Warners Bros. presents "The Guilty Malady"

I must thank the sitcom "Outsourced" for inspiring me to write more about the Indian culture and expand on the theme of always wanting a direct answer to problems.

PLOT

The movie would begin in the morning of the Das family's trip with Mr. Kapasi to the Sun Temple at Konarak. In the beginning, Mrs. Das will be prepping herself for the day, unconcerned with getting the children ready. She stares blankly into the mirror, seemingly zoning out. As she turns, the camera panels over her view of three kids running around and Mr. Das sitting on the bed tying his shoe. She sighs; this whole scene envelops the hopelessness Mrs. Das feels and the disconnection towards her family. The car trip will remain the same, with Mr. Kapasi taking quick glances at Mrs. Das in the review mirror, only this time she won't say "Sounds romantic" when describing his job as translator for doctors. She will say distantly, "What a brave, strong job you have Mr. Kapasi." In this way, Mr. Kapasi takes her dreamy declaration to mean more than she means (he will of course be flattered by her brave comment, as most men are). She will take a picture with the tour guide and get his address same as in the short story. When the family stops so Mr. Das can take the children past the monkeys to take pictures, Mrs. Das immediately bursts into tears, expanding on her trapped feeling. She shares her story and sits and stares at Mr. Kapasi. He awkwardly stares back. Flicking her hand at him to talk, Mr. Kapasi realizes what is happening and he explains he cannot help this "malady" because it is not a malady to feel guilt. She then takes out his address, rips it up, throws it at his face, and trips out of the car.

POINT OF VIEW

In the film adaptation of "Interpreter of Maladies," the point of view most fitted for capturing all thoughts and motivations for actions would be third person omniscient. In this way, Kapasi's longing for Mrs. Das, or any woman outside his marriage, remains a focal point. A view that focuses in on all characters allows for direct acknowledgement of the children's treating parents as siblings. Mr. Das will easily be scene as more air-headed and disconnected to the feelings of Mrs. Das, contributing to her obvious loss of interest in her family. The story will focus on the Das family and Mr. Kapasi equally, however with more attention on Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi to show the longing Mr. Kapasi has for a woman and the longing Mrs. Das has for clearing of guilty conscience.

CHARACTERIZATION

The left image reflects my view of Mr. and Mrs. Das before they had children, before she committed adultery and before they lose love. The right image depicts the disconnected nature I foresee the Das's encountering as they grow old together. As far as characterization goes, Mrs. Das will remain unpleasant to her family and pleasant in the presence of Mr. Kapasi because she wants his attention in order to ask for her remedy; Mrs. Das is the using type. Mr. Das appears always off in his own little world, like one of the children. He portrays more of a big brother for the children, like in the short story, and less of a father. Mr. Kapasi shyly watches Mrs. Das for his chance to make a move; evidently, his shyness leads to shameful feelings when Mrs. Das explains he's the age of her father. Mr. Kapasi's innocent demeanor invokes sympathy for the love he does not have and the chance he is refused.

SETTING

Naturally, altering the setting too much might distract from the longing feeling conveyed. Set in India, the Das family represents a feeling of longing for new places as the venture from the US to India. India, in all its beauty, poverty, customs, and landscape, will provide much for viewers to focus on; this ill contrast greatly with Mrs.. Das's obvious lack of interest with anything even when so much culture surrounds her. The Sun Temple presents the perfect place for Mr. Kapasi to teach Mrs. Das since he focuses on love and the temple itself is embellished with figures of love in action. Again, Mrs. Das is present at the temple, but her mind seems elsewhere, leading up to the point where she shares her story with Mr. Kapasi for more answers.

THEME

"Interpreter of Maladies" focuses on the fantasy Mr. Kapasi has of Mrs. Das, only in the movie it's based on her "brave and strong" remark. Both accounts capture the longing of the heart, whether that be for love or healing. In the short story, the slip of paper containing the tour guides address blows out of Mrs. Das's bag symbolizing the evaporation of the fantasy. Unlike the short story, the movie "The Guilty Malady" encapsulates the guilt of Mrs. Das and her adulterous acts; she holds onto the potential of Mr. Kapasi providing some remedy for this guilt. Overall, the movie will suggest the only remedy for guilty conscience is providing the truth. Because Mrs. Das cannot or will not accept this notion of Mr. Kapasi, she angrily tears up his address in front of his face. Instead of the paper blowing away, the tearing of it shows the immature nature of Mrs. Das and her inability to face the anger with herself; she executes this anger through hurting Mr. Kapasi.

Shawshank and the Fantastic Redemption for the Innocent Man

Yes, I may have altered the title, but it was out of respect for a movie which greatly captures the meaning of it's original story, "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption." The movie and novella by Stephen King go hand in hand.


POINT OF VIEW
Similarly, both the movie and short story depict Andy's story through the eyes of Red. However, the film allows a clearer picture on life at Shawshank, thus contributing to the comprehension of the overall struggle both in the prison and outside the prison. While Red narrated the story, the movie gave a more realistic overall view of life in prison: the food, the violence, the cursing, and the shady behavior. We were able to see situations where Red was not present, like Andy's court appearance and work with Warden Norton. Also, the movie portrays Brooks's struggles with having to leave prison and the structured life. We see Brooks at his grocery job trying to maintain a normal life, until the normalcy is in fact an anomaly which leads Brooks to death. A lot of focus centers around Brooks' life after prison for the effect of showing what prison does to a man.


PLOT
The plot of the movie was easier to follow, for it didn't jump around from date to date like Red's telling in the short story. The sequence of events were more consistent; therefore, the plot could better be analyzed. A few key differences occurred in the movie: Tommy Williams, while posing as Andy's ticket out of prison, was killed by Norton in the movie. This violent scene added hatred to Norton for his shady behavior; it was also a very Hollywood twist on the story that Williams was killed not transferred to another prison. Norton also shoots himself, portraying the poetic defeat of the villain. Upon Red's parole, Andy leaves the same letter under the volcanic rock, but in the movie there's a subtle change. In the box are Andy's carvings of chess pieces. To me the chess pieces symbolized the playing of a game, where Andy strategically outplayed the warden, guards, and prisoners at Shawshank. At the end of the movie, Andy and Red find each other, taking away from the ambiguous ending of the novella where "hope" is greatly focused on.

Overall, the novella and movie had few major differences.

SETTING
Consistently, the stories take place at Shawshank prison. This is important to the overall comparison of the two because it keeps both accounts of events accurate. The setting affects the audiences view of prison and the men found in it. These men have to constantly look out for themselves and their friends. The prison setting contributes to this bond of brotherhood, uniting the lowest of society to the innocent of society. Crucial that the places traveled matched up, we follow Red through his adventure to find Andy's hidden box in Buxton. Also, the time era was accurately portrayed as was the advancement of society in both accounts of "Shawshank Redemption."



CHARACTERIZATION
In the film, Andy comes off as more witty and intelligent than in the story. A major reason for this is because we see his plan taking shape. He steals Norton's clothes, is shown crawling through 5 football fields of sewage, and winds up in a stream outside the prison. Here, the rain comes down hard to add emphasis and drama to Andy's clean escape. Andy brings with him the paperwork condoning Norton's financial crimes. A difference from the book that is in the movie is Andy is clever enough to set up his own false identity and manage his account from within Shawshank. Red and Andy are still foils, bad guy shows the good guy the ropes. However, in the film there is more of a brotherhood as Red tells the story and we see his interactions with Andy. I especially liked when Red leads the audience to believe that Andy is going to hang himself, creating suspense when Andy doesn't leave his cell that morning in 1969. This shows the care Red felt for Andy.



THEME
From the movie, I took religious references to mean something. The bible held Andy's salvation tool. I first thought that Andy meant freedom lie within his cell when he said "salvation lies within;" however, I realized by the end of the story that salvation literally lie within the texts of his Bible where the rock hammer was kept. What a clever, ironic pun! This episode depicts how easily men in charge are fooled as they are masked by their own self-worth. Religion does not necessarily mean a person is good, as seen in Warden Norton. Unmistakably, both the movie and the story showed the power of freedom. Andy, the innocent man, seeks and works years for his unforeseen freedom. Brooks is granted parole, but can't handle the freedom in the real world. The movie and novella show the fast pace progression of society, and the yearning in each man's heart for freedom from feeling abused and powerless. Andy's innocence drove him forward; his imprisonment "made him a crook." Both accounts reflect on the innocent mind. Furthermore, by encapsulating all different dates and memories, the stories tell to take one day at a time working patiently and fervently to obtain what is rightly ones' own.

