The Catcher in the Rye

     As I near the half way point of  J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, I'm really beginning to get curious as to where this book is heading. The entirety of the first hundred pages have been about the main character, Holden. So far we have learned about much of his life through small anecdotes. He went back about one year before to begin telling his story of why he is wherever he is. Right now, I am really interested in where he goes after just being expelled from school, but not wanting to go home yet. His parents don't know yet so he must stay away from home and school. I am the same age as Holden and I can't imagine just staying in a hotel in New York for a few days after being expelled.
     Referring back to the first sentence of the book, Holden says "If you really want to know about it..." (1). About what? That is what is driving me crazy- half way through and we still don't know. Nonetheless, I really like this book so far. I expected it to be very different since it is such a classic, but it is completely relatable and normal. However, I really want to know where he is.

The Catcher in the Rye

     As I've already said,  J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye has really all been about Holden and characterizing him. So far, we, the reader, have learned about his life through imagery, description, and conversations. Now, in section two, I have learned a lot more about him through diction. The way he speaks shows his education and age clearly. He swears constantly. Also, he says things like "I toleja about that" (72). Obviously, he is saying "I told you about that," but the way the author wrote it out phonetically shows Holden is a typical seventeen-year-old. The author also includes Holden's extensive use of profanity to do the same thing. The way Holden speaks helps the reader understand him and that he is a normal teenager.

The Catcher in the Rye

      J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye includes quite a bit of characterization of the main character, Holden. Another prevalent quality of Holden is that he is not extremely confident. He is always calling himself a moron or other names. When talking about how brilliant his siblings are, he says, "I'm the only really dumb one" (67). However, he may have a point. He was kicked out of multiple schools. Although, I feel he really could be smart, he just doesn't apply himself. Also, his careless attitude probably relates back to his psychological issues. The book seems to be set in a psych ward, so we will likely find out why he is there and why he is so strange. The author does a good job of making the reader forget that the whole story is a flashback, and that eventually we will find out what is happening currently with Holden.

The Catcher in the Rye

     The main character, Holden Caulfield, of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, proves to be a very unique guy. Thus far in the novel, the author has used imagery and conversations to convey his character to the reader. One profound trait of Holden is that he is a compulsive liar. He often tells lies even when the do not benefit him at all, just for the sake of lying. At one point, he is talking to a friend's mom on a train. He really has no reason to lie to her; he'll likely never even see her again. But he truly can not help himself.

"Then I started reading this timetable I had in my pocket. Just to stop lying. Once I get started, I can go on for hours if I feel like it" (58).

     The fact that Holden lies so much tells a lot about his character. Due to previous stories, it is obvious he has psychological problems. I don't really know if that is what caused his lying problem, but it is clear both issues are interfering with his life.

Sorting Laundry

Elisavietta Ritchie's poem Sorting Laundry is an extended metaphor. This poem compares sorting laundry to a woman's relationship with a man. Each piece of clothing describes a different aspect of the couple's relationship. Imagery is used to help the reader envision both the clothing and their relationship. "Myriad uncoupled socks which went paired into the foam like those creatures in the ark" (Ritchie, 842). Also, in this quote, we see a simile. Their clothing, and relationship, is now being compares to Noah's ark. Since practically everyone has some idea of this story, this helps the reader to understand more details.

Near the end of the poem, an ellipses marks a shift in mood. The poem started out content and happy with their relationship. However, when the woman recalls a past lover, she begins to fear what would happen if her current man left her.
The overall tone seems to show that she is happy with her lover, even if they have a few problems or fears.

Liquor Never Brewed

Emily Dickinson's poem I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed is one extended metaphor. This metaphor compares alcoholic intoxication to the seasons. Intoxication is like "endless summer days" (Dickinson, 797), This is because the drunkard feels as though the feeling will never end, just as the seasons. The last stanza changes the poem a bit, however.

"Till seraphs swing their snowy Hats, And Saints- to windows run" (797).

The seraphs and the saints give an unexpected attitude of innocence and holiness. This clashes with the overall tone of the poem. By including these images, the poem is given a more light-hearted feeling. Again, I don't really understand the title. Maybe this is her first time drinking. Or possibly, a different feeling after drinking.

The Convergence of the Twain

The poem The Convergence of the Twain is a sad poem by Thomas Hardy that details the sinking of the beloved Titanic. The poem utilizes imagery as its main way of conveying the event to the reader. Hardy describes her stillness and the broken parts of the ship in the water.

"Jewels in Joy designed To ravish the sensuous mind Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind" (Hardy, 778).

