Popular Mechanics

"But he would not let go. He felt the baby slipping of of his hands and he pulled back very hard. In this manner, the issue was decided."

Alright, this was creepy and sad. But I did not really understand why we read it. I saw no significance. I know I say that quite a bit, but for this story, it is actually true. So I'm glad that we are going over this one in class. The part I did not like in this story was obviously the ending. I think it is an awful thought to think that two people would be so angry with one another that they tore their own baby apart... literally. I'm sure this is not the first time this has happened. Maybe people haven't actually ripped their baby apart, but I'm sure deaths of small infants have to do with parents who get into angry fights. I honestly don't really know what else to say on this story because I don't see any literary techniques except the lack of quotation marks in the dialogue.

You're Ugly, Too

"Evan had abandoned the moon mask and dolled herself up as a hausfrau, in curlers and an apron, a decision she now regretted." p. 363

Something that caught my eye in this short story was the costumes that some people were wearing. In some ways, I think they kind of symbolized particular things in their lives. For example, Evan was a housemaid and she was going to be married soon. I think that that could foreshadow possibly what she will be doing with her life. The man who was dressed as a naked lady stood out. He just got divorced and so he lacked having a woman in his life, so he compensated with the costume. The man who was a cross dresser might have really wanted to be a woman. (OK, that one is a weak one) Finally, Zoe went as a bone head. I think this describes her so well. First, she makes her costume as a joke. This is kind of how she has lived her whole life: as one giant joke. Second, the bone head symbolizes the kind of person she is. She doesn't really get things as well as others and is sort of dense. She does not understand social situations as well as most people do and is extremely awkward. So the bone head embodies who she is as a character.

The Drunkard

"'Twill be all over the road,' whimpered Father. 'Never again, never again, not if I live to be a thousand!' To this day I don't know whether he was forswearing me or the drink." p. 350

The biggest thing for me from this short story was the irony. The obvious irony was when the son got drunk. This whole time the father had been getting drunk while other people had to take care of him. However, this time around, the son stole the father's alcohol in hopes that he would not get drunk. Contrary to his (the son's) belief was that HE ended up getting drunk. This worked out in his favor though. The father saw a mirror image to what he was like when he is drunk and he was the one taking care of his son now. This turned his point of view around and eventually aided in him quitting the alcohol.

Another irony that someone in my small group mentioned was that maybe there was some sort of parallel between the funeral and the alcoholic tendencies. The mother was hinting at the father drinking himself to death. The irony comes to play when he was getting drunk at funerals. I thought that was kind of interesting and I'm not really sure if that's an actual irony of the story or not.

The Lottery

"The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green." p. 263

In this story, we were told to focus on its point of view. The point of view in this story was different than the other stories for the most part. It was third person objective point of view. The narrator had no personal attachment to the story and I think that sort of paralleled with the characters. Once they knew who was going to be stoned each year, they let their feelings and connections quickly diminish as their brutality and barbaric nature took place. Another thing about the narrator's importance was that they allowed the townspeople to tell the story. And since it did not focus on one character, a wider picture was given to show how widespread this tradition was to the townsfolk. While reading, there were not hints or anything really given to foreshadow the ending like most stories that involve a narrator being a character within the story. This was important and kind of gave a surprise ending.

Also, I thought it was kind of ironic how the lady stoned was late and almost did not show up. What if she hadn't been in attendance at this annual sacrifice?

Miss Brill

"She sat there for a long time. the box that the fur came out of was on the bed. She unclasped the necklet quickly: quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying." p. 186

This one I thought was kind of weird yet sad. I was mainly curious about the ending. I feel like she was a very lonely character. All she had to look forward to, it seems, were Sundays and the cake she got after she went to the park. However, on this particular day things were different. She was made fun of for her furs and was basically called unwanted. So she went home and took off her fur. This part confused me the most - she said that she heard something crying. Was the crying coming from her? Or did she think it was coming from the fur? Because I know that she thought she was talking to the fur earlier and I wasn't sure if she believed that it was alive or something. Other than that, she seems to be a very sad character and this story really did nothing for me. At all.

Once Upon a Time

"Next day he pretended to be the Prince who braves the terrible thicket of thorns to enter the palace and kiss the Sleeping Beauty back to life: he dragged a ladder to the wall, the shining coiled tunnel was just wide enough for his little body to creep in, and with the first fixing of its razor teeth in his knees and hands and head he creamed and struggled deeper into its tangle." p. 236

The main thing I noticed about this short story was the irony. The whole time the husband and wife are looking for ways to keep people out. They are hearing of all of these horrible occurrences that are supposedly happening to their neighbors and they presume that they, obviously, are next. They put up a sign that says YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED and think that if that sign is merely removed, then their house if free to the general public. So this whole time they are worried about people getting in, when they really should have been worried about people getting out. Their only son - who they fought so hard to protect - wants to get out of the property because he reads a fairy tale book and wants to save the girl. In his story, it says that he must get out of the trap. Well, that nice, new fence the husband and wife just put in looks perfectly like a trap a villian would set up. So he goes inside it and is essentially ripped to threads. It is ironic that they spent time protecting their loved ones against what was outside, but the thing protecting them is what brought their downfall.

A Worn Path

"Moving slowly from side to side, she went into the big building and into a tower of steps, where she walked up and around and around until her feet knew to stop." p. 228

I think that this short story was pretty similar to that of "Eveline" when comparing themes. In "A Worn Path" I think the theme was primarily that desire and unspoken promise to do anything for one's family. That is clearly represented in the main character, Phoenix. I believe that Phoenix is an old, senile woman who doesn't really have a great grasp on reality. She believes that her dead grandson is still alive and that she needs to get him medicine for his illness. However, I inferred that the grandson had actually died and she was merely looking over this significant fact. But her intentions were good, all the same. The "worn path" implies that she has taken this journey countless times. It is also later mentioned, as the above quote demonstrates, that her feet knew to stop. That means that, even though she is walking for a hopeless cause, she still receives some satisfaction because she believes that she is doing all that she can to help out a family member in need.Phoenix makes it her duty to help her grandson and will make the journey as many times as needed until he is nursed back to health.

Eveline

"She felt her cheek pale and cold and, out of a maze of distress, she prayed to God to direct her, to show her what was her duty. The boat blew a long mournful whistle into the mist. If she went, tomorrow she would be on the sea with Frank, streaming towards Buenos Aires. Their passage had been booked. Could she still draw back after all he had done for her? Her distress awoke a nausea in her body and she kept moving her lips in silent fervent prayer. A bell clanged upon her heart." p. 221

In this short story, I believe the theme to be not wanting to leave your family and what you love behind. I think this is something that we all go through and it is definitely the main struggle for the character of Eveline. In the beginning of the story, Eveline tells of a time when she was younger when she was having fun and enjoying life. It shows a more innocent time in her life. However, there is a dramatic shift from this carefree, easy life as she entered adulthood. Her mother died and she had a somewhat abusive father who was hardly supportive of the things that she did. In addition to having to support herself and her father, she was also caring for two young children. She worked constantly and was basically scraping money wherever she could. Even though she went through all of these terrible things and hardships, she still did not want to leave. She was supposed to marry Frank, a sailor who made her feel safe. But she never left with him because she felt a sense of comfort in the house and land that she has lived her whole life. She had made a promise to her mother that she would be there to make sure everything is alright. So a part of her wanted to uphold that promise and not give up on the life that she had. She felt a tie to her family and knew in her heart that she could not abandon them.

Bartleby the Scrivener

"Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!" p. 675

Ah , Melville! Why did you write such a horrific piece of literature?!

Both Bartleby and the narrator annoyed me the most out of all of the stories. Bartleby was downright annoying. The narrator knew this. Yet, he did nothing about it. Which makes the narrator equally as annoying. The narrator is very passive aggressive in a way. He is also a pushover. This is shown by how he does not do anything to Bartleby. But it is also shown in the fact that he lets these people work for him even though they are not really the best for it. I'm not sure if this is sympathy or just because he has no backbone. I did not really see any point to reading this piece of literature because it taught me no moral or lesson. Maybe it showed me what NOT to be like. I am not supposed to be like Bartelby. Check.

