The Catcher in the Rye. Post 8. (the final post ever!)

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

My overall impression of this book would have to be summed up in one phrase: confused and intrigued. This book has a very unique writing technique that was very casual and difficult to get used to. That, coupled with the hard to discover mission of the work made the book hard to read through. The story was certainly interesting. It was a great story that had some interesting first person perspective style. It really was. Would I read it again or recommend it to a friend? I hope I don't have to read this book again, and, no, I don't think that I would recommend this book to a friend because of two reasons. First, the book is not exactly the most engaging or thrilling book. Sure, Holden goes on adventures and does things he is not supposed to do, but the lack of organization and the constantly skewing thought process of the speaker made it hard to follow while reading. Second, this book did not follow the traditional bell curve structure. By that I mean that it did not have a distinguishable rising action, climax, falling action, or resolution. I just don't think that this book appeals to people looking for a read that will grab their attention, keep it while introducing new and exciting elements, and then ending with an understandable resolution. Primarily because this book does not exactly do much of any of that.

While I enjoyed reading this novel, it felt like I was reading the journal or the memoirs of a person that was realizing their descent into madness. Not the most engaging prospect. Granted the end message was rather valuable to me. What I took from this work is that we should never be afraid or upset about becoming an adult because no matter what we do to prolong that occurrence, we can never truly avoid that reality.

"It's funny. Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody" (Salinger, 214).

The Catcher in the Rye. Post 7.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

In the last section of the book, Holden reveals some inner thoughts that don't include excessive swearing and perverted thoughts. The final chapter Holden reveals that he is receiving some kind of psychiatric help. This cements the theory that my reading group had that Holden had some kind of repressed trauma from losing his brother at such a young age. Allie's death seemed to cast Holden into adulthood, by making him face and deal with death, which was beyond his capacity and eventually broke him and made him desire to remain a child.

Holden seems apologetic and sincere about his actions and decisions, at least in the way you'd expect when reading his thoughts. He still has some sarcasm and apathy peeking through the sincerity, which seems counterintuitive, sincere sarcasm. Anyway, Holden, at the end of the book, seems to be facing his problems and making some progressive recovery.

"A lot of people, especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here, keeps asking me if I'm going to apply myself when I go back to school next September. It's such a stupid question, in my opinion. I mean how do you know what you're going to do until you do it? The answer is, you don't. I think I am, but how do I know? I swear it's a stupid question" (Salinger, 213).

The Catcher in the Rye. Post 6.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

In the final section of the book, we finally get actual contact with Phoebe, Holden's kid sister. She seems to be the only one that can effectively relate to Holden despite his inherent social inabilities.

That is one thing that really confused me throughout this entire book. Holden seemed to be able to relate to people just fine on a superficial level, but when he was presented with a way to reveal anything more than his public façade, Holden fell apart and went crazy. It is intriguing to read about a character like that. It really is.

Anyway, Phoebe seems to be the only one that truly understands how Holden thinks and operates. I think that it is because Holden desires to maintain his childhood and Phoebe is still a child so she can see that in him.

"It's funny. You take adults, they look lousy when they're asleep and they have their mouths way open, but kids don't. Kids look alright" (Salinger, 159).

The interaction between Phoebe and Holden almost seems to make Holden sound normal and functional. The only time this happens in the entire book. He seems innocent again.

The Catcher in the Rye. Post 5.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

This blog is brought to you by the word: Whatever... because that seems to be Holden's attitude towards anything he does. His emotional spectrum runs from angry, to uncaring, to depressed with virtually no in-betweens. It is frustrating to read a story in which the speaker (also the main character) shows little emotion while at the same time completely revealing his inner most thoughts about almost everything he sees. It is like reading  a Wikipedia page. It really is. the speaker gives is view and what he thinks about it.

It is interesting, however, that a kid, still in high school, can get away with getting absolutely hammered when he knows he is not supposed to.

"I must've been drunker than I thought" (Salinger, 154).

