seperation and positioning of the last two words of the poem. They both have their own line and they are both seperate. 

Mr. Z-Holman-4

Mr. Z by Carl Holman was a difficult poem to analyze based on some key characteristics of it.  The obscurity that he had in his voice made the text clear, but the meaning of that text somewhat obscurred it.  One part of the poem that really confused me was the mention of his flaw.  "Not one false note was struck-until he died."(Holman) I was confused as to why the fact that he died may have struck a note.  I have the thought that it could be that he struck the note that he may have let others down around him for his example of how to assimilate into a new society. Other individuals may have been looking for guidance on how to mix into the other half of society and had no other guide but Mr. Z. Also, I feel that the Title of the poem itself may have given a precurser to what the poem was about.  "Z" is an obscure letter, not always used in normal speaking and writing.  It is hardly ever the main letter and is not focused on.  I feel that this fact may be pointing to how this Mr. Z wanted to be in society.  He did not want to stand out based on his skin. Rather, he wanted to blend in to the other half of society. 

Dream Deferred-Hughes-SimilesandMetaphors-3

Without question, Similes and metaphors are an essential factor in Langston Hughes Dream Deferred.  In reality, most of the poem itself is a simile or is connected to one.  Every description of what happens to a deferred dream is followed up by something that a normal person can relate to. "...like a raison in the sun?"(Langston Hughes)  However, as the questions at the end state, there is a single metaphor in the peom.  The last part of the poem, "Or does it explode?"(Hughes), is the metaphor.  Explosions are things that occure which result in destruction.  Hughes is implying that the dreams that are deferred are dreams that are forever destroyed. The fact that he italicizes it indicates that we want that phrase to be crucial.  Also, the section is seperated from the rest and has its own line.  This shows that Hughes wants that to be an essential part in the poem.  He allows us to have our own interpretation of the material through the other similes, but he mainly wants us to think of a deferred dream as something destroyed.

Everyday Use-Characterization-Walker-2

This short story focus' heavily on the technique of characterization. We are required to know who the characters are, what they are like, what they look like, what their personalities are like, etc. Without the use of this characterization with names and descriptions we could never fully understand the deep meaning of the story. In Everyday Use, Walker uses the description of Maggie to portray a sense of sympathy in the end when Wangero tries to take the quilts. We also see the dramatic change the Dee has gone through by her description as she steps out the car. "A dress so loud it hurts my eyes"(Walker). Dee has gone a dramatic transformation in the sense of who she is and what she looks like. Our first impression of who she has become is signalled with the description of the character with the long beard and stocky stature. We then realize her new style and eloquence with her dress and earrings. However, as earlier started, I believe the description of Maggie and her injuries sustained in the fire really bring to the surface the most emotion. We see a physically hurting, emotionally and mentally pure, kind young child that is looked down upon by her older sister. This aspect the Walker brings to light really allows us to rally on Maggies side when she tries to take the quilts destined for Maggie.

Interpreter of Maladies-Lahiri-Conflict, hubris, Antihero- 1

Throughout the entirety of the short story Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, we see multiple conflicts arise. Some small, some rather large, but the most intriguing one that plays the most important part is the external conflict between Mrs. Das and her husband. The conflict the Lahiri plays between the wife and husband plays out as an issue in Mrs. Das' mind, but not so much in Mr. Das' mind. Mrs. Das, as we realize, has a child Bobby with another man; however, Mr. Das is not aware of this. ""Raj's. He's not Raj's son""(Lahiri). We initially assume that this example may be the hubris for Mrs. Das. As far as we know, that fact could have been the downfall of Mrs. Das. However, the very interesting Mr. Kasasi has some important information that I believe Lahiri wanted to be delivered to quite possibly stop that destruction. Lahiri played Mr. Kasasi for one purpose: to be the antihero. He is not glorified, he is not proud of what he does, he does not specifically think that he is anything special. However, the talk at the end between Mrs. Das and Kasasi drings Mrs. Das to her senses. As we see her promptly leave the car, she goes to the top to rejoin the family she has been trying to avoid. This short story really makes use of literary techniques and successfully employs them in a way the requires the reader to dive deeper to see it's true meaning.

POETRY!

