The Kite Runner (Blog 8)
By: Khaled Hosseini

As depressing as this book was, I really did enjoy it.  Every time something good finally happened, a tragedy occurred shortly after, so I was relieved to see that the ending wasn't sad.  It actually ended the novel on a positive note with a sense of hope.  I liked that Sohrab got to partake in kite flying with Amir.  It was one of Amir's most cherished past times, especially because he spent those times with Hassan.  I think that it was interesting that Amir got another chance to experience this with Hassan, although it wasn't actually with Hassan himself.  Amir got to do this with Hassan's son Sohrab, whom reminded Amir of his best friend in numerous ways.  Since Amir had brought him to America, Sohrab had been silent the entire time.  No one could get him to talk or put a smile on his face.  It was a good experience for Amir and Sohrab to share together.  For Sohrab, it gave him the chance to finally try to live a normal childhood.  He finally felt at peace and welcome.  In addition, it was a connection for him to be with his father again.  For Amir, the kite flying gave him a sense of peace and forgiveness.  It was the first time he had flown a kite since he won the kite tournament 25 years before (the same day he saw Hassan get raped).  This was Amir's first time of having positive memories of Hassan since he had finally forgiven himself.  It was a chance to remind him of how special his childhood was, especially with Hassan as his best friend.  With this experience with Sohrab, Amir can feel Hassan through his son, and his memory can live on for both of them.  At the very end of the book, Amir finally gets Sohrab to smile.  This hopefully will lead to him opening up to Amir and others in his future life in America.  A quote that I liked at the end of this novel was "'for you a thousand times over'" (Hosseini, 371).  This quote was said many times throughout the book.  I liked it at the end of this because I took it as Amir telling Sohrab that he will do anything for him.  He regrets not sticking up for Hassan against Assef, but he is going to make up for it by always being there for Sohrab.

The Kite Runner (Blog 7)
By: Khaled Hosseini

Throughout the book, it seems that Amir struggles with his faith.  As a child, he was dedicated to making sure he never missed prayers or times of worship.  However, as he got older, his religion became less of a priority.  Amir realizes that the last time he prayed was more than 15 years ago.  It was the day that he watched Hassan and Ali pack the car to leave Baba's house for good.  I wonder how Amir's life would have been different if he had kept a stronger faith all along.  Would he have been able to forgive himself sooner?  Would he have mended his relationship with Hassan before it was too late?  These questions obviously can't be answered since Amir went through a long period of time without prayer.  However, he turns back to God when he has to take Sohrab to the hospital.  It seems that at this time, Amir is getting his priorities straight again.  He has lost most of the important people to him, so he doesn't want to let Sohrab get away from him.  "I see now that Baba was wrong, there is a God, there always has been.  I see Him here, in the eyes of the people in the corridor of desperation" (Hosseini, 346).  In this quote, I found a literary term.  It can serve as Amir's epiphany.  At this time, he realized that he needed to put his faith in God.  He wasn't going to be able to control every situation and solve every problem in his life.  He needed to see God through it all to make it through all of the hardships he had endured.

The Kite Runner (Blog 6)
By: Khaled Hosseini

It was sad for me to see that Sohrad was sexually taken advantage of.  Hassan, his father, experienced the same thing from Assef.  Although this book is fictional, it is disturbing to know that this kind of stuff happens in the real world.  Sohrab explained to Amir that he is left feeling dirty and sinful.  He had been sexually abused, and he was left no longer feeling clean and pure anymore.  Sohrab says he wants his old life back.  He wants his parents, grandmother, and Rahim Kahn to all be back with him again.  His childhood has been torn apart, and he feels alone and hopeless.  Even worse, Sohrab isn't the only child like this.  Afghanistan is so torn by the war at this point in the novel that this situation is common.  It is common for children to be orphans, or not even know where their parents are.  "There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood" (Hosseini, 318).  This quote is a paradox.  If there are many children, we would think that this automatically means that they all have childhoods.  This quote carries a deeper meaning, though.  It is saying that the many children of the country do not have normal childhoods.  They are often abandoned or orphaned, and they do not get to live happy lives like children should be able to.  This isn't how anyone's childhood should be.  Because of this fact, readers feel much sympathy not just for Sohrab, but all Afghan children.

