Selfishness Causes Problems

I found Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver to be a disturbing poem which shows the consequences of unchecked anger.  When the picture of the baby was first mentioned, I thought that it wold be a source of unity between the clearly divided couple.  It should be, as both parents clearly show desire to keep the baby.  However, I was disturbed to find them treat this baby like an object that they wanted to keep and not as the child that they love.  Instead of deciding what is best for the baby, they argue over the baby, pulling on it to try to gain control.  "The baby was red-faced and screaming.  In the scuffle they knocked down a flowerpot that hung behind the stove (par. 26)."  While fighting over the baby, they were so absorbed in their selfish desires that they were oblivious to the destruction they were causing.  I think this destruction and selfishness exhibited in their argument over the baby can be used to predict why their marriage was unsuccessful in the first place.  They probably only thought about themselves and never tried to do anything for each other.  Inevitably, they would argue, and their marriage would fall apart around them.  Ultimately, they bring the ultimate consequence upon themselves which the author does no detail.  He says that they both pulled on the baby and "In this manner, the issue was decided (36).  It can be assumed that the baby was killed.  In the end, their selfishness not only ruined the marriage but destroyed what they fond most valuable.

Heart Troubles..kinda ironic

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin contains several examples of irony and foreshadowing.  The first sentence foreshadows the end of the story.  "Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death (par. 1)."  At first, this mention of Mrs. Mallard's heart trouble seems unnecessary  but in the end it makes sense.  Her death at the end of the story is understood to be caused by a heart attack thanks to the opening hint.  This untimely death at the end of the story is also an example irony.  During the entire story, Mrs. Mallard expresses extreme excitement that she is free of her husband.  She says many times that she hopes she has a long life so that she can enjoy this time as  a free woman.  "Free! Body and soul free (par. 15)!"  Ironically, it is this same excitement that cause her to have a heart attack and die without ever having lived out this new freedom.  In the end, she does gain freedom from her previous life.   However, this freedom is gained through her death and not a new life.

Deteriorating Marriage

Getting Out is a fairly simple poem about a divorced couple and their relationship.  In the poem, figurative language is used to describe the emotions between the two "ex-lovers".  The wife who narrates the poem describes their year of marriage as a prison.  "That year we hardly slept, walking like inmates / who beat the walls (lines 1,2)."  She later describes every nights as another refusal.  Ultimately, this figurative language reveals why the marriage was unsuccessful.  The two couldn't live together.  They felt imprisoned living together and began to argue with each other.  Eventually, their feelings for each other wore out to the point where they divorced.  The final image of them joining hands while walking apart shows that although they couldn't be happily married, they still feel connected and missed the days when they were happy together.

Inside Joke

You're Ugly, Too by Lorrie Moore is a story that receives its title from an element of the story itself.  In this case, the title comes from a joke that the main character, Zoe, says during the story.  It's about a guy who goes to a doctor and is told he has six weeks to live. When he asks for a second opinion, he says "you're ugly too".  "She liked that joke.  She though it terribly, terribly funny  (p360)."  I think the use of this joke as the title points out that it has special significance in the story.  It is ironic, as the joke refers about a person given a negative diagnosis by a doctor, and Zoe herself is suffering from a growth in her abdomen and waiting on a diagnosis.  The joke also points to her disbelief in love.  Its blatant statement of ugliness is another factor she can relate to, as she has had relationship problems in the past and is not a beautiful woman.  To put it simply, I think the joke appeals to Zoe and her sarcastic sense of humor because it relates to her life.  The joke is about a person in a sad position being further insulted, a situation which describes the entire life of Zoe.

Imperfection

At first, after reading Delight and Disorder by Robert Herrick, I couldn't find any meaning in the poem beyond the obvious.  The narrator talks about different ways that clothing can be worn carelessly or imperfectly.  However, lines like "A careless shoestring, in whose tie I see a wild civility (lines 11,12)", pointing out that the speaker likes such imperfections.  In fact, he (or she) says so outright in the last two lines, saying that extreme precision or perfections is not bewitching.  Initially, this superficial analysis was all I could come up with.  It seemed too simple.  Eventually, I thought that the poem could possibly be a way of saying that nobody is perfect.  Completely perfect appearance is fake and unnatural.  By saying that he likes people who show imperfection, the narrator is saying that he appreciates people who are real and down-to-earth.  Imperfection is not something to be ashamed of.  According to the poem, it is normal and something that is desirable and even attractive.

Twinkle, Twinkle

I'm a bit puzzled by Bright Star, a poem by John Keats.  Throughout the poem, the speaker talks about wanting to be steadfast like a star.  This simile is the focus of the entire poem.  Reading the poem, it is not too difficult to figure out that this desire is based on the speaker's wanting to be always with his loved one.  However, the poem is more puzzling when it talks about wanting to be different than a star.  Based on the text, I can assume he doesn't want to be watching from a distance like a star.  Then it talks about hermits and snow and I kind of lose all insight.  Also the final line "And so live ever - or else swoon to death (line 14)."  I think it means that "swooning to death" is the alternative to being steadfast like the star.  But it is written in a way where it might be saying the star-like qualities are causing the death.  I'm a bit confused, but at least I know the main point.  The narrator wants to be like a star and always be with his love.

Letting Go of the Past

Eveline by James Joyce was a relaxing contrast from the short stories we normally read in AP Lit.  It was relatively short, and not extremely descriptive or complex.  Thanks to its simplicity, I think I was able to realize the theme of the story.  Throughout the story, Eveline's life is explained to the reader.  Her mother and  one of her brothers had died.  She has a father who abused her mother and now takes his anger out on her.  She is not a happy person.  Due to all of the problems in Eveline's life, I expected her to try to find some escape.  Eveline somewhat confirms that she is looking for a solution in paragraph 9.  "But in her new home, in a distant unknown country, it would not be like that.  Then she would be married - she, Eveline (par. 9)."  The story goes on to talk about her boyfriend Frank, a sailor, who promises to take her to Buenos Aires with him.  I expected this to be hear means of escape.  However, at the end of the novel, she cannot leave.  She is reminded of her home by music she hears playing, and she is afraid of the unknown and a new start with Frank. I think this shows that the theme is about holding onto the past.   Through Frank, Eveline is given a chance to start a new life, but she is reluctant to leave what is familiar to her.  I think the author frowns on this behavior, as he describes Eveline at the end of the story as being unemotional and like a helpless animal. I think the author is trying to say that holding on to one's past does no good, when the future holds a better life.

Turning Point

In How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro, I noticed a definite turning point near the end of the story.  The story, for the most part, is about Edie (the main character) and her interaction with Chris Watters, the pilot who stops near the home she is working at.  As Edie has several complicated meetings and interactions with him, the reader (in this case, me) expects to see the two get married.  Based on the title of the short story, this is a logical conclusion.  Especially after Chris promises to send her a letter and maybe see her again, this sort of "happily ever after" ending doesn't seem too far-fetched.  However, I realized that this was not to be on page 145 in paragraph 196.  A young mailman with the last name of Carmichael says "You've got that smile I've been waiting on all day (paragraph 196)!"  This compliment somewhat contrasts with the compliment that Chris gives Edie earlier in the chapter when he sees her in Mrs. Peeble's dress. At that point, I started to think that Carmichael may actually become her husband, as he seems to be interested in her.  Later on that page, Edie comes to the same conclusion, and on the next page, they get married.  What a quick change!