Dulce et Decorum Est

I really enjoyed this poem. Dulce et Decorum Est displays the truth about war; everyone is always idolizing it and making war seem like a worthy cause to die for. While, at times, it is a worthy cause to die for, war is over glorified. In the first two stanzas of the poem, Wilfred Owen shares his experience with the audience, making the audience realize the true horrors of war; he is stating that after his experience, it is not "sweet and becoming to die for one's country" I enjoyed this poem because there are elements in the poem that seem beautiful and therefor, "unpoetic". His "beautiful" in the poem is not the textbook version;instead,  his word choice and description make the poem hauntingly beautiful.

A&P

Everyone has different opinions, different beliefs, different styles; no two people are exactly alike. So it should be acceptable to do things differently and not be judged for it, right? Wrong.

In A&P, Sammy is working in the store, when three girls come in. By society's standards, these girls are inappropriately dressed. The girls are kicked out of the store. Sammy witnesses the scene and becomes confused and upset, resulting in Sammy quitting his job. In the end of the story, Sammy has an epiphany, and realizes that life will become more difficult for him.


 Sammy's epiphany is that just because people believe differently or think differently, doesn't mean they will get treated the same as those who "respect" society's rules. This is a subtle yet strong realization for the audience as well. As children, we are taught to be original, to be ourselves, but we are somehow molded to the standards and expectations of those around us. We are desensitized to society's expectations, and until there are enough epiphanies like Sammy's, society and its rules will continue to decide how people are molded and treated.

the Yellow Wallpaper

I found the Yellow Wallpaper to be an extremely disturbing account of insanity. In the Yellow Wallpaper, the narrator seems relatively “sane” at the start of the story. She is lucid and even recognizes that she has a disease that she is working to cure. As a result, you relate to the narrator and trust her accounts of her surrounds and events. When she describes her room with the peeling wallpaper, bars on the windows, scrapes on the floor, rings on the walls, and the lone bolted down bed we believe her when she assumes it was once a nursery. We have no reason to doubt her. Yet, when we see her slowly descend into madness we realize that maybe she was mad all along – perhaps she has always been in that room. Perhaps it is an asylum and she has actually done all of the damage. This sudden twist was shocking to me as a reader and made me question everything I just read. It made the story much more disturbing and uncomfortable.

Araby

The theme in Araby is infatuation and faith in humanity only leads to disappointment. While faith in humanity does not always lead to disappointment, infatuation does, Not only is infatuation a theme in Araby, but in our society as well. 

While reading Araby, I realized that the boy, at his young age, had picked up on the skewed perception society has on love; it is not love, but infatuation that drives "relationships" forward. When looking at it from a third- party view, one can see how shallow it is to judge and love someone because of there looks, yet it happens repeatedly every day. 

A Worn Path

  I am old; the oldest person I know.  Even though it is a simple walk, it is long, and drains my energy.I walk through the forest, and some of the animals I fear, for I am afraid they will get in my way. The owls, foxes, beetles, jackrabbits, and raccoon will not stop me though; I have a task to complete and I cannot be stopped.
  I am old; the oldest person I know. The hill is my biggest challenge. Will I be able to make the hike? It is steep and long, but I move courageously at my sluggish pace. I go up, up up, until I reach the top. I look down the other side and see my next challenge: going down.
  I am old; the oldest person I know.  I need to rest, but struggle against slipping into a dream and forgetting my task. I see a boy, and he offers me cake, but what I long for is his company. I reach for the cake, but he has disappeared. I must move on.
  I am old; the oldest person I know. A dog smashes into me and I fall. Because I am old, I can't get up. I wait, wait and wait, praying that someone will come along and help me. A hunter, a white man, comes. He helps me up and begins mocking me. But I am not afraid or ashamed, even when he points a gun at me, for I have a task to complete, and I cannot be stopped. I go on my way, and move towards the town, dragging my body, willing myself to push on.
  I am old; the oldest person I know. I go into town. My feet remember the way to go, even though my mind does not. I enter the clinic, but momentarily forget why I am there. The receptionist gets angry, and begins yelling. My old mind finally remembers, for the person I am completing the task for is the most important in the world to me. I get the medicine from the clinic and a nickle from the receptionist, and along with the nickle I stole from the hunter, I plan to buy him a pinwheel. "He" is my grandson.
  I am old; the oldest person I know. I have completed my task. I have retrieved the medicine for my grandson. He swallowed lye, and suffers. This is why I cannot stop, as he needs the medicine to heal.
  I am the old; the oldest person I know. Although I don't know it, I am strong: mentally, physically, and morally. This journey proves it. My attitude and perspective on the world makes me happy, even though I struggle.
  I am old; the oldest person I know, but when I have a task to complete, I cannot be stopped.