We're Talking Lives, Not Money.

Talk about too much strength in tradition! In "The Lottery," the village has a strange but accepted tradition of rounding the town up, picking a family name from a box, and then killing off one of those family members. Disturbing? Quite. As the story begins, one gets the impression the lottery is looked forward to every year. The lottery is placed next to "square dances, the teenage club, and the Halloween program," all of which seem fall of fun and celebration! With the children present first at the lottery, the end of the story is even more alarming; no one went against the tradition! In fact, Mrs. Hutchinson left her dishes to make it to the drawing! And then, quite as powerful as the excitement comes the tenseness of the villagers. As a general consensus, all of the villagers chase Tessie Hutchinson down, disconnected with anything but their strange, murderous tradition!

Humor Huh?

So let's talk humor! Some parts that made me snicker were picturing the father sitting at the funeral service admiring how popular Mr. Dooley was and what an "excellent funeral" he had. Also, when the boy finishes his lemonade in the pub and was then "interested to know what the contents [of father's glass] were like." In his innocence, he is disappointed in the taste of liquor, suggests that his father has obviously never tried lemonade, and goes on to finish the whole glass anyway! I pictured the women of the town tickled by the drunk little boy, an anomaly compared to the father's usual drunkenness.

More importantly, the humor presented in the story contributes to the overall irony. The title poses the idea that "the drunkard" is an older person, and from the start we are led to believe the father is the primary drunkard. However, first impressions aren't always everything! The funeral doesn't lead to the father's drunken stupor, but the surprise and irony of the young boy's drunkenness.

So, is this illness mental or physical!?

Zoe is the most layered character I've ever discovered! I loved her quirky, careless personality. She was a mix between Ms. Helbing, Juno, and my mom! Ms. Helbing because of her random tidbits of information and facts on history, Juno because of her bland, careless attitude, and my mom because of her going-nowhere conversation with Evan on the phone!
Zoe is a lonely woman, with a dull job in Illinois. The way she described the kids in the Midwest as "spacey from large quantities of meat and cheese" set the tone for her awkward thought processes and conversations. The spacey description of the kids was ironic in the sense that Zoe presents herself as quite spacey and random! Throughout the story, Zoe thinks up snippets of old conversations she's had. From these inner conversations, I felt Zoe was lonely. When she describes herself as "seeing her house, tending to it when it wets, when it cries, and when it throws up," Zoe summarizes her lonely state. She finds both loneliness and companionship by personifying her empty house.

Raymond Carver writes "Popular Mechanics" in a specific style. First, it's written without quotes to portray the couples' inner thoughts; there was not a break between unfiltered thought and angry word. Also, the length of the story was short, contributing to the abrupt ambiguous ending. The baby seemed to stand for the disposition of the couple's relationship. The woman first picks up a photograph of the baby in the father's suitcase; therefore, the argument begins between the two and the dysfunction becomes clear. They refer to him as "this baby." With their child, it was like whoever had the stronger grip of the baby was in control of the situation at hand. When at the end both were physically pulling the baby, they physically fought out their dislike for each other through their love of the child.

"Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King

BRILLIANT!! LONG, BUT STRONG!

POINT OF VIEW: As narrator, Red is an inmate at Shawshank recalling the story of Andy Dufresne. Red gives the details of Andy's prison experience, relating episodes of rape, solitary punishment, and boredom to that of many prisoners. Because Red is the "go-to-get-it" person, he hears almost all stories through the grapevine; this is useful when figuring out information on Andy. The story is made more powerful coming from Red's point of view for several reasons. First, he was accurately imprisoned for his crimes but still has a good heart when dealing with others in "The Shank." Second, Red tells the story of the pure joy he felt from Andy's freedom. Red clearly states that the story is "all about [him]... Andy was the part of [Red] they could never lock up, the part... that will rejoice when the gates finally open...." Through Andy's story, Red depicts his views and fears of freedom.


PLOT: First and foremost, I found myself at times immersed in the years Red, the narrator, would throw out. Like any story being told, details are forgotten and one must backtrack to get an important story in; Red did just this. Each section ends with a cliff hanger which engages the reader and propels them forward. The hints at the end of each story or section adds up to the overall surprise of Andy's escape. The phrase "happy family" was repeated throughout the whole story to add irony to the criminals imprisoned.

Throughout the story, I kept searching for that pivotal moment when the story shifted. Overall, I think there were two big shifts in the story: the first is the scene where the prisoners are tarring the roof and Andy offers his financial service to the warden. From here, Andy acquires some leniency in the prison. The next shift comes when we are startled by the realization that Andy has escaped due to the leniency from the first shift! Both hold climactic qualities.

CHARACTERIZATION: As foil characters, Red and Andy expose each others' fears, discomforts, and hopes. Andy finds a hobby within the prison, and Red's the guy who can get the material for Andy's rock hobby. Red fears life outside structured prison, while Andy evidently yearns for it. Andy is innocent; Red is guilty. Andy is uncomfortable asking for the Rita Hayworth poster for seemingly obvious reasons. More subtly, Andy is introverted as seen in his library position; he searches and acts quietly and independently. "He searched almost desperately for something to divert his restless mind." Through Andy's character, we see more of Red's character: the outgoing, talkative, go-to guy.

The story involves both direct characterization through Red's accounts of the prisoners and indirect characterization as Red's interactions with others portray his personality.

SETTING: Maine and crime seem to juxtapose each other; therefore, I was immediately struck that a quiet, forgotten state like Maine held the prison in which the story is set. Crucial that the story is told from the prison setting, Red is able to relate the confinement of prison to the broad freedom of the outside world. Since the majority of the story takes place within Shawshank, the freedom of the outside world gains power: "The window is open and the sound of the traffic floating in seems huge, esciting, and intimidating."

The mid 1900's served as the perfect time frame. During the time the men were in jail, many advancements were being made on the outside, which Red had to face once free (the music, cars, jobs, etc.). Also, this time period was not equipped with the latest technology for solving cases, contributing to Andy's imprisonment. Without Andy, Red would not have been driven to remain out of jail and free!

THEME: "Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild... And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place wehre you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure." The revalation I took from "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" is the necessity for willpower and human influnces in our lives. Because of Andy, Red remained out of trouble while on parole. No matter how we try to stop or change it, people impact our lives. Human will-power is a strong force; some people possess the right amount not to let anyone or anything hinder them.

I also understood the affect of preparing for the worst. Because Andy was prepared with an awaiting identity and savings, he was able to move on with his life. Perhaps King indicates the need for self-reliance and preparation for whatever is to come. For as long as my education continues (which will hopefully never end!), I don't know that I'll ever be comfortable with the word "theme." There are so many avenues to take when regarding theme!

Stay? Go? She Didn't Know!

James Joyce writes a disturbing story, "Eveline," where a problematic girl stays in her problematic world instead of venturing off with her love Frank. Eveline's childhood sounds rocky, as her father lost his temper often and came home drunk. Remarkably, her mother's last words sum up the theme of the story: "Derevaun Seraun" or "The end of pleasure is pain." What a dreadful statement yet seemingly true in Eveline's case. She finds love and happiness and acceptance in Frank; she finds excitement in the prospect of eloping with him. Yet despite her battered past, Eveline stays. She clings to the side of the boat, as if she were clinging to a world she will never know. She remains at home to fulfill her mother's dying wish for Eveline to keep the house together as long as she could. Eveline stays out of fear, like an abused woman convincing herself it is okay to leave her abusive spouse or family, only to find in the end she is kept home by some unyielding force.

Where Is the Love?

So much violence perpetually strikes Africa, even in the wealthiest areas. The story "Once Upon A Time" is no exception. The family builds walls and gates, installs alarms and iron bars on windows, and adds barb wire to their wall. All of this is done in order to keep peace in their home and violence out. Here, theme is indirect. Perhaps it touches on the violence and cruelty that envelopes people striving for peace. So prevalent in our world today is the reality of hate crimes or crimes done out of poverty. This story serves as a reminder of the danger we face everyday, and the way this fear consumes. Living in constant fear, some are determined and run by that fear, afraid to find out what it's like to live. Like the family in the story, lives can be defined by the security a person feels and the safety that is jeopardized.

