Slaughterhouse Five section IV (part IV) LAST BLOG!!!

A majority of Slaughterhouse Five is spent describing the horrors of war and how war destroys people's minds. In case readers had not already known, Billy is essentially crazy. War destroyed his mine. He doesn't jump in and out of time because of the Tralfamadorians or the plane crash. Billy is simply a man deranged by the horrors of war and all the death he saw in Dresden. However, I think the most powerful part of the book comes at the end when Vonnegut is talking of a conversation he had with O'Hare about the increasing world population and Vonnegut writes, "'I suppose they will  all want dignity,' I said. 'I suppose,' said O'Hare (p. 212)." I thought this was interesting because Vonnegut spends an entire 211 pages prior telling the tale of Billy and how terrible was is, and then Vonnegut drops this bombshell. I took this line to mean that Vonnegut even agrees that war will always occur and is necessary simply because of the amount of people there are in this world. I think Vonnegut is trying to say that he could spend forever trying to convince everyone that war is a terrible thing and that he would not wish it on anyone, but he also believes that war will always exist. I still think Vonnegut wrote this book because he wants to cause readers to think of the war in a critical way. Unrelated but as a quick note, I enjoyed that he ended the book with the line "Poo-tee-weet?" I still do not know what the question is, but I like how it is symbolic like the birds are with Billy in the beginning and end moments just as Billy thinks people are always alive in moments an memories.

Slaughterhouse Five section IV (part III)

One very interesting thing I have found in Slaughterhouse Five is that Vonnegut references the Bible and Jesus several times. I know it can be a stretch to incorporate outside knowledge when analyzing a book, but I know that Vonnegut is a humanist. I read another one of his works, Cat's Cradle, and I learned that Vonnegut was not a big fan of organized religion. I find it interesting that a humanist would make several references to the Bible and Jesus without degrading the idea of God and Jesus. I know it seems closed minded of me to think that, but I think that Vonnegut uses these allusions because people can easily understand them. Also, I believe Vonnegut is still fascinated with the idea of the person Jesus was. At one point, Billy is in an adult store and reading a book by Kilgore Trout about a man that travels back in time to see if Jesus was really dead when he came off the cross. The man climbed the ladder to check and it said, "There wasn't a sound inside the emaciated chest cavity. The Son of God was dead as a doornail (p.203)." When I read this part I thought to myself, "Oh, this is it. This is the part of the book where Vonnegut is going to denounce Jesus." However, I was proved wrong, and Vonnegut used this as another way of showing the interesting ways history has been shaped through what is practically fate.

Slaughterhouse Five section IV (part II)

At the beginning of the novel, Vonnegut says that his purpose of writing Slaughterhouse Five is to tell his story of Dresden and his opinion of war. The introduction of Professor Rumfoord gives readers the historical view of the firebombing of Dresden. As an aside, I think it is hilarious that Rumfoord is an old, intelligent man that makes fun of his young, beautiful wife for her lack of intelligence. I think Vonnegut throws this in there as a part of his dark, witty sense of humor. However, Rumfoord presents the document on the bombing of Hiroshima. Later, Lily presents a book about the bombing of Dresden that says, "I deeply regret that US and British bombers killed 135,000 people in the bombing of Dresden....The atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima killed 71,379 people (p. 187-188)." The way Vonnegut presents this is that humans are capable of terrible methods of mass destruction without a nuclear bomb. Vonnegut is making the argument that war is not about the atom bomb because we are already capable of flattening cities and killing a large number of people at once. This is where Vonnegut makes a strong point in his disgust of war. Not only were the killings not necessary in the bombing of Dresden, but it killed twice as many people as were killed in the necessary bombing of Hiroshima.

