Best of/Worst of

My favorite poem that we read this year would probably have to be "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth.  It was so peaceful and when I closed my eyes and imagined the view that Wordsworth described it took my breath away.  My least favorite poem would probably be "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by Keats because it was so long and dull that I could just not get into it.  It didn't interest me.

My favorite short story was "Story of an Hour" because it was so different, yet not so different that I lost interest.  The ending was great and the main idea of the whole story was so simple that it kept me reading.  My least favorite short story was "Cathedral" because it was very dull and did not do anything to make me want to keep reading.

I think that any English 150 class should read Death of a Salesman.  I really the last third of the class where we read this.  I love the ideas and themes put into this play and how it can be made to appeal to just about anyone.

Seeing the movies of both Bartleby and Death of a Salesman helped me to better understand the strange characters present in both of these stories.  I also love having a visual to compare to what I read and what I see in my mind.

I don't really recall any special in class activities we did that seemed different from the ones we did every day except for the class period where we drew the story boards.  I suppose that that would be my favorite class activity just because it was something different form what we usually do.  My least favorite class activity would be when we discussed the different themes in Death of a Salesman.  We spend all this time discussing one random theme that I didn't even end up writing about anyway and, on top of that, we didn't even get to keep our notes for writing ideas.  All of this wasn't very helpful to me.

I don't feel that student presentations would interest me or really help me.  I definitely know that I would not want to present my stuff either.

The creative blog entries were pretty fun.  I really liked writing the sestina because it was more of a challenge, yet I wasn't completely lost because I had a specific pattern to follow.  My least favorite blog post  would probably be the one about making connections to "The Lottery" because we had already discussed all of this in class and people pretty much just said the same thing.

Grandpa Willy

My son, I know you’ve always been curious about your Grandpa Willy.  I now I’ve spent a lot of time complaining about your grandpa over the years, but now that you’re a teenager, it is time for you to know the truth.  Your grandfather was a great man.  He was a very hard worker—always on the road away from us, trying his hardest to support your Grandma Linda, me, and Uncle Happy.  Because of your grandpa, I know how important it is to work hard, because you get what you deserve. 

Your grandpa also spent a lot of hours out in the front yard with me playing catch.  My dreams of being a football player started with your grandpa, and he never once told me my dreams were out of reach.  He supported me with football, and he tried his best to support me with my life outside of football.  Sometimes his support was hard to see, but I know that he always wanted the best for me.

Once he started to go downhill, it was my turn to support him.  I tried getting work here in my hometown, so I could be close by to help my mom and him.  He had lost his job so money was really tight and I tried my best to help them.  However, he was a proud man and accepting money was not easy for him.

As I said, I know that most of your life has been spent believing that Grandpa Willy wasn’t a great guy, and that is my fault.  Your grandpa was a good, hardworking man and I know that he would be extremely proud of his grandson.  

Linda's Diary

May 10, 1940

I love having my three boys home.  With Willy home from work and my two sons home from school, all feels right in the house.  It warms my heart listening to Willy talk to the boys about sports and the Chevy, although I sometimes worry about Happy.  He just doesn't seem as Happy as his name implies.  I hope he is not being overlooked by Willy and me, as we focus too much on Biff and his future.  Ben stopped by today and we all had a nice visit with him.  Willy seemed very interested in Ben’s success, wanting Ben to share his secrets with the boys.  I just hope the boys find their way in the world and succeed, doing everything they ever dreamed they could.  

November 23, 1949

I just don't know what to do with Willy anymore.  He went and crashed the car again.  Money is tight and I'm not sure how we are going to be able to afford fixing the car this time.  With the boys back, maybe they can help.  I'm not sure about Biff though, as him and Willy seem to be at odds.  Willy just can't get passed Biff's lifestyle and the way Biff works his jobs.  Willy is always trying to help around the house.  Just last night  he was scraping paint off of the shutters.  He is a good man, but I'm just not sure how much longer I can take his fighting with the boys and his random zoning out.      

