Sarcasm at Its Best - Short Story Blog 4 (You're Ugly, Too)

" 'I knew a dog who could do that,' said Zoe, with her mouth full."

~ Lorrie Moore, You're Ugly, Too


First of all, I would just like to say that I have used this joke twice since I read this story. And that dry humor is probably my favorite. I enjoyed Zoe's sense of humor and sarcasm throughout the story. I think the reasons for her jokes is really depressing though - she's so insecure about herself that she pushes people away before she can screw it up herself. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's entertaining, but just a little sad. Her rough exterior is completely different from her fragile self-image which could shatter at any given moment. It's a little ridiculous that she would even think other people care about her appearances at all - once someone's horrible personality is revealed, looks are kind of out of the question. It makes you think about how her insecurities are completely deluding her perception of how people receive her humor.

I Know Who I Want to Take Me Home - Short Story Blog 3 (The Drunkard)

" 'Whisht, whisht, whisht, I tell you!' snarled Father, abandoning all pretence of amusement and dragging me along behind him by the hand. I was maddened by the women's shrieks of laughter. I was maddened by Father's bullying. I tried to dig in my heels but he was too powerful for me, and I could only see the women by looking back over my shoulder."

~ Frank O'Connor, The Drunkard

I really enjoyed this story. It was really funny imagining a twelve-year old drunk, because that's like my little brother.


                                                             He's right there --------------->

And if he got my mom's genes, he would be hammered off of a half glass of wine. Hehehehe.

It's also funny to imagine the twelve year old cursing at a bunch of women in his drunken stupor. And being dragged home by his dad. And the mother praising him the next morning. It was just a bunch of events all piled up into one story that was so wrong and funny at the same time. It made me giggle.

Well here's a song that I thought of when I thought of bars.

Cut It in Half / Style - Short Story Blog 2 (Popular Mechanics)

"In this manner, the issue was decided."

~ Raymond Carver, Popular Mechanics


Style is the focus of Popular Mechanics, so I guess we will start there. The biggest thing that I see is the ending. So the couple is fighting over the baby, and it actually gets physical, so the author describes the two as leaning back while both holding on to the baby. The story ends with the sentence, "in this manner, the issue was decided." So the major stylistic thing is the possibilities of the open ending.

I think that the most reasonable ending is that the baby was injured - from prior events, that seems most likely. But then there are all the possibilities of who gets the baby. That was the question throughout the story. The last sentence says that the matter was decided, but it doesn't actually tell what that resolution was.... so we are left hanging. Did one parent get custody? Did neither parent get the baby (were the injuries so bad that the baby was taken away or suffered death)? Did the couple get back together? WHO KNOWS? I wish this story was as straightforward as its biblical counterpart, the story of Solomon. My best guess is that, because neither parent let go, neither parent loved the baby enough to let it live, so neither parent got the baby. That's how I see it, especially if we are going off the Solomon story.

The Caveman Effect / Point of View - Short Story Blog 1 (Week 5 I think. Don't quote me.) (The Lottery)

" 'It isn't fair, it isn't right,' Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her."

~ Shirley Jackson, The Lottery


Talk about a surprise ending. Being stoned to death was the last thing I was expecting to be the "prize" of the lottery. This story actually raised more questions than it answered for me though - why did someone have to be killed every year? Why stone them? When was the tradition established? Why was the tradition established? How are things "not as they used to be?" I don't know. I'm just really intrigued right now.

So this story focuses on point of view. It is in third person, so we see the actions of all the village people. I think this helps the story because it gives different perspectives and opinions of the ritual. Mr. Summers thinks it's necessary, Warner thinks it's evolved into something different, worse than it used to be, and Mrs. Hutchinson thinks that it is unjust and brutal (whether that is because she is morally sound or the victim, I am not sure).

This story reminded me of Lord of the Flies. I think it's all that primitivistic stuff - the rituals and brutality of people.

A Milestone in Blogging - Short Story Blog 4 (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."

~ Katherine Mansfield, Miss Brill

Guess what? This is the first week in a long time that I haven't written a hate blog. There wasn't a story for which I had a strong dislike. Woo

Okay, so I'm just going to give my personal reaction to this story. Miss Brill was a bit obnoxious at the beginning. She thought she was hot stuff because she was better than everybody and into fashion. She was very vain for an old person; usually they are supposed to mature and get past that stuff. She only looked at appearances, and she didn't even consider herself old. It was like she was stuck in middle school - you know, when girls think they are cool because they have the best clothes and judge other people relentlessly. This bothered me. But then at the end, when the couple was making fun of her, I felt really bad. I think everyone has had that humbling moment in their lives - or they will experience it sometime in the near future - and that just sucks. Also, everyone has acted like Miss Brill at the beginning of the story, and even though we should all be put in our place sometimes, the couple was really harsh. I felt awful for Miss Brill when she was in her room, and she was really ashamed of her pelt thing, which she had been so proud of before someone said something. Only emoticons can express my feelings for this story - : ( 

Modern Fairy Tales - Short Story Blog 3 (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..."

~ Nadine Gordimer, Once Upon a Time


At first, I wasn't really sure what to do for this blog. But, after realizing how popular fairy tales have been lately, I decided to write something about all the different adaptions of them.

The original Sleeping Beauty came out in 1959. This is the classic.

The Disney movie Enchanted came out in 2007. It follows Giselle, a fairy tale character who fell into a magic well and was then trapped in modern-day New York City. But be warned: in large quantities, this movie may induce cephalalgia and a strong hatred for pathological idealists.









A new series called Once Upon a Time recently came out on ABC. It follows the daughter of Snow White, who is imprisoned in reality with every other fairy tale character, all of whom are unaware of their identities and doomed to a fate of unhappiness.

A new movie Snow White and the Huntsman is coming out next year. I think it's like the Snow White story except it's supposed to be darker.

Fiery Phoenix / Indirect Characterization - Short Story Blog 2 (A Worn Path)

"She walked on. The shadows hung from the oak trees to the road like curtains. Then she smelled wood-smoke, and smelled the rier, and she saw a steeple and the cabins on their steep steps. Dozens of little black children whirled around her. There ahead was Natchez shining. Bells were ringing. She walked on."

~ Eudora Welty, A Worn Path

I think it looks more like a dragon, but you get the point. 

Pheonix Jackson is the protagonist of this short story. She has a very interesting personality, but it isn't revealed directly. It's time for another adventure in indirect characterization! Yay. So basically, Phoenix is a very determined, strong woman with a fiery personality (hence the blog title). Not only does she travel miles to find her grandson's medicine, but she does it with fervor; she never lets anything get her down until she reaches her destination. Some of her personality is also portrayed in her description at the beginning. She wears bright clothes and a red rag, which reflects her personality. Also, her name gives insight into her qualities. A phoenix is a powerful bird that thrives in fire (it arises from the ashes. That's where it is born). Just like the phoenix, Phoenix is a strong-willed woman who faces difficulties and overcomes them.

Poor Frank / Internal Conflict - Short Story Blog 1 (Week Three. Eveline)

"He rushed beyond the barrier and called to her to follow. He was shouted at to go on but he still called to her. She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition."

~ James Joyce, Eveline


So, during the story, the main character Eveline is faced with a dilemma - do I leave for Buenos Aires with my fiance who I don't really love to escape my domestic problems, or do I stay home with my imminently abusive father because my mother's death wish was for me to keep the family together? That's some deep stuff. Let's take a closer look.

Obviously, Eveline has had some problems from her past. Her father physically abused her brothers and her mother (I think, but don't quote me). However, I don't think he didn't love her; they had some good times together and he always worked hard for her and the family. Eveline loved her mother, so when her mom was dying and told her to take care of the family, this probably created a lot of the conflict she is feeling. But there is still a whole other level added to this internal tug-of-war. Eveline is engaged to Frank, a man who really loves her and is willing to provide for her and make her happy; she always thinks of him as a "savior" though, not someone she can love, like you are supposed to do when you have a fiance. Basically, he is her lame excuse to leave her family and temporarily escape from her home life. So what it boils down to is the decision between a safe, loveless life free of concern or a more emotionally oscillating life filled with love, resentment, and catharsis. In the end, she chose her family. I think she made the right choice.