The Kite Runner (Blog 5)
By: Khaled Hosseini

Chapter 22 was so upsetting for me to read.  Amir was just trying to help find Sohrab and give him a chance for a better life.  The officials kept questioning Amir's true intentions of coming back to Afghanistan, but Amir was truly there for Sohrab.  I expected it to be difficult to get Sohrab from the Talibans, but I was more shocked than I thought I would be.  The last person I expected Amir to encounter was Assef.  When Assef came into the scene, I knew things were going to turn ugly.  Assef was saying that he wanted to get rid of the "garbage" of Afghanistan.  This disgusted me; I have no respect for people that are degrading towards other human beings.  "'Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage'" (Hosseini, 284).  Earlier in the novel, Assef explained how he really like Adolf Hitler.  This quote reminded me of Hitler so much.  Assef ended up telling Amir that he could take Sohrab, but they had to fight first.  If Amir won, he could leave with him.  Assef wore his brass knuckles and was beating Amir badly.  Sohrab saved him by shooting a brass ball at Assef with his slingshot.  He ended up hitting Assef right in the eye, and they were able to escape.  Amir was already injured severely, though.  A literary term that I noticed at this point in the book was imagery.  It made it so much easier for me to picture what was happening to Amir.  I could visualize the setting and Amir's appearance quite vividly in my mind.  "Assef straddling my chest, his face a mask of lunacy, framed by snarls of his hair swaying inches from my face.  His free hand was locked around my throat.  The other, the one with the brass knuckles, cocked above his shoulder" (Hosseini, 289).  I think that this quote is a good example of the imagery used for this scene.  It made the whole situation so much more realistic, in my opinion.

The Kite Runner (Blog 4)
By: Khaled Hosseini

I was so sad when Baba died.  I know that it was inevitable since his cancer couldn't be cured, but I still thought it was very depressing.  Baba and Amir didn't always have a great relationship.  Growing up, Amir felt that he could never please his father.  Even after he won the kite tournament, their relationship wasn't strong for long.  I think that one thing that brought them closer together was escaping to America.  Their journey was long and difficult.  Besides each other, they didn't have anyone anymore.  Because of this, I think that they grew closer on their journey.  At Baba's funeral, many people talked to Amir and expressed their strong admiration for Baba.  He was a great person and helped many people throughout his life.  "Listening to them, I realized how much of who I was, what I was, had been defined by Baba and the marks he had left on people's lives.  My whole life, I had been 'Baba's son.'  Now he was gone.  Baba couldn't show me the way anymore; I'd have to find it on my own" (Hosseini, 174).  I liked this quote because it shows that Amir realized his father was an amazing individual.  He realized that his father was selfless and constantly made a difference in other people's lives.  Luckily, Amir had paid attention to all that his father did throughout his lifetime.  I think he will be able to live a life similar to his father, but I think he is going to tell Soraya about what happened with Hassan first.  I think that if he finally admits it to someone, he will be able to move forward with his life and model it after Baba's.

The Kite Runner (Blog 3)
By: Khaled Hosseini

I found chapter 12 to be extremely upsetting.  One week, Baba catches a cold with a hacking cough.  His sickness only progresses, and his health is quickly deteriorating.  After two weeks, Amir sees his father coughing up blood.  He becomes very worried and finally takes his father to the doctor.  At the San Jose hospital, the doctor states that he has found a suspicious spot on Baba's right lung.  Baba has been a smoker for years, so the doctor is pretty sure it's lung cancer.  After multiple trips to the doctors and many tests later, Dr. Amani diagnosed Baba with cancer.  Even after this trip to the doctor, Baba wants to keep his illness a secret for as long as possible.  His secret is revealed at the flea market when he has a seizure one day, though.  They go to a doctor who puts films from Baba's CAT scan on a viewing box.  He shows that Baba's cancer has "metastasized" and will cause his death very soon.  Amir is distraught with the thought of having to live life without his father.  "I wept in the hallway, by the viewing box where, the night before, I'd seen the killer's face" (Hosseini, 160).  This quote serves as an analogy between cancer and a murderer.  Prior to this, Amir had said how cancer was like a killer.  The films on the viewing box were like a cop showing mug shots of a killer to a victim's family.  As depressing as this analogy is, I found it to be a very good comparison.

The Kite Runner (Blog 2)

By: Khaled Hosseini

When they moved to America, Baba and Amir had to use their visas to register as US citizens.  Their eligibility officer was a heavyset African American woman named Mrs. Dobbins.  Mrs. Dobbins gave Baba a stack of food stamps.  Baba refuses to take them.  "'Thank you, but I don't want,' Baba said.  'I work always.  In Afghanistan I work, in America I work.  Thank you very much, Mrs. Dobbins, but I don't like it free money'" (Hosseini, 130).  I found this quote to serve as an example of characterization about Baba.  Many of the Afghan people seem to be very serious about keeping honor and dignity.  Baba definitely isn't an exception to this.  He wants to maintain a respectable persona, and he feels that he can keep this by always working hard.  In Kabul, he worked so hard and was very wealthy.  Many people were envious of him and his extravagant possessions.  I think that this made Baba proud of himself.  He would not want to live a life of having things handed to him after all of his hard work.  He was already working at a gas station.  Baba didn't want people to view him as lazy if he was on food stamps.  Also, I think that he didn't want his son to be disappointed in him.  As a father, it seems like Baba always wanted to come off as a strong and respectable man.

