I Am the Grass

Theme: "Although he did awful things there, once he goes back he realizes that a piece of his life if there and he is a part of Vietnam"
He does surgery and fixes deformities

"Although it's difficult to face a guilty conscience, it's possible to find peace with yourself and others to achieve forgiveness."

I am the grass? He was the killer, but now he is one with them

Theme

Theme Notes

• Theme is the central idea or meaning of a story.
• Determining the theme requires a close analysis of all the elements of a work.
• Themes aren't easy to express, but they help to bring the story together
• Theme must be based on evidence within the story rather than solely on experiences, attitudes, or values the reader brings to the work
• Many stories go beyond traditional moral values to explore human behavior instead of condemning/endorsing it
  • Pay attention to the title
  • Look for details in the story that have potential for symbolic meaning
  • Decide whether the protagonist changes or develops some important insight as a result of the action
  • When you formulate the theme of the story in your own words, write it down in one or two complete sentences
  • Be certain that your expression of the theme is a generalized statement rather than a specific description
  • Be wary of using cliches as a way of stating theme
  • Be aware that some stories emphasize theme less than others
• The theme is expressed by the story itself

Cranes

How does symbol of the hand or the cranes reveal the meaning of the story?

• So--what is the meaning of the story?
• How does the symbol function to help reveal the meaning?

In Cranes the meaning of the story is that couples that are happy together die together and they will take their lives together. I believe that the meaning of the story is revealed through the use of the cranes. Throughout the story the couple is sitting in their car watching these cranes that are strolling on the shoreline. Then the husband proceeds to tell his wife that cranes mate for life, and that they are going extinct because of that to which his wife tells him that she believes in mating for life. This causes the reader to believe that there is symbolism in the fact that this woman and her husband have been married for basically her whole life. Therefore, she is relating the cranes to their own love story because they both mate for life. Also, one other part that I deemed extremely symbolic was towards the end after the woman laid her head on her husbands shoulders, he said that the cranes "plunged upward" like the souls lifting upward after they die.

The Cranes

pg. 301-302

1. Committed suicide, I think that the story is about a woman who has something ailing her, and they are going to kill themselves.
1. Old couple
2. Kids (older)
3. Some accident happened
2. I believe that their story was plausible because there were many ways that they were relating to each other through their stories that they are talking about and they care about each other.
3. Cranes can be conventional symbols because they are relating to the cranes and the fact that they mate for life. 
4. They use humor as kind of a defense mechanism.
5. The story is like a poem because they use many things to represent other things that are in the story. There is no narration through the story, the whole story is told through dialouge

The Hand

pg. 282-284

1. The setting is in a bedroom of a married couple, it's an intimate setting, at the end they are eating a meal together, which symbolizes community.
2. She had just met him the month before, he has blonde hair, handsome, good at tennis and rowing and recently widowed.
3. She thinks it is strong and protective, when the electric jolt comes and the hand starts to spasm when she is laying next to him. She's starting to see a part of them that she hasn't really focused on before.
4. Makes you wonder about what has been going on before she met him, she is pretty naive and makes the reader feel like there is something beneath the surface of the story.
1. "Recently widowed"
1. Last Paragraph
2. Beginning a life of two sides of herself, to give in, marriage unity
3. Goes from living with her parents to living with a man whom she's only known for a month, his hand is as big as her head and he's very strong. stronger than many people that she's encountered before.
4. By her kissing the hand, she faces her fear head on and kisses it, also it shows that she is going to be more submissive.
5. The hand symbolizes control because she feels as if she should apologize to the hand, symbolizes the marriage itself because she is saying it's strong and beautiful how people come together, then at the end she sees that is is more strong and it is going to hold power over her throughout the relationship.

"Bartleby"

Questions on main point and meaning

1. He constantly seeks approval from them

2. Pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably fore lone  cheerfully industrious. Introvert, doesn't really talk to anyone.

4. Always distances himself, makes his friends mad because of it. He doesn't really talk to anyone because he prefers being alone.

5. Bartleby is able to get away with more from the other employees and other individuals exclude him because they think he is strange.

6. The narrator wrestles with his conscience while trying to decide what actions he should take against  Bartleby letting  Bartleby get away with more. HE pities Bartleby doesn't except his actions from any of the other employees.

7. Bartleby evokes the readers sympathy by anger and frustration. He says "he'd prefer not to" and by having to sleep in the office.

8. They change in order to accommodate by letting him have his way and doing his work when he was slacking. They never make him accountable for what he does.