I came to the conclusion prior to reading this piece that poetry is something personal and something to be decided personally. I kept that mindset for a very short amount of time while reading this piece. He gives us some fairly general guidelines that allows for a personal interpretation but only under certain factors. After looking through Emily Dickinson's poem, I realized that he is indeed correct.  There were more than a few "ohhhhh, now it makes sense!" moments while reading his explanation of the poetry.  I suppose that is the point of poetry though.  It almost seems silly now to think of how easy we thought it was to decipher what the poetry supposedly meant while in reality, it meant so much more.  Poetry is meant for us to dive deep into pieces and unleash our imaginations so we can really decipher the extravagant meaning.  The exact same occurred while reading Melville's The Night-March. Initially, we want to jump to the conclusion that this poem is, without doubt, about a marching army.  I mean it says "army passes..." "legions stream..." and Perrine even says "wrote a book of poems about the civil war." However, we find out that it was irrelevant and that the poem was actually about stars.

 After reading this entire piece, I've come to the conclusion that it takes a complex and adventurous mind to really figure the meaning of a poem.  As odd as it is, Inception creeps into my mind after reading this.  One must truly examine and question the "reality" of a  poem to figure out if this is infact "reality" or in this case, the correct poem interpretation.  "...the best interpretations will rely on the fewest assumptions not grounded in the poem itself."  After reading that, I could not agree more.  After spending five minutes trying to figure out what exactly that quote means, I eventually realized it summed up everything one needs to know when interpreting a poem. Never assume something about a poem that already is not in it.  Look at the poem and take what is inside of it already to figure out its true meaning.  If done correctly, there may be multiple outcomes and interpretations, but in the end, they are all correct if they all followed the guidelines.  After all, is that not what poetry is about, personal interpretation?

Gatsby: 175-180

My last and final blog is going to be about the last section of the book that I read and the book as a whole.  I will not lie when I say that the end of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby was very sad; however, it was also very moving.  We never know exactly what happened with Daisy and Tom.  We don't know if Gatsby ever did do something extremely illegal.  We don't know what happened to Nick, but honestly, I think that it is okay that we don't.  The end of the last chapter somewhat summarizes how this lifestyle can corrupt and fool people who lose their guard.  Daisy and Tom lost theirs and now all that they have is their wealth.  "...then retreated back into their money...(Fitzgerald, 179)"
In all, I really, really enjoyed this novel. It was amazingly written and the plot was awesome.  Thanks for picking this book to read! Now I just cannot wait for the upcoming movie to come out!

Gatsby: 163-174

The beginning of chapter nine is quite somber to say the least.  Over and over again people recall what happened as grotesque and horrific.  Rumors spread about what happened just like a typical, crazy story would do.  There is something though about chapter nine that really bugs me.  What happened to all of the people? Did Gatsby not have parties with countless, thankful guests? "Nobody came.(Fitzgerald, 174)"  I feel like Fitzgerald is talking to us through The Great Gatsby and telling us that you don't really know who your friends are until a time of turmoil.  This shows exactly that.  Dealing with Daisy, I feel like she didn't come for one of two reasons. The first one is that she simply just does not know.  It is portrayed that she left town and may never have gotten notice of what happened.  The second is that she knows, but she just cannot bring herself back into such a painful situation. I feel like if she went back, it would just kill her. Lastly, what happened between Gatsby and his father that caused them to be separate for so long.  I am very curious about that.  

Gatsby: Chapter 8

He did not just die... I can say that I'm fairly upset about that! This deranged man just comes in and shoots Gatsby!?! Okay we are going to restart and talk about the beginning of chapter 8 here.  Chapter eight of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is  another chapter that does not initially focus on the "now" and happening.  It starts out analyzing how Gatsby and Daisy first fell in love and got to know each other. It also shows how they became separate and distant from each other.  I feel like this chapter really shows the importance that wealth played and continued to play in Gatsby's and Daisy's life.  Gatsby stated that his main goal was to attain wealth and power and as we see after he loses his love, he thinks the world is coming to and end.  It almost seems like he is just straight up giving up on his search for wealth.  
"You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.(Fitzgerald,154)" I also feel like this shows that Nick, even though he didn't really like him much, had a general respect for Gatsby.  

