The Country of the Pointed Firs

Sara Orne Jewetts, The Country of the Pointed Firs, was a very heartwarming book for me to read. I found myself feeling like I was almost part of the family, just as the narrator felt all throughout the story. Every character seemed to have such liveliness and welcoming nature, it was very hard not to feel somewhat connected to them in some way. Early on in the book the narrator described Mrs. Blackett's hospitality, and I remembered these lines as I read on because I felt the same way all throughout the book. She spoke of her hospitality as being, "Something exquisite, she had the gift many women lack, of being able to make themselves and their houses belong entirely to their guests pleasure,-that charming surrender for the moment of themselves and whatever belongs to them, so that they will make it a part of one's own life that can never be forgotten" (Jewett 31). I felt that this was a very powerful line in the story, and it was this comfort that the narrator felt that helped carry me throughout the book. She was made to feel as though she was part of something special, and that can never be forgotten. The bonds between the characters and the strong family tradition is what made me find this book so special.
I also found the imagery of this book to be incredible. Nearly every page gives you an image of the beautiful New England landscape, and it seems as though I was right there experiencing everything from the colors of the seasons, to the singing of the birds. I loved the way the narrator spoke of the Bowden family reunion, and the scenery as they all walked. "There was a wide path mowed for us across the field, and as we moved along the birds flew up out of the thick second crop of clover, and the bees hummed as if it were still June" (Jewett 67). Jewett paints such a beautiful picture of nature as the narrator experienced it. She went on to say, "There was a flashing of white gulls over the water where the fleet of boats rode the low waves together in the cove, swaying their small masts as if they kept time to our steps" (Jewett 67). Jewett synchronizes nature with the family so well, and I found it very interesting to read. I really enjoyed The Country of the Pointed Firs.

"The Use of Force"

William Carlos Williams, "The Use of Force" left me wondering with what the title stood for. Before reading the story, "The Use of Force" seemed like it would be a very violent story just by the title itself. Does "The Use of Force" might refer to the way the parents forced the doctor to come to the house, the actual force the doctor used, or the child's force in keeping her mouth closed so that the doctor could not check her. I think these are all possibilities in which the "Use of Force" could be talking about.


After reading the short biography about William Carlos Williams, I realize he may be talking about his own life experiences in this story. Was he trying to convey some of his feelings and emotions as a doctor? "I could have torn the child apart in my own fury and enjoyed it. It was a pleasure to attack her" (Williams 1172). These disturbing sentences led me to believe that the doctor knew he could use almost any force necessary against the child, and she would be completely defenseless. Although the young girl never hears the doctors innermost thoughts, I was able to see inside the mind of the doctor that came to the house. The doctor continued by saying, "It was a pleasure to attack her. My face was burning with it" (Williams 1172). It seemed as though the doctor in the story used possibly a little too much force to check the child's throat, seeing as she was bleeding before he could even get her mouth open. It was this force in the story that led me to believe that the doctor used his profession to hurt the child in some ways, for his own enjoyment. This story left me wondering if this story paralleled the life of William Carlos Williams.

"The Cask of Amontillado"

"My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so." (Poe 939). I think this line was Edgar Allen Poe's way of using the verbal irony that we discussed in class to show that Montresor was really sick and possibly even feeling guilty over what he had done to Fortunato. As Montresor was getting the chains ready to restrain Fortunato, I believe the guilt started to hit him. He said, "For a brief moment, I hesitated, I trembled" (Poe 939). The simple act of Montresor hesitating, even for a moment, leads me to believe that the "sickness" he felt in his heart at the end of the story was a genuine feeling of regret forming over what he had done. I think the sick feeling that Montresor felt was something he did not want to feel, and that is why he blamed the dampness on his feelings. As much as Montresor hated Fortunated, he began to feel some remorse at the end of the story.
Montresor's hatred for Fortunato was so bad that he planned to kill him in a very cruel way. My favorite line in this story was, "He repeated the movement-a grotesque one" (Poe 937). Just the word grotesque gave me the image of disgust that he felt for Fortunato, and the fact that Montresor would describe his enemy's mere movements as "grotesque" led me to see how much he really hated him and wanted to see Fortunato gone for good.

