Flannery O'Conner

So this Flannery girl seems pretty wierd to me. I sort of have this perception of her as this hick who grew up in the middle of no where, Georgia and raised chicken with her hick family. Her way to fame was teaching a chicken to walk backwards, other than that she would just sit around and make rediculous stories that have intense imagery and 'distorted christ figures'. Okay, other than being a goob, I must admit that her stories are really well thought out and are actually really interesting. However, I do get frusterated when we talk about them. Our discussion last week about "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" is what really confused me. Some people thought that the grandma was an evil figure and that she planned everything out but I'm just not covinced. It's so hard for me to imagine a grandmother trying to do that to her own kids and grandkids. Even letting go of my personal experiences, there is not enough evidence. To me, she seems like a lonely grandma who just wants to spend time with her grandkids. Even June Star said, "She wouldn't stay home for a million bucks. Afraid she'd miss something. She has to go everywhere we go". She's like any grandmother who just wants to spend time with her family and wouldn't want to miss anything. And even though she bugged her family to go to Tennessee, she later felt guilty was 'the first one in the car, ready to go'. She realized how selfish she had been and to make for less fuss, she gave in and did what her family wanted to do. It's not like she wanted to go to Florida in the first place, so how could she have planned out running into the Misfit? It just doesn't fit to me. My perception of the story is that she's almost like a christ figure and at the end she tries to save the Misfit by telling him that he's one of her children. When she reaches towards him it's like a moment of grace but the Misfit rejects it because he's not ready for it.
I thought these stories were really interesting and I liked that we had different views to the story. I can't wait for more short stories!

I found it!

A real live allusion in our modern day world! I was so excited I thought I would share it with you all!

Allusion to the Garden of Eden in “The Nightside of Eden” by HIM

“Divided we stand in the light of a frozen sun
Cursing the gods we have become
We steal the fire from a sacred heart
And bleed the wine unholy
We fall in love with the serpent's song
And fear nothing
In the nightside of Eden
We're born again dead
Forever we are
Forever we've been
Forever we'll be crucified to a dream
In the nightside of Eden
Deranged, we're tearing away the petals of desire
Learning the mathematics of evil by heart
We deceive ourselves to start a war
Within the realm of senses
And descend to the circle number four
Where we are nothing” (HIM).

History of the Garden of Eden:
When god was creating Earth, he created a man named Adam. In order for him to not be lonely, God created a woman named Eve. He created a garden in Eastward Eden and put his creations there. Both Adam and Eve were naked, however they were not ashamed. Then God planted trees and a Tree of Knowledge. He then told Adam that he could eat from any of the trees besides the Tree of Knowledge or else it would lead to his death. Then a serpent came and tempted Eve to take a bite of an apple from the Tree of Knowledge. She then convinced Adam to do the same. After this, Adam and Eve realized they were naked and thus, evil was created. It was also the separation of man from God.

The Garden of Eden in Relation to the Song:
The song clearly talks about the place where God sent Cain (East of Eden). It talks about the evil of the world and is basically describing the opposite of paradise, or hell. When the song talks about descending ‘to the circle number four’, meaning the fourth circle of hell, it means that there is constantly a war between good and evil and in the end, it really doesn’t mean anything. The title reveals the evil that came out of a good place. When you think of Eden, you usually think of a bright place, however, the ‘nightside’ of Eden makes you think of the sin and the temptation that happened in the garden. When the song says ‘we fall in love with the serpent’s song’, it is a direct reference to the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, thus creating evil on Earth. Overall, the song talks about the evil that came out of The Garden of Eden, or more appropriately said in the Nightside of Eden.

Zora Neale Hurston

Since I decided to read Their Eyes Were Watching God, I wanted to find out more about the author so I could maybe connect some of the experiances in the book to the author. I found out some really interesting things about her life