Hunter 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. He turned the ring this way and that." p.189

In this short story, the character of Frank stood out to me the most. He was by far the most interesting because of his relationship with his babysitter and his wife. In addition he was probably the most normal. As in, he wasn't always picking on Tub (i.e. almost running him over) nor did he shoot someone. I did not necessarily like Frank as a character but I enjoyed reading his parts. Especially the part when they are eating food and Tub comes clean about his eating problems and that he really wants to change, then Frank makes him eat a ton of pancakes... And what better time to do this than when your best friend is outside in the cold bleeding to death? Opportunities like that don't just come all the time. Anyways, Frank was the only character that I read in this chapter that really had some sort of change or growth. This was shown as he transitioned from sticking by Kenny's side to having Tub's back, even though he did something wrong.

Everyday Use 2

"I use to love to milk till I was hooked in the side in '49. Cows are soothing and slow and don't bother you, unless you try to milk them the wrong way." p.175

Another symbol in this story that stood out to me quite a bit was the reference of the cow. This story has a minimal amount of seemingly insignificant back story or stories of occurrences prior to the events in the story. So, as a reader, I can infer that because the narrator mentioned a story from the past, it most likely has some relevance within the story. That was showed at the very end when Dee wants the quilts that have been promised to Maggie. Mama sees Maggie's face when she says that Dee can have the blankets and Mama is deeply upset about this. Because of this, Mama sort of unleashes something inside of her that protects Maggie's rights and denies those of Dee. She is "rubbed the wrong way", similar to the cow. The whole story she is calm and passive, but when Dee is demanding the quilts, Mama realizes that she no longer has to be soothing like a cow.

Everyday Use

"In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man. My fat keeps me hot in zero degree weather." p. 174

In this short story, the character of Mama stood out to me the most. The fact that she is the narrator and talking about herself and her two children allowed me, as a reader, to understand her more fully. She directly characterized herself in the beginning, "in real life, I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands" (p. 174). She also refers to herself being uneducated by saying that her school closed down while she was in the second grade. Finally, she infers that she is African American: "colored asked fewer questions then". In addition to her direct characterization, the reader can infer that she is a pushover and not assertive. This is showed throughout the story whenever she gave her daughter, Dee, her way. For example, she sent her to a boarding school and let her take all the things she wanted from the house in the very end (pictures, salt and pepper shakers, etc.). However, she had a major character shift towards the end of the story when Dee wanted to take the quilts and she denied her that "gift" because it was supposed to go to Maggie. This shift showed her transitioning from someone who was a pushover to someone who was rubbed the wrong way and could be assertive.

Interpreter of Maladies

" 'So these patients are totally dependent on you,' Mrs. Das said. She spoke slowly, as if she were thinking aloud. 'In a way, more dependent on you than the doctor.' "

This part of the short story really stuck out to me. Today, I job shadowed in the ER at the hospital so my mind is kind of already in the whole doctor-patient thing. So when this line was read, I little part of me perked up and payed closer attention. I never knew that jobs like that really existed. I mean, I guess I knew but I never really payed attention to them before. But that job is actaully really important. This is kind of sybolized throughout the entire story as well. Mr. Kapasi is like an interpreter in more ways than his job. At this point in the story, he is interpreting much more things than just a language. He is discovering through the use of body language and the how the couple acts around each other that they are no normal family and have some issues.

A Rose for Emily

"She did not ask them to sit. She just stood in the door and listened quietly
until the spokesman came to a stumbling halt. Then they could hear the invisible
watch ticking at the end of the gold chain. Her voice was dry and cold."

The Character of Miss Emily was a very odd one. She kind of reminded me of Bathilda Bagshot from the Harry Potter series. She is creepy and old. And I'm not going to lie, I definitely thought she was going to be dead the whole time (just like in the books or even from "The Sixth Sense" when the little boy is like "I see dead people" when in fact he was a ghost the entire time... I definitely thought something like that would happen). I feel like she had some sort of psychological problem even though that was made pretty apparent based on the fact that she killed someone. Also, she had a way with people and no one messed with her. I'm not sure why that is. Intimidation, perhaps? This was shown through her never paying her taxes, not allowing mail, and how she got the arsenic from that guy without her having to give him an excuse. Also, she had a servant for all of that time and there is no way that he didn't know that she was crazy (there was a dead guy in their house!) but he didn't do anything about. Well, at least to the town's knowledge. In short, the character of Emily was a creepy, controlling, psychotic one.

A Rose for Emily

"Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary
obligation upon the town..."

From the very beginning, the author set a mood that was sort of uncharacteristic (at least to me) of what they were writing. Further, the author was talking about a lady who had passed away and the whole town was in attendance for her funeral or showing. As a reader, I would expect the mood to be somber or something like that. However, the mood the writer chose was kind of nonchalant. The way they worded how people came to see her "like a fallen monument" and the women just because they wanted to see the inside of her house kind of surprised me a little. That then set the mood for the rest of the short story. Because the author forshadowed Miss Emily's death, the reader already knew what was going to happen and that it was not something they should feel saddness for. This carried out the whole way and actually made me expect the ending. I think the ending was meant to be an "Aha! moment" (as Ms. Sander would say), but the way the author presented the details in the story through the mood, I felt like I already knew the ending.

How I Met My Husband

"He always tells the children the story of how I went after him by sitting by the mailbox every day, and naturally I laugh and let him, because I like for people to think what pleases them and makes them happy"

What stood out to me the most while reading this short story was how the main character sort of settles in the end. I think this is a main theme throughout the story. This is shown by the fact that Edie always is looking for something more but deals with what is presented in front of her. For example, the part where she tried on the dress could symbolize her yearning for something more. This is also shown when she gives up on schooling after receiving the lowest marks. Because of these she does not expect much of herself and settles. Perhaps the part of the story that stood out to me the most as contributing to the theme was in the very end when she is waiting and waiting for this love letter to come, and it never does. The reader gets a tiny bit of hope that she will finally move on when she states that she does not want to spend her entire life waiting. Yet, that is taken away when Edie receives that phone call and -again- settles for Chris.

Lonely Hearts

"Can someone make my simple wish come true?

Do you live in North London? Is it you?"

I think this poem is about a woman who is looking through the ads in the paper trying to find a possible partner. According to the wide range of people she is looking at, she seems to be very desparate to find love. As it is repeated several times, the reader can infer that she is looking for someone close to her in North London. The differences in the people could stand for all the different things she is looking for in a relationship. This could also stand for everything she is willing to try to maybe excite her life. I get the impression that she is very sad and, as the title states, lonely. So she could be looking for someone unlike her to change who she is.

Edward

"Why does your sword so drip with blood,

Edward, Edward,

Why does your sword so drip with blood,"

I found this poem greatly annoying. The structure of the poem was frustrating in that it was essentially only about 28 lines long if you took out all of the repeated phrases. It just said the same thing over and over again. This also made it increasingly harder for me to grasp the concept behind the phrasing. I think Edward is a warrior or soldier of some sorts who is leaving to go fight. The speaker I don't think is pleased by this because they say things about Edward leaving his children and his wife. Ah! Ok, the speaker is his mother? And is he a king? King Edward? Because it says "what will ye do with your towers and your hall", meaning a castle, I'm assuming.

Elegy for My Father; Who Is Not Dead

"One day I'll lift the telephone and be told my father's dead."

This poem is a bit ironic in the sense that the speaker is saying an elegy for their father who is not even dead yet- a point he addresses in the title. Every elegy I have come across is about someone who has passed away. To the speaker, they already see their father as being dead because he has accepted death, "I think he wants to go, a little bit- a new desire to travel building up, an itch to see fresh world. or older ones."

Another obvious literary device I saw was the use of an elegy. (I really had to dig deep for that one...) Usually, when I read these sort of things, the speaker or writer is often praising the person they are speaking/writing about. However, the speaker in this is almost criticizing their father for being ready to pass away. The speaker looks at this as the final step before they have to meet death themselves.

