A Rose for Emily

     I really did not enjoy the story "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner because of the way the story was organized. It did not go in any sort of logical order. Also, much of the story was not explained. The reader has no idea if Emily and Homer Barron were really married. We also don't know if Emily killed Homer. In this story, there seemed to be situational irony. This is when what is expected is different than what actually happens. When Emily purchased the arsenic, I assumed she was going to kill herself. The whole story up to that point seemed gloomy and like she was always sad."'I want some poison, she said to the druggist. She was over thirty then, a slight woman, though thinner than usual, with cold, haughty black eyes in a face the flesh of which was strained across the temples and about the eyesockets as you imagine a lighthouse-keeper's face out to look" (286). This dark, depressing description of Emily made me think the author was using foreshadowing. I thought he was describing her in such an awful way to show why she would want to kill herself. Maybe she did kill herself, because yet again the author does not really tell the reader. However it seems as though she really did die from old age and I was wrong in both instances.

The Lottery

     In "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, I felt there was quite a bit of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony takes place when there is a discrepancy between the reader's understanding of a scene and a character's understanding. Throughout almost the entire story I had a completely different understanding of what a lottery is than the characters did. I assumed it was the lottery involving money. I thought the town made such a fuss over it because it is exciting in a small town to see who the "big winner" is. However, I soon realized I was completely wrong. I am never one to see events coming in a story, so I really did not realize it was not a modern-day lottery until they came out and said that a Hutchinson would be stoned. The characters in the play knew the entire time what was going to happen; they were never confused, like myself. They weren't so much excited as they were nervous or anxious to find out who the "winner" was. I even interpreted minor events in the story differently than what the characters were actually doing. When discussing the children, the author writes, "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones" (264). I thought this was some sort of children's game, like they were going to play marbles or something. I had no idea they were collecting the stones that would soon kill a citizen. This entire story had me very confused.

The Glass Menagerie

     The ending of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams is extremely sad and Williams uses quite a bit of Pathos. The gentleman caller, Jim, and Laura seem to hit it off great- they even share a small kiss. However, we soon find out Jim is not the sweet, caring man he pretends to be. He is really a cheater- he is engaged and cheating on his fiance, Betty. The way Jim breaks the news to Laura that he will never be calling her is absolutely heart-wrenching. Laura, the shy, innocent girl she is, is absolutely shocked and heart-broken. Jim, a player and a cheater, seems to feel not guilt. Even though he acts sorry, it is evident he doesn't care about Laura's feelings at all. He even tells Amanda he is engaged in a manner that shows he sees nothing wrong with what he has done. Amanda is obviously appalled at his behavior. Williams does a spectacular job in his writing by making the reader feel so much sympathy for Laura. 
     While the ending of the play clearly angered me, I did really like Tom's soliloquy at the very end. His speech seems like the perfect way to end the play, rapping up many loose ends about his future. Tom finishes the play by saying "For nowadays the world is lit by lightning!  Blow out your candles, Laura- and so goodbye" (1289). This last sentence is beautifully written, however I am not exactly sure of its meaning. I am not sure if it symbolizes that Laura never found love, or that maybe she even died alone. Whatever it means, it leaves the reader wondering. I really enjoy Williams' writing style in this regard.

The Glass Menagerie

     After finishing scene six of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, I have realized I am either very confused or simply wrong. For some reason, I thought I read that the families father had passed away, I'm not sure where I came up with that, but scene six has told me otherwise. Amanda tells Jim O'Connor, the gentleman caller, "I married a man who worked for the telephone company!- That gallantly smiling gentleman over there! A telephone man who- fell in love with long-distance!- Now he travels and I don't even know where!- (1270). This statement from Amanda shows that her husband hasn't died, he has just left the family. Maybe this is why she seems so bitter towards him, insisting Tom not be like his father. I am still very curious as to whether I made up the idea of the father being dead or if it actually said it somewhere.
     Something I have noticed to occur throughout the play is that the stage directions tell the reader when music will play and what song is playing. And often times the music seems to change the mood of the scene a great deal. Tom tells Jim of his idea to move, and when Jim asks Tom to where, the stage directions read, "(The music seems to answer the question, while Tom thinks it over)" (1268). I enjoy that the author included these stage directions and I find it interesting that at different points in the play the music seems to speak when no words are said.

The Glass Menagerie

     Throughout scenes four and five of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, there is a lot of discussion about the families deceased father. While telling Laura about a magic show Tom went to, he says, "But who ever got himself out of one [a coffin] without removing one nail? (As if in answer, the father's grinning photograph lights up. Scene dims out) (1249). This almost seems like a bit of eerie foreshadowing.  While it does not seem likely for their father to have actually gotten out of his own coffin, presumably after already being dead, it does make me think that maybe the father is not dead after all. The mother seems to talk poorly of his drinking problem quite often, which maybe shows she did not like him. Because of this, however unlikely it may be, I have begun wondering whether or not he actually died or he simply abandoned the family. Amanda later says to Tom while forcing him to let her comb his hair, "There is only one respect in which I would like you to emulate your father... The care he always took of his appearance (1255). Amanda says here she did not like his father and wants her son to be almost nothing like him. This makes me think she is holding a grudge against him for something other than his horrible drinking problem. While I may be looking way too far into this, it seems to me that the deceased father will be of more importance than we think.

The Glass Menagerie

     "Even when he wasn't mentioned, his [a gentleman caller] presence hung... like a sentence passed upon the Wingfields" (1244). At the beginning of scene three in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Tom, the narrator and son of Amanda, is telling the audience through first person point of view what an impact Amanda's want for a gentlemen caller has made in the Wingfield household. The above simile  shows that her "obsession" is taking a toll on their family, comparing it to a court or prison sentence. Amanda is doing everything she can to "help" Laura. But, in reality, this doesn't seem to be what Laura wants at all. Her mother is taking so much control of their lives that it seems to drive them all apart. Not only is she trying to control Laura's life, but Tom's as well. During an argument between Amanda and Tom, Amanda yells at Tom for talking back, to which he replies "No, no, I mustn't say things" (1246). Tom is being sarcastic here, because we know he will continue to talk back to his mother. The incessant fighting in the house seems to be rapidly increasing from what seemed like a happy, little family at the beginning of the play.

The Glass Menagerie

     After finishing scenes one and two of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, I have learned a lot about two of the characters, Laura and Amanda Wingfield. Amanda is Laura's mother, and it is obvious she cares about Laura very much. Through Amanda's talk to and about Laura, there is quite a bit of indirect characterization.  Amanda is trying to make a good life for Laura. She has been paying for her to go to college and tries to help her meet potential husbands. However, Amanda is disgusted with Laura when she finds out Laura has not been attending her classes. She is also unhappy with Laura's lack of interest in men. Amanda says, "Fifty dollars' tuition, all of our plans- my hopes and ambitions for you- just gone up the spout" (1242).This quote tells the reader a lot about Amanda. It shows they are her dreams, not Laura's. This also makes it seem as though Amanda didn't accomplish or never had the chance to fulfill her own ambitions, so she is trying again with her daughter. It is clear they are not Laura's dreams, since she shows no interest in pursuing them. It will be interesting to see which of the women gets their own dreams fulfilled.