Dangerous Safety

In "Once Upon A Time," I got the impression at the beginning that the narrator was going to give in to writing a child's story. In fact, she did just the opposite: composed a child's nightmare to help her fall asleep. Slightly erring on the creepy side? I think so! Irony at its best appears in the narrator's story. A perfect family is surrounded by not-so-perfect people. Burglaries and crimes crop up all around the "happily ever after" family. They take all precautions to secure their household and lives. While barriers keep people out, they also keep the family in. I found it ironic that the "wise old witch," or husband's mother, gave the boy the book of fairy tales and the parents money for a higher wall. Her gesture to the boy was innocent, designed to bring peace and fantasy to his world. However, because of lack of peace in their community and the boy's imagination, innocence was lost in the perfect family's life as the boy was torn to pieces by their barb wired fence.

The Stage

Miss Brill, a lonely woman, listens to the conversations of people around her as she sits on the bench every Sunday. This particular Sunday she experiences an epiphany: she is an actress, part of a show. The loneliness she feels hides behind her part "on stage;" she feels a part of something as she listens to the happy band and watches the crowd. By listening to others conversations, her loneliness is taken away. She is happy while listening to the tunes of the band. This happiness abruptly ends when Miss Brill catches a conversation between two young, ignorant people in love. Miss Brill takes a drastic turn from taking part on stage and enjoying her role to being thrown off stage in a heap of shame. The young couple criticized the way Miss Brill sat and watched, not knowing or caring that this was her interaction, her happiness.

What A Name!

Clever names in this one made my eyes alert when I came across the goofy names, though I felt at times to be drifting off!
In "Bartleby the Scrivener," one primary aspect stuck out to me. While it pertains to both his character and the title of the work, the narrator-boss's name is never mentioned. In connection to character, the development of the narrator is perceived through the title because he always put others' best interests and needs before his own: even though he was tired of Bartleby's "I prefer not to" excuse, the boss kept him, for he knew Bartleby needed a place to work and stay. His name wasn't mentioned because of his persistence to put others before himself. A rather laid back man with good intentions, the narrator explores other characters through his viewpoint; therefore, we are immersed into his character. By explaining the foil characters of Nippers and Turkey who balance each other out, the narrator offers a glimpse of his personality and ability to look past the workload and into the depths of his employees.

Foil Toil

Expanding the polar differences between the two, Maggie and Dee are foil characters in "Everday Use." Dee is one with no limits, making her family feel inferior to her by her wits and desire to forcefully read to them. Maggie, however, "stands hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars..." while her sister consumes the light. Dee pays Maggie little if no attention growing up and Maggie watches "with a mixture of envy and awe." Dee selfishly returns, claiming items of the house as her own. A critical moment occurs as Dee (Waterango) snatches the quilts made by her grandmother with bits and pieces of the family's history. Meant to be Maggie's wedding present, Dee assumes she can take the quilts and use them as she wishes. Maggie selflessly gives her assent, accentuating a key difference in their characters. Selfless Maggie obtains the heritage, while selfish Dee leaves empty-handed.

For some reason, this story reminded me of the Prodigal Son in reverse. The more humble child ends up with the riches and the snotty child leaves with nothing.

Heritage?

We see the story through the narrator's eyes: Dee and Maggie's mother. She worships Dee and fantasizes about a good relationship with her daughter. The one with the brains and willpower, Dee takes off only to leave her mother and sister still poor. Dee comes back and immediately her character has shifted. Where she once watched satisfactorily the house burn down, she comes back and takes pictures of her family with the new house included. This is the first indication of Dee's view of "heritage." She tells her mother her new name is "Waterango Leewanika Kemanjo, adapted from African roots even though the name "Dee" extends her family line and true heritage. "Waterango" irritated me: her fake actions and willingness to see the new house only benefited herself. She scurried through the house claiming items of everyday use for mother and Maggie to herself, claiming her displaying them will better support their heritage. We learn that heritage needn't be shown off and displayed, but rather kept reserved and intimately important within the family and home.

Fickle Friends

In "Hunters in the Snow," Tub points out that "when you've got a friend it means you have someone by your side no matter what." However, he says this after the experience hunting. I found it rather difficult to pinpoint the strength of the relationship between Frank, Kenny, and Tub. Frank and Kenny are bullies from the start: they watch Tub (that name gets me every time!) struggle through the fence and watch him eat his celery and egg. They laugh at his weight and do not wait for him. This troubled me especially when Tub made his previously stated comment about friends, but he seemingly lacked true friends.
Kenny's recklessness and daring attitude ultimately lead to his wound and inferred demise. The friends are fickle because they bounce around, deciding to whom to be loyal. When Frank confesses his secret about the romance with a fifteen-year-old babysitter, Tub decides his embarrassing secret should be confessed as well. Tub's eating habits distract him from the world around him; furthermore, his obsession with food distances himand Frank grow from their injured friend Kenny.

Waiting by the Mailbox

The first thing that struck me about "How I Met My Husband" was the impending idea that Chris, the traveling pilot, would end up being young Edie's husband. Because of age and creepy encounters with Edie, I labeled Chris a bad omen for Edie in this story. Typical stereotyped man, he ends up using her and taking off! Despite all this, the story did not focus entirely around the feelings for the loss, but coping after Chris was gone. Rather positive, the end of the story conveys the theme. The theme seems blatant- sometimes we wait for nothing. "There were women just waiting and waiting by mailboxes..." describes the women waiting for a lost cause. It struck me that if we keep waiting for something better to come along or to come back then we inevitably miss out on the reality of the present. This story struck a chord: I cannot wait around for an opportunity that may never come. In order to experience, I have to reach goals by making opportunities for myself. Similarly, Edie quit her childish waiting by the mailbox and ended up obtaining something positive from it: her husband!

Culture vs. संस्कृति

The customs and cultures prevalent in America and India seemingly differ as told in "Interpreter of Maladies." For me, this story was especially captivating because it encompassed two things I thoroughly enjoy learning about- love and culture. As far as culture goes, I think there is an overwhelming amount to learn about love from places around the world in the way they treat their spouses, children, families, relationships, etc. I got a taste of differing worlds in this story. First- falling in and out of love is universal, as are "the bickering, the indifference, [and] the protracted silences" of some marriages. However, in India, marriages are commonly arranged. Clothing differs: "Foreigners," or Americans, wear "stiff, brightly covered clothing and caps with translucent visors." Mr. Kapasi was accustomed to his tailored trousers and jacket-styled shirt "made of thin but durable synthetic material." Where Mr. Kapasi simply pressed his palms together in greeting, Mr. Das vigorously shook hands in the American way. Mr Kapasi can't grasp the fact that Mr. Das addresses his wife as Mina when speaking to the children. The Das family acts more in a sisterly-brotherly manner rather than the traditional husband, wife, children arrangement. Of course, the driving situations and seating is different; I hope I never have to drive in a foreign country!
In more of a symbolic setting, the scene where Mr. Das peers out one window and Mrs. Das out the other represents the differences in their interests and even the status of India versus America. Mr. Das marvels about India, captivating its people and animals in pictures. He seems unchanged by the emaciated man and bullocks on the side of the road, a poverty not uncommon in India. Mrs. Das represents the American side of things, aware of the poverty or other culture but remaining unaffected, focusing on an easier setting of "transparent clouds passing quickly in front of one another."

Young Love Gone Bad

"Interpreter of Maladies" is structured and titled around the central conflict: Mrs. Das no longer loves Mr. Das. Their young love seems timeless, as young love often does. Come to find out, Mrs. Das no longer loves her husband in such a way as before; she considers this a malady, or an ailment. At first, Mrs. Das seems simply curious about Mr. Kapasi's "romantic" job as an interpreter, asking him questions about the different ailments like sore throats. Mr. Kapasi finds her interest pleasing and intriguing which in turn makes him want to get to know Mrs. Das better. Mrs. Das however has another motive in mind. As soon as the two are alone, she spills her secrets about lost love and adultery to Mr. Kapasi, expecting him to naturally be able to interpret her "malady" and give her a way to feel better about her life. The title of the short story hints at Mr. Kapasi's occupation outside of being a tour guide, not his mystical powers to cure psychological "ailments."
The story is set up in such a way that when one reads, they see the day trip through Mr. Kapasi's fantasies about Mrs. Das, suggesting the romantic connection is reciprocated. Disappointment sets in once the realization surfaces that Mrs. Das views Mr. Kapasi as a parent, and later irony plays a role as Mrs. Das seeks advice about her life absent of love from a man who has been lusting over her the whole day.

