"But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying." (pg. 186)
To be honest, I didn't understand this poem very well. I got that she was an avid people-watcher. She liked it so much that every Sunday she would sit and watch everyone come to this main gathering place in the park. Miss Brill came to a realization in this short story that her life is like a play. She is part of the audience who goes to watch the play, and the people at the gathering place are the performers and actors. This old woman loves Sundays because of this opportunity to come and people-watch . This Sunday was especially important because it involved many more people than last Sunday and "the Season" had begun. I'm assuming this "Season" is Christmas, but I really have no idea. The last part I didn't understand because I don't know the significance of the fur. Apparently, it must have been very special to her otherwise she wouldn't had the crying at the end.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Once Upon A Time
"I couldn't find a position in which my mind would let go of my body - release me to sleep again. So I began to tell myself a story; a bedtime story."
First of all, why would someone tell this story to themselves when trying to go to bed? It is kind of depressing, or at least I think it was. Did the child end up dying or just severely hurt? Moving on to the questions, I think the child really has no blame in this because it was never mentioned that the parents told the kid not to go near the wire. I think there is a little bit of irony in the sign that says, "YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED." The people on the outside have been warned, but not the people on the inside. The sounds at the beginning are the creaking which she thinks is a burglar in her house and a voice. The most significant cause for fear out of these two would definitely be the burglar in her house because recently she had someone in her neighborhood killed in broad daylight. Another thing I noticed was all the security that the family put up around their house. They had bars on their windows and doors and a huge wall with coiled wire on the top. This reminds me of a jail, and how ironic it is that they are the ones inside the jail-like house when the people on the outside should really be the ones in jail.
First of all, why would someone tell this story to themselves when trying to go to bed? It is kind of depressing, or at least I think it was. Did the child end up dying or just severely hurt? Moving on to the questions, I think the child really has no blame in this because it was never mentioned that the parents told the kid not to go near the wire. I think there is a little bit of irony in the sign that says, "YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED." The people on the outside have been warned, but not the people on the inside. The sounds at the beginning are the creaking which she thinks is a burglar in her house and a voice. The most significant cause for fear out of these two would definitely be the burglar in her house because recently she had someone in her neighborhood killed in broad daylight. Another thing I noticed was all the security that the family put up around their house. They had bars on their windows and doors and a huge wall with coiled wire on the top. This reminds me of a jail, and how ironic it is that they are the ones inside the jail-like house when the people on the outside should really be the ones in jail.
A Worn Path
"She wore a dark striped dress reaching down to her shoe tops, and an equally long apron of bleached sugar sacks, with a full pocket: all neat and tidy, but every time she took a step she might have fallen over her shoelaces, which dragged from her unlaced shoes." (pg. 223)
This quote is an example of indirect characterization because the author is telling the reader how Phoenix dresses. Authors often use this type of characterization instead of directly telling us what the character is like.
"A Worn Path" is a short story involving this "old Negro woman" name Phoenix who is determined to get to town. This town is pretty far away as she ran into a couple of strangers along the way. Once she got to this little town, she completely forgot what she came for. Then, she remembered that she came to get some medicine for her sick grandson. In one of the questions, it asks the author if the grandson is really dead. Personally, I have no idea why someone would ask the author this because I didn't see any clues to make me think that the grandson is dead. The author avoided the question which makes me think that it is left up to an individual's perception.
This quote is an example of indirect characterization because the author is telling the reader how Phoenix dresses. Authors often use this type of characterization instead of directly telling us what the character is like.
"A Worn Path" is a short story involving this "old Negro woman" name Phoenix who is determined to get to town. This town is pretty far away as she ran into a couple of strangers along the way. Once she got to this little town, she completely forgot what she came for. Then, she remembered that she came to get some medicine for her sick grandson. In one of the questions, it asks the author if the grandson is really dead. Personally, I have no idea why someone would ask the author this because I didn't see any clues to make me think that the grandson is dead. The author avoided the question which makes me think that it is left up to an individual's perception.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Eveline
"It was hard work - a hard life - but now that she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life." (pg. 220)
Throughout this short story, Eveline, the main character, is trying to decide whether she should stay in the situation she's in right now or move on to a new life with a man. I don't think she ever fully knew which she wanted, but she ended up choosing the life she has now. Eveline wanted to leave because she wanted to be treated with respect and did not want to play the traditional role of housekeeper. She also wanted her own money that she did not have to borrow from her father, and she wanted a break from the hard work and life mentioned in the above quote. On the flip side, she also enjoys this hard life because it's the only life she has ever known. Her father strongly disapproves of the relationship that Eveline is in because he seems to think that Frank is just like all the other sailors. Frank is described as being "kind, manly, and open-hearted," "fond of music" and sings, and is a sailor. I believe that Eveline had not really made up her mind on what choice she wanted to make as the boat was leaving. She had a feeling and decided to go with it, leaving the man she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with traveling on his own.