"The Rocking-Horse Winner"

"They looked at her coldly, as if they were finding fault with her" (Lawrence 709). I found it interesting in D.H. Lawrence's story, "The Rocking Horse Winner," that the way the protagonist, Paul, looked at his mother, was seen as cold. The protagonist, Paul, ironically had blue eyes which is a symbol to me in a sense of being cold. Throughout the whole story, Paul's eyes are used as almost a center point of the emotion. Every time something happens in the story, there is mention of the way Paul's eyes looked. "The boy gazed at his uncle with his big, hot, blue eyes, set rather close together" (Lawrence 713). As the story progresses, Paul's eyes seem to change as he becomes more and more crazy about the outcome of the horse races. Paul says, "I've got to know for the Derby!I've got to know for the Derby!" (Lawrence 716), while his "Big blues eyes were blazing with a sort of madness" (Lawrence 716). It is obvious that Paul is slowly losing his mind trying to make money for his mother to make her happy, and make the house stop "yelling." Lawrence uses Paul's eyes as a way to express Paul's emotions and I think it is pretty neat the way it is done. As a big Derby drew closer Paul began to get more and more anxious, "He was very frail, and his eyes were really uncanny" (Lawrence 717). I think Lawrence used the word uncanny because no one really knew what was going on inside Paul's mind, and his eyes confused them even more. They could no longer see anger, sadness, or madness. Paul was beginning to change and no one really knew why, and I think Paul did not know what was happening to himself.
By the end of the story, when Paul could not fully gain consciousness, his eyes were like, "blue stones" (Lawrence 718). Paul had become so worked up with trying to help his mother that he became completely cold. I was intrigued by the way D.H. Lawrence used Paul's eyes to help interest me in the story. I think looking into someone's eyes help give a deep connection, and I felt that with Paul, and I sympathized with him all throughout the story.

"A Good Man is Hard to Find"

"It was a big black battered hearse-like automobile" (O'Connor 909). This line foreshadowed the ending of the story for me, and I knew there would be some sort of a death towards the end. I was still shocked to see that the Misfit had killed the entire family, but I had a feeling someone was going to die. A hearse is most often used to transport the deceased to their grave site, and the idea of an average person driving it around seems very eerie and ominous to me. O'Connor was able to symbolize death by using the approaching car as a means of hinting what may come for the family. In a way, the grandmother, who did not want to go on the trip, and who was afraid of running into the Misfit in Florida, she played a huge role in the family's death. The grandmother was led the family into the wrong state, waved the misfit towards them as he drove by. "The grandmother stood up and waved both arms dramatically to attract their attention" (O'Connor 909). The grandmother unknowingly waved the hearse-like automobile towards the family, and this simple act played a big role in their death.
The story's irony continued when the grandmother went as far as identifying the Misfit. "You're the Misfit!" (O'Connor 910). The Misfit then replied, "Yes'm, the man said, as if he were pleased in spite of himself to be known, "but it would have been better for all of you Lady, if you hadn't reckernized me" (O'Connor 910). The grandmother realized at this point that she had put the whole family in danger by acknowledging The Misfits identity. The grandmother, who had worried so much about going on the trip, ended up costing the family their life.

"The Lottery"

Before reading this story, I tried to think of the connotation of the actual word lottery. I think of the possibility of winning money, and all the good things that come along with that. But there is also a negative connotation to the lottery, which is addiction, and habit which people sometimes have towards the lottery. For the most part though, I associate the lottery for being something good and fun. In Shirley Jackson gives the idea of "The Lottery" a whole different meaning. I thought maybe I would be reading a story about someone coming into money and everything that they did with it. The way the story opens also led me to believe it would be a happy story or a story with a good ending. The story opens with, "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green" (Jackson 562). That first sentence alone changed the way I saw the whole story.
It was like any other day in the village, and these village people had no problem taking an innocent persons life for no reason at all. The story spoke so much about how evil natured people can be sometimes, for no reason at all, or to simply be following tradition. This story scared me in that the people seemed as if nothing was wrong with the lottery. "The lottery was conducted-as were the square dances, the teenage club, the Halloween program-by Mr. Summers, who had time and energy to devote to civic activities" (Jackson 562). The phrase "civic activities," also made me cringe. How could these people come to believe this lottery was a part of their civic duty? This is a truly disturbing story I think, and it was almost hard for me to read. The way the people in the village just seemed to do whatever Mr. Summers asked, and singing a song every year, doing a ritual salute for Mr. Summers, it made me think of the way Adolf Hitler made people so brainwashed during the Holocaust. It is scary to think how we as humans might react in these situations, and it takes a story like this to show how human nature sometimes changes for the bad. I think Shirley Jackson ended this story just right by having Mrs. Hutchinson say, "It isn't fair, it isn't right" (Jackson 567).