Isolated Emily

William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" encapsulates the general isolation of a lonely woman in a Southern, nosey town. From the plural first person point of view, the narrator includes himself with the townspeople, thus serving as the first indication of the distance and isolation between Miss Emily and the townspeople of Jefferson. The townspeople gather on occasion to discuss issues regarding Miss Emily's estate: the tax affair and the smell of the house. As a general concensus, the "we" indicate "they" must do something about "her." She is isolated from their decisions. I found it especially peculiar that she didn't even know Colonel Sartoris had been dead; this could be in part the fault of the people for failing to include her in town affairs.
"Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head." The townspeople realized in unison here the essence behind Miss Emily's lonely life. She found her company in the dead sweetheart, whom she may or may not have poisoned. Again, the townspeople make their own suppositions regarding Emily and her lifestyle.

Aside from the evident unison of the first person account, there was rose imagery to hint at the plausible explanation for the title. The rose imagery found in Homer Barron's indicated death room- "...faded rose color" and "rose-shaded lights"- serve a purpose. Here lies Miss Emily's dead sweetheart; he was the only rose in her life, the only form of love and supposed beauty.

"Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead" by Andrew Hudgins

It's a curious title where a thought of the father's death is being written before he even dies. Perhaps the speaker writes an elegy because of the anticipation of the father's death and the closeness of death. The speaker and father take on two clearly different perspectives on death.

Father: The father embraces death; "He's ready." This phrase is repeated a couple times giving emphasis to the fact that the father is ready to end his fight. The father is itching "to see fresh worlds." I get the sense that his death will come from over-excitement for something or over-traveling and wearing himself out. His attitude is optimistic.

Child: The speaker is an adult concerned for the well-being of his father. He's not ready to say goodbye and surely won't be cheerful when he has to. I get the feel that the father travels often as images of ships embarking make their way in the poem; perhaps the father's last journey is to Heaven. The son doesn't want to see his father die or "make [his] late trip" either. He doesn't want to receive that phone call; the attitude is pessimistic.

"Lonely Hearts" by Wendy Cope

With its three line stanzas and brief statements, this poem is set up in such a way that it resembles a newspaper add from the "personal section." It describes the outcasts of society- the male biker, gay vegetarian, bisexual woman, Jewish lady- who long for love just as the "accepted" members of society do. Each stanza gives a short description of who the person is and what they are looking for when it comes to love. Obviously, these people are lonely and let lonesome feelings compel them to seek love. The stanzas are filled with desperation as at the end of each either the question "Do you live in North London?" or "Can someone make my simple wish come true?" is posed. Aside from desperation, the poem also gives an air of satire. Needy, picky people who have the "perfect" image of someone in his or her closed mind and look only for that person are seemingly made fun of.

"Edward" by Anonymous

#13


I would remain anonymous too if I wrote such an awkward, strange, depressing poem. How motherly to advise a son to kill one's husband; it just goes to show the corrupt nature of humans and its timelessness.
The irony in "Edward" becomes evident in the last line of the poem when the mother's motives are exposed: "such counsels you gave to me" explains that she prompted Edward to go through with killing the father. Even as he lies at the beginning by saying, "O I have killed my hawk so good" and "O I have killed my red-roan steed," the mother knows he has really killed the father. Edward talks about killing two things very dear to him before saying he really killed his "father dear." It is ironic that the mother keeps asking what he's killed though she knows all along.
Edward's statements are full of regret especially when he says at the end he gives his mother only "the curse of hell... shall ye bear." This is also ironic as the mother's motives centered around obtaining the wealth and fortune of her dead husband, but all Edward gives her is a curse for what she's made him do.

"Delight in Disorder" by Robert Herrick

# 17

(Talk about mismatched clothing!) -->

Curiously, the structure of "Delight in Disorder" compliments the disorder described in the poem. The poem is written with a broke rhyme scheme, where some lines rhyme in no particular order. The speaker clearly appreciates and finds pleasure in the simple aspect of dress as the first description is "sweet disorder." Words and phrases like "cuff neglected," "fine distraction," "ribbons flow confusedly," and "a careless shoestring" set a tone for acceptance in imperfection of dress. The speaker sees that a lack of perfection is indeed the perfect form of art.
Perhaps disorder is appreciated on many levels of society. People pride over Picasso's abstract paintings; style combines mismatched clothing articles for a new look; people in New York two years ago would PAY to have their nails painted so the polish looked chipped; and kids are encouraged to get into a bit of trouble every once in a while for "experience purposes." Society seems to embrace disorder as a natural way of living.

My mistress' eyes by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare. Enough said. The man never ceases to amaze me with his brutal honesty and tragic approaches to love. However blunt the honesty, I respect the speaker for pointing out the imperfections of his mistress like her wired hair, darker skin, color-less cheeks, and boring lips. For the speaker however, these imperfections are what made him perfectly love her. Even though she appears to be falling short in the beauty department, his love for her is extraordinary.

I love the satire here because often times poets and writers get a bit out of hand with their lyrical poems and odes to women. The mushy-gushy wording builds up falsities about the realness of these women being expressed. In "My mistress' eyes," the speaker refuses to compare his mistress to a goddess, for she is not a goddess. She is human and is described with the imperfections which accompany people. In reality, no one is perfect, and yet most end up being loved for just that.

The Apparation by John Donne

I suppose the speaker is preparing for the worst: he'll have to haunt his ex-love as she moves on to another man. One important aspect of this poem is the use of future tense verbs, indicating that the speaker and his love are still together, but perhaps he suspects lack of faithfulness on her side. He speaks insults as he accuses the woman of being a "feigned vestal" or fake virgin. Then she is addressed as "O murderess" because she will ultimately be the death of their relationship. In no way is this speaker over her nor is he capable of moving on since he threatens to stick around as a ghost when they are no longer together; he wants to remain in the former lover's vicinity.

As a reader, I felt much suspense as I wondered what the speaker would say to the lover if she was ever with another man. He says he seeks not to threaten her now to "preserve" her. This poses as a threat; if the woman doesn't want to feel the wrath of her ex-lover as he haunts her and torments her with his words, then she had better remain faithful.

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

#8

The tone of "Dover Beach" is quite hopeless. Diction conveys the hopelessness. The poem starts out on a calming note describing the essence of the sea, yet the first stanza is concluded with the tide bringing the "eternal note of sadness in." Faith of the modern world has been lost as it is compared to a sea once full and surrounding earth, but the faith and religion of the world has since retreated, like low tide. "Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar" signifies the loss of faith in a world that was once full of it. I still see this in today's world. Some faith and tradition has been lost, but just as the sea always remains so too does faith.

Next comes the parallelism between dreams "so various, so beautiful, so new" linked to the despair in the next line as the speaker says in reality these dreams are "neither joy, nor love, light, nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain." Talk about a downer! The speaker throws "neithers" and "nors" around like there's not much to look forward to, thus accentuating the hopeless tone.

Getting Out by Cleopatra Mathis

#11



In "Getting Out," similes add to the poem. The first stanza states "we hardly slept, waking like inmates who beat the walls." This comparison stands for the trapped feeling of the couple in the poem, confined to the walls of their apartment. They felt like prisoners to their problems left unsolved. "Heaving words like furniture" portrays the heaviness of the words in a domestic state; throwing furniture would leave permanent scars, just as verbal fighting causes more harm than good. The "unshredded pictures" represent the memories the couple wanted to keep, indicating that there was a time when pictures were destroyed.



From the poem, it's evident that the couple tried to work things out as they lie awake during sleepless nights or he tried to leave several times and couldn't quite make it out the door due to "piles of clothes" and "unstrung tennis rackets." They didn't want to leave each other, but the problems had grown to be too much, the fighting too often, and love not enough.

"Sorting Laundry" by Elisavietta Ritchie

Out of all the poems this week, I related most to the simplistic act of folding laundry accompanied by the complicated thoughts that went with it. All too often the simple tasks or random objects remind us of little things in the past. And we cling to those objects because of the people they connect to our lives or the memories they make come alive. All too well, I know that even in the daunting task of folding laundry, the mind strays and memories surface.
I loved how the speaker thought of "folding you into my life" as laundry was folded. The speaker recalls her love as she folds the laundry. The poem progresses with the shifting of folding different clothing items: uncoupled socks must be the time before the speaker and her lover were together. Items found in the pockets like "well-washed dollars" is the constant spending of money to pay off debts of early relationships. The necklace from Kuwait reflects on time spent apart from each other for whatever reasons. Then the speaker mentions folding "blouses, panties, stockings, and bras" in line 47, all of which can be considered semi-sexual articles of clothing. There are multiple dimensions in the relationship like the "convexes and concaves" of the clothes.

