My Reflections on “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
In, “The Birthmark,” the fascination with the perfect human form seems to come into play. The character Georgiana thinks nothing of her birthmark until her husband Aylmer becomes obsessed with it. Aylmer lets the birthmark upon his beautiful wife’s face consume him so much that he forms a distasteful look when he looks at his wife and sees the birthmark. As he shudders every time he looks at his wife, she then begins to develop a distaste for the birthmark to ultimately agreeing to letting him remove it. The story is an example of how easily a person’s self-esteems can be affected by someone they love.
While reading “The Birthmark,” one can easily question why the birthmark was such a big deal throughout the story. Maybe the author was trying to show the workings of the mind and how easily one thought can change into something bigger. Once something gets in your mind, it his hard to change it. The power of the mind is a powerful thing. It could cause someone to shutter when they see something that they have developed a bad taste for. The story also shows how someone with good self-esteems after daily attacks begins to think the same as those who attack or mistreat them. The power of the mind can drive someone crazy when you are consumed with bad thoughts.
The story reflects how in today’s world people are willing to risk their life to look a certain way. This must be a theme in a woman’s life that has always been around. At the end of the story, Georgiana feels this way as well which ultimately causes her death. Georgiana’s feelings and impending death are foreshadowed as her husband’s feelings about removing it are mentioned in the story.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" by Stephen Crane
My reflections on “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” by Stephen Crane
In “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky,” the story sounds like it occurs in a western-type setting. Marshall Jack Potter marries his bride in the beginning of the story out of town in the city of San Antonio with no friends or family present. Inner turmoil for Jack Potter’s character starts early on in the story as he is nervously tries to hide his stress that accompanies bringing his new bride home with him.
Many clues in the descriptions within the story lead the reader to some ideas about the story. Jack Potter seems nervous to bring his bride home. He seemed to have eloped with his new bride. Jack Potter is the main character and a popular man inside the story. It doesn’t seem like he would have wanted to have a quick, out of town marriage ceremony. Jack also feels guilt in the story. It could be Jack feels guilty to bring his wife back to town with all the shooting that goes on in that setting. He could have felt guilt because he didn’t let anyone know he was getting married also.
The conflict between Jack Potter and Scratchy Wilson seem to be related to Jack getting married. Maybe their conflict was over a woman all those years that they have been fighting. Scratchy Wilson lets go of their conflict on the day Jack arrives home with his bride when he learns that Jack is married. Jack Potter was never the one who began the conflict/fighting to begin with and agrees to let it go. Since Scratchy Wilson has a gun and Jack doesn’t at the end of the story, it is very fortunate for Jack that the impaired Scratchy lets go of their conflict.
"Killings" by Andre Dubus
My reflections on “Killings” by Andre Dubus
While reading the story, “Killings,” I was reminded of abuse cases I have seen before on television or heard about. It is the typical story of ex-guy gets mad at the new boyfriend and wants to beat him up when he dates the girl friend. Except in this story, the new boyfriend is murdered and the family takes revenge. It was an interesting read and I often identified with the fears the father spoke about concerning child hood accidents and wanting to keep his children safe. No parent ever wants their child to be hurt and the worry doesn’t stop once children grow into adulthood. The story has both a tragic beginning and ending with flashbacks of happier times.
Ruth, the mom character, had concerns about the new girl friend in the beginning of the relationship that her son has with a woman who has been previously married with children. Maybe she had an idea of the trouble/baggage that the new girlfriend brought with her. Ruth seems like a very caring mother who is devastated by the murder of her son.
The inner feelings of the father in the story could be how many parents of murdered children feel. As Matt, the father, remembers the child his son was and happier times with his dead son, it seems to fuel the fire that causes the premeditated murder of his son’s killer. The torture and sadness his wife Ruth faces also adds to the decision to murder their son’s killer. The friends in the story fuel the fire as well when they discuss how the time people actually spend in prison also. The father seems tortured at the end of the story with his decision to murder their son’s killer, but his wife seems to want him to do it.
While reading the story, “Killings,” I was reminded of abuse cases I have seen before on television or heard about. It is the typical story of ex-guy gets mad at the new boyfriend and wants to beat him up when he dates the girl friend. Except in this story, the new boyfriend is murdered and the family takes revenge. It was an interesting read and I often identified with the fears the father spoke about concerning child hood accidents and wanting to keep his children safe. No parent ever wants their child to be hurt and the worry doesn’t stop once children grow into adulthood. The story has both a tragic beginning and ending with flashbacks of happier times.
Ruth, the mom character, had concerns about the new girl friend in the beginning of the relationship that her son has with a woman who has been previously married with children. Maybe she had an idea of the trouble/baggage that the new girlfriend brought with her. Ruth seems like a very caring mother who is devastated by the murder of her son.
The inner feelings of the father in the story could be how many parents of murdered children feel. As Matt, the father, remembers the child his son was and happier times with his dead son, it seems to fuel the fire that causes the premeditated murder of his son’s killer. The torture and sadness his wife Ruth faces also adds to the decision to murder their son’s killer. The friends in the story fuel the fire as well when they discuss how the time people actually spend in prison also. The father seems tortured at the end of the story with his decision to murder their son’s killer, but his wife seems to want him to do it.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner
My Reflections on “A Rose for Emily”
In “A Rose for Emily,” Miss Emily seems to be a lonely, old woman at the time before her death. Her character traits are similar to that of a hermit. The story had a morbid, mystery type feel to it. The story often leaves the reader to question if the characters were actually ghosts although they weren’t. At the ending of the story, more elements of the story become clear. It became apparent that Miss Emily had a strange obsession to holding on to dead bodies of the people in her life.
