I enjoyed a summer vacation in Mammoth where I saw wild horses, found obsidian and crossed the border from Mammoth to Nevada to have lunch.  I traveled to all these places and saw all these things with my Uncle Greggy, who is not really my Uncle but a close family friend.  We were driving in his black Ford pick up truck when we saw a big cloud of dust.  Then we saw something I have never seen since, wild mustangs.  What an amazing thing to witness.  Some were brown some were black and some were many other different colors.  My sister squealed with joy at the sight of such gorgeous horses.  It was so incredible to see a creature in the wild that one usually sees in captivity.  Next, we drove over hills and through desert to get to a place full of obsidian.  Obsidian is a black rock that was used to make arrowheads for spears a long time ago.  We found arrowheads and numerous big chunks (many of which we still have today) in the hot, dusty and very dry desert.  After all the excitement we were all quite tired and decided to go to lunch.  We all had a good meal together in the hot, yet somehow relaxing restaurant after crossing the border into Nevada.  When we left it seemed so quiet, almost like a ghost town one would read about in a book.  Back at Uncle Greggy’s house I remember saying goodbye to him, while wondering when we would have another adventure together.  Before I could see him again we received a phone call from him saying that he had moved to Arizona.  This was my most enjoyable vacation because I got to see a close family friend, wild mustangs, obsidian and leave the state just to have lunch.

The Cask of Amontillado

By: Edgar Allan Poe

What is revenge?  It is made clear from the beginning that Montresor has a strong intent to have revenge on the wealthy and prosperous Fortunado.  It becomes obvious that he does not intend to kill Fortunado but rather to make him suffer when he says, “I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.”  Montresor planned to sacrifice Fortunado, implying that it would be slow, hard and painful.  He thought that Fortunado’s slow death would be revenge for the many “injuries” he received from Fortunado.  Montresor is aware of Fortunado’s habit of drinking alcohol to excess and decides to use it against him ultimately resulting in Fortunado’s downfall.  However, his plans do not turn out exactly has he had hoped.  Once Montresor shackles Fortunado in the dark, wet cellars he begins to fill up the whole in the wall to conceal where Fortunado is being held.  All the while, he is feeling increasingly guilty with each rattling of the chains holding the Fortunado.  When he is placing the last stone, he hears a voice form within the chamber that does not resemble that of the noble Fortunado, though it must be him for the chamber has no other way out.  Fortunado wants Montresor to believe that he thinks Montresor’s  “prank” is childish and just a joke.  Fortunado then goes on to say, “For the love of God, Montresor!”  Montresor replies, “yes, for the love of God!”  This exchange between the characters demonstrates Montresor’s lack of mercy for the Fortunado.  However, Montresor does say, “My heart grew sick–on account of the dampness of the catacombs.”  In reality, Montresor is sickened by his own actions in entombing Fortunado alive.

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

 By: Joyce Carol Oates

            Connie believed she was above everyone else regarding looks and social status, until her being above boring family gatherings forced her into a dangerous situation, which she could not handle.  Connie was a fifteen-year-old girl who always went out with her friends and never thought about anyone but herself.  Connie was comfortable in her everyday situation because nothing changed until one night when she was leaving the drive through restaurant and a man was staring at her.  “She couldn’t help glancing back, and there he was still watching her.”  Connie was so self absorbed that she had to see if the boy was still staring at her even if it made her a little uncomfortable.   Later on, Connie refused to attend a family barbeque, believing that she was above it, which posed a perfect opportunity for danger since she would be home alone.  The creepy man that she first saw at the drive through arrived at her house and tried to coax her outside.  She kept talking to him, which she should not have done.  Soon enough the man made Connie uncomfortable, a feeling she seldom had.  By the time Connie decided that the man was a threat to her, it was too late.  The man, Arnold Friend (his name is ironic seeing as he is not a “friend” at all), had already “gotten inside her head.”  Through his vulgar, intimidating and overpowering words, Arnold was able to gain complete control over Connie.  He charmed her into listening to him and then he took advantage of the fact that Connie was self-absorbed and listing to every word he said, especially those that were meant to flatter her. Once he made her vulnerable, he then began to make her subject to the guilt, that if she did not follow his orders anything bad that happened to her family would be her fault.  Out of fear for what might happen to her family, Connie obeys the orders and condemns herself to a horrible fate.  When Arnold threatens Connie’s family, all of a sudden she no longer cares about how she looks or anything else to do with herself she cares about her family and their fate.  For example, when Connie first heard the car coming up the drive she said, ‘“Christ. Christ,”’ wondering how she looked.”  However later on, after Arnold has gotten inside her head, and told her that if she did not do what he said, her “people”, meaning her family, would suffer the consequences.  She obeys his orders in sort of a trance.  Unfortunately, she ends up going outside, just as Arnold wanted her to do all along, and most likely being raped and killed.  If Connie had not been so self-absorbed (or had taken IMPACT Self-Defense for Women), she might have come out of the situation unharmed and alive.

