Kite Runner Blog 1- Baba

    Explanations and examples of Amir's dad, Baba, are many and vivid within the first two paragraphs of chapter three. Through the use of diction, descriptions, and figures of speech, the reader easily becomes familiar with Baba. 
   Firstly, Baba's superiority to (nearly) anyone else is suggested within first two sentences: the introduction of the folk-tale-like story of Baba wrestling a black bear "with his bare hands." A bear is often considered a classic representation of pure evil and strength, and for a character to defeat one is to be regarded with the utmost respect and awe, which is just the case with Baba for "no one ever doubted the veracity of any story about Baba." The use of this simple anecdote about Baba presents the majestic and even mysterious nature of Baba. 
   Secondly, the outright descriptions of Baba's stature and appearance add to his character development. Not only was Baba a "towering...six-foot-five" but he also had "a thick beard," an physical manifestation of his manliness. The use of rhetorical devices also aids in his description. A metaphor establishes his intrinsic force by saying that Baba is "a force of nature." And his social affluence is exemplified through a simile; as Baba enters a room "attention shift[s] to him like sunflowers turning to the sun." The use of both of the rhetorical devices in describing Baba reinforce Amir's opinion of him as being naturally powerful and respected. 
   Every examination of Baba's physical appearance adds to the reader's perception of his morals, attitude, and relationships. 

"Young Goodman Brown" Literary Element 1

The entirety of “Young Goodman Brown” alludes to a spiritual battle within every person. Through the classic use of “dark" and “light” highlights the contrast between good versus evil, and even the ambiguity, the “grey area” if you will, between the two.

 Firstly, the name of Goodman Brown’s wife, Faith, alludes to the religious/spiritual undertones of the story. Brown’s closeness to his wife translates to an assumed strong faith that he has. But when Goodman Brown gives into curiosity and temptation, he departs on a nighttime journey into the deceptive forest, his faith, and will, is tested by evil. As he departs, and gives into the evil temptation he mistakenly says to Faith, “no harm will come to thee.” It is at that point that he, for once and for all, leaves the lightness of his wife’s love and into the “dreary road, darkened by… the gloomiest trees of the forest,” therefore leaving his spiritual faith indefinitely. In fact, when met by the first embodiment of evil temptation in the forest, Goodman Brown states that he was “kept back a while by faith,” meaning his pure spirituality kept him from consenting to corruption (going into the forest).As Goodman Brown goes further into the forest and further and further away from his faith, it gets increasingly harder for him to turn down temptations from other travelers.

Through analyses of “Young Goodman Brown” one is assured to stay true to themselves and their beliefs, thus straying away from those who tempt evil in everyday life, and sticking to one’s own faith.

"The Story of an Hour" Literary Elements

Option 2: "Chopin is an artist in her use of irony. Preparation for the ending is provided by clues or foreshadowing embedded in the story. Identify these and explain how each contributes to the conclusion."

    Separate examples of foreshadow lead to the conclusion in their own unique way and through different techniques exemplify individual elements of the ending. The majority of the foreshadowing, though, is directed towards Mrs. Mallard's death. 

    The first example of Chopin's use of foreshadowing is the development of Mrs. Mallard’s character. The simple fact that "Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble" is foreshadowing in its own rite. When this statement is taken literally and figuratively, both hint at the conclusion of the story. When the metaphorical implications are analyzed, Mrs. Mallard’s heart disease or “heartbreak” provides justification for the temporary elation she experiences upon hearing the grave news of her husband’s passing. Labeling the heartbreak of Mrs. Mallard’s marriage a “heart disease” also suggests that, like heart disease, heart ache is not easily cured; which, therefore, foreshadows her dramatic reaction to seeing her husband. The foreshadowing of the literal “heart disease” is much more apparent. Mrs. Mallard’s physical ailment is ultimately the direct cause of her “[death] of heart disease.” Symptoms of cardiac episodes, breathing “tumultuously,” “pulses beat(ing) fast” and “coursing blood” also foreshadow her death.

    Another exhibition of foreshadowing is how Mrs. Mallard senses “something coming to her.” This could possibly refer to her “knowing” or at least sensing her impending death. The seemingly perpetual joy she models and experiences parallels many peoples’ perception of death—freeing (“Free body and soul free”), unceasingly approaching (“creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through… the air”), untimely, unexpected, and, ultimately: frightening (“[Mrs. Mallard had] a look of terror”).

    The entirety of the short story is ironic. The majority of the irony is in the briefness of Mrs. Mallard’s bliss. Just as Mrs. Mallard truly feels she has her life to herself, where “there would be no one to live for… (and) she would live for herself,” all of her hopes are destroyed. Just as life is worth living, her life is taken away by the “joy that kills.”

    Through exploration of literal and metaphorical analyses of “heart disease” and of commonly assumed aspects of death, the reader can accurately foreshadow Mrs. Mallard’s death long before it even takes place. 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin (Reading #2)

   The subject that I'd like to discuss within this chapter, is the hypocrisy of society within the book, how the common goal of society seems to be distorted. 

   The way that Pap interacts with Huck speaks wonders about what Twain would like to reflect about parenting throughout this novel. Not only does Pap ridicule every little thing that the Widow and Ms. Watson preached, he physically punishes Huck for even considering the proper way of life. The physical and verbal bashings that Pap gives Huck ridicules the “proper” parenting that the widow and Ms. Watson instills and the complete lack of parenting that Pap represents.