The Kite Runner (Blog 1)

By: Khaled Hosseini

Escaping the war-torn country of Afghanistan and the Russians, Baba and Amir move to Fremont, California.  Baba has not easily transitioned to life in America, and he struggles to adjust to living away from the only country he has ever known.  Life in America was a very different experience for Amir.  He no longer viewed Kabul as his home after it was invaded.  However, he did not like to see his father so worn out and miserable.  Amir suggests that they move back to Pakistan.  Baba is completely against this and says that they came to America for Amir to finish high school and hopefully college.  In the summer of 1983, Amir graduated high school, and he was trying to decide whether he wanted to attend a junior college or not.  Baba strongly encouraged his son to go to college because he didn't want him to have to work a tiring job at a gas station like him.  For Amir's graduation, Baba buys his son a used Ford Grand Torino.  After realizing the bright future he can achieve in America, Amir decides that he will attend junior college and get a degree in creative writing.  In this part of the novel, Amir presents an extended metaphor.  "America was different.  America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past.  I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far.  Somewhere with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins" (Hosseini, 136).  This metaphor compares Amir's past in Kabul to his future in America.  His life is like a flowing river, which allows him to move on from past memories.  A river is always flowing, just as Amir's life will continue to move along, regardless of his painful past.  This obviously refers to his friendship with Hassan.  Amir feels that his life in America is a fresh start.  He can move on from these dark memories and try to begin anew.

Sorting Laundry
By: Elisavietta Ritche

In this poem, the narrator is simply folding laundry.  She describes how each piece of laundry carries a different meaning to her.  "Folding clothes, I think of folding you into my life" (Ritche).  Her husband or boyfriend is so important to her that a simple act of folding laundry reminds her of him.  She says that pillowcases remind her of their dreams.  Putting pairs of socks together reminds her of the pairs of animals that were on Noah's Ark.  Each piece of laundry carries a random and unique meaning to this woman.  She seems to view them as a part of her.  She says that if this man ever left her, she wouldn't have enough clothes/laundry to fill the empty side of the bed.  I liked this poem because it is simple, and the narrator had a positive tone.  I like her way of showing her appreciation for someone.  She realizes this appreciation in an everyday task, so I think this man definitely is important to her.

Batter my heart, three-personed God
By: John Donne

This sonnet is an apostrophe between a man and God.  He is directly addressing God, asking Him to purify his heart.  The first 8 lines include the narrator admitting and confessing his wrongs.  However, he is telling God that he cannot purify himself.  He wants God to do it all for him.  The last 6 lines see a shift.  The narrator begins to surrender to God.  He tells God that he is currently rejecting Him, but he wants to be saved.  "Yet dearly I love you and would be loved fain, but am betrothed to your enemy" (Donne).  Here, he tells God that the devil has taken prominence in his life.  He asks God to be saved, and he claims that he cannot do anything to save himself.  Only God can purify him.  Another thing I took note of in this poem is when the narrator used three consecutive words; I took them as references to the Holy Trinity.  He uses "knock, breathe, shine" and "break, blow, burn" (Donne).  I think that "knock" and "break" refer to God.  He is the one that can remove evil from our lives.  "Breathe" and "blow" refer to Jesus Christ, the Son.  He is the living form of God, and these words are actions that would have to be done by a person.  "Shine" and "burn" refer to the Holy Spirit because it is often depicted as a fire, which can shine and burn.

I taste a liquor never brewed
By: Emily Dickinson

When I first read this poem, I honestly had no idea what Dickinson was talking about.  The best I could come up with was that the poem was and extended metaphor that compares being drunk to a summer day.  However, I didn't realize the narrator wasn't literally referring to being drunk.  It turns out that she is talking about being drunk on nature.  She compares this feeling to drunkenness because she feels like she is in a different state of mind.  The poem first presents the metaphor by talking about how this "liquor" is unique.  The narrator starts the second stanza by saying that she was "inebriate of air" (Dickinson).  I think she was saying that the beauty of nature was breathtaking.  The metaphor continues throughout the poem, and the end talks about how others wanted to watch the narrator indulge in the enjoyment of nature.  "And the saints-to windows run-to see the little Tippler leaning against the-Sun-" (Dickinson).  After I finally understood the meaning of this poem, I really liked it.  I can relate to how the narrator felt.  I went on Summer Field Studies this past year, and I had never experienced nature in that way before.  I still can't explain how I felt when I first saw the Grand Canyon and stared in shock at how huge it was.  I enjoyed reading this poem because of the extended metaphor that attempts to explain this feeling in such a unique way.

