Saturday, October 4, 2008

"Doe Season"

With the current notoriety of Sarah Palin as a female hunter, the “Doe Season,” a story about a young girl who shoots well on her first hunting trip, seems completely contemporary rather than written by David Michael Kaplan in 1985. Although I realize that Andy in the story and Sarah Palin represent a segment of the population who like to hunt, I cannot personally imagine killing any animals with the exception of when they would be severely injured or ill.

With my bias about not harming animals I could relate to Andy’s horror when they cut the doe open. “Andy was running from them, back to the field and across….” (467) Andy’s upset was shown by her, “crying” (467) and her decision to no longer use the male form of her name (467). However, I don’t believe that sensitivity to protecting animals is solely a female quality. Both genders can be very caring.

Finally, I am not convinced that the sequence where Andy encounters the doe after it was shot is real, but it serves to show how much the animal trusted Andy. Ordinarily, if an animal is hurt, it will run away from humans. In this case, the injured doe stands while Andy examines her, “until her whole hand and more was inside the wound and she had found the doe’s heart, warm and beating.” (466) Animals have an extraordinary sense of which humans to trust. In the end Andy proved she had learned and could be trusted.

Friday, October 3, 2008

"The Chrysanthemums"

In the story of "The Chrysanthemums", I believe Elisa lived a lonely existence, even though she had her husband. It seemed the only thing she felt that she was good at was planting. I got the sense that she had few people to talk to. I don't believe her husband paid too much attention to her, so she emerged herself in planting. When the man came and she conversed with him, I felt she was a little jealous of his life. He traveled and followed the weather. She stated "It sounds like a nice kind of way to live" (634). Elisa was real excited I think to explain something she knew alot about to this man. She was proud to describe what he should tell the woman that wanted the chrysanthemums. I believe this made her feel important. I think when Elisa saw the wagon, she thought he had only wanted the pot and threw away the chrysanthemums. In that moment, she thought it was over. "The thing was done. She did not look back" (639). I felt she thought she wasn't important when she turned away and cried. The chrysanthemums she so loved would not be shared by the woman who could of been a friend for her. The only hope she had now was that her chrysanthemums would of grown outside the pot she called home.

The Chrysanthemums

If I was to have a conversation with Elisa in the story, “The Chrysanthemums,” I would forewarn her that there is a man in a wagon wandering the back roads that has been known to finagle possessions from unsuspecting people. I would tell her this in the hopes that her spirit would not get crushed later on. Then, when he did stop at her house she would politely tell him no thanks and he would move along. She wouldn’t have to listen to him tell lies about her perfect chrysanthemums and she wouldn’t pour her heart into explaining the complexity of her proudest accomplishment. She wouldn’t have to see her chrysanthemums, the symbol of her femininity, lying unappreciated on the dusty, dirty road.

I would also tell her that is worth more than just her flowers and that if she put as much time, thought, and passion into every aspect of her life instead of just her flowers she could be a very happy woman.

"Doe Season"

In the story "Doe Season", I believe Andy's father wanted a boy. I think Andy was trying to be what she thought her father wanted. I think she was always trying to please her father and had it in her head that she had her father all to herself. Andy liked that idea according to the quote "She is there, and we are here: the thought satisfied Andy. There was no place else she would rather be" (458). As the story goes on, I think Andy became very uncomfortable with the guys she was with. When Andy had the deer in her sights, she couldn't go through with shooting it. She had wished the deer would have gone, but she knew she had to shoot it or she would of disappointed her father. Andy shot, but didn't feel good about it. I believe by making her father happy, she became aware that this was not what she had wanted. She wanted to be a girl. She wanted to be called Angela. She wanted no part of hurting anything. She wanted to run back to her mother. Andy understood now that not only the inevitable sea could be terrible (467).