There is not much to be said about what the actual point of this story is, but if I had to say, I would postulate that this book is about what can happen when people are unintentionally forced into adulthood earlier than nature intends for them to progress into. It seems that Holden spends the whole book trying to escape adulthood while remaining in the twilight zone between adolescence and adulthood.

The Catcher in the Rye. Post 4.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

Another rhetorical question. What would you do if you pulled an all-nighter? Well old Holden here spent it trying to get drunk, find a prostitute, feeling lousy about himself, and smoking a cigarette, all before he is legally allowed to do any of those things (aside from the third activity).

I may have mentioned before that Holden is in a way unstable as a person. He goes through these mood changes so fluidly that it is hard to determine what his baseline attitude is. In the second section, he is mostly depressed but he goes through these phases of being horny, happy, super sad, and angry that it is almost like there are four main characters all at the same time that interchange. Holden also can't make up his mind about most anything. In the second section of the book, he can't decide who he wants to call on the phone, so he ends up not calling anyone. He wants a prostitute but when he finally has one in his room, he feels to scared and depressed to do anything with her. He keeps thinking about Jane but keeps trying to get with other women. He can't decide where he wants to go in his cab or if he wants to go to his hotel room to go to bed. He has what I would like to deem, Chronic 14 year old girl syndrome. Can't make up his freaking mind.

"Boy, I felt miserable. I felt so depressed, you can't imagine. What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed. (Page 98)"

The Catcher in the Rye. Post 3.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

So, let me start with a question. What kind of teenager would spend their time trying to find a prostitute or get drunk alone in New York when they are supposed to be back at school? Holden Caulfield, that's the teenager I was referring to.

The entire time that he spends obsessing about his memories of Jane, Holden is trying to smooth talk a girl to have sex with or trying to convince a bartender that he was old enough to buy liquor. I really mean it. The entire time. And that really knocks me out. It really does.

So this teenager is allowed to smoke, drink, and solicit prostitutes with practically no negative consequences. It just sounds ridiculous. This kid seems depressed and absolutely insane to me.

"I knew that I did not have to get all dolled up for a prostitute or anything, but it sort of gave me something to do. I was a little nervous. I was starting to feel pretty sexy and all, but I was a little nervous anyway. If you want to know the truth, I'm a virgin. I really am. (Page 92)"

INSANITY.

The Catcher in the Rye. Post 2.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

In the second section of the book, we see Holden present some really bizarre behavior for a teenager. A lot of his behavior is mildly obsessive and has an undertone of some sociopathic tendencies.

In one scene, after Holden leaves his school dorm after a fight with his room mate, which was totally uncalled for, Holden went to a hotel in New York to crash until Wednesday. There, he obsesses over this girl, he thinks about her constantly. He just can't get her off of his mind. Her name is Jane. It really is. And he keeps talking about he is depressed and just wants to crawl up in a ball and die, but he wants to go out and be with people. By the way, he keeps talking about this girl named Jane, who used to be his neighbor. She was really nice, he remembers her fondly.

Now, this is what I was talking about. Obsessive, unstable, frustratingly short attention span. This kid is either a schizophrenic or really likes Jane.

I forgot to mention the extent of his vocabulary. His descriptors are pretty much limited to Chrissake, stupid, moron, goddam, dopy, crumby, and a few other stellar choice words.

"She was a funny girl, old Jane. I wouldn't exactly describe her as beautiful. She knocked me out, though. She was sort of muckle-mouthed. I mean when she was talking and she got excited about something, her mouth would sort of went in about fifty directions., her lips and all. That killed me. And she never really closed it all the way, her mouth. It was always just a bit open, especially when she got in her golf stance, or when she was reading, and she read very good books. She read a lot of poetry and all. She was the only one, outside my family, that I ever showed Allie's baseball mitt to, or anything, because that was her first summer in Maine-- before that, she went to Cape Cod-- but I told her quite a lot about him. She was interested in that kind of stuff. (Page 77)"

See what I mean, NO ORGANIZATION.

