"I would prefer not to." (page 653)
This annoying phrase is repeated throughout the entire story. Everytime he was asked to do something, he gave the same response. I still don't understand why he said this over and over. It was really difficult to read this book and relate to his character or any character because of how annoying Bartleby's character was. I wish that I understood his reasoning behind the way he reacted to things so that I could sympathize for his character a little. The narrator sympathized for Bartleby at the end of the chapter because he has a sense of peace when Bartleby dies. I feel like Bartleby partially would "prefer not to" do things because of people specifically asking him to do that. He didn't want to conform to what other people had been asking or telling him to do, so he just "preferred not to". Maybe, Bartleby just wanted to be an individual so much so that he did everything that he could in his power to do so. However, it didn't really turn out very well for him.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Hunters in the Snow
"Frank roused himself. 'Kenny,' he said. He bent down and put his gloved hand on Kenny's brow. 'You shot him,' he said to Tub.
'He made me,' Tub said.
'No no no,' Kenny said." (page 193)
Throughout the story, Kenny, Tub, and Frank continually showed their stupidity. From the very beginning of the story, the three men are doing something not very intelligent. While Kenny is bleeding to death in the back of their truck, Tub and Frank leave him there as if he is nothing but an animal they shot on their hunting escapade. They only care about the face that they are cold, not that Kenny is bleeding to death. I think that Tub and Frank are just really negative, mean people. Also, the fact that Frank is in love with a 15 year old girl makes them even weirder and more not-likable. Seriously, like these men have absolutely nothing going for them, so I guess it doesn't really matter that they have no common sense or morals what so ever. Honestly, the stupidity of these characters in the book just made me mad and not like any of the characters in this story.
Throughout the story, Kenny, Tub, and Frank continually showed their stupidity. From the very beginning of the story, the three men are doing something not very intelligent. While Kenny is bleeding to death in the back of their truck, Tub and Frank leave him there as if he is nothing but an animal they shot on their hunting escapade. They only care about the face that they are cold, not that Kenny is bleeding to death. I think that Tub and Frank are just really negative, mean people. Also, the fact that Frank is in love with a 15 year old girl makes them even weirder and more not-likable. Seriously, like these men have absolutely nothing going for them, so I guess it doesn't really matter that they have no common sense or morals what so ever. Honestly, the stupidity of these characters in the book just made me mad and not like any of the characters in this story.
Everyday Use
"Maggie will be nervous until her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scares down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe. She thinks her sister has held life always i the pal m of one hand, that "no" is a word the world never learned to say to her." (page 173)
Throughout the entire story I realized how different all of the characters in this short story were from each other. I feel that the differences in characters was important to the theme. Dee was the self- centered one who always cared about how she looked. Dee was also the only one in her family that was really educated. I still am confused as to how she became educated though. But, despite all of the great things that went her way, she took everything for granted. Thus, people saw her as very selfish and mean, so they didn't really like her. Maggie was my favorite one in this story. Maggie was very shy. Even though Maggie wasn't very intelligent, she really tried to do her best in all aspects of her life. Because of Maggie's lack of success, she never felt good enough. Beings sister's with Dee made her feel even worse about herself. Mama was very observant. She knew everything about Maggie and Dee and she was very loving towards them. Mama was also very old-fashioned, compared to Dee who was very worldly, and consumed solely on that premise. All of these character traits help to shape the story and the themes in the story.
Throughout the entire story I realized how different all of the characters in this short story were from each other. I feel that the differences in characters was important to the theme. Dee was the self- centered one who always cared about how she looked. Dee was also the only one in her family that was really educated. I still am confused as to how she became educated though. But, despite all of the great things that went her way, she took everything for granted. Thus, people saw her as very selfish and mean, so they didn't really like her. Maggie was my favorite one in this story. Maggie was very shy. Even though Maggie wasn't very intelligent, she really tried to do her best in all aspects of her life. Because of Maggie's lack of success, she never felt good enough. Beings sister's with Dee made her feel even worse about herself. Mama was very observant. She knew everything about Maggie and Dee and she was very loving towards them. Mama was also very old-fashioned, compared to Dee who was very worldly, and consumed solely on that premise. All of these character traits help to shape the story and the themes in the story.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
A Rose for Emily
"One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair."
This story creeped me out. The mysterious tone of the story was definitely added by the reader's continuous questioning and unknowing attitude throughout the course of the story. I don't really understand the end of the story. The beginning of the story starts off with Emily always being gossiped about and considered "poor Emily" because of her father and the life she lives. Yet, at the end of the story she has killed her husband and sleeps with his dead body? I don't understand that at all. I also did not get why everyone attended her funeral if she is a murderer. I also think it is interesting that the beginning of the story starts the reader off with a semi-normal attitude toward Emily, but at the end, the reader is very shocked and creeped out by Emily.
This story creeped me out. The mysterious tone of the story was definitely added by the reader's continuous questioning and unknowing attitude throughout the course of the story. I don't really understand the end of the story. The beginning of the story starts off with Emily always being gossiped about and considered "poor Emily" because of her father and the life she lives. Yet, at the end of the story she has killed her husband and sleeps with his dead body? I don't understand that at all. I also did not get why everyone attended her funeral if she is a murderer. I also think it is interesting that the beginning of the story starts the reader off with a semi-normal attitude toward Emily, but at the end, the reader is very shocked and creeped out by Emily.
