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Just another WordPress.com weblogSeventeen Syllables
I liked reading “Seventeen Syllables” by author, Hisaye Yamamoto. I thought the story was very interesting and certainly kept me engaged from beginning to end. The tale is about a young girl, Rosie, who acts as our narrator, and her family in the years following World War II. Rosie’s parents are both of Japanese decent but live in the United States therefore are classified as Japanese Americans. Rosie, being born in the United States, is Americanized and does not truly appreciate her parent’s Japanese heritage. Throughout the story there are several themes the Yamamoto makes clear to readers.
The first theme is about Rosie’s mother and her loveless marriage. Rosie’s mom fell in love with a man in Japan and was pregnant with his child. She lost the baby and her family never looked at her the same again. She begged Aunt Taka, her favorite sister in America to send for her, threatening suicide if she were to stay in Japan. Her Aunt set her up with who would be Rosie’s father, who turns out to be a mean and violent man to Rosie’s mother. Readers learn that Rosie’s mother takes up writing Haiku’s, or seventeen syllable poems. She obsesses over these poems during her free time. I think her creative writing is the only thing that takes her away from her silent acceptance of her poor marriage and unhappiness. Rosie’s mother even develops a pen name when she publishes her Haiku’s. She also wins first prize in a Haiku contest in a local newspaper. When the man from the paper delivers her reward, Rosie’s father destroys it and demands his wife and daughter get back to work picking tomatoes in the family farm.
During the story Rosie begins to develop feelings for a boy she has known for quite some time as well. The two share a short romantic moment. Ironically, at the close of “Seventeen Syllables” Rosie’s mother in a fit of urgency asks Rosie to promise she will never marry. Her mother asked Rosie this question only moments after she shares her unfortunate story about coming to America and marrying a man she doesn’t love. Rosie immediately thinks of Jesus, the young boy she likes but nevertheless promises her mother she won’t marry.
A Jury of Her Peers
“A Jury of Her Peers” written by Susan Glaspell is essentially a murder mystery, although one that doesn’t really leave readers at the edge of their seats. Minnie Foster has been taken from her home and put in jail because authorities believe she has murdered her husband John Wright. After a preliminary introduction the story begins with the sheriff, his wife (Mrs. Peters), Mr. and Mrs. Hale, and the county attorney in Minnie’s kitchen going over exactly how Mr. Wright was discovered dead. The three men decide to go upstairs and inspect the scene (Mr. Wright was strangled in the bedroom), leaving the two women in the kitchen.
Ironically, the three grown men cannot solve the mystery but the two women seem to figure out exactly what happened. The men search every place in the house for clues and potential motive except the kitchen. The sheriff even stated, “Nothing here but kitchen things.” Well the insignificant kitchen things are exactly what help Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters solve the mystery. No woman would leave her kitchen the way Minnie had left hers. More specifically the women find a bird cage, with no bird. They begin to inquire why there would be a cage without a bird in it. They wonder if the bird died or if it had been eaten by the cat, except the Wright’s didn’t have a cat.
Eventually the women come across some of Mrs. Wright’s quilting materials and an unfinished quilt. Mrs. Hale opened a box that she thought would have scissors in it but actually had the remains of Mrs. Wright’s bird! The bird’s neck was badly broken. The women seem to think that Mr. Wright being the mean man that he was killed Mrs. Wright’s bird, which was really the only thing she loved and cared for. To get back at her husband it can be assumed she strangled him. The entire story deals with gender roles. The men believe the women to be completely inferior to them, yet it is Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale that solve the mystery. They do not tell the men what they discover because odds are they would not understand Minnie Foster’s reasoning for killing her husband. I like the title of the piece, “A Jury of her Peers.” Minnie Foster’s peers are other women. During the time the story took place, I wouldn’t consider the men to be Mrs. Wright’s peers because men were considered to be far more superior then women during this age. Ironically it took two women to solve the case.