Death, be not proud

"Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me."

In this poem, the speaker uses an apostophe. He directly addresses death throughout. For example, "Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desparate man," shows the speaker speaking directly to death, as if if were a human being. Further, the speaker personifies death.

Another thing I noticed about this poem is that there is a lot of imagery about sleeping. "And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well," is one example of this imagery used. Another is "one short sleepe past, wee wake eternally." I think this means that death does not end our lives, as most people assume to be true. It only puts us to sleep, so to speak. The speaker recognizes that we (hopefully) will go somewhere after death and that our souls will continue to live on.

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

"Old age sould burn adn rave at close of day,

Rage, rage againts the dying of the light."

One thing that stuck out to me most in this poem was the tone of seriousness and caution. The speaker is warning his father that death is not the option. He must fight to stay alive and to "not go gentle into that good night". This message is repeated throughout the poem, even repeating the exact same line. The speaker is also saying that "Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight, blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,", meaning that even though he is nearing the end of his life, he should not accept this as his end and do what he can to fight it and "rage against" it. In addition to this, the speaker addresses four aspects of his father: "wise men", "good men", "wild men", and "grave men". I don't exactly know what this means in relation to the tone, but it was something I noticed.

Crossing the Bar

"And may there be no moaning of the bar
When I put out to sea,"

Well, it wouldn't be my blog if I didn't talk about how I did not understand at least one poem. :) And here it is! What exactly is the bar that the speaker is talking about? I feel as if it could shift in meaning from the first stanza to the last because of how it is used in context. In the first stanza, the speaker is talking about going out to sea, so I first took the bar to mean either the oar (I pictured them on a row boat) or a sand bar. But a sand bar doesn't moan so that did not make sense. In the last stanza the speaker says, "I hope to see my Pilot face to face/ When I have crossed the bar." I took this bar to mean that he/she left life, as in died. The Pilot to me seems to symbolize God because he guides us in everything that we do.

Maybe I did know more than I thought I did...

Hazel Tells LaVerne

"musta come from the sewer
swimmi aroun an tryna ta
climb up the sida the bowl"

I really liked this poem! As I'm sure you have read from about every other girls' blogs -I just got a phone call from Juliana Schott saying she talked about the same thing- but when I read this poem, the first thought that came to my mind was how much it was like Princess and the Frog. First, let me just say how much I love that movie. If you haven't seen it and you are opposed to Disney movies (which is a serious character flaw) you should put all of that aside and watch and enjoy the greatness of the movie. Back to literature. The speaker's diction was a little hard to read at first. But it is also very easy to tell exactly what type of person this is based on stereotypes. The thick accent that I heard in my head while reading was very strong throughout the poem, especially when the speaker said the above quote.

Getting Out

"That year we hardly slept, waking like inmates
who beat the walls. Every night
another refusal, the silent work
of tightening the heart."

At the beginning of this poem, the speaker uses a simile to show the relationship of the couple before or during the process of the divorce. The above quote compares the couple to inmates. I think this is sybolic of many relationships. People get into horrible marriages where nothing is working out, yet they are married, so they are sort of "stuck" with each other or imprisoned within the marriage. The tightening heart the speaker talks about is also very symbolic of divorces in that people have to squelch their feelings in order to get over their partner. When they "tighten their heart", they are doing their best to let the other go in order to save their feelings.

Dover Beach

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

The above quote is an example of a simile. The speaker compares faith to a corset, something very commonly worn by upper cast woman during the time that this was written. Corsets were things that sort of held the women together and was a necessity in every day life. To the speaker, faith used to be the same way. It was a part of the world that was key to survival and was essential to every day life. However, "girdle furled" means that the corset lost its purpose and no longer works. This was true of the faith as well. The speaker is saying that everyone lost their faith and that it was no longer as prominent and relevant as it once had been to his society and maybe in his/her own life.

My mistress' eyes

"And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks."

In this poem, the speaker uses a lot of imagery. Granted, all of that imagery is very negative; all he talks about is how terrible his mistress is. He calls her out on practically every flaw that she could have. An example of the vivid imagery that this speaker utilized were, "If snow be white, why then her breasts be dun". Another, "If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head." Both of these lines, as well as the rest of the poem, allow the reader to get a clear image of what the woman looks like. Often, the speaker says more of what the woman is not. The harsh words leave the reader with the idea that the speaker absolutely loathes this woman. However, in the last two lines that notion is put to rest: "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare." This shows that even though she had all of these horrible traits, she still had some redeemable qualities and something that the speaker could not stay away from.

next of course god america i

"in every language even deafanddumb

thy sons acclaim your glorious name by glory"

I had absolutely no idea what this poem was talking about, but you said you wanted us to blog about it. So I'm going to make a bulleted list of things that stood out to me.

• I dislike how everything is lower case.
• And the lack of punctuation.
• Except for the last line... that probably has some significance
• Is the person talking within the quotations supposed to be like, uneducated or something?
• "jingo by gee by gosh by gum"... that's pretty weird
• Is this person a little crazy from a war? Because that's the feeling I'm getting.
• "heroic happy dead" = oxymoron?
• "then shall the voice of liberty to be mute?" This did not make sense to me with the rest of the poem.

APO 96225

"So, after a while,

the young man wrote,

'Dear Mom, sure rains here a lot.' "

This one was actually kind of depressing. The thing that made this so was not the fact that this man/boy was fighting in a war (yes, that IS depressing as well...), but rather how he was trying to protect his mother from the truth the whole time. I feel like this was very true during the Vietnam War. People knew it was happening and seemed invested in it, as long as they did not know the specific details. I think people wanted just to believe that everything was alright. They thought they wanted to know the truth, but once they did, the reverted back to the same old thinking prior to the reality check. This is really shown in the man/boy's mother. She wanted to know, but once she did, she couldn't handle it. This to me, makes this poem extremely saddending.

Barbie Doll

"Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs."

In this poem, the general tone was sort of melancholy. This girl was brought up like any other girl: force-fed all these ideas of what she should be in order to be viewed as acceptable in society. However, she did not fit this norm. Instead, she was only seen as "a fat nose on thick legs." The speakers diction and the text really amplified and ellicited what the girl must have been feeling her whole life. The speaker talks about how the girl was seemingly unaffected by all of this: "She went to and fro apologizing." However, as the poem progresses "her good nature wore out like a fan belt." And finally, she ends her life, further adding to the melancholy tone. There is a bit of irony at the very end when the speaker mentions, "To every women, a happy ending." This girl did not end her life in a happy way at all. But since society expects that from the girl, it makes this ironic.

Batter my heart, three-personed God

"But I am betrothed unto your enemy;

Divorce me, untie or break the knot again,"

In this poem, one thing that stuck out to me was this quote above. It mentions that the speaker (let's call it a he) is married to God's enemy. As we all know, God's enemy is sin (or the devil). The word betrothed gives the meaning that the speaker and sin are bound together. This reveals lots of truth about human life. We cannot escape sin, no matter how hard we try. It's simply in our nature. However, there is a little part in all of us -at least I like to think- that wants to deny sin and not give into the its temptations. Another part that stuck out to me was when he speaks to God saying, "Except (unless) you enthrall me, never shall be free, nor ever chaste, except (unless) you ravish me." This part seemed a little awkward to me. Never would I think to put God and ravishing in the same scenario. But this further proves the whole marriage idea behind sin and attempting to turn away from sin.

Mr. Z

"Taught early that his mothers' skin was the sign of error,

He dressed and spoke the perfect part of honor," lines 1-2

In this poem, Mr. Z is a character that stands for someone who is racially desriminated. In particular, Mr. Z is an African American. This is hinted at when the speaker says, "his plate shrank from cornbread, yams, and collards," because these are all part of stereotypical Southern cuisine. This Mr. Z tried his best to overcome his stereotype. He took part in typical "white" activities and interests, even put himself through the best schools. This could symbolize all of those poeple out there who try to overcome similar situations. Also, there is a bit of irony at the end of the poem: "One of the most distinquished members of his race." This is ironic because his whole life he tried his best to NOT be seen by the color of his skin, and yet, after his death that was all he was viewed as.

