The first thing that caught my attention about the story, “A White Heron”, was the setting. The biography on Jewett made me more perceptive to the setting from the beginning. The way she used to imagery to convey her feelings about the country was very calming. Words like “glimmered” and “great bows” give a positive connotation from the very start. It set the mood for the story to be very country and wooded.
The main character of the story, Sylvia, was a very bright young girl. She has a connection to the forest and the animals that make her relatable to a lot of people. You develop a comfort level with her because she is just so down-home and relaxed. The way she treats the stranger that comes along makes me want to smile and pat her head. She seems to be just a young lovesick girl as she follows him around and chases birds.
She shows, though, maturity beyond her age when she doesn’t give away the location of the white heron. She values the time she spent with the bird more then she values making the stranger happy. She has a certain loyalty to the bird in regards to the bond they acquired. I like the character that is revealed within Sylvia. She holds true to herself even when she doesn’t want and received the moment in an attempt to accomplish something else. She realized this moment was different and changed her perspective on things.
This is alike the last novel because of what the main characters are sacrificing to keep in their lives. On one hand we love being sacrificed for keeping a way of life. On the other we have companionship being compromised for loyalty and a connection. The two characters share a similarity and yet are so different
Monday, January 25, 2010
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
I thoroughly enjoyed the other two stories to this week’s readings. “A New England Nun” is a detailed look into the life of a woman who is mesmerizing in her own right. The story, though rather short, was captivating and gave the reader a look into what the world was like at the time it was written.
I like the theme of OCD in this story. The main character, Louisa, shows the classic symptoms of having OCD. She has became this way after having been alone so many years and doing things her way. The gap in time from when her fiance’ first left and from when he came back was so large that it basically formed a hole too deep in the relationship for Luisa to come out of her own world. It is interesting to look at just this aspect. She wanted everything her way so much that she sacrificed her own love to keep it this same way. It was if she was so petrified of things not being just the exact way she wanted it that she gave up everything to keep it the same.
I found the dog, Caesar, to be n interesting twist in the story. She wouldn’t change the way the dog was treated just because it would change her world. The dog didn’t need to be tied up anymore because there was no immediate danger left in the dog but she still kept it locked up outside. Then when she set Joe Dagget free at the end, again the story alludes to the dog. There are things in her life that need to line up just right for her to be able to feel powerful and in control of her own self.
If we were to place this situation in today’s society there would be a completely different turn out. I think there might be a lot more drama and more tears and emotions involved. It is interesting to see how a situation that happens everyday is interpreted and dealt with in different eras.
I like the theme of OCD in this story. The main character, Louisa, shows the classic symptoms of having OCD. She has became this way after having been alone so many years and doing things her way. The gap in time from when her fiance’ first left and from when he came back was so large that it basically formed a hole too deep in the relationship for Luisa to come out of her own world. It is interesting to look at just this aspect. She wanted everything her way so much that she sacrificed her own love to keep it this same way. It was if she was so petrified of things not being just the exact way she wanted it that she gave up everything to keep it the same.
I found the dog, Caesar, to be n interesting twist in the story. She wouldn’t change the way the dog was treated just because it would change her world. The dog didn’t need to be tied up anymore because there was no immediate danger left in the dog but she still kept it locked up outside. Then when she set Joe Dagget free at the end, again the story alludes to the dog. There are things in her life that need to line up just right for her to be able to feel powerful and in control of her own self.
If we were to place this situation in today’s society there would be a completely different turn out. I think there might be a lot more drama and more tears and emotions involved. It is interesting to see how a situation that happens everyday is interpreted and dealt with in different eras.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Dickinson
My thoughts on Emily Dickinson are very chaotic. It was extremely difficult to comprehend what was being said. You could tell though, that there ware a lot of different emotions running through all of her poetry. I really just didn’t understand any poetry at all, honestly. I know how to interpret it and use the correct tools to analyze and write papers on it, but I just don’t understand what poets are trying to say 99.9 percent of the time.
It seems she has certain themes that she likes to stick to when writing her poems. Death sticks out in a lot of passages. I also see a lot of Heaven being spoken of as well. I like poem number 1052 in which she talks about know what Heaven is and where it is, even though she has not been there. She backs up this argument with stating that even though she has never seen the sea, nor the moor she still knows what a billow is and how the Heather looks. This is clear-cut to me. I can understand this and what she wants to say here. Sometimes it is hard to clearly see if Dickinson is stating something actual or using it as a metaphor for something else she is trying to say. I also like poem 441. I honestly am not sure why I like it but something about it sticks out to me.
One last poem I though was very insightful and interesting was poem 280. It was confusing to read this poem. It seems that there is something dreadful and sad going on inside her brain, like a thought or idea was dying. On the other hand though, it could just be a really bad headache with Dickinson finally giving in to the pain and knowing that it won’t last forever.
Reading these poems by her made me want to branch out on my knowledge of Emily Dickinson. When this semester is over, I think I will do some research on her and learn a little more on her background and life.
It seems she has certain themes that she likes to stick to when writing her poems. Death sticks out in a lot of passages. I also see a lot of Heaven being spoken of as well. I like poem number 1052 in which she talks about know what Heaven is and where it is, even though she has not been there. She backs up this argument with stating that even though she has never seen the sea, nor the moor she still knows what a billow is and how the Heather looks. This is clear-cut to me. I can understand this and what she wants to say here. Sometimes it is hard to clearly see if Dickinson is stating something actual or using it as a metaphor for something else she is trying to say. I also like poem 441. I honestly am not sure why I like it but something about it sticks out to me.
