A NEW FEATURE FILM--THE LOTTERY

PLOT

In the short story, The Lottery, there seems to be many characters that get mentioned but we never find out much detail. At the beginning, we come to know there is a lottery that will be taking place, yet we don't fully understand what will happen. Alls we know is that it is a ritual and Mr. Summers is in charge. Also, we know that other towns have stopped doing this event. The rising action is the build up to the lotter. The kids are gathering stones and the people are waiting for absolutely everyone to arrive. The rising action in the story is when the audience is held in suspense as to why it is such a big deal for everyone to be present and emotions are tense. The climax is when each member draws a card. Lastly, the falling action is when Mrs. Hutchinson is chosen to be stoned. Of course, the plot in the movie would have to have a little bit more detail and explanation. A basis for where it takes place, why it is happening, how it is happening, and what happens to Mrs. Hutchinson in the end. This movie would be really dramatic and eye catching to the audience.

POINT OF VIEW

In the story, the p.o.v is told by an omnicient narrator. THe audience never really finds out much detail about individuals or feels sympathy, rather we just get the basis for what is going on. THis is a major part that would have to change in the movie. I would have one of the character, perferably a Hutchinson child, be the narrator. However, also allowing for insight on other characters and their emotions. But the reason for having a Hutchinson kid narratoring, the audience would build more and more sympathy and attention towards the Hutchinson's in general. The lottery is a huge deal, yet in the short story, I felt as if the meaning of the story was brought down because of the p.o.v.

CHARACTERIZATION

To make this story a feature film, characterization would have to change drastically. In the short story, the only we find out who characters are and how they are feeling is by their name and little small details from the narrator. Also, there is some small dialogue that takes place. In the movie, details about the villagers lives will be known, and images of how they live and how the lottery affects them will be known. Mrs. Hutchinson is a key character. The audience will be able to connect with her and actually feel like they are present and witnessing. Through characterization, the audience will be able to see how Mrs. Hutchinson takes the news personally and also how her family deals with it. Another character that needs to be identified is Mr. Adams. He is the oldest member a part of the lottery. The movie can have a major focus on him and his character can bring insight to the old and new ways the lottery is done.

SETTING

In the short story, the setting is not very elaborate. The only true description we get is that it takes place outside. We know they are in a small town and it is a ritual. In my mind, I imagined a rough, dirty town where the people are very hard workers. Trying to understand what is taking place is difficult from the beginning of the story. We are not given much background as to what is happening but we do know it is not like a lottery we have today. In a way the movie would do the same thing. Keeping the audience in suspense is a very good mechanism that makes movies interesting. The movie, however, would only enhance the meaning of the short story. It would be filmed in a place where it is hot and dusty. ALso, the people will be of lower middle class and truly looking as if they work hard. The audience will be able to relate because it will seem real and true.

THEME

The short story theme became known during the ending. It kind of applys to people today. "Everything is fine until it happens to me." Often times, we go about life just living and never really having a care as to what happens. Yet, when something bad or even good happens we start to think in different ways. I feel like the short story made that known especially when Mrs. Hutchinson was picked. She begged and pleaded to re-draw and that it was not fair. However, before it was her name, she didnt seem to mind that someone would be stoned. The movie in a similar way would enhance this theme. Characters words and actions would highlight the true feelings and how they change when it actually happens to them. Another example of a movie where this takes place is Dear John. The couple are happy together until he gets called to war. They knew others were involved in war, yet they did not think it would affect them until it happened to them. My idea of turning the lottery into a film would be a good one. I would make sure it would follow the short story but enhance it's good qualities. I would take after the short story i red, Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid. A Christmas Story followed the story for most part but added details to make it even better.

A CHRISTMAS STORY :]

PLOT
THe movie, A Christmas Story, is a movie about a little boy named Ralphie and his experience at Christmas. Unlike the short story, the whole movie takes place in Ralphie's town and scenes appear in his house, school, and the town. The rising action and climax is the same as in the short story. He puts the Red Ryder ad in his parents magazines, spilt his secret at the dinner table when his mom asked him, and even wrote his theme about it in school. The climax, of course, is when his father tells him there is one present left just for him. He runs over and unwraps the Red Ryder BB gun. Ralphie is ecstatic, while his mother is in a bit of schock! The father did this present shopping all by himself. Another difference between the movie plot and the short story plot is the family does not celebrate christmas on Christmas Eve. They open their gifts on Christmas morning with the rest of the town. The falling action in the movie is when Ralphie takes the BB gun and goes outside to try it out (the same day not the next like in the story) and the bullet comes back and hits him in the face, knocking off his glasses. He doesn't know what to do, but tells his mom it was an icicle, just like in the short story. The plot allows for the movie to flow and keep the audience interested in what is next.

POINT OF VIEW
The movie is partly narrated by the main character Ralphie, but at times the other characters speak as well. THe main point of the movie was on Ralphie and his total obsession with getting the Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. This is the same as in the short story. Ralphie tells the entire short story from instances that happend in his life. This is a form of first-person point of view. The movie being told in this manner allows for us audience to connect with the character and put our main focus on him. One thing the movie does that the short story does not really hit on is the feelings of the other characters. We get a wider range in the movie to get a better overall understanding. We learn of his true admiraton for the BB gun, his feelings of the "bully" Ferguson, and his family relations.

CHARACTERIZATION
Just as in the short story, the movie never really gives us key examples of direct characterization. We come to know many characters through their actions and the way they precieved. Ralphie, the main character, is a sweet young boy who loves Christmas. In the movie, he imagines events where his Red Ryder BB gun comes into play to save his family. This shows how determined and how much his eyes are set on that ultimate Christmas gift. Another character is his "kid brother", Randy. HE is a funny little character that gets credited alot inthe movie but hardly at all in the short story. In the movie, he is an extra. He is a strange kid, sits under the cubbord when he thinks his dad is going to kill Ralphie, never eats his food, and whines. Ferguson, a character never mentioned in the short story, is a major bully. He picks on Ralphie and his friends inthe ally way on the way to and from school. One day, Ralphie beats him up and sets him in his place. For doing this, his mother puts soap in his mouth. The last characters that really had an impact were his parents. They were typical of the modern day parents: protective, loving, and hardworking. When Ralphie told them he wanted a Red Ryder BB gun, they laughed and his mother said, "You'll shoot your eye out!" (just like in the short story) We are able to identify with the characters through these aspects and understand the movie.

SETTING
Unlike the short story, the movie only takes place in the city. As an audience we come to know the family through their house and school environment. The same line appears about Hohman as it does in the short story, "Downtown Hohman was prepared for its yearly bacchanalia of peace on earth and good will to men." There is a scene where the family goes to Higbee's mall and there is a parade outside and the store window is full of decorations just like the one's described in the short story. The whole time I was watching the movie, I rememebered my Christmases when I was little, and how much I could not wait to see Santa just like Ralphie. The same thing happens while he goes to ask Santa for the BB gun-he forgets. Finally, when he gets it out, Santa replies, "You'll shoot your eye out" so he feels all hope is lost. One of the little add ins in the movie is Flick sticks his tongue to the flagpole. This is the funniest part of the movie. The teacher gets all upset while the other kids just laugh and mumble under their breath. The whole movie, we come to understand the great family love and how family oriented they are. It's a truly touching story and great for the holiday. The movie setting is very relatable to the American family today. There are many correlations we can make to our own lives today.

THEME
The theme in the movie is the same as in the short story. The joy and cheer of Christmas is truly overpowering. Everyone seems to get a little sparkle in their eye on the holidays and kids especially cannot wait for Santa to bring them all the goodies. Ralphie is a spitting image of one of those little boys who believes in the magic of Christmas. THe family makes sure the day is wonderful and do not let anything interrupt the joy. For example, in the movie, the next door neighbor's dogs come into Ralphie's house and eat the turkey. So, the family gets all dressed and ends up eating dinner at a Chinese restaurant. They will never forget that Christmas. Memories will always be remembered on special holidays and time spent with family. A Christmas Story is jam packed of funny family memories and day to day life experiences for the whole family to enjoy. Overall, I liked the movie better than the short story. I feel the movie was more relatable to everyday life and Christmas.