Gatsby: 136-145

This is rather ironic and sad actually.  Myrtle, Tom's previous lover, was killed by the person that Tom was cheating on.  To be honest, I feel like Fitzgerald tried while writing The Great Gatsby to show that karma is a....not good thing. I have no idea whether he was just playing this as part of the story or as an actual lesson people can take away but he associated it multiple times in the novel.  When Daisy cheated on Tom, the one she was cheating with, Gatsby, is now going to spend the rest of his life in prison for taking the blame for killing that woman.  I feel like the techniques that Fitzgerald uses to relate parts in the story really completes and rounds off the novel.  It create a much better plot because we can actually look back to previous points and understand why it all makes sense now. We also see something sort of like a revelation and reconciliation between Daisy and Tom. In the end we see them talking over some chicken and holding hands.  I feel like Daisy really did love Tom and shes realizing that she should be with him, not Jay.  Tom takes on a new side as well.  I feel like that's because he realizes how close he has come to losing everything that he has and realizes that he needs to actually work to keep what he now holds so dear.  "A change had come over him.( Fitzgerald, 141)"

Gatsby: 113-135

Wow, this chapter is full of surprises. Actually, not so much surprises as shocks.  In short, Gatsby and Daisy are obviously in love. Mr. Try hard, no-one-mess-with- me Tom over here is not too happy.  I probably would not be either if I found that out about my wife.  There are a few things that do confuse me though as we progress through chapter seven of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.  One of those was why Daisy and Gatsby where so openly obsessed with each other.  I mean as much as Gatsby does not like it, she IS married.  Another question that I have is why exactly Tom was so concerned about Jay's personal life and background. I understand that he wants to look up some stuff on his wife's lover, but still, why does he dive so deep.  Its revealed that Gatsby is into something that obviously rakes in the cash, but also is something that he does not exactly want other people to know about.  Also, why Tom was freaking about about “old sport” and bootlegging is still a complete mystery to me.  “That’s a great expression of yours, isnt it?(Fitzgerald, 127)”

Gatsby: Chapter 6

So, in chapter six, we are beginning to see a little more drama.  The drama is mainly isolated between one underlying character whom I believe may play an important roll in the future.  Tom is starting to get very curious about how Jay knows Daisy and seems antsy about it.  Though he plays it off as cool as he can, the author of The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald, subtly shows that there may be a problem.  When Tom and another couple are over at his house for tea, we see that it was a somewhat awkward meeting.  Tom and the other man there obviously didnt want to socialize too much with Jay, but Mrs. Sloane would like to talk. "She says she does want him.( Fitzgerald, 103)" Jay is turning out to be quite the trouble and drama maker in this novel.  Then, after he invites Daisy over to his house for one of his insane parties, he makes up his mind that he wants to relive the past and rekindle what they had.  However, Nick makes him aware that this will not be possible.  Gatsby is frantic but dedicated and resolves that he will rekindle it no matter what.  

Gatsby: 90-96

When I think of Gatsby and the reuniting with Daisy, I think of the classic "no one else exists" idea a person gets. It seems that he is still so enchanted by the fact that this girl that he had longed to see for ages was finally in his presence.  "Gatsby didn't know me now at all.(Fitzgerald, 96)" He just seems like he has a cover over his eyes that only let him focus on what matters to him at that point in time. We really can see how much he cares about her by how he reassesses the value of some of his things based on how Daisy reacts to the object.
It was a mystery from the beginning to me why in the heck Gatsby would put down all this money on this insanely extravagant parties.  I mean he would prepare for a week spending an insane amount of money to accommodate the people attending the parties.  I always had an idea for why but was not totally sure.  I always felt that he may actually feel lonely in that huge place that he has and I think that, that is what Fitzgerald is trying to tell us in The Great Gatsby.  I believe that is why he is always trying to talk to Nick as well.  I think that Gatsby truly does enjoy entertaining those guests because it makes him feel welcomed and wanted, not alone.  I also feel that the reason he seems just so flustered is because he is just so lonely and really never surrounded by people he ever has a personal connection with.  

Gatsby: 81-89

How sweet! Well, every chapter we begin to dive deeper down into who the characters are.  Nick, it seems is the third wheel in this case. Gatsby, a shy, initially timid, but willing man scared to death of meeting this girl again.  And Daisy is an excited, young, joyful individual so happy that she reconnected with this old friend.  I think that it was pretty interesting for Fitzgerald to show Jay Gatsby from two perspectives in The Great Gatsby. On one end, hes a welcoming, powerful young man.  On the other, he is scared and timid when it comes to women.  It was fascinating to see Fitzgerald bring Jay down to a child-like level by asking Nick what to do and showing that he was flustered.  Also, even when he is in this flustered state, he still has that aspect about him that showed he held himself to a high standard.  Multiple times, he brags about his car and house.  He even mentions Nicks lower financial situation.  “...you don’t make much money, do you?(Fitzgerald, 82)” It is all quite interesting!

