The Memory Keeper's Daughter Section 4 #4

In the novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, Norah learns of the significance of the dark room. Throughout the novel, I have learned the significance of the dark room for David. The dark room seems to hold all of David's secrets. The dark room is where he hides all the letters and the pictures that he has received from Caroline about Phoebe. The dark room also contains a significant amount of money that is hidden from Norah. But, in the fourth section of the novel, Norah finds out the significance of the dark room. She finds all the letters and photographs from Caroline. "Norah picked up the first box" (Edwards, 364). She learns the truth about what happened that night during the blizzard. The dark room symbolized both regret and relief for David and Norah. It was regret for David because it held all of the life that he could have had with Phoebe. For Norah, it was relief because she finally knew the truth about what really happened.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter Section 4 #3

In the novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, we see the impacts of David's death. It is crazy the amount of effects that one event can have in the novel. Because of David's death, the truth finally comes out. The truth comes out in more ways than one. Because of David's death, Norah finds all of the letters and pictures of Phoebe. Nora is also able to have a true conversation with Caroline about what really happened that night during the blizzard. "'Phoebe did not die' Caroline said evenly" (Edwards, 368). David's death also leads to Phoebe and Paul finding out about each other. They are finally able to meet face to face. Its sad that David's death was the cause of this, but at least they were finally able to find out the truth about each other.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter Section 4 #2

All the foreshadowing is coming true in the novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. During the first discussion day that we had in class, Mr. Costello asked one prediction/question that we had for the novel. My prediction was that whether the relationship between David and Norah would be able to stand. The relationship between the two of them was based  on lies. Phoebe and the multiple affairs made by Norah made it almost impossible for the relationship to work. Since the beginning of the novel, Kim Edwards have dropped hints on the diminishing relationship between David and Norah. Since the first chapter, the relationship has been starting to decline because of the lie David told about Phoebe. The foreshadowing becomes true in the fourth section of the novel. David and Norah have grown so distant that their relationship was almost non-existent. Finally, the foreshadowing comes true because in the fourth section Norah and David get a divorce. The other foreshadowing event that becomes true is that David is going to meet Phoebe. David finally sees her through the window in this section. "And then David saw her: Phoebe, his daughter" (Edwards, 316).

The Memory Keeper's Daughter Section 4 #1

In the novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, the theme of fear is still prevalent. In section 2, I talked about the theme of fear. The examples I gave were that David fear that he made the wrong decision and Caroline fears for Phoebe. Caroline's fear for Phoebe continues into the four section. But this time, it is for a different reason. The theme of fear comes into play again when Phoebe wants to get married to Robert. "'Me and Robert' Phoebe said 'We're getting married'" (Edwards, 392). She fears Phoebe leaving the nest to go and live in the group home with Robert. Once they are married, Caroline will no longer have any control over Phoebe's life. She fears that she will no longer be able to protect her. She has always worried about people taking advantage of Phoebe for her disabilities. But since both Robert and Phoebe have down syndrome, there is no one to look out for either of them. Caroline feels that both of them will be taken advantage of and they have no one to look out for their safety and best interest. Since the beginning of the novel, we have seen Caroline's fear for Phoebe develop and grow stronger as Phoebe grows older and older.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter Section 2 #4

In the book The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, we see equality as a theme. Throughout the course of the novel, Caroline treats Phoebe as a completely "normal" child. At the beginning of the novel, David discriminates against his own daughter by trying to put her in a home because of her disabilities. At the beginning of Phoebe's life, Caroline begins fighting for her. In this section of the novel, Caroline again fights for the rights of the physically and emotionally disabled. When Phoebe arrives at the age that she should be going to school, Caroline protests that Phoebe should be able to public school. Caroline not only fights for the rights for Phoebe, but for all those who are mentally for physically disabled. She joins the "Upside Down Society" and begins petitioning. "Today the Upside Down Society, over 500 members strong, would ask the school board to include their children in public schools" (Edwards, 159). She preaches that it is discrimination to not allow these children into the public schools. She shows that these children are the same as those who are already in the school.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter Section 2 #3

In the book The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, fear is a theme. Fear is seen throughout the course of the novel. In this section, fear is first seen when David talks about a Phoebe and Caroline. David fears that he might have made the wrong decision in deciding to give up Phoebe. David finds himself reflecting back on that day that Phoebe was born multiple times throughout this section of the novel. "David had remembered her symptoms" (Edwards, 107). Fear is also seen through Caroline in this section. Caroline fears for Phoebe. She fears that she might not get her proper education because of her disabilities. She also fears that Al maybe not love Phoebe and might not make a good father for her. As the novel goes on, I have feeling that this theme of fear will continue and even grow in some instances at the very end of the novel.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter Section 2 #2

