Ms. Brill = Dr. Seuss Movie

Plot:
The story begins when Ms. Brill takes out her fur and starts to talk to it. Right away the audience gets the sense that she has issues. If I were to make this into a film, I would have Ms. Brill start out in other locations. I have decided that Ms. Brill doesn't seem like a English teacher. Teachers are outspoken and Ms. Brill doesn't seem like the person to get in front of a group of people and lecture. I think she would best fit as a librarian. This would fit her because it would allow her to vicariously live through books, just like she does with the people in the park. I would have scenes with Ms. Brill in the library, in the park, and interactions with people in her life. I would make her seem invisible to other people around her. This would emphasize her loneliness. When I first read the scenes of Ms. Brill in the park, I pictured it as a Dr. Seuss movie. With the band, the people, and the picnics going on I pictured the cat and the hat. I would make this a Dr. Seuss animation and I would have all of this hustle and bustle going on while Ms. Brill sat there and watched it all. This would show how she thought she was a part of the play but really she is just the audience. Finally, I would change the ending of the story. Ms. Brill would realize, after several times of going to the park, that she was just the audience. She would then make an effort to make friends with the people at the park and become part of their everyday scene. I would end on this happy note (:

Setting:

Like I said before, this would have the animations of a Dr. Seuss movie. The only places I would take Ms. Brill in this movie is the library, the park, and home. She would spend the majority of her time at the park, however. This is the most important scene because it truly shows her loneliness. She is naive enough to think that she is part of this big scene so I would really drive that point home. Making this a Dr. Seuss movie will be easy to show that because the characters are wild and are known to do crazy things (thing 1 and thing 2--->they would be in the park). Also, I would have this movie in America. I would want Americans to relate to it because it is Dr. Seuss so I wouldn't want Ms. Brill to be from France like she is in the short story. The setting of this story will not change very often, but when it does, it proves a point.

Point of View:

The point of view of this movie will change. I will have the majority of it being seen from Ms. Brill's eyes. I think this is important because the audience will know what she is thinking and truly how sad and lonely of a person she is. Also, I would also like to have parts in the movie where you get a scene of other people talking about Ms. Brill without her knowing. It would be neat to show the audience what the people in the park think about her. This would help explain the innocence of Ms. Brill. The people will discuss her child-like character (smiling in the park and talking to her furs) and talk about how they've never seen her with friends. Of course, they would not take the initiative to go and talk to her. (that doesn't happen till the very end) Because this is a Dr. Seuss movie, I simply MUST have a narrator who starts out the movie in his deep rhyming voice. He will explain where Ms. Brill is and her naive attitude of life.

Characterization:

All of my characters would be animated. Although, I would have Betty White play the voice of Miss Brill. I would have Jim Carey play the voice of the fur. (that would be hilarious) and I would have the who's from "The Grinch" play the band. This story would be more of a children's story but it would also be a comedy. It will appeal to many groups of people. I would have each of the characters, especially Ms. Brill, introduced indirectly (except for the narraration ). I will have them described to the audience by the interactions they have with other people. This way, the audience can create their own opinion of the characters. Also, I will have the fur and the people in the park play a bigger role than they did in the short story. I don't want Miss Brill to be the only main character. It will be more entertaining to not only focus on the old lady. (especially in a children's story)

Theme:

I would change the theme of the story in the movie. In the story, it is about a lady who thinks she is part of the play but really she is just the audience. It is also about her not realizing her loneliness. This theme is too depressing for me. I would have it be about a lady who is insecure and is unsure of how to become part of society. It will be about how people get up the courage to make friends. This way, it will teach kids the lesson and importance of being outspoken and the difference it can make in their lives if they try to make friends. It is cheesy, I know. But, it will be an adorable children's movie, right?

The movie "Field of Dreams"

Plot:
The movie starts out with the main character, Ray Kinsella, tending his corn field. This is in the middle of the short story. Ray hears the voices("if you build it, he will come") in the introduction of the movie. The rising action consists of Ray trying to figure out what the voices are talking about. He eventually figures out that he must build a baseball field so that he can meet his idol, Shoeless Joe Jackson. This is similar to the short story. The climactic events of both versions are also similar. The field is built and Shoeless Joe appears out in the field, followed by his former teammates. In the movie, this encourages Ray to follow more of his dreams. He receives more messages from the field. ("ease his pain") This direction leads Ray to a former Pulitzer prize winner who now wants to be left alone to write children stories, Terrence Mann. "I'm going to beat you with this crowbar if you do not go away". Terrence main is obviously not accepting at first of Ray's help. These obstacles that occur after the field is built are the details that differ the most from the short story. The add depth and help the audience understand the meaning, of the theme as a whole. If you chase your dream, you can make anything happen.

Point of View:
The story comes from the view of Ray Kinsella. He is a middle aged man with a farm, a wife, and a daughter. Ray is afraid of becoming just like his father was; ordinary and dreamless. This fear is what drives him to make his dreams happen. His financial struggles with his farm try to hold him back from making the field. Ray's drive to be different and make something of his life cause him to use all of his savings to make his field. "It's okay, honey. I... I was just talking to the cornfield." (Ray Kinsella) Ray is a family man but he understands the importance of working hard for his dreams. The audience sympathizes with Ray because of this point of view. His financial struggles and humbleness cause the audience to be on his side.

Characterization:
Unlike the short story, we are given very direct characterization of the character of Ray Kinsella. He outright states how he was raised, his likes, and dislikes. His wife Annie, and his daughter Karin, are also characterized directly. They are major roles in this movie. The character of his wife differed greatly in the movie. In the short story, she was a very supportive wife and always pushed Ray to do whatever made him happy. She was sort of unrealistic and only thought of his happiness. In the movie, she is a realistic mother and realizes the sacrifices the family will have to make if this field is built. This causes some conflict between them. In the end, she supports his dreams and realizes the importance of his happiness.

Setting:
Ray Kinsella is an Iowan farmer who dreams to build a field for Joe Jackson. Joe Jackson is a member of the Chicago White Sox who threw the 1919 World Series and was suspended for life. The setting of the short story is the same as the first half of the movie. The second half of the movie is spent with Terrence Mann, trying to help him find himself again. " Well, I've got news for you. I spent all my misery years ago. I have no more pain for anything. I gave at the office." (Terrence Mann) The adjustment of the setting shows the lengths that Ray Kinsella went to to fill out his dreams. Helping out Terrence Mann puts adds to the financial turmoil that his family is experiencing. Still, he goes out of his way and commits to the hard work that he knows is necessary for his dream to come true.

Theme:
The stories of the movie and short story do not differ in theme. The theme remains that if you go searching for your dreams, they will come true. Ray Kinsella just happened to have his dream come to him after he built the baseball field. He was given messages from his cornfield. Ray didn't sleep until he figured out what he was being asked to do. He sacrificed profit from his farm, his savings account, and time with his family to build the baseball field and ease Terrence Mann's pain. In the end, his dreams came true just as he hoped they would. Ray searched for the missing pieces in his life to figure out what kind of man he knew he was being called to be. Just like in the short story, he finds that he has built a heaven on earth for himself just by going after his dreams.

You're Ugly, Too

I really liked this story because I thought Zoe was hilarious. I liked how she didn't care what other people thought about her. Sometimes, I thought she blew things out of proportion. Like the growth in stomach and how she thought she was dying. I could see how some people wouldn't like her dry sense of humor but that's my kind of humor. Also, I enjoyed the point of view in this story. The third person, omniscient view of Zoe was easy to read because it gave the reader an understanding of how the other characters feel and act, along with Zoe's emotions. Zoe and her sister are foils to each other. They were similar in that they both went to college. Evan seems more normal because she got a job after school and is about to get married. And Zoe is just, well, weird.