This quote shows the reader how beautiful the ship once was and how lifeless she is now. One thing I noticed that I found interesting is the personification. Hardy uses by describing the Titanic as a woman.

"And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she" (Hardy, 778).

Not only does this quote show hardy's use of personification  but this is my favorite line of the poem. It ties together the workers of the Titanic and the horror of her wreck. Once so full of life, and now useless.

I did not understand the Title at first. Even after looking up the meaning of the words, I still don't understand how it really relates to the poem as a whole.

Batter My Heart

John Donne's Batter my Heart, Three-personed God is a sonnet, once a part of a group called "Holy Sonnets." The speaker is addressing God throughout the sonnet. He uses a seemingly aggressive tone, which, to me, shows disguised fear. The speaker uses parallel lines to convey a message.

"As yet but knock, breath, shine, and seek to mend" (Donne, 840).

"Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new" (Donne, 840).

These parallel lines allow the reader to see who the speaker is addressing with each verb. Knock and break are representing the Son. This is because we all know Jesus is knocking on our door and also broke the tables in the market. Breath and blow represent The Father. He breathed life into us and blew the storm that caused the flood. Shine and burn address the Holy Spirit. We know the Holy Spirit has appeared to us through the burning bush.

 

My Mistress' Eyes

     Hold on, what?! William Shakespeare just wrote an entire poem, My Mistress' Eyes, bashing his mistress. However, the smooth talker he is manages to do it in a slightly more polite way. He eloquently says her lips are dill, he breath smells bad, her voice is annoying, and many other awful things. It is the way in which he says these things that makes the reader question what he really is saying, that he really is being rude. I honestly thought this poem was kind of funny, maybe just because I read it after that disgusting Barbie Doll poem. The way shakespeare says her voice is annoying is so elegant, though. "I love to hear her speak, yet well I know that music hath a far more pleasing sound" (Shakespeare, 885). I mean it is sweet that he still enjoys listening, but I feel like he would rather listen to music. I don't know, maybe thats just me. Props to Shakespeare for still liking the girl.

Barbie Doll

     Margie Piercy's poem Barbie Doll absolutely fascinated me by how awfully true it is. The society little girls are raised in these days is disgusting. They are taught that in order to achieve your dreams, you have to be pretty. You could have absolutely everything else going for you, but a crooked nose and you're done for. So much pressure is placed on girls to be absolutely flawless that every girl eventually cracks under the pressure. Like the other stories in this unit, there is quite a bit of irony in this poem. The author describes puberty as "magic," adding an anecdote of a girl going through puberty and having "a great big nose and fat legs" (Piercy, 835). That is not magical. What really got me was the last line of the poem.

"To every woman a happy ending" (Piercy, 836). 

    What. This is said right after the little girl alters her body because she isn't a barbie doll. Sounds delightful. This just shows how ridiculous society is towards woman. This poem made me furious. Happy ending my Aunt Pearl.

A Jury Of Her Peers

     Susan Glaspell's A Jury of Her Peers is a rather interesting murder mystery. Actually, it isn't really about who did, it is about why they did it. Throughout the story, there is quite a bit of irony. When describing Mrs. Peters, the sheriff's wife, I saw a lot of irony in Mrs. Hale. Mrs. Hale described Mrs. Peters vividly, even though she did not know her very well.

"She remembered about her that she didn't seem like a sheriff's wife. She was small and thin and didn't have a strong voice" (Glaspell, 407). 

      While at first, this does not make a person think twice. However, as I continued reading, I kept going back to what Mrs. Hale said. While the women were waiting on the men to get to the bottom of things, the women did it themselves. The men even made fun of them for getting into the quilts. However, their typical "girly" interest in the quilts found the dead bird, a huge clue in why she did it. Even though Mrs. Peters doesn't seem like a sheriff, she got more accomplished than her macho husband. 

Hunters in the Snow

     This story, Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff, is actually very cute. It details a hunting trip of three friends, Tub, Frank and Kenny. while the three begin being very rude and "boyish" with each other through teasing and mean jokes, a dynamic change occurs near the end. After Kenny got shot, Tub and Frank become a little closer on the journey to the hospital. Tub and Frank are dynamic characters because of their change from rude and sarcastic to being so caring.

"Frank, when you've got a friend it means you've always got someone on your side, no matter what" (Wolff, 198).

     This quote from Tub to Frank really shows the change in them. They begin acting like 50-year-old men, with no feelings at all. However, they end as best friends. This dynamic change changes the tone of the story drastically. The three start out as acquaintances and as best friends. The change in their friendship is very admirable.