The Lottery

The title of the story makes us think that they are going to win money. The lottery we think of is how we get numbers and then they pull the number win the BIG BUCKS. However, that is not the case for this story. The lottery they are talking about is drawing to stone someone. When I read the title, I was planning on reading a story about how some family wins the money and lives happily ever after. However, I began noticing weird things about the city and the people. The little boys were finding rocks and they had to make sure everyone was present before they could begin. Each person has to draw a piece of of paper and the one who picks the black dot must then make there famiily pick one individually. THis is not a normal lottery. Killing someone definately would never take place at a lottery like todays.

Popular Mechanics

The story has an ambiguous ending. We are unaware of what the decision was to who got the baby. These are very vivid descriptions to tell of how they pulled the baby and faught over it. THey held in the corner by the stove and both said they were having it. There are two ways to take the end of the storie. The first is that the baby literally ripped in half and each parent had half of it in their hands. The other i thought might have happend is that the father won. THe reason i think this is because at the end it says, "he pulled back very hard...the issue was decided." We will never know what actually happend.

Your're Ugly Too-Zoe

Zoe is an interesting character. SHe always has a sarcastic attitude that becomes prevalent in almost the whole story. She makes jokes and teases by fun. Her favorite joke which includes the title is "...I want a second opinion, your're ugly too." She tells this to Earl. It is strange because Zoe feels as though she can tell Earl everything even though she just met him, yet she can not even tell her sister. In a way, I feel Zoe is estranged in someway. She has weird thinking habits and places all of her items in her perse individually in baggies. I think she does this show that she can keep everything seperate and in order. At the end of the story, she acts as if she is goign to push Earl over the side of the building. What possessed her to do this? She was just joking and she says that over and over, yet there is a part of me who wonders is that true?

The Drunkard #6

The Drunkard refers to the father. He drinks and cannot stop; moreover, he is an embarassment to the family. THe father drinks so much one night that he can not go to work to make money for the family and support them. However, when the father and the son go to the bar, the little boy drinks his father's beer so he can not get drunk in public. The little boy's mother told him to act as the "brake" to his father. The little boy becomes drunk and causes a scene in the public streets. The father then states that he will not drink anymore because he finally saw how roudy and scene-making his son was when he was drunk. THis shows the principal irony in the story. Originally, the father was the drunk. Then, in the end the boy was the drunk. There was also a role reversal.

Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid

PLOT
In the beginning, the author depicts a coffee scene to get the story started. He tells of a man (Ralphie) and woman exchanging views on "Disarming the Toy Industry." It is from here where the true plot takes place. On page 475, "I sipped my coffee and remembered another Christmas, in another time, in another place, and a gun." This is where we first come to know of how the plot begins. This was spoken by the main character, Ralphie, about his ultimate christmas gift. The rising action is when Ralphie designs a plan to put little hints all around his house that he wants the Red ryder BB gun. He tries to make it obvious very subtley because he knows his parents will not agree. The climax of the story is of course when he is greatly surprised on Christmas Eve when he unwraps the Red Ryder BB gun. He is filled with joy and cannot believe Santa really came through. The falling action then is when Ralphie takes his gun out to play and within minutes the bullet strikes his face. He starts to panic and cannot tell his mom the truth so he makes a lie about an icicle and his mother believes him. The plot is very well designed because it allows the reader to have anticipation for what happens next. Eventhough the audience knows Ralphie is going to get the Red Ryder BB gun, we still wait in suspense to see if it really comes true.

Point of View
This story is told in first-person point of view. Ralphie is who the story follows and the one who is retelling a story from his younger years. With first person, we do not come to know much about the other characters only by way of little dialogues Ralphie has with these people and also little images we see in the story. By having the story told in first person, I was able to feel Ralphie's true thoughts and extreme hope and joy for his Red Ryder BB gun. While reading, I learned of much trouble planning and gaming up for this present Ralphie took. Ralphie was only a young boy at the time and he was behaving as a young child would behave around Christmas regarding presents. The story stays in present tense the whole time. This also adds to the feeling as if I was actually there witnessing these events.

Characterization
There is really never a time in the story when the author comes out and gives us a briefing on who each character is and what their main characteristics are. Moreover, we never come to know the speakers name until almost the end of the story. Throughout the whole story the only character really expressed is Ralphie. He is a little boy who we come to find out through characterization how much he wants the Red Ryder BB gun. Through indirect characterization, cutting out clippings and dropping hints here and there, we come to know that Ralphie is very persistant. He will not accept no for an answer. We know Ralphie is a hard working kid who makes sure to please his parents. Another character that is briefly mentioned here and there is Flick, a classmate to Ralphie. Flick is portrayed as a bully that is clearly expressed by this line, "I just hope Flick never spotted them, as the word fo this humiliation could easily make life at Warren G. Harding School a veritable hell." Other characters mentioned are his parents. They seem to be your typical parents who look out for the best interest of their children. When Ralphie tells of his Christmas wish, they say "You'll shoot your eye out."

Setting
There are two main settings the encapsulate the whole short story. The first setting is in a coffee shop later in Ralphie's life. However, the setting that has the most influence and pertains mostly to the entire story is Northern Indiana in downtown Hohman. On page 478, "Downtown Hohman was prepared for its yearly bacchanalia of peace on earth and good will to men." Ralphie and his family's home is the key spot, "the lights were lit, and the living room was transformed into a small, warm paradise." While reading the story, I pictured the day to day life of any young kid at Christmas. The story progresses to the build up of opening up Christmas gifts. The place where Ralphie's dream came true was his house on Christmas Eve. THe author shows insight to that setting spot to make it well-known to the reader. As an audience, we come to know of Ralphie's family traditions and how important they are to the setting. The setting is typical to almost any family around Christmas time. This helps the reader relate to the Christmas joy. (really glad I picked this story--it made me start thinking of all the things i want for Christmas :))

Theme
A major theme brought out in this story is the joy of Christmas. Christmas cheer is expressed in presents, decorations, and just people actions. Ralphie experiences Christmas joy in picking out his Christmas wish and making sure he got it. "I had booby-trapped the house with copies of Open Road for Boys...Red Ryder's slit-eyed face." (page 479) For anything to be done, determination and joy are key aspects that need to be identified. Ralphie put his feelings and believings of Christmas on the Red Ryder BB gun. He is an innocent little boy who finds the greatest excitement at opening up a present that he truly wanted. The overall theme of Christmas passion is clearly present. Other christmas movies that have this theme are: Elf, Christmas Shoes, Eloise at Christmas, and Santa Clause.

Miss Brill

As an audience, we feel sympathy for Miss Brill. She is an old and lonely woman who only wants to feel some love in return. Every Sunday she goes and sits on the same bench in the park. On this particular day, she wears her fur. This is something that is close to her and makes her feel protected. However, teenagers see who and make fun of her fur. The only thing Miss Brill wants is company. She has to find it in where she goes, and what she wears. For the teenagers to make fun of her and her fur, makes her feel less of herself and feels even more lonely. At the end when we read how there is crying coming from the fur, we can infer that that is Miss Brill herself and her tears of how she wants company. Putting the fur away symbolizes how abandoned and lonely Miss Brill's life is and will be.

Once Upon a Time

Throughout this story, the phrase "YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED" is repeated. These words appear on plaques outside of peoples houses. The reason for putting these words in all caps is to emphasize the danger that may arouse. This story is told in first person by a narrator who is supposed to write a children's book. The only thing in this story that relates to children is the title "Once Upon a Time", and the last paragraph of how the mother reads to the child. The narrator ends up thinking of a danger story that came from the eerie noises that had awaken her. The whole story revolved around making the house safe. The family had to buy all the new and latest equipment to keep them safe at night and protect them from intruders. However, at the end of the story we learn that their son becomes tangled in the mess and gets hurt. I found it ironic how the narrator is supposed to write a children's story and make it light and sweet but in turn makes it gruesome and scary.

A Worn Path

The whole point of this story is to show the struggles and journeys people go through. Phoenix is an older woman who travels down into town to get her grandson's medication. But we do not find that out until the end of the story. In the beginning, I got the feeling that Phoenix is mentally disabled. We learn of how she sees people (ghosts) in her path and she talks to them. I became really confused as to if she really even talks to a real person. She had to climb down a large hill in to the city. Phoenix seems very confused and absent minded when she enters into the building. The structure of the story is that of a journey and making it to the end. Phoenix encounters many obstacles but she never gives up. SHe is a poor woman and does not have much. But, she never gives up and emcompasses all the endeavors and makes it to the medicine.

