"The Lesson"

As in the last story, "A &P", I think that in this story the title is also a very important aspect. "The Lesson" is a very apropriate title, being that what Ms. Moore was trying to do was teach the children a lesson. Not just a small one, but a lesson in life. She wanted to teach them that they can go places, that there is more out there in the world than their little neighborhood. She was teaching them a lesson that even though they grow up in this type of neighborhood, they can always better themselves, like she did. She came back to teach them about the chances that they can have. They don't need to be like their parents- they should get an education and go out into the world.

"A&P"

Titles sometimes play important roles, while other times, they can just be a name. I think that in our story, the title plays a very important role, one which allows us, as the reader to understand what the story will be about in just those couple of letters. I think that all, if not most, of us are familiar with the grocery chain A&P, and is therefore a catchy title for our story. A&P lets us know the setting of the story which again is a very important aspect of our story. The setting in this story embodies many different things, not just being where the story happens to take place. It is Sammy's microcosm, with his little self being a small object in this big world which he knows as the supermarket.

"Everyday Use"

The two sisters in this story, Maggie and Dee, seem to me to be rivals. One, always getting the mother's attention and approval, and the other never receiving acceptance and approval from her mother; always feeling like she's not good enough. Since the fire in their old house, Maggie has been badly bruised, I think both physically and mentally, but now that it's time for both Dee and Maggie to get married, there's this conflict of who will get the quilt from their mother. Maggie had been promised that she would receive it, but now that it's coming down to it, Dee wants it. I think that Dee thinks her mother will drop Maggie and give it to her, but we see that for the first time, her mother really comes to her defense and keeps her promise of giving the quilt to Maggie.

"A Worn Path"

This story is about an old woman who walked a long journey to get medicine for her grandson.

After reading the story through, I had a difficult time understanding the beginning of the story. I'm trying to figure out what the symbolism is exactly of her clothing and everything around her. The author spent all the time in the first part of the story explaining exact details of her cloths, her hair and all the setting of the story. What exactly was the purpose of this? How did this contribute to the ending of the story of her forgetting why she walked all that long way.

I found it a little frightening that after all that time and walking that she did, when she got to the doctor, she couldn't remember why she had come. Being that both my grandmothers suffer from dementia/alzheimer's, it was a scary reality that things like that happen. That someone can journey for such a long time and not remember why they did it.

"A Good Man is Hard to Find"

The Misfit, referring to the criminal that escaped, may have more meaning in the story than just describing him. Hearing all the things the children say and do, sounds to me that they may be misfits as well. What children speak like that to their parents and grandparents? Additionally, what kind of parents let their kids run their lives and be in control of them instead of the other way around. I feel that the entire story is about misfits and their difficulties.

I also think that the ending about them all being killed is no surprise. Think of it this way, if the criminal would have allowed them to walk away, they would have called in the authorities and he would have been found or killed. How would this make any sense?

The Hunger Artist

The Hunger Artist is about a man who starves himself as a form of art. people come to see him and some even stay overnight to make sure that he doesn't cheat and eat while noone's there. To me, this type of art doesn't make sense. Art is supposed to be a thing of beauty, but to see someone immatiated and starving themselves is deffinitely not something beautiful. I understand why it died out by the time he ended up in the circus, with noone paying attention to him, running straight past his cage to see the animals. I also think that it's a sick idea. To cage someone, like an animal, and have them watched.

Young Goodman Brown

I think that the most interesting part of the story is the way the author uses names to foreshadow the future. faith, goodman brown= both these names have very meaningful conotations. we see that faith comes up a lot in the story, both as her name and as goodman's faith/belief. also, goodman- if he was such a "good man" then why was he going to a meeting of witch craft and walking with the devil.?

You

The Purloined Letter

This story is about a letter that was taken from the queen and replaced with another one. the police officer comes to try to get help/advice from our narrator and after a couple of months, he ends up finding the letter and getting the large reward.

I think that the author is trying to tell us more than just this story, being that it's very simplistic at face value. i think that he's trying to teach us that sometimes you just have to try harder than you are. my mother always told me that whatever you're looking for is always right under your nose and whenever i couldn't find it she would always miraculously find it easily. i think our narrator is basically doing the same thing. he's trying to show him that all you have to do is look a little harder and it'll show up.

The Use of Force

This story is about a little girl whose parents called a doctor to come to their house to check her out because she was sick. The girl did not want the doctor to look at her, but after some time her father and the doctor had to forcefully open her mouth so the doctor could check her out.

Honestly, I'm not sure what the story's point was. It seemed like a weird short story; only discussing briefly what happened. I think that the emphasis may have been that using force is not always a bad thing, and in cases like this, with sickness, sometimes people are so irrational that you have to use some force to get things accomplished.

Hills Like White Elephants

This story was quite interesting. At first, i had a difficult time understanding exactly what it was about. The boyfriend wants his girlfriend to have an abortion. It seems like gender roles play a big role here as well, where the man is telling the woman what to do instead of it being a topic of discussion where they both have a say. I think that he forces his will on her and doesn't really let her make a decision.

I found Hemmingway's use of language to be interesting as well. expressing good things and bad things with images of nature- dark being something bad, and trees and light; one side of the track as opposed to the other side of the track. he used other words to explain simplistic ideas, which happened to be confusing to me the first time i read. once i read it again, i found his writing to be more poetic and symbolic and really nice.

The Yellow Wallpaper

This story was one that i hope i never have to relate to. The poor woman was so out of her mind she didnt know what was going on. I feel like the woman trapped behind the bars could be a reference to her and how she feels her life is. maybe she feels like she is a prisoner, since her husband is always telling her what to do and never allowing her to be a free person. It's quite scary how crazy this wallpaper gets her and how much the disease takes over her entire life.

The Story of an Hour

I found this story quite interesting. Are many of us like that? In marriages or binding relationships but wishing to be out of them? Wishing for freedom from the people that we are with? If so, why are we with them?

A concept that is very difficult to understand, I think. How come we commit ourselves to long marriages or relationships and then long to be done with them?

I'm sure that anyone here that is married can understand her feelings. There are times where we wish we were free instead of bound to our spouses'. Yet, when we were free (when we were single) we were yearning for a relationship/marriage.

Life is funny in that way. We always want what we don't have.

I feel that Mrs. Mallard kind of got what she should have. Now she is free!