Three times a charm....

When Tea Cakes hit Janie, I thought to myself…..Not again! Janie has had a past of abuse which wasn’t uncommon during this time period. What surprised me was Tea Cakes reasoning for his actions. I know this sounds HORRIBLE, but I thought differently of him than the other men. It appeared as if he hit her because he loved her. Weird….I know.

A lot happened after Janie met Tea Cakes. Janie was in a relationship actually based on love. They encountered a storm and were headed to Palm Springs. After Tea Cakes got bit by the dog, I knew something bad was going to happen. I wasn’t ready for him to die. Janie wasn’t either.

The days leading up to his death showed a lot about the true feelings in the relationship. Janie clearly cared for him and he for her. Emotions were pulled out of each of them and I especially enjoyed seeing Janie’s reactions to this unfortunate situation. One of the most important pieces of information that I kept in mind was what led to this death. In the end, Tea Cakes died saving Janie. If he hadn’t loved her and went after her, the dog would have never bit him. This act just goes to show how much he truly loved her. It would have been so easy for Tea Cakes to just let Janie go. Instead, he risked his own life and ended up dying for her. How romantic ;)

I can’t say that this has been my favorite novel, but I did learn to like it as time went on. I certainly enjoyed the last half of the book. Janie’s character is one that I see sticking with me from now on.

Is it love?

Janie is an incredible character that I can’t fully wrap my mind around. She has so much going on in her life and still somehow manages to keep it all together. Logan and Jody proved to be loveless relationships in which Janie was viewed as a trophy wife. They treated her as an object rather than a human being.

Now that those relationships have come to an end, I wasn’t surprised to see that another man enters her life. I had this inkling that Tea Cakes would be different. In my opinion, he seems to actually value Janie for more than her looks. He sees her as an independent person with feelings. This brought a great sigh of relief to me. It is nice to finally see someone actually care for her.

I can’t say that the relationship is perfect, but I do believe it is a HUGE step up compared to the prior two.

There was much discussion on Janie’s personality type. Some thought she was conceited and self-absorbed. I, on the other hand, think that she is just the opposite. Janie was living her life to please others. She wanted to please Logan and Jody, and she wanted to make her nanny happy. When Janie admitted to hating her nanny, she got more respect from me. I know, that isn’t something that you would normally thing, but I saw a whole other side of Janie. She proved to me that she had her own thoughts and didn’t want to live her life according to others. Some and maybe even most will not agree with me on this, but I am willing to live with that……

It can only go up from here.....

I have quickly learned that Jody wasn’t much better for Janie than Logan. He appeared to have better intentions and respect, but he fell short. When he first struck Janie, I cringed. I wasn’t expecting it in any way. I was sad to see what could have been a great thing fall apart. I can’t imagine how she must feel and the disappointment that must be present.

I feel as if I was almost tricked into thinking the Janie’s life would be changed for the better in this newly found love. I was so wrong!

When Jody was dying, there was an interesting dynamic between him and Janie. There was so much resentment built up, that I didn’t particularly enjoy reading this section of the book. I’m not sure why, but it made me uncomfortable…..I think uncomfortable is the word to describe it.

After Jody died, it was obvious that Janie was relieved. She couldn’t exactly show this relief to the public, but she clearly felt it. I was relieved for her. I don’t see myself as the type that wishes people dead, but Jody’s death brought good to Janie’s life.

I can only hope that everything works out for the best, and that Janie doesn’t get sucked into another unfortunate situation.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

As I began reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, I was reminded of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  The use of dialect and language is quite similar. I really struggled with the language that Twain used for the first part of the book; eventually I got used to it and actually enjoyed it. I’m not sure what I think about how Hurston writes. Even though I was able to understand it better at the beginning, I have a hard time not getting distracted by it. I expected the opposite effect. I must say, I prefer Twain over Hurston at this point.

The first few chapters went pretty well. I am drawn into Janie’s character for a reason I am unsure of. I get the sense that she is a woman of power that is often misread and underestimated. Her beauty seems to get her noticed but maybe not for the right things. Janie’s hair is unique and defines who she is; I am interested to see how her hair helps the development of the story.

I am disgusted by how Logan treated Janie and was glad that she had the guts to leave the situation. No woman ever deserves the disrespect that Janie got. However, I did find it a bit odd that Jody was so willing to run away with her. Hopefully this new relationship will give Janie a new sense of independence and the respect that she deserves.

It's SNOWING.....

I enjoyed Hemmingway’s style of writing much more than Faulkner. I found myself understanding the text much more, even though some places still confused me. All in all, I loved “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”. There was definitely an interesting relationship between the man and his wife. At times, I could see that he cared for her, but I kept getting the feeling of resentment.

Part of me felt bad for the man. I got the feeling that he wasn’t happy with the outcome of his life and didn’t have the will to stay alive. Another part of me didn’t pity him; if he wasn’t happy, he should have made a change before it was too late. I think this short story is a great example of why people should live their lives to the fullest and not just settle.  

It is obvious that the wife’s money got in the way of the man’s dreams. He wanted to accomplish something and become somebody. By settling and letting the wealth get in his way, he did the exact opposite of his dreams. As he dies, he realizes that he hasn’t made an impression on the world and has let his life pass him by.

I can finally say I have read something by Hemmingway, and I enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more of his work…..

Barn Burning

“Barn Burning” wasn’t exactly my favorite reading. I’m not even sure I got the whole gist of it until discussion during class. I found the father to be very annoying and childlike. Who goes around burning stuff?!

