Endless Possibilities

I LOVED the drama “Sure Thing” by David Ives. It was so entertaining even thought it was about nine pages of the same thing over and over with only slight variances. I found if funny because it seemed like if one approach didn’t work, start over and try again. It was sort of like that poem “The Flea” by John Donne where he kept trying to seduce the women by convincing her that there was nothing wrong with having premarital sex; every time he struck out he simply recouped and tried another argument. Unlike Donne, Bill actually gets his date.

This also made me think about how when you approach someone for the first time you get nervous and try to script out what you’re going to say in your head and you start trying to figure out what the their reply will be. You think, “Oh no, that’s dumb” or “That’ll make me sound stupid” so you go with some general and safe approach. You try to decide what topics you want to discuss: politics, relationships, books, movies, astrology, sports…whatever you think will stimulate the conversation. Seriously, how many of us have not been in that boat before? And, how would you like to have the opportunity to just rewind and start the conversation over if it did not go as well as you would have liked? Just go until you get it! Maybe you don’t put a whole lot of effort into making the conversation start, but you have to admit that you replay it and think about what you could have said differently…don’t lie! I know I’m not completely crazy! Haha J

I also like how it switches between Bill and Betty asking the other one out and how they trade off starting conversations. Sometimes he’s not interested and other times she is not; this allows every possibility of the conversation to be explored. Overall, this was definitely my favorite drama.

Young Establishment

“Rites of Passage” by Sharon Olds was such an interesting poem! I loved how it is spoken through the mother’s point of view. Not only does she see the potential in her own child, but also in her son’s friends. She describes what the boys are doing and experiencing with insights that only a mom can provide. She has the ability to view the characteristics that the children display strongly and she transfers those into the future for our amusement.

The line “short men, men in first grade” proves that she is fast-forwarding in her mind and observing adults rather than children. She realizes that in no time her vision will actually become reality. She says that they “eye each other, seeing themselves tiny in the other’s pupils”. The word “tiny” is actually how the boys believe that the others view them. They begin trying to establish themselves as they want the others to view them: they state their ages or their toughness in order to prove superiority.

You can sense the pride of the mom when she speaks of her son being the peacemaker. “My son, freckles like specks of nutmeg on his cheeks, chest narrow as the balsa keel of a model boat, long hands cool and thin as the day they guided him out of me, speaks up as a host for the sake of the group” This gentle portrayal of her son paint the picture of a peaceful person who is also capable of leadership. He rescues the underdogs and pacifies the bullies but stating that all of them could easily take a two-year-old. It was quite an awkward statement, but he knew his friends and used wise judgment in ending that divisive conversation. “The older men agree, they clear their throats like Generals, they relax and get down to playing war, celebrating my son’s life” This last few lines prove that her young son has influence and that will carry over into his future.

Continuation Through Change

I loved the poem “Digging” by Seamus Heaney! The first time I read it I didn’t think it was very deep, but the second time I started reading into it. The second line, “The squat pen rests; snug as a gun” offers a couple of different ideas. The writer could utilize his “gun” as a tool to shine light on evils in the world. He could express his opinions and bring attention to specific abuses in society. This weapon could, quite possibly, lead to the writer’s demise, either of his public life or his private one. If he writes something that is highly controversial or criticized harshly he could lose his credibility as an author. Also, we learn that writing is definitely not his family’s profession and this could drive a stake between him and his relatives.

The description of him watching his father work struck me as sad. It was almost as if he wanted to help but could not. He was separated from his father, seemingly due to their differences. The writer also reminisces about a memory of him helping his grandfather; he was not able to assist with the work itself, he could only bring refreshment. The diction attests to the fact that he greatly admires his father and his grandfather as well as the work that they perform. He praises their proficiency prolifically throughout the work.

In the second to last stanza the author discusses displeasures of the job his forefathers are dedicated to and he ends by saying that he has “no spade to follow men like that”. He is unable to perform as his ancestors did, but he still holds a great deal of respect for them. The author concludes his work by equating his pen to the shovel used by his father and grandfather. He will continue their work but in his own personal way.

Memories in the Mural

I think that “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning is one of the saddest poems I have ever read! The diction used in this lyric clearly conveys deep feelings of sadness inflicted by the narrator’s late wife. We learn that the Duchess treated her husband no differently than any other man she encountered; she laughed and flirted at the slightest things with no regard for propriety. The language also implies that the Duke felt inadequate because he could not make his wife love him the way he loved her. Why would he stay so devoted to a woman who was so seemingly apathetic in her sentiments towards him.

Why would the master choose to commemorate his wife? It seems like throughout her life she would have been an embarrassment to him. Such behavior would be viewed as unacceptable by the other members of high society and the Duke would certainly be required to give an account for his wife’s actions on several occasions. Wouldn’t the pain and humiliation come rushing back every time he passed by the mural on the wall…that is, of course, if the sentiments ever left his mind. It makes me wonder, why he loved her in spite of her improper behavior? Why did he not try to burry his feelings along with her and try his hardest to move on?

