The Story of an Hour
Kate Chopin
Louise Mallard has had heart trouble in the past, so her sister Josephine, takes great lengths to tell her sister gently that her husband has died. However, Louise ends up dying from a heart attack from being so happy to find out that her husband was still alive. Ironic? I'd say so. The ending was also dramatic when Louise died of "joy that kills" (327/handout) the ending was abrupt and unexpected. The main character begins to feel a sense of freedom after learning her husband has died. I think this shows the bond that a wife and husband had during those days. A wife lived for her husband; they were not free to live for themselves. This is why Louise kept repeating, "'Free! Body and soul free!'"(327/handout). I think that this is different from today's society though. I think there are the married couples who continue to live for themselves, which is why they end up getting a divorce. But I think the couples that last are the ones where both the husband and the wife live for their spouse, not just the wife for the husband.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
You're Ugly, Too
You're Ugly, Too
Lorrie Moore
This story illustrates a teacher who is social awkward. Zoe's lack of confidence in herself is evident through descriptions of how she sees herself. "The mirror, however, tended to frighten her, startling her with an image of a woman she never recognized" (page 358). Her insecurities were illustrated through diction and situations within the plot of the story. The mentioning of the hair on her chin multiple times emphasized her ever present concerns about herself.
The title of this piece is "You're Ugly, Too", obviously. The main character, Zoe, views herself as an unattractive being. Her previous struggles with relationships depicts the "ugliness" in these men. The costumes that the people wear at the party help to show their insecurities or their ugliness. Not only is Zoe one who is under the "love me not" category, but also her previous boyfriends.
Lorrie Moore
This story illustrates a teacher who is social awkward. Zoe's lack of confidence in herself is evident through descriptions of how she sees herself. "The mirror, however, tended to frighten her, startling her with an image of a woman she never recognized" (page 358). Her insecurities were illustrated through diction and situations within the plot of the story. The mentioning of the hair on her chin multiple times emphasized her ever present concerns about herself.
The title of this piece is "You're Ugly, Too", obviously. The main character, Zoe, views herself as an unattractive being. Her previous struggles with relationships depicts the "ugliness" in these men. The costumes that the people wear at the party help to show their insecurities or their ugliness. Not only is Zoe one who is under the "love me not" category, but also her previous boyfriends.
Getting Out
Getting Out
Cleopatra Mathis
This poem was fairly easy to identify with, because this type of situation, being a couple going there separate ways, is a rather known situation these days. The imagery used in the poem easily depicts this splitting. Furthermore, the images help to show the multiple emotions felt by the speaker during this time. The phrase "heaving words like furniture" shows the anger of the couple. "Exhausted, we gave up" shows the tired and saddened couple. The last three lines show that the couple was not the normal couple that were happy to finally be going their separate ways. Instead, they were sad to be going apart. They saw that just their love was not enough to keep them together. The couple truly did love each other, but that wasn't enough to keep them together. She still has feelings for her ex-lover, but knows that they tried. Though it is sad to look back on, what happened was for the best.
Cleopatra Mathis
This poem was fairly easy to identify with, because this type of situation, being a couple going there separate ways, is a rather known situation these days. The imagery used in the poem easily depicts this splitting. Furthermore, the images help to show the multiple emotions felt by the speaker during this time. The phrase "heaving words like furniture" shows the anger of the couple. "Exhausted, we gave up" shows the tired and saddened couple. The last three lines show that the couple was not the normal couple that were happy to finally be going their separate ways. Instead, they were sad to be going apart. They saw that just their love was not enough to keep them together. The couple truly did love each other, but that wasn't enough to keep them together. She still has feelings for her ex-lover, but knows that they tried. Though it is sad to look back on, what happened was for the best.
Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics
Raymond Carver
The last line of this story is: "In this manner, the issue was decided." (335 [handout]) One of the questions after asks what is this issue. Based on the context, I would have to say the issue is who receives custody of the baby. A second question asks (number 5) if the title "Popular Mechanics" is a more effective title then the original title "Mine". I feel that the original title made sense with the plot of the story. The couple is arguing over who gets the child: it is the appropriate situation for a childish "it's my baby" "no it's mine" type of thing. However, the title is now popular mechanics, so how does that fit in? Well popular relates to known things, so I took that as something that was somewhat common. Mechanics is like engineering or the structure of something. Therefore, the title is like a common build or a common structure. This could mean that the author viewed this story as a common type of situation for families.
Raymond Carver
The last line of this story is: "In this manner, the issue was decided." (335 [handout]) One of the questions after asks what is this issue. Based on the context, I would have to say the issue is who receives custody of the baby. A second question asks (number 5) if the title "Popular Mechanics" is a more effective title then the original title "Mine". I feel that the original title made sense with the plot of the story. The couple is arguing over who gets the child: it is the appropriate situation for a childish "it's my baby" "no it's mine" type of thing. However, the title is now popular mechanics, so how does that fit in? Well popular relates to known things, so I took that as something that was somewhat common. Mechanics is like engineering or the structure of something. Therefore, the title is like a common build or a common structure. This could mean that the author viewed this story as a common type of situation for families.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
delight in disorder
Delight in Disorder
Robert Herrick
This poem uses many words such as distraction, confusedly, and careless to maintain the disorder portion of the title. The delight comes from the speaker admiring the woman. The woman wears all of these types of clothes that the speaker mentions and he states imperfections about them. For example in lines three and four, the speaker says "A lawn about the shoulders thrown|Into a fine distraction." The theme of the poem relates to the title of the poem. The theme being that beauty can be seen despite imperfections. The fact that there was no rhyme scheme and the phrases themselves varied in length also helped to enhance the feeling of disorder.
The phrase "wild civility" is an oxymoron. The phrase which it is in presents a picture of a poorly tied shoestring. Though there is a form, and the shoe is tied, though there is also a sense of disorder in the sense that it is maybe a loose or floppy tie. This just allows for another image of disorder.
Robert Herrick
This poem uses many words such as distraction, confusedly, and careless to maintain the disorder portion of the title. The delight comes from the speaker admiring the woman. The woman wears all of these types of clothes that the speaker mentions and he states imperfections about them. For example in lines three and four, the speaker says "A lawn about the shoulders thrown|Into a fine distraction." The theme of the poem relates to the title of the poem. The theme being that beauty can be seen despite imperfections. The fact that there was no rhyme scheme and the phrases themselves varied in length also helped to enhance the feeling of disorder.
The phrase "wild civility" is an oxymoron. The phrase which it is in presents a picture of a poorly tied shoestring. Though there is a form, and the shoe is tied, though there is also a sense of disorder in the sense that it is maybe a loose or floppy tie. This just allows for another image of disorder.
lonely hearts
Lonely Hearts
Wendy Cope
The speaker of this poem is a very desperate man of society. He wants a woman and he wants one now. He is tired of being lonely, and desires to find this woman to make him not lonely anymore. He basically says he will take whoever he can. Therefore, any standards he had set before are no longer present: so for example there's no longer a age limit of this girl he is longing for.
The lines "Can someone make my simple wish come true?" and "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" are repeated throughout this villanelle poem.(it's part of the structure) The question of whether the woman lives in North London makes me think that that is where the man lives (the setting). The question of can someone make his wish come true simply reinstates the desperation of the speaker.That appeared to be pretty much the extent of the poem though. However, I am guessing it is not that straightforward.
Wendy Cope
The speaker of this poem is a very desperate man of society. He wants a woman and he wants one now. He is tired of being lonely, and desires to find this woman to make him not lonely anymore. He basically says he will take whoever he can. Therefore, any standards he had set before are no longer present: so for example there's no longer a age limit of this girl he is longing for.
