"Lady With Lapdog" by Anton Chekhov is a fictional short story set in the late 1800's in Russia. The story was narrated by the main character, Dmirty Dmiritch Gurov, who was an unfaithful womanizing macho man. At the beggining of the story Dmirty talked about how he despised his wife, talking about her with such a hatred in his voice "narrow minded and inelegant, he was afriad of her and disliked being at home." He thought of all woman as a "lower breed." He didnt seem to be able to respect woman on any level, he couldnt stand to be faithful to one, yet he cant stand to stay around men for so long because they are boring. Dmirty seems to be full of himself and cant stand to let anyone else be better than him.
Dmirty is staying at Yalta, which seems to be a place for sick, wealthy, people in Russia. While he is there he meets a woman, Anna, the woman with the lapdog. She is young and quite, drawn back and is young enough to be his daughters. He starts having an intimate relationship with Anna and soon is spending every day with her, and cant stop thinking about her. When Dmirty goes back home to Moscow he is miserable, he cant stop thinking about Anna and has to see her. He goes to her little town, that we know as S. It is strange to me that we do not know the full name of the town where Anna lives.
By the end of the story Dmitry finally finds love, it is not a traditional love, and it is not honest. THey seem to really understnad eachother but Dmitry still has a hard time showing affection and that perplexes me. He has changed drascitaclly through the story but not enough to prove to me that he actaully loves Anna. I want to know more i wanted Dmitry to verbally show us his emotions.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Essay 2
Essay 2 is about family life. We ahve many stories in this unit including, "Bone Black," "I Stand Here Ironing," "Sonnys Blues," "Rappaccinis Daughter," and the film Ordinary People. For my essay I am going to talk about the idea of safety and security in a household. I have been talking about this idea through most of my blogs and it was brought up that this would be a good topic to write about. I feel passionatly enough about safety in homes that I think I can write a good essay about it.
For my essay my main focuses will be "I Stand Here Ironing," "Bone Black," and the film Ordinary People. All of these stories/movies are against the idea that saefty is a huge part of home life. In all of these stories/movies safety and security is missing and therefore, could be the cause of many problems. For my outside resources I am going to try to find other stories that show safety in homes, and benefits from that. I was wondering if we could use personal interviews with friends or family members.
I am more excited about this essay and I hope to use my time wisely and produce a wonderful essay.
For my essay my main focuses will be "I Stand Here Ironing," "Bone Black," and the film Ordinary People. All of these stories/movies are against the idea that saefty is a huge part of home life. In all of these stories/movies safety and security is missing and therefore, could be the cause of many problems. For my outside resources I am going to try to find other stories that show safety in homes, and benefits from that. I was wondering if we could use personal interviews with friends or family members.
I am more excited about this essay and I hope to use my time wisely and produce a wonderful essay.
Monday, April 7, 2008
I Stand Here Ironing
"I Stand here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen is an interesting story about a young mother and her first child. I really enjoyed reading this short story, there were a lot of ideas throughout the story that posed many questions. Every mother seems to believe that their child is beautiful, all babies are thoguht to be beautiful, little miracles. The baby in the story, was said to be actually beautiful, not like baby beaustiful, but glowing. The baby grew up to be not so beautiful and charming as it once had been. It must have been so hard for the mother to send her new baby away, to her ex- boyfriends families house, while she made enough money to support the two of them. The baby comes back, what seems like a yaer or two later, complelty changed, she is walking and she is more shy and not as beautiful as she once was.
You dont get to know the childs name until the middle of the story. Her name is Emily. Emily does not complain. When she comes back to live with her mother, she goes to a pre school where the teachers are not great, the food is bad and none of the kids seem to have a good time. Emily never crys or refuses to go, she tries to come up with reasons to stay home though. "Momma you look sick, momma I feel sick" (Emily,pg. 416). Always reasons not to go but never an out right objection to it. The mother seems to really love Emily, but not in an obvious way, that most children, when they are growing up need and strive for. THe mother is said to not smile enough at Emily, therefore Emily does not smile a lot.
It is confusing when Emily gets sent away, I understand that she is sick, but what kind of sick must she be for her mother to send her away to a strange place. Do they send her away so that she does not infect the new baby, Susan, with her diseases? The place that Emily gets sent to seems like a perfect little home for children on the outside, but they are not allowed to keep possessions, they get fed horrible food, and they are not allowed to show emotions "They dont like you to love anybody here" (Emily, pg. 417). When Emily comes home again she seems to have a hard time fitting in and knowing how to love back. Her self esteem seems to be completly gone, yet she still does not complain. Her little sister is so different from her, she is chubby and blonde, what all the girls want to look like, a little Shirly Temple.