Popular Mechanics

My group spent a lot of time discussing the possible meanings for the title of this story. We came to an agreement. Popular, meaning of the people, describes the people as a whole. Also, mechanics, meaning the uniformity and machine like, describes the unfeeling actions of humans. We see this title meaning this because of the way the parents behave in their argument. All they care about is themselves. There also was a lot of controversy on whether or not the baby was injured. I think that the baby died. The parents knew they were hurting the baby and they didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. I think that it is safe to say that the baby was at least very injured.

The Drunkard

I thought the title was humorous. I was expecting a sad story about an alcoholic father and how the family overcomes the burden and blah blah blah. Instead, I got a story about a son who is drunk out of his mind. I thought this story was genuinely hilarious. My favorite part was when the father is trying to rush his son home and all the wives that are watching from their homes automatically assume that the child is drunk. That would not be my first assumption. I find it ironic how the son is sent with his dad to be a "brake" of his drinking. Instead, the son gets drunk and the dad has to take care of him. The father's perception of the funeral is also ironic. He looks at it like it's a party. He thinks it is extravagant and interesting, which is not usually the reaction of most people at funerals.

The Lottery

The first thing that struck me as weird was the little boys collecting stones at the beginning of the story. I didn't notice until after I read the story that this was foreshadowing. "they smiled more than they laughed", yes phrase is also eerie because it shows how the men of the town are all preoccupied with other things on their mind. They are worried about something. Old Man Warner encouraged them to go through with the lottery. Nobody outright rejected it. They all just went through the motions, almost like robots. It stuck out to me towards the end when Mrs. Hutchinson was chosen, her family was not upset. In fact, her son was given some rocks to assist the others in murdering his mom. Also, when she was chosen, she exclaimed how unfair it was because her daughters were not involved in the draw. It was disturbing how unfeeling the people are in this story.

Analysis of "Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa"

Plot:
The story is sprinkled with the narrator looking back on the life of Joe Jackson as it relates to him. It is also flashbacks of how he came to be a young Iowa farmer. Throughout the story, it alternates between flashbacks and present day. The rising action of this story is building the field for Shoeless Joe. It is the anticipation and waiting of the narrator. The voices he hears reassure him that his dream will eventually come true; "if you build it, he will come." The story then continues to the climax. His wife discovers a man on the lawn, the man, of course, is Shoeless Joe Jackson. The story progresses to the falling action of the narrator watching the game. He is thrilled that his hard work is paying off. Finally, the narrator agrees to expand the field for other players to come."If you were to finish the infield, why, old Chick Gandil could play first base, and we'd have the Swede at shortstop and Buck Weaver at third." (521) This resolution shows how the narrators dream has come true.

Point of View:
The point of view of this story comes from a middle aged farmer who raises his family in Iowa. He has grown up with baseball his entire life. The audience is never given a name of the man telling the story. The narrator has the point of view of a handy man. His "do it yourself" attitude is apparent. " A three hour lecture or a five-hundred-page guidebook could not have given me clearer directions: dimensions of ballparks jumped over and around me like fleas, cost figures for light standards and floodlights whirled around my head like the moths that dusted against the porch light above me." (511) He works hard to maintain his farm, builds a gigantic baseball field, and doesn't rest until it is perfect. This hardworking attitude eventually rewards him.

Characterization:
The narrator is described through indirect characterization. He is described when he elaborates on his love of baseball, his family, and his land. "I count the loves in my life: Annie, Karin, Iowa, and Baseball. The great god Baseball." He puts his family before his land and baseball, but he goes on to compare baseball with a god. The narrator is a man with dreams. We see this also through indirect characterization as he dedicates his money and time to build a baseball field on his own. The narrators wife, Annie, is described directly. "...that slip of a girl with hair the color of cayenne pepper and at least a million freckles on her face and arms, that girl who lives in blue jeans and T-shirts and at twenty-four could pass for sixteen." She is then described as a great mother and wife. This direct characterization shows that the story is focused on figuring out the narrator, and not so much the wife or the daughter.

Setting:
The story takes place on an farm in Iowa around the year 1970. It takes place many years after Shoeless Joe Jackson was suspended from baseball and had passed away. I think that an argument can be made that this story could also take place in heaven. The dreams of the narrator and Shoeless Joe both come true. The narrator builds a beautiful baseball field for his idol and Shoeless Joe returns to his beloved game. They are both at peace and appreciative of each other. "'God what an outfield,' he says. 'What a left field.' He looks up at me and I look down at him. 'This must be heaven,' he says.""I think you're right, Joe," I say, but softly enough not to disturb his concentration." (522) They are both at such peace with they're surroundings.

Theme:
The theme of this story is that if you work hard for your dream, it will come true. The motif of "if you build it, he will come", is a message that is repeated over and over again in the narrators head. As a result, he puts a tremendous amount of effort into building the baseball field that will bring in his ultimate goal. He makes sure everything is perfect for his arrival, and one night, his dream comes true. "'How does it play?' I holler down. 'The ball bounces true,' he replies. 'I know.' I am smiling with pride and my heart thumps mightily against my ribs." It can be inferred that narrator is not a many of money or possessions and that, in the end, is the reason he works so hard for the simple things.

Once Upon a Time

I think this story is really sad. The ending when the little boy dies completely ruined it for me. The family is so concerned about protecting their house from the outside world. They put so many alarms on, make their wall higher, and put a contraption of blades around the house. It seems that they are over protective and they should have just lived without being in fear. In the end, their paranoidity (if thats a word) killed there son. They could protect the house from the outside world but they could not protect the family from the house. I like how this story is a frame story. The author starts off talking about writing a childrens story. Then she gets sidetracked by the noises she hears in the house. Finally, she tells herself a story so that she can get her mind off the noises and go to sleep. This story would have made me even more scared.

A Worn Path

Today my group and I debated on whether or not the detail of the grandson being alive or dead was important to the general message of the story. I think it is very important. If the grandson is alive, then the story is about a sweet old grandmother who takes care of her grandson. If he is dead, then the story is about a grandmother who cannot let go of her grandson's death. It's like a Rose for Emily. Tragic and sad. This detail, to me, makes a huge difference in the story. However, a student was given the chance to ask the author if the grandson was dead or alive. The author responded, "Phoenix is alive". This shows that the author made this story about the grandmother and not about the grandson. The detail does not change how caring the grandmother is. I found it ironic when the hunter says he would give her a dime if he had any money. Phoenix has all his money (:

Eveline

I really wanted her to leave with her lover. I felt bad for Eveline because her life seemed very repetitive and sad. She is obviously afraid of taking risks. She is so close to moving on but hesitates and decides against it. She is extremely indecisive. She goes back to live in her status quo life. I think that the author is making a generalization about all of Dublin and that they all just live by the status quo. My group struggled today on the meaning behind her giving her father the money she earned at work. She seemed to treat him like a bank. She would give him all her wages and then she would have to beg to get any back. She didn't like her job and she was just unhappy generally. It's sad that she didn't run away with her lover because I think that this character needs to escape from her miserable life. In truth, all she saw in him was a way out. She didn't really love him.

Miss Brill

This lady seems extremely lonely. It's pretty cool how she makes it out to be a play in her mind. I dont understand the part where she tells the man she's an actress. Sometimes I watch people, too. Especially in the airport haha. It's actually really entertaining so I don't blame her. At the end, a couple notices her staring at them. They talk about her like she's the creepy lady who watches people really sunday. She lives through other people. It very subtly mentions that she is an English teacher. This could show how she lives in a different world. She also treats her fur like its alive (personification). Also, at the end when she puts it away she says that she thought she heard crying. I think that she is really discovering her own sad and lonely emotions but rejecting them.