The Catcher in the Rye. Post 1

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

So, to this point, I fail to see a coherent plot to the series of events that has happened so far in Holden's story. One thing I can tell you is that this book is almost painful to read. The basic diction and repetitiveness is simply put, frustrating and arduous to grind through. That combined with the fact that none of the story so far seems to have any real plot or value.

"The whole lobby was empty. It smelled like fifty million dead cigars. It really did. I wasn't sleepy or anything, but I was feeling sort of lousy. Depressed and all. I almost wished I was dead. (page 90)"

The disconnected plot events and the diction of a person who speaks in "text language" presents that this story is just trying to catalog what goes through the mind of a teenager who has some real anxiety problems or something.

Potpourri Unit. Post 4.

Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost.

"I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.(Line 2)"

I particularly enjoy poetry from Robert Frost for a couple of reasons. Firstly, his poem is incredibly symbolic which leaves much up to interpretation. I enjoy being able to speculate what the author is trying to convey to the reader. This poem certainly does not disappoint. The incredible ambiguity that Frost integrates into his particularly specific images and symbolism is what makes his poetry especially interesting to read.

Secondly, the symbolism itself is fantastic at creating an environment which can leave the reader wondering exactly what Frost was trying to say. While this poem leaves some symbols pretty straightforward, some have multiple or questionable meanings. While it is clear that the poem is trying to convey that the speaker has experienced some sadness or loneliness that he has since overcome or has repeatedly experienced and has been capable of overcoming the sadness.

Potpourri Unit. Post 3.

Dover Beach by Matt Arnold.

The three different bodies of water represent the universal alone feeling that is felt by people across the ages. This image is effective because water is generally similar wherever you go. The contrast between the lighthearted tone of the first stanza and the dark and depressing tone of the second and third stanzas builds suspense for what the speakers message is. The feeling that the author is trying to convey to the reader is that love is how we can defeat the loneliness that is so common in life.

This poem has a certain effect on the reader. The message is a wake up call that love can help us overcome the naturally depressing nature of our lives on earth. I enjoy this poem because it offers the more realistic view on life rather than the idealistic poem usually associated with love or feelings poetry.

"The Sea of Faith 
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore 
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled."

Potpourri Unit. Post 2.

Sorting Laundry by Elisavietta Ritche.

"If you were to leave me, if I were to fold only my own clothes."

The images in this poem tell the story of the relationship between the speaker and her partner. The different images about clothes shows the different elements of the relationship that have withstood time. My favorite image presented in this poem is the image of the socks going into the dryer and leaving alone. I think that it represents how the couple has gone through some situations and have come out feeling alone and abandoned. All the various laundry images become a metaphor for the relationship and all the things that the relationship have gone through.

This poem makes the reader question their own relationship if they have one. The poem has the effect of making the reader recognize and relate all the elements in their relationship and question whether or not their relationship is similar to the speakers and what would happen if they were left alone.

Potpourri Unit. Post 1.

Convergence of the Twain: Lines on the Loss of the 'Titanic' by Thomas Hardy.

"Dim moon-eyed fishes near
Gaze at the gilded gear
And query: 'What does this vaingloriousness down here?'"

This poem, from what I can tell, came soon after the Titanic sank on her maiden voyage. To me, this poem represents the waste of the beauty that sank to the bottom of the sea. The speaker mocks how the elegance of the massive ship does not matter to the creatures at the bottom of the Atlantic and how the sea does not care or consider the beauty and craftsmanship that went into the building of the ship as it sinks and settles. In a way, I sense the speaker mourning the loss of the vessel and all who went down with her.

In the speakers tone at the beginning, I felt like they were condemning the vanity and arrogance that contributed to the accident that led to the deaths of hundreds on the Titanic. Overall, this was a sad poem. This poem almost seemed like a story of remembrance or a reminder that tragedy can happen at any time.

Something to think about....

Unit 9. Post 4.

My Mistress' Eyes by William Shakespeare. 