Battle Royal
“Battle Royal” is a very interesting, yet disturbing story. Ralph Ellison begins “Battle Royal” with an unknown narrator explaining his quest for self-identity. Eventually he realizes, “That I am nobody but myself.” As the introduction of the story continues our narrator begins describing his ancestry. He informs readers that his grandparents at one time were slaves who were eventually freed. He talks about how hard they had to work to survive and brought out their children the same way. We then learn that our narrator’s grandfather though thought of as a quiet man that never made trouble, actually described himself as a traitor and a spy on his death bed. This confessional affected our main character tremendously throughout his life.
The story then jumps to the narrator’s graduation. He gave an excellent speech that was so triumphant he was asked to deliver it for a second time to the town’s leading white citizens. The speech would take place in a grand ballroom at a hotel. When our narrator arrived he was asked to take place in a “battle royal” before delivering his speech. Readers learn that this battle royal involved approximately ten young black men that would be blindfolded, thrown into a ring, and literally beat the crap out of each other. All of this would take place in front of the most prominent white leaders of the town.
Before the fight began, a white woman appeared totally naked to dance for the men in the ballroom. The young black boys had no idea how to react and felt both fearful and guilty for being in the presence of such a display. Eventually some of the white men got out of control and others helped the young woman escape. The battle royal commenced immediately after the woman was gone. Our narrator described the fight vividly. I feel this kind of torture was absolutely disgusting however, the boys chose to participate. After the fight was over, the young men could collect their prizes. Money was thrown onto a rub that was electrified! Touching the rub would send a horrible pain through the young black boys. The white on-lookers found this suffering to be ridiculously amusing.
Our narrator wished that he could read his speech, his one and only reason for being present in the ballroom that night. When the fight and torture had ended he was encouraged by the white men to deliver his speech. When he spoke, blood rushing down his face, they laughed and barely paid attention. After he had finished however, the white men gave him a booming round of applause and presented him with a scholarship to a “negro college” and leather briefcase to help him in his future endeavors.
I am going to be totally honest and say I was confused by the entire story. I understand the concept of race and inequality when this story took place but between the naked woman, the battle royal, the speech, and his reward, I am just dumbfounded about the idea behind Ellison’s story. I get it but I don’t at the same time.
A Rose for Emily
I really do not know what to think about William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily.” First and foremost, the ending was unexpected and rather disturbing. After thinking about the rest of the story however, it became slightly less shocking. Emily Grierson had a series of unfortunate events occur almost simultaneously; those being the death of her crazy aunt and the death of her father. When he was alive, Emily’s father was controlling and did not let her associate with any young men her age. He took away any opportunity she could have had for happiness. When Emily was finally freed of her father (after his death), she met and fell in love with a construction foreman named Homer Barron. Emily and Barron began to spend a lot of time with each other until he mysteriously disappeared and never returned again.
The townspeople believed Barron just left because it was publically known he was not into “marriage.” Little did they know that Emily killed him! She purchased arsenic from the local hardware store months before meeting Barron and decided to use it on him. She felt like she had to kill the man she loved in order to keep hold of him. As disgusting as it was, Miss Emily let Barron rot in her bed, and continued to sleep next to him for years upon years until she passed away at age 74. Emily was so accustomed to loosing things in her life; she couldn’t bear to part with Barron.
Even though the story was extremely troubling, I couldn’t stop reading. The chronological order of the story was very unique and I struggled a bit trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Faulkner jumped from one moment in Emily’s life to the next and back again so quickly I had a hard time keeping up. The narrator in the story also changed views several times. I got the impression the narrator was always a townsperson, but one who knew the entire story? I think Faulkner did a great job of contrasting points within the story. Miss Emily was portrayed as an aristocratic woman whom was admired by the community. Deep down however, she had so many unnoticed issues that came out only after she died. She never left her house which turned into a tomb. She also slept next to the remains of her love, Homer Barron, which is downright disturbing.
All in all, I did enjoy reading Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily.” I thought the story was very interesting and kept me engaged at all times. I had a feeling Miss Emily killed Barron early on, when “a smell developed” that the townspeople noticed. I had no idea that the ending would reveal what she did with the body for all those years. It is really sad to think she had to kill her love out of fear that he would leave her.