Bright Star

This one was very pretty. That sounds so un-insightful, which I guess it is, but it's very true. Although I have no idea what this poem was really talking about, I like it. It was very pleasant to read. Stars and the night sky are among my favorite things so I felt that I could really connect with the speaker on this one. The language was very romanticized and, like I said, pretty.I wouldn't mind someone using these kind of words on me. (Unless I'm interpreting the poem incorrectly and they are in fact NOT nice, endearing words...) It evoked good and pleasant mental images. I only wish that I could understand it a little better. I look forward to going over this one in class.

February

This one was just plain weird. The thing that I gathered from this poem was the connection between February and the speaker's general tone. It is obvious from the language that they do not really enjoy the winter. The speaker comes right on out and declares their hatred for February: "February, month of despair, with a skewered heart in the centre." That sounds like someone who really loathes this winter month. I can connect with this. When February rolls around, I am so tired of the dreary, bleak cold. All the fun winter holidays and festivities are now over and all anyone can think of is that spring in around the corner. Sure, the corner may be a couple hundred blocks down the road, but if you squint really hard, you can just make it out. This speaker, however, I don't think has that good of vision. They don't see the corner are running low on optimism until the very end of the poem.

Pink Dog

When I started reading this poem, I finally thought that I understood what was going on. However, that was diminshed as I read further into the poem and realized that I had absolutely no idea what the speaker was talking about. But my initial interpretation sounds nice, so we will go with that. I belive that the dog is a symbol for the people who are looked down upon in our society. More specifically, I belive the speaker is talking about the poor. For example, when they say, "Naked, you trot across teh avenue. Oh, never have I seen a dog so bare!". This leads to me to make the connection between an actual, hariless dog and the poor and the lack of belongings. Poeple in today's society tend to stray away from the poor. As ashamed as I am to say this, when I see them on the street, I usually do my best to keep my distance. This is demonstrated when they say, "of course they're mortally afraid of rabies". This is hinting that the poor have something that people with mone don't want to "catch". The speaker is sort of ridiculing this aspect of society.

Dream Deferred

This one, obviously, is basically all similes. I actually kind of liked this. A reason why this author decided to use all similes was because they evoke good images. Almost everyone can identify with these images. So the reader really connects with the writer in this case. The way this author used the similes created quite a vivid image. I found myself actually picturing a dream as a tangible object. This tangible object was then transformed into all of the things that it was being compared with. I also feel as if I really understood this poem, which is a first for me.

The Joy of Cooking

This poem is probably the oddest poem that I have ever come across. Once I got passed all the macabre and disgusting imagery, however, one thing really stood out to me: the tone. The tone at frist seemed sort of sarcastic. Who would actually want to kill their brother and sister and cook them to serve as dinner? But as I read the poem again, I began to notice things that, while the speaker did not want to actually cook their siblings, their might have been some underlying animosity and bitterness towards the two. What led me first to believe this was the body parts that the speaker chose to "prepare". In the very first line, they talk about their sister's tongue. Usually, this is associated with speaking. So I'm inclined to believe that they said something offensive. Then, the speaker talks about their brother's heart. Now, heart is associated with love and feelings, so this could symbolize that brother's lack of one. For example, a few lines down the speakers says that a normal beast heart serves six, but "my brother's heart barely feeds two" implying that the heart was already small to begin with. This all generally adds to the tone of bitterness.

London

This is another where I don't think I comprehended it very well. But I will give it a go.

The images in this are all negative and kinding depressing. Especially when the author writes, "runs in blood down palace walls." To me, this whole thing was talking about the different social castes within the city of London at the time. The Palace was simply a symbol for the king. And the blood running down the walls could be all the people that the king was using sort of as pawns. They represent the people who had no respect, but were forced to give their lives to not only the king, but the Church and other institutions. The "forged manacles" represents the mindset that everyone had towards other people. They had a set way that society must be in order for it to run the way it should in their minds. This led to no diversity and no individuality. Finally, what also struck me was when they were talking about Harlots and how they hurt infants. This means to me that prostitution and arranged marriages, something very common in that time, are making children unahppy and corrupting the youth, as well as the city as a whole.

The Panther

I'm finding out that my interpretations of poetry are usually much different than everyone else's. I'm also figuring out that I do not delve very deep into possible meanings for poems. For example, this poem is one of those that I simply saw on the surface. I am really looking forward to figuring out exactly how to interpret poems. But for now, I will just go over what I thought this one was about. To me, this one is about someone or something that is locked behind bars (well duh, it says that. "It seems to him there are a thousand bars, and behind the bars, no world.") But what this is referring to is not physical bars, but the implications that they pose. This being is inhibited by something and is therefor unable to move forward. And when this creature gets glimpses of what life could be like, they get a sad feeling and close off from the world, knowing they will never acheive it while they are imprisoned by something.

I realize that this was inredibly vague...

To Autumn

Out of all the other poems, "To Autumn" really stuck out to me in terms of imagery. Unlike the other poems in this selection, this had extremely vivid imagery that appealed to all of the senses. The sense of touch is represented when the author writes, "thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind" because it evokes a familiar feeling of the wind blowing through one's hair. Another example of imagery in this poem appeals to the sense of sound. "Hedge-crickets sing; and now with the treble soft the red-breast whistles from a garder-croft." But most predominantly, this poem has lots of imagery relating to visual senses. From the very beginning, it is stated, "Season of mists and mellow fruitfullness". This initially evokes a scene behind the readers' eyes. This is kept up throughout the entire poem and makes it very easy to follow.

I Felt a Funeral, In My Brain

This poem was greatly confusing to me, and I feel like that may have been Emily Dickinson's objective; to confuse her reader a little. The central theme of this poem is insanity. The speaker in this poem had something happen to them that caused them to lose their mind. This final breaking point that I observed was in the last stanza: "And then a Plank in Reason, broke, And I dopped down, and down-". Once I read this, I reread the whole thing and it began to make sense. The funeral she was descibing was -to me- a death of some idea or constant in her life, leading her break down. Another thing that added to the them of the poem was at the very end of the poem it just ended. Midthought, the speaker stopped. This could mean that the speaker had lost the ability to use words and finally suck into insanity, or maybe even death.

The Widow's Lament in Springtime

(I'm going to start off saying that blogger does not really work on my laptop all that well, so I've been writing my posts all out and posting them at once... is that alright? Because I'm now seeing that you said to post them separately...)

After reading through this poem and then looking over the suggested questions, number eight really stuck out to me. An obvious tone of this poem -to me at least- was depressing. Even though she was talking about beautiful flowers and other things that usually are paired with happiness or content thoughts, she stated them in a sort of mournful way. It is apparent that her husband died as the title states she is a widow and it jumps out at you throughout the poem. However, I had to dig deeper to find just how she felt about it. When she says towards the end that she wants to "fall into those flowers and sink into the marsh near them" I feel like that is her giving up and giving in to her depression. Maybe, she ultimately is hinting at an eventual suicide. What leads me to this was she said "sorrow is my own yard". When she talks about all the things that are outside her yard, it makes me belive that her sorrow is like a prison to her and to escape it this she must leave to go out to the flowers. And the only way to do this, and to be with her husband, is throught suicide, further carrying out the tone of depression.

The Perrine Article

(for some reason this was not letting me post it on my laptop...)

Let me first start off with this: I never knew there were so many different ways to interpret poems. I mean, I knew there were different ways, but it just dawned on me how I can view something one way, and someone else can have a totally different opinion. However, I don't always agree that one person has to be right and the other must then be wrong. I understand what he was saying in the passage that there are usually more correct ways to viewing poetry, but I don't think that that is always the case. I belive that there was a way the writer wrote it, but people can take from that what they want. I strongly belive that what the reader's past experiences can greatly influence what they see in the literature. And I do not think that this fact makes them incorrect in their interpretations.