• Born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama; however, she grew up in Eatonville, Florida. She considered it her real home.
• Eatonville was a black township with five lakes, three croquet courts, three hundred brown ckins, three hundred good swimmers, plenty guavas, two schools, and no jailhouse.
• She had a relatively good upbringing. Her mother was the main influence of her ambitions and her father was a preacher.
• Her mother died in 1904 when Zora was only thirteen years old. This began her thinkings of life.
• Her father quickly remarried to a girl that Zora almost killed in a fistfight.
• She eventually joined a Gilbert & Sullivan traveling troupe as a maid to the lead singer.
• At 26 she still hadn't finished high school. So in order for her to appear young so she could recieve free public schooling, she took off ten years of her life, saying that she was born in 1901. Always presented herself as ten years younger than she was
• She was a "handsome, big-bones woman with playful yet penetrating eyes, high cheekbones, and full, graceful mouth that was never without expression"
• Had a sense of humor
• Graduated from Barnard College in 1928
• by 1935, she published several short stories and articles, as well as a novel, Jonah's Gourd Vine, and a well-recieved collection of black Southern folklore, Mules and Men.
• Published Their Eyes Were Watching God in 1937.
• Never recieved the financial rewards she deserved. The largest sum of money she earned from her book was $943.75
• Died on January 28, 1960 at 69 from a stroke.
• Buried in a grave that remained unmarked until 1973.

I'm really looking foward to reading the book and I will post soon to tell you what I think of it!

Works Cited

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

A Poem

We haven't done a poetry reading in a while so I decided that I would do one right now! I chose "The Young Housewife" by William Carlos Williams

At ten A.M. the young housewife
moves about in negligee behind
the wooden walls of her husband's house.
I pass solitary in my car.

Then again she comes to the curb
to call the ice-man, fish-man, and stands
shy, uncorseted, tucking in
stray ends of her hair, and I compare her
to a fallen leaf.

The noiseless wheels of my car
rush with a crackling sound over
dried leaves as I bow and pass smiling.


My interpretation:
negligee- a dressing gown or robe, usually of sheer fabric and having soft, flowing lines, worn by women.
The girl is standing outside of her husband's house with wooden walls. I get the impression that she doesn't have a very good relationship with her husband. It seems like she's maybe pushed out of the way by her husband.
The man, to me, seems like he is blown away by this girl. He watches her and he doesn't want her to see him. It's almost like he is stalking her; however, I don't get a creepy vibe from it. It almost seems to me like this guy might be in love with her.
It then goes on to say that the woman is outside to call the ice-man and the fish-man. Is she in a city? Why is she alone? Why would she be on the streets to get fish? The man compares her to a 'fallen leaf'. When I think of a falling leaf, I think delicate and fragile. I can see the woman being fragile. Maybe she is going through a hard time and the man wants to help her but he is afraid to.
The man then passes the woman with his 'noiseless wheels', however, there is the 'crackling' sound of the leaves. Did the woman notice him? It then says that he bowed and smiled at her. Do they know each other? Maybe they are secret lovers?
I'm not too sure but this poem has a very mysterious tone to it. I just imagine a girl alone and a guy trying to reach out and help her; however, something is holding him back.
I really like this poem. I wonder what my classmates will say!

Frankenstein Part 3

Wow! What an awesome book! I really enjoyed Shelley’s writing style and how she created a realistic sci-fi book. Even though you know that could never really happen, Shelley put a realistic sense to it. I also like how the ending was not a happy one. Sometimes happy endings are almost hard to believe.
There’s one question that I have been pondering a lot ever since I finished the book. Is the monster pure evil or did he have some good in him? I feel like the times when we read the story through the monster’s eyes, I often felt sympathetic towards him and I understood where he was coming from. However, towards the end when we were reading it through Victor’s eyes again, the monster just seemed cruel and insane. I don’t think it was necessary for the monster to threaten Victor and go around and kill all of his loved ones. The monster even goes so far as to threaten Victor on his wedding day, saying “I will be with you on your wedding-night!” (Shelley 203). The one day that could bring happiness to Victor and the monster threatens to kill him on it! I thought that was really cruel. I also thought that the monster forcing Victor to see all the deaths of his loved ones was also really harsh. I couldn’t imagine having to go through that pain. At the end of the book, however, we see more human qualities in the monster. He basically apologizes for the murders and realizes that they did not do him any good. He explains that, “For while I destroyed [Victor’s] hopes, I did not satisfy my own desires” (Shelley 240). Then the monster vows to take his life in order to ‘finish his work’. The monster asks himself, “where can I find rest but in death?” (Shelley 242). I would have to agree with the monster for wanting to take his life because in a lot of ways, the monster is like another Victor. And since Victor died, the monster should die too because it is Victor’s creation. However, we never know for sure if the monster kills himself. It really makes you wonder and I can’t wait to discuss this in my lit circle!