"Hills Like White Elephants"

"The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white" (Hemingway 552). Hemingway opens his story, "Hills Like White Elephants," by keeper the reader at a distance from the characters and the action. The story takes place in northern Spain, near a river. As I read the story, I almost felt like I was watching what was going on from a very far distance. Hemingway also kept me distant from the characters since he does not give us much information about them. "The American and the girl with him sat at a table in the shade, outside the building" (Hemingway 552). This is really the only description that Hemingway gives of the protagonists in the story. Later on in the story, the American calls the girl, Jig, and so we learn her name and that is it. Everything else that is learned about the American and Jig is simply through their dialogue. I enjoyed the way Hemingway wrote this short story because all the character information is not laid out for the reader to see, you almost have to imagine the characters looks, thoughts, and feelings through their conversation. As I continued to read the story it seemed to me as though the American is trying to persuade Jig to do something that she clearly is not comfortable doing. "I know you wouldn't mind it, Jig. It's really not anything. It's just to let the air in" (Hemingway 553). I took this statement by the American as though he is trying to control Jig's actions pretending as he already knows that she "wouldn't mind it." The American tries to convince Jig that if she has an abortion everything will be fine and things will go back to normal, but Jig knows there is consequences to doing it.
Jig tells the American that "Once they take it away, you never get it back" (Hemingway 554). It seems as though Jig will do anything to please the American, and she will most likely give up the baby because of his persuasion. I found this story to be interesting in that all the details our given up throughout the dialogue in this story.

"The Young Goodman Brown"

I think the names that Nathaniel Brown chose for the protagonists was the most important part of "Young Goodman Brown." It definitely led me into the story feeling a certain way about each character. It seemed at first glance that Goodman Brown was just that, a "good man." I wondered if Goodman was actual his first name, or if it was a nickname given to him by the town. But what was it that drew him into the woods into the night, where the witches are? What would cause him to stray away from his loving wife? Goodman Browns wife's name is Faith. "And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons on her cap while she called to Goodman Brown" (Hawthorne 539). I believe the name Faith was fitted for Goodman Brown because it seemed as though his faith was what he was trying to hold onto in the story. Faith symbolized everything that Goodman Brown was before he entered the forest. He was a good, loving, and faithful husband, but some other force had led him into the forest and he could not figure out why. I liked the way Hawthorne used the wife to represent the reasons that Goodman went into the Forest. When he is approached in the gloomy forest and asked why he took so long, Goodman Brown simply replied, "Faith kept me back a while" (Hawthorne 540). Any other name would not lead me to believe that Goodman was questioning his own beliefs, but Faith had to mean something. As Hawthorne says, the name was "aptly" chosen, and I can see why in this story.

"The Yellow Wallpaper"