Eveline

Eveline is a charcter that is trapped in either staying in Dublin with her father, or turn to the married life and leave with Frank. Throughout the whole story she is in this dilemma. She has the desire to leave because her father is often abusive and she does not want to end up like her mother. However, she begins to think of her old life when they were happy and she gets the feeling to stay. But then, she thinks of Frank and all the promises he has made her. The audience believes she will go with him except for the last couple paragraphs. Eveline becomes frightened as to what she should do and remains emotionless and motionless when Frank boards the ship. This shows her type of charcter and relates to the theme. She can not make up her mind. The author said she was "like a helpless animal." This implies she could do nothing and was just in awe of not knowing what to do.

Bartleby the Scrivner

This story was very hard for me to get into. However, some aspects of it gave me something to blog about. The number one phrase that seems to be a key part of the story is "I would prefer not to" which is said by Bartleby. THis startles the lawyer because noone has ever really refused to do what he has asked. Bartleby refuses to check a document that the lawyer asked. To me, it seems as though Bartleby refused to show that he is not controlled and that its a changing time. This statement affects the routine of the employees and the lawyer because he then has to call in other scriveners to do the job. The lawyer upholds higher respect it seems for Bartleby. He introduces him last, yet the author puts him as the title. THe routine is set off when Bartleby gives the lawyer that response. Yet, the lawyer found it strange in the way that it was said. Bartleby said it calmly and without drastic force.

Everyday use-Dee

Throughout this story, Dee's character was shocking to me. She came home to see her family after years and treated them as if she was better than they ever would be. She changed her name to Wangero and told her mother it was a symbol of new life basically. She was an educated character who contrasted her mother and other sister Maggie who relied solely on custom and heritage. These contrasting character elements created deep tension in the family. At the beginning of the story, we learn of the tragic event of the house fire that has caused discomfort. To me, this was the first sign that the family was in dismay. ALso, Dee is describe as the "model" character practically perfect in all that she does and looks like. However, Maggie is embarrased of her burns and seems she is a nobody compared to her sister. Mama does not help much because she too used to put Dee on a pedestal. THe quilts changed the story. Dee thought she could just take them because she was Dee. Mama however stepped in and put her in her place. Dee realized that was no way to treat her family. Characterization allows for us readers to follow the story and make clear distinctions between each character and see whose side we will take.

Hunters in the Snow

Tub seems to be the character who causes many problems. Kenny and Frank are always "bad mouthing" him and pointing out everything he does wrong. It takes Tub awhile before he just completely unleashes. Kenny is the arrogant character. At the end when they have not killed anything he shoots his gun really with no purpose. Tub in turn shoots Kenny and there is a twist. Now, Tub seems to have to the power of the group. All the characters sort of freak out before they gather themselves and figure out what to do. By having Tub take the shot at Kenny shows meaningful characterization. The whole story we see Tub sitting back and taking everything in, yet in the end he becomes the aggressive character and adds a twist to the story. Frank is the character who seems to be the observer and takes the side of whoever has the most "power".

Everyday Use

The characters in this novel are all in the same family. There is a mother who seems to take special pride in her daughter Dee, and another daughter Maggie. Dee arrives back at home and expects to have things remain the same as they were when she left. This meaning that her mother would adore her and only her. However, when they start to discuss the quilts, her mother stands up for Maggie. Dee says that Maggie would be dumb enough to put them to everyday use. This is where our title comes in. The quilts hold special respect in the household and for the mother to deny them to Dee is a drastic change in the mother. As readers, we start to notice that she appreciates both of her children. Dee is a character who feels as though she runs the show. She has the attitude of what she says goes and thats that. Her mother used to oblige to this rule, however, not anymore.

A Rose for Emily

This story is very strange. I was having a difficult time following the events taking place. The final paragraph truly shows Emily's true character. The neighbors found a dead body in a bed with the smell and dust and a dented pillow. Emily poisoned Homer. SHe left him in her house. What made her the way she is? It seems she went down hill after her father died. This story does not follow a certain order. It jumps around from event to event. We switch from present to past. THis kind of structure only adds the mysterious edge to the story. Another part of the story that I was not quite sure about what the title, "A Rose for Emily." I believe the author chose this title because it is in rememberance of Emily and the life she led. We get a sense that she was well respected and trusted until we find out about the weird actions she took.

Interpreter of Maladies

This story was told in the present and proceeds in order of a typical story. There are no flashbacks or instances in the story where we get a glimpse of what happened before hand. The Das family is taking a trip in India. There tour guide, Mr.K, begins to have a special kind of feeling for Mrs. Das. She takes interest into his job and later confides in him. Mr. K gives Mrs. Das his address which she keeps in her purse. However, at the end of the story, the paper flies in the air and leaves Mrs. Das' posession. He was the only one to see and care that it was gone. This signifies that yes, Mrs. Das did have somewhat of a tie to Mr. K at the beginng, but when he can not solve her problem, she no longer cares for what he is. The note symbolized a bond between them.

How I Met My Husband

The last line of the story reads, "He always tells the children the story of how I went after him by sitting by the mailbox everyday, and naturally I laugh and let him, because I like for people to think what pleases them makes them happy." The readers and Edie know that this is not the truth. The reason Edie waits at the mailbox is because she is waiting to recieve Chris's letter to her. The ending is a surprise to the readers. We, as readers, know little about Carmichael. We know he is the mailman and grows a love for Edie. However, we know Chris Watters because he is in the whole story. I believe they differ because Watters seems like a nobody. He is always traveling never being true. Carmichael seems to be a well respected man and loving. The surprise ending realistic. Edie marrying Chris would just not be right. Overall, I loved this story.

How I Met My Husband

Throughout this story, I was kind of feeling suspense. Every so often I would get an anticipation feeling for what is going to happen next, or if Edie was going to get caught. Suspense occurs in numerous cases: Edie trying on Mrs. Peebles dress and Chris Watters found her, Edie going over to Chris Watters tent, Alice Kelling was asking Edie questions about her being with Chris, and Edie waiting for the letters at the mailbox all show suspense. As a reader, I was curious as to what would happen. The biggest question in my mind was who is Edie going to end up with? Which guy was going to be her husband? Not only did the story reflect suspense, but the title did as well. "How I Met My Husband" implies there is a suspenseful story to be told.

That time of year

This poem was a tricky one for me. I looked at it in two different ways. However, I feel as though the poem is talking about late fall when things begin to die and people lose sight of their youthful qualities. The reason I feel it is talking about fall is because of the line "when yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang". This refers to the time when the leaves are dying and begin to fall and change colors. Also, there is a correlation to death. As the darkness takes away the daylight, the darnkess is a symbol for death. The deathbed is where ones life is truly expired and they have lived completely. Death also causes you to give up what you love soon after you have it.

Elegy for My Father, Who is Not Dead

I was a little confused by this poem. I thought to myself, what is the point? The speaker is telling of how his father wants a new journey. He wants to move on to bigger and better things so to speak. His father is not yet dead, but one day he will get the call telling him his father is dead. It seems to me that the speaker is not ready for his dad to die; however, his father is ready. This is true in our lives today. No one wants their family members to die, yet when the person is ready to go, it is up to the family to be positive and let them go. I found a comparison between the poem Crossing the Bar and this one. The phrase "embarking on a ship" is mentioned in both. Also, both poems deal with death. The comparison is how view of death is like embarking on a ship. IN the Crossing of the Bar, the person was ready to embark. However, in this one, the son is not ready to "say good-bye cheerfully as if he were embarkingon a ship."

#7 Lonely Hearts

This poem is mainly about how all people in the world need somebody to love. It does not matter who they are or what their personality is, we all need love in our lives. THe poem repeats the same line, "Can someone make my simple wish come true" and "Do you live in New London? Is it you?" in just about every other stanza. This allows for the poem to flow and get the main points across. Reading this the first time, I saw how the author made it important to show a diversity between the people it addressed. This poem was easy for me to understand because of the pattern and the obvious theme. One of the questions at the end says the title refers to the "Personals" advertising section in a newspaper. I can definately see this in a newspaper or magazine. The questions infer it is looking for someone to meet the requirements given.