Works Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Hertfordshire, Denmark: Wordsworth Classics, 1993.

Wife of Bath

Here is what I found out about the Wife of Bath. It's actually really interesting once you tear everything apart!

Gap-toothed
Back then, gap-toothed usually represented a prostitute or a whore
Face was bold, handsome, ruddy; a worthy woman
Ruddy- having a healthy reddish color, ‘ruddy liar’- (she’s a gossiper)
Bold- courageous and daring; not hesitating to break the rules; imaginative; flashy showy
Worthy- a person of eminent worth, merit or position. However, she is of the lowest rank. Maybe Chaucer the pilgrim is sympathetic towards her.
Somewhat deaf, ‘which was a shame’
Her mouth is bigger than her ears meaning she loves to gossip and only listens to the things she wants to hear.
Chaucer the pilgrim’s comment could mean that he felt pity for her.
Chaucer the writer could be criticizing her. Maybe he is being sarcastic.
Wore a hat- as broad as buckler or shield
Wore handkerchiefs on her head- weighed 10 pounds.
Covered her ears. The handkerchiefs show that she is very showy.
Wore scarlet red hose- laced tightly
Red often represents sin. The fact that they are laced tightly could mean that she is passionate.
Laughed and gossiped well
Goes along with the fact that she is deaf. Likes to talk a lot, and not necessarily listen.
Wore sharp spurs on her feet
She’s controlling
From near Bath
Bath- a town or resort visited for medical treatment by bathing; a spa. A city in Avon, Southwest of Bristol in England. Famous for its Georgian architecture and its hot mineral springs. Maybe she is a person of renewal.
Well-whimpled
Wimple- to veer. She is in control of herself. Goes along with her being a wanderer.
A wanderer- went on many pilgrimages before. Went to Jerusalem three times. Also went to Rome, Boulogne, the Shrine of Saint James at Galicia, and Cologne.
Maybe she has sinned and goes on these pilgrimages to seek forgiveness. From this you can tell that she is somewhat religious.
Had 5 husbands. Chaucer does not say anything else about her husbands. ‘but of that there is no need to speak now’
Wife
Goes back to the idea that she ‘gets around’. She might have used her husbands for money in order to go on her voyages.
Who is she a wife of?
Sat ‘easily’ on an ambling horse
Ambling- (of a horse) to go at a slow pace with the rider’s legs on both side.
Had a talent for making cloth ‘of the finest fabric’ and surpassed the weavers of Ypres and Ghent.
Ypres and Ghent- prosperous cities.
Talented. She is of some use.
She knew the remedies of love and art’s old dance
Got around. Goes along with her having 5 husbands.
Foot-mantle was lose about her hips
Mantle- a loose, sleeveless cloak or cape.
Of the Urban Rank; however, Chaucer does not mention that. Chaucer also does not give much physical description of her.
Maybe she is overlooked as a slut, but inside she is really more than that. I think Chaucer the pilgrim is sympathetic towards her.

My Biggest Fear

The other day in art class we had to journal about our biggest fear. No monsters came to mind, nor spiders or snakes or any of the usual things that scare people. To me, my biggest fear is time. I'm always worried that I'm going to run out of time and I will not be able to finish what I was meant to do on Earth. This reminded me of the poem I wrote last year and I just thought I would share it:

Time is a fear
That wraps around you
And rips away timeless memories
It hurts you and haunts you
And makes you never want to look back

Time is age and length
It beats like a strong drum
Creeping up behind you
Like a murderer in the dark of night.

Time runs out
And soon you realize
What you have
And what you don’t.

Time is like poison
It turns love cold
It will hurt and tear apart lives
Time will be the death of love.

Time does not care
It changes thoughts and opinions
Along with passionate feelings
Time makes even best friends grow apart

Time is the Devil’s work,
Slowly slipping people away from life
If He had His way, time would not exist
Life would live on forever

Time creates loss
Feelings are hurt and emotions run wild
Life becomes empty
Like an endless pit of sorrow

Time is disgusting
It should disappear like the switch of a light
It is evil and wretched
Time is my biggest fear