The Convergence of the Twain
By: Thomas Hardy

This poem discusses the tragic sinking of the Titanic with excellent use of imagery.  However, it lacks a tone of sympathy, rather it is a bit harsh and rude.  I would have thought that the author would feel bad for all of the people that died in this historic event, but he seems to ignore the people altogether.  Instead, he focuses on the material things aboard the ship.  For example, instead of mentioning the bodies that went to ocean floor along with the ship, Hardy talks about the jewels.  Titanic was extremely extravagant and elegant, and there were many wealthy people on the ship.  In Stanza IV, Hardy mentions how the jewels "lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind" (Hardy).  Hardy using this imagery to allow readers to picture the many riches just laying at the bottom of the ocean.  I found it odd that he was so concentrated on these material things.  Other images included in this poem include sea-worms and cold, alienated waters.  Based on all of the negative images, I think that Hardy was comparing the sinking of the Titanic to the sinking of human dignity.  With this theme, he focused on the items that the people all took pride in.  Hardy seems to think the ship's sinking was bound to happen.  If they had been more concerned with the people, more lives could have likely been saved.

My Mistress' Eyes
By: William Shakespeare

In this poem, the narrator has an odd way of describing his love's beauty.  While most would assume that the woman would be receiving positive compliments, the narrator actually does the complete opposite.  "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" (Shakespeare) is the opening line of the poem.  How sweet...  In addition to this, the narrator continues on with these "compliments."  He says that her breath stinks, music is more pleasing to listen to than her voice, she treads when she walks, etc.  If I were the woman he were talking about, I would be completely insulted!  Any time he starts to say a compliment, he compares her to something else and says she is less perfect than that.  In the couplet, though, the narrator brings up an interesting point.  "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare" (Shakespeare).  Here, the narrator is claiming that his love for this woman is unique.  He says that it is so unique that it can't be compared to anyone else's love.  I find this to be very interesting, considering he basically wrote a poem of insults about her.

Barbie Doll
By: Marge Piercy

This poem was actually very depressing, in my opinion.  The girl that the poem is about was a normal, happy little girl as a child.  However, when puberty hit, a classmate told her that she had a big nose and fat legs.  Regardless of what she did and accomplished, this is all anyone would notice.  No one could see past her fat legs and big nose.  Eventually, the girl could not handle the stress of everyone's harsh judgments.  "Her good nature wore out like a fan belt" (Piercy).  This simile bears a great significance to the poem.  I had to look up what a fan belt was to understand the simile to realize this, though.  A fan belt keeps a car's engine from overheating.  If it runs out, then the engine would no longer work.  Similarly, the young girl grew tired of people judging her.  Her good nature refers to her self-confidence and motivation to ignore people's rude opinions.  She grew angry towards everyone and did not want to have to deal with the situation any longer.  As a result, she cut off her nose and legs.  The narrator describes that in her casket, she had a "turned-up putty nose, dressed in a pink and white nightie" (Piercy).  When everyone viewed her casket, they commented on how pretty she looked.  This was sad to me.  No one would recognize the girl's true and natural beauty.  They only saw her to be beautiful when she had a fake nose and no legs in her casket.  The final lines say "consummation at last.  To every woman a happy ending" (Piercy).  I thought that this quote was a shame.  It is basically saying that no woman ever feels happy until she is told that she is pretty.  Since no one said this about the girl until she was dead, I found this quote to be especially upsetting.

A Jury of Her Peers
By: Susan Glaspell

In this story, Martha Hale is suddenly called by her husband to a crime scene.  John Wright was murdered.  As soon as Martha learns of this, she feels a sense of guilt.  She had known Minnie (John's wife) for years and had never visited her.  Mr. Hale explains his knowledge on the situation.  He had been trying to talk John into buying a phone for awhile, so he went over to the Wright's house.  When he got there, Minnie frantically answered the door and said that John had been murdered.  She tells Mr. Hale that John had been strangled. Based on her reaction to the situation, Mr. Hale didn't suspect that Minnie would have killed her husband.  However, we soon learn that Minnie is guilty of the crime.  Her husband had killed her pet bird, so she killed him in return.  The women (Martha and the sheriff's wife) discovered the evidence that revealed this truth.  "Desperately she opened it, started to take the bird out.  But there she broke-she could not touch the bird" (Glaspell).  Martha found a box that contained the dead bird, which reveals Minnie's motive to kill John.  I think that the bird was symbolic.  Minnie said that her husband had told her that she could no longer sing, and then he killed her bird.  I think that the bird symbolized her voice as a woman.  She was upset that her husband would ban her from singing and kill her pet.  She may have felt like he was treating her as an inferior because of her gender.  Either way, I think that Minnie has some problems.  Who kills their husband over a bird?!