#17 Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

The poem talks about a boy who does not want his father to die. However, if he does die he wants him to put up a strong fight. The pattern of this poem is very clear. The first, third, fifth, and sixth stanzas all end in the same line-"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Also, the second and fourth stanzas last line is-"Do not go gentle into that good night." The use of this pattern enforces the speakers intent on what he is trying to convey. Rage and do not go gentle imply that he wants his father to be strong and stand away. The pattern allows the flow of the poem to be more permanent and allows for clear understanding.

Getting Out

This poem was easy for me to understand, but also caused me some probles. The poem is talking about a marriage that failed i believe. The tone of the poem addresses a longing, remembering, nostalgiaic tense. The speaker is telling of all the things they rememebr about the split and how they just went their seperate ways. Yet, when they talk, the love says they are doing well. It talks about the battles that married couples go through and sometimes it just becomes to much to handle. They did what they thought was best for themselves and let go. They compared themselves to inmates because they really could not get out of the situation until they left eachother.

#14 The Oxen

In this poem, the author talks about his childhood christmas memories. The allusion corresponds to the nativity scene when Jesus was born. This is a form of a nostalgic piece. The speaker is remembering the way he used to think of Christmas and how as he has gotten older, he looks back on those memories. The title "The Oxen" refers to all the animals that were there on that Chirstmas Eve night. As the poem progresses, the speaker is tells of how he became more mature. Christmas is a time of innocence and happy rebirth. The animals were there to witness. When people think of Christmas, they rememebr the nativity scene. I personally liked this poem for the christmas tone and format.

#7 Crossing the Bar

Crossing the Bar was kind of confusing to me. However, I feel like the central theme was that the speaker is passing on into heaven. The word choice makes it seem as if he is moving on and leaving his loved one. The first stanza states words like "call to me" and "no moaning" which coincides with the fact of dying. Also, the poem talks about going home again. The tone in the poem appears to be like a farewell. He does not want his love to be sad. There is also a reference to God. The author chose the word "Pilot" which to me implies that he hopes to see his maker. The last line says that he will be able to see him face to face once he has crossed the bar. The theme of dying is a common one throughout poetry.

My mistress' eyes

Throughout this poem, the speaker creates the opposite of what most poems attempt to tell the audience. "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun." The speaker is pointing out all the flaws of his love. Yet, he is still tryin to figure out why he is in love with her. There is more to a person than the way they look. In a way, the speaker is showing how much love he has for her. He believes she is above all other items in nature. However, the way he describes them, the reader would get the feeling he does not think highly of her. This poem is kind of a parody to the other love poems. There is a great amount of diction used. The author used words like "black wires", "lips' red", and "pleasing sound." By using these choices of words, the audience can get a sense of what the women looks like.

Sorting laundry

This poem, to me, seems to be talking about love and the one they love leaves or dies. The author is equating laundry items to the way their life played out. As the character folds the laundry, they are folding that loved one in to the items. This poem is sad in many ways. The speaker is rememebering all the special times they had together. Also, they speak of how each piece of laundry expresses the things they shared. For instance, "pillowcases, despite so many washings, seams still holding our dreams." I feel that this line shows how happy they were together and how they impacted eachothers hopes and dreams. The only part that confused me was towards the end it says, "if you were to leave me..". I am not quite sure if the other half is still present or if they are gone. On line 49, the author says "a mountain of unsorted wash". This is an example of an overstatement to show how sad the woman would be/is.

Ozymandias

This poem was really confusing for me at first, but when we talked in our small groups I began to make sense of it. There was a king who left a bad impression on the people in that area. The whole poem seems to be a metaphor for power. It shows how power can be ruined by pride and humanity. We know that the king was arrogant and was only remembered for the way he treated people not his works. The only part of the statue remaining was the head. The sculptor was the one to choose what the structure would look like and for him to choose those characteristics emphasizes Ozymandias' bad reputation. Also, the only people who would really understand the irony in the scultpure falling apart is the people of that society. They understand the meaning behind it.

#13 APO 96225

Throughout this poem, examples of irony are used. My group thought that maybe it was a mixture of both dramatic irony and situational irony. The situational comes into play when the soldier writes his mom and tells him "sure rains a lot here", and " you ought to see the funny monkey's". But when the mother replies and tells him not to hold back and he rights what is really going on, the father tells him not to write things so depressing. It is situational because they want to hear the truth but they can not handle it when they are told. Also, there is an implied dramatic irony. As readers we know right away the struggles the soldier is going through. We can tell that his lines are understatements in his first letters. When is parents recieve the letters, they too realize the truth.

#7 Barbie Doll

The central theme of the poem is describe societies take on other people. In the poem barbie doll, this girl is very naive on society. She thinks everything is fine and she is pretty like a barbie until one of the classmates in school tell her "you have a big nose and fat legs." Society identifies people as what they see. They do not care what is really on the inside; rather, base on looks. It did not matter how smart she was, or that she was healthy. Everyone just noticed her big nose and fat legs. However, when she died, society finally got to make her look the way they wanted her too. Just like a barbie doll, they painted her lips and dressed her in something nice. The overall theme is that society can bring people down.

I taste a liquor never brewed

This was another poem my small group was a little confused on. We said that the author is talking about clouds. She uses words such as, "sun", "air", and "dew". These words stress that she is talking about nature. Our understanding of clouds comes in by the fact that the rain and the water represent the liquor. The clouds store all the moisture in them. Also, when the poem says the "little Tippler leaning against the -sun-", we were not really understanding. In question number 4 on the bottom of the page, it says what do comic drunks lean against in the street? Drunks lean against sidings of walls, stand, and anything that will not move. By showing the drunk leaning on the sun, it shows that the sun is never moving and it will always be there to keep us up. Emily Dickinson has a very distinct way of writing poetry. The other poems we read by her were very dark. However, this one seems to have a much lighter tone and meaning.

Pink dog?

Pink dog? What is going on in this poem. I have absolutely no clue what is taking place, or even the meaning of this poem. In my small group, we came up with many different possiblities, but we are not certain on what was really happening. Our understanding was that it is a poem that is critisizing society. It talks of how "noone with ever see a dog ini mascara this time of year." We took this as, people put masks on at the carnival so they can hide their true identity. People do this in society so that they can be someone else for the evening. They feel that if they are noticed for who they really are, they will not be accepted. I'm just really confused as to why the author chose the title "Pink dog" and what the dog has anything to do with the poem.

#17/#8 Bright Star

This poem was actually easy for me to understand. The way this poem is designed is a rhyming scheme. Every other line-the last word-rhymes. For example, "Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art- Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night, And watching, with eternal lids apart, like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite," By setting up the poem like this, the audience is able to see a sense of fluidity and progress in the poem. It is not hard to read, rather it is easy. Also, the tone of the poem is calm and collected. He relates the character to the star. Keats often uses contradictory phrases to show the character's position. The character likes that the star is in the sky can see everything;however, he does not like how far away it is. Likewise, he wishes he could be steadfast, but does not want to be alone. He wants to stay with his lover and be with her always. If he can not, he rather "swoon to death".

#6 February

So, this poem is one that is very strange. I had no idea what the author was even trying to convey when I first read it. Then, after going over it in class, I began to see what the central purpose was. Analysis of Atwood's poem said that it is one teenagers should be able to identify with, and after we reviewed the poem in class I began to understand. Atwood is telling her audience to move forward with life. When we are in are dark days, we need to get up and do something with our lives. We can not just sit around and sulk at what is taking place. At the beginning of the poem, the author used negative connotations- "eat fat" and "watch hockey"-is a form of diction used. However, at the end of the poem, Atwood switches into words such as "optimism", "get rid of death", and "make it spring". It is clearly visible that the writer is speaking about life and how we are able to learn from all the negatives we endure.

# 11 Dreams Deferred

This poem is made up of five similes and one metaphor. They deal with the ways dreams can be interpreted and how they look in our eyes. The make up of this poem is set out in a way that all the similes are together and the metaphor is the second to last line of the poem. "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load." By putting this statement at the end of the poem, it shows a sense of fluidity and allows the poem to progress. Also, the similes are offered as questions, whereas the metaphor is a blunt statement. Dreams have a million of different meanings and happenings. This poem was written during the Harlem Renaissance by Hughes. It speaks of how is dream was to be equal. The make up of similes and metaphors allows the reader to see the necessity of what it means to go for one's dreams.