This poem is hard to get a read on. I think that in the beginning, the speaker is pointing out the flaws that his mistress possesses. However, by the end, the speaker admits that despite all the imperfections, he still loves her for what she is. This poem seems to be a response to the poem Barbie Doll in that the speaker is disregarding all the judgement that he is making about his mistress.  While in Barbie Doll the character was consumed by her flaws to the point of self mutilation  the speaker in this poem seems to suggest that all of her flaws are what make her special. Who knows, I might be missing the mark completely, but that is what you get when you don't understand completely what is being said. 

"I grant I never saw a goddess go" (Shakespeare, line 11).

Another off the cuff idea is that the speaker is trying to reason why he is with this woman. Not sure if this is within the cone of meaning, but it seems that he is arguing with himself, pointing out all of the flaws, and then redacting his criticisms by saying he still loves her. Just a theory.

Unit 9. Post 3.

Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy. 

This poem tells a dark and rather realistic story with an extreme end. Commercialism today emphasizes flaws that women have and how the world today teaches women to be passive. The beginning creates the image of the dolls that pee and the mini kitchen set, which is very in line with the ideas of the 50's, that women were made to cook and mother children. 

The extreme in this poem is the woman's response to the criticism, she cut off her nose and legs to rid herself of the imperfections that others saw in her. 

"To every woman a happy ending" (Piercy, line 25).

This poem like the previous two stories, highlights a stereotype that is present in the real world. That is that women are expected to be pretty and do their duty as a woman, something that sounds absurd to the ear, but if you look at the material world, toys for women are essentially raising girls to cook and take care of children. Scary right. 

This seems to be a poem to inspire girls to resist the material world and the judgement of others. 

Unit 9. Post 2.

Jury of her Peers by Susan Glaspell.

This story, like Hunters in the Snow, stereotypes the female gender. This story exemplifies female comradeship in the end when the two women decide to hide the dead bird so that Mrs. Wright would not be judged as harshly. This story also stereotypes the male gender as disrespectful to females and uncaring of women's opinions. The women in this story present the stereotype that women gossip about everything. 

"When they spoke now it was as if they were afraid of what they were saying, but if they could not help saying it" (Glaspell, 422).

The women seem to do nothing more than gossip about the woman who murdered her husband the entire story. The men, oblivious to the fact that their wives were investigating the murder in their own way, disregard any idea or comment that the women have to tell them. The gender type casting in this story seems to resonate with early twentieth century logic, that women belonged doing chores, and men belonged doing any real work. The suspense was created in the story by the women coming up with their own ideas over why the murder took place, and the answer was not revealed until the end of the story. 

Unit 9. Post 1.

Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff.

"'Next thing you'll be wearing a nightgown, Frank. Selling flowers at the airport'" (Wolff, 188)

This story was absolutely hysterical to me. This story exemplifies the stereotypical male characters in such a perfect way that it makes it funny. Frank, the peace loving guy, who loves younger women. Kenny, the angry guy who has no feelings. Lastly, Tub, the fat guy that pretends to be happy but who's insecurities are eating him alive. All three of these characterizations represent a stereotypical male gender role in today's society.

The author did a great job of making an example of male bonding and how the men relate to one another. From personal experience, I can say it is pretty accurate to the real world and how men talk and relate to one another. The setting of what the guys are going to do is excellent for stereotyping the male gender. What better way to exploit the over manliness of the situation then by putting the characters on a hunting trip.

This story also revealed that men have much more under the skin than most people think. Tub and Frank both battle with their own demons which shows dynamics within their characters.

Othello Post 8.

Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Act V. Scene ii.

Ah, much like the Shakespearean tragedy we all know and love, not many people come out of the story alive. Cassio and Roderigo are presumed dead, Bianca is out of the picture, and in this scene I would not be surprised if Othello and Desdemona both bit the bullet. 

"Thou hast not half that power to do me harm as I have to be Hurt. O gull! O dolt! As ignorant as dirt! Thous hast done a deed II care not for thy sword, I'll make thee known, through I lost twenty lives" (V. ii. 161-164)

Here we witness Desdemona die just before Emilia comes in to accuse her husband Iago of lying to Othello. Othello, believing Iago to be honest, disbelieves Emilia and threatens to kill her too. EVERYBODY gets threatened to be killed in this story apparently. 

