shiloh

When I first saw the assignment said to read “Shiloh”, I immediately thought of the story with a young boy and his dog. I was wrong. Bobbie Ann Mason’s “Shiloh” is a very different story. The story is a very depressing one about a couple’s marriage that is about to end. There are several signs that foreshadow Norma Jean’s decision to leave Leroy. For example, Norma Jean is always exercising or eating healthy. I have noticed that a lot of the time whenever someone I know is about to break up with someone or they just get dumped they start to care about their appearance and do various things to not only improve their life but keep themselves busy. Norma Jean seems to be doing exactly that throughout the short story. Leroy also knows it because he notices the changes in Norma Jean and the distance between them. The couple got together at a young age and their infant, Randy, died of SIDS. This awful event still haunts Norma Jean and Leroy years afterwards. Randy is always talking about his son to strangers. The ironic thing is that Norma Jean and Leroy never discuss Randy together. This is also a sign foreshadowing that their marriage is coming to an end because they have lost their open line of communication. They both are suffering from depression. Another thing I noticed about “Shiloh” is the influence traditional gender roles had on the outcome of the story. Generally speaking, men are the ones supporting the family while women stay at home. Now, Leroy is stuck at home and finding hobbies that traditionally women enjoy. It also seems a bit as if Leroy does not want a job because Norma Jean is the one finding jobs for him and he has excuses for why he should not do them. Norma Jean also seems fed up with the fact that she is working and Leroy is not.

Shiloh

When I first saw the assignment said to read “Shiloh”, I immediately thought of the story with a young boy and his dog. I was wrong. Bobbie Ann Mason’s “Shiloh” is a very different story. The story is a very depressing one about a couple’s marriage that is about to end. There are several signs that foreshadow Norma Jean’s decision to leave Leroy. For example, Norma Jean is always exercising or eating healthy. I have noticed that a lot of the time whenever someone I know is about to break up with someone or they just get dumped they start to care about their appearance and do various things to not only improve their life but keep themselves busy. Norma Jean seems to be doing exactly that throughout the short story. Leroy also knows it because he notices the changes in Norma Jean and the distance between them. The couple got together at a young age and their infant, Randy, died of SIDS. This awful event still haunts Norma Jean and Leroy years afterwards. Randy is always talking about his son to strangers. The ironic thing is that Norma Jean and Leroy never discuss Randy together. This is also a sign foreshadowing that their marriage is coming to an end because they have lost their open line of communication. They both are suffering from depression. Another thing I noticed about “Shiloh” is the influence traditional gender roles had on the outcome of the story. Generally speaking, men are the ones supporting the family while women stay at home. Now, Leroy is stuck at home and finding hobbies that traditionally women enjoy. It also seems a bit as if Leroy does not want a job because Norma Jean is the one finding jobs for him and he has excuses for why he should not do them. Norma Jean also seems fed up with the fact that she is working and Leroy is not.

Half and Half

Amy Tan’s “Half and Half’ is an emotional story in the heart of racism, family issues, and regret. All of which are reoccurring in the stories I have been reading in this English class. The story has several forms of conflict. The four most featured in the story is racism, religious issues, regret, and of course a failing marriage. The story, unlike many that I have studied, shows the effects racism has on people other than African Americas. The narrator, Rose, is a Chinese American while her husband is white. This caused many people, including their very families, to disagree with such a match. Religiously speaking the mother in the story lost her faith after a very terrible and unfortunate event happened while the family was on vacation years before. The mother fought so hard to bring her son back and had the uttermost faith he would until it did not happen. He drowned and disappeared into the vast ocean. After such a tragedy, faith was no longer a part of the family. After the accident, everyone in the family was struck by guilt. In the present of the story, the main issue is the divorce taking place between Rose and her husband. Rose feels that trying to fix things is a waste of time. She also realizes that there were many signs that pointed out that their marriage would not work out in the slightest bit. Rose loved being depended on her husband and he loved being the decision maker. When the tables were turned, arguments became a normal thing and their relationship was tested. As the story shows, their marriage was not strong enough at the time to make it through tough times and find a spot to connect in the middle. Now, Rose must come face to face with her mother to deliver the shocking news.