Who’s Irish?

By: Gish Jen

Has the Grandmother changed by the

end of the story?

No, the Grandmother has not changed by the end of the story; she has merely realized her situation.  Throughout the story, the Grandmother seems slightly upset by the fact that she is living with her daughter, Natalie, her son-in-law, John (Natalie’s husband), and her granddaughter (Natalie and John’s daughter), Sophie.  She is upset most by the fact that the Chinese customs she has followed all her life do not apply now that she is in America.  For example, at one point in the story she says, “In China, people say mixed children are supposed to be smart, and definitely my granddaughter Sophie is smart.  But Sophie is wild, Sophie is not like my daughter Natalie, or like me.”  By this quote, the Grandmother means to say that, due to Sophie’s being raised in America as opposed to China, Sophie has not been raised properly, as the Grandmother and Sophie’s mother have been.  The Grandmother is also upset by Sophie’s inability to behave in a proper manner.  One example of this is when the Grandmother hears that Sophie has been taking her clothes off in the park and that the nanny has been allowing her to do so.  The Grandmother sees this as Sophie’s being a wild and crazy child, and in her mind, Chinese children are not crazy and wild.  The Grandmother also has different methods of trying to teach Sophie how to be a proper Chinese girl.  While Sophie’s mother, Natalie, chooses to talk to Sophie to try and figure out what is going on, the Grandmother prefers to spank Sophie when she does something wrong.  For instance, the first time the Grandmother spanks Sophie is when they are in the park together.  “Still Sophie take off her clothes, until one day I spank her.  Not too hard, but she cry and cry, and when I tell her if she doesn’t put her clothes back on I’ll spank her again, she put her clothes back on.”  The story is composed of many instances in which the Grandmother tries to “help her [Sophie’s] Chinese side fight against her wild side.”  The climax of the story came when Sophie threw a shovel of sand at the Grandmother then hid in the foxhole.  At first, the Grandmother was upset and tried to call Sophie out of the hole.  Sophie would not come out, so the Grandmother began to poke a stick in the hole to scare Sophie out.  When that too failed, she said she was going to leave and go home.  She walked out to the playground gate and waited for Sophie to come out.  When she did not the Grandmother got worried and began to poke the stick in the hole again to see if she could hear Sophie say anything.  As it turned out, Sophie had fallen asleep in the foxhole and had many bruises on her body from her Grandmother poking her with a stick.  In the Grandmother’s eyes, the stick poking was necessary to try to see if Sophie was ok.  However, in the eyes of Sophie’s parents it was abuse.  The Grandmother was sent to live with Bess, John’s (Natalie’s husband’s) mother.  It is not until she is sent out of Natalie’s house that the Grandmother realizes how different Chinese culture is from American culture.  In the Chinese culture the daughter’s number one priority is to care for her mother.  However, in the American culture a mother is to care first for her daughter.  The Grandmother finally accepts that no matter how hard she tries to help her granddaughter, Sophie, distinguish her Chinese roots from her Irish/American roots it was just not going to work given the (Irish/American) culture of which she was now a part.

How much my parents spend on food in 1 month: $1,600- 2,000 (only at grocery store)

How much my parents spend on food in 1 week: $400-$500 (only at grocery story)

For Sale: baby shoes, never used. – Earnest Hemmingway

• I believe this short story means to say that someone bought baby shoes for a baby, then something happened to the baby, and it died.  Because the baby dies before s/he was able to wear the shoes, they were never used.  Now that person is trying to sell the shoes, maybe trying to sell the sad memories with it.
• Plot: the sequence of events in a story and their relation to one another as they develop or resolve a conflict
  • No conflict is resolved because there is no conflict to begin with
  • The short story is left almost entirely up to interpretation
  • No plot in the story
• Character: People (or animals, plats, etc.) who are involved in the story
  • No real characters
  • Someone is telling of a baby’s shoes
  • No character in the story
• Setting: The place and time of the story
  • There is not a place and time of the story
  • Though one can be imagined by the reader it may not be what the story reflects
  • No setting in the story
• Point of View: Authors choice of a narrator for the story
  • Narrated in third-person narration (baby shoes)
  • Objective narration- narrator is detached from story (not in anyone’s head) but author seems a bit emotionally attached
  • Yes point of view in the story
• Style: The characteristic way an author uses language to create literature
  • Voice seems calm and sad (leads me to suspect the baby has died)
  • Tone seems stern, cal and sad, almost as if someone is trying to sell sad memories along with the baby shoes
  • Yes style in the story
• Theme: a generalization about the meaning of a story
  • No real theme other than sadness
  • No theme in the story