One last poem I though was very insightful and interesting was poem 280. It was confusing to read this poem. It seems that there is something dreadful and sad going on inside her brain, like a thought or idea was dying. On the other hand though, it could just be a really bad headache with Dickinson finally giving in to the pain and knowing that it won’t last forever.
Reading these poems by her made me want to branch out on my knowledge of Emily Dickinson. When this semester is over, I think I will do some research on her and learn a little more on her background and life.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Huckleberry Finn
After reading Huckleberry Finn I feel unsettled about the entire story. It was enjoyable and interesting to read about the “adventures” of Huck but there was a lot of hidden sarcasm in the entire story. The one theme that stuck out for me was racism. Of course in the time frame it was completely okay for a white family to own salves on their farm or in their households. As the story progressed though, it seems like the only decent person was Jim. At the end of the story he was the one who sacrificed himself to help Tom and was the one who shielded Huck from seeing his dead father. The other characters in the story that were seen as “good and nice” were in-fact, not. The Widow who Huck sees as a good person who prays and is going to the good place is still practicing in slavery. She doesn’t set Jim free until after she is dead instead of when she first felt bad for wanting to sell him. It’s like she was treating him as an object in thinking she could get a few more years out of him before she set him free. When Huck comes across Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas he lies and tell them he was delayed by a steam boat explosion. To Aunt Sally it was lucky that only a black man was killed. Twain seems to be using sarcasm and ridicule when he writes about these situations in the story.
The characters were very interesting. I like how Huck, in his effort to be free and go his own way, starts to develop the morals we go by today. Towards the end he resolves that he wants to free Jim, no matter what. Tom is a very frustrating character. He just uses everyone else to have his own adventures. He is very selfish and doesn’t really care about others well being. This is also an example of how people viewed as “good” really aren’t because of social standards of that time. The Duke and the Duaphin are a very conniving pair. They remind me of Tom, just more outspoken about it. They use Jim’s freedom to help themselves and aren’t trustworthy at all.
It was entertaining to see how Twain used this story to convey his feelings about Slavery and racism. The underlying sarcasm and messages were sometimes hard to see but left you with this feeling of importance. I have read this book in the past few years and it’s something that should be read more then once to catch everything Twain has to say.
The characters were very interesting. I like how Huck, in his effort to be free and go his own way, starts to develop the morals we go by today. Towards the end he resolves that he wants to free Jim, no matter what. Tom is a very frustrating character. He just uses everyone else to have his own adventures. He is very selfish and doesn’t really care about others well being. This is also an example of how people viewed as “good” really aren’t because of social standards of that time. The Duke and the Duaphin are a very conniving pair. They remind me of Tom, just more outspoken about it. They use Jim’s freedom to help themselves and aren’t trustworthy at all.
It was entertaining to see how Twain used this story to convey his feelings about Slavery and racism. The underlying sarcasm and messages were sometimes hard to see but left you with this feeling of importance. I have read this book in the past few years and it’s something that should be read more then once to catch everything Twain has to say.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Hello Everyone!
Good evening everyone! My name is Christina and this is my first blog. I honestly love to read. I have a library full of books ranging from mysteries to love stories to horror stories. I have been reading as much as I can whenever I can for a long while now. A lot of times I relax by reading for the entire night. I usually will read a book twice if it is one I really liked. I find myself skipping over parts as I’m trying to get to the end of the book as fast as I can.
The very last book I read was Lockdown written by Alexander Gordon Smith. I am writing a book review for my brother-in-law's magazine and this is the first book I was assigned. It is a very interesting book about a place called Furnace. Boys who misbehave are sent to Furnace, an underground prison for young boys. There are a lot of intricacies within the story that keeps the reader’s attention throughout the entire book. I really enjoyed reading this book and I am actually hoping I am given the other books in the series to review somewhere down the line.
I would say that English is my favorite subject. I never really had the patience for Math or Science. I look forward to the reading assignments in the class. I sometimes don't stray away from what I am accustomed to when choosing reading materials so being forced to stray outside of my comfort zone is a good thing for me. I remember in high school that I did not like poetry so hopefully the poetry I encounter in this class will help me understand and enjoy what I’m reading.
Other then that, I’m just me. I work full time, go to school full time, and have a family at home. My boys are 2 and 4 and keep me super busy when I am not working or doing homework. My life is filled to the brim and never leaves me sitting around bored.
The very last book I read was Lockdown written by Alexander Gordon Smith. I am writing a book review for my brother-in-law's magazine and this is the first book I was assigned. It is a very interesting book about a place called Furnace. Boys who misbehave are sent to Furnace, an underground prison for young boys. There are a lot of intricacies within the story that keeps the reader’s attention throughout the entire book. I really enjoyed reading this book and I am actually hoping I am given the other books in the series to review somewhere down the line.
I would say that English is my favorite subject. I never really had the patience for Math or Science. I look forward to the reading assignments in the class. I sometimes don't stray away from what I am accustomed to when choosing reading materials so being forced to stray outside of my comfort zone is a good thing for me. I remember in high school that I did not like poetry so hopefully the poetry I encounter in this class will help me understand and enjoy what I’m reading.
Other then that, I’m just me. I work full time, go to school full time, and have a family at home. My boys are 2 and 4 and keep me super busy when I am not working or doing homework. My life is filled to the brim and never leaves me sitting around bored.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
