New Orleans is Sinking and I Don't Want to Swim.

"Good Country People" and "The Swimmer are, I thought, two interesting stories that were interesting to read.

Both seemed to be in the stream of conscious style of writing if I'm using the right term. Also, they both have narration forms: the observer telling the story.

In "The Swimmer" by John Cheever, is a story bring told from the viewpoint of the main character, Neddy Merrill. He is absorbed in his surroundings and how they affect and make him feel. There is no story diversion outside of Neddy's own thoughts. We don't really find out much about Neddy's background until late into the story and even then it isn't much. He is a mysterious figure. The whole idea of the "Lucinda River" was interesting and fun. At first, I didn't realize that he was swimming through the different pools of his socialite friends and when I did, it threw me for a loop a little bit, but a good loop no less! The actual flow of the story though, was as if it was a river; there is always a state of movement. Whether it is Neddy swimming through the pools, going from house to house or even how he avoids the people who are supposed to be his friends. It is a journey he must follow and he makes himself finish, as you can see towards the end when he can't pull himself out of the pools anymore and had to use the latter. In the beginning of the story, he mentioned how he never uses the latter because basically it was beneath him: he was a superior male in all forms. By the end, he realizes he is just a human like the other people who use latters. Through how he describes his "friends" and the types of relationships he has with them, he seems to be playing the role of a upper middle class family and neighborhood. He seems very separated from the rest of them and at times almost in a trance, bieng caught up in his mission. He doesn't even acknowledge Mrs. Hammer when swims through her pool. This story is a fast paced and if one doesn't follow the flow, you could be left behind in the story.

In "Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor, the flow of this story is quite different from "the Swimmer." There is multiple characters' thoughts represented and switching between them occurs often, usually shown through the start of a new paragraph. It was three stories rolled into one : Mrs. Freeman, Mrs. Hopewell, and Joy/Hulga. At times, this was confusing, especially the exchanges about Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell because the thoughts of each other were mixed with their descriptions. There is no flow to the story as a whole, only each individual stories have their own distinct flow. Their personalities are also described a lot better than in "The Swimmer" allowing the transition from person to person easier to follow I thought.

The end both stories ended made me unsatisfied and left me wanting more story because there was no resolution. Especially in "The Swimmer" when he basically can't tell what is happening or happened in his life. One of my favorite lines from the story is "Was his memory failing or had he so disciplined it in the repression of unpleasant facts that he had damaged his sense of the truth?" (2046) and I just had to mention that because- it's a fantastic line and hoped other people thought so as well.

These are both really good stories, I like "The Swimmer" more personally and could write a lot more about it but that's off topic. :-)

Inconsistant!

Oops, my B.

I forgot to add a picture to the last blog post and I think it deserves pictures so I'm going to post THREE to make up for my mistake.

I am women; here me meow.

In Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes were Watching God", women are portrayed in a inferior and seem to do a lot of thinking but not much action. The image of Janie we see in the beginning of her story of how she was brought up was the rebellious, strong-headed day dreamer. This can be seen by her kissing that boy and being memorized by the blossoms on the trees. She was the free spirited girl her grandmother, Nanny, did not want to raise. She wanted Janie to be the "proper" woman and marry well. Well being in the form of Logan Killicks: established and well off financially with his numerous acres will be sure to make Janie a respectable girl. With Jody Starks, Janie at first was her spirited self mostly, but as time went on, there relationship diminished. While married to both of these men, Janie was trapped in the stereotype of women at this time: Obedient and inferior to the man. The thing that caught my attention is, in both of these cases, the men pampered Janie to some extent, using that to manipulate her: manual labor for Killicks and playing the high society role of the Mayor's wife. Each of these roles restricted Janie's true self and feelings. She was living to fulfill the role Nanny had raised and wanted her to fill. They were used as puppets and objects, controlled to get what was going to help them from her. They were tools; property to control.