Gatsby 69-80

Well, that was interesting! I have been noticing how well the author of The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald, creates a unique situation so far in advance.  He does this multiple times in chapter four, especially the incident with Gatsby.  Now, initially, I thought that when Gatsby took Nick out to lunch, he was saying that both of them were going to be meeting with Jordan late that evening to talk about something.  However, as it progressed, I realized that Gatsby was trying to allow the two to set up a special meeting for Gatsby that he had been working towards throughout the entire novel.  "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.(Fitzgerald, 78)" A smaller plot is beginning to come full circle now.  Daisy admits that she is not happy with her current life and husband.  Gatsby is a wondering man hoping for a glimpse of the woman he so wishes he could know again,  Daisy. And Nick, well he seems to be the connecting piece for the two of them.  Randomly off topic here as well, what is going on with Gatsby when he leaves to take phone calls or messages? What is he up to?

Gatsby: 61-68

As chapter four begins, I can begin to see something unique about Nick.  I don't know if its just his  bad luck or if he just doesn't really care for people initially. "...and for a moment I was sorry I'd ever stepped foot upon his overpopulated lawn.(Fitzgerald, 68)" We see that after Gatsby confides in him something about Ms. Baker and the war, Nick wants out immediately.  We also are able to delve down a bit deeper into who exactly Gatsby is.  He says that he is wealthy due to the deaths of his entire family.  He also mentions that during the war, he was attempting to get killed.  Now,  I realize he was sad about the loss of his family, but I am curious as to whether or not there is more to why he wanted to die.  
Going back to that superstitious/omnipotent view that Gatsby may be seen as having, we experience another situation where we see his power.  Now from my understanding, it seems like he was pulled over for something.  However, to get out of it, all he had to do was show the officer a special white card.  That seems a little suspicious to me and I think that there is more that is going to be revealed in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

Gatsby: pg 51-59

In this portion of the novel, Nick is obviously beginning to get comfortable with his life.  We see him going out to more and more parties and getting social attention from some people.  He also goes to Gatsby's party where he meets up with Jordan Baker.  Jordan eventually is taken away and brought to Gatsby where unique and extravagant things are told to her.  Another sign that Nick is settling in is that Nick starts noticing and chasing after some women.  He specifically goes after Baker as we see when they begin to go to more and more parties.  However, there are two things that are rather interesting at this point in the novel.  The first is that we see that Jordan is a liar who we don't know if we can trust.  We also see, due to the letters being written, that Nick has a girl that he has evidently left behind.  
We also see a new literary technique brought into the novel.  After the part at Gatsby's mansion, we see Nick go into a first person/narrator style where he insists that what HE has been writing about isn't what he does the majority of the time.  This is a unique style showing the the actual writer of The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald, wants the reader to believe that Nick, the main character, is actually the one writing what the audience sees.  "Reading over what I have written over so far,...(Fitzgerald, 55)"

Gatsby: pg 39-50

This chapter was rather unique because we actually meet this elusive Gatsby.  We see in the first part of chapter three that Gatsby has an almost superstitious aspect about him.  Gatsby is portrayed as an Oxford man, a killer, and a German spy.  However, we realize after, Nick has met Gatsby and they served near each other in the war!  Nick was rather surprised by this and I think that he was surprised due to the amount of wealth this former soldier now has! "We talked for a moment about some wet, gray little villages in France. (Fitzgerald, 47)"
This book is amazing with the visuals.  I truly am not sure as to why it is so easy for me to visualize what is going on in this novel.  In writing The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald really portrays the life that the wealthy lived back in the roaring 20's.  We hear of swing dancing, boos, old luxury cars, and much more.   We begin to be able to piece together what exactly that time period was like without exactly having an exact image of it.