Family Guy Minus the Funny - Short Story Blog 4 (Hunters in the Snow)

" 'You almost ran me down,' Tub said. 'You could've killed me.'
'Come on, Tub,' said the man beside the driver. 'Be mellow. Kenny was just messing around.' He opened the door and slid over to the middle of the seat."

~ Tobias Wolff, Hunters in the Snow


Earlier, this story was compared to the show Family Guy. While that is pretty accurate - dysfunctional characters, strange situations, moderate violence - it did lack one thing: humor. Now, I'm not saying that it was a bad story. It could be worse. But it seemed that if the author had taken a more humorous spin on it, the story really would have been great. The characters whine and complain pretty much the whole time, and they are really mean to each other. Yeah, I guess it's "friend humor", but it seemed to go beyond that. I think that gave it an angst-y tone that reminded me of petty high school drama. Family Guy is just hilarious. So, to make up for the dramatic stuff that happens in the story, I am going to put as many clean clips of Family Guy as I can find on here.

COME AT ME, BRO - Short Story Blog 3 (Bartleby the Scrivener)

"I would prefer not to."

~ Herman Melville, Bartleby the Scrivener


Okay, prepare yourself for a huge catharsis.

THIS STORY WAS HORRIBLE. Not only did I hate the characters, but I hated the plot. I hated the ending. I hated the redundancies. I hated the length. I can remember sitting in class, reading this story, and saying "Dear God, why am I still reading this?" I'm pretty sure there was an entire page that didn't have a paragraph break. Great job telling me the exact same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over, narrator.  You are just fan-freaking-tastic. I don't even feel sorry for you for having to put up with Bartleby and your other neurotic co-workers - you are just stupid for doing so. Why don't you just fire them?? Maybe then the story would be a little shorter and a little more bearable.

In conclusion, if I ever saw Herman Melville in person, I would probably punch him in the face for producing such a monstrosity.

Oh, My God, You Killed Kenny / Q 1 - Short Story Blog 2 (Hunters in the Snow)

"Nobody knows. That's the worst of it, Frank. Not the being fat, I never got any big kick out of being thin, but the lying. Having to lead a double life like a spy or hit man. This sounds strange but I feel sorry for those guys, I really do. I know what they go through. Always having to think about what you say and do. Always feeling like people are watching you, trying to catch you at something. Never able to just be yourself."

~ Tobias Wolff, Hunters in the Snow


I wasn't sure what to do for this blog so it would count for a "Lit Terms" entry, so I am going to answer question 1 after the story in the book.

Which of the three principal characters do you find most sympathetic? The least sympathetic? Do the characters' names help us to form our impressions of them?


(And by "the most sympathetic" I am going to interpret that as "evokes the most sympathy")

It was a close race, but here is the order I would put for which character I felt the most sorry.

1) Tub
2) Kenny
3) Frank

I felt the most sorry for Tub because I think he is a good guy at heart. No, I don't care if he is a little slow and a lot fat - that's no reason to throw all sympathy out the window. He is an underdog, and even if he doesn't necessarily overcome anything throughout the story, that makes him likable. He takes Frank's creepy problems to heart and tries to comfort him, even though Frank was being a tool earlier in the story. Tub is definitely insecure about himself and his eating problem - we can all relate to having insecurities. Tub is just nice and he cares about his "friends" even though they are mean to him.

Next, I felt the most sorry for Kenny. Given these three conditions I was under prior to reading the story

1) his name is Kenny
2) there are guns involved in this story
3) I am familiar with South Park

I knew something was gonna go down. And it did. Kenny is number two on the sympathy list only because he was shot accidentally by Tub. First of all, they just throw him in the bed of the truck - I have a truck. Whenever I throw things in the bed, I can hear it slamming around in there - ouch. Then, they stop and say, "Oh, Kenny, we are getting a little chilly, so we are going to let you freeze/bleed to death while we go to a gas station or diner or whatever and practice gluttony with pancakes." And then it almost suggests that he dies at the end when they went the wrong way to go to the hospital. That sucks.

Third was Frank. I didn't really feel sorry for him at all. He isn't just a jerk to both Tub and Kenny, but he is a creep. What kind of man lets his wife go out while he stays home and rocks the cradle? That's disgusting.

As for the second part of the question, yes. The names have significance. I've already touched on one (Kenny, guns, South Park), and Tub is the next. I guess he is just as big as a tub, so that gives us the image of a very, very large man. President William Howard Taft also comes to mind. But unless "Frank" means "pedophile" in a language I don't know, I don't think his name has much significance.

The Jerk Scale / Foil Characters - Short Story Blog 1 (Week 2) (Everyday Use)

"She looked at her sister with something like fear but she wasn't mad at her. This was Maggie's portion. This was the way she knew God to work."

~ Alice Walker, Everyday Use


Today in class, we talked a little bit about how putting foil characters together can exaggerate their differences. I think this was probably the story I felt the strongest about (except when I wanted to shoot myself in the face during Bartleby), simply because the two characters are on complete opposite ends of the personality gamut.

Maggie is a shy, resigned, completely selfless person. She always gives to other people (especially her psychotic sister) and thinks little of herself, even though she is genuinely a good person. She has always been a shadow to her sister because Dee is extremely confident and feels restrained in her old life - but we will get to her in a minute. I think Maggie is on the right side of the Jerk Scale.

                                    JERK SCALE

                                                                                       Maggie
----------------------------------------------------------------*-
JERK                                                                   NOT A JERK


Dee is an overly confident person. She is selfish, inconsiderate, condescending, and ridiculous. She treats her family like poop and uses them for her heritage - which makes her a hypocrite because she completely rejected her former lifestyle when she went away; she only likes the idea of her background, she likes bragging about it to people, but she hated growing up like she did. Most of all, she never thinks of Maggie, her little sister who looks up to her and needs someone there who will tell her that she is pretty and smart and worth more than she feels like she is. But, Dee fails at all of this, so she goes on the left side of the Jerk Scale.

                                         JERK SCALE

   Dee
---*---------------------------------------------------------------
JERK                                                                     NOT A JERK

Yes, both of these characters probably have traits that contradict their positions on the spectrum, but having two extreme characters in the story just emphasizes their differences.

The One That Got Away - Short Story Blog 4 (Interpreter of Maladies)

"When she whipped out the hairbrush, the slip of paper with Mr. Kapasi's address on it fluttered away in the wind. No one but Mr. Kapasi noticed."

~Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies

I think it's much better that the address flew away. If Mrs. Das had kept it, Kapasi would have just gotten a couple pictures and then never heard from her again. He would eventually have to accept that she has a husband and doesn't really like him that much. His life obviously sucks, and does he really need that right now? Or ever, for that matter? Because he saw the address fly away, he can at least pretend someone wants to communicate with him, but she just never got the chance. Sometimes, I think we need to be able to imagine things are the way we want them to be. Even if it's not true, he got a little bit of hope from the situation which can keep him going for a while. It sounds harsh, but at least there is some positive in this story.

It's Going to Be Lengen, Wait For It... Dary! - Short Story Blog 3 (How I Met My Husband)

"So I said yes, and I went out with him for two years and he asked me to marry him, and we were engaged a year more while I got my things together, and then we did marry."

~ Alice Munro, How I Met My Husband


The title is not the only ridiculously similar characteristic shared by How I Met My Husband and the popular television comedy How I Met Your Mother. The two are very structurally similar. How I Met Your Mother is a show about Ted, who is telling his children the story of how he met their mother. He takes many seasons to get there (and it still isn't over yet), and tells them about many, many, many, many women that he meets along the way. How I Met My Husband is very much the same. Edie tells the story of how she met her husband, although most of the story is comprised of her experiences with another man. She only gets to her husband in the last two paragraphs; in Mother, the series will end with Ted meeting his wife. The two also have pretty much the exact same idea of telling the story of how the main characters met their spouses.