#17-Convergence of the Twain

This poem has a rhyming scheme. For me, it is easier to read poems that rhyme because I can get a beat going and flow through it. Also for this poem, the structure goes two short sentences and then one long one. To me, I feel the structure holds some significance. Overall, the poem is an allegory to the 'Titanic' and the journey the ship faced. The last line of the stanza offers an intense idea of what was happening. The last word in each line rhymes with one another. For example, "And as the smart ship grew, In stature, grace, and hue, In shadowy silent distance grew the Icebourg too." The poet gives us details to the event in each line. By doing this, the audience is able to obtain a vivid picture of what is taking place.

#10- I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

In this poem, the author uses good imagery. The imagery heavily reflects the senses. The two that are very noticable in this poem are sound and sight. The character can hear everything that is going on, eventhough she is inside the casket. As we know, the character is metaphorically inside the casket. She can hear the drums playing and the lift of the box. Also, she saw the the mourners and saw them being seated. The effect of this imagery is to show what is happening to the character. Obviously, she is in a tough place in her life and feels as though she can not make it. At the very end it says "Plank of Reason broke." She feels as though she is insane and it is time to accept it. All of the imagery adds to the tone and theme of saddness and depression.

Those Winter Sundays

This poem is short, but I feel it can be interpreted in many ways. When we were in our small groups, my group had a hard time on agreeing what was taking place. Some thought the father was abusive and others just thought it was the boy finally taking the time to understand all his father had done for him and the family. We never came to an agreement. The reason we saw the abusive viewpoint was because of the lines that say "fearing the chronic angers of that house", and "speaking indifferently to him". These lines offer dark personal feelings. We can definately tell there is a distance between the boy and his father. However, the rest of the poem speaks of his father's hardwork in the cold and how he trys to help the family. We see a sense of sympathy in the poem as well. ("no one ever thanked him")I am unsure of which is true because I can see both sides.

#14- Spring

Throughout the poem entitled Spring, the poet incorporates allusions to Christ and the Garden of Eden. This is very meaningful to the poem because we think of Spring as a time of new life, Easter, and joy. The Garden of Eden is alluded to to show how sin impacts our lives, but we can overcome that and enjoy life. Christ is alluded to because Easter happens in Spring. In the Catholic church, we believe Jesus rose and ascended into Heaven. This shows how our lives were renewed and can live in happiness. This poem is all about the innocense we have until it is clouded over with sin and negative aspects. The allusions do a good job of describing this idea; With the help of these allusions, the audience can tell the greatness of Spring and what it has to offer. I really liked this poem because it had a cheerful meaning to Spring and was light-hearted.

#8- London

In the poem London, there is a distinct tone that comes across to the audience. The tone is that of dark and pitiful. Throughout the stanzas, the poet talks about "in every cry of every man", "infants cry of fear", "chimney-sweeper's cry", and "soldier's sigh." This shows that the country is very unhappy. Also, the poet talks of a "Harlot's curse". This proves that London is in shame and cannot live happy married lives. When reading this, from the first line to the last, it is gloomy. There is no happy ending or exciting scene that takes place. Every line talks of derogatory ideas. William Blake, the poet, does a very good job of getting the tone to come out in the poem.

Perrine's Poetry

In poetry, there are a numerous meanings people find to the poems. There is no correct answer to which is right, only understandings that are better than others. This really confused me because number one, who has the final say on which one is better? Number two, how are readers supposed to get the same meaning as someone else? The criteria used for judging the interpretations are: the interpretation must account satisfactorily for details in the poem, and they must me economical and not based solely on general assumptions. The interpretations can not be too out there or it will not make sense. Perrine also states that context that surrounds a poem can help to expand the meaning, but may also put a limit to it. Words in poetry have richer meanings. When one reads a poem, they have to go deeper and put thought into what is actually being said. Symbolism is used in many poems. This can cause a problem since there can be more than one understanding of what it is being stood for. RObert Penn Warren says, a symbol "partakes of the reality which it renders intelligible."
My interpretations the first time I read the poems were kind of on the right track but not really. After reading Perrine's interpretations, I began to see how they truly connect with the words present in the poem. I began to see how he made all the words come together to make the poem make sense to him. However, I'm still confused as to how we can train ourselves to comprehend the true meaning. We are supposed to understand what the author is trying to say, but we really do not know. Perrine's criteria is a short list; I feel the audience needs more guidelines to truly solve the true meaning. The biggest key in reading poems is to make sense of what words are used. Overall, I feel as though i may understand poems a little better if I follow Perrine's ideas.

last one!

Finally! My summer reading is over! This book dragged on for me. For my last blog, I want to tie in my title to the book, just as I did for The Things They Carried.
Peace- Throughout the novel, the characters endure pain and circumstances that require peace to settle them. However, Robert does not use peace when he hurts Romero.
Hope-Robert has hope that one day Brett will realize that he is the one for her. He loves her and wants to be with her. But, as we all know, Brett does not have those feeling for Robert. Also, they all have hope to make it happy in life and travel together.
Love-Well, I'm pretty sure we are all aware of all the "loves" in Brett's life. She loves basically all the guy characters in the book. Eventhough she is engaged, she still goes off with Romero and still loves Jake.

Bill's Song

"Irony and Pity. When you're feeling...Oh, Give them Irony and Give them Pity. Oh, give them Irony. When they're feeling...Just a little irony. Just a little pity..." Bill Gorton is singing this to Jake. I was confused as to why he was telling him this. He is trying to make Jake be a writer and use techniques to help him. When he asks him to say something "ironical" Jake fails. When he asks him to say something pitiful, he says RObert Cohn. Bill says, "you ought to be ironical the minute you get out of bed. You ought to wake up with your mouth full of pity." These quotations occur on page 118-119.

Epigraph

"You are all a lost generation." -Gertrude Stein

I saw this quote at the beginning and wondered how it would play out in the novel. After I finished, it became very clear to me. Every character does not truly know what they want out of life. They just travel in a circle it seems, never moving forward, or never reach a high point in their life. This quotation is universal. Every generation is lost at some points in their life. People everywhere are confused and in a stand still at some points of their life. Brett, Jake, Robert, and the others are all experiencing this throughout the book. From the beginning to the end, they seem to make a circle. Yes they travel, but they dont progress in their lives.

Foreigners?

"Hurray for Wine! Hurray for the Foreigners!" was painted on the banner".
"Who are the foreignors?" -RObert
"We're the foreignors."-Bill

During the fiesta, dancers and band members lined the streets. Robert is confused about who the foreignors are. It is weird to think about, but when they went to spain they became the unusual ones. We often don't think of ourselves as foreignors when we enter into another country. I have been in Robert's position before. When I went to Mexico, my family and I were the foreignors, eventhough we always say the mexicans are foreignors in the US. They still fit in and had fun at the fiesta. Of course it helped that they had seven days to party in Spain.

Robert Cohn

"He went in and found Brett and the bull-fighter chap in the bull-fighter's room, and then he massacred the poor, bloody bull-fighter.....he nearly killed the poor, bloody bull-fighter." (page 205) Romero and Brett started to have a thing going on and Cohn could not handle that. His jealousy got the best of him and he wanted to punish Romero. Jealousy was his motivation. When people get angry and upset sometimes it gets the best of them. Cohn really did not want to hurt Romero, but he could not take it because he loves Brett. They shared a special time together, yet Brett does not feel the same way about Robert. Robert now feels there is nothing left to live for. He left Jake and the rest of his friends. Noone really knew where he went but Jake has the idea he went back to Paris.

Point of View

The Sun Also Rises is written in first person. One of the main characters, Jake, is the one who tells the story. We come to know the characters by how he describes them. When it comes time for him to describe the bull-fight, I felt as if we were reading his journal. Jake gave us many details to make it seem as if we were there. One of the reasons I enjoy reading novels in first person is because it gives the audience a chance to truly connect to the feelings and lives of the characters. Hemingway uses I and me to speak of Jake in the book. This book was hard for me to read, but it did help that it was in first person. The audience gets a chance to connect with Jake more than any other characters. I think Hemingway chose Jake to be the narrator because he is involved with almost every other character in the novel.