Hunters in the Snow
By: Tobias Wolff

In this short story, Tub, Kenny, and Frank go on a hunting trip together for the day.  It is cold and snowing outside, which is not ideal hunting weather in Tub's opinion.  Tub consistently annoys his friends with negativity and complaints.  Frank and Kenny seem to enjoy ganging up and Tub and giving him a hard time. After a few hours of hunting, the men stop to eat lunch.  Kenny and Frank eat heavily, while Tub snacks on a hard-boiled egg and a stick of celery.  Kenny and Frank tease Tub about this and his weight.  Tub snaps back and claims he has a gland issue.  After they continue hunting again, Tub ends up separated from his friends and sits down to eat again.  "He ate both the sandwiches and half the cookies, taking his own sweet time" (Wolff).  With this sentence, it became very clear the Tub was lying about his glands.  He pretends to have health issues as a way to avoid the jokes about his weight.  This is an internal conflict.  Tub is essentially living a double life.  "When I said that about my glands, that wasn't true.  The truth is I just shovel it in" (Wolff).  Tub confesses the reality of his health to Frank.  He tells his friend how difficult it is to keep up this lie.  His wife, friends, etc. all think he truly has problems with his glands.  However, Tub actually is overweight because he eats so much.  Because he basically lives two separate lives, Tub suffers from an internal conflict.  He must keep up with his lie.  If he ever wants to tell the truth, he has to build up the courage to fess up and do so. 

Othello (Blog 8)
By: William Shakespeare

Well, this play definitely fits in the category of a tragedy!  Knowing how Shakespeare's tragedies always end, I knew that at least one of the characters was going to die.  In Act V, Scene 2, Othello kills Desdemona in the bed.  She begs him not to, and she even tells him that she and Cassio never slept together.  Despite his wife's desperate pleas, Othello stabs Desdemona.  Before she dies, Desdemona tells Emilia that she killed herself.  "Nobody, I myself.  Farewell.  Commend me to my kind lord.  Oh farewell!" (V.ii.122-123).  I think that this proves that Desdemona truly loved Othello, and she didn't want anyone to know that he killed her over a rumor that wasn't even true.  When Emilia shows up after Othello stabbed his wife, she tells Othello that Cassio is alive and he killed Roderigo.  In addition, Iago kills Emilia when the truth comes out to reveal that he is a villain.  As Emilia is dying, she tells Othello that Desdemona had remained faithful to him.  "Moor, she was chaste.  She loved thee, cruel Moor..." (V.ii.248-249).  After realizing that he murdered his wife for no reason at all, Othello stabs himself so that he falls back and dies on the bed next to Desdemona's body.  "I kissed thee ere I killed thee.  No way but this, killing myself, to die upon a kiss" (V.ii.356-357).  All of these deaths make the end of the play very depressing, making it fit the category of a tragedy perfectly.  It's a shame that all of these characters died due to the lies and deceit of Iago, whom ended up living in the end.

Othello (Blog 7)
By: William Shakespeare

At one point in Act IV of the play, Desdemona sings the "Willow" song as she gets ready for bed.  This song is about a woman that gets betrayed by her lover.  "I called my love false love, but what said he then?  Sing willow, willow, willow.  If I court moe women, you'll couch with moe men" (IV.iii.53-55).  When Desdemona sings it in Act IV, she is just singing it because she remembers learning it from one of her mother's maids.  However, this song ends up bearing a great deal of symbolism in Act V.  In this scene, Othello's plan to kill Desdemona is executed.  He wakes Desdemona and tells her to prepare to die.  "Well, do it, and be brief.  I will walk by.  I would not kill thy unprepared spirit.  No, Heaven forfend!  I would not kill thy soul" (V.ii.30-32).  Othello does actually end up killing his once-beloved wife.  The song is symbolic of this.  Desdemona was betrayed by her own husband.  He killed her, even when she tried to explain to him that she and Cassio never slept with each other.

