Week 8 Blog part 1

John Redding Goes to Sea

John Redding Goes to Sea is a tragic short story in which the main character, John Redding, faces a battle between his longings and what his loved ones want for him. Throughout the entire short story there was something about John that was different than everyone else. He wanted to travel and see the world. His mother, a static character, with a typical personality thinks that her son has been bewitched and that is why he wants to travel. She cannot open her eyes to the fact that her son is an individual. John’s father is a dynamic character who supports his son. He wants his son’s dreams to come true. John Redding’s uniqueness is a surprise to the traditional homebody community. John Redding is very intelligent and as he grows older it shows. His dialect changes from the standard southern African American dialect to that of a well educated individual. John Redding eventually marries a young woman after a very short amount of time. However, his desire to see the world never ends. This desire causes conflict amongst John and the women characters of the story. His father still supports him. One night, John decidesthat he is going to see the world regardless of what his wife or mother says. His mother reacts in a cruel way that sends pain deep into John’s heart. The irony of the story is that the very night the fight happened John left to help work on a bridge. A terrible storm came and it caused the death of John Redding. John Redding’s dream did come true, but only in death. A desperate mother and wife beg the other workers to collect John’s lifeless body. The only supporter of John’s dreams, his father, says for them to leave him alone.

A Wagner Martinee
A Wagner Martinee is a short story with various themes and a darker yet love filled atmosphere. The narrator of the story is a man named Clark. Clark begins the story with news of his aunt Georgiana’s visit. This short story is based around the visit of Georgiana and the lesson’s she teaches Clark. Georgiana is a poor woman with little in her life. She was not always that way. Her words she says to Clark and her basic appearance reveal her depression. Clark takes Georgiana to the opera to try to cheer her up. It does more than that. It sends her into tears because she does not want to leave. Georgiana faced a lot of changes when she decided to leave. Her life went from having money to do anything to living in poverty- where every dime counts. This dramatic change gave her nephew, Clark, new insight to the affects decisions can make on one’s life. Clark sees how his aunt Georgiana had so many things in her life she once loved such as music. However, by eloping she lost it all and had to adjust to some major life changing events like poverty. She went from living an easy life in Boston to a hard life in Nebraska. Her new life on the farm is less than gorgeous. She has a down right pitiful home. The weather in her new home is described with quiet detail. The weather itself could be comparing the way the decision Georgiana made and how it has changed her. She was once young and beautiful and now she is old with dramatic changes in her appearance such as false teeth. Although the story seems short it has a lot of deeper meaning. The deeper meaning is especially shown in the age old saying that decisions should not come lightly.