"The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber"

"The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber"

Ernest Hemingway

"The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" by Ernest Hemingway was an interesting piece of literature. It begins with the characters Francis Macomber and his wife known as Margaret Macomber. When first reading this piece of literature, I kept getting so involved that I just could not stop reading.

Margaret resembles a sweet hearted wife at first, but also seems to be money hungry. She is money hungry because within the passage she literally refuses a divorce because of her husbands money. Then with reverse reactions, he can not think of divorcing her because of her elegant beauty.

The other character that the author begins mentioning is a gentleman known as Robert Wilson. Wilson is a professional hunter who is the guide for this couple while on the safari. It begins at first that the couple resembles happiness, but foreshadowing seems that things could possibly end up not so happy.

Margaret (aka Margot) seems to resemble a hateful person later on within the story. She thinks that it is necessary for her husband to listen and abide by everything she tells him. 

While on the safari, Francis becomes scared and nervous. He is scared because he is hearing a roaring lion. So while on the hunt, he encounters a lion but instead of shooting it he doesn't shoot it. If you were a hunter, would you not shoot the lion instead of running from it?

This seems to be an interesting passage. I enjoyed this one more than the one Edgar Allen Poe had written.

"The Cast of Amontillado"

"The Cast of Amontillado"

Edgar Allen Poe

What a very confusing piece of literature. I found myself reading the paragraphs repeatedly. I just could not get any understanding from this story when I began reading. I honestly do not think I can get a passage with 300+ words. This story seems to be about a crime that may have happened a very long time ago. The topic that goes with this story would be revenge.

This story of Poe and his writing is taken place in a dark underground doom. Fortunato does not seem to have any problems but Montressor seems to have all the problems. The narrator does not give us any background information about Fortunato. By reading the passage, I seemed to characterize Fortunado by being sort of wealthy and a lover of drinking wine.

I just wonder if Fortunado is really the one who did the crime or if he is just being blamed for a crime that happened that long ago? It shocked me in the end when Fortunato was murdered by Montressor. I thought the ending of this story was more interesting in the end than the beginning.

This is my blog on my thoughts about this piece of literature. This might be confusing to some of you when reading this, but don't feel bad because I am still confused!   :)

"The Horse Dealer's Daughter"

"The Horse Dealer's Daughter"

D.H. Lawrence

I thought that this piece of literature was a sad story. It brought some emotions to my eyes. D. H. Lawrence done an awesome job with this story. The main character in this story is known by the name of Mabel. She seems to be a nice person. She soon realizes that her family has basically lost everything. These children have came to the table for their last breakfast together as a family. The three boys will be moving on to work and marriage. She is left to defend for herself. Her future remains uncertain as to what the future will hold. 

The girl has the option of living with her sister, but she refuses to live with her. The other option that this character has is to become a servant, which she disagrees with and does not want to do that for her future either. I do think that Mabel is interested in what she wants to do with her future, but just can't decide. In my opinion, the author is trying to tell us something about what is going to happen in the story. 

Once she gets all the breakfast dishes cleaned up, she decides to do some lawn work around her mother's grave. When she arrives at her mother's grave she seems to be in a totally different world. She always seemed to be secure when she would visit her mother's grave. She also felt that her mother was there and was satisfied that she had some contact even though her mother was not there physically. It is very interesting to see that she goes to her mother through death. This part was interesting. I bet the people that went by was wondering what she was doing since she looked as she was in a different world.

I do have to say that I loved the part when she fell in the water and Jack saved her. I thought that this part was sweet. The best part is when he pictures that they love each other. I think that this was the climax of the story. I would want someone to save me if I happen to fall in water. It does not mean that I will love them like Mabel did Jack, but it is still a awesome part of the story. Jack is a strong character by bringing her to the surface since he is a doctor.

I think this story become a love story when Jack bring Mabel to the surface. This is when Mabel asks if he was the one who rescued her and undressed her. Then this is when she persistently kept asking him if he loved her. Now is that not sweet! He had the right to undress her since he was a doctor, but most doctors would not do this just to look at a naked woman. I thought this part was interesting. This is where my suspense in the story rose because I wanted to know what happened next.


I thought that this story would not have any suspense, but as I kept reading and got to that part there it was. This was an amazing story how it ended and how the author done things to foreshadow this event within the story.

"Girl"

"Girl"

Jamaica Kincaid

This piece of literature was short and to the point. At first I was a little confused that I had to read it twice to understand what it was about and get some understanding of it. It is a piece of literature written as a single sentence. There is some symbolism. The dialogue is that of a mother and daughter. It is where the mother is giving the daughter instructions on how to grow up and become a lady. 

My first impression of the mother in this story can kind of be compared to the step mother in the Cinderella fairy tale. She seems to be strict and possible hateful. There are some placed within the story that are the daughters first person point of view. I really have to say this story had no pazazz because Jamaica Kincaid, the author, did not introduce no character, no purpose, no climax, and no suspense. I love to read a story or book about suspense that leaves you wanting to know more. 

I just wonder if this could have possibly took place on the Caribbean island of Antigua?Our textbook gives us a little bit of information about the author, where she was born, and what awards she got from her writings. This is why I think it took place where she was born. Maybe writing this piece of literature brought back childhood memories for the author.

As a reader, the author portrayed a young girl growing up with no morale. I conclude this because she gives instructions on making medicine for a cold and how to make a good medicine "to throw away a child before it even becomes a child." The statement about the medicine to abort a child made me dislike the story because it is so wrong to do such a thing. How can anyone be so inhumane? This story leaves me with some unanswered questions.

"Barn Burning"

"Barn Burning"

William Faulkner

This piece of literature started confusing me as I began reading it, but as I kept reading I got more understanding of it. The story begins with being in a store with the main characters father. The main character known as Colonial Sartoris (aka. Sarty) who was in a crowed room towards the back. His stomach read all the cans of soup and fish and kept smelling the scent of cheese.