That's Awkward (Dramatic Irony) - Short Story Blog 2 (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."

~ Alice Munro, How I Met My Husband


This last part of the story made me really uncomfortable - the dramatic irony was just too much! First of all, she writes this whole long story about how she obviously loves the pilot (and probably is still in love with him), even though they only had a brief fling. She talks about how she admired him and bonded with him, and then he just leaves her and never responds, so she settles for the mailman. Who, by the way, only has two paragraphs. Her husband only has two paragraphs, but her four-minute infatuation gets a freakin' novel. While we as readers know all of this, the mailman doesn't. When he thinks she is interested in him, we all know she's just waiting to be swooped up by a different man; this makes it SUPER awkward when he tells his children she couldn't stay away from him. Can you imagine her telling him the truth? "Umm, no honey, I was actually desperately in love with another man and still am..."

This kind of makes me think of women today. Women say they want a nice guy, but they always go for the bad boy when given the chance. The respectful guy just isn't that exciting, and especially for naive, sheltered girls (think about Roncalli girls. I fear for the female portion of our grade next year), someone who is a little more aggressive is a very intriguing and enticing idea. But, fear not, good guys, you all prevail in the end. A woman will always settle down with the nice man when she is ready to grow up and face reality. And that is exactly what Edie did.

Suspense. Or Lack Thereof - Short Story Blog 1, Week 1 (A Rose for Emily)

"Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint ad invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair."

~ William Faulkner, A Rose for Emily


Okay, that ending was pretty messed up. Although the end may give people the creeps, the story ironically lacks suspense. Usually, when horror movies/books or thrillers progress, you ascertain information as the plot continues - you find out one element of the real story at one time. Finally, the protagonist is mucking around in some situation they shouldn't be (i.e. breaking into that creepy neighbor's house and going through his stuff, going down into the basement after hearing strange noises, or doing some type of ancient voodoo to evoke the presence of a ghost to hopefully get rid of it, though you usually die afterwards), then, that big piece of evidence is found and the light bulb goes off in the protagonist's head. This is then followed with a chase/killing scene where either the good guy or the bad guy ends up dead. (I think horrors generally end with the good guy dying and thrillers with the bad guy. Not always, but it's just a speculation) Yes - Emily kills her husband so he won't leave her and sleeps with his dead body every night, but we aren't scared throughout because the story isn't in chronological order. I'm sure Faulkner actually did the non-chronological thing to create suspense, but it actually just created more questions. While we do want to know what's happening in this type of story, the plot was all screwed up because it jumped around so much that you had to read it two or three times before even understanding it. You kind of understood the ending, so it was almost like reading a spoiler alert beforehand. It would have been much more effective if Faulkner had stuck to chronological order and just given us pieces of information at a time. Now please enjoy this picture of a creepy old lady.

Question-O-Rama - Poetry Blog 5 (Edward)

"O I have killed my hawk so good, Mother, Mother, O I have killed my hawk so good, And I had no more but he, O."

~ Anonymous, Edward


For my final poetry blog, I thought I would write something consisting of only questions.

Is the hawk a metaphor?
Does he get some kind of sick masochism out of killing his hawk "so good?"
If he "had no more" but his hawk, why would he kill it?
Wouldn't he have learned his lesson after he killed the hawk? Did he have to go kill the horse?
Why did he kill his father?
Did he really kill his father, or is that a metaphor?
Why does he kill so many things/people?
Is he really sailing away to do penance, or is he running from all the murder he should be charged with?
How would sailing away be penance?
Why would he just let his house fall apart? Does he think he won't ever come back?
What kind of person lets his wife/children starve and thinks "Hmmm, they can just beg on the streets until they rot away into a desperate, bitter nothing and I have the pleasure of knowing it was all my fault!" ?
Why does he hate his mom?
Hasn't his mom been helping him with his problems all this time?
Why would he suddenly turn on her?
But why did he turn on everyone else in his family?
Why didn't his mom slap him after he talked to her like that? (If I cursed my mom to hell, I might get one to the face)
Why does he think his mom had cursed him through her counsels?
Could she not just unintentionally give really bad advice?
WHY IS EDWARD SUCH A JERK??

This is Just Sad - Poetry Blog 4 (Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead)

"I see myself on deck, convinced his ship's gone down, while he's convinced I'll see him standing on the dock and waving, shouting, Welcome back."

~ Andrew Hudgins, Elegy for My Father, Who is Not Dead 


I was very sad after reading this poem. I just wanted to give Andrew a hug! His father has already resigned to death, but he is really upset over this. I've never lost a parent, so I can't really imagine how painful it is, but I think if you have a lot of time to think about what's coming, then it would be very difficult to deal with before the death as well as during. Seeing someone be ready for death can be peaceful and inspiring - he/she has the courage to face the end that you don't have yet. But it is probably also concerning, especially if it's not because the person is fearlessly venturing into something that no one can ever understand, but because that person has simply given up on life. It makes me think of a nursing home full of sad, lonely old people. I feel like Andrew is a little desperate to save his father - he's trying to hold on to those last moments of life they can share, but his dad is ready to go. :( . I don't know, I'm just thinking aloud.

A Lovely Change of Pace / Paradox - Poetry Blog 3 (Lonely Hearts)

"Who knows where it may lead once we've begun? Can someone make my simple wish come true? Do you live in North London? Is it you?"

~ Wendy Cope, Lonely Hearts


The way I see it, this poem is paradoxical in two different ways.

1) The Conditions and the Situation: Each person who is writing in this "Personals" column has a different story, a different need, a different sexual orientation. However, all of these people want the same thing - love. Although these people come from diverse places and have different backgrounds, all of their hearts yearn for the same thing.

2) The Description and the Situation: The title "Lonely Hearts" suggests that each person writing in this column is alone, and not happy about it. All of these people may be alone in their life, but they are linked by what they seek. Everybody wants companionship; this brings about a tone of universality although the people are all considered lonely - there is someone out there who is like them (and hopefully someone who is for them).

The "Situation" aspect of both paradoxes is the same - love. This is made apparent through the uniformity of the last lines of each stanza - "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" or "Can someone make my simple wish come true?" Also, the last stanza, "Who knows where it may lead once we've begun? Can someone make my simple wish come true? Do you live in North London? Is it you?" is what links all of these people together and creates a common wish for which we all strive in the end.

And More Death / Metaphors - Poetry Blog 2 (Death, Be Not Proud)

"Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me."

~ John Donne, Death, Be Not Proud

This poem is filled with metaphors. The most significant metaphor relates to death and religion. Throughout the poem, there is an image of Jesus' crucifixion. It talks about how death cannot conquer a human, even if he does die - "die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me." This is metaphorical for how Jesus died on the cross to save all of us and help us achieve salvation. Also, the poem says "one short sleep passed, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die." This sounds pretty familiar - the message is in the Gospel. Jesus died, just as we all will die (the short sleep passed), but then, he gave us everlasting life (we wake eternally), because he conquered death (death, thou shalt die). These metaphors teach to not be afraid of death because we will all be saved and live forever in the end.

Death Sums Up This Week / Couplets - Poetry Blog 1 (Week 5 and then we are done. That Time of Year)

"This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long."

~ William Shakespeare, That Time of Year


First off, I would like to point out something that will probably be discussed (or at least briefly mentioned) in class - this is a sonnet. That's 14 lines, people.