In the novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, one event can change the course of the novel. As the novel has progressed,  we learn that Al has a great love for Caroline. He loves her so much that he has proposed to her. He has proposed not only once, but twice. Because of Phoebe, Caroline has turned him down both times. Caroline fears that Al would not be a loving father for Phoebe. A plot twist occurs in the novel that changes Caroline's perspective. While Caroline, Phoebe, and Al were outside, Phoebe gets stung by a bee and they quickly learn that she is allergic. Immediately, Al takes Phoebe to the hospital to help her. During this event,  Caroline learns of the compassion and love that Al has for Phoebe. This event impacted Caroline to the point that she agrees to marry him, without him even asking her again. "Oh, Al, I've been such a fool. Of course I'll marry you" (Edwards, 169). 

The Memory Keeper's Daughter Section 2 #1

In The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, we see the impacts that giving up Phoebe has on David. In this section of the novel, we see David begin to slightly regret his decision to give up Phoebe. David continuously tries to find where Phoebe and Caroline live. He continues to get pictures and letter from Caroline, but it seems this is not enough anymore. But later Caroline decides to no longer even write to David. Another effect we see is the relationship between David and Caroline to continue to weaken. Even Paul begins to notice this as the section goes on. By the end of the section, Paul confronts David about the relationship between his parents. "You and mom, whats wrong with you anyway? You don't have any joy. You just get through the days" (Edwards, 200). I think that as the novel goes on the relationship between David and Nora will be too much to handle. I think that the impacts are going to end up taking over his life and causing him to go into a depression. 

Three Person'd God

In the poem Batter my Heart Three Person's God by John Donne, it has many themes. One of the themes I saw in the poem was about the Holy Trinity and God. It talks about how the speaker needs God to be there for him. He also talks about wanting to be on a good relationship with God. He compares God to being his enemy because of their current relationship. "But am betroth'd unto your enemie" (Donne, 10). The poem also has another theme of unworthiness. The previous quote also goes along with this idea of remorse. One could interpret this quote saying that  he is betroth'd to God's enemy: the devil. Since he is betrothed to him, he is unworthy to come back to God and have a good relationship with him.  

To Autumn

There are many things that are described in the poem To Autumn by John Keats. As the poem goes on, it describes the different times throughout a day. At the beginning of the poem, its talks about the early morning sun rise. "Close bosom-friend of the maturing son" (Keats, 2). After talking about the day, the poem goes on to discuss the progression through the season of Autumn. In the first stanza, its talks about the beginning of autumn when the trees change colors and fruits and vegetables are all around. "To fill all fruit with ripeness to the core" (Keats, 5). Just the poem goes on, the season of autumn goes on to. The poem talks about the part of Autumn where all the fruit is gathered and made into food and drinks. The poem talks about a cider-press used in the second stanza. The final stanza talks about autumn coming to an end. The end of the poem talks about Spring.

Sorting Laundry

The poem Sorting Laundry by Elisavietta Ritchie uses a lot of personification. Throughout the course of the poem, different pieces of clothing are personified. The clothing in the poems are not only personified, but they are also used to recreate memories for the speaker. The poem talked about both wrinkled and smooth clothing. I think that both the wrinkled and smooth clothing have meanings into parts in their lives. I think that the wrinkled clothing are things in the speakers life that they have left to the side or not taken care off. "All those wrinkles to be smoothed, or else ignored" (Rithchie, 19-20). I think that the smooth pieces of clothing discussed in the poem are the things in the speakers life that they have taken the time to work through. The wrinkles and the smoothness also can symbolize the amount of time that the speaker spends on those part of their lives. The wrinkled shirts show the things in their lives that they have put to side or spent very little time on. The smooth shirts represent the things in their lives that are important to them and they spend a lot of time worrying about.