The Lottery

     In "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, the theme of stoning comes up.  The characters in this story thought it was perfectly natural to stone a fellow community member to death.  The children eagerly gather rocks in to piles before the drawing starts.  In the short film some of the children even try to gain a head start to the stoning by shoving some of the smaller rocks in their pockets.  This is a very odd theme to come up in this type of short story, especially since stoning isn't all that popular in the United States.  I think it is interesting that stoning comes up in this story for two reasons.  The first reason being that the concept of stoning is seen in the Bible.  I'm not a religious person, but I know this from reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, where a woman dies by stoning.  The killer is very religious and we learn the reason: "A woman who is a medium or sorceress shall be put to death by stoning."  This leads me to the second reason I find the theme of stoning in this book to be interesting.  Thinking of death by stoning in the United States reminds me of one thing: the witch frenzy in Salem.  Some of the people who were thought to be witches during the Salem Witch Trials were stoned to death.  Because of these two reasons, the theme of stoning can also be related to the them of the concepts of magic and superstition and their place in society.  Perhaps the characters in "The Lottery" keep on with the stoning ritual because of the magic and superstition that comes with it.  It is implied in the story that the farmers have good crops every year, so maybe the stoning continues because the characters relate it to their good crops.

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Charlotte Gilman
"The Yellow Wallpaper"

1. John and I finally made it to our summer house.  It's going to be a great three months!

2. Just spending my day enjoying the fantastic views the country has to offer : )

3. Happy Independence Day everyone!  Had a great day with great company!

4. So happy to have gotten some writing done today.  Not even this distracting yellow wallpaper can keep me from it!

5. I wish John was here today...it's tough being a physician's wife :/

6. Being in this house every day makes me realize how important redecorating is!  Found some neat ideas on
Pinterest today...what do you think of this new and improved yellow wall paper?

7. Never mind about the new wallpaper...I have found that I am quite taken with the current wallpaper.  

8. This is our last day here.  It's been a relaxing summer but I am ready to be back.

9.  I've made a last minute decision to redecorate after all!  Can't wait for John and Jennie to see it!

10. Note to self:  There are much easier ways to take down wallpaper then simply trying to rip it off.  Here is a good link for anyone thinking of taking down wallpaper from DIY Network.

"Girl" to "Boy"

Mud is not food; a slug is not a pet; be nice to the dog; put your dirty clothes IN the laundry basket; keep your elbows off the table; your dad is going to teach you to mow the lawn and be sure to mow weekly; check the oil in your truck often; be sure to know how to change a flat tire; pay attention in Hunter's Ed; wipe that dirt off your face; make sure your shirt is tucked in for church; try your hardest; respect your elders; hold doors open; buy your mom flowers; treat girls with respect; take off your shoes so you don't track mud through the whole house; shower daily; don't forget deoderant; clean your plate at dinner; be sure to call your grandparents and tell them you love them; watch football on Sundays with your dad.

Dialogue

I sat on the couch listening to my parents reflect on their relationship before marriage.  This was their way of trying to comfort me after a bad breakup.  They began talking about the months leading up to their wedding, a time when my dad got cold feet and started second guessing himself, leaving my mom with no choice but to leave and stay at her parents’ for a while.

Well your mom broke up with me once, he said.

Nothing came from my mom.

She did? I asked.

Yeah she did, he said.

Do you remember when you broke up with me? he asked her.

No, when did I break up with you? she said.

When you left to stay with your parents, he said.

This got one of my mom’s famous looks.  You didn't know if you wanted to get married, she said.

You didn't have to leave, he said.

Well, I wasn't going to stay there, she said. 

You didn't stay at your parents’ very long, he said.

Well you changed your mind pretty quick, she said.

Why didn't you stay there longer? he asked.

Because you didn't want me to leave in the first place! replied my mom.

My dad knew he couldn't win, so he thought quick...

Well, the roads were bad, he said, trying not to laugh.

My mom gave him another one of her famous looks and I decided to chime in.

Wasn't it July, I asked?

Yes, replied my mom.