Slaughterhouse Five section IV (part I)

Vonnegut brings up death many times throughout Slaughterhouse Five. However, death is talked about nonchalantly. The phrase "so it goes" appears repeatedly throughout the entirety of the novel, which emphasizes the nonchalant way Vonnegut speaks of death. I think the most surprising time Vonnegut disregard death was with Valencia's death. Most people would think the death of his wife would be a devastating event, but Billy is not even phased by the news. Of course, Billy was also severely injured. I find it odd that Billy never seems to have the will to keep on living. For example, when Billy is in the hospital he says, "'You guys go on without me (p.184).'" This is in reference to one of Billy's moments  during the war when he tells the three musketeers to leave him and let him die. Just like when Billy was in war, Billy does not want to live when he is faced with the possibility of death. Of the few things Billy voices his concern about, he talks of letting himself die. I think that the emphasis Vonnegut makes through the irony and repetition is that Billy will die when he is meant to die, and the course of the world cannot be changed.

Slaughterhouse Five Section 2 (Part IV)

Vonnegut makes great use of repetition throughout the novel. Of course, the phrase "so it goes" has occurred many times. The phrase "so it goes" seems to always end a paragraph that talks about death. This is the death of anything such as a person, champagne, or a dog. I think the explanation of this phrase come from Tralfamadorian's attitude toward unfortunate events. The speaker talks of death very matter-of-factly. I think this has to do with how people view death. Outside of war, people are devastated when a single person dies tragically from cancer or a car crash. However, the public reacts almost nonchalantly about the death of a soldier in a war because they think it is a part of war. I think Vonnegut is trying to convey that death is death regardless of the situation, death is inevitable, and so it goes. I think the inevitability of death relates to the inevitability of war.

In addition to the repetition of  "so it goes", Vonnegut also brings back other lines from early in the novel. For example, " 'My God, my God' - I said to myself, 'It's the Children's Crusade.' (p.106)" The repetition of the Children's Crusade highlights another one of the themes of how war is practically fought by children. The novel wants to highlight the tragedies of war, and this is accomplished through this phrase about the Children's Crusade.

Slaughterhouse Five Section 2 (Part III)

As I have read Slaughterhouse Five, one of the most nagging questions I have had is whether Billy is the speaker or not. I had assumed this was going to be the author's story of how war ruined him, but this is not the case. I was a little shocked to read, "That was I. That was me. That was the author of this book (p.125)." Until this point, I thought that the story of Billy was the story of the author. I think Vonnegut made up the person of Billy Pilgrim to create the story the way he wants to tell it. Billy just becomes the innocent bystander of situations that could represent some of the author's real experiences or some fictionalized stories. I also assumed that the Dresden firebombing was fiction as well until I looked it up. It made sense to me that this significant event would be fiction because this is coming from a guy that writes about meeting aliens. Apparently, the Dresden firebombing did occur, and it is as brutal as the author describes it. Vonnegut  calls it "the greatest massacre in human history." I think this is interesting because following this statement, Billy is back talking with the Tralfamadorians, who are indifferent to the emotional aspect of this bombing.

Slaughterhouse Five Section 2 (Part II)

One of the most frequently occurring images is time. Vonnegut repeatedly talks of time throughout the novel. Most of the time, the Tralfamadorians are the ones that provide deep insights about time. I think Vonnegut chose to use aliens as the mode of presenting these thoughts because this type of thinking is completely foreign to how humans think. One example of this is "All time is time....It just is (p.86)." Of course, this novel was written before Jurassic Park, but the part about bugs in amber reminds me of Jurassic Park. I think that is a very interesting way to think of this though. Just as the scientists were able to bring back species from the past, so does Billy's time work in this sense because he is capable of seeing any part of the time in his life. Additionally, the events of one's life are inevitable. I think this is significant because it links all of this logic about time and humans with war. Humans are like machines and their life is going to happen as it is destined to happen. Similarly, war will always occur because humans functions like machines making their actions inevitable.