Secondly, I would like to say that I am sensing a pattern in Shakespearean sonnets. In William's last poem we analyzed, My Mistress' Eyes, he presented 12 lines of poetry that seemingly had one meaning, but then the last couplet completely changed the message; it turned the poem from critical and demeaning to realistic yet sweet. This poem is no different; the first three quatrains each have their own metaphor for death - which seems to be a recurring theme in almost every poem - the nature (birds and trees) to twilight and dusk to the "ashes of his youth," or fire. But what seems to be a reflection on imminent death takes on not a different meaning, but a more complex one. The last two lines say "this thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, to love that well which thou must leave ere long"; in English, that means that because the woman he loves knows he is old and may die soon, her love grows stronger for him and she cherishes it more because they have a limited amount of time until he will die. Or, I guess he may not even be that old, but the couple just recognizes how short life is. So, at first the poem meant that death was near, but now it means that we should love others to the fullest before we die.

Frog Prince - Poetry Blog 5 (Hazel Tells LaVerne)

"kiss me just kiss me once on the nose well i screams ya little green pervert an i hitsm with my mop an has ta flush the toilet down three times me a princess"

The last poem for this week is Hazel Tells LaVerne by Katharyn Howd Machan. This is probably one of the most unique poems I have read yet. First of all, the lack of punctuation yet easily understandable material was very refreshing. I got a clear image of what was happening, and it was actually a bit entertaining to imagine. I wonder, though - does the author actually write like that or did she write in a dialect to give personality to the character? Either way, it worked. I also liked that it was a story I had heard several times before, but with a twist - she gets rid of him instead of taking him up on his offer. I can tell that she is a very realistic person by the way she is so shocked at the thought of being a princess; she even repeats it. Overall,  I enjoyed this poem. It was a nice change compared to the rest of the stuff we have read in the last couple of weeks.

Approaching Death / Symbolism - Poetry Blog 4 (Crossing the Bar)

"Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea."

The poem Crossing the Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson uses a lot of symbolism throughout. During the poem, he is talking about what he wants to happen at his imminent death. He doesn't want anyone to mourn for him; his death should be quiet and peaceful. He says this several times when he states "And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea," and "And may there be no sadness of farewell When I embark." The sea is used as a symbol for death, and as he crosses the sandbar into the sea, he is dying. The poem brings about the idea of the "circle of life" as a never-ending cycle when Tennyson says "But such a tide moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home." God is also represented in the poem as the Pilot when Tennyson expresses his desire to see God when he dies.

Time Flies / Oxymoron - Poetry Blog 3 (To His Coy Mistress)

"Thus, though we cannot make our sun Stand still, yet we will make him run."

In Andrew Marvell's poem To His Coy Mistress, in the title, immediately we see an oxymoron. "Coy mistress" is strange because someone who is coy is holding back, but "mistress" is associated with giving in to carnal desires, especially when there is a separate marriage involved. In this case, the mistress and man just haven't done the deed yet. While the speaker never directly says that he wants sex, the oxymoron reveals what he is asking of his mistress. He is telling her that if they had an infinite amount of time, he would have no problem waiting, but time is running out - carpe diem! What better time than the present? She is trying to preserve her honor, but he is doing everything he can to destroy it. The diction in this poem creates a sense of urgency that supports the speaker's opinions on time.

The Great Escape / Tone - Poetry Blog 2 (Getting Out)

"Every night another refusal, the silent work of tightening the heart. Exhausted, we gave up."

In Cleopatra Mathis' poem Getting Out, she describes two people imprisoned in a relationship. Eventually, they divorce and go their separate ways although it is difficult to split. The tone throughout the poem can be described as exasperated. Whenever they were married, they were called "inmates." The relationship definitely wore on both of the people as it progressed. Instead of benefiting the couple, it  brought resentment that would ultimately lead to the demise of the marriage. The tone could also be considered poignant. The two had an emotionally destructive relationship, but they had also shared a lot of experiences together that could never be replaced by anyone or anything else, so there would be mixed feelings about the divorce.

Realistically Romantic - Poetry Blog 1. Week Four. (My Mistress' Eyes)

"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red."

First up, we have William Shakespeare's My Mistress' Eyes. William is known for his romantic writings (Romeo and Juliet, the most classic love story of all time), but this poem could appear to be quite... normal. He's saying throughout the whole poem that his lover's physical attributes aren't comparable to the beauty of nature. Many other poets describe their significant other as divine - but William takes a more realistic approach to his poem. He defies the quintessential romantic similes often used in poetry by saying, "Hey, my girl doesn't look like a sunset, but I would choose her over any other woman out there." By saying this, it gives the poem a very genuine tone - he isn't just making up crap or blatantly over-exaggerating a woman's  looks. He is truly acknowledging her beauty and what he loves about her; he knows how much he loves her. You've done it again, William - you've turned the everyday into something extraordinary.

Walking the Line - Poetry Blog 5 (Mr. Z)

The last poem I read provoked a lot of thought for me. Mr. Z is about a Jewish man who is defying racial stereotypes. However, he may be taking this idea too far. One could definitely argue that he is losing touch with his heritage. The poem reveals that the line between breaking through the glass ceiling and losing oneself is shockingly thin. Yes, we should try to integrate other cultures into our own and be tolerant of everyone. Even considering this, it's important for other races to embrace their heritage. They shouldn't pretend to be white or any other majority race just to fit in - that would be denying their own identities. Even at the end of the poem, the critics who wrote about his death explicitly categorized him as a Jew despite his efforts to be seen as more than that. While people shouldn't stereotype or focus only on color, different races should really accept and take pride in their race while also achieving something more.

Blissful Ignorance - Poetry Blog Number 4 (APO 96225)

People are stupid. They think they want to know everything, but then they just block out anything that is slightly unpleasant. That's exactly what is happening in APO 96225 by Larry Rottmann. The son goes off to war and, no doubt, experiences things that the average American wants nothing to do with. He tries to protect his mother, so he hides all the horrible things that happen out there with remarks about the weather. The mother thinks she wants to know what he isn't telling her, but she doesn't know how bad it is. When he actually does tell her, his father writes back to him: "Please don't write such depressing letters. You're upsetting your mother." Okay, mom, don't ask for what you can't handle. Why would people want to be ignorant? Isn't it much better to know things so you can be prepared to face them sometime in the future? I would much rather know the truth than be taken by a surprise attack later. Ignorance is just avoiding a problem, and it will catch up with you later - no matter how unpleasant.

To the Linen Closet / Overstatement - Poetry Blog 3 (Sorting Laundry)

Next, I read Sorting Laundry by Elisavietta Ritchie.

I really liked this poem! It was cute. I loved how the different pieces of fabric and clothing represented different parts of the speaker and her man's life together. The overstatement in this poem is the line "a mountain of unsorted wash could not fill the empty side of the bed." Before this line, the speaker was talking about how if her significant other left her, she would be devastated and left empty inside. The overstatement itself is saying how much she really needs the other person and how no one else would ever replace what they had together. It gives the reader a mental image of the largest pile of clothing he/she could imagine never being enough for the reader. This just re-emphasizes the fact that their memories together amount to more than anybody else's could.

Life Is Plastic, It's Fantastic! / Irony - Poetry Blog 2 (Barbie Doll)

First of all, hahahahahahahahahahahaaa -------->

Caesarean-section Barbie!


Next, I am a bit conflicted during this poem. I have moments when I think I know exactly what is happening, but then something comes up and I'm ridiculously confused. I get that it's about a girl who isn't perfect and who traditionally wouldn't be considered beautiful. The poem emphasizes the vanity of humanity (I'm sorry, I had to). The last stanza is confusing to me though. I'm not exactly sure what just happened - did she get plastic surgery, or is that metaphorical? Did the plastic surgery go awry and contribute to her death? Was she just made over by the mortician?

As I promised in the title, I will now talk about the irony. While I don't know all the details of her death, apparently, she is really attractive when she is dead. "Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said" contrasts to their opinions of her when she was alive and ugly. "Consummation at last" reveals the irony that she finally got the praise that she wanted, but she was dead when it came about. Also, "To every woman a happy ending" is dark irony because we don't associate death with a "happy ending."