Hills Like White Elephants
I have had the pleasure of reading “Hills Like White Elephants” prior to this class. I haven’t read the story since high school and I wasn’t quite sure if would remember exactly what it was about. Once I began reading however, I knew immediately what was coming. The story is about a young couple contemplating the extremely touchy subject of abortion.
The story begins with a couple waiting for their train at a train station in Spain. They are enjoying some drinks and admiring the landscape, but their small talk is only delaying the difficult decision that needs to be made. Author Ernest Hemingway uses excellent symbolism with the train station and references to the surrounding landscape. The couple is making a decision regarding abortion. There are only two choices that can be made similar to the two rail lines that pass by the station. The couple needs to decide metaphorically speaking which path to take. The majority of the story is dialogue between the couple. I felt after reading the story and assessing each character, the man wants the woman to go through with the abortion. He states, “That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy.” He is however very supportive of her wishes and states, “if you don’t want to you don’t have to. I wouldn’t have you do it if you didn’t want to.”
The woman is certainly at a crossroads. She is very uncertain about what she should do regarding the abortion but by the stories close readers get the idea that she has been persuaded enough to go through with it. The description of the surrounding scenery also symbolizes the woman’s change of heart regarding the abortion. Describing the scenery Hemingway states, “The girl stood up and walked to the end of the station. Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro.” At this point in the story the fields and trees resemble life. Later on in the story Hemingway writes, “They sat down at the table and the girl looked across at the hills on the dry side of the valley and the man looked at her and at the table.” Now it appears as if she has decided to go through with the abortion, as the symbolism suggests (dry side of the valley). Unfortunately we never really know if she goes through with the abortion. I suppose it is up to the individual reader to form their own conclusions.
The Use of Force
I thoroughly enjoyed reading William Carlos Williams, “The Use of Force.” First and foremost this story was different from the others we have read in class because of its length. “The Use of Force” is definitely a short story. At only two pages in length Williams jumped into the action of the piece right away. There was no lengthy description in the beginning of the story that set the mood and gave context for readers. We were thrown into the story’s action immediately.
“The Use of Force” is about a doctor making a house visit for a sick little girl. After assessing her symptoms the doctor is almost certain the she is plagued with diphtheria. There have been many diagnosed cases in the school the little girl attends which led the doctor to his tentative diagnosis. All he needed to do was get a throat culture to prove his theory correct. This however was easier said than done. The sick child is extremely stubborn and does not want the doctor get the culture. Under no circumstances will she allow him to peer into her throat because she knows her sickness lies there.
The latter half of the story details the intense struggle between the doctor and the little girl. She knows what the doctor needs to do and understands he is there to make her better. I was able to relate to this part of the story quite well. Like our young character in “The Use of Force,” when I was a little girl I hated going to the doctors with a sore throat because I knew I would have to get a throat culture. I did everything to avoid the situation, much like the sick child in the story.
I think my favorite part of the story came at the very end. The doctor did succeed at looking down the girl’s throat and as expected saw tonsils filled with “membrane.” Our main character was very sick but she concentrated more on the fact that she had been defeated in the hostile battle that had just taken place. Williams states in the last paragraph, “Now truly she was furious. She had been on the defensive before but now she attacked. Tried to get off her father’s lap and fly at me while tears of defeat blinded her eyes.” I find it so ironic that the doctor was attending to the girl to get her better however; she wanted no part of it. She didn’t look at his forced examination as something that would make her well but as a challenge that would not be lost. Despite her strength and persistence, in the end the doctor won leaving the little girl defeated and in tears.
The Jilting of Granny Weatherall
I felt “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” was a very interesting read. I enjoyed the stream of conscious method author Katherine Anne Porter used to detail the last thoughts of Granny Weatherall. The story begins with Doctor Harry examining our very sick main character. Immediately readers get an idea of the personality Granny has. She is very sarcastic, speaks her mind quite often, and at eighty years old does not take crap from anyone. She feels this day will not be her last day. Doctor Harry and her daughter Cornelia seem to think otherwise. After Doctor Harry leaves Granny’s home, she begins to analyze her life and think of many significant moments that have happened to her in the past eighty years.