Othello (Blog 6)

By: William Shakespeare

 In Act IV, Scene 2, readers can better-understand the external conflict between Roderigo and Iago.  Apparently, Roderigo has been giving jewels to Iago to give to Desdemona.  "I tell you 'tis not very well.  I will make myself known to Desdemona.  If she will return me my jewels, I will give over my suit and repent my unlawful solicitation.  If not, assure yourself I will seek satisfaction of you" (IV.ii.194-197).  Roderigo tells Iago that if he finds out that he hasn't been giving the jewels to Desdemona, he is going to go after him.  At first, Roderigo was under the impression that he and Iago were working together.  Now, he realizes that Iago really might not be helping him at all.  This is how the external conflict developed.  Roderigo appears to be the first character to recognize Iago and his evil ways.  Iago only wants to benefit himself, but he pretends to help others to gain more for himself.  This scene left me curious.  Is Roderigo going to end up going after Iago?  Will Roderigo's threat stop Iago from continuing his plan?

Othello (Blog 5)
By: William Shakespeare

In Act IV, Scene 1, Iago further proves that he is a round character.  Although it has already been very evident throughout the entirety of the play, this scene includes Iago the whole time, and readers can see how he acts differently towards everyone- Othello, Cassio, and the audience.  Iago comes up with a plan to have Othello listen in on a conversation with Cassio, causing him to think that Cassio is bragging about his "affair" with Desdemona.  When Iago is talking with Othello, he acts like he is a concerned friend.  He pretends to be upset about Desdemona sleeping with Cassio, so he tries to comfort Othello and give him advice.  Iago acts very different when he talks to Cassio; he laughs and encourages Cassio to tell him about Bianca.  When Iago begins to talk to Cassio (while Othello is listening while in hiding), he quietly brings up Bianca.  While Cassio laughs about it, Othello thinks that he is talking about Desdemona.  "So, so, so, so.  They laugh at that win" (IV.i.119).  This quote shows that Othello is bothered by Cassio laughing, even though he doesn't know that Cassio is actually laughing about Bianca.  Lastly, when Iago speaks to the audience, his evil side is revealed.  He tells us his evil plans to ruin the lives of Othello, Desdemona, and Cassio.

Othello (Blog 4)
By: William Shakespeare

When we were introduced to this play in class, we were told to pay close attention to the mention of a handkerchief.  I thought it had been mentioned and I had missed it, but it finally appears in Act III!  I think that the handkerchief bears a great amount of symbolism.  Othello gave Desdemona a handkerchief as a symbol of his love.  This shows that its first meaning is the love that Othello has for Desdemona.  Unlike Brabantio's assumptions, he truly cares about Desdemona.  Later in Act III, though, Iago begins his cruel task to break up Othello and Desdemona.  He begins to tell Othello that he heard that Desdemona has had an affair with Cassio.  Unfortunately, Othello believes this lie.  When Desdemona drops the handkerchief, Emilia steals it to give to her husband.  Iago plans to use it by putting it in Cassio's house to make Othello jealous.  "I will in Cassio's lodging lose this napkin, and let him find it.  Trifles light as air are to the jealous confirmations strong as proofs of Holy Writ" (III.iii.322-325).  I think that the handkerchief is going to also symbolize the love that is probably going to be lost between Othello and Desdemona if Iago's plan executes properly.  Iago certainly proves that he is purely evil in this scene.  

Othello (Blog 3)
By: William Shakespeare

As Act II opens, it is described that the Turkish fleet was separated and even possibly wrecked.  The waves were rough, and the fleet could not stay together.  When Michael Cassio arrives, he explains that he and Othello were separated.  He is unsure as to where his friend is.  Desdemona arrives much earlier than expected, and Cassio is shocked.  He lies about not knowing where her husband is.  Desdemona still is worried, but these worries are relieved when Othello shows up later in Scene 1.  I think that his arrival is proof that he and Desdemona truly love each other.  In Act I, Brabantio feared that Othello forced or tricked his beloved daughter into marriage.  However, the two seem to be very happy as a married couple.  Othello expresses how overjoyed he is to see that his wife has arrived early.  Desdemona responds to this by saying, "the heavens forbid but that our loves and comforts should increase, even as our days do grow" (II.i.178-180).  She is saying that even though their love is forbidden (by Brabantio and others), the love that they share will only grow as they grow older together.

Othello (Blog 2)
By: William Shakespeare

Just after reading Act I, I was already able to tell that Iago is a very fake person.  He is extremely two-faced.  He speaks to people very differently.  Sometimes he uses prose, and other times he uses poetry (iambic pentameter).  For example, shortly after Act I opens, Iago speaking with Brabantio.  Iago is speaking in iambic pentameter here.

"It seems not meet, nor wholesome to my place,

To be produced-as if I stay I shall-

Against the Moor..." (I.i.144-146).

This quote shows how Iago spoke to Brabantio in iambic pentameter.  However, we see that he talks in prose with people like Roderigo.  For example, when Iago is talking Roderigo out of committing suicide, he is speaking in prose (I.iii.326-347).  This quote isn't an example of him being two-faced, but it definitely proves that he talks differently to various people.  It seems like he uses prose to talk to people that he is comfortable with and knows well.  On the other hand, when he needs to seem respectful or professional to someone, he uses poetry.

