"Girl" by Kincaid

“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid

This story, I think, is about a mother giving advice to a girl as she grows up. Maybe even Jamaica Kincaid’s mother. Things to remember, to use as a grown woman to help with life, the same sort of advise we give our own children as they grow into adult hood. The girl may just be remembering all the things that her mother had taught her because of the mother’s death or some other tragedy that is happen in her life. It is obvious that these are life lessons because of how she goes from back and forth from child lessons such as “don’t walk barehead in the hot sun”  to adult lessons such as “cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil.” Throughout the story she is going back and forth leading me to believe she is remembering her mother, telling about what kind of person she was/is. The mother tries to teach her daughter many things but the one she is most concerned about is the daughter not growing up to be a slut. Kincaid mentions at several different times during the story do not grow up to be a slut. In the end I think she drives the point home when she says “you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread?” To me that sums it all up. By saying after all I have taught you, you are still going to be a slut.

"Barn Burning" by Faulkner

“Barn Burning” by William Faulkner’s

                Colonel Sartoris Snopes, who goes by Sarty, is a 10 year old boy that is called into a court room to settle a dispute about whether or not his father burned down a barn. Sarty is torn between telling the truth and telling a lie that will clear his father’s name. Sarty’s father, Abner Snopes, had a pig that kept getting lose his neighbor gave him three chances to fix the pen, even supplying the fence to fix it with. After the third time his neighbor refused to give the pig back until the pen was fixed. The next night the neighbor’s barn burned down. The neighbor knew it was Abner who burned it down but he could not prove it.

The family moved to a new house, one of many they had lived in because the father had no respect for his family or others, causing them to move for one reason or another. When they arrived at the new house Abner decided to go talk to the man who owned the house, his neighbor and the man he worked for. Abner made Sarty go with him to talk with his neighbor; one could say to maybe teach Sarty how to handle people. After being told by the help that Major de Spain was not home he barged into the house, with mud on his boots, leaving a foot print on the very expense rug. When Major de Spain returned he took the rug to Abner and insisted he clean the foot print off.  Abner, after making his daughter’s clean the rug, ruined the rug. Upon seeing the rug Major insisted he pay for the rug. Abner who thought the price was too high took him to court and got the price lowered. Abner was still not happy. Abner knew Sarty was not a spiteful person. He made the mother hold Sarty while he went to the neighbors to burn down there barn. Sarty broke loose and ran to tell the neighbors what his father was doing. The neighbor went out the door with a gun and two shots were heard. The story ends without an ending.  The author leaves it up to the reader to decide how the story ends. Does the father get shot?   Does the father die? What happens to the family, to Sarty after that night? Did the events that happened that night turn Sarty into an honest man or a man just like his father?

"The Horse Dealer's Daughter" by Lawrence

“The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” by D. H. Lawrence

                I loved this story. It is about Mabel Pervin, a girl who is depressed. When her father was alive he took care of her. He was rich and she never wanted for anything. She felt this gave her some respect, a place in the community. Her mother died when she was fourteen leaving her and her sister the only females in the house. After her sister moved out, the only time she ever talked to another female was at church or social functions. I am sure this helped to deeping her depression. Her father had remarried after some time but Mabel did not like his new wife very much. Maybe, because Mabel was taken care of her father and brothers and she felt this second wife was taken her place. Her brothers did not treat her very well, most of the time ignoring that she was in the room, talking about her and around her. After their father’s death the family was heavily in debt. The family was forced to move out. They all decided to go their separate way. Mabel had decided where she was going but refused to tell anyone, she was going to commit suicide. On the day she decides to die, she had one thing to take care of before she could go. She needed to take care of her mother’s grave, make sure it was trimmed and clean. Jack Fergusson, the doctor, was a family friend. He had stopped by the house earlier to tell the brother goodbye but he never gave Mabel a second thought. He had noticed Mabel in the grave yard cleaning her mother’s stone. He felt an attraction to her. He could not take his eyes off her although he did not know why. After cleaning the stone, Mabel headed to the pond. The doctor making his rounds had seen her walking into the pond. He watched as she walked into water over her head. He ran to the pond to save her. Carrying her back to her house he sat her down by the fire, undressed her and wrapped her in a blanket.  When Mabel became aware of where she was she asked the doctor why he had saved her. The doctor ,who was not sure himself, at first thought it was because he was a doctor but the more he looked into her eyes, he realized he had rescued her not just because he was a doctor but because he had fallen in love with her as she had fallen in love with him. Mabel in her darkest hours had found love.