Everyday Use

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a short story about an African American family. The family faces several problems that are all put into play when Dee arrives to visit Mama and Maggie. Dee has lived an entirely different life than Maggie and Mama. Dee is a blessed young woman because she had the opportunity to go to school and become an educated member of society. However, an education has caused Dee to forget about family and her very own heritage. Dee thinks that by wearing traditional African clothing, changing her name to an African name, and greeting the family with some expression in an African language that she is keeping her “heritage” alive. However, Dee is sadly mistaken. The story goes on to prove this by showing Dee’s lack of regard for the quilts and other family items that have been passed down from member to member of her family. Maggie and Mama are entirely different from Dee. They have not been well educated and are used to a simplistic yet financially hard lifestyle. Neither of them cares a lot about what is going on in the world around them. Maggie and Mama both UNDERSTAND their heritage. They remember how to make quilts and how to use the items that Dee wanted to take with her. Mama and Maggie both seem to be humble. Dee, on the other hand, seems arrogant in the way that she boasts her education around the place. She talks to Mama and Maggie in a condescending tone as if they are not smart enough to understand what Dee is talking to them about. Walker seems to want to show the reader two major things. The first thing is that heritage does not have to be about an entire country but rather about family traditions in themselves. The second thing is that education is a helpful and unhelpful thing for people. It’s helpful because it gives them an open mind to things but it also takes away from the simple things of life.

"I Stand Here Ironing"

“I Stand Here Ironing” is one of the most depressing stories that I have read in a while. The story takes place as the narrator of the story, Emily’s mom, is on the phone with someone. The person on the line seems to be concerned about Emily’s behavior. As the mother tries to justify herself she takes a trip down memory lane to see the entire truth. Emily was the first child of the narrator. She was born during the Great Depression period. It seems as if times were really hard then and the mother could not financially take care of Emily. When the mother was finally able to take care of Emily, the mother often put her new husband and her new family instead of attending to Emily. At one point, Emily, was old enough for nursing school. During this time, Emily would constantly make up excuses for why she needed to stay home. The mother kept telling herself “ I know” but did not do anything about it. The story never directly says what happened at nursing school but it seems like it was abuse. Throughout Emily’s life she was faced with loneliness, abuse, and the hardships of not having a close relationship with anyone. All of that, plus moving a lot caused a lot of emotional damage to her. Emily’s mother seems to be feeling remorse because she did not do more for Emily. Emily seems to anorexic as well. The story also shows the hardships of being a mother. Presented to society as a rewarding experience the burden of carrying so many responsibilities is often not mentioned. The story tries to reveal that and the importance of having a loving relationship with one’s children. The mother, and Emily, both seem to have a lot of problems that they need to come in terms with.

Niki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni writes poetry in terms that easier to understand than most for me. The words she uses are simple, yet they convey a much larger meaning. For example, “Niki Rosa” is a short poem that has a lot of feeling yet it is not so difficult to understand. The narrator of the poem is trying to get across that even though times were bad she was happy. All of the “white folk” as she calls it think that just because they were poor or their parents sometimes fought that black people were miserable in childhood. To the narrator, it does not seem to be the case. She had her family and that was all that mattered to her. Her love is her wealth. “I’m not Lonely” is another of Niki Giovanni’s poems that seem simple yet the feelings were so strong in the poem. The narrator of the poem shows that she has grown stronger without the other person there with her. The poem never reveals who the other person is but I am guessing it was their significant other. The narrator had nightmares about that person leaving them but now that the other person is gone the bad dreams have went away. On the other hand, the poem could be saying that the narrator is lonely and in denial. The narrator has so much space in her bed and she is not scared. I think this poem could go either way. “Poem for Black Boys” is the final poem I read that has such a strong meaning. Living in such a harsh world makes the black boys she is talking about grow up too quickly. Instead of playing typical childhood games they are forced to grow up. However, the narrator emphasizes at the end they must learn to be their own heros and teach the older black people their new games.