Fear the Unorthodox / Paradox - Poetry Blog 1 (Much Madness is Divinest Sense. Semaine Trois)

To start off week 3, I am once again going to look at a Dickenson poem. Much Madness is Divinest Sense is pretty typical - a sea of unnecessary capitalization and hyphens. Let's start:

Emily pulls a fast one on us and states society's consensus; however, she completely disagrees with her peers. Instead of assenting with this common belief, she thinks that "Much Madness is divinest Sense" - that insanity is sensible. When we think about insanity, we usually think of chaos and irrational actions or thoughts. When we think of sensibility, we think of organized thought and rational decisions. Because of the contrast between these two words, a paradox is created. Insanity is sensible because it's human - we overreact to situations and people, and we make mistakes and screw ourselves over sometimes. If someone is completely calm at all times, that may be a warning sign that he or she is kind of crazy. It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for, right?

A Rant. - Poetry Blog 5 (February)

This is probably the single worst poem I have read in.... forever. It's February by Margaret Atwood.

First of all, there are probably fourteen different things happening at the same time. She talks about winter, then her psycho cat, then war between the neighborhood cats, then castrating the cats, then love, then hockey, then environmental problems, then depression, then french fries, then certain unpleasant regions of her psycho cat, then outlooks on life, then spring. At the end of the poem, the reader is left with a few less brain cells than when he/she started. It just doesn't make sense - is she just telling us about her life, or is there some twisted symbolism in this? I don't like it. Here is a list of things I would rather be doing than reading this poem.

1) Enjoying a nice piece of fiction that is easy to understand.
2) Watching Accepted for the 200000000948th time.
3) Being at work.
4) Buck Buck - ing.
5) Doing my Government homework.
6) Writing yet another college scholarship essay.
7) Walking into incoming traffic.

The one thing I may get in this poem is that the cat is like winter. Both represent pessimism. The cat itself represents immorality and physicality (physical pleasure/triumph that lacks any emotional/intellectual/mental depth) What I don't understand is that if the cat is that depressing, why don't you just get rid of it? It's not like it's a baby.

Margaret Atwood, I have no idea what your point is, and I do not look forward to reading your poems in the near future.

This Lady is Sick - Poetry Blog 4 (The Joy of Cooking)

When you first read The Joy of Cooking by Elaine Magarrel, you may cringe in response to the grotesque methods of the narrator. However, Magarrel's "[scrubbing] and [skinning]" of her sister's tongue is not literal. The tongue is her sister's words, her ideas and thoughts. When the narrator is preparing her "tongue" in a dish, she is actually degrading her thoughts, dreams, opinions, etc.; she is destroying them. Like the tongue, her brother's heart represents something intangible. His heart is her brother's ability to give love. However, when she describes it as "firm" and "dry," she means that he is a cold person. Her brother puts up a tough front, or he just is a mean person who seems to lack emotion. Either way, the narrator is insulting her sister's ideas and her brother's personality.

Under the Influence... of Life? / Irony - Poetry Blog 3 (I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed)

Emily Dickenson wrote the poem I taste a liquor never brewed. Throughout the whole poem, she uses alcoholic words to describe a somewhat different experience. It reminded me of the expression "high on life." She uses words like "inebriate," "debauchee," "drams," and "vats" - all which relate to alcohol. The only part of this I'm not quite sure about, however, is what she is getting drunk off of. It seems like there's no logical reason, but that may be part of the poem; she is just feeling good. In addition, her reference to religious figures is ironic because drinking in excess is usually considered very immoral (especially when she describes herself as a debauchee) in most religions. The "Seraphs" and "Saints" take interest in her drunken actions when traditionally, they would have been disappointed or ashamed of her.

Well, This Is a Stretch / Extended Metaphor - Poetry Blog Number 2 (Pink Dog)

So I definitely used the word "also" much more than necessary on my last blog. I will work on that for this one. Also, I would like to point out that my analysis for this poem is a little wild and probably wrong. But here we go. 

I think that the poem Pink Dog by Elizabeth Bishop is actually not even about a dog. It is an extended metaphor for a homeless woman trying to survive. The woman has just had a baby, or may have multiple children, and she is trying to provide for them. ("In what slum have you hidden them, poor bitch, while you go begging, living by your wits?")  She's probably a prostitute ("Startled, the passersby draw back and stare" - not because she's naked, but because they know what she is; when the poem says "naked" it means that she is exposed, not unclothed). The poem says "In your condition you would not be able even to float, much less to dog-paddle. Now look, the practical, the sensible solution is to wear a fantasia. Tonight you simply can't afford to be an eyesore," and this represents society's negative attitude toward her conditions - they want her to hide her poverty during their celebration. If she's trying to beg on the street to get more money, her lack of funds and bad clothing will drive people who are focused on wealth and partying away instead of evoking sympathy; she won't survive through the festival/season. 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star / Mood - Poetry Blog 1 (For Week 2!) (Bright Star)

The poem Bright Star, by John Keats, describes a man who looks into the sky and sees a star; he tells how he would act differently if he behaved as the star. The way I see this poem, it can be divided into two parts.

The first part is his description of the star's action. It watches the world and sees the beauty of it - particularly, nature. The star is compared to an insomniac who watches the "moving waters" and "snow upon the mountains and the moors." What the star is observing is later contrasted with what the man would.

The second part describes what the man would do if he were as loyal and constant as the star. He would watch, instead of the world, a woman. He says that if he were to do one thing for the rest of his life, he would "awake forever in a sweet unrest, still, still to hear her tender-taken breath, and so live ever - or else swoon to death." (It was definitely an "aww" moment.)

While the poem is creating contrast, there are several similarities in it. The narrator tells what he would watch forever and what the star continually watches, but they are both unchanging. They both are watching something. Also, the woman and nature are being indirectly compared. Each is the object of something's/one's attention, and each is beautiful enough to be so. Both the woman and nature are depicted as gently moving, which helps the reader make the comparison and creates a soft, peaceful mood. The narrator also uses words like "eternal" and "forever" to make time seem almost non-existent; this also contributes to the peaceful mood.

Workin' for the Man Every Night and Day - Poetry Blog 5. (London)

Finally, I shall analyze the poem London by William Blake. This was probably the one I found most difficult. 

For the most part, I understand the general meaning. "I wander through each chartered street... the mind-forged manacles I hear." He's talking about how oppressive the British government is to the people. It makes sense - at that time, Great Britain was a large, dominant country. Crying is also a big part of this poem - it's used three times ("In every cry of every man, in every Infant's cry of fear... Blasts the new-born Infant's tear"), but I'm not sure what the significance is. Anyway, the poem uses oppression in a couple of different ways, like their jobs and marriage. Maybe it's saying that not only were the people enslaved by their government, but by all aspects of their lives. The tone matches the theme - it's dark and lacks hope. Overall, this poem brings about many questions, but is centered around oppression. 

Pretty Prancing Panthers (Q#12 symbols) - Poetry Blog 4 (The Panther)

Next, we look at The Panther by Rainer Maria Rilke. I thought this whole poem was symbolic of another situation, therefore I will discuss symbolism.

Point out and explain any symbols. If the poem is allegorical, explain the allegory. (Q#12 from blogging guidelines)

"It seems to him there are a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world."

Although the poem is entitled The Panther, I really doubt that the poem is about a wild animal. The bars are symbols for prison, while the panther is actually a person in jail.

"As he paces in cramped circles, over and over, the movement of his powerful soft strides is like a ritual dance around a center in which a mighty will stands paralyzed."

When the man is pacing in cramped circles, he is in his jail cell. (It's so small that he can't move much.) He knows that he wants to be free and roam around outside, but he is trapped and can't go anywhere.

"Only at times, the curtain of the pupils lifts, quietly - . An image enters in, rushes down through the tensed, arrested muscles, plunges into the heart and is gone."

When the man opens his eyes and sees the jail cell and realizes his lack of freedom, the bleakness of prison saddens him. It frustrates him and drains him emotionally.

