“Harrison Bergeron” Kurt Vonnegut

December 2nd, 2008 by colonc20

We never picture our future society dumbing ourselves down and making ourselves look ugly so everyone is equal.  We hope everyone will be smarter.  It is heartbreaking that George and Hazel watch their son get murdered on public television, and can’t even remember it.  That is an undesired society that no one would wish to live in.

“The Girl Next Door” David Sedaris

December 2nd, 2008 by colonc20

Bradi is a young girl who has mental issues.  And it is no wonder because she living with an abusive mother who brings home different men every night.  Her mother is a terrible role model and does not love, care, nor discipline her child.  Brandi is not thoughtful of others.  When asked what she would do with a million dollars she talked of material things she wanted for herself.  “But what about others?”, the narrator said, “Dont’ you want to make them happy?”.  “No.”, she replied, “I want to make them jealous.”

 

Not everyone can be helped.  The people who need help won’t change unless they are willing to get better.  The narrator wanted to help this girl and her family, but in the end he had to move away from them with out success.

“The Third and Final Continent” Jhumpa Lahiri

November 29th, 2008 by colonc20

This was a touching story.  It was amusing how shocked he was when he was told that Mrs. Croft was over one hundred years old.  He was sundenly worried she would die any minute.  It is sad that he had an arranged marriage and did not bond with his wife right away.  But it was relieving to see that in the end they became close.  It was touching that Mrs. Croft was the one who helped them begin to bond together.  In the end he compares his life to that of an astronaut’s because of all he has accomplished.

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” Flannery O’Connor

November 29th, 2008 by colonc20

I could not stand the grandma.  I found her to be extremely annoying.  She was always whining about the misfit, but if it wasn’t for her, they would have never encountered him.  It seemed out of character for the misfit to be so polite.  I find it terrible that the misfit killed this whole family.  This story expresses how difficultit is to find a good man.  The father, Bailey, seemed like a good man, but when it came down to it, he was not good enough to save his family.  Although the misfit was polite, he was absolutely not a good man because he was a murderer.  This was a very sad story and gave the reader an eerie feeling.

“A Rose For Emily” William Faulkner

November 29th, 2008 by colonc20

Emily lived a sinister life:  she wouldn’t pay her taxes, wouldn’t leave her house, but worse, she killed a man and slept with his corpse.  Emily was psychotic.  After the incident where it was hard for her to part with her father’s corpse, the government should have sent her to an institution.  The title may suggest a rose for her funural.

“The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte Perkins

November 16th, 2008 by colonc20

This essay was creepy and confusing.  The disturbed main character believed that she was part of her wallpaper.  She had an obsession with the yellow wallpaper, which she both despised and worshiped.  She possibly had a split personality.  One of her selves feels trapped by her husband and the other istrying to the stereotypical wife.  In the end she says, “I’ve got out at last,  in spite you and Jane.  And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!”.  So in the end her crazy side shows.

Sonny’s Blues – James Baldwin

November 16th, 2008 by colonc20

The music reunited two brothers.  Eventhough Sonny got into trouble, the music helped distract him from his troubles.  His music convinced his brother that Sonny was going to be okay and in the end he even compares Sonny to the Bible.

Tiny, Smiling Daddy – Mary Gaitskill

November 3rd, 2008 by colonc20

Stew is not excepting of his family and that is why he doesn’t have a “real” wife or daughter.  They are real, but they have different beliefs that he disagrees with so he has shut them out.  He acts like a child and craves sympathy from others.  If he was less judgmental of his loved ones, he would not feel so alone.

John Updike A&P

October 28th, 2008 by colonc20

3. Why does Sammy quit?

Initially, Sammy quits to impress the girls.  He thought that if he made a statement for them then they would befriend him.  However, they left right away, but he still followed through on his gesture.

Preparing Minds for Markets

October 18th, 2008 by colonc20

Schools should not be so forceful of pushing career positions on elementary level children.  Children should act like children while they are young, and not have to worry about adult worries.  Some college students are unaware of what they will do after graduation, yet by the time they do graduate they have found who they are.  People need to possess the option to choose what they will do for the rest of their lives; they need to make the disicion when they are mentally mature.