Gatsby: Chapter 2

Another unique thing that I am noticing is the differing point of views the people in the book have.  From Myrtle and the "sophisticated" people's point of view, being a woman is more like what we know today.  However, to Daisy, being a woman is some what unfortunate, as we discussed in the last chapter.  In this chapter, I found it very odd that Nick somehow ended up with this group of people.  "...and his determination to have my company bordered on violence.(Fitzgerald, 24)"  Nick was forced to go with these people even though later on, he essentially did nothing but talk slightly with Catherine.  It seemed a little out of place and it seemed that Nick was befriending people that he did not initially plan on befriending.  
We then see another side to Tom and Myrtle.  We see that both people are miserable with their spouses.  They want to get out of it but state that there is something holding them back.  Then after a few drinks and a lot of commotion, it seems that we see a side of Tom that Daisy may also be seeing.  He broke Myrtles nose and caused a bloody mess everywhere.  This guy had always seemed a little sketchy to me.

Gatsby: pg 15-21

Early on in the first readings of the The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, I can notice a similar theme in both of the books read this summer.  In The House of Mirth, we see a theme of woman being put down and constantly relying on men to assist them.  "...-that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool( Fitzgerald,  16)."  When Daisy was speaking about her daughter being born, we could tell that she was content with having a daughter; however, she realized that  a man would be much better off.  The reason that both of these themes are present in these books is because they take place in relatively similar time periods.  Men make the money and have the jobs while woman are expected to rely on men and become a house mom.  
Already, we have a small amount of drama and some trouble brewing between some of the people.  Tom, the hoss that is married to Nick's cousin, is suspected of being in an affair.  Daisy confides in Nick and tells him that she is not content with the life that she is living.  She is essentially saying that she is not happy.  I feel like Fitzgerald is going to be using events like these throughout the novel as a form of foreshadowing and plot development.  

Gatsby: pg 15-21

Well, it is official.  I can tell I am going to enjoy this novel quite a bit more than the first.  As it starts out, we learn a few things about Nick and his personal family life. "...but we've always been unusually communicative in a reserved way, and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that(Fitzgerald, 1)."  As this quote illustrates, we learn that Nick might be a man of few words, but extremely vital words are spoken when something is said.  We also see what kind of family environment Nick grew up in.  An environment that put down judgment and promoted equality among people.  We see the polar opposite of that later in the reading dealing with Tom Buchanan, the husband of Nick's cousin, when we expresses some racially insensitive views.
As I have been reading, I also have been looking closely at some figurative language the author has been using.  I have seen foreshadowing multiple times.  "...permanently, I thought...(Fitzgerald, 3)" I feel like this comment could foreshadow something tragic of unfortunate that may occur as the novel progresses.  Also in the reading, the Gatsby is hinted towards multiple times as a unique man that people need to meet.  Obviously, from the title of the book, I can infer that the Gatsby is going to be a central character in the book.  I am just excited to see exactly how he plays in to Nick's life in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

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On top of the truck!

The House Book 2: 13 and 14

Nearing the end of Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth in chapter 13, we see something very interesting happen to Lily that fully manifests itself many times.  It had been a long time coming and was truthfully no surprise, but we see that Lily has realized that her once grand vision of life was not the right one.  "And as she looked back she saw there had never been a time when whe had any real relation to life.  Her parents too had been rootless, blown hither and thither on every wind of fashion without any personal existence..."(Wharton,259). To me, she’s reached the final ending point on her spiral downward.  Shes realized that on her pursuit of what she assumed was greatness, she had passed up all real opportunities available to live a content and good life.  She looked at some of the poor working ladies and realized they had something that she never really had.  They had the grounded and secure life that Lily never head.  
And finally, as we see that Lily has passed away.  We see the true result of a life that was never finished searching.  Lily never rested it seemed, to slow down and see the man right in front of her.  I really do not know if Lily committed suicide but we saw a totally different side of Lily towards the end and especially the night before she died.  We saw that Lily was done with the money and wanted to make it even between the people regardless of it leaving her as poor as the people she once looked down upon.

The House Book 2: 11 and 12

After being fired from her job at Regina's, I began to loosen up my annoyance on Lily and what I perceived as an unchanging attitude.  Wharton wants the readers to know something so we might feel a little pity for Lily: she's trying. "She had been fashioned to adorn and delight"(Wharton 245). To be honest, I feel like this also is one of the underlying issues in this novel.  It is not solely her fault for all of these issues that she is in. To be frank and to agree with what Mr. Rosedale says, she is not supposed to work or handle money.  That just is not her and when she has to, she is obviously in trouble.  And as chapter eleven of Whartons’ The House of Mirth concludes we see that Lily feels like she has a definite plan on what to do!  However, like everything else, I believe her underlying longing for Selden prevents her from carrying out the blackmail that her plan required.  
"...and two tears gathered and fell slowly from her eyes"(Wharton,249).  Based on her previously admitting that she does not cry, Selden coming to see her and give her advice meant a great deal to her. This is obviously a big part in the story line because we actually are able to see Lily genuinely apologize and thank someone in their most sincere form. And then BANG! What I was predicting the entire time! From what I read, it seems that Lily longs to love Selden and that because of her faults and failings, they cannot be together! This is arguably the biggest part in the novel and in the end, we see Lily's new direction is a complete mystery by how she burns the letters.