Then enters Iago, and gets questioned. His answers are clever and free him of any real guilt. Iago defends himself with the argument that he gave nothing more than his speculation and thought and left it up to Othello to decide what was true. 

Emilia reveals Iago's whole plot to everybody and it appears that things will not go well for Iago until Iago stabs Emilia and leaves. Cassio is apparently hanging in there at the end and in a ironic twist, Iago is taken prisoner. 

For Iago, everything seemed to be going according to plan, until Emilia unraveled it all. It turns that Iago did not even make it out of his plan. 

Final Death Toll

Desdemona

Emilia

Roderigo

Cassio, mortally wounded.

Brabantio, it was mentioned in there.

Finally, justice is served to Iago, a sick and twisted villain. 

Othello Post 7.

Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Act V. Scene i.

Finally, Iago gets his hands dirty, well kind of. The beginning of this scene is a battle between Roderigo and Cassio where Iago wants Roderigo to kill Cassio as part of his brilliant and devious plan. Like I said, this is really the first time Iago causes direct and deliberate physical harm to anyone, other than the handkerchief thing which was in a way him doing something deliberately. Anyway, Iago slashes Cassio in the back of the leg and then leaves the scene for Roderigo to finish Cassio off. What happens next? Iago comes to the rescue as an innocent and helpful first-responder. This guy is so two faced it is impressive. After responding to Cassio's cries, he kills Roderigo!

All bets are off as to who survives now. Iago kills his friends, his enemies, upsets relationships that had nothing to do with the original problem, takes money, and lies like a politician.

"Oh damned Iago! Oh, inhuman dog!" (V. i. 62)

Ok, so Iago is perhaps the most evil person I have learned about. His actions might as well have been done by the devil himself!

Othello Post 6.

Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Act IV. scene ii, iii.

This is where we see the most change in Othello and where we see Iago's plan being put into plan. We witness Othello question Emilia about Desdemona's affair with Cassio. Emilia denies any activity between the two, which infuriates Othello. My psychological analysis of Othello is that he feels backed into a corner with everybody against him, which makes him react with irrational, misdirected anger. The Othello we see in act four is worlds different from the stoic and reserved Othello of act one. Another change we see in Othello is his more direct questioning to Emilia and Desdemona, whereas in previous acts, Othello never directly asked anybody other than Iago about Desdemona.

"Heaven truly knows that thou art false as Hell" (IV. ii. 39).

The foreshadowing that is seen in these scenes is very precise in depicting Iago's plan. In scene three, Iago tells Roderigo to kill Cassio after midnight.

Everyone is confounded by Othello's unreasoning behavior. Iago's plan is all falling into place.

Iago is now at the top of my list of evil. His is a special kind of evil, an evil that destroys love and builds hatred, without any direct physical action... Brilliant!

Othello Post 5.

Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Act III. Scene iv.
Act IV. Scene i

These two scenes are perhaps the most evidence of Iago and his deceptive ways. In the first scene of Act IV, Iago finds a way of convincing Othello that his wife is having an affair with Cassio, and even finds a method to get Cassio to incriminate himself. This is where Iago plays the innocent friend trying trying to not get caught in the crossfire between Othello and Cassio. It is evident that what Iago is telling people about other people is beginning to tear the relationships that other characters have with each other apart. We also see Othello drastically change from the initial characterization seen in the first act.

"Fire and brimstone!" (IV. i. 218)

Iago again demonstrates a miraculous ability to manipulate the meaning of what people are saying. It is also amazing how dynamic Iago can be when he is faced with multiple people challenging him. His emotional reaction time makes him capable of adapting to every situation.

I am convinced that Iago is a pretty evil character. His manipulative ability is what makes him such an evil character, and he has demonstrated a magnificent ability to do so. Still, the guy who throws the Tetris blocks might still be more evil.

Othello Post 4.

Othello: The Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Act III. Scenes i. ii. iii.

