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.