In the story, it was mentioned early on that Miss Emily didn’t want to let go of her father’s body. They had to force her to bury him. While reading of the sealed room and its bridal contents after her death, it felt like she was never married but longed for it. So, that could be why she held on to the room, sealed it, and never changed it. Surprisingly though, it was revealed that the sealed room’s contents held a dead body in the bed in addition to all of the other things inside. Once again, Miss Emily did not let the body of a deceased person go. Miss Emily did not want anyone to leave her.
The character in the story, Miss Emily, could have been a mentally ill person. That condition could explain why she was not seen much in her life and kept to herself so much. It could also explain why she couldn’t let go of the bodies of the deceased. It could also explain why she laid in bed with the dead, rotting corpses for many years as well.
Some other elements of the story that added to its mystery was the man who worked for Miss Emily and the bad smells coming from the house throughout the story. The man who worked for Miss Emily did not speak much, and she probably hired him for that reason. That way, her secret could be kept. The smells must have been the dead corpse smell. Since the man who worked for her never told anyone, no one knew what the horrid smell was. With the secret kept, Miss Emily could continue to be with the deceased till the time of her passing.
In “A Rose for Emily,” Miss Emily seems to be a lonely, old woman at the time before her death. Her character traits are similar to that of a hermit. The story had a morbid, mystery type feel to it. The story often leaves the reader to question if the characters were actually ghosts although they weren’t. At the ending of the story, more elements of the story become clear. It became apparent that Miss Emily had a strange obsession to holding on to dead bodies of the people in her life.
In the story, it was mentioned early on that Miss Emily didn’t want to let go of her father’s body. They had to force her to bury him. While reading of the sealed room and its bridal contents after her death, it felt like she was never married but longed for it. So, that could be why she held on to the room, sealed it, and never changed it. Surprisingly though, it was revealed that the sealed room’s contents held a dead body in the bed in addition to all of the other things inside. Once again, Miss Emily did not let the body of a deceased person go. Miss Emily did not want anyone to leave her.
The character in the story, Miss Emily, could have been a mentally ill person. That condition could explain why she was not seen much in her life and kept to herself so much. It could also explain why she couldn’t let go of the bodies of the deceased. It could also explain why she laid in bed with the dead, rotting corpses for many years as well.
Some other elements of the story that added to its mystery was the man who worked for Miss Emily and the bad smells coming from the house throughout the story. The man who worked for Miss Emily did not speak much, and she probably hired him for that reason. That way, her secret could be kept. The smells must have been the dead corpse smell. Since the man who worked for her never told anyone, no one knew what the horrid smell was. With the secret kept, Miss Emily could continue to be with the deceased till the time of her passing.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
My Reflections of “The Story of an Hour”
In the beginning of the story, Chopin introduces the story by stating the character, Mrs. Mallard, has a heart condition. This condition may have led up to the events of the end of the story in which Mrs. Mallard had a heart attack and died. Mrs. Mallard experiences many emotions during the hour of the story that makes one question her relationship with her husband.
Upon the news that her husband had been killed Mrs. Mallard had a range of emotions regarding the death of her husband. I understand grief and immediate anguish felt by Mrs. Mallard upon this news. Sometimes, people are in shock when they receive devastating news. Sometimes people immediately begin to grieve, cry, and wail also though. Her next set of emotions seem different as to how I would handle the death of my spouse.
Mrs. Mallard likes the feeling of being free that comes to her from the death of her husband. That feeling could be the result of many things. For instance, maybe she married too young or felt like a prisoner in her own home. Maybe she didn’t like her husband, he was abusive, or mean to her also. Another possible reason could be she was always worried about him and such a thing happening. Now she could finally let go.
I have been married a long time and also watched my father deal with the loss of my mother. It makes me sad to think of a time when my husband might not be here. I can’t imagine the feeling of being free. I think I would feel a piece of me missing if I lost my husband. I don’t feel like Mrs. Mallard felt loved by her husband and stayed married due to obligation. I feel this way because of her feeling of being free upon the news of her husband’s death.
In the beginning of the story, Chopin introduces the story by stating the character, Mrs. Mallard, has a heart condition. This condition may have led up to the events of the end of the story in which Mrs. Mallard had a heart attack and died. Mrs. Mallard experiences many emotions during the hour of the story that makes one question her relationship with her husband.
Upon the news that her husband had been killed Mrs. Mallard had a range of emotions regarding the death of her husband. I understand grief and immediate anguish felt by Mrs. Mallard upon this news. Sometimes, people are in shock when they receive devastating news. Sometimes people immediately begin to grieve, cry, and wail also though. Her next set of emotions seem different as to how I would handle the death of my spouse.
Mrs. Mallard likes the feeling of being free that comes to her from the death of her husband. That feeling could be the result of many things. For instance, maybe she married too young or felt like a prisoner in her own home. Maybe she didn’t like her husband, he was abusive, or mean to her also. Another possible reason could be she was always worried about him and such a thing happening. Now she could finally let go.
I have been married a long time and also watched my father deal with the loss of my mother. It makes me sad to think of a time when my husband might not be here. I can’t imagine the feeling of being free. I think I would feel a piece of me missing if I lost my husband. I don’t feel like Mrs. Mallard felt loved by her husband and stayed married due to obligation. I feel this way because of her feeling of being free upon the news of her husband’s death.
Hello
This is my blog for my English 113 class. I enjoy reading and reading to my children.I stay very busy with my children and all the subjects that require reading with college though. So, that limits time reading just for enjoyment these days. When I do have time, I enjoy the Twilight series. In the future, I would love to work with young children. It is such a joy to watch them learn something new or learn to read. :)
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