"The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlette Perkins Gilman was to me a sad story of a woman trapped inside her own home. She seemed to be severely depressed and no one could figure out why. Her husband continually tells her that there is nothing wrong with her and no one can fix it but herself. She speaks of how her, "Nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing" (Gilman 489). Throughout the story I was trying to figure it exactly what is wrong with the narrator. There are many times when she calls her problem a "nervous condition." I tried to come up with a couple of possibilities for why she may be feeling so depressed, left feeling trapped with only the yellow wallpaper acting as almost a character in the story. The narrator speaks about recently having a baby and says that she wishes she can be with him, saying, "And yet, I can not be with him, it makes me so nervous"(Gilman 489). I wondered if maybe she was suffering from post pardom depression which was making her act the way she is. The narrator says she, "Cries at nothing, and cry most of the time" (Gilman 491). The narrator also mentioned that she only cries when she is alone, which means that she is trying to hide her sadness from her husband and anyone else around her, leading them to believe there is really nothing wrong with her. I also felt that her husband, John, seemed to treat her as if she is a child. When the narrator woke him up to talk one night he said to her, "What is it little girl?" (Gilman 493). I took that statement as if John might not treat his wife with respect, he treats her as if she is a child. He may even feel that she is making up that there is something really wrong with her. She pleads to John that she is not getting any better and his response is simply, "Bless her little heart!" (Gilman 493). I think her husbands treatment of her played some sort of role in whatever condition she had. Lastly, I desperately wanted to know what the significance of the Yellow Wallpaper is. I think it has many meanings, and I plan on reading the story over to see if there was anything I missed regarding both the color yellow and the wallpaper itself. Before reading the story, I tried to think of all the things that I associate with the color yellow. My room is yellow, I thought of the sun, and mostly all things that certainly would not lead anyone to be depressed. After reading the story, for some reason I had the vision that yellow could somehow be a depressing color depending on how you look at it. I thought of jaundice, which is a yellow condition of the skin, and wondered if that had any connection to the story, although I did not see it included in it. I also wondered why Gilman decided to base a story around a woman who felt trapped in a room of wallpaper. What does wallpaper itself symbolize? Having recently stripped wallpaper with my mother, since my father did not know how to do it, I began wondering if it is a "women's job?" Did the narrator feel trapped inside a feminine room? Maybe she felt trapped inside her marriage, which is symbolized in the room she was in. The story left me with many questions, and I think I will read it again for hints into why the narrator was feeling the was she was.

"A Rose for Emily"

William Faulkner's, "A Rose for Emily," is my favorite story so far this semester. I loved the way Faulkner uses the theme of death throughout the entire story to foreshadow the eerie ending. Miss Emily Grierson's denial of death is also shown throughout the story, helping the reader to better understand why she left her sweethearts decaying body live with her for all those years. Even in the opening sentence we are introduced to the idea of death. "When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral" (Faulker 404). Right away it hit me, this story is going to have the idea of death throughout it. Faulkner then explained the house that Emily had lived in, with "Stubborn and coquettish decay" (Faulkner 404). I loved the way Faulkner was able to describe the once beautiful house, that was now decaying as if it were dead. Emily is treated very differently in the town because of her social status, and the townspeople do little about her house rotting away.
Faulkner even speaks of Emily when she was living as if she was dead. "Her skeleton was small and spare" (Faulkner 404). In nearly ever paragraph, Faulkner brings in the idea of death to help the reader better understand the eerie ending. Even when the townspeople worried about a "smell" that was coming from the house, they would not dare ask Emily about it. They decided to send some people over to the house to spread some lime around the outside to help the smell go away. I associated the smell with that of death and decay. Even as they went to Miss Emily's house, she was seen sitting in a chair with her, " upright torso motionless" (Faulkner 406). I loved the way Faulkner slipped these words into the story, and I tried to note each time he brought them up.
Once Emily's father had died, she had a very hard time accepting his death and would not let him be buried for three days. This was the start of Emily's denial of reality. She had a very hard time facing the reality that her father had passed on. This idea leads the story into the tragic death of Homer Barron, who Emily ending up poisoning. The two were unlikely pair, since Homer was a Northerner, and a day laborer. I believed that since Emily could not convince Homer to marry her that she had decided to poison him to keep them together. Since maybe Emily would never get the "Til death do us part" with Homer, she would make it happen for herself. Emily obviously had a hard time with letting go of the ones she loved, and this is seen throughout the story. Ironically, death was what separated Homer and Emily, but it also kept them together at the same time. I really enjoyed the way Faulkner wrote this story, and enjoyed reading it.