Othello 8

     .....what. I literally cannot express how much I detest stories where everyone just dies in the end. Literally everyone who was somewhat important died. Leave it to Shakespeare to write a play where boring stuff sort of happens, then there's some action and the reader becomes mildly entertained, and then everyone dies just as you get into the action. WHAT. Alright but seriously, the last act of Othello truly characterizes Iago as the greatest villain of all time. However, karma gets him and everyone finds out it was his fault.


"O thou Othello, thou was once so good,
Fall'n in the practice of a cursèd slave" (V.ii.350)

     These lines address the fact that Othello used to be such a good man and leader, until he fell into the tricks of Iago, "the devil." Iago truly engenders all of the struggles in this play. Without him, the town was literally peachy-keen. Absolutely nothing was wrong. But, we all know a person that just isn't ok with everything being perfect, just like Iago. If it isn't obvious enough, I thought the ending of this play was pretty annoying.

Othello 7

"Oh, villain that I am!" (V.i.29).

     So, that sounds like something Iago would say, right? Surprisingly enough, that line comes from Roderigo in scene V of Shakespeare's Othello. It seems as though we have yet another villain. What?! Two villains in one play? I don't know about that but Roderigo seems to think so. I thought this was a bit of irony because the whole play Iago has been being such a villain (an annoying one, if you ask me) and now all of a sudden Roderigo thinks he's awesome because he killed Cassio. Yes, he killed one person. Iago has messed up the lives of thousands. Ok, not thousands, but at this point it seems like he's messed up the whole town at least a little. Later on, Cassio mentions "villains" as plural. I'm not sure if Shakespeare knew Iago would be the "greatest villain of all time" when he wrote this, but he sure is throwing lots of villains in there while he's at it. Heck, Desdemona is probably the joker.

Othello 6

"My love doth so approve him

That even his stubbornness, his checks, his frowns—" (IV.iii.18-19)

      While reading Act IV scene iii, I came across this quote from Desdemona. She is describing her true love for Othello. I thought this was absolutely adorable, considering everyone is currently accusing her of cheating on Othello. Even while she is going through so much, she still expresses her love for her husband. She says how she loves him even when he frowns or is stubborn, who else says that?! I thought this loosely went along with the theme of Roles of Men and Women in Marriage. The men are usually stereotyped as being stubborn and manly (manly meaning never smiling- boring!) and the women are sweet and caring no matter what. I think this holds true with Desdemona. She is always loving and kind to her husband even when he is being completely rude. However, I do not think the "stubborn and manly" stereotype holds true for Othello. He seems to be able to express his love for Desdemona. Well, I guess just at the beginning of the play. But, as the play goes on it is apparent their characterization is changing. 

Othello 5

     As I read into Act IV of Shakespeare's Othello, I begin to truly analyze Iago's character. He is the entire first scene and appears frequently throughout the act and, obviously, the play. I begin to see how Shakespeare made Iago a round character. He really shows different sides of his personality when talking to different people. For example, we, the reader, are able to see how much of a villain he is. We see his point of view into his devious plans for the other character's downfalls. We feel his emotion and see his motivations behind his actions.

"As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad. 

And his unbookish jealousy must construe

Poor Cassio’s smiles, gestures, and light behavior

Quite in the wrong" IV.i.90

     At this point, Iago is talking to the audience. He is referring to Cassio smiling, which will make Othello mad. This shows how he acts very differently with the audience than with his "friends." To Othello, he acts like he truly cares about his and Desdemona's marital problems. But, in reality, he wants them to continue having problems. He treats his friends nicely in person, but behind their backs, he is fake.

Othello 4

     Throughout Shakespeare's Othello, race has obviously been a prevalent topic. Multiple times people use "black" and "ugly" as synonyms. At one point, Desdemona says, "How if she be black and witty?" (Shakespeare, Act II, Scene i, Line 131). Although by black, she means ugly. This is a horrible thing to say, but what shocks me even more is the fact that her husband, Othello, is black himself. This leads me to another confusing aspect. The play was first performed in 1604, and is set in the late 1400's to early 1500's. During these years, were blacks treated the same as they were in the early years of The United States? I honestly have no idea if these cultural aspects were the same in Venice. But since "black" and "ugly" are used as synonyms. I sense blacks were treated the same way. I don't understand how Othello received such a prominent role in society, if blacks were looked down upon? Also, is it socially acceptable for Desdemona, a white woman, to be married to a black man? These questions have been in the back of my mind this entire time I've been reading the play. Maybe racism was not a big deal in Venice, but it seems, by the diction used, that it was.