I pity the poor man! In this poem, the good guy really does end up last in the end. So many relationships ultimately cause the ruin of one of its members due to the selfishness and insensitivity of the other. Sometimes people just don’t appreciate a good thing when they have it. As cliché as it may be, some people are never satisfied and are always looking for new, even if they’re not necessarily better, options. So tragic!

Justifying Trauma

"A Drowning Incident" by C.J. McCarthy was such a sad story! I loved the fact that the story was based around a child. I babysit little boys all the time and I can see so many connections between the main character and my kids; I can see their little minds at work and it fascinated me!

As the story progresses we learn more and more about the main character; we gain insight into his character and the things in his life that have shaped his behavior. In the opening paragraph, it is revealed through a description of his actions that the boy is being disobedient and mischievous; typical little boy stuff, right? Depth is added to his background once we learn of the removal of the boy's puppies. He obviously deeply feels the loss or else he would not keep visiting the outhouse to remember them. His torture of the crickets and minnows made me wonder if he was not taking out his anger over losing his pets out on creatures who were helpless compared to himself.

To me, the description of the floating puppies was not only disgusting and graphic, but also heart-wrenching! I love both dogs and children, so it made me sad for both parties involved; I hated that the puppies were dead but I also couldn't imagine the agony that the child must have felt! If this had happened in real life, I'm sure the words of the author would not even touch the surface of the pain felt by the child. I believe that the action of him placing the dead puppy in the crib with his baby sister stemmed from a sense of responsibility and a need to make things right. The birth of the baby was probably the reason that the boy was not allowed to keep his little pups and this would explain the grudge and ill-will that he held against her. One thing that greatly stuck out to me was the manner in which the narrator described the baby's room: it was very similar to the way that the puppy's outhouse was described. Even though the death of the puppies was neither the boy's fault nor the baby's fault, the little boy associates not being able to keep the dogs with the existance of the baby and his retaliation is a feeble attempt to rectify the drowning of the innocent pups.

180 degrees

"Saboteur" by Ha Jin contained a great deal of irony, not only on a literary level, but also on a person level for the author. In the story, the Chinese authorities hault Mr. Chiu's life for a few days by detaining him on false accusations; this is, in a sense, a reflection of how the Communist Party's suppression of intellectuals forced Jin to remain in the U.S. instead of returning to his homeland. The major truth that is conveyed through this work displays itself in society as well: when good people fail to act, corruption thrives. However, corruption does not merely thrive, it expands, often infecting the very individuals who initially disdained it the most.

A couple important questions to ask are: why do those who are oppressed often become those who oppress? And also, do revenge-seeking individuals always become irrational in their thinking and harm people other than their intended targets? Personally I am baffled by the first instance. Why people who have been treated unfairly would purposefully inflict such torture on others makes no sense whatsoever to me. I would think that those individuals would be empathetic towards similar situations and try their hardest to make sure no one else has to experience what they themselves have had to endure. The second question presents more of a problem due to variables in the situations. I think that revenge, if fostered, encompasses every aspect of an individual; it controls their mind, their emotions and drives their actions. The hatred that grows within blinds the individual to everyone and everything except the object of his/her disdain. There are not always casualties but the opportunity defintely presents itself and is, I am sure, often overlooked because of the intense need to satisfy one's thirst for revenge.

The sad fact is that good people can easily lose sight of what is pure and can become corrupt without even realizing that the awful transformation is occuring. And, just like Mr. Chiu, their attempt to take revenge on unjustice winds up hurting innocent people instead.

The Potency of Polution

"Greasy Lake" by T. Coraghessan Boyle is a somewhat depressing short story. In the second paragraph, Coraghessan writes, "The Indians had called it Wakan, a reference to the clarity of its waters. Now it was fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the charred remains of bonfires." This before and after description of the lake's condition foreshadows the unveiling of another kind of pollution equal in its toxic effects: the corruption of the surrounding society.

As the story progresses, we learn what the pollutants of the culture are: underage drinking, smoking, illegal drug use, lying, immature pranks, fighting, sexual obsession, and even attempted rape. Through the use of these tools, young lives that were once pure began to mimic the fate of the lake and, as a result, became dirty and corrupt. The description of the lake provides the reader with a sense that restoration is impossible and leads one to ask if the demise of the characters is irreversible as well? The author's use of the statement, "this was nature" , implies that the degradation of beauty is to be expected rather than mourned. If that is true, is it human nature to destroy itself as well as its surrounding environment?

I think that while it can easily be assumed the individuals will experiment to some degree with harmful practices, people are not forever lost. While the state of Greasy Lake was beyond alteration, the lives in the story were not. The individuals could, with a series of wise decisions, place their lives on a more profitable track and follow it back to a more pristine state. I believe that the lake embodied what the boys lives would amount to if they did not amend their ways. Their refusal to fall into the final temptation provides some amount of hope that they will begin to restore their lives.