"next to of course god america i" by E.E. Cummings

Despite excerpts from patriotic songs such as "The Star-Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful," and "My Country tis of Thee," the overall tone of the poem reflects lack of pure patriotism. The quoted speaker is rambling- based on minimal punctuation- about his patriotic feelings, giving the thoughts a disconnected, nervous feel. The quoted speaker, like many, seems to discuss his feelings unsure about himself and in a rather reciting manner, rather than with firm attentiveness to what he's saying. Towards the end of the poem, readers start to see that the speaker lacks confidence in his quick speech and rapid drinking.

Through the quick pace, the quoted speaker does say something meaningful about soldiers: they "rush like lions to the roaring slaughter," meaning they don't think about what they are doing; they act out of patriotism. There isn't precise meaning to their being soldiers and fighting according to the quoted speaker, just like there isn't precise meaning to the speaker's speech.

An interesting afterthought is the meaning of "jingo." Jingoism is referred to as extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy. Perhaps the speaker disagrees with U.S. involvement in foreign affairs and sending soldiers into war.

"Much Madness is divinest Sense" by Emily Dickinson

# 13

To agree or not to agree? The speaker of Dickinson's poem urges readers through a major paradoxical statement to "demur" what society always says. While society claims "assent- and you are sane, demur- [and] you're straightway dangerous," the insanity is said to come from agreeing with the majority of society. There is truth in the paradox. The speaker is pushing individual thought, unique personality, and overall independence in beliefs. The insane aspect comes from simply agreeing with what the majority of people say or do.

I wonder if when Dickinson wrote this poem she realized the timeless qualities it would carry into future generations. It's human nature to follow what is popular; it's hard to stand out and stand up for the more abstract ideas. But it's the people who possess the confidence to step outside the realm of comfort and be different that make a lasting mark.

"Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy

# 7



Naturally, this poem struck a chord for me. Piercy's theme falls along the line of society's view of beauty being absolutely warped! Here, a girl is content with herself growing up, offered the "dolls,... and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks" presented to young girls. Society steers kids as either girlish and pink or boyish and blue. Consequently, the control society possesses on the minds of young girls is frightening. The girl in the poem is described as "intelligent" and "healthy," but that mattered little to those looking in; peers constantly judging and reshaping the person she was into the "perfect image."

Like a Barbie doll, the subject becomes plastic-like. Fake. As the poem is an overstatement, the girl didn't literally cut off her nose and legs, but it can be inferred that there was plastic surgery involved or an altering of the outward appearance. The casket reference symbolizes the dying of her inside and all she'd developed into being replaced with someone almost dead. No life can be justified from a person who has to change in order to be accepted into his/her surroundings. The upsetting part is girls and boys every where from childhood to teenage years are working to conform to the "perfect, plastic" image society wishes to see. However, my dad's always told me that it takes all people to make the world go 'round! We can't all be perfect; society would be quite boring if this were the case.

"Pink Dog" by Elizabeth Bishop

The strange images and figurative language of this poem was unclear and absurd. I realize that the pink dog was not to be taken literally, but the image would not escape my mind nonetheless.

The dog part refers to the beggars on the streets, "anyone who begs, drugged, drunk, or sober, with or without legs" (lines19-20). These are the people which are suppose to be embarrassment of society and expose a society's failures and downfalls. But with the "pink" added to the "dog," beggars are supposed to be dressed up for the Carnival festivities. Since it is a time of celebration, no one wants to have to look at the lowliness of society. They fake the outcasts by dressing them up. Problems should be hidden during the celebrations. They will deal with the problems during Lent.

"Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes

# 11

Sure the similes add character to dreams that are postponed; the similes give a negative connotation to the positive idea of having dreams. But it was the metaphor at the end which stuck out to me:

"Or does it explode?"

Not only is it italicized, but the metaphor is saved for the very end of the poem. No explanation is given for the explosion of a dream, but the image is vivid. The metaphor is presented to propose the worst possible cause of a deferred dream: violence. "Explode" connotes a destructive meaning of the dream. Since Hughes sought equal rights for blacks, it can be inferred but not necessarily justified that he wrote this with the dream of equality in mind. If the dream is put off too long, people might become weary about the fight for equal civil rights. But if the dream festers and then explodes, the search and yearning for equality might result in violence. Langston Hughes foresaw violence that would come after his time.

"I tast a liquor never brewed" by Emily Dickinson

# 12

Ohh Emily....

Dickinson writes this poem as an allegory, where each element seems to stand for something bigger than the meaning of the poem. Dickinson's poems are often times difficult to grasp, but it is evident that nature is the main focus of the poem. Nature is the "liquor" by which drunkenness comes. This becomes clear as all the terminology refers to drinking: "tankards," "drams," debauchee." However, the nature aspect is revealed through phrases like "out of Foxglove's door," "butterflies," "inns of Molten Blue," and "leaning against the sun." The Molten Blue seems to be the sky, sheltering nature like an inn shelters drunks. When the speaker says "leaning against the sun," the symbolic imagery is suppose to be a drunkard leaning against a light post in the street (sun and light post both give off light!). The seraphs and the saints represent godly beings watching people finding excess joy in the beauty of nature; they go to every "window" to watch (line 14)!

"Bright Star" by John Keats

# 8

I imagined a man speaking this poem, starring at a star, saying "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may. I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight." And then he goes to bed.

On a more professional note, the tone of "Bright Star" is hopeful and serene. The speaker does not want to lose his lover ever. He expresses this by pointing out the positives of the star being steadfast and patient; both qualities are those of which he hopes to find in his relationship. The speaker envisions a life that never changes- where he can have all the love and joy forever, like the steadfast brightness of a star. Like most humans, he wants the good out of the relationship without having to deal with a tragic downfall.

Maybe by speaking to the star, a constant in the night sky, the speaker hopes he will have his lover in the night as a constant companion. The star holds that patient power that lovers wish to possess to keep their love strong.

"February" by Margaret Atwood

# 6

Atwood's poem has a central purpose posed around the despair of February. The speaker dislikes February as it is the month "with a skewered heart in the centre" which implies the harsh image of an arrow through a heart. Valentine's day falls in February and for those of us who don't have someone to share it with, it's one of the most annoying and unimportant days of the year; I completely agree with the speaker about the despair part!

February is all about love (and sex lines 19-24); the speaker is obviously dealing with heartbreak as the cat is her only companion. The speaker tries to stay away from all of the love by staying in bed under the covers away from the world. All winter is good for according to a pessimistic speaker is "to eat fat and watch hockey." Despite the negativity, the speaker comes to terms with the fact that February is a difficult month to get through at the end of the poem. The resolution: get out of bed, go find somebody, and find the optimism to get through!

"To Autumn" by John Keats

# 17

The poem's stanzas are formed so that they describe certain times of day. The first stanza is showing morning with words such as "season mists," "maturing sun," and "warm days." These phrases set an image of misty mornings where the sun is growing higher in the sky. The speaker is happy with the early signs of fall. The second stanza is evening when things start to cool off with the "winnowing wind" and "oozing hours." The time here seems to drag on, and I get the sense that as the season grows closer to winter, the speaker grows more impatient. The third stanza starts with "Where are the songs of spring?" showing further the impatience to get winter over with. Phrases like "soft-dying day," "small gnats mourn," "hedge-crickets sing," and "swallows twitter the sky" depict dusk with a setting sun, bugs coming out, birds flying to their resting places. The poem has a settling, peaceful tone to it, besides the middle stanza where the writers impatience with a long winter comes into play.

"After Apple-Picking" by Robert Frost

# 12

This poem is an interconnected system of symbols. The apples aren't really apples, the woodchuck not really a woodchuck, and the pane of glass in line 9 could mean more than a pane of glass. I don't believe I am stepping outside the "cone-zone" when I say that the apples which the speaker talks about "load on load of apples coming in" represent all the experiences the speaker has acquired. As described in the dream from lines 18- 36, the speaker has grown "overtired" from apple-picking, symbolizing a weariness with life. The "strangeness from sight" comes from growing old which the speaker "got from looking through a pane of glass" (line 10) or watching life go by. All of the apples, good and bad, were used for growth and were not thought to be wasted, for the speaker says "there were 10,000 fruit to touch, Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall." He/ she obviously cherishes the experiences, but is now tired and old with age and experience.

"The Convergence of the Twain"

# 11

The "dim moon-eyed fish" are a metaphor for ignorant people. These fish swim by without taking notice to the ship, kind of like attention not being paid to some key points of the ship when it was being built (for instance, putting enough life boats aboard). These fish represent the ignorant people who built the ship, focusing on the grandiose and less on the safety of its passengers. The builders and engineers didn't prepare for the disaster which unfolded.