But -and I'm going to contradict myself- what also really struck me was how Perrine explained the reasonsing as to why he was correct. He had and almost scientific method to proving his point. I got excited when all of his students thought the same things I did about the poems. But then as I kept on reading, I realized that what he was saying actaully did make a lot of sense. We have to think about our interpretations to fully understand what the writer was trying to convey. Sometimes- although I'll be the first to admit how difficult this is- we should do some extra work in deciphering the messages. We should look things up and read into the history of the writer in order to get a good understanding.

Never Let Me Go: 20

THE END

"I mean, don't you get tired of being a carer? All the rest of us, we became donors ages ago. You've been doing it for years. Don't you sometimes wish, Kath, they'd hurry up and send you your notice?" p. 282

At the end of this, I fully respect Kathy. I never really thought about how lonely she must feel until this point in the book. She has to be worn out with all of the traveling. And it wasn't until recently that she even found people that she loved and could stay with. And now they are all dead, and she is still stuck taking care of people. But I guess that's just how Kathy is. Always doing things for others instead of doing what's right for her. This ending was sort of melancholy. She was still fairly upbeat it seemed. I can tell you one thing: I certainly would not be. However, I enjoyed this book. I didn't think it a chore while reading it. I loved the character of Kathy and grew to appreciate all of the other characters. I understood the value behind this book as well. Even though I disagreed with a lot of things (cloning for example), I still think it interesting to read about a very possible direction our world could be going in. What if we started cloning human beings just so they could be donors? Even if the clones aided in curing cancer and other diseases, it still isn't right to take a life and already map out a destiny for them. I'm very excited to discuss this book in class to see what others think. But overall, good choice in a book, Mr. Costello.

Never Let Me Go: 19

DEAD METAPHOR (CLICHE)

"All these things contributed, contributed to the turning of the tide." p. 264

In this excerpt, the cliche used is "turning of the tide". I know in one of my past English classes, a teacher told me to always stray from cliches. While I do see her point, I think they can be rather useful. If they are well enough known, then they sort of flow with everything else. You don't have to sit there and think about it. You don't have to try to relate it or decipher it. You just read over it because you simply know it. This particular use of it is very much a turning of the tide. Miss Emily is explaining why exactly Hailsham closed. And the closing of the school -if one could call it that- was a major turning point in the entire book itself. Now, all clones (yes, I finally figured out what they were) are most likely going to be raised in terrible conditions. This is kind of sad because at the end of the story, there is nothing to counteract this sadness. No other place was formed with the same intentions as Hailsham's.

Never Let Me Go: 18

IMAGERY

"...it was more that the thin woods we'd come through had ended, and now in front of us there was open marshland as far as we could see. The pale sky looked vast and you could see it reflected every so often in the patches of water breaking up the land." p. 224

Another thing I like about the author's style is his use of vivid imagery. When reading stories you never quite realize when someone is painting a picture before you. So when I stopped and thought about what blog to write next, I flipped through all the pages. Almost instantly it hit me how much imagery Ishiguro uses. Instead of just saying they went and saw a boat, he explained a fair amount of what all was happening in the scene and just what Kathy was seeing. Imagery is very important in this story because, a lot of times, it's hard to imagine just exactly the life Kathy is living. Without the imagery, the story would be unimaginably boring. In addition to his imagery, I really liked this scene. I think it is kind of cool -yet random- that they all got together and went to go see the boat.

Never Let Me Go: 17

RUTH SAY WHAT?

"...I realized why I was so bothered by what happened in the car. It wasn't simply that we'd ganged up on Ruth: it was the way she'd just taken it. In the old days, it was inconceivable she'd have let something like that happen without striking back." p. 223

They're baaaaaaack. I was greatly pleased to see that the three of them were together again. I am now convinced again that something will happen between Tommy and Kathy. But this quote probably shocked me most about this chapter. Ruth is acting like a normal person? What? I think Ruth did a little bit of growing up herself. It could be the fact that she had time alone, or the fact that she became a carer then a donor. But, I feel as if I actually -gulp- like Ruth. From the beginning, as you can probably tell by now, Ruth's character has irked me quite a bit. It could be because I know too many people like her that I really connect with Kathy. However, Ruth has done a complete turn around and actually likeable. Even more so because she is trying to put Tommy and Kathy together.

Never Let Me Go: 16

SYMBOL

"I thought about Hailsham closing, and how it was like someone coming along with a pair of shears and snipping the balloon strings just where they entwined about the man's fist." p.213

This part made me pretty sad. After reading that Hailsham closed, I knew that was a part of Kathy that was dying as well. In this selection, the balloons symbolized all of the students and guardians and Hailsham. Now, someone has come by and shut them all down. The ties have been cut and are all going their own ways. This relates not only to the closing, but also to where Kathy is at in her life right now. Being a carer, she is almost always alone. She has none of her old friends with her and will only occasionally bump into them at odd places. Even then they don't really connect like they used to. So when Kathy left the cottage, she was, in a way, that person with the pair of shears. She cut herself away from everyone and everything that was Hailsham.

Never Let Me Go: 15

TURNING POINT

"But the atmosphere never quite righted itself, and when we said our goodnights in front of the Black Barn, we parted without our usual little touches on the arms and shoulders." p. 202

This is perhaps one of the most important parts in the story. It is a turning point because we saw this relationship between Ruth and Kathy grow from the beginning. Even though I don't really like Ruth at the moment, I still think this is pretty sad for Kathy. She is leaving everything: everyone she knows, everything she understands, all of it. This is also fairly sad because she is also leaving Tommy. I really thought that they were going to be together. Even if she hurt Tommy because of making fun of his drawings, I still don't think that's anything to end a relationship over. However, I am very interested to see where this is going seeing as there is still a fair amount of book left. Also, I'm excited to find out just what a carer is. I know it was mentioned at the beginning and has been talked about a few times throughout the book, but I'm still unsure about exactly what they do.

Never Let Me Go: 14

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

"I was still feeling a pang of regret that we'd found it so quickly, and it was only later, when we were back in the Cottages and I was alone in my room, that I really appreciated having the tape -and that song- back again." p. 173

KATHY AND TOMMY! I knew there was something between them. :) This is perhaps the first time where I have been excited for the two of them. Especially with Ruth being such a jerk right now, I definitly want Tommy and Kathy to end up together. (Can I be anymore like a girl right now?) Something more is going to happen, I know it. Anyways, I'm going to talk again about how much I love Ishiguro's writing style. I've been saying over and over how much I love the way it's like I'm listening to one of my friends tell a story to me. This whole stream of consciousness definitely fits in with that. Throughout this whole book, we are really in Kathy's mind. It allows me as a reader to really connect with the character, not just read about someone.

Never Let Me Go: 13

DEFERRALS?

"...if you were a boy and a girl, and you were in love with each other, really, properly in love, and if you could show it, then the people who run Hailsham, they sorted it out for you. They sorted it out so you could have a few years together before you began your donations." p. 153

Can I start by saying that I really dislike Chrissie and Rodney? Mainly because of the way they corrupted -in a way- Ruth. However, Chrissie has finally gotten me interested with what she has to say. I would never have expected this sort of thing to happen in the book. Props, again, Mr. Ishiguro. Is this sort of thing even real? Can people really go and get deferrals because they are in love? If so, I have a feeling Tommy and Ruth will go and get one and Kathy will be left alone. I really do feel bad for Kathy because I thought her and Tommy had something going. But Ruth just can't seem to give her a chance. It's always sad reading about someone who is constantly on the outs.

Never Let Me Go: 12

ALLUSION

"That's why she often looked more like the Wicked Witch than a movie star - an impression reinforced by her irritating way of jabbing you with a finger the second before she said something to you." p. 141

In this part of the book, Kathy is describing the character of Chrissie. She has the ability to be very pretty but does not recognize this. So then, Kathy compares her to the Wicked Witch. This was probably the first time I have seen some sort of allusion to something that I know of. I love the Wizard of Oz so it was exciting to see it made it into this book. The Wicked Witch has become a timeless character that almost everyone knows about. In some way, she has become sort of a cliche. People are so often compared to her that one does not even have to think about where the allusion came from. It is just universally excepted as a bad connotation. This was also enlightening because the author showed how cultured Kathy and the students at Hailsham really were. I was beginning to wonder if this was supposed to be set during a time when our real society was happening, unlike Brave New World where normal society was so far gone.

