You're Ugly, Too

You're Ugly, Too written by Lorrie Moore describes a lot about the people of today and yesterday. It does this through a lot of different descriptions. The descriptions of the main character, Zoe, and the students that she is surrounded by says a lot about the growth and change in our culture from one generation to another. The time that the author spends describing the continual dismissive attitude and inability to make decisions and stick with them by Zoe says more about the generations before mine. But most interesting to myself was the time spent allowing the jokes to have meaning in the lives of the characters present at the party. The generation divide was obvious by the characters being both spread out and dressed so extremely differently. I wish that the jokes meant more to me and could help me understand more about what the characters were going through at the time, but I think that sometimes generation divides make our thought process and comprehension different on all levels. What I think that these jokes could have meant might be entirely different than what they really do. What made me really wonder was the reaction that Zoe had to the interruption or maybe the joke itself that Earl told. I couldn't really figure out which it was. "There was accusation in her voice," was what really made me contemplate the reaction that was being presented to the reader. What was her actual problem with the joke? I wish that I could understand if it was Earl, the scenario, the joke, or simply whatever was going on in the mind of Zoe.

What really impressed me in this story was the clutch use of vulgar vocabulary. That really made the jokes a lot funnier.

February

February by Margaret Atwood is not a poem that I feel I can personally relate to well. Maybe I'm just a sappy romantic that likes to believe in wonderful times of joy and love when others really only relate well to depression and loneliness, but I think that this poem is off. I feel this way because in the February that I get to experience every year, I get to be involved in my birthday, my sisters birthday, and, of course, Valentines day. These days combine to help me get by what many people consider one of the more depressing months of the year. I can relate in a sense that I see how this month could be depressing, but I see so much potential for anyone to make it a good month for all. How would you do this? Really in a similar manner to the way that I myself look at February. Instead of focusing on what cannot be changed, like the weather, attempt to focus on what can really be enjoyed. Throughout this poem, the other relates times back to watching hockey. I'm not sure why that has to be a negative time. Watching sports can be a lot of fun, especially if you watch them with people that you enjoy being around. Instead of so much negative connotations like, "Time to eat fat," look at the times as those that can be spent well with others growing in relationships and companionship.

The Story of an Hour

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin delves into the emotional state that a woman finds herself upon hearing the news of her husbands death. This story has a very interesting start because of how torn up and distraught the woman appears at the news of her husbands death. This appears to be a common reaction in our minds, but the woman quickly changes her emotions and feelings. She realizes on a greater level that she is not fully in love as she would seem. But why? I think that she is a selfish human being and that flaw has brought her to the point that she is ultimately greatly relieved at the death of her husband. I read this not only in the middle when she saw, "Of years to come that would belong to her absolutely," but also near the end when she, "died of heart disease-of joy that kills." How could you be so absolutely overjoyed at the death of your husband just because of the time that you will now be able to spend however you want and with whomever you would like? I do not think that her death would be describe of joy that kills unless she truly did feel happy at the idea of finally being rid of her husband. This selfish desire is of course in all of us, but the idea of truly loving someone to the point of despair at their loss is what I would think a husband/wife would really feel.

Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics by Carver is a very intriguing short story because of the content that is more of a modern day. The conclusion of this story includes word that require an understanding in order to fully comprehend what is happening to the characters through their actions. The "issue" that is being decided is who receives their child upon divorce. This builds through the smaller actions of the husband packing his things with care, the arguing and yelling between the two, and the eventual fighting over who gets to take care of the child. This major issue for the story is decided by the fight. This fight is more than just a verbal attack, but actually becomes physical. The mother has the child in her arms to start the fight, but in the end they each take a part of the child to be their own. The problem is that the individuals feel that they each should take care of this child that they made together, and the idea of one of the other taking care and ownership makes them desire the child more. So, when the physicality begins, the child takes the real damage. They each grab a hold of the child and try to keep it as their own. This ends with the destruction of the child for good. "In this manner, the issue was decided," tells the reader that the child has been ripped in half and that they are done quarreling for good.