Revelation by Flannery O'Connor

Mrs. Turpin comes across as a lady with good manners. One who was raised and lived with money and respect. At first I was put off by the way she talked about white-trash and niggers, how she seemed to put down anyone who did not have as much as her. However, she did try to help everyone but was it because she really wanted to or because she felt it was her place in society to do so. The fact that she noticed the shoes that everyone wore tells me she sizes people up by their shoes. People with nice shoes have money, People with worn shoes worked hard, People with worn out shoes was poor.  Mrs. Turpin thought everyone had a place in life no one was equal. I must say if I was in the waiting room I might want to throw a book at her too. To call her an old wart hog from hell did more damage than any book could have done. Those words tugged at her. She could forget the pain and bruise but those four words would not leave her mind. I think Mrs. Turpin realized that she was not as nice a person as she thought she was. Even in talking to the niggers in the back of the truck, she told them her story but looked down on them for taken her side and telling her what a nice, pretty, white lady she was.  She went to the pig parlor to see if she could see any of herself in the pigs. I think what she learned that day is we are all equal and when she gets into heaven it is not going to matter what color your skin is or how worn your shoes are. I think she learned maybe she needed to change her ways.

Good Country People by Flannery O'Connor

                Good country people this can mean a lot of different things depending on where you come from. I think it is a complement to be called good country people. I also think this is the way Mrs. Hopewell meant for it to be interpreted as, an honest, hard working, and trustworthy person. Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman are a lot alike. They are both nosy people. I believe that’s why they get along so well. I was surprised to see the story turn to Joy I thought it was about Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman. As the story turned to Joy I could see why she did some of the things she did. Both she and her mother thought she was an ugly woman because of her wooden leg. Joy changed her name to the ugliest name she could find Hulga, perhaps this was because that’s the way she felt about herself. Although she was well educated, her mother still felt she was dumb. I am sure that must have had an impact on how she felt about herself. When the bible salesman showed up at the door and Mrs. Hopewell invited him for dinner I think it showed how much of a good country person she is. She did not like this young man nor did she want him to stay for dinner, yet she invited him anyway. Hulga was intrigued by the bible salesman, maybe because she was an atheist and he was a Christian, maybe because he had showed an interest in her although she felt she was ugly, or maybe it was because she thought he was a good country person. Either way it allowed her to put her guard down and to trust him. When he meets Hulga at the gate, I also had trusted him. I thought he had brought the case that he carried the bibles in so he could surprise her with a picnic and maybe try and convert her to his beliefs. I still believed he had falling in love with her up until he would not give back her leg. I am still shocked at the way he took her leg and left her in the loft. What kind of man does this to women? What kind of man pretends to sell bibles only to prey on the handicap in order to take their most private belongs as a trophy?