Never Let Me Go: 11

MODELED?

"This meant, at least in theory, you'd be able to find the person you were modeled from." p. 139

Once again, I am confused. What do they mean by modeled? Do they mean their parents? My theory is that people donate eggs and sperm and they are created in a lab, similar to in Brave New World. But that is just a theory. I honestly have no idea. I really want to know though. I do feel bad for Ruth, though. I would be pretty upset too if I thought I found my model (mother?) but it turned out she was not. I really hope I find out soon because I have literally been confused about this throughout the whole book.

Never Let Me Go: 10

IRONY

"Oh Kathy, the great expert on real families. So sorry." p. 124

Can we just take a second to dwell on the fact that I really dislike Ruth? I don't understand how someone like Kathy could be friends with her. Ruth is such a jerk, for lack of a better word. When Ruth said these words, I was shocked. This biting remark is ironic because they cannot have real families. They hardly even know that real families are. They were created (?) for one purpose, and that purpose is to be donors. So they could not possibly have a family or even be a part of one. However, since they cannot have families in the literal since of the word, I think Kathy just once everyone from Hailsham to be a family. She wants them to always have each others backs and be there for one another no matter what. And Ruth is definitely NOT the person for any of this.

Never Let Me Go: 9

SYNECDOCHE

"Someone would wander up and ask: 'What's the sound?' and if they liked the answer, they'd sit down on the grass and wait their turn." p. 103

This synecdoche is making the word 'sound' represent the tapes that the students would play. At first, I did not even realize that sound was not the same thing as the music and had to have it dawn on me while later reading the literary terms sheet. Very well played, Mr. Ishiguro. Daily, they would all sit around and listen to music, passing around headphones. It was written that they would only hear twenty seconds or so of each song but in the end, they thought they had heard the whole tape. This is very different from my usual routine. While we do still sit in circles and listen to music, we now have fancy high tech speakers and such so everyone can listen. Nevertheless, I thought this was pretty cool. I have a huge passion for music of all types. So I thought it was kind of neat how the author incorporated this into the story.

Never Let Me Go: 8

IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY?

"If you can't find someone with whom you truly wish to share this experience, then don't!" p. 98

I don't really understand the point behind all of this sex. It kind of goes against everything I believe in. It also reminds me quite a bit of Brave New World. This chapter was pretty much all about sex and how the students were encouraged to take part in it whenever they wanted. This was all deemed alright because they could not get pregnant. However, I do see some point in this. Ishiguro wanted to make them seem like normal teenagers. I get that. But still, I think it is kind of unnecessary to the story thus far. Nevertheless, I could be proved wrong later in the story, but I'm kind of hoping I'm not.

Never Let Me Go: 7

PARADOX

"The problem, as I see it, is that you've been told and not told." p. 81

This is a HUGE part in the story. I love the character of Miss Lucy. She seems to always be looking out for the students. She apparently revealed a great truth to the children, but I did not feel like I knew much after this. This paradox was well placed because at first you think it's contradictory, but as you think about, you realize just how true it is. The children are told things, but not the full truth. I find this greatly annoying. Why don't they just tell them? Why not just let me in on the secret? Anyways, I hope that I find out soon so I can stop being confused about exactly what is happening at Hailsham.

Never Let Me Go: 6

FORESHADOWING

"...and especially now Ruth has gone, it's become one of my most precious possessions." p. 76

Because this novel is almost all in flashbacks, there is a lot of foreshadowing throughout. This is a good example of one time the author throws it in there. It saddens me to read this because I know she means that Ruth is going to die. However, this is a good technique because it makes me want to keep reading. It creates suspense. It makes me think of how Ruth died and when she did. I find myself eager to turn each page because of the technique of foreshadowing because I need to know what happens.

Never Let Me Go: 5

BOOK TITLE

"What made the tape so special for me was this one particular song: track number three, 'Never Let Me Go."' p. 70

I was beginning to wonder when the title was going to crop up. This part of the novel was especially heart warming. Haven't we all had a song from when we were little that we did not quite know the meaning to? I sure have my fair share of them. And still to this day, those songs mean a lot to me. I think it is really cool how Kathy has found something from the outside world that sets her apart from everyone else at Hailsham. But probably the most moving part of this was when Madame sobbed when she saw Kathy holding her fake baby and swaying to the music. It makes me wonder why Madame was crying when she saw her. Maybe because they cannot have babies? We will (hopefully) find out.

Never Let Me Go: 4

FLAT CHARACTER

"' Jackie's giraffes,' Ruth said with a laugh. 'They were so beautiful. I used to have one.'" p. 17

In this part, Ruth and Kathy are discussing their exchanges at Hailsham. The exchanges involved all of the students making paintings, poems, sculptures, and anything art-related. However, Kathy and her close group of friends were not the only ones in the exchange. So, naturally, some other characters needed to be thrown in there. I liked this because it added depth to the conversation Ruth and Kathy were having. Have you ever been on the outside of a conversation when two old friends bring up past stories about people you have never heard of? That's how I felt reading this part. And I was still left with that feeling that I wanted to learn more about this person or that thing. Jackie is a flat character because all it says about her was that she was good at making giraffes.

Never Let Me Go: 3

BFFs

"There was a kind of conversation that could only happen when you were hidden way in the pavilion; we might discuss something that was worrying us, or we might end up screaming with laughter, or in a furious row. Mostly, it was a way to unwind for a while with your closest friends." p. 7

I really liked reading this part of the story. Kathy and her friends remind me of my friends and myself. The way they go about things and talk to each other is very similar to my group. This quote connected to me the most because this is literally how my conversations work. I was just talking about this not two hours ago. Girls have a way of talking that can only truly happen behind closed doors. And the spectrum of things we talk about is just as wide as what the author wrote. The pavilion Kathy is talking about can take many forms in my life. It can be a restaurant, a backyard, and my best friends' rooms. But I definitely understand why this one pavilion was such a special place for Kathy and her friends to talk and unwind.

Never Let Me Go: 2

FLASHBACK

"I can remember us back in the Juniors, pleading with guardians to hold the next lesson in the pavilion instead of the usual room." p. 6

Throughout the novel it seems, that almost everything written is a flashback. As I said with the first person point of view, I really like this. This is also just like every story that anyone tells. However, at times it can be rather difficult to follow. The author really knows how to tell a story, though. Kathy seems just like a character that I would be friends with. So it makes it very easy to follow along with all of the flashbacks. It serves as useful because most of the flashbacks are in chronological order. Also, they are told in a such a way that we hear them from a more well-rounded adult Kathy instead of the young Kathy during the flashback. She is able to recall most of her emotions and a pretty good amount of what was happening at the time. This is good because we, as readers, get the point of view from someone who has had time to think about all of these things and get a more rounder and complete understanding. ( I realize that made little sense even to me, but I'm unsure how to word it :D )

Never Let Me Go: 1

POINT OF VIEW

"My name is Kathy H. I'm thirty-one years old, and I've been a carer now for over eleven years." p. 3

As the book first opens up with this sentence, I was very happy to read that it was in first person. I don't know why, but I seem to always get into books more when they are written in that style. Kazuo Ishiguro (try saying that ten times fast) made an excellent decision to tell the story using this point of view. I feel as if I was listening to someone tell me a story in real life rather than reading a dull, third party point of view on something that happened once upon a time. The way Kathy tells her story is all over the place. I love it. That is how all of my friends -and probably just about every other human being- tells stories. Ishiguro really understood this and used it to his benefit. Nothing is really chronological, but I feel as if that kept me on my toes and, quite frankly, as interested as I was in the story of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy.