Lonely Hearts

In the poem Lonely Hearts, Wendy Cope creates the majority of her story through the repetition of a certain pattern and some key lines. She uses a pattern to create a sense that this person seeking another requires that desired one to have certain features and maybe not have other. She does this through the diction that describes the specific type of people that she is looking for in certain lines. The important lines that she repeats not only clue is on to what she is really looking for, but they also give us a sense of where she is both in the world and at a point of desperation. She writes, "Can someone make my simple wish come true?"(1, 6, 12, 18) in order to convey the depth to which she truly desires to find that certain someone for her life. She repeats it because it is so vastly important to her. She wants to find a love that can make all of her wishes come true. The second repeated line is, "Do you live in North London? Is it you?"(3, 9, 15, 19) and this line gives us direction to where she is. Along with that direction, she really wants those that are reading to contemplate their circumstances and how they would matchup to the specific circumstances that she has outlined for them. This is vital because after each description of various sorts, the reader then must decide wether they are a possible candidate. It also seems to cause an inquisitive nature to arise in the reader as to what they are looking for in their spouse.

Bright Star

In the poem Bright Star produced by John Keats, the author makes a lengthy comparison of his love to that of the consistency of a star and other aspects of a star. He very importantly states that he desires to be, "Steadfast as thou art,"(1) but then produces several qualities that he does not wish to be. He does not desire to be alone like a star is in the sky. He realizes that stars are ever looking down on the earth and does not want to be always watching like that. He is going to need his rest eventually. He wants to look at what he truly desires, and not that which does not apply to his life like the snow on mountain tops or the moors. He does want to be steadfast nevertheless. He desires to lay with the woman that he loves. He wants the steadfast spirit so that he will forever be watching his lover breath, alive, with him. He wants to, "So live ever,"(14) so that he can see this beauty for eternity.

Eveline

Eveline, by James Joyce, is a short story that gives an insight into the troubles and hardships of some commoners in the city of Dublin. The author blatantly says that the citizens of Dublin have a sort of "spiritual paralysis" and have trouble overcoming that. This story maintains that view of the that lack of spiritual progress and that is present not only in the situation that Eveline is in, but also in her decision to stay. At the end of the story, the text states, "Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition,"(222) which reveals just the extent to which Eveline is stuck in her continual ways. She cannot move on from the life that she is living and that becomes extremely evident when she justifies her leaving Dublin for a better place. She builds up her life, in short, as one without a mother that left her to try and maintain good house that her mother had brought her up in. This environment is not one that is ideal for anyone to live in. Her father is abusive and she has given him a fair share of chances to try to change his ways and make their lives better. This lack of improvement justifies Eveline as trying to better the place for as long as she can. She also creates a place where she will be headed as one that she will have an increasingly better life than the one that she is currently living. After all of her support for her own departure of leaving this city that is not meant for her, she stops short and holds back. She stays on despite all of the circumstances that scream that she should leave and find a place where she will have a sort of spiritual progress.

How I Met My Husband

In How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro, suspense was an important feature for the reader. This basis of small climaxes that created excitement helped produce a greater surprise when Eddie does not finally get a letter and instead marries the mailman. Some important events that did this also helped introduce characters and reveal tendencies in characters. The first one that I found to be so important was when Eddie gets all dressed up and then is caught by a stranger that seems to be kind towards Eddie. This revealed a sense of ignorance within Eddie for the actions that she takes. This event causes Eddie to risk yet another chance at getting fired by going over and speaking with the man so that he will not tell on her. This dangerous situation for a young girl starts the reader in thinking about what Eddie really cares about and how her approaches are to those things. The second event that Eddie so rashly jumps to doing is basically hooking up with Chris when he is an "engaged" man. She reveals more ignorance in her actions by taking him a cake and proceeding to let him kiss her while returning the favor. This rash action by Eddie creates yet another rush for the reader wondering if and when they will get caught. This also builds up the notion that Eddie might not just be a one time thing for Chris. When in actuality this leads to the revelation that Chris is not a great man. He makes promises and so easily breaks them. The reader feels as though Eddie will finally get her letter, but instead she does meet her husband (the mailman) in the process of waiting. The continual ignorance until the realization that the letter was not coming was expressed when Eddie thought, "I put it all out of my mind like a bad dream and concentrated on waiting for my letter,"(145).