The Convergence of the Twain

In the poem The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy, one of the themes is fate. Throughout the course of the poem, it talks about the fate that occurred in the sinking of the Titanic. It talks about how it was fate that the iceberg was unseen by the captain of the Titanic. In fact, the poem talks about how icebergs, before the Titanic, seemed to go unnoticed by all people. "Alien they seemed to be" (Hardy, 25). The poem talks about how it was no coincidence that the ship ran into the ice burg, but that it was fate. The first half of the poem implies the idea that Titanic was invincible. The poem describes a ship that was so strong that it could withhold anything that came its way. "Steel chamber, late the pyres of her salamandrine fires" (Hardy, 4-5). The steel chamber leads the reader to infer that the boat was made so that physically nothing could destroy it. The salamandrine fires implies the fact that the ship could even hold and fight off a fire on the ship. Even though the ship seemed invincible, according to the poem, fate brought the ship to the iceberg and lead to its demise.

Othello IV & V

Othello by William Shakespeare turned out a lot different than I expected it to. Usually Shakesperean novels are hard to comprehend, but Othello was easier than most to understand. For example, "Poor Desdemona! I am glad thy father's dead" (Shakespeare, V.ii.203-204). Also, it was very surprising how no one died until the final act of the play. Usually, in tragedies many people die throughout the course of the play. In "Othello", they basically just waited until the final scene of the play to kill off everyone. Othello was also very shocking in the fact that Iago got away with everything until the end of the novel. I expected someone to figure out his plot of revenge at least halfway through the story. It was not until the very end, when Emilia begins to put all of the pieces together that her husband was a villain. Overall, I really liked "Othello". It was a very suspenseful and engaging read.

Othello IV & V

Emilia turns outs to be a dynamic character in "Othello" by William Shakespeare. At the beginning of the novel, Emilia is very soft-spoken. When Iago is around, she never stands up for herself. Especially when Iago is talking badly about her and degrading her, she never defends herself. Actually, Desdemona defends her to Iago and Othello. The men even comment on this by saying, "She puts her tongue a little in her heart" (Shakespeare, II.i.110). By Act V, Emilia has completely changed. She now speaks up for herself. When Othello murders Desdemona, Emilia enters into the bedroom and interrupts the scene. Well first off, at the beginning of the novel, she would have never entered into the room when she heard something. Also, once she figured out what was going on, she began to ask questions as to who killed Desdemona. She even does some investigating past when she gets her first answer to find out the truth. Finally at the end of the novel, she speaks up around Grantiano, Iago, and Montano. Iago tells her to be quiet when she is defending Othello, but she stands up to him. Emilia says, "I will not charm my tongue, I am bound to speak" (Shakespeare, V.ii.182). Emilia transforms from a quiet girl, to a girl that speaks her mind.

Othello IV & V

I think the ending of "Othello" by William Shakespeare is ironic. I think its ironic how Desdemona was accused of being unfaithful to Othello, even though all she ever was was faithful. Throughout the course of the story, Desdemona was faithful to Othello even when she was tempted by others not to be faithful. Her true faithfulness is shown at the end of the story. When Othello is about to murder her, he accuses her of being unfaithful and having an affair with Desdemona. Desdemona denies the affair until she has passed away. But even until her death, she remains faithful to him. When she is dying, she even tries to protect Othello by telling Emilia that she had tried to kill herself. Desdemona says "Nobody. I myself. Farewell" (V.ii.123-124) to Emilia when asked who injured her. She did not want Othello to suffer and be punished for killing her. She only wanted what was best for him, not for herself. She also knew that by saying that she tried to commit suicide, that she would not die with dignity. She loved him and remained faithful to him, even though he killed her. It truly showed her love for him to her death.

Othello IV & V

I think a crucial scene in act IV of "Othello" by William Shakespeare is the exchange of the handkerchief between Bianca and Cassio. The scene showed that Cassio was having an affair with someone, but Bionca did not know who. When talking to Cassio, Bianca refers to Desdemona's handkerchief as "some minx's token" (Shakespeare, IV.i.145). When Othello heard this, he knew that the affair had been occurring. Even though it did not go according to Iago's plan, it provided "ocular proof" needed by Othello. It made the "confession" from Cassio look even more realistic. I think the scene was so crucial because it was the final selling point in breaking the marriage between Othello. Before this scene, Othello was skeptical of the idea of an affair occurring between Desdemona and Cassio. But after this scene, Othello was making plans to get this revenge on Cassio, as well as murdering Desdemona. Othello says "Aye, let her rot, and perish, and be damned tonight, for she shall not live" (Shakespeare, IV.i.169-170).