Thursday, October 2, 2008

" The Chrysanthemums"

In John Steinbeck's short story called "The Chrysanthemums" A woman is in love with her flower bed and has a great talent for planting. “I’ve a gift with things, all right. My mother had it. She could stick anything in the ground and make it grow. She said it was having planters’ hands that knew how to do it.” (633) Elisa Allen seems to be a happy loving wife, The first time in the story that she talks with Henry they had a good chat but then when they were in the car it seemed as if she was not happy with him at all or maybe she was just not happy with herself. "Nice? You think I look nice? What do you mean by 'nice'?" Henry blundered on. "I don't know. I mean you look different, strong and happy." "I am strong? Yes, strong. What do you mean 'strong'?"(638) by these remarks she seems to be very hostile. Maybe because the man said that living in a wagon and traveling is not the life for a woman upset her. I am confused as of why she started crying in the ending of the story. "She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly--like an old woman"(639) why did she go from asking if woman actually went to watch fights to saying wine would be plenty, than out of nowhere she turns away and starts to cry. I suppose this could have many reasons behind it. Did she feel really bad for the life of the man living in a wagon? Maybe she was upset because she wanted a different more adventurous life. Or juts maybe she is not happy with her husband for some reason unknown to readers.

Chrysanthemums

I don’t know if I really liked the story “Chrysanthemums” or if I didn’t just fully understand it. I could tell that Elisa really loved her garden and seemed to spend most of her time there. “I’ve a gift with things, all right. My mother had it. She could stick anything in the ground and make it grow. She said it was having planters’ hands that knew how to do it.” (633) When she first met the man with the wagon I could tell she was kind of annoyed that he was trying to sell his services. “You got any of them things to do? Oh, no, she said quickly. Nothing like that. Her eyes hardened with resistance.” (635) I understand where she was coming from. When people are selling things and bother you about them it can get somewhat annoying. But then after talking with him, she was describing how it felt to plant the flowers, he could relate to what she felt with the work he does. I think at this point she realized that they had more in common. I think she also felt a little sorry for him since just lived and traveled in his wagon all the time. “I never lived as you do, but I know what you mean.” (636) I think this is why she found some work for him to do. “Here, maybe you can fix these.” (637)

"The Lottery"

This story really was not one of my favorites. It may be just the fact that I started thinking about how bad it would be if our lottery system was like that. Millions of American's watch the T.V. every week to see who the unlucky person is that "wins". Then you could have the options like our real lottery has, to get all the rocks thrown at you at once (you wouldn't get as many), or you could just take the full amount of rocks awarded and just get a hand full of them thrown at you every week for the rest of your life... It is just weird to me that people could be so dumb to draw a piece of paper from the "black-box", and how there was not one person there who said "Hey guys... This is out of control". I know it's just a story, but it's hard to read along when things just go downhill from the beginning.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

chrysanthemums

This story took me a while to understand and I still don't get the idea why the woman was cring at the end of the story. I got that the woman was very smart and loved to garden. when that man came in on the wagon she first did not want him there and after he said how pretty her chrysanthemums were then she was okay with him there. I don't know was she sad or depressed about something and I didn't catch it in the story, but on minute she is happy with her husband and then the next she is cring and she hides her face from him so he does not see. I guess she could have been cring after she saw the man in the wagon when she was driving with her husband and she had felt sorry for him. I would have thought that she was happy that they were going out to dinner, but I guess not?

Doe Season

Doe season did not interest me. I just didn't get into it much. I liked how the girl in the story stood up for herself. Andy was a very sweet and quiet. Her father told everyone how she had an act for finding animals and how thye always came to her. The other boy that was with Mac was very rude to her and was I think unhappy that she had came with them even though she was not hunting. When Andy finally got the chanch to shot the doe she frost. I think that she was okay with the fact that they went deer hunting until she had to shoot it. I think that when she was starring at the deer she could see into its eyes and see how the deer did not want to be shot at, and when she shot it she had a dream about it where she could feel the pain that the deer was going through, and that the deer wanted her to feel what she was feeling when being shot.

The Chrysanthemums - Blog 5

The first time I read The Chrysanthemums I was very confused about the point of the story. The next time I read it through, though, some themes began to emerge - Elisa is an intelligent, creative woman whose only excitement in life appears to be her flowers, and going to town for dinner with her husband, who she didn't seem to be happily married to (though it is apparent she loves him). Her life seems to be very constricted. Sometimes I also feel constricted, because at this point, my life feels like its just work and school. I just keep telling myself its not for forever though! I don't know if Elisa stayed on the farm forever or not, and that made me feel a sense of sadness for her.

The next thing I noticed about Elisa was her curiosity. She is out in her flower gardens working, and noticed her husband talking to two fellows. She keeps looking over there, and her curiosity was apparent. I understand that feeling because I'm really curious about things too!