Slaughterhouse Five Section 2 (Part I)

Throughout Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, Billy Pilgrim has been a man of few words. Most conversations take place around Billy, or Billy simply replies with the repeated word, "um." I interpret this to mean that the person who is Billy is the "time-traveling" mind of Billy Pilgrim. A good part of the story takes place in Billy's mind. For example, Billy is on his morphine trip and has this dream about giraffes, "Billy was a giraffe, too. He ate a pear (p.99)." I feel like this quote sums up the book. One moment a story is being told, and the next moment there is a line that catches readers completely off guard, like turning into a giraffe. I think the scattered  nature of the anecdotes and actual plot help convey the troubled mind of Billy Pilgrim. The story talks of how Billy's brain was not right after the plane crash. However, the story also talks of how Billy had no desire to live at that point. I think the crazy nature of Billy's mind is due to his post-traumatic stress from the war and the Dresden firebombing. I think the point of this novel is to convey to readers how war messes with people's minds in severe ways.

Batter my hear, three-personed God

As deduced from the title, Donne's poem is addressed to the trinity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). This poem is a sonnet as shown with the fourteen lines.The poem is filled with paradoxes that display the speaker's desire to grow closer to God. My personal favorite of these paradoxes is: "Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me." I highly doubt Donne intended for this line to be funny, but the irony of it just makes me laugh. The speaker asks God to ravish him; what is not funny about that? On a serious note, this line does hold some truth. the speaker is saying the only way he can be chaste is if God loves him. Another paradox in the poem is essence says that the speaker cannot be free unless God imprisons him. The message of this poem is that sin is inevitable. The speaker knows sin is inevitable, so he pleads for go to take him away from the situation of being able to sin. The speaker is almost ashamed of his human nature, which causes his plea to God.

Acquainted with the Night

Robert Frost gives us a sort of dark poem with Acquainted with the Night. The speaker talks of life with no right or wrong. Frost writes, "I have walked out in the rain - and back in rain." I interpret this line to mean "I have been to hell and back." The speaker is careful to say that he has been acquainted with the night, not friends. Frost uses indifferent language throughout the poem. In addition to the saying acquainted, the speaker talks of dropping his eyes when passing the watchman. The speaker tries to show what this world is like with "neither wrong nor right." Initially, I believed the "luminary clock" was the moon, but after some more thought, I believe that this luminary clock is some all-knowing being, maybe God. I think that the luminary clock might not be God specifically though because the speaker talks of this world with no right or wrong, and God is love and goodness. Thus, I believe the luminary clock is just a neutral omniscient being that is proclaiming there will be a time with when the world is just as indifferent.

I taste a liquor never brewed

Well, there's nothing like reading a poem about nature written by a woman who would not even leave her room in the later part of her life. Again, Dickinson creates an extended metaphor. This extended metaphor compares nature to being drunk. Maybe Ed Sheeran took a little tips from Emily Dickinson when writing the song "Drunk." Dickinson writes, "Not all the Vats upon the Rhine yield such alcohol!" This is line is, first and foremost, an indication that the speaker is not talking about getting drunk on alcohol. My understanding is that the Rhine is a river near Germany, and Germany is really big in the brewing industry, so this is not a type of alcohol that people drink. Typically, people enjoy drinking alcohol (I assume that is why people do it anyways). Alcohol is something people can become addicted to, and Dickinson makes a comparison to this trait of alcohol as well. Dickinson writes, "I shall but drink the more!" This line makes the speaker appear to be an alcoholic, except an alcoholic of nature. The speaker gets so much joy from nature and its beauty that she enjoys it more than being drunk. Then of course there is the last stanza that talks about the seraphs and saints that rush to view the drunkard. I interpret this to mean that people pretty much say "good for you for being drunk on nature and enjoying God's creation."

Sorting Laundry

Throughout Ritchie's Sorting Laundry, the speaker is, well, folding laundry. The speaker compares the various pieces of laundry to her relationship with her husband. Ritchie creates an extended metaphor throughout the entirety of the poem that compares this action of folding laundry to their love. For example, Ritchie writes, "pillowcases, despite so many washings, seams still holding our dreams." The pillowcases, which of course are from the couple's bed, symbolize their relationship, and this single line provides many details about the couple's relationship. These pillowcases embody all of the intimate moments that the couple has had together ("...still holding our dreams."). Additionally, their relationship is still strong since "the seams still holding...". The relationship between the speaker and her husband has been a long one as well since the pillowcases have been through many washings.