When s/he/it awoke, the dinosaur was still there. – Augusto Monterroso

• Plot: the sequence of events in a story and their relation to one another as they develop or resolve a conflict
  • Event #1- someone awakes
  • Event #2- the dinosaur is still present
    • No real relation other than one comes before the other
  • Events don’t develop or resolve a conflict
  • No plot in the story
• Character: People (or animals, plats, etc.) who are involved in the story
  • Character- he or she that awoke to notice the dinosaur
  • Character- could also be the dinosaur
  • Yes characters in the story
• Setting: The place and time of the story
  • No place or time is given only that someone “awoke”
  • In my mind I imagine a setting but have no proof it exists or is the real setting
  • No setting in the story
• Point of View: Authors choice of a narrator for the story
  • Narrated in third-person narration (s/he awoke)
  • Objective narration- narrator is detached from story
  • Yes point of view in the story
• Style: The characteristic way an author uses language to create literature
  • Voice seems calm, almost as if something bad is about to happen
  • Tone is difficult to tell b/c translated from Spanish
  • Yes style in the story
• Theme: a generalization about the meaning of a story
  • No real theme
  • Maybe the dinosaur symbolizes something bad and it still plagues who ever is awaking
  • No theme in the story

My really, really short Stories:

Everything is something but then there is nothing.

A woman’s woes, an end so close.

klein,

Below are two entries that I would like to count as 1.  I am planning to write another blog this week about one of the other stories we read.  The first one (directly below) is not exactly what you asked for but I wrote it because it felt fun and I think it was important to help me see the story from a different perspective.  The one after that it more what you asked for.  It is looking into the “citizen’s” life a few years after the accident.  I hope you enjoy reading the posts, I know I enjoyed writing them…I really liked this short story, it is so short and yet so meaningful.

Samuel

By: Grace Paley

                What is a citizen? In the dictionary, it is “a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection.”  However, to me a citizen means more than that.  A citizen is someone who, without fail, will do the right thing.  As I left work, it was a hot, but comfortable day in New York City.  I thought it was just another normal afternoon; I would get to the subway station, wait for about fifteen minutes for the subway to arrive, get on, relax for the ride, then get off at stop fifteen and walk half a block to my apartment.  I had no idea of how far from normal this day would be.  As I boarded the subway, I was oblivious to the fact that there were four young boys playing on the platforms between the subway cars.  I sat down next to a man wearing a suit and a large black coat.  Across the aisle was a woman in a bright pink patterned dress sitting next to another man, also in a suit and a large black coat.  The conductor of the subway called out for everyone to reach his or her seats, for the subway would soon lurch on to its next destination.  The subway began to move; it was then that I noticed the four boys on the platform.  My first reaction was to call out to them and tell them to come inside the car and sit down.  Unfortunately, I was afraid that the other passengers would reprimand my actions and that my admonition to the boys would have no effect.  Therefore, I stayed seated and continued to watch them intently until the man sitting beside me noticed the boys as well.  He began to tell me of the days when he used to do brave things like the boys we were watching.  I was too interested in the boys to pay much attention to what the man sitting next to me was saying or anything else that was happening in the subway car. That is, until I noticed the other man, sitting across the aisle.  He began to twist and turn in his seat.  All of a sudden, it occurred to me that this man, for whatever reason, was unhappy with the actions of the four boys.  He seemed a decent man, and I must be honest when I say, I half hoped he would get up and confront the boys himself.  About five minutes later, he did get up and I was still hopeful that he was headed to talk to the boys.  As he walked down the aisle he had the appearance of a decent citizen.  He walked in a tall, unconcerned and calm manner and appeared to be doing the right thing by going to talk to the boys.  Within a split second, all of that changed.  Before I knew it, he had yanked on the emergency cord, which brought the subway to a screeching halt.  I watched with horror as the boys attempted to regain their balance.  One boy, named Samuel, failed to regain his balance and fell between the subway cars and was trampled underneath the large, rotating, metal wheels.  I was shocked at the man’s actions.  He seemed so normal; nothing distinguished him from the man sitting next to me.  It was just then that I realized the two men could not have been more different.  The man sitting next to me lived a boyhood of daring stunts and actions of bravery while the other man, still standing by the emergency cord, had lived a sheltered boyhood with very little excitement, and very few bold gestures and dangerous opportunities.  I will never forget the angry man on the subway who was jealous of four boys’ intrepid explorations of the platforms between the subway cars.  To this day, I remember the man who was no citizen at all and who committed a selfish and hateful crime ending in the death of an innocent little boy, known as Samuel.