Male Bonding

In the story, Hunters in the Snow, we see a lot of testosterone. Frank, Tub, and Kenny go on a manly hunt in the great outdoors in the freezing cold. After Tub shoots Kenny, they rough him around and take their sweet old time getting him to the hospital. They are basically telling him to be a man and get over the pain. At the diner, Frank and Tub spill their darkest secrets to each other. They both tell things that they have been hiding. Through these secrets, they become closer and better friends. It's kind of adorable. They both have terrible secrets but they accept them because they are friends now. The characters Frank and Tub go through a major change in that they become close friends and admit their secrets.

Barttleby the Scrivener

This story is told completely by the point of view of the narrator. This limits the readers' knowledge because we don't know what any of the other characters are thinking or why they do what they do. My favorite part of this story was the names. Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger nut. Adorable. I really wish that I could find out what Barttleby is thinking throughout this entire story. I want to know why he was so happy doing his job and then one day just "preferred not to". The narrator attempts to send him away and fire him but Barttleby never leaves. Why does he not leave? Why does he not eat? We will never know because of the point of view of the story. I don't understand why the narrator identifies and relates with Barttleby so much. He gives him money and visits him in prison. Also, he pays the cook to feed him. The narrator is selfless in trying to help Barttleby but in the end, he killed himself.

Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff

Tub is a character that the readers are meant to feel sorry for. He is teased by his friends his whole life. When they go on the hunting trip, Tub is left way behind the others. He simply cannot keep up. I felt really bad for Tub when I read the part about how he kept catching up and then falling back from his friends. It's sad to see his character struggling so much. His friends treat him horribly, too. This story later unfolds to the characters spilling their darkest secrets. Tub tells about his problem with eating and says that it has nothing to do with his glands. Frank then confides about the affair he is having with the babysitter. This secret was really weird. He is married and has children and he is considering leaving all of that for a babysitter. Really creepy. Speaking of creepy, the ending. Kenny keeps chanting that they are going to the hospital and the story responds that they are actually not. They had taken a wrong turn somewhere. It makes the reader ponder all the possibilities that could happen to the characters as a result of that wrong turn.

Everyday Use by Alice Walker

I really liked this story because i could relate to it. Me and my sister are very close in age and we often fight over belongings just like Dee and Maggie. I see myself sometimes playing Dee, selfish and confident, and I also see myself be Maggie, quiet and generous. The author sets Maggie up to be a character that you immediately feel sorry for. She is a burn victim, she lives at home, and she isn't very intelligent. Dee got all the "goods" of the family. Her mother raised enough money to send her off to college. She comes back with a husband and a fancy dress. Dee clearly holds herself over her family. She takes from Maggie the quilt that was already said to be Maggie's wedding gift. Also, Dee makes sure that she doesn't get the house in any of the pictures. We see that Dee had changed from the time she went off to college by the time she came back by Maggie's reaction. She is shocked by the transformation her sister has gone through. Also, Dee rejects the nickname her mother had called her her whole life.

Surprise Endings

Usually I love books with surprise endings because I am blown away by the ending that I couldn't guess. In this story, I thought the surprise ending was ridiculously obvious. The book was called "How I Met My Husband" and there were only two men in the whole story. One of them was a sleeze bag with a fiancée. My guess was that it was the mailman as soon as he came into the story. In my opinion, the ending of the story could have been taken out completely and they story would have lost no meaning at all. I know that they would have probably had to change the title but to me, the surprise ending seemed to summed up so it was less believable. If they would have dragged it out and gave more detail it would have made the story more romantic and more enjoyable.

How I Met My Husband

The whole book I knew that Chris was sleeze. He creeped me out when he watched her through the window and then told her she was beautiful. He had already been in the army and she was only 15. He must have been signifigantly older than her. Also, he had a fiance. There was a lot of dramatic irony in this story. One example is when she admits to being intimate with Chris and is bawling to all the ladies. She has no idea what it means to be intimate. After Chris and Edie are done being "intimate", he jumps off the cot and splashes water on both him and her. I think this is symbolism for him cleansing off the wrong doing that he had just done. The top of page 145 was confusing to me because Chris' fiance says that in order to prove that Edie had or had not been intimate with Chris, she was going to "examine" her. She says later that she had no idea at the time of what she had been saved from doing. Was she really going to check? That is very strange.

Interpreter of Maladies

When I first started reading the book, I didn't think the taxi driver was being that creepy. Then, I realized that he was 20 years older than Mrs. Das. I noticed some foreshadowing when Mr. Kapasi notices the difference in the skin color of his "son". It shows how his wife is unfaithful and he has no idea that the kid isn't really his son. I think this unfaithfulness is a result of their arranged marriage. I don't understand why his wife is so cold to the younger daughter. She doesn't hold her hand or paint her nails when she asks. Instead, she shakes her off and talks to her like she's an annoyance. I saw some similarities between this story and "How I Met My Husband". They both involve letters and they also both have an unrealistic idea of love. The idea of "sweeping their lover off their feet and living happily ever after". I thought it was odd how the author emphasized the dress of Mrs. Das. She showed a lot of skin and her "largely bare legs" (pg. 147) I didn't understand the purpose of her dress or why they would mention this.

A Rose For Emily

All of the flashbacks in this story confuse me. I can't tell what the chronological order of events are and where each book begins and leaves off. Book II is the most confusing. It begins 30 years before her funeral, 2 years after her father dies, and 1 year after Homer goes missing. After reading over this section several times, I finally started to understand what was happening first. Another thing I didn't really understand was the tax situation. She didn't have to pay her taxes for a long period of time. It seemed like the mayor or whatever it was felt bad for her because of the loss of her husband and her father so he didn't make her pay them. Then, all of a sudden, she had to pay them again. We see this on page 282 and it explains it in more detail, that I don't understand. Also I didn't think that the title of this story fit the tone of it at all. A Rose For Emily? how about, "Emily; A Girl Who Naps With Dead Bodies". That would have been more appropriate. I don't understand why the author decided to name this story so positive.

Elegy for My Father, Who is Not Dead

This poem is speaking about the future. It includes a lot of symbolism between the father and the son. The father equals strong faith and conviction. The son is doubt and uncertainty. There is a father vs. son comparison throughout this entire poem. The father is optimistic. He talks about life after death. He also thinks that he will be reunited with son after he dies. The son is extremely pessimistic. He thinks that the "ship will sink". He doesn't believe that he will have life after death. Death is compared to a trip. The "new world" is a metaphor for the after life. Father has the positive attitude. The son has a negative attitude.

Delight and Disorder

The broken rhyme scheme of this poem contributes to the theme of disorder. The phrase "wild civility" is an oxymoron. The poem is talking about how imperfections and inconsistencies are not always a bad thing. It reminds me of Shakespeare and how he was accepting of the imperfections of his "mistress" as well. The theme of beauty in imperfection is common amoung poets. The speaker prefers disorder to preciseness in a woman. The rhyme scheme can be compared to his type of woman because it is not perfect, it's a little off. It makes him happy to see flaws in the things he loves.

Edward

Edward is a psycho. He supposively kills a hawk, horse, and his dad. In reality he just kills his dad. His mother asks him three times what he has killed because she knows that he is lying about the hawk and the horse. The reason she knows that he is lying is because she told him to kill his father. She "gave counsel" to him. When he is lying to his mom about the things he killed he uses very ironic adjectives to describe them. He says that he killed his "good" hawk, his "fair and free" horse, and his "dear" father. This shows the reader that he was against the killing that he did. It seems that Edward is talking about committing suicide at the end of the poem. Whatever it is, he is definitely leaving and not coming back. He is leaving his wife, kids, and mother and he doesn't care.