The idea of safety is yet again thrown around during this story. I feel like Emily can not feel that safe being in an environment where no one is like her and no one understands her, she never stands up for herself and her mother seems to pay more attention to the other four children. Emily is an after thought to everyone in her life, she does not have her own voice and no one takes the time to listen. Towards the end though, Emily makes us all proud, when she finds her voice in comedy. She wins the high school talent show and realizes that ther eis something important about her. Though the story was not classified as being happy or sad, it ended well, with EMily finding something that she could fit into.
You dont get to know the childs name until the middle of the story. Her name is Emily. Emily does not complain. When she comes back to live with her mother, she goes to a pre school where the teachers are not great, the food is bad and none of the kids seem to have a good time. Emily never crys or refuses to go, she tries to come up with reasons to stay home though. "Momma you look sick, momma I feel sick" (Emily,pg. 416). Always reasons not to go but never an out right objection to it. The mother seems to really love Emily, but not in an obvious way, that most children, when they are growing up need and strive for. THe mother is said to not smile enough at Emily, therefore Emily does not smile a lot.
It is confusing when Emily gets sent away, I understand that she is sick, but what kind of sick must she be for her mother to send her away to a strange place. Do they send her away so that she does not infect the new baby, Susan, with her diseases? The place that Emily gets sent to seems like a perfect little home for children on the outside, but they are not allowed to keep possessions, they get fed horrible food, and they are not allowed to show emotions "They dont like you to love anybody here" (Emily, pg. 417). When Emily comes home again she seems to have a hard time fitting in and knowing how to love back. Her self esteem seems to be completly gone, yet she still does not complain. Her little sister is so different from her, she is chubby and blonde, what all the girls want to look like, a little Shirly Temple.
The idea of safety is yet again thrown around during this story. I feel like Emily can not feel that safe being in an environment where no one is like her and no one understands her, she never stands up for herself and her mother seems to pay more attention to the other four children. Emily is an after thought to everyone in her life, she does not have her own voice and no one takes the time to listen. Towards the end though, Emily makes us all proud, when she finds her voice in comedy. She wins the high school talent show and realizes that ther eis something important about her. Though the story was not classified as being happy or sad, it ended well, with EMily finding something that she could fit into.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Sonnys Blues
Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin is a thrilling story about the relationship between two brothers. There are many ideas that I noticed while reading this story, there is the idea of safety. Safety is a key part in family, I think. THere is always the security of knowing that your family will be there for you and protect you. Safety was talked about a great deal throughout this story. Sonnys brother wanted to protect him from the bad things he had gotten into. It may not have been apparent at the begginning of the story, when the brother really had no reaction to Sonny being in the news paper. Towards the end though, the brother took him in, he went to one of Sonnys shows, which in a way itself is safety and security. He supported his brother, when it may have been hard or difficult for him.
Safety is also talked about when they talk about where they live. The brothers did not grow up in one of the safest neighborhoods. After their parents died, Sonny just wanted to get out. He did not want to be around the things he knew he would get into if he stayed. He ended up staying and the things he wanted o get away from, ended up hurting him.
Relationships is the biggest theme throughout this story. There are many differnet relationships that we see. Some we see between the same people, they seem to evolve throughout the story and others are between different people from the past. There is a lot of talk about their parents during the middle part of the story. About the relationship their father and his brother had. I thoguht that it was good for the older brother to hear that story. I think that maybe that is how he helped Sonny in the end, by thinking about his father and his brother. The relationship is strained between Sonny and his brother throguhout the whole story, it even seems that when they were kids it wasnt all that great. It might have been the age difference but it could have been that they were so different from eachother. The ending was so simplistic and classic I thought, it was beautiful. I thought is was so amazing that the brother got to see Sonny play and that everyone in the club admired him so much, the people in his band admired him. Sonny let the music take him where it wanted to go.
This was a long story but it was easy to read becuase it was interesting and their were so many ideas that palyed throughout it.
Safety is also talked about when they talk about where they live. The brothers did not grow up in one of the safest neighborhoods. After their parents died, Sonny just wanted to get out. He did not want to be around the things he knew he would get into if he stayed. He ended up staying and the things he wanted o get away from, ended up hurting him.