Multiple choice

1. A

2. D
3. E
4. A
5. B
6. A
7. E
8. D
9. A
10. A

Killings & A Rose For Emily

Plot Diagram for "Killings"

Plot Diagram for "A Rose for Emily" but from the perspective of the townspeople

Plot Diagram for "A Rose for Emily" with the internal perspective of Emily

Plot

What is plot?
The Procession of events that unfold throughout a story.
A means of revealing character.
A beginning, a middle and an end.
The significant acts or experiences in a story.

Basic plot structure
Exposition....
Exposition is the point in the plot where the reader learns everything he/she needs to know in order to understand the text.
Setting and character are established here
     Example: Boy loves girl (now in Indiana)
Conflict...
The conflict or inciting incident is the point when the protagonist is first introduced to a problem to solve
     Example: Secret rival boy causes girl to leave boy
Rising Action...
Rising action is the process by which the conflict develops and is usually worsened.
     Example: Boy's efforts to regain Girl drive her into the arms of Rival Boy.
     Climax...
The climax is the turning point of the conflict in the story, the peak of suspense, the moment where everything changes
     Example: boy confronts girl with ugly truth about rival boy
Falling Action...
The falling action is the process by which the conflict is made better
     Example: Girl is disgusted with both boys, but slowly allows boy to regain trust.
Resolution...
The resolution is the point at which the problem is resolved
     Example: Boy gets Girl Back.


Types of Conflict
Internal-Conflicts related to the character's beliefs, ideas, imagination or emotions that originate from inside the character.
External-Conflicts related to the character's physical condition that originate from outside the character.
Types of Conflicts
Man v. Man
Man. v. Nature
Man v. Machine/Technology
Man v. Self
Man v. God
Man v. Society
Man v. Animal

Plot doesn't have to be Chronological
In Medias Res-in the middle of things--a plot strategy in which the story begins in the middle
Flashback--a plot strategy in which important plot elements are learned in retrospect.
Various Orders of Events:
      Begin at the climax, flashback to the beginning, then conclude
      Begin at the conflict, flashback to the exposition.
      Begin at the resolution, flashback to the climax or the conflict, flashback again to the exposition.
      Keep important details hidden until the end, then flashback to fill them in.

Good stories have multiple plots
Frame stories--stories within a story.
Internal and external stories
Point of view-each character has his or her own plots
Sub-plots--plots that are of less importance but which are related to the main plot of a story.

"What I Said"

"What I Said"
Norman Stock

Questions about the text: What was "the terror"? What caused the sudden change in mood at the end? Why is the author questioning things so much, what exactly happened? Why does the author want to kill them?

Personal Response: This poem made me think about the attack on September 11, 2001 because of the emotions that were conveyed throughout this poem. Many Americans on this day were filled with the emotions that are displayed in the authors words. Many of them did not know how to react, they were questioning everything that they had once knew, everything changed in a matter of seconds. Yet, once the overwhelming thoughts and thinking slowed down, many Americans just wanted revenge which is exactly what the author is alluding to.

Overall thoughts: I thought this poem showed alot of patriotism through the wording. The word choice that was used in this poem was very to the point and very emotional. There were many times that the words that were used to talk about the "terror" made me really believe that the author was speaking of September 11. I just felt like this poem was very patriotic because there were many times when the reader was faced with the trials that happened to America and was reacting in a "I will protect America" sort of way.

Dirty Harry

"Dirty Harry"
Gorillaz Song

Questions About the Text: What is the author's mindset when reciting this poem? What is he referring to when he says "cos all I do is dance"? Who is the author referring to when he says "seems like everybody's out to test ya"?

Personal Response: This poem uses many symbols to create their main focal point. The author references to fighting by using the words "I need a gun to keep myself among" (line 1) which is referencing that he constantly needs protection anytime he steps outside. Also the whole song seems like it is written in a sarcastic mood. Although, many of the sentences are also much deeper than their face value if the reader looks deeper into the meaning.

Overall thoughts: I thought that the song itself was really somewhat weird, but when we started breaking it down and looking at the symbols and certain things that were being referenced  I started thinking it was a bit more normal. I mean, it was still kind of different, but I respected the song more, after I learned more about it. The poem itself was a well written piece of work and I really liked how things were addressed. I thought that it was very interesting.

"Occupation"

"Occupation"
Eliza Griswold

Questions about the text: Is Kabul in the Middle East? What is the author referring to when he says "two years ago the Talibs favored boys and left the girls alone"? Also, what exactly does "a woman was worth her weight in stone." referring to?