Othello I-III

Manipulation is present in the Acts I-III of Othello by William Shakespeare. Most of the manipulation that takes place in the story revolves around the antagonist character of Iago. I think that the scene with the most manipulation is the scene with Cassio drinking. In the story, Iago finds a way to manipulate every character. While doing this, Iago still finds a way to make himself look like the innocent one. Iago manipulates Cassio into drinking to try to get him in trouble and to lose his rankings. Even though he resists at first, Cassio gives into the pressures and takes a drink. Cassio at first states, "Not tonight, good Iago" (Shakespeare, II.iii.28) but preceeds to drink anyways. In this scene, Montano is also manipulated by Iago. Montano is forced to be in a fight with Cassio to insure that a commotion is made. As the scene goes on, Iago is looked at as a friends who cannot betray those who he cares deeply for. I am sure as the story goes on that Iago will continue to manipulate characters in the story.

Othello I-III

Revenge has been a key component in the Act I-III of Othello by William Shakespeare. Throughout the course of the story, Iago has been planning revenge on Othello. One reason that Iago is seeking revenge is for supposedly sleeping with his wife. The ironic thing about this situation is the fact that Iago has no proof of this affair. Iago also does not seek any answers about the affair. Instead, he plans revenge for the supposed act. The other reason that Iago seeks revenge is because Othello is given a promotion over Iago. Iago believes that he should have been promoted over Othello because Othello has no experience in the battlefield. On the first page, Iago states that Othello is a soldier "that never set a squadron in the field" (Shakespeare, I.i.21). This quote is talking about how Othello has never taken part in a battle, and never set foot on the battlefield. The plan of revenge has began to fall through, but I expect that throughout the course of the story, more of the plan will begin to unfold.

Othello I-III

Tensions are beginning to develop at the end of act III of Othello by Shakespeare. The biggest tensions I have noticed so far is the tension between Othello and Desdemona. I think the first sign that there is going to be tension occurs at the very beginning of the story, when Roderigo tells Brabantio about the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. Right as he finds out about this, he already does not approve of it. Brabantio states "My daughter is not for thee" (Shakespeare, I.i. 98). When everyone gets married, they want to have approval from those that they love. Desdemona is denied this from the beginning, which I think leads her to second guessing their marriage. I think the second guessing is the beginning of the tension between Othello and Desdemona. As the story progresses, tension grows as Cassio enters into the picture and leads Othello to believe that Desdemona loves someone else. The tension finally peaks at the end of act III. Othello yells "Away!" and exits the stage (Shakespeare, III.iv.92). As the story goes on, I think tension will continue to build between Othello and Desdemona.

Othello I-III

So far in the story Othello by William Shakespeare, racism has been present. Throughout the course of the story, racism has been used towards many characters. One character in which racism is used toward the most is Othello. In the story, Iago never refers to Othello by his actual name. He is often referred to by a racial slur. He is also treated poorly by the rest of the characters in the story. For example, Brabrantio talks about how Othello must have used magic to get Desdomona to marry him. Brabantio states, "Damn'd as thou art, thou hast enchanted her" (Shakespeare, I.iii.63). Brabantio implies that Desdemona, since she was so beautiful, would not have married a black man unless she was "enchanted". As the rest of the story goes on, I assume that racism will continue to be a key aspect.

Getting Out

I feel like the poem Getting Out by Cleopatra Mathis is about a couple that went through a divorce. At the beginning of the story, I think that it talks about the time that they were together, maybe the last year of their marriage. It says, "that year we hardly slept, waking like inmates who beat the walls" (Mathis, 1). The diction used in this line makes compares their marriage to being a prisoner in a prison. As the poem goes on, the reader learns that there were many problems within the marriage while they were still together. For example, it talks about them arguing saying, "finally locked into blame, we paced that short hall, heaving words like furniture" (Mathis, 13). As the poem continues, the reader learns that he two people in the relationship still have feelings for each other. The fact that he still has pictures of the two of them leads to the idea that there is something between them. They also still write each other an annual letter. In the letter, its almost like they are still trying to convince each other that they did the right thing by getting a divorce. "And in the yearly letter, you're sure to say you're happy now" (Mathis, 19). It seems like there were just subtle differences that led to the two of them getting divorced, but even though their divorced, they still love each other.