Brave New World: 20

FINAL THOUGHTS

I'm not going to lie: this novel made it in the top five worst books I have ever read. I've read a lot of books. Nevertheless, I do see some value in reading this. For one, it was unlike any book I had ever read. So that was interesting. Another is, perhaps for the first time, I got to see an ideal society from someone else that was way different from mine. Perhaps this new, weird culture was Huxley's idea of a Utopia. It makes me wonder what was going on in his life that would inspire him to write this. Maybe he had lost all hope and this society sounded ideal to him. No choices, no decisions. A guaranteed happy life. Sounds pretty nice to me.

However, I did not like or expect the ending to be the way it was. John committed suicide? But he was supposed to be the hero and this wasn't supposed to be a tragedy. But if he was able to escape the terrible world he was in, then I guess I could see some sort of grim happiness in the ending. I severely hope that the next book has a little more of an upbeat and easily comprehensible ending.

Brave New World: 19

AHA! MOMENT

"What's the point of truth or beauty or knowledge when the anthrax bombs are popping all around you? That was when science first began to be controlled -after the Nine Years' War. People were ready to have even their appetites controlled then. Anything for a quiet life. We've gone on controlling ever since. It hasn't been very good for truth of course. But it’s been very good for happiness. One can't have something for nothing. Happiness has got to be paid for. You're paying for it, Mr. Watson- paying because you happened to be too much interested in beauty. I was too much interested in truth; I paid too." page 228

This part in the book seemed to be the most important section. It is where everything began making sense. We finally understand why this world was created. We know why they got rid of the things they did. And for the first time, I appreciated Huxley and this book (sort of). What if the world really does end up like that? What if there is a World War III and it destroys everything? Maybe we would want to start over. Maybe we would want for someone to take everything away from us if it meant there was no more fighting, no more pain, no more suffering. The idea is very intriguing. Take away cancer? Yes please. Get rid of suffering? Oh yea. But get rid of everything that makes humans, humans? I would like to say no way, but having never been in such a hopeless situation before, I would have no idea of what I would choose.

Brave New World: 18

SEX = NORM

I do not understand how this society is so sex-centered. They have turned something that is so taboo in our culture into a common thing. Not only is it just common, though; it is expected. In the beginning of the book we see the young boy crying and running away from another girl. Then, the Director sends him to go see the psychiatrist as if something were gravely wrong with him. Maybe Huxley has it right, though. You pick up almost any movie and it will probably be centered around sex or have some sort of not-so-hidden sexual meaning and appeal. What if thousands of years from now, religion and morals will change so much that those things are the new norm?

Brave New World: 17

WHO WILL BE ON TOP?

"It has given us the stablest equilibrium in history. China's was hopelessly insecure by comparison; even the primitive matriarchies were'nt steadier than we are." page 227

While I was reading through this rather dull part in the novel, not really taking much in, the name of China stuck out to me. I promptly reread the sentence, trying to grasp the meaning. I ended up having to read the whole paragraph again and finally came to a realization. China was behind them! That means, for the first time in a long time, China has not been at the top. This got me to thinking: how long exactly WILL China be at the top? The United States used to be the leader in just about everything, but now our generations are beginning to see the shift in power. What if in the future -possibly near future- some random country will be at the top of the totem pole? And what if that country decides to take over just like the Soviet Union did? This is an intriguing yet intimidating thought.

Brave New World: 16

THE RIGHT TO PARTY?

"Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat, the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind." page 240

This may sound a little odd, but the whole time I read this section I couldn't help of thinking about that Beastie Boys' song "Fight for Your Right (To Party)". I honestly have no idea how this relates to the book at all. But I really hope that this song is stuck in your head now and you subsequently have to go on YouTube and watch the music video. Don't worry, I'll make your search shorter. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBShN8qT4lk .

And now I will ramble about how the song and this quote are related...

John has spent his whole life on the outside. He never quite blended in neither society. So when he is told of all these "rights", he understands the true value of each of them. By accepting this, he is able to live a normal life, not one rid of anything bad. He is given the opportunity to rely merely on chance, to provide and care for himself, to party the way he desires. And if his idea of a party is inflicting harm upon himself and then committing suicide, then all I have to say to that is "its his party and he'll die if he wants to."

Brave New World: 15

TRUE HAPPINESS

"He picked up his pen again, and under the words 'Not to be published' drew a second line, thicker and blacker than the first; then sighed, 'What fun it would be,' he thought, 'if one didn't have to think about happiness!'" page 177

I don't know about the rest of the world, but when I'm laying all cozy in my bed at night, I think about all the fun, happy times I had. For me, it is the highlight of my day. Thinking about the great times had is fun and makes you feel good. It is not a chore or something to dread. Even in more sad or angering circumstances, pondering on happiness can really change your life. So I thought it odd why Mustapha Mond would say such words. Isn't this whole society based on happiness for the entire people? However, I believe what he was referring to was he did not like thinking of happiness because it wasn't true happiness in that culture. Happiness for them was taking soma and going to the feelies. Both of which are entirely superficial things. They experienced no love or compassion (any feelings, really). And those two, for me, lead to the greatest happiness.

Brave New World: 14

NOT YOUR TYPICAL RAY OF SUNSHINE

"When he had finished, he picked up the whip and began hitting himself again. Nine, ten ,eleven, twelve..." page 248

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8V_6M4lmgY

The whole time John was in the picture, I thought he was going to be this cool guy who comes in and figures out the whole mess, saving the city and the people in it from the destructive lives they were living. Unfortunately, I was very wrong. He ends up going crazy and flees to live on the outskirts of town. There, he basically tortures his body in order to rid himself of any impurities. My first thought was, "OK, that's a little bizarre." But as I continued reading, I couldn't help thinking, "where have I seen this before." Then the answer hit me: from those strange, bloody scenes in "The Da Vinci Code". John is just like the character of Silas! Even though I genuinely liked John and I really did not like Silas, I couldn't help but notice the similarities once he started hitting himself with that whip. I attached a short video from one of Silas' self-torture scenes from "The Da Vinci Code". Even though it does not show the whipping, I think the general message gets accross that the two characters are just alike -in that way, that is.

Brave New World: 13

APHORISM

"When the individual feels, the community reels." Lenina Pg 94

This is only one of the many examples of clever sayings throughout this book. The creators and directors of this society have been heavily forcing this down the individuals throats for a very scientifically set interval of time in order for this to really sink in. It sinks in so far, in fact, that it becomes a part of the person. They truly believe that these phrases are the actual indisputable facts. This literary device is very helpful to the reader because we all have grown up hearing phrases similar to theirs. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" and "don't put all your eggs in one basket" are two examples of phrases I have been hearing my whole existence. These phrases, among countless others, are created to help us succeed in leading a healthy, cautious life. I would never believe someone who told me that not making healthy decisions could actually save me a trip to the doctor. By using aphorisms, Huxley is demonstrating how difficult it is for characters such as Lenina to understand anything other than what they honestly believe as the absolute truth.

Brave New World: 12

METAPHOR

" 'This hive of industry,' as the Director was fond of calling it, was in the full buzz of work." page 147

This literary technique I almost always find the most effective. It clearly shows exactly what the writer was trying to convey. By explaining the industry as a hive, I immediately had something to compare it with. Having experienced beehives in my life, I was able to grasp the meaning behind this metaphor. When I think of bees, I think of hard workers who never cease to do their duties. That is how I also think of this society. Just like bees, the workers here are born with a job. They know nothing else other than their job and efficiently accomplish their tasks with blissful ignorance. Also, I was able to hear the industry. When he compared it to the buzz of the hive, I instantly thought that everyone of those workers must be hard at work.

Brave New World: 11

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

I just found something I like! Huxley uses indirect characterization very well throughout the novel. He explains certain aspects of each character without giving away too much information. Then, he shows what the other characters think of the individual. Finally, he reveals the personal thoughts of the characters. This allows the reader to make their own assumptions. Even though he guides our thoughts, it is nice to decide for ourselves whether or not we like a certain character or the actions they commit. I also like how Huxley makes each character truly honest. There really isn't much hidden meanings behind the individuals' actions. Long story short, I appreciate drawing my own conclusions on each character, even if it is not what the author originally intended.