Othello (Blog 1)
By: William Shakespeare

Shakespeare features a great use of characterization in Act I of this play.  It is used in a negative manner, though.  This is because it is racist towards Othello, the Moor.  Some of the characters characterize Othello as an animal, as well as someone that only lusts.  For example, Iago says that "an old black ram is tupping your white ewe" (I.i.88-89).  This quote describes Othello as "an old black ram."  This is because he is African American and is pretty old.  However, this quote is racist for two reasons.  It compares Othello to an animal, which implies that he is inferior to others because of his race.  Also, it says that the ram is "tupping your white ewe."  This implies that Othello is like an animal.  He doesn't know how to truly love; he just uses women for sex.  This is an unfair and rude assumption.  Another example of this characterization is when Iago tells Brabantio that he will have his "nephews neigh" to him (I.i.111).  This implies that if Desdemona and Othello have children together, the children will be animals because of their African American father.  Overall, many of the characters have negative views towards African Americans, and this is proven in the manner that they speak of Othello.

The Story of an Hour
By: Kate Chopin

I honestly was so confused after I read this story.  At the beginning, I felt so bad for Mrs. Mallard.  The way that she found out about her husband's death was very sad.  "It was her sister Josephine who had told her, in broken sentences, veiled hints that revealed in half concealing" (Chopin).  I felt so bad for Mrs. Mallard and cannot imagine how difficult this would be.  "She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms" (Chopin).  Mrs. Mallard cried immediately upon learning of her husband's death.  However, she quickly recovered from this.  She soon begins to feel a sense of joy and freedom.  This made me wonder if she was in an unhealthy marriage.  Why would anyone feel free after the loss of his/her spouse?  Maybe she felt that she could not be her own, individual person as a married woman.  Either way, I was very confused as to why Mrs. Mallard suddenly experienced joy.  In addition, I was even more confused when she died of a heart disease at the end.  "She had died of a heart disease-of joy that kills" (Chopin).  Is this to be taken literally?  Did Mrs. Mallard really die as a result of her joy?

Popular Mechanics
By: Raymond Carver

In this short story, a couple is in a major argument.  It is such a bad fight that the man is packing a suitcase to leave.  The couple has a baby together, and they are fighting over who gets to have the baby.  Because of this, I assume that the baby is the only thing that was keeping them together.  They are arguing so much that they are tugging at the baby from each other.  They got so caught up in their fight that they didn't pay attention to the fact that they were hurting the baby.  The baby was screaming and crying, but the couple continued to fight.  This leads to a surprising ending, and it can be classified as dramatic irony.  The man and woman are fighting over who gets to have the baby.  However, it turns out that neither gets the baby.  They tug so hard at the baby that they rip it in half.  "He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard.  In this manner, the issue was decided" (Carver).  This shows that the argument ended up leading to neither one getting what they wanted.

You're Ugly, Too
By: Lorrie Moore

Moore does a great job of using characterization throughout this short story.  With the use of this literary device, readers are able to figure out about Zoe Hendricks' personality.  Zoe is a very sarcastic person.  She uses sarcasm and humor throughout the entire story; I think she uses this as a way to act like she is okay with her life.  However, it isn't hard for readers to realize that Zoe is pretty lonely.  Besides her sister Evan, she really doesn't have anyone.  She describes a few past relationships that all failed.  In addition, she doesn't seem to have a good relationship with her students.  The story features many different excerpts of student reviews about Zoe.  For example, one student said "Professor Hendricks has said critical things about Fawn Hall, the Catholic religion, and the whole state of Illinois.  It is unbelievable" (355).  This shows that Zoe is always willing to state her opinion about everything, and she doesn't care whom she says it to.  However, her opinions are very offensive to others.  I would assume that she has no filter.  Another way to characterize Zoe can be seen in her Halloween costume.  She dresses as a bone.  I think that this illustrates her hard attitude towards love.  She basically just doesn't believe in love.  Also, she isn't even happy for Evan when she and Charlie get engaged.  Overall, Moore's use of characterization allows readers to understand the personality of Zoe Hendricks.  This is possible through her dry humor and lack of emotion towards love.