The "mirrors" are meant to be blocked from looking in as the sea-worm crawls over them. The mirrors are blurred just as the builders vision was blurred in seeing hazards.

I also like the lines that went "The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything Prepared a sinister mate For her- so gaily- great" because the ice burg which ultimately destroyed the ship was the evil mate of the ship bringing it to its demise.

"The Convergence of the Twain" by Thomas Hardy

# 8

The tone of the poem is somber with an eerie twist. To explain further, it's somber in the sense that it alludes to the sinking the Titanic and all the ruin. However, I found it to be almost eerie for several reasons. The first is the imagery of "dim moon-eyed" fish swimming around the ship's ruin and "the sea-worm" crawling over the mirrors. These creatures give an eerie feel to the poem whose main subject (the Titanic) is deep below the sea. Also, the poem hints at the fact that this was God's plan for the ship to sink. To support this, the poem mentions the "Immanent Will" and "Spinner of the Years" which, through their titles and capitalization, represent God. If God's will was to end lives and have the ocean consume the ship, I see this as semi eerie to discuss in this poem.

I also saw the tone as reprimanding for all those lost in vanity that were on the Titanic. The first two lines "In a solitude of the sea Deep from human vanity" show that this ship has lost all the vanity it once held. So consumed by wealth were the passengers that they forgot about the "Spinner of the Years" or God.

"The Widow's Lament in Springtime" by William Carlos Williams

# 13

I liked this poem because not only did it describe the new life and blossoming of spring, but it also described the loss a woman felt. I found this whole poem ironic when considering how springtime brings new life. Despite the time of year, all this widow could think of was death and the grieving for her husband. It seemed to me that she wanted to "fall into the marshes" at the end to symbolize her death so she could be with her husband. The setting of springtime is fitting since everything is growing and moving on, while the widow is stuck in the past. The white flowers symbolize growth and new life, but for the widow all they do is bring about grief and seemingly unwanted memories of her dead husband. This idea made me realize that things which once brought us happiness, like peonies for me, remind us of distant, sad memories as time goes by (the death of my grandma). After losing her husband, happiness can no longer be seen in the simple things.

The Art of Interpreting

Interpreting poetry has never been my strong point. I get lost in the imagery and descriptions being posed or the deep metaphors which I am supposed to catch on to. After reading Laurence Perrine's "The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry," I realized that I'm not necessarily alone in my lack of interpreting "correctly" for every poem I read. I found peace in T.S Eliot's response that "if it suits you that way, then that is all right with me." This means that our interpretation may be different from the next person's or even the author's but that doesn't single out the inaccuracy of our own suggested meaning. The strategy that most stuck to me about judging the interpretation of the poem is all the pieces do add up- don't be so quick to analyze and throw out a meaning for a poem. I'll admit that I found myself doing just that when comparing Whitman and Melville's poems; I completely missed the night's stars references from diction like "gleam," "bright," or "twinkling." However, I don't think that my interpretation of Melville's poem was completely wrong even though I did not pick up on the "army of stars."

I really like the cone of light image which Perrine describes: " The cone of light is the area of meaning. Its point is precise and easily located. But its base fades out into the atmosphere." The logic here is that when dealing with poetry, one has to be within the realm of interpretation, and cannot simply throw out answers which may not remotely apply. Words in poetry were said to have "richer meaning" than words in any other work; therefore, they require more in depth reading. Still, there are some words that always represent or can be understand to mean the similar thing every time. A rose, for instance, will never represent something ugly or dying in a poem; likewise, the "cone of light" for a rose is limited around a symbol for something beautiful, delicate, and alive.

From the article, I can take away an understanding that reading poetry takes patience and time. It requires more than one read-through. Though poetry can be interpreted different ways, there is a certain area of topics and understanding with which analysis falls under. Poetry is art, not just words. "...A rose is not an ink blot. Nor is a poem."

Storytime

I thought it random at first that O'Brien randomly brings up Linda, his childhood sweetheart. But then it hit me: maybe the book has been building up to the story of her loss. He saved his first real war experience of seeing a dead man and watching the soldiers shake hands with him for the end of the book, which ultimately led to the story of Linda.

Tim O'Brien talked about all the things the men around him carried according to job or personality. But this was what O'Brien carried: the loss of a childhood friend. He carried it all through grade school, high school, and then off to Vietnam. The death of Linda scarred him, but then again, I guess it kind of healed him. Having had "conversations" with Linda after she was dead made O'Brien respect the dead in Vietnam, however many faceless, nameless bodies he came across. He tells his readers that his worst day at war was when "for three hours [they] carried... bodies down the mountain to a clearing alongside a narrow dirt road" (page 230). Since he'd experienced the death of Linda, memories most likely surfaced due to the causalities seen in Vietnam.

Linda is also the prime reason O'Brien "had begun to practice the magic of stories. Some [he] just dreamed up. Others [he] wrote down-the scenes and dialogue" (page 231). We now see where the stories come from. As O'Brien repeats over and over that he is 43 and a writer, he admits that he is "still dreaming Linda alive...." It's like he is showing us it's okay to tell the stories over and over. To make up conversations and situations in our head. To daydream and create a world where only those we allow to be a part of can.

Stories are magic; they take us away or bring us close to our deepest regrets, greatest fears, saddest memories.

Serious Joking

After the prank played on Jorgenson by Azar and O'Brien, I was expecting more wacky things from these guys. In "Night Life," some sarcasm is used to try to liven up such a dreary time for these men: "That was the phrase everyone used: the night life. A language trick. It made things seem tolerable. How's the Nam treating you? one guy would ask, and some other guy would say, Hey, one big party, just living the night life" (page 208). Of course, it wasn't like the nightlife some would have been used to back in the States, full of parties, booze, girls, music, and dancing. But they had to make the best out of the situation they were in. O'Brien calls it "a language trick," so some of the guys would hope that if their ears heard "night life" it would put their hearts into it a little more.

The imagery in this chapter is rich as well. Two weeks at night were described on page 209 as the "purest black you could imagine... the kind of clock-stopping black that God must've had in mind when he sat down to invent blackness." I could see the black, and I know the feeling of not knowing whether my eyes are opened or closed except for the blinking sensation because it's so dark. And we know, because of what happened to Kiowa, that they couldn't flick on their flashlights for fear of giving away the position. So it was absolute darkness; anyone could have lost their mind in a place like that, it just so happened to be Rat Kiley. I could see what he was seeing as "he'd stare at guys who were still okay, the alive guys, and he'd start to picture how they'd look dead. Without arms or legs...." The mind plays some absurd tricks on us, and unfortunitely, like Rat, some just can't recover.

Fear

"When you're afraid, really afraid, you see things you never saw before, you pay attention to the world. You make close friends" (page 183). This is where the brotherhood of fellow soldiers fighting for a common cause comes in. They have been scared to their wits end, but have each other to fall back on. However, one doesn't have to be in war to experience extreme fear. It's ironic how fear can bring even enemies together. In today's world, the world is afraid of the powers North Korea may possess. Since their government keeps everything clandestine, the world holds its breath waiting with apprehension for the day North Korea puts its powers to the test. In response to this, countries with histories of conflicting pasts bond together in the presence of utter fear.

I also liked O'Brien's description on what its like being shot. When he says on page 189 "The boots were one of those vivid details you can't forget. Like a pebble or a blade of grass. You just stare and think, Dear Christ, there's the last thing on earth I'll ever see," I found myself wondering what the last thing I saw would be!

Daddy's Little Girl

O'Brien's daughter Kathleen's ignorance is precious. She's young and seeks answers to complicated answers asked in simple forms. She acts as a foil character to Tim O'Brien because she asks questions to get O'Brien to go further in detail on certain accounts or to explain something in a different way. For instance on page 175 during their trip in Vietnam Kathleen inquires of her father, "'This whole war', she said, 'why was everybody so mad at everybody else?' I shook my head. 'They weren't mad exactly. Some people wanted one thing, other people wanted another thing.'" This exchange between the father and daughter reminds me when I was little and I asked my dad what he did for his job. He had a hard time explaining it in kid terms; I mean, he's an account. He's into numbers and all. But he managed to tell me that he worked with money and helped people put it to good use. I always looked up to my dad for the hard work he does and the people he helps. I imagine Kathleen looked up to her dad and appreciated once she was older all the hard work and fight her dad put into being a soldier and then a writer.

Sure wish my dad could take me somewhere foreign for my tenth birthday!