Samuel

By: Grace Paley 

            The man entered his office building carrying a briefcase and an umbrella.  As he approached the elevators, the receptionist kindly greeted him, not knowing what he had done only three years before.  The man entered the elevator and pressed the button for floor eight, where his law office was located.  As he entered his office, his co-worker, Robert, offered him salutations and walked with him down the long corridor to his corner office.  Robert was completely aware of the fact that only three years ago his boss in the corner office had selfishly killed a little boy named Samuel in a tragic subway accident.  Robert, with three sons of his own, seemed unfazed by the story, which occasionally circulated around the office when the boss had a bad day.  For instance, last Tuesday; the boss came into the office late because the subway had stalled on the tracks.  He was in an exceedingly foul mood upon entering the office.  When his secretary, Mary, offered him a blueberry muffin from the bakery down the street, he gruffly said, “no”, and marched to his corner office and shut the door.  He did not come out until eight o’clock when he left for the day.  During his time in the office, many people speculated about what he must have been doing.  Some said work while others said he was reflecting on the “accident.”  Robert, who had worked for his boss for five years, told of the accident.  He also explained that whenever he and his boss ride the subway together he is very quiet, while he sits and reads the New York Times.  However, none of them can really know what their boss does when his door is closed, all they know is that they are never to bother him when his door is shut, he made that clear to each employee when he or she began to work at his law firm.  The one thing that was never mentioned at the office, probably because no one knew, was what the boss did when he returned home for the evening.  Some nights he laughed about the accident, whether to help him forget it or because he thought that Samuel deserved what came to him is unknown.  However, sometimes he sits on his green couch and stares into space wishing he could go back to the day the accident happened and change its outcome.  Even he himself was not sure why he had pulled the emergency cord, resulting in the boy’s death.  Was it out of anger? Or jealousy of the boys’ fun childhood?  No one will ever know.  All we know is that the little boy known as Samuel will never again walk the streets of New York City.

Girl

By: Jamaica Kincaid 

Wash your clothes carefully, so you don’t ruin their good quality, always read the tags first; always eat soup spooning away from you, always set the table before your guests arrive, forks on the left, knives on the right; always say please and thank you; here’s how to make banana bread, don’t forget to always use a loaf pan; never mix plaid designs with print designs; always address adults by their last name, you wouldn’t want to be the only rude child in the world; always work hard in school; here’s how to address an envelope, don’t forget the stamp; Here’s how to make shortbread cookies, just like my grandmother taught me; here’s how to make a peanut butter sandwich with chocolate chips for a snack; remember to feel fruit before you buy it to make sure it is not bruised; what if I don’t buy fruit?; if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all, you might find yourself being that rude child I always warn you about; here’s how not to spend too much money, so you can save it in the bank; here’s how to be successful, don’t forget to add butter to the boiling water when you are making pasta so it won’t boil over; here’s how to swim; here’s how to draw; this is how you plant seeds; water your orchid once a week then, once the flowers die, leave the plant outside and don’t water it, it will survive longer this way; here’s how to eat in a lady-like manner; don’t forget how to eat your peas the proper English way, on the back of your fork; if you don’t you might end up being that rude child I always warn you about turning into; here’s how to catch a butterfly; here’s how to let a butterfly go; here’s how to light plumb pudding on fire with brandy at Christmas; here’s how to stuff a turkey; here’s how to drink tea; but I don’t drink tea; this is how you cut a pare; this is how you spell; this is how to cut flowers so they’ll fit in the vase; here’s how to cure a soar throat, drink lots of fluid; when you’re sick eat the BRAT diet, bananas, rice, applesauce and toast; this is how you shop efficiently; this is how to dress for a nice event, you wouldn’t want people to think you are the rude child I always advise you not to be; this is how you care for a pet, a dog, a hamster or a fish; here’s how to do dishes after dinner; always bring money with you everywhere; never walk under ladders, it’s bad luck; this is how to make hors devours, like cheese and crackers or a bowl of nuts; this is how you arrange cookies on a plate for dessert; this is how to make an alcoholic beverage for someone over twenty one; this is how to write a check; this is how to care for someone who is sick or hurt, emotionally and physically; here’s how to be nice to your sister, you wouldn’t want her to think you’re the rude child I always warn you against becoming; but what if I can’t be nice to my sister?; you mean to tell me that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who won’t be nice to her sister?

