Death Unit 5

     Death, be not proud by John Donne really made me think.  I came to the conclusion that death is just like a short sleep and when people wake up, they awake into eternal life.  Once this happens then death does not exist anymore, death died.  It is said that "one short sleep passes, we wake eternally..." (972).  This is interesting to think about because I never really thought about death in this way. In a way I guess that death dies, and at some point I am not dead anymore.  It is kind of a hard concept for me to wrap my head around, but I do understand it as best I can.  I am just wondering that after people wake in eternal life, are they not considered dead anymore?  Donne did a great job in making me think more after I read this poem.  It made me look at death in a different way.

Death Unit 4

     There is one phrase that caught my attention in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas and that is "do not go gentle into that good night, old age should urn and rave at close of day" (968).  I believe that good night represents death in this poem.  When I read that, my first thought was that it was saying that a person should not give up and die because it will happen when that person is old and ready.  This then made me think of all the people that have been killed or have killed themselves before they grew old.  It is sad to think about because we as people should never "go gentle into that good night".  People should not give up and let death take over because everyone has a purpose in life and each one of them needs to go fulfill that purpose.  I thought that this poem was just giving advice on why someone should not give up.  People make mistakes but they should never think that they should not have the right to live because of them. I know that there could be other possible meanings to the term "good night".  I believe that it represents death and the poem does a great job of helping explain it.

Death Unit 3

     The point of view in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is quite interesting.  It is first person plural and is written from the perspective of the town of Jefferson.  It is not in chronological order and the people are not absolutely sure of anything.  When Emily buys the arsenic the people believed that she would use it, and "she will kill herself" (286). However, they are not entirely certain because they do not know the thoughts of Emily.  I enjoyed this point of view because I felt as if I was a citizen in the town that did not know Emily personally but knew of her.  I liked how the reader does not know exactly what Emily is thinking because it adds a more mysterious ora to the story.   Also, when the author is unsure, it makes me think of all the different possible outcomes and events.  This allows me to be surprised or upset when I found out the outcome of a situation.  When Homer never came out of her house and was never seen again, it made me think of what could have happened to him.  I enjoyed the feeling of uncertainty as I read this story.

Death Unit 2

     The Lottery by Shirley Jackson has a theme of the danger of blindly following tradition.  For one thing, these people are killing someone every year for no reason at all.  They do not understand what they are actually doing.  The people seem like they do not even want to change this ritual even though no one is forcing them to keep it.  Since the lottery is tradition, the people of the village continue to perform this ritual.  They do not know the exact origin or reason for it.  Mrs. Hutchinson does not even think that what they are doing is cruel.  She was hurrying to the lottery and said that when  she remembered what day it was, she "came a-running" (266).  This shows that these people do not even think twice about what they are doing.  It is tradition, and that is all that matters.

Death Unit 1

     The Lottery by Shirley Jackson definitely had a shocking ending.  As I was reading, I was thinking that someone was going to win a huge amount of money.  Then at the end, I find out that it is actually a tradition where the person that wins the lottery is stoned to death.  I feel as if the lottery symbolizes an idea or tradition that is passed on from generation.  The lottery in this story has been going on for a long time, and that is why it is still being done.  It has been going on long enough that people associate with it the phrase, "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon"(268).  People are used to following this tradition because no one has questioned it.  It seems a little weird to me that this town has not spoken up and tried to stop the lottery.  I would think that overtime people would realize that it is not needed anymore. If no one steps up and tries to stop the lottery then many more people are going to die for no reason at all.

The Glass Menagerie

     Tom is one confusing character in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.  At one point I can tell that he cares for his family, but for some reason he is always cruel to them.  He also has a strange attraction towards Laura which is quite weird.  However, in the end when he tells Laura to "blow out your candles" (1289) I can tell that he really does care for her.  I just do not get why he had to leave them behind.  I get that he wanted to free himself , but in doing so he hurt his loved ones.  Tom's situation makes me think about what I would do if I were him.  I can honestly say that I have no idea.  I hate not being able to make people happy, but I guess I cannot please everyone.  In the end, I would probably do what is best for me but still alright for my family.  I would start my own life but still help my family as much as I can.

The Glass Menagerie

     I want to take this time to talk about how unexpected the ending was in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.  I really did get excited and hopeful for Laura.  I thought that she would finally find a man that loved her for who she was.  I was thinking to myself that it would all work out. He kissed her and told her how beautiful she was.  Then he says to her, "I can't take down your number and say I'll phone. . ." (1284).  What kind of man does that ? It made me sick to my stomach.  He made her think that she had a chance, that maybe he was the one.  Then he just stepped on her heart and broke it.  I really felt bad for Laura because I think that she deserves to be happy.  I just believe that she needs to have more confidence in herself.  Maybe she will learn from that experience with Jim.

The Glass Menagerie

     Oh the symbolism in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.  I definitely believe that the glass menagerie symbolizes Laura's fragility in the play.  When they break, they symbolize Laura breaking as well.  They show how delicate she really is.  After Jim broke the unicorn, Laura "places the unicorn in the palm of his hand. . ." (1285).  She will forever be broken because of him, and she wants him to know that.  I believe that Laura likes making these glass menageries because she is trying to prove to herself that she is strong.  However, when they keep getting broken it just shows how fragile she really is.  When the horn of the unicorn is broken, the unicorn becomes a horse.  It became something normal and does not describe Laura anymore.  She cannot become normal without breaking somehow.  She knows this and decides to give the broken unicorn to Jim representing all that he has done to her.

The Glass Menagerie

     As I continued reading The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams I could not help but notice the nonrealistic aspects of the play.  Memory omits details and can definitely be exaggerated at times so having the play told from memory helps with the nonrealistic nature of it.  For example, throughout the play music plays at different times.  After Laura asks her mother what she should wish for, the scene ends with "the sound of the violin" (1261).  I do not know if people know this or not, but violins are not played at random moments in life. Also, the picture of their father lighting up throughout the play proves that the play is nonrealistic. Having transparent walls also tells the reader that the play is not realistic. I think that Williams makes it obvious so that the reader can clearly see what the play is.  Having the play told from memory enables Williams to exaggerate more and make it easier in having it be nonrealistic.  I wonder though if a play could be told from memory and be realistic.  Is memory always nonrealistic?

The Glass Menagerie

     In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams I started to connect the story of the magician with Tom's own life.  Like the magician, Tom is trapped.  He is trapped at home and at work, and he is nervous to let himself free because he does not want to hurt his family.  Escape seems impossible for Tom, and he remains conflicted until the end of the play.  The magician is able to free from his coffin, not hurting himself or any of the nails.  Tom knows that he cannot escape his life without hurting his family or himself.  He asks Laura, "who in hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail?" (1249). I think that Tom realizes that no matter what he decides, he cannot make everyone happy.  If he stays, confined and unhappy, then he will only hurt himself.  However, if he leaves then he will hurt the ones he loves.  By the end of the play, Tom decides to free himself, but I feel as if he might not be totally free.