A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

I did not like this story at all. I found the family to be rude to the grandmother and each other. The father seems to be disconnected from the family. He is so engrossed in his own life that he ignores the rest of the family most of the time. The children are rude to the grandmother and nothing is said to them. In a way I think the father is responsible for their deaths. It is obvious that the grandmothers mind is not all there, yet the father chooses to follow her directions. It is quiet ironic that the reason the grandmother took the cat was to keep it from hurting itself and burning down the house and the cat is the one who caused the car wreck which in the end lead to their deaths. The misfits are three cold hearted killers. Bobby Lee and Hiram follow the directions of the misfit, their leader. Although the two of them seem to enjoy killing people. The misfit on the other hand, even though he does not think twice about killing someone, appears to have had a good life until one day something went wrong. He killed his father but can not remember killing him. The misfit to me, is torn between right and wrong. I was surprised to see him kill the grandmother straight out. I thought she would be the only one to live. She seem to communicate well with the misfit. I thought she was getting through to him. Over all, the story tuned out like the grandmother predicted in the beginning, even though she was only trying to convince her son to go to Tennessee instead of Florida. She used the story of the misfit in the newspaper to try and prove her point only to have her story come true.

"The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I feel sorry for Aylmer. He cannot see the forest for the trees. Aylmer cannot see that he has a perfect wife. One who loves him for who he is not for what he looks like?  It is a shame that he cannot love Georgiana the same way. When he married her this birthmark was not so important in his life. He could see the beauty that she beholds. Why did it become so important for him to remove it? Why was the love she felt for him not enough to satisfy him? Was her life not more important than a birthmark? Georgiana thought she married a man who loved her for who she is, only to find out that he could not stand to look at her because of the birthmark. How it must have torn at her heart to choose life with a man who cannot look at you without seeing the disgust in his eyes or death.

                In today’s world there is a lot of Men and Woman who are consumed with their looks. Some will not leave their house unless, in their eyes, they look perfect. Beauty comes from within. When I meet someone I never look at them and think I am not going to like this person because they do not look perfect. Aylmer had the world. He had a woman who would and did anything he asks of her. Unfortunately, for Aylmer he put science first. Because of his love of science he could see the imperfections in his wife instead of the love in her heart.  Aylmer loved his wife. He just could not look at anything and not see how he could improve upon it. The only imperfection that he could find in his wife was her birthmark. In his books he told of all the failures he had before he had success, now his wife has become one of those failures. I wonder, after her death at his hands, if he still thinks the birthmark is something he cannot live with.

"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" by Stephen Crane

When I read, The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, my mind could not help but wonder to the TV show Gunsmoke.  Like Matt Dillon, Jack Potter is a strong man, who’s only family is the town.  Obviously, the town thinks the world of him and holds him in the highest regard. Otherwise, he would not have felt so guilty about not telling the town that he had gotten married. The train ride back to Yellow Sky must have been a lot longer for Jack than his bride. With the thought of how he had betrayed his town, his family by taken a bride and not so much as a telegram to let them know of this wonderful occasion. 

                On the other hand, Jack was the marshal and it is his job to keep peace in the town. Scratchy Wilson is a character that I can associate with. During my childhood and into my adult life, I have run into some friends and neighbors that I would not trade for the world while they are sober. Although, it only happens on occasion, their minds get the better of them and they start to drink. Once one has taken that first drink it is easier to take a second than to deal with whatever is plaguing the mind.  After one becomes drunk they let it all hang out so to speak. Scratchy is this sort of man. When he is not drunk he is the best neighbor any one can ask for. Scratchy knows that Jack will keep him in line, will not allow him to hurt anyone or himself that is why he went to Jack’s house looking for him.

When he comes face to face with Jack I thought the bride would be the one to get shot. I should have known that Jack would not have felt the need to carry a gun. He was going to get a bride not going to a gun fight. Yet, I was surprised as was Scratchy to learn he did not have a gun on him. When Jack told Scratchy that he was married it seems to sober him up, as if his feelings had been hurt at the thought that Jack was married without him known it. Perhaps, this is the shock that Jack was afraid of.