Now, Tea Cake is the man that loves Janie for Janie. He seemingly allows her to be herself, wild and free and loves her for it. He too is everything he has ever wanted in a woman. The problem that the townsfolk have is he is younger than Janie and they do not trust him. They all gossip about her, with only Pheoby on her defense, some of the time.They have adventures and fun but Janie is still worried to end up like Annie Tyler who had a younger man who ran off with all of her money. When he does run off with her money, they have their first fight but make it through it. Though Tea Cake is very different from Janie's first two husbands, he still shows the domineering, superiority side of men in the Muck to show he does have control over his woman, basically showing off to the other men. Women are property to be owned and used in accordance of how the husband wants to use them. Their opinions, views and most importantly feelings are not taken into consideration and are seen as unimportant to life. The women in this story are the stereotypical housewife role and that is their only use.

When you're tired and you're hungry and you want something cool, Got something better than a swimmin' pool, 'Cause I'm the Ice Cream Man.

The two poems I chose to compare are "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" by Stevens and "Nevertheless" by Moore. These two poems had some similarities such as they both use alliteration (Line 3 in "Emperor" and lines 15 and 24 in "Nevertheless") which is a common device for most poets. They also share the use of end rhyme. The way they use it however is different. In "Emperor", each stanza ends with a rhymed couplet: "Let be be finale of seem./ The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream."(7-8) and "Let the lamp affix its beam./ The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream."(15-16). The rhyme is more straight forward and this straightforwardness exemplifies the intensity and important of the message the speaker is trying to convey. In "Nevertheless", the rhyme is more abstract. Its rhyme is focused on the actual sound of words rather in "Emperor", the rhyme is made through the written language and spelling. A few examples of this are: "fish for the multitude/ of seeds. what better food" (5-6) and "the bound twig that's under-/gone, and over-gone, can't stir." (26-27). The poems each have their own distinct voice. The tone of the speaker in each poem is different. In "Emperor", the tone is a more arrogant, serious tone. I think of mobsters telling you the business or Mohammad Ali saying he is the greatest. There can only be one Highlander! The poem is about a ruling body it would onl make sense to have a pompous voice telling the story of this man. The voice comes out clear in the first stanza in lines one through six: " Call the roller of big cigars/ The muscular one, and bid him whip/ In kitchen cups concupiscent curds./ Let the wenches dawdle in such dress/ As they are used to wear, and let the boys/ Bring flowers in last month's newspapers." The emperor is showing how he has people working for him and serving him. It establishes his superiority to others. In "Nevertheless", has a serious tone but there seems to be sadness to it as well. It is about nature and the struggles it had to go through. We usually read about the struggles humans have to go to. This shows modernists traits, it's talking about a traditional idea in a not a traditional way. The sadness can be seen in the first stanza of the poem: "you've seen a strawberry/that's had a struggle; yet/ was, where the fragments met," (1-3). To me, it also seems to be in a more gentle voice than that of "Emperor". A small voice rising up over hardship: "The weak overcomes its/ menace, the strong over-/ comes itself." (28-30). Each has their own distinct flow of words, the way the sounds flow when read.Structurally, they are different which is why they each have their own sound patterns within them. "The Emporer of Ice-Cream" is two stanzas each made of 8 lines, while "Nevertheless" has 11 stanzas made of only three lines each. The sctructure of "Emperor" goes along with the tone of the poem. Bigger and longer stanzas show power and the size of the message. Bigger things are usually more intimidating as well. "Emperor" isn't suggesting that there is only one emperor, it's telling you. "Nevertheless" has short stanzas because it is a meak-ish poem. The voice is starting off small and growing into something bigger. As we progress through the poem as well, the lines get longer and longer. I mean, they aren't stretching across the page, but lyrically, the way one speaks it, they are longer. Out of the two of these, and most of the other poems as well, "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" has the more rhythmic sound to it and the easiest one to find the "melody" of the song.