Lonely Hearts

The first thing I thought of after reading this poem was EHarmony. It is satirizing the people who advertise themselves and search for love. All of these people are looking for the same thing, love, but they are so different. The author describes the most random people. They seem to be outcasts of society. They all have extremely specific expectations. The repeated lines in the poem are "do you linve in North London? Is it you?" and "can someone make my simple wish come true?" This last line is very ironic. The word simple is ironic because they dont have simple requests at all they are very specific. Also those two repeated phrases contribute to the layout of the poem as a villanelle.

My Mistress' Eyes

When I first read this poem, I thought it was extremely offending. It seemed like the speaker was trying to negatively break down his lover. I was very wrong. Towards the end of the poem, it says "and yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare". The speaker is saying that he isn't going to lie, his love isn't perfect. He is accepting of her flaws. Even though she is not perfect, he still loves her. Shakespeare is satirizing all the people who worship their wives and tell them whatever they want to hear. He is being honest with his and telling her exactly how it is. He doesn't care that she isn't perfect and he accepts it. Also, he is not saying that she is ugly, she is just "as rare" as every other girl.

Getting Out

This poem seems like they are talking about trying to have a kid but they physically are not able to."Every night another refusal", every night they attempt to have a child but it never works. Then "exaughsted" they "gave up". This is uncommon in society today because when couples are not able to have kids they usually just adopt. The next step on this couple's mind is to get a divorce. This divorce is strange because it is clear that neither of them want it to happen. They hold hands as they go up to the lawyer and cried on the last day. It is unclear to the audience what this could mean but it is extremely sad. Nothing went wrong in their relationship, it just didn't work out. Another thing I noticed in the poem that emphasized the seperation of the poem is that in the first stanza there is repetition of "we". In the second and third stanza they use "I". This transition shows the reader the couple has split.

The Aparition

This poem is kind of scary. The speaker is threatening his lover that he is with. He is says that when he is "dead", out of her life, he will come back and find her to haunt her. He is reflecting on the people who say they are going to die when they end a relationship. This is creepy sort of romantic. He tells her that she is with her future lover he will come and find them in bed together. He also says that she shouldn't try to wake her future lover because he will simply role over and pretend like he is asleep. Ultimately, he is saying that her future lover will never be able to satisfy her like he can. He's saying that he is a better man that her future lover will be. This poem is hard to understand because it is about a threat about something that could happen.

Crossing the Bar

This poem contains two major metaphors for death. They both represent death. The first one is going out to sea and him crossing the sandbar. The second one is the sunset and evening star (night) representing death. I noticed that it was talking about death when it mentioned the pilot and sleep. I thought the pilot was God and that sleep was death. Also, when it said "one clear call for me," it sounded like he was being called home to heaven. The speaker is ready to die and to move on to the after life. "May there be no sadness in my farewill", he is telling his family and friends to not be sad when he moves on to better things because it is not sad, it is a happy time.

Batter my Heart 3 Person God

The first things I noticed in this poem is that Lines 2 and 4 are parallel. "break, blow, burn", and "knock, breathe, shine." These words are grouped together to describe each aspect of the Holy Trinity. I believe that break and knock are used to describe God in all his power and glory. Breathe and blow are used to describe Jesus because he became human and took his first breath. The holy spirit is described through the words burn and shine. The tongues of fire burned within the apostles. These words reflect eachother and make us think of the possibilities of their meaning. The speaker then goes on to request that God punishes him for all the wrong doing that he has done. "but am betrothed unto your enemy", in this he is saying that he belongs to satan. He loves God but wants to be punished to be made anew. It seems that the speaker is hitting rock bottom in his life. He realizes this and turns to God, asking for him to grant him forgiveness.

Much Madness is Divinest Sense

Oh Emily. This poem is a huge paradox. The speaker says that if you conform to society and you go along with what everyone is saying, you are insane. If you go your own way and believe your own things, then you have sense. It is talking about the opinion of the majority and uses mental illness as a metaphor for it. According to the speaker, by assenting you fail to think. You just go along with what everyone else is doing and simply skate your way through life. This paradox has truth in it because if you don't think for yourself, you will end up making decisions that you regret. So demur (?) society and it's tendencies!

Next to of Course God America I

This poem is a speech. The speaker is rushing through his speech. It could be assumed that he is either very nervous or ignorant on what he is saying. The poem is a historical smush of America. At the beginning the speaker mentions pilgrims and at the end he mentions war. There are small reference to American lyrics and things of that nature such as the star spangled banner and "tis of thee". (which we are not really sure what the name of that song is) Also, there is an oxymoron towards the end of the poem. "These heroic happy dead". These words are extremely contradictory. Another thing that I noticed is that the speaker at the very very end seems to be making fun of the speaker who gave the speech. It is saying that people who support patriotic things but don't know what it means are ridiculous. They prove their point very well.

APO 96225

This poem is really sad to me. It reminds of "The Things They Carried" because it talks about the mindset of a soldier and how they cannot connect with the outside world. The soldier is writing to his family back at home and they are asking for details. They think that they can handle the truth and the reality of war but they are very wrong. They push him farther and farther asking for the truth and when he finally gives it to them they reject it. "you're scaring your mother". When they first ask him what is going on he replys that it rains sometimes and simple things like that. He is giving a huge understatement and they know this. They keep asking for more details and when they recieve they can't handle it.
Also i think the rain is symbolism. It could be raining bullets, blood, or just war in general. He gives it to his parents in a simple way and tries not to scare them because he predicts how they will react.

A Taste of Liquor never Brewed

Yay Emily Dickinson and her capitalized nouns. Throws me off everytime.
This poem talked a lot about liquor in nature. The "molten blue" sounded like a bar to me. I also thought it could have been a symbol for the sky though. This poem talks a lot about someone being corrupted and a force (alcohol) driving it. I learned that debauchee meant to ply with drink. Emily compares the alcohol with something very valuable, a pearl. The liquor that she refers to is a metaphor of the beauty of nature. She really appreciates nature and sees great value in it. The imagery and metaphor of liquor as nature acheives the powerful tone of this poem. It shows the joyfulness of her appreciation of nature. This really does not seem like the type of poem that Emily would write. She hates joy.

Pink Dog

I thought that this poem was a social commentary. The pink dog was a symbol for beggars or poor people. I thought that maybe he was also talking about prostitutes because he makes small hints that could be interpreted that way. "Street corners". They were kind of saying that if they do all of these bad things to beggars, what will they do to you? They treat the "dog" as a social outcast. It is clear how it is not wanted. It is also ironic how they are making fun of superficiality. They are making fun of people who are shallow but this whole poem, they are being shallow. This was ironic and I didn't really understand the point of it.

Bright Star

The speaker is talking about how much he likes the beautiful star. He wants to be like it. He likes how it is steadfast and stays in the same spot. He wants to be like that with his love. He wants to stay in the same spot with her forever. He goes on to say that the only thing he doesn't like is that the star is alone. He clearly doesn't want to be alone forever; he wants to be with his love. The speaker personifies the star as "natures hermit", in that it lives forever in the same spot. My favorite part is that he wants it forever of he will swoon to death. Swoon means to faint at the peak of exhileration. This is confusing because he is saying he wants to die of happiness? I understand what he means, though. He wants it forever or he doesn't want it at all. That is how bad he wants to be with his love forever.