" Killing" by Andre Dubus

It must be hard to lose a child. My brother passed away several years ago, and it is still very hard to think about. I cannot begin to think of how much pain Matt must have been in. To live with seeing this man every day, walking the streets free, living his life and the only hope of easing this horrific pain for Matt and Ruth was that one day the man who brought their world crashing down would die too. That somehow his death would ease the pain of losing their child. It must have been a great torment to see this man every day. To know if it had not been for this man, their child would still be alive. Not only did Matt have to try and deal with the unthinkable pain of losing his son, he also had to deal with seeing the pain on his wife’s face. The pain she had to endure of seeing this man walking around, breathing, living his life, knowing that her son could no longer do the same. I know, for me, seeing my brother’s wife and in my heart knowing she must have had something to do with his death, sometimes is more than I can bear.  I don’t think I could ever kill someone, but I certainly understand why he would want to. Matt was a wonderful husband and a good father, constantly worrying, as most parents do, for his children’s safety, keeping a watchful eye on their every move until one day, their all grown up.  I would have liked to think that when it came down to it Matt would not have been able to pull the trigger.  However, that all changed when he walked over and shot Strout in the head. Up until this time he had broken a few laws but ones he might have been able to live with. Once he pulled that trigger for the last time he assured his life was over. Matt is still living and breathing, but now instead of having to live with one death, he has to live with two. Matt will live with the memory of this night for the rest of his life. The question is can his heart live with this memory.

"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner

When I read the title I thought the story was about a girl, maybe a teenager who had gotten her first date, first kiss or maybe even turning sixteen. I was surprised to learn it was a spinster. Emily seems to be a woman overtaken with grief, not just from losing her father and boyfriend, but the grief of growing up to be taught she is better than anyone else. I have to wonder if the man who cared for her all those years did it because he was paid or because he had some kind of secret love for Emily. The town’s people look upon her as an old woman who has lost her mind and I believe they do try to take care of her somewhat. The men sent her notices to pay her taxes but they never enforced it, they secretly sprinkled lime on her property to help with the smell, rather than to ask her to do something about it. It would appear the women were a little jealous of Emily, even though she had nothing. The women of the town almost seem to get pleasure out of knowing she has nothing. When her father died, Emily took it very hard. That was a turning point in her life. She began staying home most of the time. I can only assume he was her life and when he died her soul died with him. There was new hope brought back into her life when she met Homer. I think Homer was going to leave her so she killed him. Her days had been lonely and he had renewed her life. Emily was too fragile to lose another man that she loved. I was surprised to read she was sleeping with his body every night. I think this story could be a lesson to all of us. One never knows what the mind will do for the heart.

"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin

I love this story. Not long after I started reading this story, I started crying with Mrs. Mallard. To lose her husband in such a terrible way, to lose the man she loved. I felt empathy for her but not just her also for her sister Josephine, having to be the one to tell her sister that her husband was dead. Also for Richards, who had to bring the news of his good friend’s death! He seemed to be hurting as much as Mrs. Mallard. My empathy turned to shock as I read of her feelings of freedom. Although, she loved her husband, she felt trapped. Not just in her marriage but all marriages. She felt marriage was an entrapment of some kind. I suppose you could say it is just the era in which she lived. People were quick to get married years ago. A woman was raised to get married, to bare children, to do what their husbands ask of them with little or no questions. It should have come as no surprise that she felt this way about marriage. Yet, I was surprised. I would have been searching my mind for the answers to questions that must be answered. What would I do without someone to take care of me? Where would I live? How can I live without the man I love? Mrs. Mallard had a bad heart; I was worried, as so was the people in her life, that the news of her husband’s death would kill her. I was overjoyed for her when she walked into the hallway and the front door opened and low and behold there stood her husband. Safe and sound, having been far away from the accident when it occurred. I wonder if the shock of seeing her husband alive or the thought of losing the freedom she had just gained only minutes before had killed her.

week one assignment

Hi, my name is Patty Tomblin. I am a little nervous about this class. English is not one of my strong subjects. I like to read but find little time to do it. The last book I read was about outside of class work was James Paterson's Women's Murder Club. I love those books and usually buy one within a week or two of its release. I am not fond of poetry so this will be a challenge for me.