Ambiguity at Its Best

All of O'Brien's stories can be taken two ways- with an air of truth that the events unfolded in the ways described or with skepticism that it was all pretty much made up. I'd like to believe that most were true, yet it was nice to read on page 171 O'Brien's declaration of the real: "Here is the happening-truth. I was once a soldier. There were many bodies, real bodies with real faces, but I was young then and I was afraid to look. And now, twenty years later, I'm left with faceless responsibilty and faceless grief." He admits what he's held on to throughout the book and throughout the past twenty years. We can hold onto the truth that the bodies and guilt and responsibility is real, even if the details are made up at times.

We fabricate stories all the time. That doesn't mean we're liars or our lives are any less interesting. It means that the added details are usually used to make the listener pay more attention and leave remembering what you said. I think that's what O'Brien truly anticipated happening through his story telling.

Clearing The Throat

O'Brien utilizes the chapter "Notes" to carry out a point that serves as one of the book's themes. After receiving Norman Bowker's seventeen-page note, O'Brien knew that it was his responsibility to tell the stories of so many nameless soldiers. The book serves as a catharsis- "telling stories seemed a natural, inevitable process, like clearing the throat... It was a way of grabbing people by the shirt and explaining what had happed to [O'Brien], ...all the terrible things [he] had seen and done" (page 151). But O'Brien didn't just want to share his story; he wanted to share the stories of all the men in Alpha Company and beyond in "Nam." The theme comes to life as O'Brien says on page 152 that "by telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You separate it from yourself. You pin down certain truths." Here O'Brien changes to a second-person writing style, directly speaking to the reader to get the point and purpose of all his story telling across.

I had a great-uncle who died of a heart attack about ten years ago. He faught in Vietnam, and come to find out was shot at one point during the war. I never understood his quiet nature and odd starring, but as I read this book things started to click into place. O'Brien is telling Uncle Scott's story too...

O'Brien also uses this chapter as an introduction into a chapter full of admit and guilt: "Norman Bowker was in no way responisble for what happened to Kiowa. Norman did not experience a failure of nerve that night. He did not freeze up or lose the Silver Star for valor. That part of the story is my own."

Valor's Silent Voice

Norman Bowker's loneliness in "Speaking of Courage" could be almost felt. The whole chapter is an apostrophe, as he holds conversations about how he almost won the Silver Star for valor with Sally and his father, people who are not there. As he drives through his hometown, I found it pitiful that he described it as a "place [that] looked as if it had been hit be nerve gas, everything still and lifeless, even the people. The town could not talk, and would not listen" (page 137). The tone of this whole chapter is somber and lonely, leading up to Bowker's suicide. He feels like no one will listen as he goes through the drive-through or describes his father as someone "who had his own war and who now preferred silence" (page 141).

"The field was boiling," "he heard the valves of his heart," "the smell," "bubbles where Kiowa's head should've been." What a nightmare! These men see so much and then must return home to a town or city clueless of their struggles; "they wanted good intentions and good deeds" (page 143) not descriptions on the smell or death of a friend. Valor is the only thing Norman Bowker thinks the people will care about; therefore, everything else is pointless.

Grief

Let me just say that I can't stand Azar. He comes up in the most disturbing stories, like when he blew up Ted Lavender's puppy (page 35) or when he kicked O'Brien in the head after their trick on Jorgenson (page 206). So when I re-read this chapter and the way Azar mocks the dancing girl, I felt like I'd like to say some not-so-nice things to Azar. Despite this, I don't know what it's like being in war; I know from this story that it changes people, but I am ignorant to the ways in which being out there messes with one's head and personality.

The dancing girl is a symbol for anyone who has ever lost a loved one, especially in a war. She dealt with the death of her family by putting "the palms of her hands against her ears... and [dancing] sideways for a short while..." (page 129). "Her face had a dreamy look, quiet and composed." This just suggests the human individuality of dealing of loss and disaster. We all have our own ways of coping: some weep, some grow silent and close off the world, some celebrate the life lost, some dance.

A Star-Shaped Hole

First off, O'Brien starts the chapter "The Man I Killed" with a long sentence, depicting a gruesome image of a dead man. The syntax can be connected to The Sun Also Rises when Hemingway used long sentences to show guilt of Jake Barnes; O'Brien may have been feeling similar guilt.

The unwavering image of the dead man's "one eye shut, the other a star shaped hole" reoccurs during several instances throughout the rest of the book (pages 118, 120, 124 127). The image is used as a motif, as a constant reminder of the image O'Brien can't shake of the dead Vietnamese man. Another motif O'Brien uses is the colors red and yellow. He uses it when describing on page 104 "the panes dancing in bright reds and yellows..." where Mary Anne was hiding out with the Greenies. And then again on page 120: "The star-shaped hole was red and yellow." These colors seem to come up when crazy things are happening in the book: Mary Anne changed to the point of no return, O'Brien killed a man.

Guns and Monks

There's nothing quite as ironical as the peaceful monks in the chapter "Church" cleaning Henry Dobbins' weapon. On page 114, the monks are "squatting quietly in the cool pagoda, [helping] Dobbins disassemble and clean his machine gun." They have a reverence for the soldiers who are there fighting against their government. Just as Dobbins explains his religious views- and how he hates church- "the younger monk use[s] a yellow cloth to wipe dirt from the belt of ammunition." Dobbins is in a church, saying he hates church, cleaning his killing machines, with monks. Seems a little disoriented to me!

I liked how Dobbins' decent side is again shown as he says, "it wasn't the religious part that interested me. Just being nice to people, that's all" (page 115). He makes it seem so simple, yet he's out there fighting a war. Maybe O'Brien put this story in to show not only the deep thoughts and conversations that occur as a result of being in war, but also to show the different religious views of the soldiers.

Lady of the Flies

Mary Anne Bell, a dynamic character, is a clear example of how the war changes people. She went through a complete change from the beginning of the chapter to the end; Mary Anne's metamorphosis is depicted by the diction used in Rat Kiley's story.

She starts out in innocence; "an attractive girl," "bubbly personality," "happy smile" with a "good quick mind" (page 91). Eddie Diamond supposedly said, "I promise you, this girl will most definitely learn," foreshadowing the change she's about to go through. It was her intuitive nature that lead her to the complete opposite end of the spectrum towards the end: "her face took on a sudden new composure" (page 93), "the bubbliness was gone [as was] the nervous giggling" (page 95), "she carried an M-16 automatic assault rifle" (page 98). Her eyes were no longer intelligent and blue, but had "a haunted look" to them, "a bright glowing jungle green." She's portrayed as wild, especially when we are told she had a string of human tongues around her throat" (page 105). This whole description reminds me of the weird, inhumane ways humans act in the strangest, costliest situations like in The Lord of the Flies. The boys in that story turned crazy and against each other; Mary Anne Bell is like the Lady of the Flies!

Getting All Sentimental

With the connection of Henry Dobbins to America, we are immediately drawn to him. He's "big and strong, full of good intentions... [and] like this country, too, Dobbins was drawn toward sentimentality" (page 111). In this passage, America is portrayed-through Dobbins- to have a good intention, possibly hinting at their involvement in Vietnam.

I really felt for Dobbins as I pictured him wrapping his girlfriend's stockings around his neck, and later getting dumped by the same girl. Dobbins is said to be "invulnerable. Never wounded, never a scratch" (page 112). We all have a bit of superstition inside us, so when something lucky happens, we credit it to that lucky object. Dobbins is no exception as he credits his luck to the girl he loves back home.

True or False- War Stories are True?

O'Brien confused me in the chapter "How to Tell a True War Story." He contradicts himself on several occasions. By repeating the phrase "a true war story is..." we see the complexity of memories and need to share stories, however real they may be. "A true war story cannot be believed" (page 68), but then O'Brien goes on to say four pages later that "you can tell a true war story by the way it never ends." One such story is the account of how Curt Lemon died. O'Brien brings up the death four different times on pages 67, 75, 79, and 81; he can't rid his mind of this image of Lemon blowing to pieces, so he keeps bringing it up. Irony plays its part when O'Brien admits that "what wakes [him] up twenty years later is Dave Jensen singing 'Lemon Tree' as [they] threw down the pieces [of Lemon's body]." It's a war story that doesn't end.

Even though O'Brien wrote all these stories, I had a hard time believing them after reading this chapter. "It's safe to say that in a true war story nothing is ever absolutely true" (page 78); however, maybe the point isn't in the validation of the story. But in the people and the things they faced and pulled themselves through, like picking pieces of Curt Lemon out of a tree.

Back to Back

I found it interesting that O'Brien ordered the chapters "Enemies" and "Friends" back to back.