Interpreter of Maladies
"No one but Mr. Kapasi noticed. He watched as it rose, carried higher and higher by the breeze, into the trees where the monkeys now sat, solemnly observing the scene below."
I didn't really understand where this story was going at first. However, over time I began to understand the conflict in the story. Mr. Kapasi was very lonely. He had become used to his wife's coldness towards him. Because of his loneliness in his job and in his relationship he begins to wonder about a life with Mrs. Das. He planned out the relationship they would have and obsesses over little details about what could be and when her letter would come. At the end, his fairy tale of being with Mrs. Das disappears, just like the address. Also, the suspense and curiosity of what would happen with Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi the entire time kept the story interesting. The misunderstanding in Mrs. Das' understanding of what kind of interpreter Mr. Kapasi is lead to Mrs. Das assuming that Mr. Kapasi has everything figured out. Mrs. Das looks for Mr. Kapasi to have the answers to her problems, but this is not the case at all. In the end, nothing works out and Mr. Kapasi is still just as lonely as he began.
I didn't really understand where this story was going at first. However, over time I began to understand the conflict in the story. Mr. Kapasi was very lonely. He had become used to his wife's coldness towards him. Because of his loneliness in his job and in his relationship he begins to wonder about a life with Mrs. Das. He planned out the relationship they would have and obsesses over little details about what could be and when her letter would come. At the end, his fairy tale of being with Mrs. Das disappears, just like the address. Also, the suspense and curiosity of what would happen with Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi the entire time kept the story interesting. The misunderstanding in Mrs. Das' understanding of what kind of interpreter Mr. Kapasi is lead to Mrs. Das assuming that Mr. Kapasi has everything figured out. Mrs. Das looks for Mr. Kapasi to have the answers to her problems, but this is not the case at all. In the end, nothing works out and Mr. Kapasi is still just as lonely as he began.
How I Met My Husband
1. Describe the plot structure in the story. How is the arrangement of the plot elements effective? At Which points were your expectations as a reader overturned?
"So I said yes, and I went out with him for two years and he asked me to marry him, and we were engaged a year more while I got my things together, and then we did marry."
The plot structure of "How I Met My Husband" is very consistent until the end. The story plot consists of Edie continually telling of her life as a hired girl, telling details of important events that lead up to her meeting her husband. The chronological order of the events makes it easy to follow and imagine vividly what occurred. However, towards the end, and especially the last paragraph, we find out that the reader does not marry Chris, but the mailman instead. It was at this point at the end when my expectations as a reader were overturned. I feel like the author purposely made the entire plot seem as if Edie would marry Chris, seeing as he was the only main male in the story. Yet, if she did not care for or like Chris, she would have never come across the mailman. The author purposely sets up the story to make the reader assume that Edie will marry Chris, but as we all find out, this does not happen.
"So I said yes, and I went out with him for two years and he asked me to marry him, and we were engaged a year more while I got my things together, and then we did marry."
The plot structure of "How I Met My Husband" is very consistent until the end. The story plot consists of Edie continually telling of her life as a hired girl, telling details of important events that lead up to her meeting her husband. The chronological order of the events makes it easy to follow and imagine vividly what occurred. However, towards the end, and especially the last paragraph, we find out that the reader does not marry Chris, but the mailman instead. It was at this point at the end when my expectations as a reader were overturned. I feel like the author purposely made the entire plot seem as if Edie would marry Chris, seeing as he was the only main male in the story. Yet, if she did not care for or like Chris, she would have never come across the mailman. The author purposely sets up the story to make the reader assume that Edie will marry Chris, but as we all find out, this does not happen.
A Rose for Emily
1. How is the issue of chronology related to the larger thematic design of the story?
"When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant--a combined gardener and cook--had seen in at least ten years."
In order to create suspense for the reader, Faulkner changed the normal chronological order of the story. The reader is continually questioning and curious as to what will happen next based on the chronological order of the story. The already eerie mood of the story is further added to by this suspenseful order. The climax is at the very end of the story. A story written in the regular order would not have created so much suspense and curiosity in the last part and most specifically the last paragraph of the story. The reader is able to put themselves in the same situation as the people in Jefferson and find out the surprise at the same time as everyone else. This simple fact also adds to the thematic design of suspense and curiosity in the story. Without a reverse chronological order in the story, the mood would be completely different.
"When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant--a combined gardener and cook--had seen in at least ten years."
In order to create suspense for the reader, Faulkner changed the normal chronological order of the story. The reader is continually questioning and curious as to what will happen next based on the chronological order of the story. The already eerie mood of the story is further added to by this suspenseful order. The climax is at the very end of the story. A story written in the regular order would not have created so much suspense and curiosity in the last part and most specifically the last paragraph of the story. The reader is able to put themselves in the same situation as the people in Jefferson and find out the surprise at the same time as everyone else. This simple fact also adds to the thematic design of suspense and curiosity in the story. Without a reverse chronological order in the story, the mood would be completely different.
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