I could also relate very well with Elisa's love and happiness in her flowers, because I like growing flowers very much too. As she's working on her flowers one day, along comes the traveling man and while explaining to the man about "planting hands" (636) she gives us a glimpse that maybe her life is more satisfying that we realized at first; "She broke in on him, "I've never lived as you do, but I know what you mean. When the night is dark - why the stars are sharp-pointed, and there's quiet. Why you rise up and up! Every pointed star gets driven into your body. Its like that. Hot and sharp and - lovely." (636) Or at least we see here that she enjoys the small pleasures in life. Soon, the tinker, who gives Elisa a glimpse into his 'adventurous' life, leaves, and Elisa appears to long for adventure from her confined life.

In the end, Elisa "turned up her coat collar so he [her husband] could not see that she was crying weakly - like an old woman" (639) just after she asks her husband if they could have some wine. This concerned me because it seemed like she was depressed, and drinking wine when your depressed could not be good (at least I've heard that). The main part of that that bothered me though was that she didn't want Henry to see her crying, which would have shown him she was vulnerable [i.e. weak] at that time. It made me feel sad that for some reason or reasons she felt that she couldn't be herself with her husband and let him see her crying. I also understand that very well at times with my own husband, and feel like I have to hide my crying from him (sometimes I don't feel safe enough with him to be vulnerable to him because of the negative ways he's reacted in the past to my hurt feelings). Maybe Elisa felt that way too.

Overall I enjoyed this story. I didn't think it was a story about feminism, per say, but it had the undertones of trying to show unfairly women were treated and biased against in 1938 (and other years of course).

Doe Season

When reading “Doe Season” a lot of it reminded me of hunting with my dad. I started going hunting with him when I was about 8 and still like to go with him today. I was always the only girl that would go with our hunting group, just like Andy. “That’s what the woods are all about, anyway,” Charlie said. “It’s where the women don’t go.”(462) I never really got teased for going hunting because all my dad had were girls, but I can relate to the way Andy must have felt. Another thing that really reminded me of hunting with my dad is when he was gutting the deer. “Mac said, and we got ourselves one. And we hog-dressed the thing.” “That’s when you cut him open and take out all his guts,” (461) Every year usually me or my dad get a deer and I always have to help hold the legs while he guts it out. I can really understand how Andy felt at that time. It’s not something I ever look forward to doing.

Doe Season

I liked the pride and confidence that Andy's father had in her. Charlie and Mac complained about her being there throughout the story. They thought because she was a girl, she should not be hunting. "I still don't know why she is coming." (457) I have an older brother that I was always competing with. He was good at everything he tried. I remember as a kid always trying to be as good as my brother. I ususally was but I had to work a little harder. I was always so happy when my dad would notice and comment that I could do it too. I loved hearing that my dad was proud of me. Andy's father was always telling Charlie and Mac that she can do anything they can do. "She can walk me to death. And she'll bring good luck, you'll see." (457) In the end, she was the one that got to shoot the deer and prove to the others, and herself that she could hunt like the rest of them. "I told you she was a great little shot!" (464) I think this is a good story of when you put a little confidence in someones head, they can be better than even they thought they were.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Doe Season

In the short story "Doe Season" by David Michael Kaplan, I'm reminded of the woods up at my grandmother's resort in Brainerd, MN. "They were the same woods that lay behind her house, and they stretch all the way to here" (456). When you are surrounded by so much woods, you have to be careful not to get lost, I am like Andy, I too like the outdoors. But I could do without the hunting part, especially the part about gutting the animal. "Her father's knife sliced thickly from chest to belly to crotch" (467). Not the kind of scene that a girl would want to see. I think this is what made Andrea forget about Andy (the boy) and want to become a girl again. Even though you wonder about certain things, sometimes it is better to wonder than to see it for yourself. I feel she was taken by surprise how horrible gutting an animal could be.

"The Lottery"

In the story "The Lottery", I feel the people seemed to be stuck in a time warp. They were doing the same thing day after day. They weren't doing anything to change with the times even down to not getting a new lottery box. One of the quotes stated "Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers begin talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done" (406). They seemed to be like sheep going to the slaughter house. I think it's hard to believe that not one of the town's people would have stood up and said "This is absurd and not morally right". The people that made the lottery were no longer there. They had the power to stop this ridiculous lottery, and yet no one did. Everyone seemed to be so neighborly and friendly towards one another, but when it came to the lottery, they were ready to cast their stone.