"We Can Remember it For You Wholesale"

Philip Dick's, "We Can Remember it For You Wholesale," starts off with a very sarcastic and humorous tone. The main character, Douglas Quail, who is described as "A miserable little salaried employee," (Dick 355) fantasizes about going to Mars all the time. His wife often has to "Bring her husband down to Earth" (Dick 355). Doug's obsession was almost to the breaking point of his marriage, but Doug can stop dreaming about Mars and all that the unknown planet has to offer. Doug's wife constantly told him that his daydreams were getting worse, telling him, "Your getting worse. More fanatical every day. Where's it going to lead?" (Dick 356). Doug's remark was simply, "To Mars" (Dick 356).
The story's tone seemed to change shortly after Douglas went to Rekal Incorporated to change his memory. This is where the story got confusing for me. Douglas began to question whether or not he really went to Mars, and what really happened to him at Rekal Inc. Turns out that Douglas starts to remember that he really did go to Mars, on a mission to kill someone rebelling on the planet. The tone of the story changes from humorous to almost scary and eerie regarding what really happened in Mars. Douglas has to deal with all of these conflicts inside of his head and has no one to turn to. Even as the tone of the story changes, there are some humorous bits thrown in. Quail is warned by the Interplan cop, "So I have to warn you;anything you think may be held against you." This was my favorite line in the story, because it seems almost ridiculous, but at the same time I wonder if it could ever be possible. In the future, will such an implant be possible? Can someones mind actually be changed to make them think certain things really happened? This story left me questioning what Douglas Quail future would hold, and if his mind would ever be the same.

"The Open Boat"

Stephen Crane's, "The Open Boat," reminded me in some ways of Kate Chopin's, "The Story of an Hour." The theme of nature was prevalent throughout both stories and seemed to help explain the moods of the characters in both stories.
In "The Open Boat," the whole story revolves around the issue of man vs. nature. Stephen Crane gave such a good visual throughout the entire story, I found myself almost feeling like I was on a boat lost at sea with the rest of the characters. The waves were, "the hue of slate, save for the tops which were foaming white, and all of the men knew the colors of the sea" (Crane 339). Most people know what the sea looks like, but the way Crane describes it is so visual you can actually picture yourself being there, with the waves crashing upon you without mercy, as the little boat sways helplessly. I loved the way that Crane spoke of the sea, speaking of the tide as if it was human. "The particular violence of the sea had ceased. The waves came without snarling" (Crane 348). Being to the ocean, I know how it sometimes feels like the waves have human like power with the amount of force they can thrust things around with. Throughout the story, Crane continues to draw in the reader with his vivid language about the sea, making for a very interesting story.
My favorite part of the story was when Crane spoke of the men hitting the water. "The coldness of the water was sad; it was tragic. This fact was somehow mixed and confused with his opinion of his own situation, so that it seemed almost a proper reason for tears. The water was cold" (Crane 353). Crane could have easily just said the water was cold, but he drew me into the cold water by describing the emotions that came with the water, to let the reader know exactly how the men were feeling. "The Open Boat" was definitely an adventure that I felt like I was part of.

My Avatar

The name of my Avatar is Mackenzie Cooljoke. I tried to keep my name Casey, or use my middle name, and be Casey Ann, but it seems that name is too popular! Since I could not keep my name I went with Mackenzie. I have always loved the name so I figured I would use it. I chose Cooljoke because I like the way the name sounds together.
I was only able to get into Second Life in class for a couple of minutes. I saw Mackenzie's body and could only wish it was mine! I have to figure out how to put on the clothes and everything so I am still very new to it all. Since I can't access Second Life at my house, I will have to wait to use a computer lab to dress Mackenzie up.
I like the idea of keeping the Second Life characters anonymous, this way everyone can feel free to express their thoughts, no matter what they might be, and not have to worry about anyone judging them based on their opinions.
I am very excited to work on my Avatar and see what Mackenzie will be capable of!

"The Story of an Hour"

Kate Chopin's,"The Story of an Hour," was like an emotional roller coaster. I really enjoyed the story, and the way that Chopin was able to put so many emotions into such a short piece. Mrs. Mallard felt guilt, grief, sadness, and freedom, all in just a couple of paragraphs. One of the things I found interesting is the way Chopin uses nature to express Mrs. Mallard's feelings. When Mrs. Mallard first heard of her husbands death, she felt "A storm of death"(Chopin 267).
As Chopin began to gasp the idea that she may now be free, "She could see the open square before her house the tops of the trees aquiver with new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air" (Chopin 267). I loved the way Chopin tied nature into Mrs. Mallards feelings and emotions.