Money Buys Everything?

The typical expression is "money can't by happiness." However, Jake seems to think so. "I tipped every one a little too much at the hotel to make more friends." (page 237) Jake paid them more so that they would like him. He wants to have a few friends when he comes back to visit. Noone should have to buy their friends though. He also stated that "if they remembered me, their friendship would be loyal." I don't know if this is the case for anyone today, but my friends that are loyal to me did not happen because I paid them. Jake is a complex character. Always doing things and keeping busy. When he endures something, he just moves right along. Money never seems to be an issue in the novel. The only one we learn that is bankrupt is Mike.

Brett in love again?

Well, there is no shock here! Brett feels as though she is in love with Pedro Romero. "I'm a goner. I'm mad about the Romero boy. I'm in love with him, I think." (page 187) Can Brett ever meet a guy and just be friends? I do not think it is possible. Romero is nineteen years old! Brett is in her thirties! She can not have all these love feelings for all of these guys. When she was engaged with Mike, she stayed with Robert, other guys, and now she wants Romero. On top of that, she still has Jake in her head. Brett is just a little to carried away with the idea of love. She talks to Jake about her feelings and he tells her she should stop. But, just as Frances is strong-willed, so is Brett. Romero and Brett have a fun time together, but it ends as quickly as it began.

Together forever

Jake and Brett are clearly in love with eachother. They have their precious moments together but never become more than "just friends" in the novel. Jake has stood by her in all her men. However, close towards the end of the novel, she sends Jake a note saying she needs him. Brett tells him of how Romero left her and Jake is there to comfort her. They both agree that they could have had a good time together. The biggest thing I want to know is what happens now? The book just ended. Granted, I was thankful it was over, but are Jake and Brett ever going to be more than friends? THey seem to know eachother the best and understand eachothers feelings. Brett seems to truly be herself when she is with Jake. He accepts her for who she is.

Wome take charge

Throughout the novel, the women seem to have the upper hand. Frances thinks she can tell Robert what he is going to give her so she can leave. Robert lets her do this to him. "He's going to give me two hundred pounds and then I'm going to visit friends. Won't it be lovely? The friends don't know about it, yet...." "You were only going to give me a hundred pounds, weren't you Robert? But I made him...." (page 55-56) From this dialogue the audience can tell that Frances is controlling. Robert should stand up for himself, yet, alls he does is ask how she can say such things. She keeps badgering him in front of his friend to make him feel bad and be embarrassed. This shows how women control the actions in the novel.

Allusion

Throughout the novel, religious references are made directly and indirectly. First off, Cohn is Jewish and Jake is Catholic. We come to find how Cohn has been treated since he is a Jew. Later on, on page 93, a man was talking to Jake and Bill about Catholics. " It's a pity you boys ain't Catholics. You could get a meal, then, all right." Then a boy asks, "when do us Protestants get a chance to eat, father?" Lastly, Bill states, "It's enough to make a man join the Klan." The Klan Bill is alluding to is the Ku Klux Klan. Catholics were strongly hated by the Klan. The religious tension seems like a timeless notion. No matter where someone is in the world, or what year, people will never agree and accept religions without conflict.

Conflict

On page 34, we come to know there is some sort of conflict between Jake and Brett. "Don't you love me?" "Love you? I simply turn all to jelly when you touch me." "I don't want to go throught that hell again." We know they have a past, but we are not sure of what happened. Throughout the novel, people will ask Jake why him and Brett are not together. Jake always says its better if they are friends. Jake is a smart character. In every relationship Brett is in, the relationship never works out. Jake wants to keep her as a friend. Brett always says Jake is her only friend. They always have their moments together but nothing ever comes of it. He is always there for her whenever she needs him. IIt is almost as if they are together, but there is something that keeps them a part.

Epistrophe

Yet again we come to know how drinking influences the novel. On page 85, Mike starts to speak of his love for Brett. He is holding a conversation with with Jake and Bill. However, all he can keep saying is "lovely piece." At the end of every sentence he states some way he works in "lovely piece." This shows the audience what Mikes feeling for Brett. Everyone thinks she is lovely;furthermore, she is the love interest in the entire novel. It is also funny to find, noone answers him when he asks them if they agree. Brett introduced Mike as a drunkard. (motif) I am doing these blogs after I finished the book so I know how Brett and Mike end up. Eventhough they were engaged to be married, Mike's "lovely piece" and him never make it to the wedding day.

Juxtaposition

On page 221, Hemingway has a strange way of depicting the bull-fight. "It was as though he were rocking the bull to sleep." How can you go to a bull-fight and think of the word sleep? Bull-fights are all about excitement and energy and danger! The author portrays a picture of Romero doing his job so perfectly that the bull actually becomes tired. Bulls are aggressive animals and want to kill. The statement adds humor to the novel. Readers who have ever attended a bull-fight will soon realize that it is contrasting. Bull-fighting and sleeping would never go together!

Paradox

On page 226, I came across a paradox. Bill and Jake are talking about the fiesta and Bill calls it a "wonderful nightmare". How can something be wonderful, but be a nightmare? Nightmares are scary dreams that impact a person in a negative way. However, something wonderful makes a person feel good and allows to have good memories. In a sense, I can see why Bill would call the fiesta a "wonderful nightmare". It is wonderful because it is a fiesta! Parties are always fun and memorable. But, it resembles a nightmare because of the troubles that arose. Cohn got angry and hit Jake and Romero. They ended up hurting their friends. Even though at first we would never put wonderful and nightmare together, in the end, we can kind of see the truth in the statement.

Situational Irony

On page 12, an ironic situation occurs. "As he had been thinking for months about leaving his wife and had not done it because it would be too curel to deprive her of himself, her departure was a very healthful shock." Cohn wanted to leave his wife, but in turn, he did not know she wanted to leave him as well. It truly is funny how life plays out, especially when a person least expects it. Cohn was a good person. He always tried to do what was best;however, he is never fully aware of what is best. In the very beginning, the audience can tell Cohn is going to have some pretty tough situations to endure. He is just built up to be that character.

Metaphor

On page 171, I came across a metaphor. " The others twisted themselves like cork-screws."During this part of the novel, the bull-fights were going on. "Others" refers to the other matadors beside Romero. Romero was the best matador. He did not make any contortions to stray away from the bull. He was just that good. However, the others were afraid of being hit. So, they moved there bodies in different ways to keep away from the oncoming bull. Cork screws are very winding. They move in all directions. The author compared them to these by means of how they could not stand still. Reading further on, we come to know that they did these movements to give a "fake look of danger".

Vernacular

Since the characters in this novel travel alot, we get a feel for some of the language used in different parts of the world. Brett, Jake, and Cohn are all English. However, they travel to Spain and are surrounded by spanish speaking people. They go to Spain to watch the bull-fights. Moreover, a huge seven day fiesta takes place during this time as well. Words such as: "arriba", "fiesta", "pelota," "tolero", "suerte", "muy bueno", and many others are used in chapter XV. Not only do the spanish people speak these words, but so do Jake and his group. By adding in words that particularly come from a specific place, allows the reader to become part of that culture. Hemingway could have used he english translation for those words;however, by using the vernacular the reader gets more out of the novel. It adds depth to the readers understanding.

Motif

I'm pretty sure everyone is using this in their blogs, but this literary term stuck out the most to me. The number one thing that is repeated over and over throughout this novel is drinking. The subject appears on almost every page. I commented on Kelsi's blog about how I could not go a page without seeing some form of this taking place, or seeing key words that define what was happening. On page 78, Hemingway uses the phrase "pie-eyed." This took me awhile to understand what was being said. Being "pie-eyed" is another phrase for being drunk. "Cock-eyed", page 166, is another phrase used as well as "tight". The word tight is used throughout the novel on many pages. All these characters drink whenever they are around eachother. Their actions are solely based on them drinking and getting to carried away.

The Sun Also Rises-climax?