Getting Out
By: Cleopatra Mathis

This poem is about a young couple and their life together.  It describes their struggles together as a married couple and how they are no longer together.  The story is told in first person point of view.  The poem uses the pronouns of "we" and "us" at the beginning.  However, the end of the poem shifts to using "I" and "you."  This shows how they are no longer together.  Their lives are separate now.  Also, the pronouns help readers understand that they are not placing the blame on one person over the other.  Every time the speaker brings up something that "you" (the man) did, she brings up something that she did, too.  When the poem mentions "our matching eyes and hair" (896), it implies that maybe the man and woman were too much alike.  Also, maybe they were too young for marriage.  For example, the final lines of the poem describes how they held hands instead of hugging or kissing.  Their love developed at too young of an age.

Eveline
By: James Joyce

Eveline Hill is a young girl that is lonely.  Her mother passed away, and one of her brothers has also died.  Her father is an abusive man, and it seems like Eveline desperately wants to escape her family life.  The only person that she truly seems to care about is a sailor named Frank.  Eveline is in love with Frank.  Her father does not approve of Frank, though.  Regardless of this, Eveline plans to escape with Frank to go off and marry him.  "She was to go away with him by the night-boat to be his wife and to live with him in Buenos Aires where he had a home waiting for her" (220).  This life with Frank is a promise of happiness in Eveline's eyes.  However, she remembers the promises she made with her mother.  She promised to keep her family's household alive.  She also committed to keeping her family together.  Eveline realizes that she will break these promises by escaping with Frank.  As the boat starts to move away, Eveline pulls away from Frank and lets him leave without her.  This showed that Eveline decided to stay true to her family.

How I Met My Husband
By: Alice Munro

This story is told in first person by Edie, a young girl that dropped out of high school and now works as a farmer.  Edie becomes a maid for Dr. Peebles, a veterinarian.  One day, Edie is at the old fairgrounds near Dr. Peebles' house.  Here, she meets a pilot named Chris Watters.  Chris is engaged to Alice (or at least Alice claims this).  Edie and Chris kiss, and the young girl is convinced that she is in love with Mr. Watters.  There is situational irony in Edie's story.  I thought that Chris was going to marry Edie.  However, Chris is not a man that can settle and commit to one certain person (or even one place).  He promised Edie that he would write her a letter, and she waits at the mailbox everyday with hopes of him fulfilling this promise.  Edie meets the young mail carrier, and he is the man whom she ends up marrying!  This seemed so random to me; I did not expect this ending at all.  However, her husband definitely was a better choice than the sketchy Chris Watters.  Edie explains that her husband thinks that she had a crush on him and that he is why she was always waiting by the mailbox.  This wasn't the case though, and I was surprised that she never told him the truth.  "He always tells the children the story of how I went after him by sitting by the mailbox every day, and naturally I laugh and let him, because I like for people to think what pleases them and makes them happy" (146).  I'm glad that Edie ended up finding a quality husband and enjoyable life with him, but it left me with one last question.  Did Edie ever tell her husband about her infatuation and past with Chris Watters?

Delight in Disorder
By: Robert Herrick

This brief poem describes a girl that is apparently attractive in the narrator's opinion.  The girl wears dresses, lace, ribbons, etc.  She tries to dress very girly.  However, she doesn't do a good job of keeping her appearance looking orderly.  For example, her appearance is a "sweet disorder in the dress" (979).  Also, the narrator observes that the girl's ribbons "flow confusedly" (979).  Regardless of the unkempt look of the girl, the narrator still finds her to be attractive and a beauty.  Herrick uses oxymorons to describe the girl.  "Sweet disorder" is an example of this.  We wouldn't normally associate these two words together because a disorder isn't sweet- it's more of a negative term.  Another oxymoron is "wildly civility."  These two words are pretty much complete opposites.  When we think of civility, we often think of order and structure.  Putting "wildly" with this word suggests that the girl has a wild side to her.  The use of this literary technique further enforces the fact that this girl is disorderly in her appearance.  However, the narrator sees past this and still finds her to be a very beautiful girl.

Lonely Hearts
By: Wendy Cope

In this poem, readers get to read multiple ads from a newspaper.  Apparently, the newspaper offers a section of ads where some of the locals in North London write descriptions about themselves in hopes of finding love.  For example, one of the writers describes himself as a male biker that wants a fun female companion.  Another writer explains that she is an attractive Jewish woman with a son; she is looking for a man as her soul mate.  Another claims to be a "gay vegetarian whose friends are few" (973).  This proves that these writers are all lonely.  This fits into the poem's title "Lonely Hearts."  Each writer repeats at least one of these two rhetorical questions: "can someone make my simple wish come true?" or "Do you live in North London?  Is it you? (973)."  These rhetorical questions reinforce the loneliness of the writers and how desperate they are to find love.  (If they are resorting to a newspaper ad to find love, I'd say they are pretty desperate.)  I think the purpose that Cope was trying to convey in this poem is that some people are so empty without love in their lives that they would be willing to appear desperate to fill this emptiness.