Niki Giovanna

Nikki Giovanni writes poetry in terms that easier to understand than most for me. The words she uses are simple, yet they convey a much larger meaning. For example, “Niki Rosa” is a short poem that has a lot of feeling yet it is not so difficult to understand. The narrator of the poem is trying to get across that even though times were bad she was happy. All of the “white folk” as she calls it think that just because they were poor or their parents sometimes fought that black people were miserable in childhood. To the narrator, it does not seem to be the case. She had her family and that was all that mattered to her. Her love is her wealth. “I’m not Lonely” is another of Niki Giovanni’s poems that seem simple yet the feelings were so strong in the poem. The narrator of the poem shows that she has grown stronger without the other person there with her. The poem never reveals who the other person is but I am guessing it was their significant other. The narrator had nightmares about that person leaving them but now that the other person is gone the bad dreams have went away. On the other hand, the poem could be saying that the narrator is lonely and in denial. The narrator has so much space in her bed and she is not scared. I think this poem could go either way. “Poem for Black Boys” is the final poem I read that has such a strong meaning. Living in such a harsh world makes the black boys she is talking about grow up too quickly. Instead of playing typical childhood games they are forced to grow up. However, the narrator emphasizes at the end they must learn to be their own heros and teach the older black people their new games.

"Good Country People"

“Good Country People” is a short mind-bottling story that shows people are not always as they seem. The story begins misleading the reader to make them believe that the story is centered around Mrs. Freeman. However, the story is actually about Hugla . Hugla is a rebellious, “educated”, and very confused individual. She has a degree is philosophy but she does not seem to know anything about life or people. I find it ironic that she has such a degree but lacks common sense. Hugla tries so hard to be spiteful to her mom, Mrs. Hopewell. Hugla also has a heart condition. It seems to me as if Hugla is very desperate for attention but does not understand that negative attention is not the type she needs. One day a “bible salesman” shows up with a rather large pity story that everyone in the home believes. The salesman claims to have a heart condition as well. Hugla is immediately attracted to the boy; and she plans to meet with him in private. Everything seems to be going as smoothly as she wanted it to. However, the cards change when the salesman reveals his true self. His mask is revealed and it turns out he is a sick pervert who wants her wooden leg. It was foreshadowed from the beginning because he has such great interest in it. It turns out a “ country boy” outsmarted the highly intelligent Hugla. Hugla was abandoned by him in the barn in the top loft. He stole her wooden leg and Hugla was left to realize just how “smart” she truly is. This story reveals the uttermost dark side of people and how no one is what they seem or claim to be. The fact that Hugla had no faith in God also seems to play a big part in the story. Without faith in a higher power, Hugla sees life in a sort of black and white terms. She had to come to terms with the fact that she cannot survive on her own.

Week 13!!!

“Sonny’s Blues” is a short story that reveals to the reader the harsh realities of life for some people. These realities include drug addictions impact on family life as well as loosing someone very close. The narrator of the story is self-centered until he finds himself slapped in the face with the reality of what has happened to his brother Sonny as well as his own faults. The story begins with the narrator learning the awful news that Sonny is in jail. This news leads the narrator to a trip down memory lane. During this time, the narrator learns that Sonny’s problems have always been there. . However, the narrator has been too busy with his own life to intervene in Sonny’s life As a matter of fact, the narrator never even wrote to his brother in jail until his own daughter died. Sonny, like most men living in Harlem at the time, was pulled into the dark hole of a typical Harlem lifestyle. Drugs as well as living in poverty was a main issue most people faced. Sonny is the opposite of his brother the narrator. Sonny wants to go further than what he was born into yet, he lets the thing he doesn’t want the most to happen, happen. Sonny expresses his anxiety through his music. The main problem Sonny faces is his drug addiction. A temporary solution to a not so temporary problem is drugs to Sonny. The narrator of the story does eventually become close with Sonny after the death of his own daughter. Despite the flashbacks the narrator has, the narrator still chooses not to see the true root of Sonny’s problems or even who Sonny truly is at all. It is not until the very end of the story that the narrator finally opens his eyes. Sonny takes his brother to watch him play his jazz . It was not until this moment that the narrator saw his brother for the first time.