The image of a panther represents the man's movement - he is almost sulking or hunching his back as he paces like a panther stalking its prey. Also, a panther can be a vicious animal like the man was before he was put in prison.

"Jack, I'm Flying!" (Q#10 Imagery) - Poetry Blog 3 (The Convergence of the Twain)

The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy describes the loss of the Titanic (luckily, we had a handy little footnote to help us with that one). To help me come up with a topic for this blog, I've used Question 10 from the blogging guidelines.

Discuss the imagery of the poem. What types of imagery are used? What is the cumulative effect of this imagery in terms of tone and theme? 


Most of the imagery in this poem is the sight of fancy things deteriorating under the sea. "Over the mirrors meant To glass the opulent The sea-worm crawls - grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent. Jewels in joy designed To ravish the sensuous mind Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind." These lines contain major contrast between extravagance and filth. Mostly we see the opulence transforming in to its antithesis - dirt. The imagery contributes to the tone of hopelessness and loss of the Titanic. It also reaffirms the theme: death doesn't care if you are rich or poor - eventually, it claims us all. Materialism will never prevail, and our material items will deteriorate. The sinking of this seemingly indestructible ship humbles us.

When Insanity Ensues (Metonymy) - Poetry Blog 2 (I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain)

Now we are going to take a gander at Emily Dickenson's I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain. This poem required a bit more thought and interpretation than "spring is pretty..."

"And Mourners to and fro... And when they all were seated, A Service, like a Drum - Kept beating - beating - till I thought My Mind was going numb." I think it's funny how she personifies these abstract thoughts. This really helps to give you an image of what is happening in her head - that is, if you know what the thoughts are. Here's my theory:

The mourners are chaos. She's thinking so much, so her thoughts are rushing around "to and fro." When they are seated, the chaos settles, and the service, insanity, begins. The funeral is for her stable mental state which has just died.

"As all the Heavens were a Bell, And Being, but an Ear, And I, and Silence, some strange Race Wrecked, solitary, here."

Theory number two:

Heavens are metonymy for religion altogether - using the word "heavens" just makes the analogy run more smoothly - while the bell is the call to religion. The ear is referred to as beings, so the ear is people who hear the call to religion. Emily, however, compares herself to silence because she can't hear the call and is not religious. By saying "some strange Race Wrecked, solitary here," she reveals that she feels like she is the only person who can't hear God's call, so she is a weak, damaged person. This may have contributed to the death of her sanity.

Seasonal Writings - Poetry Blog Numero Uno (Spring, The Widow's Lament in Springtime, Those Winter Sundays, and To Autumn)

For my first blog, I'm analyzing the poems Spring by Gerard Manley Hopkins, The Widow's Lament in Springtime by William Carlos Williams, Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden, and To Autumn by John Keats. I really hope you are catching on to the pattern.

Using seasons in poems and other artistic works is particularly common, perhaps because our surroundings and environment contribute so much to our lives. Two of the poems, Spring and The Widow's Lament in Springtime have many similar images and meanings. They both praise creation and life through flowers and colors particularly. To Autumn also praises nature, but emphasizes what it has already given and how we should appreciate that, when the two former poems celebrate the beginning of new life (simply because of the two seasons). The differences between the two spring poems are that Spring holds religious symbolism - it compares spring to the garden of Eden before the fruit of knowledge was eaten. The Widow's Lament focuses on the contrast between the hope and life of spring and the woman's mourning of her husband.

The poem that differs most drastically from the other three is Those Winter Sundays. Initially, the season has no symbolic significance to the poem. However, winter does provide a backdrop needed for the mood and action throughout the poem.

So We Meet Again, AP Lit Blog (The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry)

Well, it's time to blog once again. This first piece I'm reading is called The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry by an interesting fellow named Laurence Perrine.

Laurence Perrine thinks that there is a correct way to analyze poetry - that one is either right or wrong. It seems as if he wants to make this a math problem, and you either can figure out the right answer or you can't. "For logical proof, though not experimental proof, is at least as possible in the interpretation of poetry as it is, say, in a court of law." Well, I've got news for you, Laurence - this is literature, not math, and literature requires a little more depth than correct or incorrect.

Laurence overlooks the ambiguities and grey areas of literature - he assumes that a "far-fetched" answer is automatically completely wrong. The monkey solution he was ranting about? Yeah, it's kind of weird, but it, in this situation, is just as possible as the human thief breaking into the house. Art is not necessarily real or logical, and  it can't be judged that way. Think of how many artists were pathologically insane when they created some of their finest works; that means that the meanings behind those works probably reflected their mental statuses. Let's look at a couple of these great figures and see how crazy they and their works were.



Vincent van Gogh: Obviously, you have to be a little crazy to voluntarily cut off your ear. This guy definitely had some problems, but his work is incredible and evokes emotions that you can't call wrong.

The Beatles: They may not have necessarily been crazy, but tell me, Laurence, could you give me the correct interpretation of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?"  

All I'm trying to say is that poetry isn't ever wrong, and even the professionals know that (T.S. Elliot: "The meaning maybe different with everyone."). Only an artist knows what he or she meant by the work, but a reader's idea may add truth to that initial meaning. If we can gain perspective, knowledge, and understanding from a new idea about a poem or a song, how is that incorrect? 

                                           

So Long, Farewell, I Bid Thee Adieu! (Chapters 22 and 23/ Pages 256-288)

"The fantasy never got beyond that - I didn't let it - and though the tears rolled down my face, I wasn't sobbing or out of control. I just waited a bit, then turned back to the car, to drive off to wherever it was I was supposed to be."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 288

Well, I am just so sad that these summer reading blogs are over........

Did you like that display of sarcasm? Maybe it could be one of my terms if I missed one.

But anyway, on to the overview of Never Let Me Go:


Overall, I didn't really like the book. It wasn't terrible, and I have definitely read worse (hello, The Pearl), but I thought it was a lot more depressing than it needed to be. I just felt kind of sad throughout the whole thing. There was too much struggle and not enough happiness or inspiration to balance it out - in Part One, it was very angsty, in Part Two, you could just feel the relationships crumbling, and in Part Three, everyone died. However, it was very interesting and I found myself wanting to keep reading to find out what would happen.

As for the last two chapters, everything really seemed to fall into place. It all made sense, and there weren't any holes in the plot - that was very satisfying. I didn't like how everyone died unhappy, though; it was as if no personal needs were really complete. Ruth felt awful about how bad of a person she had been, Tommy was no doubt sad about his and Kathy's split, and Kathy had to keep living in the midst of death knowing that that was the only thing waiting for her in the end. I just felt so bad that the clones had no way of having a fulfilling life.

This book seems to be a bit more confusing than Brave New World. I'm not exactly sure what Ishiguro is trying to convey. I guess I would say that I learned to appreciate the friends I have. I learned to not hold anything back, because it may be too late later, even if I get another chance. Even one action could completely alter my future. The last thing I would say I learned is that with progress comes sacrifice. Sometimes, we can't go back once we have learned something new, and there are repercussions of that - both positive and negative. There are instances when we just have to live with the negative effects, because the positives outweigh them. We all have burdens, but we just need to overcome those to make the best possible life for ourselves.

Well, that concludes the summer portion of my AP Lit blogging. I will see you all bright and early on Monday!

Please Just Give Us What We Want. (Chapters 20 and 21/ Pages 237-255)

"Yes, we're doing his now and I'm glad we're doing it now. But what a pity we left it so late."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 239

FINALLY. Tommy and Kathy are together at last, but just when they've reconnected, they say it's sad. Savor the time you have left, people - you aren't getting any younger. And they aren't even that old, for that matter! I thought their time together would be this huge happy scene where they understand how meant to be they are and how happy they are that they could have these last moments, but NO. I found the scene to be very unsatisfying and really disappointing. Mr. Costello, I know you commented on one of my blogs last time and asked me if all classics had to have sad endings. And although there are definitely exceptions for every situation, I would say that, yeah, about 95% of books we read in school have bad endings. It's realistic and educational. But I don't read to experience realism - if I want to experience that, I would just go out and do something. I personally love reading, but to be honest, I think that's one reason why people are starting to watch more and more movies - for the happy part. Take for example, 80's movies.