The House Book 2: 9 and 10

A job! Lily actually has a meager job as a secretary!  And of course, the unrevealed crush makes a visit at some point.  Lily actually admits that the bitterness that she has been suffering these past few months have been in part due to not seeing Selden at all. Seriously, why cant they just get married and call it a day? I want to focus on one part of their initial meeting that really struck me as interesting but not surprising.  "She was very near hating him now; yet the sound of his voice, the way the light fell on his thin dark hair..."(Wharton, 225-226). This part in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth kind of alludes to me the underlying sadness of this entire novel.  She genuinely likes the guy a lot, but because of her being the way she is. She sees it as impossible for them to be together.  Its her own undoing that is causing her such despair, even though as Wharton states, she does not know shes in.  Its her underlying characteristics that prevent even the consideration of Lily seeing them together and that's what truly stinks! I feel like if she would just let go a little, she would be quite a bit better off.

The House Book 2: 7 and 8

Early in chapter seven of Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth, it seems that Lily is welcome to the idea of marrying Rosedale! However, I see one main reason for doing this- to triumph over the hated Bertha. But! As Rosedale and Lily talk, Rosedale admits that he cannot marry her.  Honestly, how frank they both are surprises me quite a bit. Were people in the 20s really like that? As reasoning for him not being able to marry her even though he loved her, he said that by marrying her, he would essentially be throwing away everything that he had every worked for! As she’s walking away, Rosedale suggest plotting against Bertha with the use of the letters.  However, he states that she needs a strong backing-husband for this to work! At the end of the chapter though, Lily pretends as though she is clueless as to what Rosedale means.
Okay, seriously, is Gerty a maid or is she legitimately Lily's friend? I mean in the middle of chapter eight when Lily and Gerty are talking, it seems like Lily is being serviced by Gerty! "...while her friend busied herself with the tea cups." "...how beautifully one does have to behave in a small flat."  "...let me give you this cushion to lean against." And also, with Gerty's friendly gesture with the cushion Lily replies "Dont give me that! I don't want to lean back..."(Wharton,215). I mean I am fully aware that Lily is struggling through tough times, but I honestly do not know why she has not adjusted her attitude for a more simple lifestyle!  I think that this story is supposedly about Lily's triumphs but she’s starting to annoy me greatly!

The House Book 2: 5 and 6

From reading the novel The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, I am able to attain from the reading how bad being rejected is cutting Lily right now.  She was literally born and raised to be in the social loop of popularity and fame. To marry a rich man, show off that wealth, and to sit on that wealth to do whatever she wants.  Lily needs to escape because at this point with Mrs. Peniston out of the picture, she has nowhere to go, no money to spend, a currently pathetic social presence, and no consideration for marrying a man.  However, just as she seems to be hitting rock bottom, the Gormers party appears to fix her social issue.  Through Mattie Gromer, Lily,"...had thus formed, in the tumult of her surroundings, a little nucleus of friendly relations which mitigated the crudeness of her course...”(Wharton,192). At once, she is pounded with the underlying issue though.  She must marry a man sometime soon.  And as Wharton says,"Much as she dislike Rosedale, she no longer absolutely despised him"(Wharton,194). I am not sure if Wharton is saying that Lily is getting back into the loop or what but to me, Lily is getting a little desperate if she is considering that.  A roller coaster is the only adequate term I can use to describe whats happening at this point.  

As chapter six continue, Lily and George run into each other and George seems to be desperate about something and is yearning for the friendship of Lily claiming that she was one of his closest.  I am confused as to why Lily so bluntly turns him down and rejects his plea for even a little talk.  Then, as though bad luck follows Lily, Mrs. Dorset makes a visit to the Gormers and acts suspiciously neighborly.  No doubt, shes planning something. Then as the chapter concludes. it seems Rosedale is becoming for infatuated with Lily and Mrs. Farish continually suggest that Lily marry.