Then, the last three stanzas shift to more serious and worrisome tone. The speaker talks of the shirt of a previous lover. Personally, I believed it was the shirt of the speaker's previous lover, and I had not even thought of the possibility of it being the shirt of her husband's previous lover. However, my support for this theory does not come from the text. I just thought that men do not take and wear their girlfriend's shirts, that just does not happen. It makes far more sense for the shirt to be the speaker's because she would have been the one to wear her previous lover's clothing.

To His Importunate Mistress

Peter de Vries makes me laugh with To His Importunate Mistress. I think this response to Marvell's poem is hilarious. This is like the exact opposite of Marvell's poem. The guy in the poem is saying that they should stop having sex. I just think this would be a hilarious conversation to listen to when a guy tells his hooker that they can't get it on anymore because he can't afford her anymore. The speaker makes a fairly valid argument that he would need to work another job in order to afford her, but his hooker still laughs at him for saying it. However, the speaker mentions his conscience at the end in saying, "His conscience may remain unriven." I think unriven here means that the man's conscience is not divided. He no longer wants his affair with this woman to be an exception to his good morals. I think he chooses not to make a point about his conscience because giving a hooker a talk about morals would not be all that effective. Deep down, I think the speaker wants to stop because he thinks it is not right to be doing this. Let's be real, how effective of an argument is morality to a hooker?

To His Coy Mistress

Well I am going to be real about my interpretation of To His Coy Mistress. My understanding is this, so there is this king (maybe) of some sort. I think he is probably a Persian king because the speaker says, " by the Indian Ganges' side...by the tide of the Humber..." My understanding is that these rivers mark the ends of the Persian empire. Now, this king is getting old and probably about to croak, but this man is like the forty year old virgin or something like that. This king is in love with this beautiful girl who has these breasts that take two hundred men to appreciate. The king wants to get it on with this girl, but she is being "coy." So that brings us to why he wrote this poem. The king is using poetry to seduce this girl into sleeping with him. His ultimate reason for getting this girl to sleep with him is that when they make love it's going to be hotter than the sun. Marvell makes it pretty clear in this poem that this guy really wants this girl, really badly.

A Jury of Her Peers

Throughout A Jury of Her Peers, the men think women are dumb, but they still play along with whatever the women are doing (they got to keep the wife pleased). Most of the time, what the men say or do is ironic but slightly true. An example of this would be when the men talk about how women just worry about little things and then Mrs. Hale thinks, "With all Mrs. Hale's emotions came the fear that maybe harry wasn't dressed warm enough-they hadn't any of them realized how that north wind did bite." The men stereotype women, but this stereotype turns out to be true with Mrs. Hale because she spends a majority of the story worrying about seemingly unrelated things like leaving her flour half done or whether her son is properly dressed for the weather. Despite this stereotype, the men think the women are not very intelligent, but the women hide all of their revelations from the men. The men think the barn will give them clues about the crime that occurred in the house while the women continue looking in the place that would actually make sense to look.The women find the clues of the bird and the quilt, but they again fall into the men's stereotype that the women are "true to their own sex." The women do not give the men the evidence for her motivation. Thus, the title is explained: A Jury of Her Peers. The evidence is known only to the people who can sympathize with her, so there will be no evidence to show the court for her motive.

Hunters in the Snow

They killed Kenny! I think there is a striking similarity between South Park and Hunters in the Snow. Maybe Trey Stone and Matt Parker got some tips from Tobias Wolff. In all seriousness, shall we examine the similarities. First of all, Kenny dies, and no one really cares all that much. Also, none of the "friends" actually get along. Then one of the friends is fat, and everyone else makes fun of him. Like in when Frank says, "Tub...you haven't seen your own balls in ten years." Then of course there's snow in both Hunters in the Snow and in South Park (this is the most important similarity). Oh Tub also reminds me of a movie: The Human Centipede 2. Tub is like the main person in the Human Centipede 2. People make fun of him, he's fat, and then someone says they are going to kill him, and then he snaps and kills a man. This connection is a bit of a stretch though.