We learn that Granny was engaged to be married to a man named George. George left her standing at the alter, resulting in one of the most heartbreaking moments of Granny’s life. Porter added a good amount of dialogue in the story, but none that made much sense. Granny thought she would be having a conversation with someone that really wasn’t there. She also had ridiculous conversations with her daughter Cornelia. On Granny’s end she thought what she was saying was perfectly legitimate however, readers know that her thoughts just aren’t making sense.
We also learn that Granny did have a very happy life with her husband John. She had had several kids whom she loved unconditionally. We also learn Granny was a hard worker in her lifetime. Her husband John passed away at a young age and Granny is concerned that when she passes he won’t recognize her. The narrator states, “She had fenced in a hundred acres once, digging the post holes herself and clamping the wires with just a negro boy to help. That changed a woman. John would be looking for a young woman…”
Readers know her time is quickly approaching but she doesn’t. Her children begin to arrive to see their mother before her passing, as does Father Connolly, to pray with her family. Granny begins to see changes in light and voices start to fade in and out. She is still mentally aware of what is going on but cannot communicate with anyone else. In her last moments she even states, “I’m not going, Cornelia. I’m taken by surprise. I can’t go.” Years ago, before her final day, Granny was very sick. She prepared herself for death ages before and now is ready to pass but still doesn’t think her time is up.
My favorite part of the story is the final paragraph. I like how Katherine Anne Porter describes Granny being about to see only a point of light that is herself. The final sentence of the story states, “She stretched herself with a deep breath and blew out the light.” Granny ended her own life when she blew out her “light.” I think it is a common misconception that death takes people away, but when the time is right, I believe it is up to that individual to pass when they are ready. I wonder what I will think about on my final day or if I will even realize when that day is. Hopefully, I will think of memories, both good and bad, that will bring closure to my existence on Earth.
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
I really enjoyed reading “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” I found the story to be very interesting and exciting due to the style of writing. Author Ambrose Bierce alternated the story between the present action and segments of narration. The story begins with a narration of our main character, Peyton Farquhar, on the Owl Creek Bridge with several soldiers in the Union army. The Union soldiers are preparing Farquhar to be hanged due to his involvement with the Confederates. At first readers are not told why or how Farquhar has come across his fate however, Bierce does a great job of building anticipation from beginning to end.
The setting is described in vivid detail making readers feel they are standing on the planks with Farquhar. With only seconds before death, Farquhar closes his eyes, hoping to fix his last thoughts upon his wife and children. He begins to hear a disturbance that he is unable to ignore. When I was reading the story, I thought there was going to be an incredible, action-packed rescue. Sadly, that was not the case however, after reading further the sound Farquhar heard was the sound of his own watch. With one last minute moment of desperation, Farquhar develops an escape plan that will be a sure success. As his thoughts continue the sergeant lets go of the plank.
Now, I am on the edge of my seat and our author gives us a few pages of background information. We now have a glimpse idea of why Farquhar ended up in his current predicament. One day a passing soldier stopped at his home for water and made small talk while his wife got the man a drink. Farquhar really has no involvement in the war however, carried on the conversation nevertheless. What Farquhar didn’t know was this soldier was actually a Federal scout.
Just as quickly as Bierce gives us a bit of narrative, we are sent back again to the present action. With excellent detail, the author describes the hanging. Just when we think Farquhar is doomed the noose breaks sending him into the water below. He manages to get free, dodge several canon and gun shots, while eventually making his way to shore. Farquhar then spends hours running home. When he finally arrives, he looks at his wife, sprints towards her only to feel an incredible blow to the back of his neck. Shockingly, Farquhar never had an unbelievable escape, but rather dreamed everything up in the minutes before his execution. He died, just as scheduled, by hanging on the Owl Creek Bridge. I was totally unsuspecting of the ending to the story. The description was so realistic and vivid I really thought Farquhar escaped. The entire time I wish he had; it seems like he did nothing wrong to get in his unfortunate situation. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed the story and was on the edge of my seat. Author, Ambrose Bierce did a great job of building suspense and leaving readers rather dumbfounded at the stories close.