Dream Deferred

Deferred means to give up or just push it away. This poem, to me, is about the speakers goals that were not accomplished. The dream starts out huge, but then after time, it gets smaller and smaller. It becomes less of a dream. The image of the "festering sore" portrays how sometimes dreams go unfinished for so long and start to become an annoyance. The bother you and it gets worse. This image is rather discusting but gets the speakers point accross about how if you don't accomplish a dream soon, it will become bothersome.
The symbol of the rotten meat is describing how people don't complete dreams soon enough and they "go bad". The dreamers are past their prime and so the dream is not even a reality anymore. The ending sentense about the dreams exploding describes how sometimes the dream explodes in a VIOLENT way and effects many surrounding people.

February

This poem was extremely gruesome. The images described were extremely vivid...in a bad way. The speaker is reflecting on the cat's life. The cat is indiffernet to the speaker. It just lazily does whatever it wants. Each good image was followed by a disturbing image. It seemed like the speaker would comment on the cat in a positive way and then just immediately after would provide the audience with something discusting the cat was doing. The theme of the poem is that sex and territory will finish us off in the end. When this theme is presented, there is a shift from the description of the cat to humans. My favorite line was "he shoots, he scores", this is a reference to hockey but it is also a reference to sez and territory. The images in this poem were good descriptions of this month because it is a month of despair and shows how the speaker was having a hard time with the annoying cat. There is a shift towards the end when the speaker talks to the cat (apostrophe) and gives it a call to action. It is not only talking to the cat, but giving a message to the audience about the importance of optomism.

Winter Sundays

The theme of this poem was difficult to understand. The first time I read it, I thought it was about a father who is violent towards his family and causes upset in his household. It seems that this is not what the poem is about, though. "Polished my good shoes" and he "had driven out the cold". These things are hints that the father does good things. The first chapter is full of harsh adjectives describing the father and his work. Cold, cracked hands, fires, blueblack. These adjectives show the roughness of the father. The second stanza describes the tone of the household. It is hard to understand because some of the adjectives conflict. "when the rooms were warm, he'd call" and "facing the chronic angers of that house." The warmness of the house seems peaceful but then it goes on to talk about chronic angers. I think maybe the father causes both happiness and anger withing the house. This poem was hard for me to figure out.

Convergence of Twain

This poem describes some of the characteristics of the Titanic, a ship that sunk in 1912. It focuses less on the tragedy and more on the vanity and the extravegance of the boat. The ship was the pinnacle of the technology at the time. It was almost idolized by the rest of the world. It seemed that nothing could go wrong with this perfect boat. Just like materialism and the thirst for extravegance, the boat went down to the bottom of the sea. People should focus on their inner beauty rather than their outer beauty. The fish only notied the gloriousness of the boat and questioned why it was down there. This is relevant because it adds to the theme of vanity. The extravegance of something doesn't matter in the end. It was the downfall of the Titanc and it can be the downfall of people.

Spring

This poem has a more of a positive tone. It also is religious. I think it is talking about Easter when it talks about Easter, lambs, and "innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy". These parts compare because they all hae to do with new life. Eden= Spring. The garden of Eden was beautiful and full of life and spring is also full of life. The image of the "glassy peartree" is really cool. That just seems so pure and calm to me. The allusions to The Garden of Eden and to Christ help the reader understand what comparison is being made. Spring is being compared to the pureness of Christ. It is being described as the blossoming time of year. "The racing lambs too have fair their fling", the image of racing lambs also contributes to the purity of spring. There is also a lot of alliteration included in this poem. "When weeds, in wheels,..." and also "long, and lovely, and lush." This helps to make the poem flow better.

I Felt a Funeral in My Brain

This poem has a lot of imagery, especially sounds. She says that she is "but an Ear". It is unclear to what this poem is about but I have my own theory. I think it is dealing with a person suffering with drug adiction. She is stuck in her head and everyone else is functioning around her. It is clear that she is not dead, though. At the end, she seems to die when she stops mid thought. In my mind, she dies from a drug overdose at the end. Thank goodness that falls into the cone of meaning, or at least I think it does. The tone of this poem is set right off the bat with the Title. "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain". This sounds like a scary movie to me. Then it goes on to talk about mourners and that sense was breaking through. The tone of death gets the speakers point accross of some type of inner struggle. I can't help but to think it is Emily Dickinson speaking out about her depression. It is hard to think about it as from the point of a different speaker when I know how weird she is. It also was contradictory when it started to talk about Heaven's bells when the whole poem seems like it is about hell.

The Widow's Lament in Springtime

This is my favorite poem because it is not hard to understand. It is clear that it is about a widow who is in grief. She is remembering her husband through her son and realizing how much she misses him. "Today my son told me that in the meadows, at the edge of the heavy woods in the distance, he saw trees of white flowers. I feel that I would like to go there and fall and fall into these flowers and sink into the marsh near them." There is a lot of symbolism towards the end of the poem. The son tells her that because she wants her to move on. I think that the trees of white flowers represent her husband. The distance between the son and the trees represent how far he is from his father. The widdow then goes on to talk about how she would like to go and sink into those flowers. She wants to her husband and sink into the place where he will always be. Also it is a juxtaposition when the widdow says "fall into the flowers" but also says "sink into a marsh". The falling into flowers sounds pleasant and peaceful but sinking into a marsh seems erie. She is saying that joining to join her husband would be both good and bad.

The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry

"According to his theory the poem is like an ink blot in a Rorschach personality test. There are no correct or incorrect readings: there are only readings which differ more or less widely from a statistical norm." This pretty much sums up his opinion on interpretation of poetry. It doesn't have a correct interpretation but it does at the same time. He is saying that there is no real wrong answer but there definitely is a right one. I liked when he said "a writer should not be his own interpreter...the poet is eager to be understood". The poet does not want to have to go back to his audience and explain what he really meant. The ambiguity of poetry is what makes it so colorful.
"If a poem, then, does have a determinable meaning- if, in the interpretation of poetry, we can't say that 'anything goes'." When I read this, it seemed to me that he was arguing the point that we cannot make up any interpretation of a poem that we want. There are limits when interpretating poetry. Sure, there is room for error, but not very much.

FINAL BLOG ON THE SUN ALSO RISES

This book was very interesting. The only thing I didn't like was that their was no climax. I was constantly waiting for the big point of the story. What i like most about the story was the need to follow the giant relationship. It just kept going and going. I liked how you could never guess what was going to happen next. The whole book I was predicting that Jake and Brett would be together but that didn't happen. I would say that I like The Things They Carried better because the story was easier to follow. Both of these stories were easy to share my thoughts on and i felt like I could relate pieces of my own personal life to them, as well. I like both of these stories and I found them an interesting addition to my summer. (:

Chapter 19

Jake leaves and goes for a trip in San Sebastian. He soon recieves telegrams from Brett saying that she is "in trouble". ....give me a break.

Jake gets there and talks to Brett about her boy(s) troubles. She has trouble sending away Romero but finally she does. She also says how she wants to go back to Mike (goodluck.) Brett and Jake continue to have a great rest of the evening together. They get drunk and talk about how wonderful their lives could be together. "Oh Jake...we could have a damn good time together." I think they should just give it up and be together. Why does Brett have to make things so difficult. She needs to just pick one guy. It seems that if Jake was making any process in accepting that they were just friends, it has all been shattered. She continues to get his hopes up. I truly think that she uses him when she has nobody else.