Sixteen Candles: The guy you like who has ignored you for the past year is not going to dump his super-hot, drunk girlfriend, save you from your sister's wedding reception, then bake you a cake. It's not real, but we LOVE IT.


Can't Buy Me Love: People will not clap for you once you make a super-embarrassing speech in the lunchroom about how being popular doesn't matter and isn't really cool. At best, after that everyone will taunt you for a week and then you get to resume your life as a below-average wannabe. Also, people do not ride away on lawn mowers. It's not real, but it's acceptable in an 80's movie.

Say Anything...: The boy you love who you irrationally dumped is not going to come to your window and blast the song you lost your virginity to out of the boombox he is holding above his head. It's not real, but has become a famous "take-me-back" scene.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off: You are not going to make it home with only seconds to spare before your parents walk in after having the most awesome sick day ever - including your own musical number - and your grudge-holding sister is not going to save you from the evil principal set out to destroy your graduation. It's not real, but it's extremely entertaining.


Dirty Dancing: Your summer romance is not going to come back to your country club's talent show to have one final dance with you and prove that you really can do that lift. At best, he'll leave and you'll never see him again, and at worst, he'll get arrested for knocking up a teenager. It's not real, but we don't care! It's happy.

They're Coo Coo for Coco Puffs... (Chapter 19/ Pages 218-236)

"As soon as I said this - as soon as I mentioned Madame - I realised I'd made a mistake. Ruth looked up at me and I saw something like triumph flash across her face. You see it in films sometimes, when one person's pointing a gun at another person, and the one with the gun's making the other one do all kinds of things. Then suddenly there's a mistake, a tussle, and the gun's with the second person. And the second person looks at the first person with a gleam, a kind of can't-believe-my-luck expression that promises all kinds of vengeance."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 231

Okay, I've decided that it's not just Ruth who is crazy. Kathy has some problems in the brain area, too, apparently. Everything that happens between these two seems to be taken so seriously. This whole paragraph above just proves exactly what I'm trying to say - Kathy thinks that their fights are so extreme it's like holding a gun to the other's head? That's a  little extreme! I don't know about you, but my friends and I never fight like this.  We occasionally have little things, and maybe one or two big fights have ever come up, but it's never been such a power struggle like Kathy and Ruth's relationship is. I'm really questioning why they are still friends after all this time of just trying to make each other feel horrible, and even after a long time period spent away from each other! You really think they'd be over it by now. Plus, it turned out to not even be a big deal because Ruth was just trying to reunite Tommy and Kathy. I tell you, these two drive me nuts.

Grey's Anatomy... With a Twist / Synecdoche (Chapter 18/ Pages 207-217)

"Some carers, though, their whole attitude lets them down. A lot of them, you can tell, are just going through the motions, waiting for the day they're told they can stop and become donors. It really gets me, too, the way so many of them "shrink" the moment they step inside a hospital. They don't know what to say to the whitecoats, they can't make themselves speak up on behalf of their donor. No wonder they end up feeling frustrated and blaming themselves when things go wrong."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 208

The readers now follow Kathy through the third phase of her life. Being a carer has always come naturally to her, although it has been more difficult for some of her peers. An example of synecdoche is when Kathy refers to the doctors as "whitecoats." Using this term helps the reader understand that the carers do not think of doctors as they would a fellow carer. In a way, describing the doctors as only something they wear makes them something else, almost a different, subhuman breed. This is ironic, considering that the carers are the ones who actually were artificially created. This separation helps the reader understand why the carers feel as if they can't talk to the doctors - because they know they are different. It must be hard for the carers to go into a hospital and work with people who aren't the same as they are and know that they will soon be in the position in which the people they care for are.

It's Gonna Take a Lot to Drag Me Away From You / Implied Metaphor (Chapter 17/ Pages 197-203)

"It never occurred to me that our lives, until then so closely interwoven, could unravel and separate over a thing like that."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 197

Chapter seventeen is the last chapter in Part Two, so we know that Kathy's Cottage experience will soon be ending. This is also the chapter that concerns her falling out with Ruth and Tommy. The implied metaphor is about their relationships suddenly fading away. Metaphors give the readers an image to replace an idea. In this implied metaphor, although Kathy doesn't say that each of their lives are like a string of fabric, readers can imagine these strings or stitches unwinding from the whole fabric. This helps them understand how Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy's lives eventually separate from each other. Ruth's insulting Tommy's animals ultimately led to the destruction of the relationships, although there were other factors. The relationship was already worn, but that last incident really just doomed it.

Oh, But They're Weird and They're Wonderful / Simile (Chapter 16/ Pages 185-196)

"In fact, it took a moment to see they were animals at all. The first impression was like one you'd get if you took the back off a radio set: tiny canals, weaving tendons, miniature screws and wheels were all drawn with obsessive precision, and only when you held the page away could you see it was some kind of armadillo, say, or a bird."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 187

So, in this chapter, Tommy finally shows Kathy his drawings that may someday make up for his lack of artwork at Hailsham. The quote above is a simile comparing his drawings to the inside of a radio. This helps readers really envision the artwork. We can imagine the tiny little lines he would have drawn on the armadillo, or all the feathers on the bird. We could also think that the drawings were, at least, slightly abstract and strange because Kathy says that they almost didn't even look like animals. I know I think of these weird little creatures with more animation than realistic detail. It also evokes a sadness in readers, though, because we know that he's doing this so he might get a deferral. We can tell that there really isn't much of a chance that Tommy can redeem himself.

A Little Slice of Happiness/ Mood (Chapter 15/ Pages 168-183)

"Everything felt suddenly perfect: an hour set aside, stretching ahead of us, and there wasn't a better way to spend it. I had to really hold myself back from giggling stupidly, or jumping up and down on the pavement like a little kid."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 171

The mood in this chapter is very refreshing. Up until now, most of the book has been heavy and pretty dramatic. This chapter provides its readers a break from that. The mood in this chapter is like the comic relief in a drama - something to lighten the the intensity of the viewing (or in this case, reading) experience. Therefore, the mood is contrasted to the atmosphere in the rest of the book. We've been unraveling the mystery of the donations and the Hailsham students' futures, which can be very suspenseful at times. The new mood can be compared to certain times in one's life. Even when life is stressful, we still have those little moments that bring us happiness and laughter, which makes all the anxiety and struggle worth it.

A Potpourri of Thought (Chapter 14/ Pages 156-167)

I hope I don't get points off for this, but there was so much going on in this chapter that I'm just going to give my opinions (a lot of it is related to my personal life) on a bunch of different quotes.

"She pointed to the entrance of a Woolworth's shop."

Are you thinking of the same movie I'm thinking about? You can't help but smile and say to yourself, "And stay out of the Woolworth's!"





"So we went into the Woolworth's, and immediately I felt much more cheerful. Even now, I like places like that: a large store with lots of aisles displaying bright plastic toys, greeting cards, loads of cosmetics, maybe even a photo booth. Today, if I'm in a town and find myself with some time to kill, I'll stroll into somewhere just like that, where you can hang around and enjoy yourself, not buying a thing, and the assistants don't mind at all."

This takes me back to some good times. I don't know if it's just a woman thing, but my friends and I love going to places like this. Before we could drive, my friend Mary would ride her bike to my house, and then we would walk to CVS and Kroger and just look around or get candy. Even now, I will call a friend and we'll go on a Target run just because. It seems to be good bonding time.

"I'd already turned into the aisle - one with fluffy animals and big boxed jigsaws - before I realised Ruth and Chrissie were standing together at the end of it, having some sort of tete-a-tete."

1) I was excited that I knew this meant face to face. French has proved itself useful to me.
2) I can now use the book for quoi de neuf this year. Score.