The Lottery

By: Shirley Jackson

            The plot of Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery”, is engaging, brilliant and acutely suspenseful. The title, causes the reader to believe that “winning” the lottery is a good thing. In this particular story, however, it is not. The lottery is mentioned on the fifth line of the first paragraph. At this point, the reader may assume that the lottery is a happy event in which people win some sort of a prize. The plot continues without any mention of what the lottery actually is, and dropping various hints that it may, after all, be a bad thing. For example, at one point it is mentioned that all the children are gathering rocks; although the readers do not yet know what the rocks are for, it sends a foreboding message. And, when Mrs. Hutchinson says, “it wasn’t fair”, it leads the reader to believe that the lottery is not something one wants to win. For these reasons the plot is very engaging, causing the reader to work to put the pieces together in order to fully comprehend the story. The plot is suspenseful because it is not until the last page of the story that the readers figure out what the lottery truly is and what happens to the winner. Overall, the plot of the story was well conceived.

Aside from its remarkable plot, “The Lottery” is also based on an interesting theme. The theme has been described as, “a moral allegory revealing the hidden evil in the human soul” and as “pointless violence.” The theme is very powerful and needs a powerful and moving story to support it. The idea of a lottery to choose a person of a village not only to kill but to stone to death is very powerful. In addition, the idea that Mrs. Hutchinson’s friends were some of the first people to throw stones is very disturbing. The concept of evil in the human soul is portrayed very well in this story about a helpless woman condemned to death by nothing but a slip of paper with a black dot on it.

Have you learned anything about human behavior from reading the play?

Brainstorm:

• People aren’t always what they seem
• People don’t change- frog vs. scorpion
• People do what is in their best interest
• People are gullible
• People are (should be) innocent until proven guilty  (proven- if the proof is not real/false then is it still proof?)

Human behavior can be described as actions humans take which are influenced by emotions, social status, ethics and beliefs.  Sometimes the actions people choose to take are beneficial to many people.  On the other hand, the actions can also be taken to benefit themselves.  Therefore, the conclusion I have reached is, people do what is in their best interest without regard for anyone else.  This is demonstrated in the play, when Iago manipulates Othello so that he may gain Cassio’s lieutenancy.  Iago is an evil character who will do anything to achieve his goal.  Iago’s intentions are to gain a higher social status no matter what it takes.  He chooses to take action, with only his own outcome in mind.  This is evident through Iago’s speech about his plans.  However, the play is not the only example of people doing what is in their best interest whenever possible.  Another example, which is painstakingly obvious, is when people “cut” lines in banks, pharmacies, grocery stores etc.  For instance, the other day, I was standing in line at CVS Pharmacy when a woman walked up and stood right in front of me in line.  There were about three people in line behind me, which meant that she was effectively cutting four people in the line.  I almost said something to her but I did not for fear that she would see me as rude.  This woman got away with doing something rude and unkind to benefit herself because I could not say anything to her.  Even though I knew what she did was wrong I kept quiet and let her get what she wanted even though she did it without thinking about anyone else in line behind her.  Though my situation is a bit less dramatic than that of Iago, it still consists of the same concepts.  Both Iago and the woman did something to benefit themselves without thinking about the people they were hurting in the process.  Human behavior can be either a good or a bad thing.  However, society would not exist in the same way as it does today.      

A FIGHT, A CHANGE, AN END:

Yelling and screaming never cease,

There is not a single moment of peace.

No one is cheerful,

Everyone is tearful.

Love is nowhere to be found,

Nothing to show for it, not even a sound.

The only emotion is rage,

With each turning of the page.

In the book of life,

There is always a new strife.

When will it end?

How long will we all spend,

Hating the ones we love?

Will we turn to God above?

The evil will never be over,

Not until everyone is sober.

Life is full of surprises,

Full of ganders, guesses and surmises.

There is still time to make you dreams come true,

Keep pushing forward and do what is best for you.

Be the person you want to be,

Just wait and see.

Your day will come soon,

With each setting of the moon.

Something new will appear,

With each step away from fear.

Tell people when you love them very much,

Hold them tightly in your clutch.

Because you never know,

When you may have to let one of them go.