It is masterful how well Iago is able to create a situation so caustic for everybody around him. While not much happens in the first two scenes of act III, the third scene is full of Iago slithering his way into people's sense of reason. Iago, while talking to Othello alone, makes it seem that he is defending Cassio but he is really building a case for Othello to be more watchful of his wife and who she is coming in contact with.

"Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss who, certain of his fate, loves his wronger. But, oh, what damned minutes tell he o'er who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves" (III. iii. 166-175).

While that sounds like a reassurance to Othello, it is really playing to Iago's advantage of creating a reason for Othello to be more paranoid about his wife. What Iago says, while it sounds friendly, should really be making Othello ask himself 'what do I have to be careful about being jealous of' .

This is really a prime example of how Iago is gaining rank in evil. His work is subtle which makes it especially dangerous because people do not know that they are playing directly into his plan. Right now, Iago is practically equal with the Tetris piece guy.

I found a hen kerchief around Act III, Scene iii, line 291, but I have no clue what its significance is or where it is going to end up or what it leads back to. Nevertheless, I was paying attention to that.

Othello Post 3.

Othello: The Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Act II. Scene iii.

This is where the light of Iago's true dark genius shines. In this scene, Iago plays puppet master to so many people at once it is amazing how everything falls according to his plans. He simultaneously and seamlessly controls Cassio, Othello, Roderigo, and Montano all without skipping a beat. It is an art form  in its own twisted respects.

Where he kills two birds with one stone is when he stages Cassio's demise. He beautifully executes his plan to make Cassio look like a low life, and to make him look like a cherub. It is amazing how well he can control people solely with his words and misinformation.

The perfect example of this is when he tells Montano that Cassio is a drunk, when he really tried to avoid getting drunk and Iago manipulated him into getting hammered.

"'Tis evermore the prologue to his sleep. He'll watch the horologe a double set, if he drink rock not his cradle" (II. iii. 110-113).

I feel like the only reason people find Iago so trustworthy and honest is that they have never been given a reason to not believe him. Anyway, Cassio gets fired from his position as Lieutenant to Othello.

This is where Iago's evil really begins to shine. I just thought it was impressive that Iago was capable of orchestrating all that manipulation at the same time without failing. While he is not yet as evil as the guy that throws the Tetris pieces, he is getting there.

Othello Post 2.

Othello: The Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Act II. Scenes i. ii.

In this section of reading, we learn about more of Iago's stunningly hideous personality. His conversations with Cassio, Desdemona, and Emilia reveal his intentions and reasoning behind some of his actions.

Moreover, we learn that Iago is a jerk. In his conversations with Emilia and Desdemona, it seems that Iago has a deep seeded hatred for the idea that women have any authority. His remarks reveal his sexism toward against women. One of his remarks essentially says that women should do nothing more than make babies and do house chores.

"To suckle fools and chronicle small beer" (II. i. 159).

While Iago demonstrates the classic signs of a sociopath, and he, along with everybody else, is a racist against Othello, that alone does not justify him being the most evil villain ever. I still need to be convinced of his evil doings. I can say that thus far, the fact that people call him Honest Iago is nothing short of a foolish miracle. There is nothing honest about this guy. Still not as evil as the guy that throws the Tetris pieces.

Othello Post 1.

Othello: The Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare.

Act I. Scenes i. ii. iii.

There was a lot going on within moments of the play opening. Immediately in scene one, we are introduced to Iago, the evil villain in this tragedy. From what is seen in the first act, Iago is not really ever directly acting to achieve his goals, rather he is manipulating other people, like Roderigo, to do his will. The first instance of his manipulation of others is when he goes to the senator Brabantio. Iago uses his words to manipulate and skew reality so it works in his favor.

While talking to Brabantio, Iago says "Thieves! Thieves! Thieves! Look to your house, your daughter and your bags! (I. i. 78)". The context of his statement is that Brabantio's daughter and money was stolen by Othello. This is the first of many instances where Iago will manipulate someone to get what he wants.