"It wasn't obvious, but the longer we kept looking, the more it seemed he had something."

I was really convinced that they weren't even going to see Ruth's possible. So even I got that giggly feeling when I was reading this part. It's really cool that they could have seen her actual model - kind of like an adopted child finding their biological parent. In the end, it wasn't her model, but the idea was just really enticing.

"Tommy's making jokes about some passers-by, and though they're not very funny, we're all laughing."

My friend Brooke and I wrote down almost all of our inside jokes in a notebook once (we call it the Quotebook ). We showed a friend a couple of them, and as we were crying from laughing, she looked at us like we had mental disabilities. This reminded me of that.

"But she just kept walking, a dozen or so steps ahead, than went in through a door - into "The Portway Studios." "

Every fall, my mom and I pick one Sunday to go to Nashville in Brown County when the trees change color. We always go to one store that is full of paintings. The atmosphere described in the book matched that of the store we visit so exactly; now I can't read the book without picturing that store as the setting for The Portway Studios.

"I remember thinking then how different they actually were, Chrissie and Rodney, from the three of us."

I felt like Kathy was trying to suggest something more with this quote, but I'm not sure what. Maybe it's what set them apart? I guess it could have been that they went to Hailsham, or that they were just getting used to living at the Cottages, or that they all just had better attitudes than the veterans. I'm not sure, but the quote just provoked thought for me.

"We're modelled from trash. Junkies, prostitutes, winos, tramps."

What is a wino? An alcoholic?

Oh, No She Didn't / Rhetoric (Chapter 13/ Pages 146-155)

"Whenever they laughed, I laughed too just to be polite. Tommy seemed to be understanding things even less than me and was letting out hesitant little half-laughs that lagged some way behind. Ruth, though, was laughing and laughing, and kept nodding to everything being said about Martin just like she too was remembering them."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 150

As much as I dislike Ruth, I can't deny that she is very intelligent. Fake, but intelligent. She has mastered the use of rhetoric to act as if she knows much more than she actually does. This only earns her more respect from the veterans; being seen as their equal is obviously Ruth's goal. This has really frustrated me - it's like Ruth is in a play: a one-woman show of which she is the star actress. Her veteran audience is just laughing it up and having a grand old time, and she completely convinces them of the character she is portraying. But, more importantly, her technical crew, Kathy and Tommy, are pushing props in at the right time and keeping the spotlight on her when they could ruin this whole operation in a minute. Whether anyone knows it or not, the techies run the show from back stage, and they have the most responsibility when putting on a performance. So I laughed maniacally to myself when Tommy finally stopped complying with Ruth's show (it kind of made me flashback to that time when Kathy almost brought up the pencil case). However, Ruth snapped back and effectively shut Tommy up by bringing up a touchy incident from his past. Ruth's use of rhetoric allows her to manipulate the people she associates with through their communication.

The Island (Chapter 12/ Pages 138-145)

"Our models were an irrelevance, a technical necessity for bringing us into the world, nothing more than that."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 140

The whole time I've had my theories about what donations are and what the Hailsham students' futures held, I missed one important aspect of everything. The students lived at the school (or institution or whatever else you want to call it) year round and never went to a house with parents, so I wondered whether they were simply born, put up for adoption, and taken to the school or if they even had biological parents. The latter is right. These people were cloned from others so that their organs could be harvested whenever they were needed. The first thing I thought of when ascertaining this was the movie The Island. It's a little bit different (and I'm sure its themes also differ), but it has the same idea.

The movie is about two people who live in a very controlled society where everyone is kept at peak physical condition. A "lottery" selects one member of the community to go to the Island, a fantasy location where they will spend the rest of their life. However, what they don't know is that they aren't people, but clones of wealthy, important figures who live in the real world and pay millions of dollars to insure that they can get any body part whenever they need it. When a clone is selected to go to the Island, he is actually going to be harvested for whatever organ his owner needs. The movie calls into question the morality of genetic engineering and cloning and whether clones have souls and emotions.

Who Knew Numbers Could Be So Exciting? (Chapter 11/ Pages 126-137)

"She was struggling to become someone else, and maybe felt the pressure more than the rest of us because, as I say, she'd somehow taken on the responsibility for all of us... I never appreciated in those days the sheer effort Ruth was making to move on, to grow up and leave Hailsham behind."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 130

In this chapter, Kathy and her friends find it difficult to adapt to their new home. All they've known is Hailsham, and now they are thrown out into the real world to start working. It's always hard to move away; many people experience this in their lives somehow or another, and they have problems adjusting to their new lives. The characters in Never Let Me Go struggle to assume their new responsibilities.

A similar situation occurs in the book-turned-movie I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. The novel is about Four, a boy from another planet with special abilities who is being hunted down by a rival alien group. They kill each person in succession according to his or her number. Once One, Two, and Three are killed, Four must relocate from Florida to Paradise, Ohio and take on a new identity, John Smith. He has difficulty adjusting to his new life like Kathy and her friends.

British Words/ Colloquialism (Chapter 10/ Pages 115-125)

"That's how I realised that this "Gawd help us" stuff came from an American series..."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 121

Throughout this book, British slang and words have been used plenty of times. Besides reaffirming the accents of  the characters in my mind, the colloquialism effects the reader in other ways too. If one did not know the location, the diction would help the reader place the novel in England. It also made me realize how differently cultures spell things, even while speaking the same language. For example, the Brits use "s" instead of "z" (realise as opposed to realize), "our" instead of simply "or" (favourite as opposed to favorite), and "re" instead of "er" (theatre as opposed to theater). There were a lot of terms repeated that we Americans don't really use (like daft). There were also a couple forms of slang used (for example, snogging). Overall, I really like British colloquialism; it spices up the experience of reading the novel for me.

Tommy vs. Ruth: Character Studies/ Foil Characters ( Chapters 8 and 9/ Pages 90-111)

"So you see, it's got to be you to our rescue. Tommy and I were made for each other and he'll listen to you. You'll do it for us, won't you, Kathy?"

~ Never Let Me Go, page 104

First I want to say that I was so furious when I found out Ruth and Tommy were dating. It's all backwards and sick and twisted and frustrating! It's supposed to be Tommy and Kathy!

Next I would like to point out the irony in the quote. 1) If Ruth and Tommy actually were made for each other, he would be able to listen to her and reconcile the differences. Also, she would be able to communicate with him without worry. 2) If Ruth needs Kathy to talk to Tommy and salvage the relationship, little red flags should be going off in her head right about now.

Lastly I will contrast the differences between Tommy and Ruth who are definitely foil characters to each other.

• Ruth is a leader. She is inclined to control situations (and people for that matter) and wants to be accepted and revered by her friends. Tommy is basically an outsider with a couple close friends here and there. 
• Ruth manipulates people and ridicules them. Tommy was relentlessly taunted for years by people like Ruth. 
• Ruth is very clever and intelligent - she understands the situations she is in, and she knows how to relate to people to get what she wants. Tommy is naive and innocent. The way he displays his emotions is very childlike and honest. 

Life Sucks! Get Over It / Parallelism (Chapter 7/ Pages 77-89)

" "It's not so bad now," she said, even though the rain was steady as ever. "Let's just go out there. Then maybe the sun will come out too." "

~ Never Let Me Go, page 81-82

So Miss Lucy just told the kids very directly that they will have to donate when they get older and that they have no control over their futures. She thought that was what they needed, and maybe it was, but it seemed to darken the mood over the whole class. When she was done, she looked out at the rain and the fields and said the quote above. At first, I almost thought she was still talking about donating and what's ahead for these kids. What's funny is that this quote does somewhat parallel the attitude that the students have. They know that they will have to do, but they still take on life and think that it may be better for them; they may have a happy life with a successful job, but they know the harsh realities that will soon face them, even if they don't understand them. This is really quite depressing for me. I wish there was a way to give them something else to look forward to - something like a career or children.