Even a title of "Enemies" couldn't bestow in my mind the absence of brotherhood between the men in O'Brien's unit, Alpha Company. While Lee Strunk and Dave Jenson got into a costly fist fight, the violence of the fight didn't cause the men to be enemies. For me, the men weren't enemies, but Jenson felt like he was in a constant battle with "skittish feelings." "The distinction between good guys and bad guys disappeared for him" (page 60) and he began behaving in bizarre ways. The enemy is the feeling of guilt and fear and restlessness.

In "Friends," it's obvious from the get-go that the pact between Dave Jenson and Lee Strunk would somehow be tested. Foreshadowing one of them getting hurt, O'Brien shares the story of how the pact was made and finally how it was tested. At the end of the chapter, we see on the surface Jensen's selfish reaction to hearing that "Strunk died somewhere over Chu Lai" (page 63), but digging deeper (as is always O'Briens purpose) we see that the weight wasn't lifted upon hearing that his friend had died and would be relieved of the war. Jensen felt relieved by knowing he didn't have to make the decision of whether or not to keep Strunk going.

I Was A Coward- I Went to the War

Courage is like an inheritance. True. We keep it locked up inside until those crucial moments where life demands more from us than we are typically used to. Aside from all this, fear is pint up inside in a similar way. It leaks out of people almost simultaneously with courage. Also true.

O'Brien wanted us to feel his guilt, his fear, his so-called cowardice. He uses what I believe is an antithesis on page 38 when saying that "certain blood was being shed for uncertain reasons;" clearly he understood there was no certainty in the Vietnam War, or any war for that matter.

I thought the gross descriptions of the pig "Declotter" job built up to the parallelism of O'Brien's paralyzing choice towards "slaughtery" if he chose to accept the draft notice on page 41. We feel his frustration with his home town as he fears being judged, so he condemns them by saying, "They didn't know history..." (page 43). By combing all of the townspeople into a common pronoun "them," O'Brien uses a synecdoche to say that the people as a group are against him.

If I can clearly recall back to sophomore year, one of the stages in the hero cycle was flight. This is exactly the approach O'Brien took when he received the draft notice, until he came across the "hero of his life," Elroy Berdahl (pages 44-45). Berdahl taught him with few words in six days that absence of fear does not make one strong, for the only conclusion O'Brien left us with at the end of the chapter was that he "would not be brave." He let embarrassment of having to face all the people in his life make the decision for him to submit himself into the war. How often are we too pressured into a route we're not too fond of due to the driving force of peer pressure. Leaving us with a paradox, O'Brien tells us of his drive home, "... and then to Vietnam, where [he] was a soldier, and then home again. [He] survived but it's not a happy ending. [He] was a coward. [He] went to war" (page 58). 'Coward' and 'war' just don't mix in my mind.

Spin

O'Brien started out the chapter "Spin" with an edge of sarcasm. He said that "war wasn't all terror and violence. Sometimes things could almost get sweet (page 30)," and then jumped immediately into a story about a kid that was "lucky" because he only get one leg shot off. The cruel reality of war shines through this dark humor. By using a simple simile by comparing war to a ping pong ball, O'Brien adds the crazy concept that war is almost treated as a game. He furthers this illusion by explaining Norman Bowker's and Henry Dobbins' nightly checkers ritual (page 31); however, he "spins" the concept by saying that with checkers there is actually visible enemy lines, knowledge of one's position, and a winner and loser, things that the Vietnam War clearly lacked.

When O'Brien described the sense of boredom felt by those not "humping" but waiting, I could almost see the soldiers twitching with anxiety and anticipation about what would come next. Out there in the jungle with no distinct path or purpose, they must have had a lot of time to ponder the absence of loved ones, entertainment, and home. I don't get bored very easily; I try to make my own fun or take in my surroundings, but I know I'd probably go crazy living out there in a constant state of reminding myself to just relax.

O'Brien repeats several times throughout the novel that he's "forty-three years old" and "still writing war stories" (page 31 & 33). He seems to rely on this release of emotion, or catharsis, to execute his purpose for writing. He goes on to say, "the thing about remembering is that you don't forget" (page 33), speaking directly to his reader, explaining this is the only way he can tell the world.

theme

The annoying thing about reading books for school besides the fact that we are TOLD to do so is that we have to find all these literary words and analyze to the point of brains becoming fried. I start to tell myself we're reading way too far into the books, and there's no way the author intended for us to dissect his story like this!

Despite this, I'll always love reading. It takes me away from my world and puts me in someone else's. When I'm reading, nothing is demanded of me (until I finish a chapter and I have to take notes or be tested over it). And above all, I actually do enjoy being challenged to skim through pages with an objective in mind. I love reading and searching for the author's purpose: the theme.

First off, O'Brien, like many Americans, seems to think that the US involvement in Vietnam was on the verge of pointlessness. On page 14 he discusses all they carry, then goes on to say "...but it was not battle, it was just the endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost." The tone of this sentence is weary, almost as if O'Brien is tired with the way there was no purpose for the war. He felt the reasons for being in Vietnam could be taken several ways, as seen on page 15: "...and for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and unknowns, there was at least the single abiding certainty that they would never be at a loss for things to carry." He comes right out and states on page 38 that "it was my view then, and still is, that you don't make war without knowing why. Knowledge, of course, is always imperfect, but it seemed to me that when a nation goes to war it must have reasonable confidence in the justice and imperative of its cause. You can't fix your mistakes. Once people are dead, you can't bring them back." O'Brien is talking about the US government's decision to go to war. He's angry with the war, still. It was a mistake. Friends lost, money lost, time lost, innocent lives lost.

Kiowa was "folded in with the war; he was part of the waste" (page 147).

Dealing with death was a theme. I particularly liked the passage on pages 169-170 that discussed all the things you can blame death on including "the war, ...the idiots who made the war, ...God, ...Karl Marx, ...or an old man in Omaha who forgot to vote." Karl Marx stands for the communistic ideals being fought against. There are so many levels of blame in this quote from omniscient God to the little old man.

Another theme is the beauty and sacredness of story telling. Often times an important message is tacked on to the end of chapters, like on page 36: "And sometimes remembering will lead to a story, which makes it forever. That's what stories are for. Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except." This doesn't need much explaining. For O'Brien, it's "a clearing of the throat." Storytelling will carry on forever; it's timeless.

Their War, My Memories

"In the Field" held a lot of images that jogged memories from my childhood- surprising I know considering the tragedy behind Kiowa's death.

The imagery used in this part of the story put me right there. I could see "the filth [that] seemed to erase identites, transforming the men into identical copies of a single soldier..." (page 156). When I read this, an image of the toy soldiers marching around Andy's room in Toy Story popped into my head, the soldiers all green and alike.
On page 158, I remembered a time at my Aunt and Uncle's lake in Michigan when I read, "Their boots sank into the ooze, which produced a powerful downward suction, and with each step they would have to pull up hard to break the hold." In the middle of my Aunt and Uncle's lake is an island. My sisters and I will kayak out to the island and walk around it. When we were little, we'd call it exploring; it was like we were the only people around! Once on our walk wading through the water around the island my sister Olivia was suddenly sucked down, the sand reaching her knees. She thought it was quick sand, but later my aunt told us that the natural springs which fill the lake make pockets for the sediment, giving it the feeling of quick sand. And this stuff smells! And it's blueish green and sticky and pulls you down. So in a way I can see the dislike of this muck-filled field! However, I can't imagine drowning in something like that as Kiowa did.

The Things They Carried

What didn't they carry through the hills in Vietnam?! O'Brien begins to develop his characters (and fellow soldiers) by directly saying what their job was in the war. The weight continued to add up. They carried "... P-38 can openers, pocket knives, ... dog tags, ... C rations, ... and two or three canteens of water" not to mention machinery and guns (page 2). The intangibles, however, is what O'Brien wanted to execute as almost unbearable: "Grief, terror, love, longing- these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight" (page 20). O'Brien uses a juxtaposition to show the extremes at which one may be involved with war: "they carried... whatever seemed appropriate as a means of killing or staying alive (page 7). O'Brien has a way of writing memories that captures my mind, like when he says on page 7 that "they carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried." I could almost feel (probably because of the weight experienced during back country on Summer Field Studies) the weight and unbelief that my body could handle all that!

I find cleverness inspiring and invigorating, partly because I'm not too quick-witted. So when I read that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross "humped his love for Martha up the hills and through the swamps," I laughed aloud. The pun meant that he carried the love through Vietnam (which inevitably cost him) and also hinted at the fact that Cross wanted a little more with Martha than just an old photograph.