It's Only Teenage Wasteland.. They're All Wasted!

T.S. Eliot's' "The Wasteland" lives true to its reputation for being difficult. The ideas and topics he talks about seem scatter and hard to grasp onto. Which they are. A lot of that has to do with the integration of many different cultural references and languages, many of which are uncommon or considered to be dead such as Sanskrit and Latin. Even though it has some similar details to other modernists we've read such as Frost, specifically "Home Burial" in relation to section II "A Game of Chess" with the common talk of a fighting couple over a child and the societal roles of men and women. I'm actually starting this same poem in a different class and doing a presentation about it. My group and I talked to the teacher about the cultural contexts that lead up to the poem and she mentioned about World War I was heavily involved in this the topics and contexts within this poem. That is, I think, the biggest difference between Eliot and all the other modernists we've read; Eliot draws on the world around him, good and bad aspects, and specifically politics. We talked about the reasons behind the integration of so many different cultural references such as places and the different languages as a way of preserving these cultures around the world that are being destroyed by war and the diminishing of our culture. I'd have to say, it may be one of the more difficult readings we've had to pick apart, but I find it to be one of the more interesting

Cowboys and Indians

While reading "Impressions of an Indian Childhood" by Zitkala Sa, some of the major themes if you will that stuck out for me was the importance of tradition, family and knowing where you came from. She mentions numerous times how she enjoyed listening to the stories of old from the elders in their camp: " At last, when I could not wait any longer, I whispered in my mother's ear, 'Ask them to tell an Iktomi story, mother.'....As each in turn began to tell a legend, I pillowed my head in my mother's lap" (1010) Even the way the text is divided up into chapters is as if each chapter is a legend,a story from where she came from, the myths and practices she personally partook in. These stories are also the important parts of her Indian life. They seemed to be defining moments in her life that remind her, no matter where she goes in life, this is who she is. The issue of family is something not taken for grated by the Nakota indians. Zitkala Sa has an interesting relationship with her mother. Her mother seens distant, yet very protective of her. The mother has had a lot of hardship and distrust of white people : "At last, when we reached this western country, on the first weary night your sister died. And soon your uncle died also... Both your sister and uncle mighthave been happy with us to-day, had it not been for the heartless paleface."(1009) (Which kind of confuses me a little because Zitkala sa herself is half white and her mother later marries another white man. Since her father abandoned the family, I understand her distaste for white men, as would I, but why marry another then?) Her mother tries to teach her not depend on herself and no one else. "The quietness of her oversight made me feel strongly responsible and dependent upon my own judgement. She treated me as a dignified little individual as long as I was on my good behavior" (1012). Zitkala Sa holds a lot of respect and admiration for her mother. This can be seen in how she tries to to hospital for the guests by making "coffee",watching her in awe as she does her beadwork and how her and her friends would pretend to be their mothers and play. And though she cared for her mother, she wanted to explore the East, which her mother did not want her to do, yet still allowed her to go. As she was living in the last chapter, you saw how heartbroken she was about leaving and second guessing herself: "When I saw the lonely figure of my mother vanish in the distance, a sense of regret settled heavily upon me. I felt suddenly weak, as if I might fall limp to the ground. I was in the hands of stranger whom my mother did not fully trust. I no longer felt free to be myself, or to voice my own feelings" (1019). This ending shows how if you love someone, you must set them free to make their own mistakes and figure out their own journey through life. Though, personally I think eight years old is a little too young for self discovery.

Thanks Kittens, I'm a Country Boy.

Life Day

Instead of waking to her alarm, she woke to the voice of Don Paul giving a lake effect snow advisory for Erie, Gennesse, and Monroe Counties. SHe rolled over with a moan of tiredness. A thought of hope entered her dizzy morning brain that maybe her classes would be cancelled. With this thought, she sprang from her bed, pausing at her window to gaze at the two feet of snow that had accumulated overnight. She had a love-hate relationship with the Snow Belt. How could something so pretty, so delicate while falling through the lights on Elmwood turn into such a trecherous monster that lay upon her car she thought as the passing plow proceeded to block in her driveyway. Perfect, she murmured to herself and walked toward the kitchen.