There was an obvious theme of family loyalty and more specifically, loyalty to the father. The son clearly struggles with his father’s delinquency and has a hard time remaining loyal to him. He is really put in a tough situation, and I think he handles it pretty well. I can’t imagine having to deal with someone like that dad. Overall, the family dynamic interested me and kept me involved in the reading.

I was not a big fan of the style of writing. Maybe it was because I had a hard time understanding what was going on. I often had to stop and go back to figure out what was going on. I though the overall plot of the story was intriguing, but the writing style didn’t quite fit for me.

“Barn Burning” focused on the theme of loyalty that seems to be cropping up. A lot of our readings have taken place in the South and many of them include this aspect in some way or another. Even though I wasn’t a big fan of “Barn Burning”, I can see its importance and how it ties into the previous readings.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost is the first person I think of when I think of poetry. My all time favorite poem is “The Road Not Taken” (the one I picked for poem of the day). I first encountered this poem in the 8^th grade. We were asked to memorize it for part of our reading class. I still have it memorized! I’m not exactly sure why, but it has stuck with me ever since.

As I learned in class, my interpretation was a bit off, but my opinion of the poem remains unchanged. The beauty in poetry is that everyone can have different interpretations that work for them. Not everyone will agree on a poems meaning. So, even though I had my prior thoughts on it, I was still able to soak in what was discussed in class. I think I even like the new meaning better! :)

Everyone travels down a path in life and not everyone picks the same one. Whether we go by the one less traveled or the one most commonly traveled, our life is impacted by the one we choose or don’t choose. This is where regrets can come into play. Personally, I try not to regret the path I’ve chosen and instead look for opportunities to go another way. I think it is important that people realize they can go back and choose another path; you don’t have to be stuck on the same one forever!

I also enjoyed reading Frost’s “Mending Wall”. I had read this one before but didn’t put too much thought into it. When I first read it, I had an “Aha” moment when seeing the phrase “good fences make good neighbors”. It was nice to see where this saying actually came from.

After analyzing “Mending Wall” I walked away with a totally different impression of “good fences make good neighbors”. It is rather funny to see how things are taken out of context and used over and over again. Knowing what Frost really meant makes the poem more understandable this time around.

I have definitely learned to look deeper at things and not just at the face value…..

And so it begins.....

We have finally reached the Modernism. I enjoyed the last section of the class, but am excited to get to more modern pieces of work. Twain and the other writers we encountered during the 1865-1914 time period were great and really provided some wonderful pieces of writing. However, I am very excited to look at Frost and Hemingway!

Robinson is the first writer looked at for modernism. To be honest, I had never heard of Robinson until now…..Whoops! I really liked his style of writing. Poetry is tricky for me, as I mentioned before, but I was still able to enjoy it. “Luke Havergal” was my favorite that we were asked to read. There is a mystery and darkness about the poem that I connected with. I don’t normally like dark things, but in this case, I found it to be very meaningful.

Robinson’s idea of hell being more than half of paradise is really interesting…..I like it! It is so common for people to separate heaven from hell, but I think Robinson makes a good point in saying that they are part of each other. A lot of people might not like this because it brings a darker aspect to heaven. It makes things much more unclear. “Luke Havergal” makes me think of stories when someone loses a loved one, and they die of a broken heart. Luke Havergal has a broken heart, and I think he may wish for death to reconnect with the woman that is talked about. This poem isn’t the “happy-go-lucky” type of poem that I usually enjoy, but I love it nonetheless….

God slays Himself with every leaf that flies,

And hell is more than half of paradise.

No, there is not a dawn in eastern skies—

In eastern skies

A White Heron

I really enjoyed reading “The White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett. Even though my medication made this task rather difficult, I was able to appreciate Jewett’s work. Sylvia was such an interesting character. Even though she was originally a city girl, I feel she fits better as a country girl. Jewett used nature to bring Sylvia’s character and thinking to life.

It was obvious that Sylvia was comfortable in the woods. Nature, like Sylvia, is innocent and pure. When the strange man came into the picture, everything got shaken up a bit. He was an outsider that posed a threat to what Sylvia was used to. Once he gained her trust, Sylvia became more comfortable with his presence. However, she didn’t let him influence her morals and thinking.

I felt that the tree Jewett described was a symbol of wisdom and growth. It was a perfect example of the power of age and nature. When Sylvia climbed this tree, she seemed to have opened her eyes to a new perspective. She was able to see everything more clearly. This tree gave her insight to a world that she already though she knew all about.

I’m going to have to say, that this is definitely one of my favorite pieces of work that I have read so far in this class. It had great symbolism and a great moral. I really enjoyed the wisdom found in Sylvia’s character and knowing that she didn’t let money get in the way of her true feelings for the world around her.

To Build A Fire....

I’m not exactly sure what to say about “To Build a Fire”. I enjoyed this story and found myself drawn in to this “crazy” situation. I didn’t enjoy this story as much as “The Open Boat”, but I do see some similarities in them. They both dealt with nature and overcoming horrifying circumstances. Both writers did an excellent job of using vivid details (almost too much for me to handle). The idea of killing the dog made me cringe; I was relieved that it didn’t come to that!

The fact that this man was by himself in the freezing cold irritated me more than anything else in the story. Everyone knows not to go out when it’s that cold!!!! The ending was a bit sad, but I expected it nonetheless. I wouldn’t go as far as to say he deserved it, but I would say it was his fault.

“To Build a Fire” was definitely interesting…..