Chapter 18

Mike freaks out. It's about time. He finally realized the little impact he has on Brett's promiscuous decisions. He overturns the tables and messes his room up. And he is always drunk. Brett is nervous for Romero's bullfight. She holds on to his cape. This probably makes Jake feel bad (for the millionth time) but he doesn't say something. If I were him, I would have said something to her a long time ago. He probably feels that if he confesses his love to her and asks her to be with him, that she will say no and he will never see her again. I guess he is trying to just be friends. If that is the only way he can have her, he is going to take it. He is probably miserable inside.
Later after the bullfight Brett does the expected and leaves on a train with Romero.
What does she think is going to happen next? She has no money so she needs to marry Mike. Also, she has hurt Jake and Cohn. I think that if she is not careful, what goes around will come around.

Chapter 17

A huge fight breaks out when Cohn learns where Brett is. You would think that Mike would be the one to get mad but Mike was the one to tell Cohn where she was. It is confusing to me how Mike knows about Brett's affairs but doesn't make any effort to stop them. I think he knows that Brett can have any man she wants so it is best not to drive her away.
Jake hits Cohn after he called him a pimp. That really made Jake mad because he wanted anything but Brett to go away with Romero. He only introduced them because he knew how badly Brett wanted to meet them. He knows it is his own fault that they had relations but he only did it to make her happy.
Cohn later gets his. He walks in on Brett and Romero. Romero proceeds to kick the living crap out of him. I can't decide if I feel bad for Cohn. Part of me doesn't because he deserves it but part of me does because his crime is just the same as Romero's.

CONFLICT- Huge fight between Mike and Cohn... and Jake and Cohn...and Romero and Cohn. Pattern? check.
MOOD- fighting is constantly happening in this chapter. The author does a good job of setting the tense mood.

Chapter 16

I can't stand Brett. She is so annoying in this chapter. I think all of her "boys" should just leave her. Teach her a lesson. I still stand by my claim that she is a sophisticated prostitute. She flirts and flirts and flirts with Romero. Right in front of Mike. Then she goes on a walk with Jake and she asks him if he still loves her. Of course he does. You're the biggest tease around town. After he admits that he does, she tells him how much she loves Romero. She says she "feels like a bitch". Well if the boot fits. I feel really bad for Jake because she just uses him. He is in love with her and she is going on an on about somebody else that she loves. Jake leaves Romero and Brett alone for a second and when he comes back, they are gone. That's low.

DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION- Brett tells us exactly how she is and exactly how she will be throughout the entire book. She is very predictable in her scandalous ways.

Chapter 15

"it seems to everyone as though nothing could have any consequences."
The fiesta has began and everyone is excited. They are all having a good time. When Cohn goes missing nobody cares except Jake. It is very noble of him to go look for his friend and take care of him especially after what he did.

They are introduced to a new bullfighter. His name is Romero. I'm pretty sure that Jake has a crush on him. He says that Romero is "the best looking boy he has ever seen."....??? anyways.. Everyone is mesmorized by Romero's skill and grace. Brett is extremely impressed with him. I think part of the reason Jake likes Romero so much is because he knows that Brett loves Romero so much. If she is impressed by him, then Jake is going to envy him. Mike jokes that "Brett is falling in love with him" and he asks Jake to tell her that bullfighters beat their mothers. Which is again wierd. Somebody's jealous^^

Chapter 14

Jake hears Brett and Mike laughing together in the next room. That is probably torturous for him. Brett lies awake and tries to convince himself that it would be better to just be friends with Brett. He wants to be more but he knows that he will have to settle for less. He thinks about girls that make "swell friends" and Brett has always been a great friend to him. (even though she hooked up with his best friend...no biggie)
“Enjoying living was learning to get your money’s worth.”
Jake struggles with accepting his own philosophy. He thinks about how he wished that Mike would not insult Cohn. This is understandable because he is his best friend. It was bitter sweet watching them fight. He liked that it wasn't him and that Cohn was getting what he deserved, but it rubs him the wrong way watching his friend get ridiculed.

Chapter 13

Things heat up in this chapter. ITS ABOUT TIME. Mike, Brett, Bill, Cohn, and Barnes all go out and get drunk. That was their first mistake. Mike starts throwing insults at Cohn about following around Brett "like a steer". Mike tells Cohn that he should know when he isn't wanted. I think that's funny. Because nobody at that table wants Cohn to be there. Except maybe Brett. But she wants every guy to be there. Bill leads Cohn away and things cool down. I bet that Jake was loving every minute of that. Jake is in love with her and upset with his best friend for chasing her around. It probably felt good to see him get called out on it. I wonder why Jake didn't call him out first. I guess it isn't really his place because Brett is not his girlfriend. But Jake is his best friend and that is just wrong.

EXTERNAL CONFLICT- conflict between Cohn and Mike is heating up.
STEREOTYPE- Mike throws in some stereotypes about Cohn being a Jew. Later in the story he throws in some bullfighting stereotypes.

Chapter 12

Jake and Bill have a very peaceful day. They are taking advantage of their vacation. They go fishing and walk in the meadows. Jake and Bill talk about Brett and Jake admits that he was in love with her for "a hell of a long time". I think that Jake is still in love with her and he just won't admit it. It would hard to accept that your best friend had relations with the girl that you still love. I'm sure Jake is trying not to love her anymore but I doubt that it is working. When he was teasing Cohn and making him sweat it made me realize that Jake still really does love her. I think that if i comes down to it, Jake will be the one to fight for her.

IMAGERY-the beautiful landscape is described in depth

Chapter 11

Alcohol is so prevalent in this book. This cultute lives and breathes alcohol. They get on the train, they drink. They meet new people, they drink. They get off the train, they drink. I don't understand how they are still functioning to be completely honest. They learn new ways to drink on the train and so in return, they share their wine. I don't know why alcohol is so accepted in this culture but it seems like everyone in this book is constantly sipping.

When they get back to the hotel they are charged a very high price. The innkeeper is making up excuses but maybe he notices that they are drunk and he might be able to pull a fast one on them.

SYMBOL- alcohol is the symbol for emotion. Whether the character be happy or sad, they always take a drink.

Chapter 10

It's just Jake, Cohn, and Bill. Cohn is sweating it because he doesn't know if they know about his fling with Brett. If I was him, I would be sweating it, too. That's low of him to have an affair with her especially after knowing how his best friend feels about her. I think it's a good idea of Jake's to let Cohn sweat it out. He wants him to think about what he did.

When Brett and Mike arrive, Jake goes with Cohn to the station to meet them. This probably irritates Cohn but he wouldn't dare say anything about it. It turns out that Brett and Mike are not on the train so they return back to the hotel. Jake further irritates Cohn by not letting him see the telegram from Brett. Cohn deserves every bit of Jake's teasing.

SITUATIONAL IRONY- Cohn is unaware that Jake knows about his fling with Brett. Bill knows everything.

Chapter 9

Michael and Brett ask Jake if they can go fishing with him in Spain. Jake tells Brett that she needs to tell Cohn that she is coming. I think that Jake is secretly wishing that Cohn will find it awkward and not come. Either way, Cohn says he is looking forward to seeing Brett there. Its IRONIC how all of Brett's "lovers" will all be there at the same time. Her fiance doesn't know about Cohn. And I'm starting to think that even if he did know, he wouldn't care.

Jake and Bill get on the train and head to Spain. They meet a family there and have a funny conversation about alcohol. They arrive in Spain and meet up with Cohn. Cohn knows who Bill is because he has read all his books. "I've heard so much about you from Jake and I've read your books." I swear everyone writes books. I wonder if Jake is secretly upset with Cohn about his relations with Brett. Cohn doesn't know that Jake knows. I can't help but wonder how long Cohn has been having relations with her and how long Jake hasn't said anything.

