William Carlos Williams
The Use of Force
" The child's mouth was already bleeding. Her tongue was cut and she was screaming in wild hysterical shrieks. Perhaps I should have desisted and come back in an hour or more. No doubt it would have been better. But I have seen at least two children lying dead in bed of neglect in such cases, and feeling that I must get a diagnosis now or never I went at it again. But the worse of it was that I too had got beyond reason. I could have torn the child apart in my own fury and enjoyed it. It was a pleasure to attack her. My face was burning with it."(p.1171)
I believe that this quote was important to the short story because it points out the emotion that the doctor was feeling during his visit to the this particular house. His confrontation that he had with this girl can be seen in this one paragraph. The doctor overwhelmed with anger let his emotion and feeling over power his mind. He had become exhausted but at the same time determined to get a diagnosis.
In the beginning of the story believe the doctor was a “normal” doctor who just became so stressed out over the little girl who had became enraged. It was shocking to me how the doctor losses control and have thoughts of killing the father, or hurting the girl. I think that was a little strange. He seems to have some concern for the girl’s health and it shows in how much effort he put into trying to get her to open her mouth.
He had become so irritated with her that he started to use force. The force that he used resulted in him enjoying and taking pleasure in the way he acted toward the girl. I believe that in some way the doctor represented just a doctor who was just too controlling. His use of force on the little girl was not necessary, he disregarded he bleeding mouth and though he was trying to help the little girl he could have used another method to helping her. His stupidity, and anger got the job accomplished but what would have happen if he would have harmed the little girl.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Edgar Allan Poe-The Cask of Amontillado
Edgar Allan Poe
The Cask of Amontillado
"Come", I said, with decision, "we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missede. For me its no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible.
When reading the short story I found that this quote was most important to me. It showed the irony that existed throughout the story. The protagonist in the story gave us his story and why he wanted to kill Fortunato. He had wit, and he was deceiving. Throughout the story he made Fortunato feel as though he was interested in him being sick, he wanted Fortunato to think that he cared about him, and respected him. He hid his true feeling and never showed Fortunato his "true color" untill the end of the story. He even called Fortunato his friend at one point. In all actually, this quote represents the cruelness, and the heartless nature of the protagonist.
The Cask of Amontillado
"Come", I said, with decision, "we will go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missede. For me its no matter. We will go back; you will be ill, and I cannot be responsible.
When reading the short story I found that this quote was most important to me. It showed the irony that existed throughout the story. The protagonist in the story gave us his story and why he wanted to kill Fortunato. He had wit, and he was deceiving. Throughout the story he made Fortunato feel as though he was interested in him being sick, he wanted Fortunato to think that he cared about him, and respected him. He hid his true feeling and never showed Fortunato his "true color" untill the end of the story. He even called Fortunato his friend at one point. In all actually, this quote represents the cruelness, and the heartless nature of the protagonist.
Friday, November 9, 2007
D.H. Lawrence-The Rocking-Horse Winner
D.H. Lawrence
The Rocking-Horse Winner
And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more money! These must be more money!
The story is about a family who "had no luck". The family is haunted by a sense of failure; the way the family lived exceeded their income, and the unspoken anxiety to get money was widespread through the household. This refrain there must be more money, it’s sort of like there conscious talking to them, they had a desire to become rich and it was shown throughout the story. Basically they would get rich or die trying. The rocking horse gives Paul advance knowledge of the winners of the races, and the family become wealthy from exploiting Paul.
Paul is the scapegoat and though he dies he saves the family from their misfortune and bad luck. This phrase is important because without this constant reminder that they are not living the good life and they are poor they probably would have had the desire and will power to do something about their misfortune. I believe that though the constant reminder of being poor haunted them, it also gave them strength.
The Rocking-Horse Winner
And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more money! These must be more money!
The story is about a family who "had no luck". The family is haunted by a sense of failure; the way the family lived exceeded their income, and the unspoken anxiety to get money was widespread through the household. This refrain there must be more money, it’s sort of like there conscious talking to them, they had a desire to become rich and it was shown throughout the story. Basically they would get rich or die trying. The rocking horse gives Paul advance knowledge of the winners of the races, and the family become wealthy from exploiting Paul.
Paul is the scapegoat and though he dies he saves the family from their misfortune and bad luck. This phrase is important because without this constant reminder that they are not living the good life and they are poor they probably would have had the desire and will power to do something about their misfortune. I believe that though the constant reminder of being poor haunted them, it also gave them strength.
Flannery O'Connor- A Good Man Is Hard To Find
Flannery O’Connor
A Good Man Is Hard To Find
“Maybe He didn’t raise the dead,” the old lady mumbled, not knowing what she was saying and feeling so dizzy that she sank down in the ditch with her legs twisted under her.” (p.913)
I believe that this sentence is important in this short story because basically the old lady was watching her family being killed, and she was trying to save her own life not caring about no one else and she tried so hard that she denied the very man that she believed in. The Misfit had made a statement about Jesus raising the dead and too get on his “good side” she made this statement. She put herself in this position and she dragged her family along with her. If not for her they would be alive and she would be alive as well. Instead of praying to God, and honoring the man who saved mankind, she denied his power; the power to raise the dead. I think this represented her insensitivity, her desire to stay alive by any means necessary, and her false holiness.