Aside from comparison to shows and movies, this is an interesting story. I think it is funny that they are all immature and crude. This may be why  Frank is in love with a fifteen year-old girl because Frank is like a child. Then someone has to get shot in order for Frank and Tub to reconcile and become good friends, sort of. I think it is also ironic that Frank says he does not like to put people into categories, but then he turns around and calls Tub a fat moron. I think Frank and Tub are fairly similar. Frank is disgusting because of his love of a fifteen year old, and Tub is disgusting for his ridiculous eating problem.

Othello DUN DUN DUN

Now here comes Emilia saying Desdemona was definitely innocent and Iago is a liar. Good timing Emilia. When describing Iago Emilia says, "He lies to the heart." Finally a character besides wimpy Roderigo comes out right and says Iago is a liar. I'm not sure if Othello is surprised that his wife was innocent or that Iago is a serious liar. I have decided to retract what I said in one of my earlier blogs about Emilia being worthless. At the time, I thought Emilia was not contributing anything to the play, but she proves to have an important role in the resolution. After reading the play, I think Emilia is my favorite character. Emilia is the only one in the final scene that doesn't go crazy and wants to kill someone. Emilia proves to be a dynamic character because her character has developed throughout the play. When she first appeared, she had something like two worthless lines. By the end, Emilia develops into the character that is smart enough to figure everything out and help piece things together for the reader.

Things work out well when Roderigo conveniently kept notes about his plans with Iago. Now there is real incriminating evidence against Iago. Othello decides it's time to end his own life now and dies kissing Desdemona; it's a little late for that Othello. Then Iago panics and stabs his wife because Iago is a psycho. Poor Emilia died and I cried a little bit. Cassio is over here like it's just a flesh wound, and Lodovico is standing there thinking what the heck did I just see? Then the play ends. That's my kind of ending.

Act V (part 1)

Now things get crazy just as Shakespeare likes the end to be. During the unexciting fight between Roderigo and Cassio, Iago slips in and cuts Cassio's leg. I think this action describes Iago's behavior throughout the entire play. Iago sneaks around and blames other people for his actions. Then Othello is over there killing himself inside over killing Desdemona. Othello thinks it is righteous for him to kill Desdemona because she will just do the same thing to other men and torture their minds like his. I think Othello may have hit his head a little bit too hard during his seizure if he thinks this is a good idea. The choking begins, but Emilia starts knocking on the door. Othello responds like any other person would: "She's dead....still as the grave." Oh don't mind me, I'm just killed my wife in here, no need to knock so loud. Since Desdemona was choked to death, she easily has the breath to speak, "a guiltless death I die." Her saying this is the point where Othello begins to realize his error in believing Iago instead of his own wife.

This made me giggle. Pardon Othello's french.

Act IV (part 2)

I think Othello gets a little angry in this second part of act IV. Othello and Desdemona have a little chit-chat, and then Othello strikes Desdemona. This is certainly a change in Othello's demeanor. Up until this point, Othello has not taken out any of his anger on Desdemona. Then a slight problem occurs in Iago's plan when Othello gets called back to Venice. Othello has to kill Desdemona tonight; otherwise, Iago's plan could be in trouble. Desdemona goes to her room and has girl talk with Emilia for a little bit. Then Desdemona decides, "...call thy husband hither." I was thinking the same thing Desdemona, what would make this situation better than to get Iago in here to make everything better. I think it is strange that Othello talks to Emilia about the issue, and Iago and Desdemona talk about the issue. Then Emilia and Iago get talking, and Emilia is all like whoever is doing this is a terrible person like the person that made you believe I was sleeping with Othello behind your back. If it has not happened yet, readers lose all respect for Iago at this point because he has no  other problem with Othello now besides the fact that Othello is black. What little sympathy people had for Iago is now gone, and Iago's evil plan is about to unfold. Then Roderigo comes back and complains to Iago again, and they work things out again like that one couple that breaks up and gets back together a million times. I would spend more time talking about this part of the act, but Roderigo is a stupid person and makes me mad, so I think I made my point with that.

