Just Keep Swimming

I have been on a summer swim team for the past 11 years of my life and we live on the beach in Charleston, SC so writing about a swimming experience is quite easy for me.
I'm going to go all the way back to when I first started to learn how to swim. My family and my friend's family went camping on a lake and all the kids went swimming while the adults stayed up at the campsite. My sister, being 7 years old, swam out really far to where you cannot touch anymore. When all the kids left except me, being the curious 4 year old I always was, I wanted to go out in the water as far as my older sister, so as I walked out, there was a drop off and my head went under. I was sure I was going to drown and die, but thank God my sister's friend was watching me from the campsite. She sped down the hill and grabbed me out of the water like a guardian angel. I am so grateful that she was there and was able to save me that day.

Clean well lighted ending

In the end of Hemingway's "A Clean, Well Lighted Place", The young waiter asks the old man to leave early and denies him of another drink. This causes the old man to leave his peaceful clean well lighted cafe and causes the old waiter to talk to the young waiter about the value of the old man's time. While laying in bed not able to sleep because of his insomnia, the old waiter has an epiphany and realizes how important it is not only to him, but to the old man, to have a safe place to go to such as the clean, well lighted cafe rather than bars and bodegas.

A "Steller" Escape

We used the Steller storytelling program to show how quotes from the three stories we have read this week and their matching pictures can portray one of the common themes of the stories. The theme I chose is escape. The quote I used for "Paul's Story" shows that he had to take extreme measures and commit suicide in order for him to be able to escape society and be at peace. My quote from "The Chrysanthemums" describes how happy Elisa becomes when somebody finally recognizes and respects her work with her flowers and sees her not as like a man. She escapes the way her husband thinks of her when the tinker compliments her work. The quote from "Barn Burning" portrays how Sarty escapes his problems with his dad. He runs away to De Spain's house to tell him that his father is planning on burning down the barn. Sarty's father is caught and killed because of Sarty, which means Sarty has finally escaped the abuse from his father.

This is the link to my Steller story:       https://steller.co/stories/362441038075266442

Paul and Chrysanthemums

Paul, in Willa Cather's "Paul's Case" wants to run away from society because he feels that he is not accepted because he is homosexual, so he goes to New York. Although he is successful in getting away from society, he is not successful overall because he commits suicide. Cather is trying to portray her own struggles of not being fully accepted into society because of her sexuality. Elisa in John Steinback's "Chrysanthemums" is successful with her gardening and housework, but when the tinker comes and asks for work and pretends to be interested in her chrysanthemums, he tricks her and gets her excited. All he really wants though is the pan and money, so I would not call Elisa successful because she gets tricked.

The Wallpaper Rebellion

In "The Yellow Wallpaper" the real point of rebellion is the climax of the story where the narrator rips all the wallpaper off her wall. This is the first time she takes action towards freedom. "There are things in that wallpaper that nobody knows about me, or ever will" (Gilman 192). The narrator says this because the wall is what confines her and her depression thoughts. When she finally rips it down, she feels a little more relieved and free now that her depression is literally being ripped off the wall.

Crazy Calixta

The joy in Calixta's heart during the sexual act was immense. "When he touched her breasts they gave themselves up in quivering ecstasy, inviting his lips. Her mouth was a fountain of delight. And when he possessed her, they seemed to swoon together at the very borderland of life's mystery"(). The author's description of Calixta at the beginning as being frustrated and furious was changed, and expressed as being happy and fulfilled during the act. Chopin is trying to portray to the reader that when women are sexually fulfilled, their mood and attitudes change for better. Chopin also described Calixta's mood saying "the generous abundance of her passion, without guile or trickery, was like a white flame which penetrated and found response in depths of his own sensuous nature that had never yet been reached" (). Calixta experienced what could be described as her climax. It was shown that Calixta had longed for this, but was more committed to managing her marriage the way it is. Calixta did not feel guilty for what she did though.

                                                                                                 9/30/14 8:50am

The Dynamic Narrator

The narrator in Henry James' short story "The Real Thing" is an artist that has to deal with a series of things when a wealthy looking couple come in to his work to try to be models. At the beginning of the story, the narrator is happy and excited that the Monarchs come into his gallery because he thinks they want to purchase some of his artwork, however they end up wanting to be models for his work because they have gone broke. This makes the narrator skeptical, but he gives them a chance because he assumes that they will do good if they are playing the part of a wealthy couple. The Monarchs set their standards too high but are awful models. This makes the narrator frustrated with his work. Eventually, he tries to get rid of the Monarchs, but after they come back he forces them to work as servants until he cannot take the strangeness any longer. The narrator finally gives them a sum of money and sets them free and never sees them again. The narrator says this at the end of the story "If it be true I am content to have paid the price- for the memory" because he is saying that even though he lost a good reputation by dealing with the Monarchs, he is glad he did it so he won't ever do it again.

I don't get it Poe

Look, Edgar, I do not mean to hate on your work too much, but it just does not compare to mine whatsoever. You and I both understand fully that humans cannot be perfect and bad things happen when you try to make them perfect, but honestly, you could be a bit better. Just like with the rest of mankind, we can all do better, all these imperfections can be fixed. Your stories are too dark and you make humans out to be so evil, but in reality they are just imperfect, not evil. Also, with all due respect, you could add some sort of light to your stories to give us at least a little hope. Well, I hope this criticism helps, and good luck with your writings.

All About the Benjamins

Based on my readings from two excerpts by Benjamin Franklin; "The Ephemera, an Emblem of Human Life" and "It is Impossible we Should Think of Submission", some of Franklin's ethics and morals I have picked up on include:

• Ben Franklin is a fair man and not very biased.
• Ben Franklin, as a scientist and a politician, thinks outside the box and looks at the bigger picture.
• Ben Franklin stands for whatever is ethically right, regardless of whose laws they are.
• Ben Franklin believes that you should die with a legacy, where people will not forget you.
• Ben Franklin knows that everyone dies someday, even the noble classes, so shouldn't we make the best of it and treat everyone equal.
• Ben Franklin believes that although Great Britain was once high and mighty, everything comes to an end and just like a fine glass vase, once broken, it is very hard to piece back together (page 2 in the letter).

What is American Literature?

What is American Literature?

When I was asked this question, I pondered for a bit and came up with this outcome: I think American Literature is the understanding of American history through reading American novels, poems, and other pieces of literature. Through this, we can learn concepts and patterns of the history of the Americas such as the war like time periods or even further into the nomadic tribes era. I think that reading American classics for the purpose of learning about our past is very important so we do not repeat the bad parts of history and can learn from our mistakes as we continue to strive as a nation. So, tell me fellow bloggers, what do you think of American Literature and what we can learn from it?