The Cask of Amontillado
Even though I hadn’t read Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” before today, I felt like I knew exactly what was coming because we watched the film in class last week. I believe the film portrayed the actual short story quite well. Unfortunately, watching the movie before reading the story left me without any feeling of surprise at the end of Poe’s tale. Regardless, I still found the story to be interesting due in part to our narrator’s lack of reasoning behind killing Fortunato. The first line of the story reads, “The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could; but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge.” What was this terrible insult that would possess our narrator to seek revenge?
The story takes place one night during the carnival season. Fortunato is highly intoxicated at this point and is approached by our narrator, Montresor, with an inquisition about Amontillado (a type of wine). Since Fortunato is considered a proficient in tasting wines he follows Montresor to his inevitable doom. Montresor takes Fortunato into the vaults below his house, coaxing him to his fate. Throughout the entire story Poe had our narrator address Fortunato in a rather unique way. He referred to him as his friend, and was overly concerned about Fortunato’s health and wellbeing. He even offered several times to turn around and forget the Amontillado. I understand Montresor had to trick Fortunato into believing he truly cared about him. However, there are several occasions when I thought Montresor really hoped Fortunato would ask to leave.
Poe uses several examples of foreshadowing during the short story. One instance is when Montresor is inquiring about Fortunato’s cough. Fortunato states, “the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.” That is absolutely correct, Fortunato will die when our narrator buries him alive. There is also an example when the men say a toast. Fortunato toasts to, “the buried that repose around us,” while Montresor in response states, “And I to your long life.” At this point readers are aware something unusual is going on. The text suggests Fortunato will not make it out of this excursion alive. Sure enough, when the opportunity arises, Montresor does chain Fortunato to a wall. He then proceeds to construct another wall, essentially burying him alive. The question that still remains in my mind is why? What did he do that brought about this horrendous act?
The Black Cat
“The Black Cat” is thought by many to be one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous works of literature. I had not previously read “The Black Cat,” but had an idea of what the story was about. When we read “The Purloined Letter” a few days ago in class, I was waiting for something gruesome to happen having the preconceived notion that Poe is famous for dark and twisted stories. “The Purloined Letter” however, is a rather normal detective story, unlike “The Black Cat” which does prove to be strange and unnerving.
I like how Poe began his story with our narrator “unburdening his soul” for he is scheduled to die tomorrow. Right away I was hooked to the story; wanting to know what actions led to this man’s fate. The narrator also states, “Yet, mad I am not – and very surely do not dream” at the beginning of the story. This statement is extremely ironic since he then proceeds to describe his horrific and insane acts which lead to his current situation.
The story is about a man, our narrator, who remains nameless throughout the entire piece. This particular man leads a rather normal, happy life with his wife and several pets that they both adore. As time goes on, the man starts to develop an intimate connection with the couple’s black cat, named Pluto. Eventually, the connection starts to become an annoyance to the man just as he is taking a turn for the worst himself. He begins drinking quite often turning his easy going personality into that of a crazy person. He abuses his animals, his wife, and ultimately makes several attempts at killing his cat. Eventually he does succeed thinking he has gotten rid of the monster forever.
The same night that he killed his cat, the man and his wife were woken up to their house in flames. After moving to an apartment, coincidently another cat stumbles upon the family; or is it the same one? Trying to make up for his horrible act with his previous pet, the man takes the cat in and eventually becomes just as loathsome towards the feline as before. Our narrator, in a final act of desperation for his sanity attempts to kill this second cat but is stopped by his wife. Because of his sheer anger at the entire situation he kills her instead and proceeds to bury her in the wall of their cellar (Poe had a secret fear of being buried alive).
I feel one of the main messages in “The Black Cat” is karma. Our main character did nothing but sin terribly throughout the entire story and thought he was going to get away with killing his wife. He even made light of the situation when police arrived to search for her. In the end the man buried the cat in the wall with the man’s dead wife! The black cat, his arch enemy during the entire story, was the reason for his downfall. In my opinion our narrator brought everything on himself. Our narrator was an obvious alcoholic (like Poe in real life) and took his anger out on the cat that just seemed to never die. Black cats are often compared with hell or the devil. I think the notion began to eat at our narrator until he snapped, resulting in the death of his wife, and the terrible bad luck of the cat “outing” him in front of authorities.
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