Love Me Not

     In The Apparition by John Donne the speaker is looking to have revenge on his past lover.  Donne's use of diction and images allows the speaker to get his point across on how angry he is and what he plans to do.  He says that she will be "bathed in a cold quicksilver sweat. . ." (889).  This shows how severe an serious the speaker's warning is.  He only wants to come once, but that appearance will be all that is needed.  It will cause fear among the woman and hopefully cause her to feel sorry.  Donne's use of precise words and phrases like the cold sweat allows the speaker's point to come across more effectively.  It allows the reader to feel the speaker's anger and hatred for what has happened.  He wants to torment his lover and really show her what pain she has caused him.  He is preparing for the day that he will show his ghostly self to her.

Love Me Not

     In The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin the open window is a symbol for freedom and independence. Louise stares out the window and sees "patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds. . ." (326).  This shows her experiencing joy and the coming of spring.  It will be a new life for her as an independent woman.  The open window provides a look into her future and how bright it will be.  She is elated at the thought of being free.  However, when she looks away from the window, her freedom is lost.  When she was looking through the open window Louise could see life free from her husband.  She would have independence, but she turns and that view leaves her,  and soon after her freedom does too.  Her husband is alive and that bright future is now gone.

Love Me Not

     In Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver there is a conflict between the woman and the man on who will get the baby.  They fight over him until "the issue was decided" (335).  I believe that the baby died because both were pulling on him.  They were fighting over who would care for the life of this child but in the end caused the death of the child.  Their decision was made for them when the baby died.  The couple took their anger for each other out on their child.  I think that it was a matter of who would "win" in this situation.  Both wanted to leave being better than the other, and they thought whoever would have the baby would be that winner.  This conflict is resolved in a sad way but resulted from the couples actions and anger.  Now neither of them get the child and neither of them solved anything.

Love Me Not

     In You're Ugly, Too by Lorrie Moore, Moore uses an abundance of anecdotes and flashbacks to allow the reader to truly understand who Zoe is.  She is portrayed as a cynical and lonely person who tries to use jokes to get her through life.  She uses sarcasm to help her get a kick out of situations.  It is her only way of being able to communicate with others and cope with the life that she is living.  Her biggest joke is when she gave Earl a shove and pushed his arms off the ledge and his beer fell to the ground.  When he freaks out, Zoe says that she was " 'just kidding,' she said. 'I was just kidding' " (370).  She finally took it too far, and this shows how sad her life really is.  Zoe has to result to jokes and sarcastic humor to hide the fact that she is this depressed and dismissive woman.  She will never be able to have serious relationships with the kind of life style that she is living.  Zoe has to realize the reality of her situation in order to better her future.

Delight in Disorder

     In Delight in Disorder by Robert Herrick the speaker is talking about the beauty of flaws.  The speaker says that "I see a wild civility; Do more bewitch me than when art Is too precise in every part" (979).  The disorder, the chaos, is way more interesting than order or perfection.  The speaker is saying that there is value in imperfection because that is when a woman is being true to herself. When a woman is herself, her imperfect self, she is most beautiful.  Herrick uses the disorder of clothing to show the flaws of a woman and how those are beautiful.  These flaws make a person perfect and more interesting.  The speaker is delighted by disorder and does not like precise.  He would much rather a wild mess because that is more believable and right than perfection.  I really enjoyed this poem because I believe that imperfection is beauty.  Everyone is different and their flaws make them who they are.

Lonely Hearts

     In Lonely Hearts by Wendy Cope a theme of loneliness and the desperate need for love is apparent.  The speaker says that he "seeks female for touring fun. Do you live in London? Is it you?" (973).  The speaker is straightforward and knows what he wants.  He is done playing games and wants to find a woman.  He even says that he would want a Jewish woman.  The man is so lonely that at this point he would take anyone.  He will continue to post these ads until he finds a woman.  The speaker is lonely, and he wants someone to be with now no matter what.  Loneliness is apparent throughout the poem with each new ad.  Each one is different and specific as well.  The speaker thinks that there has to be someone who relates to at least one of these.

Eveline

  In Eveline by James Joyce, Eveline faces a dilemma.  She can either choose to stay at home as a working daughter, or run off with her lover, Frank.  She begins to meet with Frank secretly because her father disapproves of her seeing him.  This causes Eveline to review her situation and she tends to hold on to her past and to the possibility of new experiences.  She is unable to make a decision.  Eveline is use to her life of repetition and helping the family.  When Frank "rushed beyond the barrier and called her to follow", Eveline was stuck and decided to stay (222).  Her one chance at a new life slipped through her fingertips.  Eveline is now stuck in a world of repetition.  She will continue to do what she has done all her life.  Her inability to make a decision caused her to have no decision at all, but to be a dutiful daughter.

How I Met My Husband

     How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro is told in the first-person narrative by a fifteen year old girl, Edie.  Having the story told by Edie as a teenager is better than having it told when she is an adult.  If Edie were an adult telling the story, she would probably have added some of her own insight.  However, having it told from Edie as a teenager limits what the reader knows.  The reader sees a young naive girl fall for an older man who treats her like scum and ends up breaking her heart.  Edie says "I didn't figure out till years later the extent of what I had been saved from" (145).  Obviously Edie is looking back on her teenage years but she tells the story as if she was fifteen again.  This strengthens the story that is told because the reader can see the process of the young girl go through heartbreak and love.  It is amazing to find out the outcome of the experience.  Edie had to experience this heartbreak in order to find her true soulmate.