The lines "Can someone make my simple wish come true?" and "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" are repeated throughout this villanelle poem.(it's part of the structure) The question of whether the woman lives in North London makes me think that that is where the man lives (the setting). The question of can someone make his wish come true simply reinstates the desperation of the speaker.That appeared to be pretty much the extent of the poem though. However, I am guessing it is not that straightforward.
Eveline
Eveline
James Joyce
I found that the theme throughout this short story was that when making a decision about the future, it is important to not make the decision while focused on the past. When doing so, you can take yourself out of an opportunity to experience something new. Eveline has the struggle of staying at her home in Dublin or moving to Buenos Aires with Frank. Frank is an interesting character. He is described as a "kind, manly, open-hearted." (Joyce, 220). He is also a countryman and a sailor. Eveline's father did not like Frank saying that he knew his type of person. I am not quite sure if Frank is the type of person Eveline says, and if there was anything to provide the reader with a different idea I missed that one. However, I felt that Eveline viewed Frank as her rescuer or her way to escape her present life.(this could bias her view of Frank) I was confused at the end of the short story though on whether or not she ended up leaving or not. I interpreted it as she ended up not leaving because of.....but I was not sure. Hmm....
James Joyce
I found that the theme throughout this short story was that when making a decision about the future, it is important to not make the decision while focused on the past. When doing so, you can take yourself out of an opportunity to experience something new. Eveline has the struggle of staying at her home in Dublin or moving to Buenos Aires with Frank. Frank is an interesting character. He is described as a "kind, manly, open-hearted." (Joyce, 220). He is also a countryman and a sailor. Eveline's father did not like Frank saying that he knew his type of person. I am not quite sure if Frank is the type of person Eveline says, and if there was anything to provide the reader with a different idea I missed that one. However, I felt that Eveline viewed Frank as her rescuer or her way to escape her present life.(this could bias her view of Frank) I was confused at the end of the short story though on whether or not she ended up leaving or not. I interpreted it as she ended up not leaving because of.....but I was not sure. Hmm....
How I Met My Husband
How I Met My Husband
Alice Munro
I greatly enjoyed the twist at the end of the story of how the mailman was the man that actually became her husband. The choice of diction used by the narrator allows the reader to believe that Chris, the pilot, might actually be the husband. Even though the story is told as the woman looking back on when she was fifteen and met her husband, she tells the part of her and the pilot in a way that makes you think he is not the man that his finance claimed he was. "'He just made use of you and went off, you know that, don't you?" (Munro, 143) She awaits his letter everyday and the reader awaits his letter just the same. The narrator recalls how she believed that he was not the type of person to not stay true to his word, and this allows the reader to also believe the best in Chris. She did not speak down upon him at all, which also leads the reader to believe that maybe he isn't that bad of a guy.(Maybe I am just optimistic, but it made me feel this way) Imagine how coincidental it is to meet your future spouse while awaiting the return of the person you are with or plan to be with....very odd. I think it is even more ironic, because I am positive this has happened before in real life at one point in time, or a similar situation.
Alice Munro
I greatly enjoyed the twist at the end of the story of how the mailman was the man that actually became her husband. The choice of diction used by the narrator allows the reader to believe that Chris, the pilot, might actually be the husband. Even though the story is told as the woman looking back on when she was fifteen and met her husband, she tells the part of her and the pilot in a way that makes you think he is not the man that his finance claimed he was. "'He just made use of you and went off, you know that, don't you?" (Munro, 143) She awaits his letter everyday and the reader awaits his letter just the same. The narrator recalls how she believed that he was not the type of person to not stay true to his word, and this allows the reader to also believe the best in Chris. She did not speak down upon him at all, which also leads the reader to believe that maybe he isn't that bad of a guy.(Maybe I am just optimistic, but it made me feel this way) Imagine how coincidental it is to meet your future spouse while awaiting the return of the person you are with or plan to be with....very odd. I think it is even more ironic, because I am positive this has happened before in real life at one point in time, or a similar situation.
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