STATIC CHARACTER- Bill. He does not change much throughout the course of the story.

Chapter 8

Jake does not see Brett again until she comes back from her trip. I cannot believe that Cohn is away with Brett. She seriously has problems. How many men does she need? Jake knows that Cohn is away with Brett and he never confronts him. I wonder why that is. I have been in a situation where i knew that my boyfriend was with another girl and they were both lying to me. I surely confronted them though. I know how Jake feels and its hard for him because Brett is not technically his girlfriend. He has feelings for her and its probably hard for him to know that she is with all of these other men, let alone his friends.

They see Brett and go have a drink with her. Bill is openly checking her out and when she leaves he comments on her to Jake. He will probably get with her, too. They meet up with Brett and Mike later that night. Michael is very drunk. He just keeps talking about how lovely Brett is. I notice that during this conversation that Jake hardly says anything. He probably doesn't like seeing Brett and Michael together like that.

Chapter 7

Lady Brett is too promiscuous. She's like a sophisticated prostitute. In this chapter, she visits Jake with the count. As soon as she gets there she dismisses the count so she can have some alone time with Jake. Why can't she just pick one guy? And it is strange how Jake doesn't get mad seeing her with other men. Maybe he doesn't love her as much as he says he does.

They go out and drink later that night. Cohn and Brett dance while the count just gets drunk. Brett all of a sudden feels sick and wants to go home. I can't tell what she is really thinking. It is so strange how her fiance stays behind while Jake takes her home. Michael is really not that protective of her.
When they get to her hotel Brett does not invite Jake up. She kisses him at the door. Why is she so open to cheating on her fiance? It might just be how their culture is and how they view women. They definitely have a different definition of love.

Chapter 6

I wonder why Harvey has something against Cohn.
"There comes Cohn."
"That moron."
Harvey does not hide his dislike for Cohn. He straight up tells him he is a moron and doesn't really have a good reason why. Pretty strange.

Frances talks her head off in this chapter. It is so annoying. She claims that she has this big secret that she has to tell Jake but when she joins Cohn again she doesn't hide anything that they previously talked about. She just keeps talking and talking and talking. You can Jake doesn't like her but he doesn't come out and say it. As he's walking away he looks back and Frances is STILL talking. How can Cohn stand her? No wonder he doesn't want to marry her.
"Cohn looked up as I went in. His face was white. Why did he just sit there? Why did he keep on taking it like that?"
It's apparent that he wants her to shut up...along with the rest of the world.

Chapter 5

"oh go to hell"
he stood up from the table his face white, and stood there white and angry behind the little plates of hors d'oeuvres.
"sit down," i said. "Don't be a fool."
"you've got to take that back."

I think this conversation with Cohn and Barnes is funny. They fight like little girls. Barnes didn't literally mean for Cohn to go to hell. Cohn wouldn't get over it until he took it back. When Barnes took it back he says "oh, don't go to hell, we're just starting lunch." This sarcasm tells me more about the relationship between Barnes and Cohn. They are more like brothers than actual friends. They bicker and get involved with eachothers relationships like brothers. I think it is good for them that they have that.

"you're really about the best friend I have, Jake."-Cohn

Chapter 4

Brett and Jake just need to give it up and be together. I really want to know more about their past because I can't understand why they resist eachother so much. He kisses her and she tells him to stop but then later she asks him to do it again. They love being together but no progress in their relationship is ever made. The count may play a huge role in why she is so hesitant. She is very comfortable talking about the Count, which is confusing to be. The fact that they have extremely strong feelings for eachother but they both know it will never work out is kind of sad. If i was in that position, I might just give up on the relationship. If it is in their best interest not to be together, then maybe they should just let it go.

Chapter 3

Barnes is insane. He picks a chick up, brings her to his friends, and introduces her as his fiance? He doesn't even like her, he just likes the IDEA of her. When she tries to kiss him, he refuses. He was interested in her in the first place because he thinks it will be fun to have dinner with someone.- "a vague sentimental idea that it would be nice to eat with someone". Okay so the guy doesn't want to be lonely. That is understandable. What is not understandable is how he ditches her later that night with Brett. If i were Georgette, I would be so confused. He doesn't like me because he shut me down when i tried to kiss him but he does like me because he called me his fiance but he doesn't like me because he ditched me but he does like me because he wants to eat dinner with me. Poor girl. I think that he just wanted to have her as somebody to show off to his friends but in all reality, Brett is his true lover.

Chapter 2

"I can't stand to think that my life is going so fast that I'm not really living it"-Cohn
"Nobody ever lives their life all the way up except for bull-fighters"-Jake
I didn't really understand this quote. I think Jake is telling Cohn that he must just accept his flaws and come to terms with the fact that his life will not always be perfect.

Last chapter Cohn's luck seemed pretty poor. This chapter it immediately starts out good. He has some great success with his new book. And women are nice to him ;) Cohn is overcome with the desperation to live his life to the fullest. His heart is set on going to South Africa and getting the heck out of Paris. Jake is not up to it and tries to convince Cohn that his life can be fulfilled elsewhere. Cohn wants to feel content with his life but doesn't really have a clue how to do it. Jake is good at identifying Cohn's problems but doesn't know how to solve them.

Numero Uno.

In the first chapter I learn that Cohn faced rampant Anti-Semitism. I also learn that he's a really good boxer. There is a definite connection between those points. Cohn boxed to cover up his feelings of not being good enough. If people made fun of me for my race, i would want to punch somebody too.

I was confused at the beginning because I thought that Cohn was talking about himself in 3rd person. I find out later that there is a different narrator. His name is Jacob Barnes. Barnes is Cohn's tennis friend. "Robert Cohn had two friends, Braddocks and myself. Braddocks was his literary friend. I was his tennis friend" (pg 13). Not much information has been revealed about the tennis friend. All we really know so far is that he was in WWII. It seems like Jake watches over Cohn. He sees how Frances is desperately trying to marry Cohn before Cohn even picks it up. I cannot decide what to think about Barnes yet.

MOTIF- In this novel, i saw a motif of women controlling men. Frances controls Cohn incredibly. For example, when Cohn wants to go to Strasbourg, he refuses because he knows that Frances will disprove.
PROTAGONIST- Barnes. He plays the part of the good guy/ hero.

Chapter 21- The Lives of the Dead

First of all, this chapter is a paradox! Lit term cha ching. When O'Brien says this, he is talking about the memmories and stories that people have left behind. When they are being revisited, the people in a sense come back to life. I had not read this chapter when I blogged about the chapter Ambush. It talked about how O'Brien killed the man but he wasn't really dead. I was extremely confused. I now know what he means. He's alive because his story is alive. O'Brien does the same thing with Norman Bowker, Curt Lemon, Kiowa, Lavender, and even Linda. He brings these people back to life through his writing. This whole book was his own story. Through this story, he can never die. His story will live on and so will he. "I realize it is as Tim trying to save Timmy's life with a story."

Chapter 20- Night Life

I really like Rat Kiley. I feel like he is one of the more harder workers. Not only does he have to worry about getting killed, but he has to worry about everyone else not getting killed. This stress and worry finally got to him in this chapter. Rat is "seeing dead people". Except he is seeing their insides. I would be freaking out, too, if I was Rat. After becoming friends with all his fellow soldiers, I could see why it is so hard for him to work on them. He has seen three of his friends die. Rat was having dreams about bodies and he would see them when he was awake, too. He's going insane. Who can blame him? If you can't stand to see the pictures that are constantly flashing through your head, what do you do? All of his fellow soldiers couldn't blame him either. Rat had helped them all out at one point or another and he deserved a break. "He took off his boots and socks, laid out his medical kit, doped himself up, and put a round through his foot." Something inside of him snapped and the war quickly became too much for him. I'm sure that the other soldiers envied him. They had seen the same things he had. They were all probably going a little insane, too.