This book was hard for me to finish. I could not get into to what was happening. Actually, it seems to me that nothing ever really happened. The characters just kept moving and the same occurances just kept happening. There never seemed to be a climax to the story. Maybe that was just my own interpretation of the novel, but it never seemed to reach a dramatic high point. Throughout the novel, Hemingway portrays many different characters. A few characters consist of: Cohn, the Jew, Jake who is the Catholic, Brett who is the love interest, Mike the drunk who is Brett's fiance, and Bill. Bill is an interesting character who i will blog about later. By combining all these characters and more, the novel took its form. However, I found it to be very boring.

#20 last one!

For my last bl0g, I'm not quite sure what i want to blog about. I did the literary terms and blogged about some other characteristics of the novel. I guess for my last one I will make a connection between my blog title and the book as a whole. When I first made my blog title, i had not yet started reading. But as I was going through, I realized that the three words (peace, hope, and love) are brought out in The Things They Carried. In every war, people only want there to be peace. At the camps, amongst soldiers, there needs to be a sense of peace to accomplish the great tasks. The people have hope that they will one day be out of danger. Mark Fossie hoped that Mary Anne would come back to her normal self and Jimmy Cross hoped that Martha would truly love him. Lastly, love. Love is present in just about everything. In this book, there are three accounts thast stick out where the author talks about love and romance. Tim and Laura, Jimmy and Martha, Mark and Mary Anne are the three situations. So, in the end my title truly does relate to the novel. It's funny how things tend to work out :]

#19 Metaphor

On page 21, Tim O'Brien compares a plane to a bird. "but it was more than a plane, it was a real bird, a big sleek silver bird with feathers and talons and high screeching. They were flying." During war, so many people just wanted to leave. They would dream of hurting themselves just so they could ride to safety away from the maddness on a "freedom bird." The freedom birds were airplanes. When anyone got injured or died, they were taken to Japanese hospitals to be taken care of. They wanted to feel light and free away from the disaster. By including this metaphor into the story, it creates a visual for the readers to picture. Also, it elaborates how badly some of those people wanted out of their. THey wanted to soar like a bird-planes were the way to feel like that.

#18 Things to Carry

In the first chapter, we come to know all the things that the characters carry. [hints the title] You never understand what items are truly carried. There are not just tangible things that need to be carried, but the intangibles as well. I will have to say that the first chapter kind of got boring after reading the millionth thing that a person carried. The items were broken down into categories: necessity, sentimentals, rank and specialty, weapons, missions, and superstition. Every character had his own set of ideal things to carry. It was interesting finding out what each treasured the most. The one that stuck out to me the most was life. A person has to carry themself before they can carry anything else. "..and for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and the unknowns, there was at least the single abiding certainty that they would never be at loss for things to carry." This quote proves that no matter the weather, age, day, time, or person there is always something that someone has to carry. This is true for our world today. It does not just have to be war, daily life requires numerous items to be carried.

#17 War itself

The Things They Carried is a novel written about war. On almost every page it talks about this event. Fights, misunderstandings, and wars happen all over the world and have for many centuries. While reading this book, I discovered that the events happening in the book are happening in our lives today. The fallen heroes in the book are just like the fallen heroes in the wars past. This book is not all true, but in a way it seems as if it could be. The writer titles his main character his exact same name. He speaks of Vietnam and we all know the Vietnam War. We know of the deaths and the victories. War is a sad and scary thing. Losing people close to you is one of the hardest things someone will endure. In the book, Curt Lemon, Ted Lavender, Kiowa and others were killed. It hits hard knowing that those things are happening to our troops today.

#16 Stories

All along throughout the book I knew I was reading a story. Along the way, the author would add in certain comments general stories themselves.
"The thing about a story is that you dream it as you tell it, hoping that others might dream along with you..." (page 218)
"But this too is true: stories can save us." (page 213)
"What stories can do, I guess, is make things present." (page 172)
"the stories that will last forever are those that swirl back and forth across the border between trivia and bedlam, the mad and the mundane." (page 85)
"Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except a story." (page 36)
All of these quotations prove something special about stories. They are what keep people in tune and allow people to cherish memories. Stories are the source of all things. They can be passed down and told and retold in many ways more than one.

#15 Heroes

In society today, we think of heroes as people who save others lives and do something amazing for someone else. This may be true, but there are more heroes in the world than we give credit to. On page 45, it reads, "The man who opened the door that day is the hero of my life." O'Brien was saying this about Elroy Berdahl. He was a quiet old man who owned the place where Tim stayed for awhile. During this time, he was running away from going to war. The old man some how knew what was taking place. He was a hero to Tim by means of letting him figure out for himself what the best action was to take on the war subject. He never came out and told Tim what he thought was best but rather gave him insight. That man changed Tim's life forever and that is why he calls him a hero. We all have heroes in our lives even if we overlook them. The simplest things someone does that has a huge impact on life is considered a hero in my eyes.

#14 Flashback

A flashback is a scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time. Throughout the novel, numerous flashbacks fill the pages. Without adding these important flashbacks, the book would have given off a different message. Flashbacks are little stories and memories that help relate to the reader why something is the way it is or how they came to be. In the chapter Enemies, we learn of Jensen and Strunk's fight. The author added this in to show how people act toward eachother. Also, in the chapter Friends, the author proceedsto tell us how they worked through their differences and became cordial with eachother. Without having the prior flashback, the readers would be confused as to why they werent best friends. Anothe time in the book where we experience a flashback is when he tells us of how he came to be a part of the war. He states, "i saw a seven-year-old boy... I saw a twelve-year-old boy...I saw a sixteen-year-old boy...". These were events that flashed before him and to the reader we understand where he came from.

#13 Mary Anne

Mark Fossie was a soldier in love, as many of them were. However, he had this bright idea to bring his young girlfriend, Mary Anne, to Vietnam. At first, I didn't think that would be such a problem. I actually thought it was sweet how he wanted her to be there with him. In the chapter, Seweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, we learn the story of Mark and Mary Anne. She is this sweet, shy, and sophisticated young girl. But after a time in Nam, she begins to change into someone new. She was curious and wanted to know what went on. Mary Anne found everything very intriguing. Towards the end of the chapter we find out that Mary Anne joined the Greenies. She wanted to fight. She was ready to kill. The jewelry she war were of teeth and and tongues. Mark did not even know her anymore. It is a scary thing to think that after a short time somewhere it can have that much of an impact on a person. War messes with people's minds. Mary Anne is an example of the extreme changes that can occur. In many novels, there are always those characters who are there for a short while and have the most drastic story line. Mary Anne is that character in The Things They Carried.

#12 Kiowa

This novel was filled with many great characters. They all had qualities that made them unique and important to telling the story. Kiowa was one that I paid special attention to through the entire novel. In the beginning we learn that Kiowa is a devout Baptist and he carries the New Testament. He was a quiet character. Peaceful. I think he was scared in a way of seeing all the terrible things happen, especially death. Sometimes he would get joked upon in many ways. One night, Norman Bowker said, "one thing i hate, it's a silent Indian." He is referring to Kiowa. As the novel progresses, Kiowa is standing strong, until a sudden disappointment when we read that Kiowa dies. It was pitch black and he was sinking fast under the sewage field after the hit. Going into war the men know that they may lose their life for their country. However, if someone asked Kiowa what he thought his way of dying would be I doubt he would say drowning. I also feel bad for Norman he saw the whole thing happen. Just as war today, fallen heroes will be remembered. I feel Kiowa was a hero at that time.

# 11 Tim O'Brien

I wanted to do a blog on the main character. Throughout the story, we learned alot about Tim's character and personality. Also, we learned of how he even got started in the war. In the chapter titled, On the Rainy River, it gives us a suspenseful begining to his background story. He states, "this is one story I've never told before. Not to anyone. Not to my parents, not to my brother or sister, not even to my wife." These opening sentences spark suspition in the readers mind. We wonder what he could be talking about and why he never told anyone, yet he is telling his readers. As we progress through the chapter, we come to know it is the story of not only his feelings but the actions he took towards war. Tim wanted to run away and disregard his call to duty. I would too if I had been drafted and had no interest. For me, this showed Tim as normal. He wanted to find a way out of something he did not want to do. We all do that today. Also, he didn't understand why he was chosen. He had honors and a reputation that he thought was "to good for war". Many people in our society think along those same lines today. In time Tim began to be open to the idea. Once he arrived at camp, he was nervous and new to the whole idea. When a guy died, he did not want to go talk to him. Also, when he killed a man, he felt the greatest guilt. His actions and feelings are not that of a villian but of a human being. Tim is a good character because everyday people can truly relate to his character.