Personal Response: This poem made me think of the occupation of Iraq near the beginning of the war. I thought about that because during that time there were many bad things going on in the Middle East. Another thing that made me think that this was about the occupation of Iraq because it was talking about a woman's flesh was now worth more than it had ever been and this had never been the case before, but now there are soldiers that want nothing more than a woman to hold. This poem also caused me to think about the effects that this occupation had on the people of Iraq, because mostly we just think about impact it had on America but it also affected those people in Iraq as well.

Overall Thoughts: I really felt like this poem was held at its face value. There were not really any words that I felt were meant to have a deeper meaning because the poem was very straightforward. While this poem is straightforward there are also many things that are extremely emotionally tolling in this poem. The sentence where they talk about, "two years ago, the Talibs favored boys and left the girls alone"(line 8), it just really hit my heart hard. Mostly because I was thinking of "why would people ever do this to innocent people".

"next to of course god america i"

"next to of course god america i"

Questions about the text: Why is the author speaking in this way? What does gorry mean? What does "rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter" mean?

Thoughts about the text: When I read this poem I noticed that there were many cliche's in this poem. Also, the writer was referencing destiny though the use of "God". I also noticed that there are many run on sentences in this poem which are revealing the speakers relationship to God and country.

Personal Response: This poem just confused me, I didn't really know what the purpose was exactly. I thought first that I understood a bit of the poem, but then I realized that I really didn't understand anything that the poem was talking about. I tried to research things and I still wasn't exactly sure what the poem was about.

"Traveling Through The Dark"

1. These details suggest symbolic meaning because its comparing the car to a tiger, or some other type of prey animal.
2. The tone of this poem is conflicted because he doesn't know what to do with the body, and he is conflicted about the decision that he is going to have to make.
3. The effect of the last stanza emphasizing the emotion he felt for pushing the pregnant deer over the ravine.
4. This title is appropriate because the story is about traveling through the dark because it was an insight into the narrators life and the life of the dead deer.   
   
   
   Personal Response: This poem is extremely emotional, and really tugs at my heart strings. The poem is extremely vivid and uses many symbolic terms. The story is really vivid when the author is talking about seeing the deer on the road and the emotions that went through his head. When the author realized that the deer was pregnant, the emotion became more vivid.

"Seventeen"

The poem, "Seventeen" really struck my emotions quite hard. I am an extreme animal lover and this poem just really got to me because I couldn't ever imagine doing anything of this sort to an animal. I understand that it was the best thing for the dog, because he would've suffered more if the author wouldn't have put it out of its misery but, it's just so sad. The part that really touched my emotions was when he talked about when he went to kill it the tail wagged a bit. This just made me so sad, simply because I love animals and I couldn't ever imagine doing this to an animal, even if it was the best thing for the animal.

Seventeen

1. The title focuses on this idea because seventeen is a right of passage, and a loss of innocence because he had to kill the dog, and these are things that a seventeen year old shouldn't have to do.
2. The author heavily uses descriptive adjectives in the poem to help describe the injured dog.
3. The speaker of the poem is believes that the other driver is a complete idiot, he is really irritated when the driver turns and does that with the dog in the back. The speaker thinks that the author isn't thinking, and for being an older person, he should be more concerned.
4. Killing the dog would be characterized as a symbolic action because it is showing that the author is dealing with what he planned to do, and then there are random feelings that cause him to doubt his decision.   

"Dulce de Decorum Est"

"Dulce de Decorum Est"
Wilfred Owen

Questions about the text: Is this poem about war? If so, is it from the soldiers point of view, or a refugees? What does "Dulce et Decorum Est" mean?

Personal Response: The wording of this poem made me feel like I was being transported into the life of the author. The imagery that was used was so vivid that I felt like I was on the battlefield, although I was unaware whether or not I was the soldier or the refugee.


Overall Thoughts about the text: I thought this poem was extremely vivid. The author used such good imagery, that I felt like I was sitting there watching the scene take place before my very eyes. The wording in the poem was also very simple to understand, minus the title, I mean, that was in a different language. The wording also made me think that this poem was talking about World War II because of the reference to the gas and the gas masks, but when I looked at the years that the author, Wilfred Owen was born, I realized that there was no way that the poem was talking about World War II because it wasn't even thought about at that time.

"AD"

"AD"
Kenneth Fearing

Questions about the text: What does "a race of brand-new men", mean? What is the author referring to in "no ambition required, no brains wanted, and no character allowed"?