Throughout my analysis, I am going to address and develop the argument that Iago is the most evil villain ever.

At this point, there is valid argument that he is one of the most suave villains ever, but I cannot say definitively at this point that he takes the title of most evil. He still falls behind the guy that throws the Tetris pieces.

Unit 8. Post 4.

You're Ugly, Too by Lorrie Moore.

Man did this story take some time to get through. The third literary analysis question asks what the importance of jokes are to Zoë and to the story as a whole.

Jokes are important to Zoë because they are something she hides her insecurity behind. She uses jokes as a device to defer peoples attention away from her actual personality and towards their interpretation of a joke. Her sick sense of humor distracts people from actually getting to know her. To the story, jokes play an important role in establishing the theme. That being that people hide behind aspects of their own personality to keep people from getting to know the person's whole personality. Jokes being just one of the defense mechanisms. In short, people get in their own way of finding love. This is one of those mind over matter kind of philosophies where our own mental attitude is what gets in the way of our success.

Going along with the importance of humor in this story, Zoë uses humor to hide her true feelings behind a sarcastic curtain. Often times, especially when she was talking to Earl near the end of the story, I sensed that her feelings were not being accurately expressed through her speech. Instead, it felt as if she was really hurt of angry at Earl for his actions toward her. The ending especially where "She smiled at him, and wondered how she looked" (Moore, 370) suggests that Zoë had something to lose with Earl, which contrasts with her actions toward him earlier in the story.

Unit 8. Post 3.

The Apparition by John Donne.

This poem caused a lot of confusion during group discussion last week. I sincerely apologize if I botch this interpretation of the text. What my group and me came up with is that the speaker is alluding the memory of himself in regards to his ex-lover to a ghost that is haunting his ex-lover.

"And that thou thinkst thee free From all solicitation from me" (Donne, line 2-3).

The speaker comes up with an excellent way of reminding his lover, or ex-lover, that he is not going to go away as easy as they think that the speaker will disappear from their mind. The speakers thought is that his lover will see him in every person that she has as a lover from then on. That will continue until she dies. This is one of those poems where the person scorned hopes for some kind of misfortune. This reminds me of a song by The All American Rejects called "Gives You Hell". If you've never heard it, you should, it is a good song.

Anyway, question three asks about diction and tone of the speaker. I believe that the tone of the poem being disdain and anger supports the contention the speaker is feeling toward the woman.

Unit 8. Post 2.

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin.

I really thought this story was funny in a dark and twisted way. The irony that exists in the situation that Mrs. Mallard went through has a bit of hilarity integrated into it. The fact that she did not die of shock when she heard that her husband was dead, only to figure out that he is not actually dead and proceeds to die from the shock from that realization is just unfortunate. I was not really sure how this story tied into the Love Me Not unit because for her to die from the knowledge that her husband was not really dead shows me that she loved her husband to the point that her joy at the sight of him was enough to aggravate her heart problem.

"When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - of joy that kills" (Chopin, 327).

Like I said before, I did not really understand why this was in this unit, but I guess that is goes to show love and joy can be the cause your death if not kept in check.

I enjoyed this story, however, it made me extremely sad that someone who thought the person they loved was dead learned that person is actually alive, and they themselves die from shock. I am just thankful that I have the emotional capacity of a rock and that I have a healthy heart.

Unit 8. Post 1

Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver.

This story was really depressing to me. The setting from the beginning of the story made me think that this was not going to be a sunshiny happy story. The descriptive language such as "melting into dirty water" and "it was getting dark inside too" makes the reader realize the true attitude to come in the story. I would like to think that the author was taking the expression "ripping the family apart" to a exaggerated extreme.

"In this manner, the issue was decided" (Carver, 335).

Question one asks what the issue was and I think that it asks how it was decided. The issue that was focused on in this story was that of custody of a child. The child, being an innocent baby, was caught up in a bitter divorce between a husband and wife. The decision of the dispute was left up to the reader to imagine, which I imagined a gruesome and violent scene where the child is torn limb from limb by the parents in their blind rage at each other. There is one thing that I thought the author did rather well. He left a lot of the plot up to reader speculation. For instance, why are these two fighting, how old are they, who is at fault, and most of all, what exactly did the child endure.