The last few drops filtered into the pot, calling her name. She grabbed her favorite Bills mug, the one that always reminded her of her Grandpa on Sunday game days and his deep seeded hate for the Miami Dolphines and filled it with hot coffee. She then heard the oh so familiar bang coming from the street below her second story apartment. She went to the window to confirm her thought and sat to watch car after car drive directly into the eight inch pothole in the middle of the road. It had become a morning ritual almost, a guilty pleasure of sorts. A minor giggle escaped her mouth. She turned on her heels and headed to the bathroom. She stared at her reflection a while as she listened to the cursh-cursh of the toothbrush against her teeth. She wondered back to in front of the television, toothbrush still attached to her gums just in time to see the crawl along the bottom of the screen read: ALL ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CLASSES AND ACTIVITIES CANCELLED. She looked blankly at the screen for a few moments, blinked, and returned to the bathroom. Spit. Rinse.Repeat? She was awake now,but
what to do? As she gazed at the pile of clothes on the floor which she mentally labeled the "clean" pile then turned away. She glanced at the stack of books and papers on the kitchen table then turned away. She refilled her cup, and sat herself at the window looking over the road from her second story apartment.



**The picture is actually a picture of Elmwood in Buffalo**

When Henry Met Edith

Henry James, to me, is at times a very hard person to understand. I have read part of his "Figure in the Carpet", well, more like the first couple paragraphs of that story and felt very confused afterwards. At this, this work started the same way. He does go into a lot of detail of the topics in which he is talking about and this way he can be very thorough. From what I could make out from the things he said is writing novels is just not something done for entertainment and to be taken lightly all the time. It is an art form such as painting a picture is an art form. However, the meanings of these pieces of art have different uses. But it is the differences that make it all matter. "Their inspriation is the same, their process (allowing for the different quality of the vehicle), is the same, their success is the same. They may learn from each other, they may explain and sustain each other"(555). The events in life is what inspires all art, whether it be paintings or novels; "A novel is in its broadest definition a personal, a direct impression of life"(557). IN this sense, there is no right or wrong way to create something. Everyone has their own ideas of what is good, or how to create. No matter what though, there will never been one way accepted by all beause for the fact that art is impressions of life, all lives are different and the way one person paints a picture for example, they are going to paint it to their standards, to their liking or within their abilities. This art being so personalized, we each have our own meanings and values to different things "For the value of these different injunctions- so beautiful and so vague- is wholly in thee meaning one attaches to them"(558). It is our experiences that give us and help us form our personal meanings to everything in the world. "Experience is never limited, and it is never complete (559). All in all, there is no right and wrong when coming to art; it is a form of expression and the meanings within ourselves give meaning to our art. And no one can take that away from you and the people who critize need to simmer down. "I have no right to tamper with your flute and then criticise your music"(562)
nor does a critic when coming to writing novels.

In relation to Edith Wharton's "Souls Belated", this story encompasses the idea James was trying to convey in "The Art of Fiction." The meanings of things and the experiences that one has is a very personal encounter. The main character has just gone through a divorce with a man who lived his life in luxury, in a high class setting. Among these high class people, certain things are required of the family members and the people they bring into the family such as what to wear, what to eat, timing, scheduling and even as far as the people you associate yourself with. Within these restrictions, one can not be themselves as they naturally are and a narrow view of the world is held, finding yourself stuck in one way of thinking. "Of course one acts as one can- as one must, perhaps- pulled by all sorts of invisible threads"(852). The main character is put into the restrictions people were putting writers into about writing being an art. There is only value in the traditions, regulations one sets out for themselves and that everyone follow those regulations or you become ostercized from society.

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