Othello Act IV (part 1)

It appears things start to really work out for Iago in Act IV of Shakespeare's Othello. Iago decides to provide his "proof" to Othello by getting Cassio to confess about the affair. Of course, they are actually talking about Bianca. They have a few laughs, Othello gets more mad than Liam Neeson in Taken, and then Bianca shows up with the handkerchief. Bianca barges in and gives Iago a whole lot of help by whipping out Desdemona's handkerchief and saying, "This is some minx's token, and I must take out the work?" Inside, Iago is probably celebrating more than New Orleans did on Mardis Gras. This visual proof of the affair makes Othello's blood boil. I find it interesting that the first thing to come out of his mouth is about killing Cassio. I think this really shows Othello's love for Desdemona (of course he still wants to kill her too). I have no clue why Othello would buy into Iago's plan of strangling Desdemona. Let's see, go with a plan like poisoning her where you can get away with it, or strangle her and everyone knows Othello did it? I guess Othello is so enraged and thinks Iago's advice is rational. This scene is the epitome of Iago's ability to manipulate people. Iago gets Cassio to "confess" and then Iago convinces Othello to strangle his own wife. That takes some skill.

Othello Act III

Now Othello is getting interesting, things are starting to go Iago's way. First off all, what's up with these handkerchiefs? Is it really magic? or is this just some big symbol we don't figure out until later? Iago plays innocent again when Othello asks for the truth about Cassio. Iago exploits Othello's view of his honesty. Othello often calls Iago honest such as when he says, "And for I know thou'rt full of love and honesty." Oh Othello, Iago is anything but loving and honest. Shakespeare's use of dramatic irony in this scene makes readers want to scream at Othello that Iago is a terrible person. The readers are aware of Iago's evil intentions, but Othello is completely oblivious. To make things even better, Othello promote Iago to lieutenant. At about this moment, I may or may not have tossed the book across the room. Then Othello and Iago vow to get revenge on Desdemona and Cassio. This is not going to end well. I imagine this story ends with the deaths of Cassio and Desdemona, and then Othello will realize he was tricked by Iago, causing Othello to kill himself or something to that effect. Oh, Roderigo is going to die somewhere in there too (he's just the kind of character that's going to die and no one will care).

Othello Act II (part II)

Later in Act II, Iago's got some plan going on where he wants to get Cassio to take a drink of wine, acting like he put some ruffies in Cassio's drink or something. Cassio tries to deny Iago's invitation by saying, "I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking." Of course, Iago already knows this. I can tell the wheels are turning for the evil plan in Iago's head at this moment. All of these moments of manipulation will eventually culminate into an elaborate end that works out well for Iago. Then Iago gets Rodergio to pick a fight with Cassio, Montano gets involved, people get hurt, and Montano faints like a girl (that's unimportant). Iago manipulates three men in this scene. He gets Cassio to drink, he gets Roderigo to pick a fight with Cassio, and he convinces Montano that Cassio has a drinking problem. Iago had this whole thing figured out in advance, or he is incredible at improvisation. Now here comes phase 2 of this plan. Iago is going to get Cassio to ask Desdemona to talk to Othello for him, which will make it appear to Othello that Desdemona is sleeping with Cassio. Then the act closes with Roderigo complaining to Iago again. I bet Iago gets rid of Roderigo the instant he is of no use anymore.