Personal Response: This poem used satire in the form of writing because it's showing something is wrong by ridiculing it's wrongness. I thought it was interesting that the poem alluded to the fact



Overall thoughts about the text: This poem really gave the impression that the reader should get up and join the army. The author used very descriptive words to get people excited about joining the military forces. This poem used many adjectives to make their point clear and dignified. Also, the language causes the reader to feel as if they're needed and it makes them want to enlist because they feel as if they will make a difference in the country.

"Ode to American English" & "Fat Is Not a Fairy Tale"

“Fat Is Not a Fairy Tale” 

Jane Yolen

Questions about the text: What inspired the reader to write this poem? What is the meaning behind the poem? Why is the poem titled “Fat is Not a Fairy Tale”? Why does the reader say “I am thinking of a fairy tale, that is not yet written, for a teller not yet born”, why does the teller have to be someone who isn't born? Also, on that subject, when the author uses the word “Born” is he relating it to something else? Such as the teller won't be able to tell a story about these things if they haven't opened their eyes to the flaws of beauty?

Personal response to the text: This poem really was a beautiful poem to read because I enjoyed what the author was trying to get across about fairy tales. I thought that the point was very clear, that the author believed that fairy tales should be about people of all sizes and the princesses in question shouldn't be figures that were extremely skinny and disproportionate.

Overall thoughts about the text: I thought this poem was very beautiful, mainly because I thought that the topic of the poem was something that was intriguing. I thought that the poem was a very interesting thought because during this time period all of the fairy tales involved characters that were somewhat thin, and that was just what was expected. I found it very endearing of the author to come out and write a poem about what she felt was right, and how she believed that these stories should be handled. Overall, I thought the poem was a very good read and I actually enjoyed reading it, unlike many poems I have read, or tried to read, before.

“Ode to American English”

Barbara Hamby

Questions about the text: What does “pill popping Hungarian goulash” mean? What does Brentano's on the Avenue de l'Opera mean? Why is the US vocabulary so much less dignified than the British vocabulary? What exactly is the “battle cry of the bible belt”?

Personal response to the text: This poem really made me feel a sense of American Pride while reading it. I felt as if the author was just missing America so much, and the things that she was saying that she missed were just simple things, but they really showed how much she loved America and the American culture, and I found that really cool. This poem also made me laugh a lot. The simplicity of the things that she was comparing from British culture to American culture was just too funny.

Overall thoughts about the text: I really enjoyed this text because I felt like they used many references that were extremely American, such as “Valley girls” and “hip hop stereos shaking the windows of my dining room like a 7.5 earthquake”. Anyone who has lived in an American city has experienced these things, or at least heard about one of the two. I also enjoyed the poem because I liked how it was written in a narrative form. This helped me to better understand and comprehend the poem, and it's meaning. Honestly, I just really liked this poem. I thought it was cool, because it was written in 1972, so it shows the things and people that were popular during the time that this poem was created, and I find that to be really interesting. 

"Those Winter Sundays" & "Introduction to Poetry"

"Those Winter Sundays"
Robert Hayden

Questions about the text: Why does his father work so often? What exactly does "love's austere" and "lonely offices" mean, like what exactly does that refer to? What is he talking about "blueblack cold"? Is there more of a meaning behind "No one ever thanked him?"

Personal response to the text: I thought that the message behind this poem was that the man is a hard worker. He works on Sundays, which is typically a day of rest. Although, I'm not sure if they're actually talking about the "work" he does on Sunday's, or if he was going to church because he says "polished good shoes as well". It reminds me of my dad, because he's an early riser on Sunday's, like every other day.

Overall thoughts about the text: I thought this text was very easy to understand. The first time I read it I thought there must have been something I missed because I understood many of the elements of poetry. I really liked this poem because I thought it was relateable, which is weird, but that's what I felt about the poem. Oh, also the poem uses alliteration by the "W" sound and "K" sound as well. The speaker is seeming regretful during the poem because he is reflecting upon the life and things his father did for him growing up.


"Introduction to Poetry"
Billy Collins

Questions about the text: "They begin beating it with a hose", what is the hose referring to? What action is sparking these feelings? What does "drop a mouse into a poem" refer to?

Personal Response to the text: I thought this poem was a lot easier to read and to understand. I think it was easier to read and comprehend the imagery behind many of the words. I was able to pick out the parts of the poem that was using the vivid imagery.


Overall thoughts about the text: The poem was very harsh, I felt like the author was just beating down people who think too hard into the text. The stanzas that really stuck out to me were "But they all want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it" this quote really made me understand exactly what the author is trying to say because the main point of the poem is that annotating takes away from the poem sometimes.