Flight Patterns

The short story that I would recommend to a friend would be “Flight Patterns.” I have a specific friend in mind because we often speak of the same issues that are in the short story like race and family. I would tell my friend that the third person omniscient point of view gives the story different perspectives, which adds to its impact. The story also makes good use of imagery, such as airplanes, the driver’s scar, and each individual’s hair. The story takes on important issues like race. It is not afraid to be politically incorrect at times. I think it does a good job of portraying how some people really think. I also enjoyed how the characters even addressed the stereotypes in their own races. The issue of family brought up in the story also had an impact on me. It made me think about how I would react to different situations involving my family, which I think my friend would also appreciate. It was interesting to see how William incorporated the Indian culture with “American” culture, and how he dealt with how others saw him. I think the important everyday life issues as well as the style of writing would be appreciated be the person I am thinking of recommending it to.

The Narrator's Facebook Page

The narrator would have a very plain and professional facebook page. His profile would feature him in a suit and tie, sporting a smile as if he was meeting a business associate. His suit would most likely be brown with maybe a black tie. He would probably not list his name on the profile since he doesn’t even mention it throughout the story. In fact, not much personal information is given in the story about the narrator, so I think his page would have very limited information. On his wall, Turkey and Nippers would most likely constantly complain about Bartleby. Ginger-Nut may be too precautious in critiquing the boss giving him this opportunity, so I think he would be more hesitant to complain. The narrator would respond to the wall writings by telling his employees that he is working on the problem. He would probably write on Bartleby’s wall, asking him to perform different tasks in hopes of getting a response other than “I would prefer not to.” I think the narrator’s page would be very plain because his character in the story is very formal. He likes everything to be routine and formal as evident in his handling of Bartleby and his treatment of his workers.

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"

In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” the narrator presents himself in a way that calls to question his trustworthiness. Montresor presents farfetched ideas in his retelling of his story, rooms filled with human remains that are connected in some way to his wine cellar. Also, why wouldn’t Fortunato become suspicious at this sight, even if he was drunk? Another question of the narrator’s integrity is his reasons for telling the story. Is he confessing or simply telling a tall tale? Montresor is not a trustworthy man in his recount of the tale as seem in his deception of Fortunato. His integrity as a story-teller depends on his reasons for telling the story. If he is simply trying to entertain, then he still may be trustworthy. If he actually believes that the events happened actually happened, then his trust is in question.
I have never called into question the integrity of a narrator before. I have always assumed that everything in a story was true, or of course, if it was a tall tale, simply for entertainment. Poe writes in a way that leaves a lot of mystery. He progresses through the story by escalating the tension as the two characters search for the wine. He leads the reader to begin to suspect the narrator as an untrustworthy fellow, which turns out to be true. However, if one looks deeper into the text, the reader can also call to question the truth of the events being recounted, even if it is in the context of the story. I am speaking about the narrator telling his story, knowing if his account is completely true to himself or not. Of course the story is fiction, but within the context of the narrator’s mind, he may or may not be telling the truth. For the reasons listed in the first paragraph, I believe the narrator has exaggerated the scenes in the body filled room and the moving chains. Whatever the case, Montresor is certainly an entertaining narrator.

Introduction

What is the price of freedom and safety? Can peace exist without conflict? Gwendolyn Brooks presents these questions in her poem “First Fight then Fiddle” when discussing the sacrifices that need to be made in order to accomplish a goal. The speaker in the poem begins by giving instructions on how one should play the fiddle. The instrument is associated with delicacy and sophistication. It is given a peaceful quality and has a very gentle eminence. The poem takes a dramatic change when the speaker begins to describe what must be done before the music can be created. The speaker describes what must be done in war in a similar way that the creation of music was described. However, war represents the hate and chaos that exists in the world. “Be deaf to music and to beauty blind.” (11) The speaker contradicts the earlier lines when the situation changes. The poem has qualities that can be associated with recruitment. It seems as if the speaker is inspiring people to arms by describing the grand prize that would be won at the end of a bloody struggle.
The poem makes the statement that peace cannot exist in the absence of war. The ultimate goal of war is to establish peace, in the favor of whichever side one is fighting on of course. However, another conflict always seems to come around that erupts in war. The speaker in the poem realizes this challenge, and approaches it in a realistic way. The lines in the poem make it clear that peace is something that needs to be working for. The poem also realizes that this is grim situation. “Carry hate in front of you and harmony behind” (9-10). It is not a pretty thing, but it’s the truth. This struggle does not have to apply exclusively to war, but to all goals that people struggle for. The poems message is to work and suffer so that, in the end, one can live in peace.