 

The Search for Home

     Click your heels three times and say, " There's no place like home. There's no place like home....". If only it were that easy.

    In Cold Mountain, Inman's journey is to his home, Cold Mountain. Throughout the book, he faces many trials to get there, including his internal struggle of misidentification with the world because of the war, and external struggles such as the home guard keeping him prisoner . Inman meets many different people in the book, who allow him into their deepest struggles. It is through their stories that Inman recognizes his  longing is not for the physical home, but the solace of Ada's company. 

    

     There comes a point in one's life where they are forced to find home. To some, home may be the place where they were raised, a place where they will start a future, or even in a person they love. I believe that the author shows that the best place to find a home is in the heart of those you love. Throughout the book, physical objects are destroyed from the war: landscapes, homes, property, ect. But the things that are not destroyed are not concrete. Emotions, for example, play such a large role in the book because they guide the characters and determine their actions. The emotion love, is what finally leads Inman back to Ada.

 As a young adult getting ready to go off on my own in the world, I relate with this theme of the search for home. My home will shift from the place I grew up, to college dorms, apartments, and then who knows where. Physical homes will fade, change, and even destroyed, but my home can be in my family and friends.

 " Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends and family always belong, and laughter never ends." 

       

Dauntless

In the dictionary, dauntless is defined as " very brave" or "fearless". But what is so brave about attempting to complete a  dauntless task? Is it the fact that that task may never be complete? Or is it the fact that completing that task may push one to the brink? 

Struggling  to complete a dauntless task is heroic, no matter the task, because attempting to complete the task allows one to grow as a person.  Throughout the day to day trials and journey to complete the task, one grows: in their confidence, character, and integrity.  As Veronica Roth said, 

" There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater. 

But sometimes it doesn't. 

Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk to a better life."

Roth acknowledges that being brave doesn't have to be a big act, like saving someone's life, but can be as  simple as attempting, and even completing, something that is difficult or scares you.

Free Blog

As a junior in high school, I am preparing to become a young, responsible adult.  Adults always paint the picture that life as a grownup is easier in that sense that problems go away. This poem expresses that problems don't go away, they just become different, and that the outcome of your problems depends on how you, as a person, react to it. 

After a While
Veronica A. Shoffstall 

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn
that love doesn’t mean leaning
and company doesn’t always mean security.

And you begin to learn
that kisses aren’t contracts
and presents aren’t promises
and you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of woman, not the grief of a child
and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow’s ground is
too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down
in mid-flight.

After a while you learn
that even sunshine burns
if you get too much
so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers.


And you learn that you really can endure
you really are strong
you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn
with every goodbye, you learn…

Grapes of Wrath

    Uncle John sending Rose of Sharon's baby down the river is a biblical reference to Moses being sent down the Nile river. The image suggests, that the family, like the Hebrews in Egypt, will be freed of slavery and their present circumstances. As Uncle John sends the stillborn down the river, he is sending a message to the rich, or the "upper class" about the struggles of the poor. As John launches the body to the currents, he says "Go down an' tell'em.Go down in the street an' rot an' tell' em that way. That's the way you can talk."  This suggests the baby's corpse is a symbolic messenger.

Lie to Me

   Lies. Everyone has lied, and will continue to lie. We know its wrong, but somehow continue to justify our actions. When does lying become habit?  Is it justified ? 

   As a child, the line "tell the truth" is drilled into your head; tell the truth and everything will turn out fine. But then you see Mom tell her friend her new haircut looks amazing, when in reality it looks atrocious. You see Dad tell Mom that that dress doesn't make her look fat, even when it does. As it turns out, lying is human nature. Studies have shown that children as early as six months lie subconsciously, by fake crying or laughing. As a child grows, they get progressively better at lying, to the point that lying becomes a habit, a second nature. Lying is morally wrong, yet research shows that 60% of adults can't go 10 minutes without lying. It is an addiction, and an easy out when one lies.  

   Researchers have come to the conclusion that young children who lie are more advanced, socially and cognitively. Children who recognize that lying can bail us out of awkward situations,spare feelings of others, keep us out of trouble,and enhance social standings, are strong-brained and proven to do well in situations that force them to think on their feet.

   It is understandable to want to spare one's feelings, or avoid punishment, but is lying really the way to make those things happen?   Lying is morally wrong, yet socially accepted. The average person lies 7-10 times a day, without a second thought. We all know lying is wrong, but continue to do it, and even use science to justify our lying, but is it right? 




http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-dolphin-divide/201309/why-do-we-lie

http://people.howstuffworks.com/lying.htm

http://nymag.com/news/features/43893/