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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