Stories structured to give the reader opportunities to create part of the story are great, this one was just a bit too dark for me to enjoy though.

Unit 7. Post 4.

Bright Star by John Keats.

I might not be getting the full picture from this poem but I am going to throw this at the wall and what sticks is what sticks. I believe the image of the star in the sky is a metaphor for the speaker admiring his love from a distance or that the speaker is never going to be able to reach or achieve his love. Looking at the lifespan of the author and it being from 1795-1821, class difference might have had some impact on the speaker's ability of loving his crush. The speaker seems to be longing or yearning for something more than admiration from a distance but he knows that he will never be really capable of achieving her love in response to his.

"The moving waters at their priestlike task of pure ablution round earth's human shores" (Keats).

Certainly many people today secretly have someone that they admire from a distance but they feel that they can never really express their feelings openly and publicly for the fear of public humiliation or some form of anguish. I am one of these people. The thing that I am taking away from this poem has really noting to do with the poem itself. The lesson that I encourage readers to take is that there is never just one right person out there and that any goal has the possibility of being achievable.

Unit 7. Post 3.

Delight in Disorder by Robert Herrick.

I would like to think that the point that this author had intended with his work is that each person, even when they are in disarray and disorder, are beautiful and that is what makes each person unique. While that is what I like to think, that might not be the point. What I saw in the images created by the diction was someone admiring a woman who is dressed in a hurried and incomplete manner. The speaker seems to be attracted by the reality of a woman who does not look as if she came from a plastic sealed box.

"I see wild civility; Do more bewitch me than art Is too precise in every part" (Herrick, 979).

I believe that this poem has a valid point to make in society today. We all look for perfection in some manner when we are seeking a relationship. It is not perfection that makes us perfect, it is our flaws and our imperfections that make us perfectly human.

Unit 7. Post 2.

Eveline by James Joyce.

I was stumped by this story at first. I was really confused by the ending when I first read it and I thought this story was about how an abused child can have fantasies about escaping that abuse but in reality, she could not because of her psychological attachment to her father beating her. After I read it again, I began to think that she was torn between her love of her father and her passion for getting away from her father. The psychological ideology that she was attached to her father because of two reasons: she realized that without her to care and look after him, her father would not be capable of keeping himself or the house together, also that no matter how abusive or cruel a parent, there is still a mental attachment because they are still a parent. That is my psychologist diagnosis of Eveline.

 "No! No! No! It was impossible. Her hands clutched the iron in frenzy. Amid the seas she sent a cry of anguish!" (Joyce, 222)

Aside from my amateur analysis of Eveline and her mental state, I think that it is important that we all recognize that we all have some secret desire for some way to escape our parents or go off on some long winded adventure. That might have been the intent that the author was trying to get us to see. Not all dreams are as glamorous as they first appear.

Unit 7. Post 1

How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro.

This story made me a bit upset with how the plot misled the reader into a false reality. Situation Irony really comes into play when Edie falls in love with the mailman, whereas the reader expected her to fall in love with Chris Watters  This story was kinda touching and it reminded me of the movie Butterfly Effect. This story presented an example of how events from the past can have an unexpected and unforeseen outcome in the future. The fact that the expected outcome that Edie would fall in love with Chris, while hinted that that would in reality never happen, would have made this story into the cliche love story. The unexpected twist at the end of the story, while disappointing in a way, was refreshing because it did not fall into the typical love story genre that we are all so accustomed to.

"'I'm going to write you a letter. I'll tell you where I am and maybe you can come and see me. Would you like that? Okay then. You wait'" (Munro, 142).

I think that it is an important part of the story to realize that Edie is recalling her past experiences from a future perspective. That might cause some bias to show through in her memories to point out the fact that she was a naive child when she met Chris. Bias which hints to the eventuality that Edie would never have any kind of relationship with Chris Watters.