Blogging

Over the course of the semester we were requires to do a series of blogs describing what how feel about things that we have learned and reviewed in class. At first I wasn't very enthused about the thought of blogging but as I did more and more I eventually did not mind doing them. It is very interesting seeing what other students around campus think about the stories and poems we have read.

The Fish

The Fish is about a fisherman that was out on the water and caught a fish. Once he catches the fish he starts to think deeply about it and observes it thoroughly. He describes the fish as being very large and ugly. The fish apparently gave him no fight at all as he reeled it in. When he pulled the fish up out of the water as it was hanging by the hook in its mouth, he noticed that it was covered in barnacle and little white sea-lice. The fisherman also noticed the fish' pale yellow eyes that led him tk think that the fish was sick. The fish has clearly been thrkugh a lot because the fisherman notices the fish has been caught multiple times because it has 5 other lines hanging from its mouth. The fisher finds a deeper appreciation for the fish and feels sorry for it so he let it go.

Poetry groups

Poetry was a difficult unit for me, one because I do not enjoy poetry and two because poetry is hard for me to interpret. For some reason I can not find the hidden meanings in them, they never stick out to me. That being said, I really enjoyed the group discussions we had, with everyone in the group collaborating together. It brought together a lot of great ideas and different perspectives.

Harlem

Harlem is a poem that Langston Hughes wrote about dreams and how you should never give up on them. He compares dreams that have been given up on to a raisin drying up in the sun. He also compares it to a sore and a large explosion. All of these are great similes for what may happen when a dream is abandoned. One should never gjve up their dreams, any dream can be accomplished as long as you put in the effort and be patient.

Lines

Lines is a fairly simply poem, there is not much to say about it. It begins with a man revisiting a place he has not been to in 5 years. He describes all of the scenery around him and how it makes him feel. He also describes how all of these images have had an impact upon him even when he was not at this location, he describes them as "sensations sweet" and "felt in the bllod and felt along the heart." These images seem to have an effect on his acts of kindness. It is always nice to revisit old memories, they give us a bittersweet feeling when reminiscing through them. Memories will always have a special place in out hearts and will always remain there so we can look back on them from time to time.

The Road Not Taken

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost tells of an individual who is walking through the woods and comes upon a fork in the road. The person struggles with which way to take and notices that each path are equally worn. The person chooses one path and says that they will return to take the other one another day. I think we can all relate to this in a sense that in life we have many paths to choose from that will take us in differet directions and on different journeys. It is up to us to choose the best path possible and if it turns out to be the wrong one then we can simply return to the fork in the road and choose another path. We go through life learning by trial and error, if something doest work out the way you wanted, learn from it and move on to the next road in your life.

Hills Like White Elephans

Hills Like White Elephants is a story that is centered around a couple discussing an important matter. From what we can tell the couple is arguing about whether or not to have an abortion. The story compares the decision to a very promising and fruitful life on one side of the train station and a dead and dreadful life on the other side. The couple seems to have communication problems from the start, they arent on the same page and do not have the same desires from the relationship. This is a problem that many couples have nowadays, communication is key in any relationship; without this most relationships will likely fail.

The Glass Menagerie

The past few classes we have read and discussed The Glass Menagerie. When it was first assigned I didn't have any prior knowledge of the play so I wasn't sure what to think. As I read more and more I gradually was drawn into the play and became interested in the hidden symbols and meanings. It took me a couple times reading the play to pick up on all the hidden symbols but once I found them I immediately made a connection with every characters way of escaping. In one way or another we have our ways of escaping problems, whether it be having a hobby like collecting glass ornaments or going to the movies for adventure. In some sense we all have a desire for adventure, many of us find adventure in different ways, how do you find adventure in your life?

Character Analysis essay

A couple weeks ago we were assigned an essay topic that I wasn't to sure I would enjoy but I surprisingly ended up enjoying it. When it was first assigned I wasn't to sure what to think about it. I thought it would be difficult to think of ideas to base my essay off of but the chart we made in class actually helped a great deal. The chart provided good ideas as a result of the entire class collaborating and brainstorming ideas. Once I decided on an idea to base my essay on, everything started to flow very well. So overall I thought it was a great class excercise.

The Cask of Amontillado

The Cask of Amontillado is a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe that we read this past week. It has been the most interesting story to me so far. This story is a classic example of the dark, eerie tales that Poe wrote. Poe writes of a man who believes he was wronged so he sets out to get revenge on Fortunato. The story mainly takes place in a gloomy tomb where Montressor leads him deep within the tomb, eventually killing him. The things Poe writes about makes you wonder what happened i Poes life that gives him these ideas.