Randall Jarrel was a war veteran in the US Army Air Force. It is evident that impact war had on his very soul in his poem “Losses”. The word “dying” is used so much in the poem that it overtakes the reader’s emotions. It sends them on the exact mission of the narrator. The mission this time would be death or surviving. In order to survive they must kill people that they do not know. The narrator emphasizes that they do not know whom they are killing. At the same time, their existence is very bleak. They are just casualties or if they survive they get medals. The narrator gives the reader an insight to the poor sad lives of those who fought in war. Jarrel also mentions dreaming in a lot of his poems. It seems that if dreaming is his only escape from the ever reoccurring theme of death. Death is not to be taken literally, however. Death is more like a heavy weight lifted from him because the life he is living is like dying anyways. The first two poems are definitely the darker of the three that I read.War seems to be a popular subject to write about. The final poem titled “ Girl in a Library” is surprisingly different from the other two. This poem seems to be a descriptive poem at first but after reading it a second time I realized more of what was actually going on in the poem. The poem shows a girl who does not realize her potential. She is very boring and simple. Although, the girl seems to be an average girl with little educational comprehension she is eventually given respect from the narrator.



Sylvia Plath definitely knew how to touch hands with the darker side of life. Each of her writings seem to give me the chills as I read them. “Lady Lazarus” was the first poem I read. To me, it seems as if this is a poem about her repeatedly trying to kill herself. She claims she is a cat with nine lives. The first time it happened was an accident but the rest were on purpose. The doctors are her enemies. This is some pretty grotesque writing. I would have assumed that her husband or someone else she was close to would have known the signs that something was not quiet right with her. It would be interesting to know what she thought about and how she behaved. The way Plath uses the German language in her poems also give them that eerie atmosphere. Although the poems are very dark they seem to lure me in. I couldn’t help but reread them over again just to try to understand or put the poem down. “Daddy” is an even darker poem to me. Plath seems to innocent in the beginning then she goes on to her normal outrageous writing style. She uses a lot of references to the war that was going on during her life. Perhaps, her father fought in the war. She does not seem to think the war is right and seems angry at her father for fighting in it and dying for an unjust cause. I am not too sure though interpreting poetry has always been a weakness of mine. I did notice that she referenced to her trying to kill herself in both poems. Perhaps dying is what she wants to do. She claims it was a calling for her in the first poem I read.

A Raisin in the Sun

“A Raisin in the Sun” is one of the most easily related to pieces of literature that I have read this far into the semester. This play is very touching in ways that it shows people of races what it is like to live in poverty but also shows people who are struggling with poverty that there is always hope. The play takes place in a time when African Americans were still not given the respect they deserve. It is evident when the Youngers decide to buy their dream home in an all-white neighborhood. In a sad reality the local people in the neighborhood object to the idea of having an all black family move into their snowy white neighborhood. The Youngers were offered a nice sum of money to not move into their dream home. However, at the end of the story the Youngers do move into the home regardless of what the locals want. The play is focused around the family and all their conflicts and dreams that surround them. There is a lot of drama that happens like struggling with poverty. The family shares a small two bedroom “house” with only one window. Being poor affects a lot of the choices the family makes in the play. For example, because of the financial situation the family is in Ruth considers getting an abortion when she discovers she is pregnant. Walter is blind by the idea that money will buy happiness and he struggles throughout the play to come up with something that will give the family instant money. He also loses a great deal of money to a so-called “friend” thinking that he was investing to get rich. Beneatha, too, is feels the affect of the family’s current financial situation. She dreams of becoming a doctor but she needs money to continue with her schooling.