"Paul's Case"

I found William Cather's story "Paul's Case" to be very sad. I hate to think that the young boy killed himself over being different, and not having others accept him in this harsh world. One of the things I found very interesting about the story was Cather's talk about Paul's red carnation in the story. The carnations pop up throughout the story, and seem to be a big part of the ending. I tried to note each time the carnations were mentioned to figure out what Cather was trying to say about them. The narrator spoke up Paul's carnations by saying, "His teachers felt that this afternoon his whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug and flippantly red carnation flower.."(Cather 203). The carnations are mentioned again after Paul is told by the Principal he could leave, by saying, "His bow was like a repetition of the scandalous red carnation" (Cather 203).
Towards the end of the story, right before Paul commits suicide, the red carnations pop up again. As Paul's senses becoming very aware to everything going on around him, he remembers seeing, "The toothless old woman from whom he had bought the red carnation flowers from in his coat" (Cather 214). These carnations were a symbol of Paul's being different, and that is why he took them wherever he went and wore them in his coat. Right before his death, Paul had noticed a change in his precious flowers. "The carnations in his coat were drooping with cold, he noticed; their red glory over" (Cather 214). Paul then put the carnation into the ground and covered it, as if to keep everything he spent hidden his entire life still a mystery.
This story reminded me of a movie I really enjoyed called "American Beauty." Like the red carnations in Paul's case, the movie had red roses that were shown throughout the movie. At the end of the movie, when the father kills himself, there is a still shot of the roses. The color red was a similarity throughout the too.

"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"

I loved the way Mark Twain was able to make the idea of death into something humorous. Twain does this by describing the main character, Jim Smiley's gambling habits as being outrageous and obsessive. He goes so far as so say that Smiley even bet on the death of a man named Parson Walker's wife. After Parson told Smiley that he hoped his wife would make it through her illness, Smiley remarked,"Well, I'll risk two-and-a-half she don't anyway" (Clemens 273.) The thought of someone betting on someone else's death seemed absolutely ridiculous, and made the story absurd and enjoyable at the same time. Twain also used humor to describe Smiley's beloved frog as being, "modest and straightfor'ard as he was, for all he was so gifted" (Clemens 274). I loved the way that Twain was able to give the animals in the story human qualities, and as crazy as it seemed, as the reader, I understood exactly the feelings he was trying to convey about each of the animals in the story.
Similar to Borges, "The Other Duel," I consider both stories to be tall tales. Both stories have that element of humor but I think "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" has a much lighter tone and the story actually makes you feel good. The story's absurd humor had me laughing at things that seemed ridiculous, but almost real at the same time.

"An Occurance At Owl Creek Bridge"

The ending of Ambrose Bierce's, "An Occurance At Owl Creek Bridge," is the part of the story I could relate to the most. Picturing a loved one with their arms spread open, waiting for you to grasp them, stirs up many emotions for me. The main character, Peyton Farquhar sees his wife in the distance and the narrator explain, "At the bottom of the steps she stands waiting, with a smile of ineffable joy, an attitude of grace and dignity. (Bierce 139). Peyton Farquhar's dream sequence is one that many people have when they picture a loved one and being reunited with them. Although the story has a tragic ending, I am pleased with the thoughts that Peyton had right before he was killed. He was in a happy place, seeing the person he loved the most. Even though Peyton could no longer hold onto his life, the love for his wife was something he could take with him once he passed on.

"The Other Duel"

In Jorge Luis Borges "The Other Duel," there are many lines that stuck out to me as the reader which helped me to better understand the text and what message the narrator was trying to convey. The narrator told of the long standing hatred between the two main characters, Cardoso and Silviera and stated, "Perhaps their only possession in their coarse primitive lives was their hatred, and therefore they saved it and stored it up" (Borges 141). This sentence in the story stood out after I finished reading and I could distinctly remember that one line. The statement opened my eyes to not only hatred between these two men, but opened my eyes up to the hatred we humans feel all the time towards others for reasons that seem so silly when put into perspective. Cardoso and Silviera spent their whole lives hating each other, for reasons which no one seems to be able to figure out. To these two men, it seemed that the hatred they felt was all they had, and they lived every day trying to get ahead of the other in some way. If these men had been real, would they be able to explain there hatred towards one another?