Don Quixote to Dulcinea de Toboso

Me, thinking of you wherever you are,
Still wondering when my eyes will meet yours.
Why is it that you always leave so far?
Breaking in me what lies at all men’s cores.

You have thought another better than me,
So why go on in my unending quest
With hope that one day love will make you see?
What foolish heart in this foolish man’s chest!

What is it in you that I can’t let go?
Why bear this pain whenever I see you?
This mask I wear helps me put on a show.
You do not know what to this heart you do.

For now I wait until the time is right
I’ll have you in my heart to be my light.

The sonnet is written through the voice of Don Quixote, a legendary fictional character created by Miguel de Cervantes. He writes to his lady Dulcinea, who he imagined into reality. I used a very somber tone because throughout the novel Don Quixote often gets sad when speaking of Dulcinea because he longs to see her. Every action in Don Quijote's quest is dedicated to his Lady. I expanded on the character by adding a third party, a man who currently holds the heart of Dulcinea. I took this creative liberty in order to strengthen the effect of the sonnet and intensify Don Quixote's suffering in regard to his lady.

William Blake's "The Tyger"

William Blake’s “The Tyger” offers various paradoxes dealing with a creative God and the creative process. The first stanza provides a question that sets up the theme of the poem, that of the Tyger’s origin. The speaker goes on in the following stanzas to describe how the Tyger was made, making frequent use of fire and metal. Lines like “What the hammer? What the chain?” give the image of a factory where the animal is being made. The speaker also asks if the same creator that made the Tyger also made the Lamb. The speaker is confused why a creator would make something that would be preyed upon by something else that he made. The speaker’s paradox leads him to associate the creation process to a less personal factory setting. I think that Blake uses his perception of the creation process as he did when he was a child, but as he grew older he may have been disillusioned. The speaker in the poem is confused why a creator would make one of his creations prey on another, leading me to believe that his perception of the creation process has changed since he was a child. The last stanza repeats the first one; the poem has come full circle. It seems as if the speaker has gotten nowhere in his search that began in the first stanza. All the questions that he asks throughout the poem have been left unanswered. Blake’s drawing of the Tyger strengthens my perception of the poem. Usually, Tygers are drawn as very powerful and natural animals, but Blake’s Tyger is skinny and robotic. Blake may be referencing his confusion about creation and its purpose. The drawing looks almost childlike, which alludes to the speaker’s perception of creation when he was younger. Also, the expression on the Tyger’s face is that of confusion and even worry. Blake may have put his own feelings about the subject on the Tyger’s face. I think the main purpose of the poem is to get others to think about creation and a creator. He wants people to question what they have been told all their lives and come to their own conclusions.

Ezra Pound's "In a Station of the Metro"

Ezra Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro” addresses a changing society and can be interpreted with a negative or a positive connotation. The title sets the scene for the poem. The speaker is describing what he sees at a modern metro station. He sees faces in a crowd as he observes the station. The speaker may be appreciating the fact that all these people are able to get where they need to go while experiencing the diversity that comes along with riding the metro. The speaker is exposed to all kinds of different people in a place that was new at the time. The second line uses a simile to relate the crowd to petals on a bough. This could signify that the metro allows individual people, like petals on a bough, to unify with a single purpose. The single parts are part of a greater whole.
The Poem could also be interpreted with a message against modernity. The speaker describes the faces in the crowd as “apparitions.” The word apparitions could signify that the faces are emotionless, losing their humanity as they crowd together. The speaker may expressing his concern that the metro causes people to become less personal in that they simply want to arrive at their destination without taking the time to notice the others around them. The second line has clear indications of a negative approach to modernity. The bough that the petals are a part of is described as wet and black. These words bring up images of a gloomy, rainy scene. The speaker may be using the simile of the bough in order to express that the people have become too uniform. They have no need to speak to the others around them. They have become like a lifeless hive with the purpose of simply getting somewhere.