Othello 3

     Each time I read Shakespeare's Othello, I realize more and more how two-faced Iago is. He deceives everyone he interacts with throughout the play. He intentionally gives people bad advice in order to make them fall and him rise up. It is clear he will go to any extent of hurting others in order to build himself up. Shakespeare includes how deceitful Iago is and how fake he can be towards so many people in order to further characterize him.

"I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth Than it should do offense to Michael Cassio"(Shakespeare, Act II, Scene ii, line 200).

     This line is an excellent example of how much Iago is hurting others. He tells Othello he would not deceive Cassio, but in saying this, he does exactly that. He wants to do just that. Iago yearns for Cassio's position, and he goes to great lengths to hold that place.

Othello 2

     As I continue to read Shakespeare's Othello, I begin to learn much more about different characters through characterization.  One Character in particular who continues to grow is Iago. We know that he is the villain of the story, It is clear by many of his actions and many of his interactions with other people that he is fake and two-faced as well. One quote, in particular, made me think a lot about Iago's character.


IAGO
She that was ever fair and never proud,
Had tongue at will and yet was never loud,
Never lacked gold and yet went never gay,
Fled from her wish and yet said “Now I may,”
She that being angered, her revenge being nigh,
Bade her wrong stay and her displeasure fly,
She that in wisdom never was so frail
To change the cod’s head for the salmon’s tail,
She that could think and ne'er disclose her mind,
See suitors following and not look behind,
She was a wight, if ever such wights were—
DESDEMONA
To do what?
IAGO
To suckle fools and chronicle small beer (Shakespeare, page 1387, lines 148, 160).

This quote stood out to me so much because of the way Iago phrased it. In the first section, he is sweet and caring. However he quickly reverts back to being sexist and saying how women are only useful raising children and shopping for groceries. We begin to see the not-so-nice side of Iago and how little respect he shows toward women. The author seems to keep his audience on a string back and froth from liking and disliking Iago. It is definitely working.

Othello 1

     As I begin reading Shakespeare's Othello, I notice many of the themes discussed in class to already be appearing. However, I sense an abundant amount of distrust between Brabantio and his daughter. After only reading a few pages, I can already see how unbelievably angry he is at his daughters running of with a man, a black man, nonetheless.
     Another theme I noticed was the Authorities of Men and Women. This distrust between Brabantio and his daughter shows the roles of women in those time, specifically daughters. Women did absolutely nothing without the consent, or demand, of their fathers. I have not even read far into the story but I can already tell His daughter's relationship will appear often throughout the play.

"We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly followed" (Shakespear, 1361, Act I, Scene I, Line 43).

This line stood out to me immediately, because I love it so much, Basically, it's saying "you do you." I really like this quote from Iago because it shows independence and thinking for oneself. Even though he isn't a villain yet, I can already tell I like Iago.

 

You're Ugly, Too

     In Lorrie Moore's short story You're Ugly, Too, we follow the life of the central character, Zoe Hendricks. Her life involves sarcasm, loneliness, and many relationships to people in many different walks of life. Her character is easy to relate to because of her use of sarcasm to hide her true problems.
     I, personally, am extremely interested in the reasoning of why people behave the way they do. I love the subject of Psychology and I often find myself analyzing why people are just the way they are. This story was easy to analyze because of Zoe's distinct personality. We see her fail at relationships, teaching, and lack in confidence. We also see her try to cover up this sadness and alienation through humor. The only thing that leaves me wondering is what brought her to this point in her life.
     Throughout the story, we read often poor student reviews of Zoe's teaching abilities. Students say all sorts of things, even meaningless comments such as she "is often late for class and usually arrives with a cup of hot chocolate" (Moore). This random review stood out to me because I absolutely adore hot chocolate, but also because while it is seemingly meaningless, it does add to the reader's knowledge of Zoe's character.
     Moore successfully allowed the reader to dive into Zoe's life and see her true personality.

The Story of an Hour

     The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin turned out to be a confusing short story. The story details the hour a woman things she finds out her husband is dead. The hour involved many emotions, ranging from sad to confused to depressed.
     The woman "loved him- sometimes" (Chopin, handout). This part really confused me. Had she cheated, or did she simply not love him? I'm probably reading into this little line way too much, but it caught my attention. I did not understand how her actions related to her emotions.
     The end of the story is very ironic. "Heart disease- joy that kills" (Chopin, handout) is what killed Louise. This is ironic because her eternal love for another person actually killed her.