You're Ugly, Too

Number three in the questions after the story "You're Ugly, Too" by Lorrie Moore kind of stuck out to me. The question is "This story makes extensive use of jokes. Discuss  the importance of jokes to the characterization of Zoe and to the jokes as  a whole." Throughout the course of the story, Zoe makes a variety of jokes, including some that are funny and some that are not. For example, when she is talking to her little sister about her wedding, she says "I'm not married? Oh, my God. I forgot to get married" (Moore, 355). At this moment, I think she makes a joke because she does now how to cope with her younger sister getting married before in any other way. I think that she makes so many jokes because that is the only way that she knows how to communicate with others. I also think that she does not know the difference between  jokes and sarcasm. A lot of her "jokes" are just sarcastic comments that she makes that I think she legitimately thinks are funny jokes. I think this impacts the meaning of the story as a whole in the fact that Zoe is seen different by society, than she sees herself. She may think that she is funny, but other people do not perceive her as a funny person. She thinks of herself differently than others perceive her.

Popular Mechanics

"Popular Mechanics" by Raymond Carver can be read as a retelling of the story I Kings 3 in the Bible. In the story involving Solomon in the bible, there is a conflict consisting of two women  and a baby. Going along with that, in the story "Popular Mechanics", the characters consist of a man, a woman, and  a child. In both of the stories, there is a custody battle over the child. Both stories also consist of parents who are settling the issue in a very immature way. In the story about Solomon, woman battle through arguing with each other. In "Popular Mechanics", the parents of the child settle the dispute by going through a game of tug-of-war over the child. Both of the stories end with unhappiness for the parents. In the story about Solomon, the judge declares that sense a decision cannot be made by the women as to whose baby it is, the child shall be cut into two and each of the mothers given half of the baby. The ending to "Popular Mechanics" is kind of like that. I do not think that the baby was literally split into two pieces, but the baby was killed while parents grabbed a hold of the limbs and pulled on them with all of their strength. "But he would not let go. He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard" (Carver, 35).

The Story of An Hour

Imagery is used throughout the short story "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. Starting in the fifth paragraph of the short story, Chopin begins painting a picture of a scene in a nature. The scene being described is being seen by Mrs. Mallard after finding out about the death of her husband. "There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds" (Chopin, 6). Throughout the rest of the story, the author uses imagery to describe the freedom that Mrs. Mallard believes to have following the death of her husband. The author describes the freedom as "something coming to her and she was waiting for it" (Chopin, 9). The poem paints a picture of freedom coming to her and a weight being lifted off of her shoulders. It was like her husband was controlling her. Since he has passed away, she is now pleased to embrace the freedom that she has now been gifted with. The author uses imagery to paint of picture of the life that would come for Mrs. Mallard now that her husband has passed away and she is free to enjoy her life.

How I Met My Husband

The story How I Met my Husband by Alice Munro contained a major plot twist. The beginning of the story began as a typical love story, when Chris comes into the house when Edie is dressed in Mrs. Peebles clothing. Chris states, "Well, I just wanted to tell you you look very nice. I was so surprised when I looked in the door and saw you. Just because you looked so nice and beautiful" (Munro, 135). It seems as though it was going to be a happy ending to another typical love story and Chris and Edie were going to end up together. But, little did the reader know that Chris was engaged and they were not going to end up living happily ever after. What really surprised me as a reader though was that Edie continued to go after Chris after she found out that he was engaged. It also surprised me the verbal insults that were received by Edie following Chris' departure. The story is filled with a major plot twist, along with mini plot twist that occur throughout the course of the short story. Some of the mini plot twist included Edie continuing to love Chris, Chris promising to write to Edie once he leaves, and the abuse given to Edie once Chris has left town.

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

To start off, I actually had great difficulty trying to understand the message given off in the poem "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" by John Donne. The language used throughout the course of the poem made it difficult to comprehend the literal meaning. Along with the literal meaning being difficult to comprehend, the figurative meaning was also very hard to comprehend. For example, "'Twere profanation of our joys to tell the laity our love" (Donne, 7). But, from what I was able to understand from the poem was that the writer truly loved the person that he was writing about. It seems like he loves her, but yet he is leaving her and leaving behind his love for her. In line 22, he says "Though I must go" (Donne, 22). I do not really understand why he is leaving the love of his life in the poem. But, I am beginning to think that it is maybe because she does not feel the same way about him. I feel like the poem is not a typical love poem, since in the end, he leaves the love of his life.

