"Once Upon a Time" by Nadine Gordimer - Happily Ever After?

"Next day a gang of workmen came and stretched the razor-bladed coils all round the walls of the house where the husband and wife and little boy and pet dog and cat were living happilty ever after." Do they really live happily ever after? Of course the tragedy at the end says no. But, I want to focus more on their whole life in general. How can one enjoy life by staring at walls? No matter the danger, without beauty, life misses much. Not being able to feel free is their own decision, yet they go so far in tormenting themselves. How can they live happily by shutting themselves in. I would rather live with those outside the suburbs. What happened was coming to them. They were not living happily ever after since they were so worried and preoccupied about their safety.

"Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield - Is Miss Brill Living?

"But when she put thel id on she thought she heard something crying." I see this as potential support of Miss Brill being dead, whether it be literal or in the spiritual sense. She might be dead to herself. I find this as a very legitimate question. Miss Brill seems to have been around a while, but she still hasn't been able to establish any close relationship with someone. That's why she is stuck to watching people. By the end of the story, she decides that she is done. I think this is her dying to herself. She has lost all hope. The putting away of the fur symbolizes the end of her. But, maybe that means she is going to go out and try a new life. Maybe she is going to try to change her life radically. That is more likely the best answer to the question of her state of being.

"A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty - Q6

Q6. What might have led the student to ask that question? How can the author's remark be seen as an answer?
"She did not dare to close her eyes, and when a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it she spoke to him." "But when she went to take it there was just her own hand in the air." This scene is probably the leading cause to the student's question of whether the boy was alive or dead. I believe that this scene is of the grandmother hallucinating her grandson bringing her cake. Then, she realizes, he isn't there. She doesn't really react, so this must be a regular occurence. The author didn't answer the question with a direct yes or no. But by commenting on the state of the grandmother, it implies that the grandson is dead. She is alive, but the grandson is not. He passed long ago.

"Eveline" by James Joyce - Question 7

Q7: Is Eveline a sympathetic character or unsympathetic character? Is she a victim of her character or of circumstances beyond her control?
"She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition." While, this makes Eveline appear to be a sympathetic character, I feel minimal sympathy. She is not a strong-willed person. She won't take her own necesities into concern. Yes, she's responsible for her family, and some have died, but she is submissive to the abuse of her father. While that can be good at times, she can't even stand up to him for the man she loves. And when it comes time to make the decision for a better future, she doesn't take it. The question becomes, is this something she can't control, or is she a victim of her character. While many unfortunate events happened outside of her control, her reaction to them and her willpower are all under her control and character. To me, I see a weak character who is unable to respond to the difficulties in life.

"Bartleby the Scrivener" bye Herman Melville - Why?

"I would prefer not to." Why is Bartleby the way he is? What possesses him to be so stubborn? I can't imagine living with a guy like him. He is just extremely unapproachable and unfriendly. If one of my friends were like him, I'd have a serious chat with them. He needed to be saved from his condition, but it's too late. I guess I can feel a small amount of sympathy, but he really brought it upon himself. He is a frustrating character and I cannot stand the way he acts. The story really tested my concentration.

"Hunters in the Snow" by Tobias Wolff - Craziness

"He was old and sick. Couldn't chew his food any more. I would have done it myself but I don't have a gun." Is this for real? The man asked Kenny to kill the dog! This means that Kenny was just pulling a mean, clever trick on his friends. While it was quite the creative idea, he didn't think far enough to think he might receive a bad reaction. The essence of their goofiness is summed up in this situation. Kenny just loves to pull the craziest pranks on his friends. He really needed to get his head on straight, but it is too late. He is destined to die while Tub and Frank enjoy nice meals at restaurants along the way to nowhere.

"Hunters in the Snow" by Tobias Wolff - Dramatic Irony

"Tub ate several mouthfuls, then started to wipe his lips. Frank took the napkin away from him. 'No wiping,' he said." Meanwhile, Kenny is bleeding to death in the back of the truck. Why don't this characters understand how much their friend is suffering? Yes, the talks were nice, and it's good to get to know your friends. But, now is not the time for it. This situation adds a little bit of gross humor to the story. It is the whole plot. These three goofy guys are never fully aware of their surroundings or what they are doing. The dramatic situation is one of many which keeps the reader thinking, "What the heck?"

"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker - Characterization

"She thinks her sister has held life always in the palm of her hand, that 'no' is a word the world never learned to say to her." Dee seems to be a very privelaged and spoiled girl. This line is one of many incidents where the reader feels that notion. Also, she acts like she owns the quilts. This scene shows how entitled she feels. Dee feels like she has the right to the quilts since she is the smarter one. However, Mama lays down the law and finally tells her 'no.' This may have been the first time she had ever been told 'no.' Dee's character acts as a strong opposite to the other two main characters, Moma and Maggie. Making Dee a spoiled character helps display the contrast between generations that exists during this time period.

"How I Met My Husband" by Alice Munro - Where's the Humor?

"That's to cool us off, miss." Well, let me tell you that this story did not need any cooling off. It was about as bland as they come. At least "A Rose for Emily" was creepy. This story gave me no feelings whatsoever. I felt like I was simply reading a boring autobiography. Her story was not entertaining as I had expected. While the misunderstandings deserved a chuckle, and the ironic marriage deserved a "hm," I found very little entertaining about this story. I was hoping for some good humor, considering the title. No matter how unique her marriage is, it still isn't a great campfire story. I prefer ones with Betty White and Kansas (summer field studies reference). This story needed more fire to keep it burning.

"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri - Response to Q4

4. Discuss the significance of Mrs. Das's requesting, and then losing, Mr. Kapasi's address. Apart from its function in the plot, how does this suggest a resolution to the story?
"When she whipped out the hairbrush, the slip of papter with Mr. Kapasi's address on it fluttered away in the wind." And so went his life dream. This represents hope for Mr. Kapasi's life. He lives a routine life, and was hoping that the letters from her would get him out of it and give more meaning to his life. Losing the slip of paper represented the lose of hope for Mr. Kapasi. He is stuck in his way of life, with his arranged marriage. This also suggests a resolution, because of the reaction of the characters to the event. Mrs. Das didn't try to get it back, she decided to move on. Mr. Kapasi also didn't put forth effort to get it back. The basis of the story was blowing away in the wind, and no effort was made to stop it.

"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner - Why so Creepy?

"What was left of him, rotted beneath what was left of the nightshirt, had become inextricable from the bed in which he lay; and upon him and upon the pillow beside him lay that even coating of the patient and biding dust." This man dies and he is in a bed? What is wrong with this picture? Only, it gets worse! Emily was laying in bed with a corpse! In understand that we promise to love people to their death. But, after death, this type of love is just wrong. How could she even begin to think that such an idea was good for her? Something was clearly wrong with Emily and her mental state. I can just picture the joker saying, "Why so creepy?" to Emily. I cannot imagine anyone performing such an odd task. I don't want to know what else went on.

"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner - Q4 from Textbook

What is the effect of the final paragraph? How does it change the reader's attitude toward Emily and her fate?
"Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head." The entirety of the short story brought the reader feelings of pity toward Emily. She "fell ill in the house filled with dust and shadows, with only a dodering Negro man to wait on her." Poor Emily had no one to love her through the end of her life. She was lonely and refused to talk with anyone. She was the talking point of the town! Her house stood out among the modern culture! How could this happen to poor Emily? Then, the final paragraph turns our pity into gross denial of our pity for her. How could she be laying in bed with a corpse? This woman was truly messed up. The author saved all the grotesque details for one little ending paragraph to slam us with strong emotions. Quite an entertaining and effective end to a short story.