Popular Mechanics

      The short story Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver leaves the reader with a quite annoying cliff hanger. After the majority of the story being about who will keep the baby, the story simply ends, "In this manner, the issue was decided" (Carver, handout). What?! They do not even tell us who gets the baby. To me, it seems the husband gets it but Carver does not bother to tell us.
    One question following the story asks how we can infer the setting. Carver's use of imagery makes it obvious that the story begins in a bedroom and ends in the kitchen. The fact that the husband is shoving clothes in a suitcase tells the reader that they are in a bedroom. Later, they talk about being by a stove, which makes it obvious that they are in a kitchen. Even though Carver does not tell us the setting specifically, it is easy to infer. His use of imagery and details makes the reader really envision the setting.

February

      Margaret Atwood's poem February conveys a great message while being somewhat comical at the same time. she uses quite a bit of imagery. Instead of simply letting the reader vision any common cat, she describes her furry friend as being "a black fur sausage with yellow Houdini eyes" (Atwood, handout).
    Throughout the poem, Atwood conveys a message of creation. However, she does this through discussing cats. It is clear to the reader, though, that she is discussing much more than just cats.
She is applying her message to the whole human race.
    Atwood ends the poem by saying "Get rid of death. Celebrate Increase. Make it be Spring" (Atwood, handout). This finished the poem by attaching the message to all people, not just cats. It also ties in the setting of winter, since winter is usually associated with death.

Lonely Hearts

     Lonely Hearts by Wendy Cope implores many different literary techniques. The most noticeable is her use of rhetorical questions. "Can someone make my simple wish come true? Do you live in North London? Is it You? (Cope, 973). These questions are repeated to show the reader that these are people yearning for companionship. This poem is very clever in the fact that it combines many personal ads to create one poem with a central theme. While seemingly sad and lonely, this poem offers a glimmer of hope. The fact that the address is included shows that these people truly crave a response- and the possibility of them actually finding love. I also found it very interesting that Cope offered such a wide array of personalities- a biker, a gay vegetarian, a librarian. The fact that all of these diverse characters can somehow be put into one poem shows how creative Cope is with her writing and how she speaks to many different audiences. It also adds to the theme of the poem by showing how even though these people are so different- they have one thing in common: a want for love.

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

     A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning by John Donne speaks of two lovers, which are identifies as the laity and the priesthood. Throughout the poem, Donne uses an ample amount of similes. He begins the poem with a simile showing the idea of death, reading, "As virtuous men pass mildly away..." (Donne, 801). This simile is important when analyzing the poem. One question following the poem asks the reader to decipher whether the speaker is about to die or simply leave for a journey (question three). By taking the first simile into account, one can carefully read the rest of the poem to tell which option it is. After reading the poem a few times, I found that the reader is simply leaving for a journey. I found this because the first line says "As virtuous men pass mildly away..." This shows that people aren't actually dying, but it is similar to that. Also, near the end of the poem, it says, "Yet when the other far doth roam, It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home (Donne, 802). This shows that one lover is simply departing far away, but will return. This poem clearly fits into to this theme of love.

Eveline

     James Joyce's Eveline details, in just a few short pages, much of a woman named Eveline's life. One literary technique I noticed immediately was Joyce's use of imagery. "And yet during all those years she had never found out the name of the priest whose yellowing photograph hung on the wall above the broken harmonium beside the colored print of the promises made to Blessed Margaret Mary Alocoque" (Joyce, 218). This amazing use of imagery and detail allows the reader to envision exactly what the author is talking about. The way Joyce weaves in these detailed events captivates the reader and makes them feel as if they are watching the story unfold before their own eyes.
     Eveline's life, as detailed in this short story, seems extremely depressing and empty. She seems to never really have anyone to love or protect her. And as soon as she does, she abandons it. Because of her moms death and her fathers hate, she seems to have psychological problems with others becoming too close to her. She always wants to run away, even if that means running away from who she was running to.

How I Met My Husband

     How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro details the somewhat sad love story of a fifteen-year-old hired girl. The story finishes with a surprise, somewhat sad, ending.

"He always tells the children of how I went after him by sitting by the mailbox every day, and naturally I laugh and let him, because I like for people to think what pleases them and makes them happy" (Munro, 146). 

     This ending is sad because it shows how Edie did not marry a man she wanted to, she simply settled for someone else. She spends her whole life in disappointment. However, one question following the story asks how Edie has matured later in life. It seems as though she has grown up and moved on. She has realized she was just a little girl who fell got a man too quickly. Edie, in her older life, seems disappointed yet at peace with her current life. There is still the little girl inside her that yearns for that first love. However, she has loved and lost and realizes it is all for the best.