Chapter 19- The Ghost Soldiers

There are a lot of things going on in this chapter. I want to break down the cause O'Brien's revenge.
First of all, he talks about getting shot twice. I can't imagine what it would be like to get shot but I do understand where he is coming from when he gets angry at Bobby Jorgenson. The first time O'Brien gets shot, Rat takes care of him right away. On the plane to the hospital, O'Brien is not in much pain at all. He says his wound was throbbing and that is it. That is a huge difference from the second time he gets shot.
If i was Bobby, I would probably be slow and nervous, too. He just got there and he doesn't know any of the soldiers. I'm sure he was just trying not to mess up. Not to mention he didn't have nearly the experience that Rat had. O'Brien got such good treatment the first time and so that is what he is expecting again. Instead, he attended to very slowly and forced to lay there and be tortured by the pain.
When he gets back from the hospital, he's already mad because he doesn't feel like he fits in as well as he used to. He had been gone quite a long time. And we know in that time all he did was lay there and think about how he was going to get back at Jorgenson. If I were him, I would have made a plan of just how to get back at him. Either that or just walked up to him and punched him in the face. O'Brien is obviously not just going to get over the pain that Jorgenson put him through. He goes up to him the first time he sees him and Jorgenson basically apologizes and says how he was new and inexperienced. I love how O'Brien says "I hated him for making me stop hating him." (pg.190) He just wants to get him back really good and then move on with it. And that is exactly what he does.

"The need for revenge kept eating at me."-Anthropomorphism. Wow that's a long word.

Chapter 19- Field Trip

He brings his daughter to Vietnam with him to revisit some old memmories. I think he is just trying to get past some things that still bother him. He visits the place where Kiowa died. If I was his daughter Kathleen, I would be upset about this, too. No doubt it still smells awful. Not to mention it's a field...who cares. I would probably take the time to explain what happened in that field. He can tell the whole world in a book but he doesn't want to tell his daughter. I wonder why that is. I like how he buries Kiowa's moccasins. It's symbolizes him leaving his good friend behind. Sending them off into the river is like him letting go of all the things he'd experienced in Vietnam. But above all, I think he was letting go of his guilt of Kiowa's death.

"when we reached the jeep, Kathleen turned and glanced out at the field. 'That old man,' she said, 'is he mad at you or something?' 'I hope not.' 'He looks mad.' 'No,' I said. 'All that's finished.'" (pg.179) This is also a symbol. He is saying that all the war is finished and all the anger has been left behind a long time ago. This is a big step for him.

Chapter 18- Good Form

He's attempting to explain his writing style. He comes back to the man that he "killed". I'm so confused about this man. Did he kill him or not? A couple chapters ago he was raving about the immense guilt he felt. Now he says "I watched a man die on a trail near the village of My Khe. I did not kill him." (pg 171) SINCE WHEN DID YOU NOT KILL HIM? You literally had a chapter called 'The Man I Killed'. Obviously he can't make up his mind. He threw a grenade at him there is no getting around the fact that he killed this man. When his daughter asks him if he has ever killed anybody, he tells her "of course not". Is this the truth or does he just want it to be the truth?

Chapter 17- In the Field

The search for Kiowa. Everyone is blaming himself. Kiowa was one of there good friends and now he is gone. He is now the 3rd member to die. And to make it worse, they can't even find his body. And to make it even MORE worse, he is buried underneath discusting stuff. They walk back in forth through the fields trying to find their friend. I can't believe that Azar starts cracking jokes. If i was one of the other guys, I would have punched him in the face. It suprises me that they all aren't a little more emotional. Oh yea I forgot, that would be shameful and embarassing.

I don't really understand the part about the boy and the picture. Where did he come from? And why can't his lieutenant name him? He desperately searches for the picture of his girlfriend and from reading his emotion you can tell he won't stop until he finds it.

When the rest of the soldiers find Kiowa's body, it is a long slow process to dig him out. The attitudes of the men are astounding. After they dig him up a piece of his shoulder is missing and his arms, chest, and fast were cut with shrapnel. And what do they say? "Well," Henry Dobbins said, "it could be worse." That line was extremely shocking to me. Being buried alive under a field of human waste seems as bad as it can get.

"The rain fell in a soft sad drizzle." -Personification
I could also argue that that quote deals with the mood of the passage.

Chapter 16- Notes

In this chapter we learn that the previous chapter was based off of a man who responded to one of O'Brien's books. He ended up hanging himself. I guess adjusting to society was just to hard for him. After coming back from the war, he missed it way too much. They say that the war changes you. I guess it changes you for good. Reading the last chapter and realizing the sadness this man was going through, I figured something like this would happen. Norman Bowker was so seperated from society that he didn't even want to go home to his dad. All he wanted to think about and talk about was the war. It really makes you re-think the last chapter and understand the emotional strain Bowker was going through.

Chapter 15- Speaking of Courage

I find the chapter extremely sad. It is about a man trying to find a way to come back home. He's trying to come back mentally. As he drives around and around he can't figure out a way to just step back into society agian. After having been gone for so long, he is witnessing what he is missed. The soldier has so many stories to tell and he just wants to blurt him out to anybody he sees. It's sad how he plays out the conversation in the head and nobody cares or wants to listen to him. I wonder if this is how every soldier felt coming home. Relief and sadness. How do you just step back into your old town years later? They are all changed men with changed feelings. As he goes around the town, he sees people doing average things. I think he is feeling envy at this point. He wants to fit in and become part of what he used to be.

The mood of this chapter is what is so powerful.
The mood is lonliness. The man doesn't believe he fits in and doesn't remember how to fit in.

Chapter 13- Ambush AND Chapter 14-Style

Chapter 15 is basically a repeat of everything that was said in chapter 14. It was the immense guilt that O'Brien felt for killing a seemingly innocent man. That story is the motif of the book. It keeps being brought up is emphasized over and over again.

Chapter 16 is really strange. Most of the area had burned down and everything was silent. The only thing there was a young girl...dancing. "She took tiny steps in the dirt in front of her house, sometimes making a slow twirl, sometimes smiling to herself." (pg. 129) I don't understand this part. This girl's whole family had just been murdered and she is dancing outside of her house as the bodies are being carried out. This is definitely SITUATIONAL IRONY. I don't know about you, but that's not something I would expect to happen. The only possibilities I can think of for why this is happening is maybe it is some type of ritual they do. It could also be how this girl is coping with her family's death. Either way, its creepy and confusing. When Azar mocks the girl, I was really glad to see that Dobbins made him stop. It was disrespectful for him to do that.

Chapter 12- The Man I Killed

I don't really understand this chapter. O'Brien is traumatized by this man that he killed. He sneaks up on him in the brush and throws a grenade at him. He kills him for no reason. Isn't that what war is all about? Killing people for no reason? I don't understand why this man is so different than all the other men he shoots at during battle. He describes this man in depth, too. Almost like he knew him or something.

Why did he throw the grenade in the first place? This man was obviously minding his own business. I think the reason he goes in such depth about him is because of the amount of guilt he feels. All of the other soldiers are giving him slaps on the back because of how much he hurt the guy. That just rubs it in for O'Brien.

Kiowa trys to make things better by telling him he knows how he feels. He tells him to stop staring and to just leave it behind because there is nothing he could've done about it. O'Brien doesn't even respond to him. The amount of guilt that he is feeling is overwhelming him.