#10 Oxymoron

Throughout the story, the writer talks about Ted Lavender and his feelings on the war. Almost everytime a person would ask him how the war was that day, he would simply reply and say, "Mellow-a nice smooth war"(page 218). [or something of that context in other chapters] This is an oxymoron in a sense that war is not mellow or nice and especially war is not smooth. War is an act of fighting and killing. People die daily and from all sorts of causes. When Ted says war is mellow, they all know he is not being serious. However, by hearing those soothing words, it gives the men a feeling of relaxatioin. They would often make jokes about his false sayings but would go along with them. Ted talked this way because of all the tranquilizers he took. War is a scary place to go and the men found little ways that would help them focus and calm down. There is no just thing as a nice war-we all know that. But in a way, Ted almost made it seem possible.

#9 Personification

On page 71, the figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human actions is used.

"The rock-it's talking. And the fog,too, and the grass and the goddamn mongooses. Everything talks. The trees talk politics, the monkeys talk religion. The whole country. Vietnam. The place talks. It talks. Undertand? Nam-it truly talks."

The rocks, grass, and trees were not actually speaking words. They are lifeless. However, it is funny that the author gave them the quality of talking, especially those of religion and politics seeings how those are big in our society today. To me, portraying the inanimate objects talking, shows how minds start to wander. I often get confused as to why authors use personification. Can't they just show people? However, I came to realize in this story that it adds depth to the existing story. In war, things can be very quiet. By having the trees talk, they had a sense of eerie comfort to the men. Sometimes its better to hear strange things, then absolutely nothing at all. I don't belive he added it to show they were going crazy, rather the author added to show how communication is the only way to get points across.

#8 Couplet

This may be kind of a stretch in a way but I'm going to go for it. On page 32, the author writes "Step out of line, hit a mine; follow the dink, you're in the pink." A couplet is two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry. In the story, the soldiers all walked through the mine fields following the leader (dink). They were following him into the pink zone which I'm guessing (and think I'm right) is the safe zone. As they were walking, they all chanted this rhyme to make sure everyone was in tune. Rat Kiley made up the chant, and they all caught on an sang it together. This is one of the good things about war. People work together as a whole to get the job done. If one of those men did not chant with the rest of the group, the outcome may have turned out differently. In a way, they were reassuring eachother that they were in this together and that if they did as the poppa-san instructed, they would come out alive and continue to move forward toward victory. Also, by chanting this rhyme, it took their minds of the blantantly obvious fact that bombs and artillery were being blasted everywhere. But, by putting their focus on the words, it allowed them to progress and not restrict themselves.

#7 Dialect

On page 19 the author introduces to us the us of the harsh vocabulary that the soldiers used while fighting. "Greased", "offed", "lit up", "zapped while zipping", and "Nam" are only a few mentioned in the book. O'Brien describes them as actors and used this dialect when ready to fight. However, I think that in war new ways of speaking come about. Each side has to have their own dialect to reassure that they are for the same victory. Dialect is a way of speaking that is a characteristic of a certain social group. In war, their social group is all the soldiers and commanders who fight for a specific reason. The author stated that, "they talked grunt lingo" and told stories in the same dialect. Most of this hard dialect came from death. They hide their sorrow and saddness by means of speaking. Eventhough they were the only ones to fully understand what was being said, it gave them comfort by the words being spoken.

#6 Anaphora

"You could blame the war. You could blame the idiots who made the war. You could blame Kiowa for going to it. You could blame the rain. You could blame the river. You could blame the field, the mud, the climate. You could blame the enemy....." On pages 169 and 170 the writer adds in an anaphora. An anaphora is the repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning of two or more sentences in a row. The purpose of using this device is to help the reader understand the enforcement of the words being proclaimed. Tim O'Brien wanted the reader to fully comprehend there was no true blame. Blame is something that gets people nowhere. There are a million things in the world that people can push blame on, but it gets them nowhere. In war, soldiers and different sides blame eachother for just about everything. It was only necessary for the author to add this in to show blame can be shed anywhere.

#5 Cliche

Throughout the novel, I came across a few cliches that Ithought contributed to understanding of the story. They all tie in to the facts about war: "war is hell" (page 74), "you're never more alive than when you're almost dead" (page 78), and "win some and lose some" (page 212). A cliche is a word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse. Writers are often encouraged not to put them in their pieces unless if they serve a purpose. I feel these serve a tremendous purpose. We all know war is hell. People are killed daily and the pain inflicted on families is unbearable. Also, the statement, "you're never more alive than when you're almost dead" shows how in war you make every move and every decision as if it is your last. War is unpredictable. Weapons are going off and soldiers hearts are racing. At any moment, it could be their last. Finally, the one that is most common, "win some and lose some". This cliche can be used for many reasons such as: games, wars, or just simply life. O'Brien puts these in his novel for the readers to understand the timelessness of his novel.

#4 Point of View

In the chapter titled Love, the point of view switches to first person. By telling a story in first person, it is more capable of getting the true meaning across. I don't know what it is, but when I read stories in first person, I find them more interesting and I can relate to what the narrator is feeling. It is easier to put yourself in their shoes from first person point of view. In The Things They Carried,Ifeel that the author told it in first person so we would get a better understanding of what truly happend. He wanted his audience to read deep into the novel and appreciate his writing. Tim O'Brien is the author;coincidedly, Tim O'Brien is also the character telling the story. This only adds to deeper understanding and relation to the audience. Some of the stories told are difficult to communicate, but by telling them in first person it is hard for the reader to misinterpet the true meaning of what happend to the character.

#3 Symbol

The Things They Carried is full of symbols. We come to find out all that they carried: lives, knives, can openers, candy, cigarettes, diseases, infections, land, sky and much more. But, the one item that stands out in my mind the most was Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters. When the author began talking of the "love letters", I began to wonder what he could be meaning. In the first chapter, we come to know that Jimmy Cross has a hard time missing Martha, the girl he is in love with. We learn that "she signed the letters Love, but it wasn't love." He kept all the letters she wrote. He also held tight to a picture she gave him and a pebble. These items were very dear to him. To me, these items were symbols that reminded him of the life he lead when he was home. They were symbols of the things he missed and treasured. War is a scary thing; people change when they are away from home. By keeping items that symbolize their life before war, a person can maintain positivity and understanding. They continue to hope that when it is all over those items will not only be symbols of what they used to have, but become reality again.

#2 Simile

In the chapter entitled Spin, there is a simile brought into the novel. On page 31, the author states, "the war was like a Ping-Pong ball. You could put fancy spin on it, you could make it dance." The war is like a game of Ping-Pong. There is two sides (just like in war) and each side tries to beat the other. You go back and forth until finally one wins. War is just the same. Enemies fight eachother until one side is the winner. The steps to winning can be easy or can recquire strategy and "games". When O'Brien stated, "fancy spin", in war soldiers can put spin in their day to day routine. This only impacts the way the war would pan out. Also, in the same chapter, the author compares war to a game of checkers. It entails the same qualities as Ping-Pong. There is two sides and each person does tricks to make the other lose. O'Brien does a good job in explaining the similarites, "the enemy is visible, you could watch the tactics unfolding into larger strategies. There was a winner and a loser." War, in a sense, is a game. There can only be one true winner and to become a winner you have to out-win your opponent.

#1 Motif

Throughout the whole entire book there are a few words that are repeated over and over to highlight the true theme. "The things they carried", or "they carried" are phrases that reoccur throughout the novel. By the title itself, the reader can infer that the author will embelish in the weapons, necessities, dangers, and other things that people carry throughout their life, and in this novel, the things carried in war. A motif is a reccuring image, word, or phrase throughout a work. To me, this motif stood out like a sore thumb. Almost in every chapter, you learn of things they carried or just stories and happenings that they carried with them in their day to day life. In the beginning chapters these phrases are used in almost every sentence to ensure the reader of the things that will be carried. However, as the story continues, the phrases appear only when necessary to show the true effects of what they carried. Tim O'Brien does a good job in making sure the story follows this motif throughout book.