The poetry of Emily Dickinson

When I think of poetry the first name that comes to my mind is Emily Dickinson. I admire her work because she makes it completely her own. Conventional rules mean absolutely nothing to her and that is one of the main reasons I love her work. Despite the fact that she was often condescended by editors of her time she continued to write beautiful poetry for the sheer enjoyment of it. That is what I consider a poet. One of my favorite poems she wrote is number 712. The couple of lines in the poem are what attracted my attention. “ Because I could not stop for Death--- He kindly stopped for me”. I love the way this poem looks at death as more of a gentlemen than someone to be afraid of. Another poem that I really admire is number 632. This poem she compares the brain to several things including the sky, the sea, and the weight of God. She often talks about the brain in her work. I think the fact that she always talks about the brain in her poems shows that she was not only a very introverted person but she often pondered about the marvelous ability the human brain has. With just a speck of imagination one can take themselves to a completely new world full of whatever one chooses. I too am interested in the amazing abilities the mind has. I also find that Emily's use of metaphors is superb. The way she takes emotions and makes them concrete and beautiful is a far more valued skill to me than sticking to society's ideas of how things should be written. I have noticed that all of the writing we have read this week were somehow connected to peace and nature sprinkled with some darkness.

A White Heron

Sarah Orne Jewett's short story “ A White Heron” is a serene story that takes one to an entirely different time and place. The story is about a young girl by the name of Sylvia who lives a classic lifestyle on a farm with her grandmother. She finds common ground with nature and it is in nature that she confines herself. Sylvia takes her cow out on walks and milks her everyday. One a particular journey she comes across a stranger in her path. A young man with a handsome face who ends up crashing at her home for a couple of nights. During this time, Sylvia discovers she has a lot in common with this hunter---or so she thought. They both have a love for birds but in an entirely different way. Sylvia loves to observe birds and leave them unharmed. The rambling young man enjoys hunting birds and mounting them on his wall. Sylvia is faced with a decision to reveal the whereabouts of a mysterious white heron in the region to the young man or to keep the birds secret a secret. This is the main conflict between city value and rural value. It clearly demonstrates that Sylvia longs to keep her tradition alive. She has no interest in showing off birds that she has killed. The story glorifies nature in many ways. For example, Sylvia climbs the highest old tree in the forest to be able to stare at the remarkable beauty of the sea. The imagery that is present throughout the story shows readers the beauty of nature that is untouched by mankind. I can understand why this story is sometimes called a conservation story because the great lengths the story goes to provide the audience with a never ending morale that nature should be left to take care of itself.

A New England Nun

New England Nun

Freeman's short story “New England Nun” is my most favorable read out of the assignments for the week. I found it to be more interesting and full of emotions. The protagonist, Louisa, lived a simple and complex lifestyle all at the same time. A woman with grace and delicacy she waited on her fiance for fourteen years. Over time, Louisa began to lose interest in more than Joe. She lost interest in the thoughts of changing her already enjoyable lifestyle. I had no idea that Louisa and Joe were even a couple from the sounds of their conversations. It was evident that their relationship was lacking passion. I suppose society put high standards in the time this story was written on keeping promises of marriage. It took a lot of courage for Louisa to make a decision to end a relationship that she knew would not be promising for her or Joe. The dog, bear, and canary all reveal important information about the protagonists personality. They each show how she has an underlying desire for freedom. To be married takes away her freedom. I often ponder about the same thing myself. I do not believe that Louisa is entirely nun-like. She chooses to live her life the way she does because she enjoys it. It's about the freedom to live the way she desires. Just because the protagonist likes to live her life in a peaceful,routine, and quiet environment does not make her a nun. The fact that she did live just a simple lifestyle helped me to relax while reading the story. Today's society is so fast paced it is a difficult task for me to even focus to read when I have so many other things that need to be done. I would love to spend a day in Louisa's shoes.

Response to Huck Finn

When I began reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I knew that this would be a book unlike any I had ever read before. The issue of slavery had never been something I was interested in because it reveals how unorthodox people can be. Although it's essential to remember the past so it won't be repeated, I choose not to dwell on it.
I was surprised by the various issues the book addressed. Huck did alot more than experience an awespiring adventure as he journeyed down that river. He managed to stay true to himself despite what other people wanted.Huck remained the beautiful young boy that saw good in people even though he had experienced the worst. For example, Huck's father was a pathetic excuse for a father. Pap was what Huck called his father. Pap spent all of his life drinking and causing trouble. Huck still loved his father even though his father had not shown Huck the love he deserved. I often see the exact same thing happening with people who I have interacted with in my life.The character Jim was a very acceptable father figure in for Huck in my eyes. Jim still was there for Huck in ways that a father would be. He treated Huck with respect and shared his knowledge with him.The only problem was the fact that Jim was a slave.
Society at the time was very corrupt. Twain often shows this by exposing citizens attitudes toward slavery. The town Huck formerly lived in put a great reward for Jim and even blamed him for the "death" of Huck. Huck puts aside all that he has learned by helping Jim. This I think is one of the most important themes Twain wanted to address. Twain understood that sometimes what is considered the right thing to do by society is not always the right thing to do. I believe that is one of the main reasons the book became such a success. All people should learn from Huck and other great characters in books throughout history.

Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Rebecca Tester. Reading is one of those things that I enjoy when I  take the time to finish a book. However, reading is simply not one of my favorite things to do. When I do read, I enjoy a wide variety of books and articles.  Dan Millman's Peaceful Warrior Saga are my favorite books of all time. I really enjoy inspiration fiction. When it comes to nonfiction I love to learn about nature, famous people and what they did, as well as any and everything I do not know enough information about. I look forward to reading the assignments for this class. Most of the assigned works I have not read before.