Othello Act II (part 1)

I have to saw this, Act II for Othello has a disappointing opening. Act I ends and I'm thinking "yeah we got a whole war coming up for the rest of the story," and then boom war's over. How anticlimactic. The good part about the beginning though is that we get some more juicy characterization of Iago. Shakespeare throws in this little chit-chat between Iago and Desdemona (don't worry about Emilia, her character is worthless). In essence, Iago comes off as a chauvinistic but witty man. My favorite line Iago has during this conversation is the one about a woman is ugly but smart: "Shell find a white that her blackness fit." Pretty much Iago is just saying well she'll be smart enough to find a man who is as ugly as she is. Then of course, Iago reveals that he thinks women are only good for sex and housework, so that explains his caustic remarks about women. The appearance of Cassio shows a contrast to the differing views of women. Cassio cares for women and shows them affection. Cassio kisses Iago's wife, and Iago shows his love for his wife by calling her a nag. Iago, the ever good villain that he is, sees Cassio's friendly behavior around women as a mode to achieve his own ends.

Othello Act I

As Othello opens, Shakespeare uses synecdoche to show the feelings Iago and Roderigo have for Othello. Roderigo refers to Othello by saying, "What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe/If he can carry't thus!" the use of synecdoche shows that Iago and Roderigo do not even see Othello as human. Iago's true character is revealed through little comments throughout the play. The racist feelings Iago and Roderigo have for Othello are shown by their referring to him as "thick-lips." Iago must be a pretty evil guy to start this whole revenge scheme mostly because Othello is black. I mean I get the whole "oh he may or may not have slept with my wife" thing. That's just a typical reaction, but I guess the fact that Othello is black makes it all the better for Iago. Then Iago goes on to get Roderigo to make money for him. I would definitely call that manipulation. True villains don't use their own money, every self-respecting villain knows that (it's like how cool guys don't look at explosions).

Getting Out

Cleopatra Mathis depicts a strange couple in the poem Getting Out. The couple has been divorced, but they still are sort of friendly. They exchange letters every year, and both claim they are happy now. I get the feeling that the woman is the one that is still holding onto the relationship they had. She says, "I have the last unshredded pictures of our matching eyes and hair." Based on this detail, it appears that she believes they were perfect for each other by saying they had matching eyes and hair. Oh wait, here's a twist, what if they are actually cousins, and the lawyer had to separate them because it is against the law for them to be married. That would explain why they cried and held hands when they were separated. I think this is an unlikely theory though because she says that he had made previous attempts to leave before. However, the cousins theory would be a pretty interesting twist.

The Story of an Hour

Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour is anything but predictable. I typically like to predict the endings of stories, but I was surprised with each little twist in the short story. Chopin uses irony to surprise the readers of the short story. "She said it over and over under her breath: 'Free, free, free!'" Mrs. Mallard seemed to be more than happy that her husband had died. She even admits she did not love him. Of course, she had to put up the show that she was heartbroken. The irony in the ending is that she imagines her future free from her husband, and then there appears Brently. Readers then infer that Mrs. Mallard died from heartbreak in the sense that she had just had the feeling of happiness only to have it taken away when her husband was still alive. Initially, readers think she will die of a heart attack from the news of her husband's death, but she dies from the news of her husband's survival. Ironic?

Popular Mechanics

Raymond Carver's Popular Mechanics initially appears to be a typical fight between a husband and wife. Then by the end, I felt like my mind was torn apart along with the baby. The external conflict between the man and his wife is most likely due to a problem in their marriage. Then things turn towards the child. I think this story is a sick and twisted way of saying that fights between parents tears apart the children, sometimes literally. The final sentence of the short story reads, "In this manner, the issue was decided." This line refers to  how the child was ripped apart by the parents. Of course, the issue was over who gets the child. I guess in this case both of them get a part of the child! The title of Popular Mechanics demonstrates the theme that fights like these occur rather often, well except for children being ripped in half. Thinking about the title, helps readers know that children are devastated by the fights that occur between their parents.

You're Ugly Too

Well, Zoe is a psycho. In Lorrie Moore's You're Ugly Too, Zoe is characterized as a person completely detached from normal social interaction. Moore uses characterization to reveal Zoe personality. At one point, Zoe tells the story of a time she was out on a double date: " 'Once at a dinner party I amazed the host by getting up and saying good-bye to every single person there, first and last names.' / 'I knew a dog who could do that,' said Zoe." This scene characterizes Zoe as a person who is incapable of proper social interaction. Although I find Zoe to be hilarious, I think she is crazy, especially in the final scene. Zoe almost pushes a drunk man to his death! What a psycho! Then she claims she was only kidding, and the only thing going through her head is how she looks right now. I imagine she looked like deranged killer.