   Secondly, the Grangerford vs. Shepherdson battle is much like that of William Shakespear’s rendition of Romeo and Juliet; both samples of literature are accusatory of the hypocrisy of society of the time period. To summarize, in each situation, although the families are prosperous and well to do within their communities, they continue to oppose their rival family for no apparent reason! This rivalry stretches to the extent that generations upon generations teach their children to despise the “enemy” although none of the family members can even recall in the slightest why the families began feuding in the first place. In the case in “Adventures of Huckleberry Fin,” The Grangerfords oppose the Shepherdson so incredibly much that they preach to a complete stranger, Huck, that the Shepherdson are just wretched people. The irony in the situation, though, is exposed when each the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons religiously attend church on Sunday, and the preacher’s homily addresses equal and brotherly love.

    Another set of characters that seem to embody the distorted American way, is the Duke and Dauphin. These characters seem to present deception to their core, for they lie about the most basic elements of human identity: their names, heritage, and history. Not only that though, but these con artists also threaten Huck and Jim by saying that they’d expose Jim’s runaway status for a profit. The Duke and Dauphin thrive on nothing more than pure lying and greed.

   The more we, the reader, connects with Huck, the more we personally can feel the effects of the evil characters and evilness of society. 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin (Reading #1)

     What intrigued me most about the first reading was how Huck's naive ways influenced how he perceived everything in his world, which, in turn directly influences what the reader sees of the story. Since Huckleberry is unable to understand certain things fully, it becomes apparent that he is not a completely trustworthy narrator. 

    For example, right away in the story, he and Tom Sawyer, and his other buddies go to start a gang where they vow to rob and then kill hundreds of people. Not only do they not understand what consequences would surface from such actions, but also they don’t even understand how the process works.  For example when the group was setting up the “plan of attack” for say they didn’t know what “ransomed” was, they just went by what Tom Sawyer read in his pirate novels.  “Maybe it just means to keep ‘em till they die!” To the reader, it’s obvious that they have a farfetched definition of the word and therefore a distorted view of the world.

     Another thing that labels Huckleberry as an untrustworthy narrator is his uncanny belief in superstition. Thinking that Jim’s hairball “from the fourth stomach of an ox” had “a spirit inside… that knew everything” is probably one of the childish things we hear from Huck throughout the entire first section. Some may say that this reliance on superstition is simply a representation of the time period, but, to me, it reveals how incredibly foolish Huck is. It makes the reader wonder if anything he says can be taken at face value.

    The second thing I’d like to discuss is the possible biblical reference when Jim and Huckleberry are resting at Jackson’s Island. Once the pair is reunited, everything, at least temporarily, seems perfect. Huck describes his experience as “powerful lazy and comfortable.”  Jim and Huck hardly have any troubles in the world on this lush island. They have access to any food they need, are free of the people that would otherwise keep them captive, and no longer are lonely! This reminds me of the story in Genesis of the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve are in their paradise. Like Huck and Jim, Adam and Eve have no worry of becoming hungry and have each others’ company. This extreme bliss for Huckleberry and Jim seems to foreshadow latter events of uncertainty and unease. 

The Things They Carried Blog #4

Multiple times within these final chapters, small happenings seem to reflect bigger things. The ending of this novel added a new outlook on the entirety of the book! For example in "Field Trip" the reader and other non-veterans are indirectly compared to Kathleen, the "New-by" in the war scene. Starting with the title, a field trip is nothing more than a childish voyage, an unappreciated trip. "This is stupid," (pg. 186) is how Kathleen described her experience, not being able to appreciate the incredible historical and emotional feelings that the veterans can. Neither the reader, nor Kathleen, nor anyone else who has been in war, can truly appreciate the significance of the Vietnam War and the emotions behind the battle field. I think this is one of O’Brien’s main points he wants to get across throughout the book: that no one can truly understand and empathize with those who have experienced warfare. 

Lastly, a line that really struck home with me was “stories can save us.” (pg 225) I think that is another deep theme throughout the novel that O’Brien wants to emphasize. He wants to convey that the soldiers’ telling of stories can be their saving grace. That getting the brutal war stories off of their chests can relieve an enormous emotional pressure.

All in all, I believe what the reader should take away from this book is that veterans’ emotional turmoil cannot be understood fully by civilians, and that that is ok. 

The Things They Carried Blog #3

   Paralleling the death of Lavender in previous chapters, the way the author discusses the Vietnamese man's death  in The Man I Killed very similarly. Rather than discussing the death in first person, like in most other stories, O'Brien tells this tale from the point of view as an outsider looking in. I think he might do this to distance himself from the reality that he just brutally killed someone. Focusing on the pleasant details, if any, within the scene, such as "small blue flowers like bells (pg.128)," or "the butterfly on his [the dead man's] chin (pg. 124)," O'Brien is able to block out the horrific details. On top of that though, he also makes up details about "John Doe," his life, dreams, and even love connections.
    This theme of making the best out of less-than-pleasant situations continues into the chapter Style. Within this chapter O'Brien tells a story of a teenage girl dancing with "a graceful movement of her hips (pg. 136)" even though her entire family had just been burned in their house. Traditionally, dancing has been associated with happiness which really contrasts the bitter mood of the scene. It is quite unexpected for someone to be "quiet and composed," all the while DANCING, directly after tragedy overcomes their life!
    Another example of hiding from the events of the war is when Norman Bowker went home after the war. Just like in The Man I killed, the character creates fake scenarios about people in his imagination.  In this example, Bowker “tells” his war stories to people back home when, in actuality, his mind is just playing out the scenario in his head. Not only does he retell the stories to himself, he does so in such a way that he still sounds courageous and humble to the nonexistent listeners, “keeping his voice cool (with) no self pity (pg. 145).” On top of that he also imagines his “listeners” reactions and emotions, which seems to actually parallel his self value, or lack thereof. In the case of his father, Bowker imagines that his father “would have sighed, folded his arms, and waited.” Bowker may just feel inferior or needing to prove himself.