Lonely Hearts

As I was looking at the poem "Lonely Hearts" by Wendy Cope, before even reading it I noticed some interesting things about the poem. The first thing I noticed was that there are a lot of questions in this poem. In every stanza there are at least two rhetorical questions being directed towards the reader of the poem. I also noticed a repetition to some of the particular questions that are asked in the poem. The question "Can someone make my simple wish come true?" (Cope, 1)  appears four times in the short six stanza poem. Along with "can someone make my wish come true?", "Is it you?" (Cope, 19) is used to conclude four of the six stanzas. So I began asking myself why so many questions? As I continued to read the poem, I realized that the poem was not only a poem given, but a poem looking for a response. In the final stanza of the poem, it talks about how he wants the reader to write back and see where the relationship will go. The questions make it so the poem has a sense of love as well as mystery.

Eveline

Internal conflict exists in the story Eveline by James Joyce. In the story, the character of Miss Hill has an internal conflict. Throughout the course of the story, it talks about how Miss Hill is in the house that she grew up in. As we I read the story, it became apparent that there were some troubling memories that went along with the house. It talked about abuse that occurred between her mother and father. Even though the house held troubling memories, she still has the internal conflict on whether or not she should sell her house. Adding onto the troubling memories making her want to sell the house, she promised her deceased mother that she would keep the house as long as she possible could. The memory of that moment came frequently when she promised her mother of "her promise to keep the home together as long as she could" (Joyce, 221). If she were to sell the house, she would be able to go and live her new happy life with Frank. At the end of the story, we see her make the decision about the internal conflict by letting the ship sail away with Frank on it without her.

My Mistress' Eyes

The poem My Mistress' Eyes by William Shakespeare has a humorous tone. Throughout the course of the poem, Shakespeare speaks about a woman and her beauty. Instead of talking about the woman as a beautiful woman, he talks about the woman as a normal looking human being. Shakespeare describes the woman as being less than beautiful. For example, Shakespeare talks about her eyes not being beautiful and bright. "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" (Shakespeare, 1). Throughout the rest of the poem, Shakespeare makes a variety of comparisons about the woman. Shakespeare shows how sometimes beauty must be found within, rather than on the outside. Sometimes, beauty is not seen by others who judge based on appearances. Shakespeare talks about how he is different because he is able to overlook the appearances. He states, "I think my love as rare" (Shakespeare, 14). William Shakespeare is able to express his love through humorous comparisons of his Mistress' beauty.

Barbie Doll

The poem Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy shows how society sees beauty. The poem personally told the story of how society sees beauty and a woman. The story shows how women go to the extremes to be seen as beautiful in the eyes of society. "She cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up" (Piercy, 17). The poem expresses how people change to get the pleasure from society. The poem can be related to living in today's society. People are constantly changing who they are to please society and those around them. Just as the girl in the poem, people even go to the extremes of harming themselves in order to get approval from others. People in today's society, just like the girl in the poem, believe that changing themselves will lead to their happiness. But in the end, changing yourself just to please society will kill the originality that once lied inside of the person, just as it killed the girl in the poem.

Hunters in the Snow

The short story "Hunters in the Snow" by Tobias Wolf consist of almost no emotions. Throughout the course of the short story, the three friends criticize each other rather than complement each other. I noticed Tub is the only character that shows real emotion. Tub opens up to Frank about hiding his true self. While Tub is seen as a practical joker and the butt of jokes by the other two characters, emotions is revealed at the end of the short story. Tub begins to speak about his weight and how he has been lying about his gland condition. "No body knows. That's the worst of it, Frank. Not the being fat, I never got any big kick out of being thin, but the lying" (Wolf, 200). When he beings to open up to Frank, Tub is for the first time seen as a realized individual. Tub and Franks true friendship is shown in the fact that the two of them are for the first time talking to each other about the struggles they have in their daily lives. Frank talks about his affair with the babysitter and Tub talks about his eating habits over four orders of pancakes with plenty of butter and syrup.

A Jury of her Peers

In the short story "A Jury of her Peers" by Susan Glaspell, a character change takes place when Minnie Foster becomes Mrs. Wright. In the short story, the other ladies at the house talk about how Mrs. Wright has changed over the last twenty years. "She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively- when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls, singing in the choir. But that- oh that was twenty years ago" (Glaspell, 415). At some point right before or during the marriage, she made a life style change. In the short story, when the murder takes place, her appearance and her attitude towards others has greatly changed. While reading the short story, I began to wonder why she made such a dramatic life change when she was married. I began thinking that it had to do with the relationship that she had with Mr. Wright. The puzzling component is that in the short story there are no signs of manipulation or abuse in the relationship. So, why the sudden change in the lifestyle of Minnie Foster?