Relationships is the biggest theme throughout this story. There are many differnet relationships that we see. Some we see between the same people, they seem to evolve throughout the story and others are between different people from the past. There is a lot of talk about their parents during the middle part of the story. About the relationship their father and his brother had. I thoguht that it was good for the older brother to hear that story. I think that maybe that is how he helped Sonny in the end, by thinking about his father and his brother. The relationship is strained between Sonny and his brother throguhout the whole story, it even seems that when they were kids it wasnt all that great. It might have been the age difference but it could have been that they were so different from eachother. The ending was so simplistic and classic I thought, it was beautiful. I thought is was so amazing that the brother got to see Sonny play and that everyone in the club admired him so much, the people in his band admired him. Sonny let the music take him where it wanted to go.
This was a long story but it was easy to read becuase it was interesting and their were so many ideas that palyed throughout it.
Rappaccinis Daughter part 1 and part 2
Rappaccinis Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was a very difficult story to get through. It is a story about a young man, Givoanni Guscanti. He is a complex character but not nearly as complex as the young poisinus Beatrice.
I noticed while reading that there are many religious and biblical references. There is the idea of an Adam and Eve story going on within this story. Before I get too far into other ideas, I will explain more about the story.
Young Giovanni is staying in a place with an amazing view of a garden, its like a secert garden that only few know about. It is taken care of by Doctor Rappaccini, this is where our story begins. Rappaccini is a mystery to the world around him and he is a mystery to Giovanni. His daughter, Beatrice is even more of a mystery, esrecially when Givovanni needs to differenciate what he sees to be truth or what he may be making up in his mind. THe plants in the garden seem to be poisinous as Beatrice is playing with them and a few drops appear to kill a lizard and some insects. This can only be a figmant of Giovannis imagination, why would such a plant harm an animal and not Beatrice? Giovanni is seeign things, so he thinks.
Bagleoni, a friend of Giovannis father, is skeptical about Rapaccinni and the way that Giovanni has taken an interest to his daughter. Bagleoni has warned Giovanni many tiems to stay out of the garden and that how ever mysterious and appealing Beatrice may be, she is not good news. Lizabetta shows Giovanni into the garden and all goes down. He is mesmerized by Beatrices beauty which blinds him from seeing the ugly truth.
He soon realizes, with the help of Bagleoni, that Beatrice is indeed poisinus and that he himself is as well. Tragicly ending in a Romeo and Juliet- esque way Beatrice dies from taking the potion that Bagleoni offers Giovanni.
While reading this story I was very interested in aLL the ideas coming out through it. There are many different ways to precieve what you have read and what goes on through the text. Who is at fault here? Who is in the wrong, Rappaccini or Bagleoni?
I noticed while reading that there are many religious and biblical references. There is the idea of an Adam and Eve story going on within this story. Before I get too far into other ideas, I will explain more about the story.
Young Giovanni is staying in a place with an amazing view of a garden, its like a secert garden that only few know about. It is taken care of by Doctor Rappaccini, this is where our story begins. Rappaccini is a mystery to the world around him and he is a mystery to Giovanni. His daughter, Beatrice is even more of a mystery, esrecially when Givovanni needs to differenciate what he sees to be truth or what he may be making up in his mind. THe plants in the garden seem to be poisinous as Beatrice is playing with them and a few drops appear to kill a lizard and some insects. This can only be a figmant of Giovannis imagination, why would such a plant harm an animal and not Beatrice? Giovanni is seeign things, so he thinks.
Bagleoni, a friend of Giovannis father, is skeptical about Rapaccinni and the way that Giovanni has taken an interest to his daughter. Bagleoni has warned Giovanni many tiems to stay out of the garden and that how ever mysterious and appealing Beatrice may be, she is not good news. Lizabetta shows Giovanni into the garden and all goes down. He is mesmerized by Beatrices beauty which blinds him from seeing the ugly truth.
He soon realizes, with the help of Bagleoni, that Beatrice is indeed poisinus and that he himself is as well. Tragicly ending in a Romeo and Juliet- esque way Beatrice dies from taking the potion that Bagleoni offers Giovanni.
While reading this story I was very interested in aLL the ideas coming out through it. There are many different ways to precieve what you have read and what goes on through the text. Who is at fault here? Who is in the wrong, Rappaccini or Bagleoni?
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