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?

Frankenstein #5

Throughout the course of the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the Monster is very observant. For example, through observations, the Monster learns about relationships. "I gained knowledge of brother, sister, and the various relationships which bind one human being to another in mutual bonds" (Shelley, 86). Through observations, the Monster learns a great deal about living in society. The monster reminded me that sometimes we can learn more from observing than participating. Through observations, we can see the bigger picture. The Monster was able to use his observations and apply them to his life. Just as the Monster, so can we apply our observations to our daily lives. Some things in life must be observed in order to be learned. Other things must be learned through our daily experiences. We can learn many things through looking at the life of the Monster in the novel Frankenstein.