Throughout the story, Moore includes the teacher evaluations of Zoe. These help provide a glimpse into the kind of teacher Zoe is. This is another form of characterization of Zoe. Also, Zoe mentions "Heidi" throughout the story. I think she considers this Heidi to be the typical, ideal woman. Oh, and why does her sister have a boy's name? Evan, really?

Lonely Hearts

Lonely Hearts by Wendy Cope  shows a few brief stories of people looking for love. I think it is a very clever poem in that it acts like a section of a newspaper of people looking for love. I think the title Lonely Hearts is appropriate because each of these people seems to be at a rather desperate stage for love. I find it interesting that each person is looking for an odd characteristic in their potential lover. My favorite was, "Executive in search of something new-- Perhaps bisexual woman, arty, young." I liked this one because it was the person who was bored with getting anything. The structure of the poem was interesting. The corresponding lines of each stanza rhymed. Also, the ending of each stanza alternated. One of the final lines is, "Who knows where it will lead once we've begun?" It seems like all of these people are unsure of what they truly want.

Bright Star

John Keats' Bright Star is definitely a love poem. The speaker talks about how he wants to be steadfast as a star. Well what does that really mean? I think it means that he wants his love to be unwavering. The speaker talks about the qualities he likes about a star like how it keeps constant watch even through the night. However, there are a few characteristics about stars that the speaker does not like. He says, "No-yet still steadfast, still unchangeable." The speaker does not like how stars seem to live forever. I guess the speaker just does not like the idea of seeing his lover die, but who likes that idea? This poem is an example of an apostrophe as well. The speaker is addressing and absent object, the star, which is a rather long distance away. Its a little weird he wants to address it to the star when its about his love, but it is an effective metaphor.

Eveline

Throughout James Joyce's Eveline, and internal conflict is occurring in the woman's mind. She is in love with a sailor. Of course, sailors are traveling people and if she wanted to marry him she would have to go with him on his travels. Her father does not like her little sailor boyfriend at all. The woman is conflicted about whether she should go with this sailor who she loves or to stay with her father who has loved her all her life. Might I just say, I totally predicted the ending after the first page. Although it doesn't really make it a perfect love story, I think it is good that she values her family. However, I think this really because she fears her father's wrath. Eveline describes: "...she sometimes felt herself in danger of her father's violence." I think this line makes it pretty clear that her father has a short temper and he tended to beat his family. The last line also gives a clue as to why she fled the sailor. It says that her eyes gave no sign of love or farewell or recognition. It appears that Eveline had a revelation that she did not really love this man, and she wanted to get away in order to reevaluate her life.

How I Met My Husband

How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro details a farm girls life with a wealthy family not accustomed to farmers. Mrs. Pebbles makes some  Chris is a pilot who just recently got back from the war, which suggests a major war involving planes just got over. I inferred from this that the story takes place in possibly the late 1940's just after World War II. Edie kind of likes Chirs, but she's a fifteen year old girl, so she isn't smart enough to know what she's feeling. Then things get weird when Chris' "fiance" shows up. I found it funny that his fiance's name is Alice and the author's name is Alice. I think this is intentional. I think the author wants to convey that she did not want to be the girl that fanatically chases a man who doesn't like her. Throughout the story, Munro uses characterization to contribute to the plot. Edie is characterized as naive. First of all, Edie is too naive to know what intimate means: "You don't get a baby from just doing that!" Secondly, Edie thinks that this Chris guy is going to write her and be all romantic after he was already running from his old fiance. However, I did like the ending in which she ends up marrying the mailman. I think it sends a good message that the man a girl overlooks is probably the type of man she will end up marrying.