Throughout this short story, Eveline, the main character, is trying to decide whether she should stay in the situation she's in right now or move on to a new life with a man. I don't think she ever fully knew which she wanted, but she ended up choosing the life she has now. Eveline wanted to leave because she wanted to be treated with respect and did not want to play the traditional role of housekeeper. She also wanted her own money that she did not have to borrow from her father, and she wanted a break from the hard work and life mentioned in the above quote. On the flip side, she also enjoys this hard life because it's the only life she has ever known. Her father strongly disapproves of the relationship that Eveline is in because he seems to think that Frank is just like all the other sailors. Frank is described as being "kind, manly, and open-hearted," "fond of music" and sings, and is a sailor. I believe that Eveline had not really made up her mind on what choice she wanted to make as the boat was leaving. She had a feeling and decided to go with it, leaving the man she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with traveling on his own.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Everyday Use 2
"Maggie smiled; maybe at the sunglasses. But a real smile, not scared." (pg. 181)
Throughout this short story, there were three main characterizations made. Maggie is the little sister who stands in the corners, kind of to herself. She seems innocent like a child and really just sees life as it is. Mama is seen as someone who sticks up for Maggie in the story because Maggie won't stick up for herself. The reader and Mama could tell that Maggie wanted the quilts when they were arguing, but she wasn't speaking up. She was letting Dee run all over her, and she was going to let her take the quilts until Mama stepped in. Dee is a character who is very arrogant and ungrateful. She tries to get everything her way. I really did not like Dee's character because she was a brat who would not take no for an answer, even when the quilts weren't hers to begin with.
Throughout this short story, there were three main characterizations made. Maggie is the little sister who stands in the corners, kind of to herself. She seems innocent like a child and really just sees life as it is. Mama is seen as someone who sticks up for Maggie in the story because Maggie won't stick up for herself. The reader and Mama could tell that Maggie wanted the quilts when they were arguing, but she wasn't speaking up. She was letting Dee run all over her, and she was going to let her take the quilts until Mama stepped in. Dee is a character who is very arrogant and ungrateful. She tries to get everything her way. I really did not like Dee's character because she was a brat who would not take no for an answer, even when the quilts weren't hers to begin with.
Bartleby the Scrivener
"I would prefer not to."
This was Bartleby's signature phrase in this short story. Throughout this story, Bartleby is an interesting character. When his boss asks him to do something, he would always just say, "I would prefer not to." He is a very hard worker, but he likes to do what he wants and doesn't like other people telling him what to do. This didn't work very well in a job situation, as he was eventually fired. This didn't stop Bartleby as he was continually seen in the office even after he was fired. I thought this was really weird until I kept reading. Apparently, Bartleby lived there. After his old company left the office, a new company moved in and called the cops on him. He was sent to jail, and his stubborn personality stopped him from accepting food from other people. Bartleby ended up dying, and it was his fault because he didn't want to eat in jail.
This was Bartleby's signature phrase in this short story. Throughout this story, Bartleby is an interesting character. When his boss asks him to do something, he would always just say, "I would prefer not to." He is a very hard worker, but he likes to do what he wants and doesn't like other people telling him what to do. This didn't work very well in a job situation, as he was eventually fired. This didn't stop Bartleby as he was continually seen in the office even after he was fired. I thought this was really weird until I kept reading. Apparently, Bartleby lived there. After his old company left the office, a new company moved in and called the cops on him. He was sent to jail, and his stubborn personality stopped him from accepting food from other people. Bartleby ended up dying, and it was his fault because he didn't want to eat in jail.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Hunters in the Snow
"His knuckles were hairy. He wore a heavy wedding band and on his right pinky another gold ring with a flat face and an 'F' in what looked like diamonds." (pg. 189)
This is an example of indirect characterization because the author is explaining what Frank looks like. Indirect characterization often times goes into more detail than direct characterization, but it forces the reader to come up with a conclusion on their own. This short story involved three men going on a hunt. After Kenny was shot by Tub, they were forced to leave and try to make it to a hospital. Several times on their journey, they had to stop because it was so cold. When they stopped, they left Kenny in the back of the truck and went inside. I thought this was really strange because I don't know why they would leave him out there all by himself, especially after he had been shot. At one stop, Tub took his time to eat four orders of pancakes with Kenny outside the entire time. The ending was a shocker to me because I thought they would make it to a hospital. Apparently, they didn't make it so I'm guessing Kenny died.
This is an example of indirect characterization because the author is explaining what Frank looks like. Indirect characterization often times goes into more detail than direct characterization, but it forces the reader to come up with a conclusion on their own. This short story involved three men going on a hunt. After Kenny was shot by Tub, they were forced to leave and try to make it to a hospital. Several times on their journey, they had to stop because it was so cold. When they stopped, they left Kenny in the back of the truck and went inside. I thought this was really strange because I don't know why they would leave him out there all by himself, especially after he had been shot. At one stop, Tub took his time to eat four orders of pancakes with Kenny outside the entire time. The ending was a shocker to me because I thought they would make it to a hospital. Apparently, they didn't make it so I'm guessing Kenny died.
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