A Good Man Is Hard To Find
“Maybe He didn’t raise the dead,” the old lady mumbled, not knowing what she was saying and feeling so dizzy that she sank down in the ditch with her legs twisted under her.” (p.913)
I believe that this sentence is important in this short story because basically the old lady was watching her family being killed, and she was trying to save her own life not caring about no one else and she tried so hard that she denied the very man that she believed in. The Misfit had made a statement about Jesus raising the dead and too get on his “good side” she made this statement. She put herself in this position and she dragged her family along with her. If not for her they would be alive and she would be alive as well. Instead of praying to God, and honoring the man who saved mankind, she denied his power; the power to raise the dead. I think this represented her insensitivity, her desire to stay alive by any means necessary, and her false holiness.
Shirley Jackson-The Lottery
Shirley Jackson
The Lottery
“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.” (p.567)
This sentence may not be the most important sentence in the short story but I think it represents the insaneness that existed throughout this community. These people held lotteries and the winner of the lottery was ultimately stoned, I think this ritual in some way is a nihilistic way of life. The friendliness throughout the story even leading up to the stoning of Mrs.Hitchinson shows that the everyone accepted the lottery and it was practiced throughout the town by every member, and no one complained. That’s astonishing to me, because it has been going on for over 70 years, and no one complained. If everyone practiced this ritual it must mean that their community existed just for the lottery, the absence of god and religion must have been prevalent throughout the town.
The Lottery
“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.” (p.567)
This sentence may not be the most important sentence in the short story but I think it represents the insaneness that existed throughout this community. These people held lotteries and the winner of the lottery was ultimately stoned, I think this ritual in some way is a nihilistic way of life. The friendliness throughout the story even leading up to the stoning of Mrs.Hitchinson shows that the everyone accepted the lottery and it was practiced throughout the town by every member, and no one complained. That’s astonishing to me, because it has been going on for over 70 years, and no one complained. If everyone practiced this ritual it must mean that their community existed just for the lottery, the absence of god and religion must have been prevalent throughout the town.
Ernest Hemingway-Hills Like White Elephants
Ernest Hemingway
Hills like White Elephants
The women brought two glasses of beer and two felt pads. She put felt pads and the beer glasses on the table and looked at the man and the girl. The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.
“They look like white elephants,” she said.
“I’ve never seen one,” the man drank his beer.
While reading this story, I found it very hard to link the importance of white elephants to the hills. I know that white elephants are unique and rare. The nature of having a baby could be compared to white elephants. The whole short story is basically a dialogue between a man and a girl who’s at a train station talking about whether or not they should keep the baby. In some way the train station represents the path there are going to take. But where do the hills and white elephants play a part? White elephants is a symbolism is the rareness of having a baby, and the nature of the baby maybe being in her womb, or maybe just everything surrounding the pregnancy. It’s unclear to me what decision they made of whether having the abortion or keeping the baby.
Hills like White Elephants
The women brought two glasses of beer and two felt pads. She put felt pads and the beer glasses on the table and looked at the man and the girl. The girl was looking off at the line of hills. They were white in the sun and the country was brown and dry.
“They look like white elephants,” she said.
“I’ve never seen one,” the man drank his beer.
While reading this story, I found it very hard to link the importance of white elephants to the hills. I know that white elephants are unique and rare. The nature of having a baby could be compared to white elephants. The whole short story is basically a dialogue between a man and a girl who’s at a train station talking about whether or not they should keep the baby. In some way the train station represents the path there are going to take. But where do the hills and white elephants play a part? White elephants is a symbolism is the rareness of having a baby, and the nature of the baby maybe being in her womb, or maybe just everything surrounding the pregnancy. It’s unclear to me what decision they made of whether having the abortion or keeping the baby.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Nathaniel Hawthorne- Young Goodman Brown
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Young Goodman Brown
“My Faith is gone!” cried he, after one stupefied moment. “There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given.”
During Brown’s journey in the woods, he discovers that many people in his community are participating in this ceremony. These people are Christian that range from his minister and deacon. He than noticed that his wife was there and that’s when he said I lost my Faith, in both senses because he now has followed the “devil” and their rituals and his wife did as well.
I think this passage is most important to me, because in a sense the devil is within the world. There are many people that claim to be Christians, or Muslims or any religion and claim that they live holy, but they are easily susceptible to the cruelness of the devil and they commit sins and add to the destruction of the universe. Kanye West once said “I told God I be back in a second, man it’s so hard not to act reckless”. I think that phrase can be compared to the characters of this story because people try to live right but there are certain force in the world such as the devil and his will that keep you from completing your goals and keeps you from living holy, if you don’t have the will power and strength to proceed and live the “right” way based on your religion than you will fail
Young Goodman Brown
“My Faith is gone!” cried he, after one stupefied moment. “There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given.”
During Brown’s journey in the woods, he discovers that many people in his community are participating in this ceremony. These people are Christian that range from his minister and deacon. He than noticed that his wife was there and that’s when he said I lost my Faith, in both senses because he now has followed the “devil” and their rituals and his wife did as well.
I think this passage is most important to me, because in a sense the devil is within the world. There are many people that claim to be Christians, or Muslims or any religion and claim that they live holy, but they are easily susceptible to the cruelness of the devil and they commit sins and add to the destruction of the universe. Kanye West once said “I told God I be back in a second, man it’s so hard not to act reckless”. I think that phrase can be compared to the characters of this story because people try to live right but there are certain force in the world such as the devil and his will that keep you from completing your goals and keeps you from living holy, if you don’t have the will power and strength to proceed and live the “right” way based on your religion than you will fail
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