The boy had already stereotyped the Justice as his "enemy". It was real interesting that the Justice called a "trial" even though it took place in a small store. The boy Sarty was accussed of setting a barn on fire over a dispute about a hog not being pinned in a fence. However, the trial and case was closed because there was no proof or evidence that Sarty had done this.

It was shocking to see that the Justice told Sarty and his father to leave the country and never come back. At this point in the story I began to feel sorry for Sarty and his father because they had no where else to go. It is nice to see as I was reading that the father had already found a place for them to stay before they were literally forced out of their current living place. 

Whenever the Justice asked Sarty to testify against his father, it was very troublesome for me to even think about such a small boy doing this. He probably knew right from wrong, but Sarty was faced with an obstacle. This obstacle Sarty was faced with was whether or not he should lie for his father being he had to testify. I figured that he would lie for the father, but he ended up not having to testify. 

The father had gotten into another predicament when they arrived at the new homestead. He had tracked mud all over the landlords rug. The landlord did not like this too much so he had ordered Sarty's father to clean it up. So instead of him cleaning it, he made the girls clean it up. After cleaning it up so well, Sarty did not like that it was that clean and he made the girls re-clean it. 

Very interesting story this was. At first I had the opinion that I would not like it, but after reading it I thought it was an alright piece of literature to make become a story.

"Revelation"

"Revelation"

Flannery O'Connor

This was another interesting piece of literature that I have read this week. It starts off with the character known as Mrs. Turpin and her husband Claud. I really disliked her as I began reading this short story. It took place inside a waiting room at a doctor's office. Mrs. Turpin resembled a judgmental person. Everyone she seen in the office, she had something to say about them. She is not judgmental about her husband Claud. She seems to really love him by taking care of him and telling him "not to stand on his leg" because he is not able to.

As the other characters had started to judge her, she did not take to kind of that. But I had the feeling that she got what she deserved. You should never judge anyone, you should pray for them. She did not pick a good topic for a discussion inside a doctor's office because of the different religions, cultures, and races you see in the offices sometimes.

At first I had believed that this short story would be about the bible. Like the book of Revelations. However, as I continued to read, it was nothing like that. I kept thinking that Mrs. Turpin was the devil and was acting well past her age to sit there and judge those in the office as well. What if the colored boy who brought the food on the tray would have been in there the whole time to hear the conversation? Well, Mrs. Turpin could have been in an arugnemtn. I know that African-Americans have different skin colors, but you should NEVER judge anyone no matter who they are or from where they come from.

I was very shocked in this story. I thought that it would have been about Mr. Claud getting really sick or something, but boy was I wrong. I have enjoyed all the readings for this week. They were actually pretty good and I could read them over and over again. I love stories like these since I can get in them with my personal opinions. I hope the rest of the class enjoyed this weeks assignments as much as I did. I just hope that next weeks are even more suspenseful and interesting.

"Good Country People"

"Good Country People"

Flannery O'Connor

Yet another great piece of literature. O'Connor picked just the right characters for this story. The character known as Joy-Hulga is a non-believer and seems to look down on many people because of her religion. I felt sorry for her because of the incident with her artificial leg and the bible salesman. Mrs. Hopewell is a major character throughout this piece of literature. She is the type of person that would give you the shirt off of her back if you needed it. For example, when the bible salesman come to the house and wanted to sell some bibles. Joy told her mother to tell the "salt of the earth" to leave so they could eat, but Mrs. Hopewell said that she could not be rude to anyone. Then it comes to the character Mrs. Freeman. I really did not like this character because she thought that she knew everything whether it was true or not. She seemed to think everything she had to say was right no matter what she said. 

I think that Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell are introduced at the beginning of the story to gain suspense in wondering what had happened to Joy. As the reader knows, Joy had a hunting accident in her younger years where it literally blew her leg off so now she has to wear a prosthetic leg made from wood. I also think that these ladies were mentioned first because of their usual routine of eating over the breakfast table talking about the weather or about Mrs. Freeman pregnant daughter.

So what is so significant that Mrs. Hopewell's daughter has two names? I honestly have to say that it is because of the accident she had when she was younger. I feel that she thinks her life is over. She had to miss out on so much during her earlier years that maybe if she changes her name, she will get a new life and can try to start over again. 

The effect of O'Connor's use of the phrase "good country people" throughout the story is because of Mrs. Hopewell's reactions toward the bible salesman. Mrs. Hopewell thinks that every one is good and abides by the rules. However, I honestly have to say that after the reader gets done reading this short story, the reader will think of a different title besides the one given. I would label this story as "the way a person is known as "dirty"! 

I feel that this title is inappropriate because of the incident. The incident was where that Joy and the bible salesman takes off to the barn. The bible salesman starts making moves toward Joy. Finally comes down to where the salesman asks Joy where her wooden leg attaches. How in the world could someone be this dirty to ask a person that is handicapped this question. But the worst part is that he takes her wooden leg and leaves her up there and leaves the barn. Does he not care of how she feels? Or even where her ego or self-esteem went? Could you say down the drain? I think that it was so pitiful to read this and see something like this happen to someone because of a nasty minded person. 

I think that the author left the readers in suspense because I was wondering how she was going to get down and would someone find out about the tragic and horrific thing that the "bible" salesman did. WOW, he is not right at all. He should be prosecuted and hung for doing something like this to someone that had an accident and could not help that she had to have a wooden leg. 

This week has been real exciting for me. I have enjoyed the readings that we have read. This story in particular was the most suspenseful for me. It just amazes me how someone that is "Godly" can do something so inhumane to a person. Hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I have.