Brave New World: 10

POINT OF VIEW

The narrator uses an all-knowing point of view throughout the novel. He knows everything about every character. There is not one main character, so it is very easy to hop from one lead to the other. I generally do not like this when I am reading stories. I feel as if I get more into them when they are in first person. I would have enjoyed this a lot more if he would have at least stuck with one main character throughout the entire book. However, this serves the purpose of the book best. Huxley wanted to the reader to see all sides of the story. He wanted to convey the different points of view in the twisted new society. But I feel as if because of this, it was a little hard to follow at times because I was sometimes unsure of who exactly the narrator was talking about. Overall, I do not like this book, so I will most likely disagree with the majority of the writer's choices.

Brave New World: 9

IRONY

" 'O brave new world,' he repeated. 'O brave new world that has such people in it. Let's start at once.' " page 139

At the point on the book, John has just been told that he will be able to go home with Bernard and Lenina. Perhaps he is excited because he will be able to go to the place where his mother always praised. Or maybe he is anticipating a great community where the people will accept him, unlike his current situation. However, this is ironic because the reader knows that this is not the place he is thinking of. We understand that while this society might not be savage, it sure is like a cult. He is going to have the same hardships he had at this new place as he did back where he was born. There is nothing brave about these new people. In fact, they are quite the opposite. They got rid of all suffering, pain, and hardships. There is absolutely nothing for them to be brave for!

Brave New World: 8

SYMBOL

"The magic was on his side, the magic explained and gave orders." page 133

In this part of the book, the author is referring to the great writings of Shakespeare (another allusion). He in particular is describing the effect these writings have on John the Savage. John is in the middle of the two worlds; truly accepted in neither. However, when John realizes that he can read, he feels as if he has power over everyone else. He believes that since he can use Shakespeare's words and apply them to his life, he can conquer anything. When Huxley is talking about the "magic", he is symbolizing the poetic words that our society, as well as past societies, have lived off of. And they are a sort of magic for John. They give him courage and strength that he would have received from no other outlet.

Brave New World: 7

ONE COMMUNITY?

"Well, I don't know. You get them out of bottles. And when the bottles are empty, you send up to the Chemical Store for more. It's the Chemical Store people who make them, I suppose. Or else they send to the factory for them. I don't know. I never did any chemistry. My job was always with the embryos." page 130

I think it is extremely odd and kind of unsettling that everyone in the society has one specific job. From the very beginning they are created in the lab, there is a predestined route that they are to take. I cannot imagine living a life where all my decisions are made for me. It would be absolutely terrible if my path was laid out before me and there was no way of me even knowing of anything different. But what stands out to me the most about this, is that the creators and directors are so set on making sure that everyone is for everyone and all are needed to make the community run smoothly and efficiently. However, no one even knows what everyone else does. They are just set on what they do and are somehow content. As someone who loves to learn new things, I can't imagine having nothing else to fill my brain with. To do the same thing everyday, never moving forward or gaining new knowledge, would be horrendous.

Brave New World: 6

God?

"Thank Ford! he was not the last." page 79

So far throughout the novel, I have been reading about this Ford character quite often. Other than knowing he was the creator of this society, I had no idea who he really was. However, as I continued reading further, I noticed that he kind of takes place of a higher power. Whereas today we have God, Muhammad, Buddha etc, in this culture they do not believe in religions. Well, actually, it seems as if they are prohibited of ever knowing that religions and religious leaders ever existed. It seems as if Huxley decided to replace the name "God" with "Ford" to make it fit in with the characters and the lifestyle in the story. I have noticed that some characters in the story will refer to authority figures with different names, all which include "Ford" in the spelling. There are many allusions to past religions in this story, but this one stood out to me the most. Perhaps it is because I am a teenage and often overuse the ever-annoying "OMG" and other pointless phrases.

Brave New World: 5

THE GIVER

Lois Lowry's 1993 soft science fiction novel, "The Giver", is very similar to this book in many ways. Both involve a remade, "better" society in which the government has complete control over its peoples. At a young age, the children in this place are given a job they must do for the rest of their life. One job in this society is "birthmother". There is a certain amount of mothers who have three children each year. This is somewhat similar to Huxley's idea of having one uterus create tons of children. Pain and suffering are eliminated just like the "soma" does in "Brave New World". In Lowry's novel, Jonas recieves the job of "Reciever or Memory" and is allowed -even though it is a great burden at first - to know what happened before this society was built. Jonas is very similar to the character of Bernard. Jonas is given all the knowledge, but I feel as if Bernard is going to have to discover it all on his own and is partially there already.

However, the two books could be contrasted. In "The Giver", there are families, whereas, in Huxley's, no one really even knows what a family is. But the main difference that stuck out to me was the fact that sexual activity is not only frowned upon, but is stamped out in "The Giver". In contrast, "Brave New World" is very heavily centered on sexual activity and promiscuity.

Because I can now see the similarties between these two books - "The Giver" being one of my favorites- I am more open minded about where this book could be going.

Brave New World: 4

STYLE

I think you want us to describe the effectiveness of certain literary elements within the book, but I am going to do just the opposite. Huxley's style - in my opinion - is completely ineffective. The way he jumps from topic to different topic and conversation to another simultaneous conversation is not only highly confusing, but deeply frustrating. I am having a hard enough time attempting to decipher all of his technical and scientific babble. But having speakers all over the place is extremely annoying. I think it just makes reading this story - which I already dislike - more difficult. The syntax is all jumbled. I've had to look up countless words in the dictionary. And the overall tone to me is just depressing. I really hope this book gets better.

Brave New World: 3

ALLUSION

"...and where was Odysseus, where was Job, where were Jupiter and Gotama and Jesus? Whisk- and those specks of antique dirt called Athens and Rome, Jerusalem and he Middle Kingdom- all were gone..." page 35

Huxley's use of allusions is perhaps one of the only things I have liked so far about this book. This really allowed me to see just how far this community has strayed away from our current culture. It is kind of unreal to think about how (very possibly) the future generations will have no idea who these people are or what events took place. In addition, my curiosity rises and I wonder if we aren't going to see more of these allusions as someone not yet introduced in the book will discover the meaning behind these historical references.
These allusions gave me a lot of insight into the writer as well. I figured he would focus more on Jesus. However, he only briefly mentioned Him. Huxley does talk about Christianity a few times which makes me wonder if he was a Christian himself.

Brave New World: 2

DEAD METAPHOR (CLICHE)

"The students took it down in their little books. Straight from the horse's mouth." page 28

I have been hearing the cliche "straight from the horses mouth" for as long as I can remember. However, I never really understood the full meaning behind it. So after a quick search on Google -where else is there, really?- I found a short definition: from the highest authority. Finally connecting the phrase with the meaning I was able to fully understand what the author was trying to tell with this overused metaphor. The director seems to have this odd presence about him. He throws out commands left and right and has this tone of authority. A tone that none of the students would dare reckon with. In contrast, I as the reader want to know more about this Director guy. Why is everyone doing everything that he says? Why does he come off as sort of menacing? What made him be where he is at currently in this book? According to my Google search, if he is the horse, then HE is the one in charge. I look forward to figuring this character out and discovering what makes him the horse.
(But because he is coming off as a strong, close-minded authority figure, I can already tell I don't like him.)

Brave New World: 1

ONOMATOPOEIA

"Whizz and then, click!" page 9

In the first chapter of the book, the author uses an onomatopoeia to convey his point. This is very effective not only to the reader's eyes, but also to the reader's ears. We do not just see it, however, we hear it as well. This allows the reader to really connect with the author and understand just what he was trying to convey in that sentence. While reading this phrase, I was directly transferred into the "Organ Store". I could see the little bottles zooming by and could hear the sounds that they made. By use of onomatopoeia, I was given tangible evidence to exactly what was happening in that chamber. Four lines down, the author uses the same words to reiterate the constant, perpetual motion of the system. It also can show how uniform the society is if every movement makes the same sound repeatedly as if it were just an average factory.