"I Stand Here Ironing"

I had a strong reaction to “I Stand Here Ironing.” As a new mom I am always thinking of how my actions will affect her and the messages she will receive from those actions. This is my fourth week of putting my daughter, Aviana, in daycare and I still feel guilty. I am always worried that she feels abandoned. I went from being a full time mom for a year to being a full time nursing student. I often have to study in the evenings and don’t get to spend the time I know we both need together. With that said, going to school in the long run will be a positive thing for all of us. These are my internal processes I go through every day but reading “I Stand Here Ironing” enhanced my feeling of guilt at first. I was terrified that this would be the story of my child and one day I would regret the decisions I am making today. I have to say that as I continue to process this story I can see many times in which I would have made a different choice or at least I hope I would have. Parenting is not easy and I think the mother in this story really did try to do her best. As she reflected herself, “My wisdom came to late (289).” A friend once said to me when explaining my feelings of guilt, “I would worry about your parenting if you were not worrying. The kids that don’t have parents that worry are the ones I worry about.” This helped me. Now I have to relax and trust that “I Stand Here Ironing” will not be my story.

"The Lottery"

When I first started reading the short story, “The Lottery,” it reminded me of the movie “The Island.” “The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock” (405). As I kept reading, the way the adults gathered for the lottery reminded me of my family during a coffee break. “Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors, and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner…” (405). I also found it interesting how the town viewed Mr. Summers. “He was a round-faced jovial man and he ran the coal business, and people were sorry for him, because he had no children and his wife was a scold” (405). I found this interesting because owning a coal business would mean that you are very well off financially. As I read on I thought that the lottery would be good. However, as I kept reading I slowly realized that winning the lottery was bad. “Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet, staring down at the paper in his hand. Suddenly Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers, “You didn’t give him enough time to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair!” (409). Afterwards I began to realize why the boys stuffed rocks in their pockets and protected a pile they had made. I thought that this story was a little bit disturbing. How could you take a life like that? This story, however, could be looked at as having a moral. Winning isn’t always good.

"The Lottery"

In Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery,” I was very confused. What exactly was the story about? Did the village people really just draw pieces of paper to find out who was going to get the punishment? When the head of the family draws the paper with a black dot on it, does that mean that the whole family gets punished or just that one person? To me, I understood that the whole family got the punishment, “Heads of families first (Jackson p. 407-408).” Why does Mrs. Hutchinson make a big deal that Mr. Hutchinson drew the piece of paper, something bad was going to happen to one of the family members anyways right? How can she say, “It wasn’t fair (Jackson p.409).” when everybody was doing the same thing every time someone drew a piece of paper. What exactly does that end mean, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her (Jackson p. 411).” Does that sentence mean that the beat her?

Sunday, September 28, 2008

A Worn Path

I found "A Worn Path" a sad yet inspiring story of an elderly women walking to get medicine for her grandson. I found it sad because she struggled to make the trip and even forgot why she was making the journey. When the nurses talked with Phoenix about her grandson I got the impression that that he was dead. They said his throat never heals "When was it?- January-two-three years ago-" (454). Phoenix said that he gets sick and can no longer breathe or swallow until she gets his medicine, but it would take her a long time to walk to the doctor to get it. I also got the impression that she was losing her mind for she would talk with the animals and herself as she walked. She also forgot why she made her long journey but blamed it on her poor education. I felt bad for Phoenix, who was old and, possibly, alone. Even through she struggles, I found it inspiring that she would stand up for herself. Even though people would talk down to her and call her a charity case, she would reply with confidence and did not let their comments bother her. Overall, I enjoyed following Phoenix's character on her journey on the worn path of the woods and her life.

"The Lottery"

This story was not what I expected. When I think of lottery, I think of winning something of value that is pleasant.  Getting stones thrown at myself and the possibility of death is not something that is pleasant. While reading the story at first I didn’t think it would be that bad of a thing to get rid of when the towns’ people were talking about Tradition. I thought it was a splendid idea for a way to get the community together. When Old Man Warner said “that over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery” and “Pack of crazy Fools” (408); I actually agreed with him at the time. Once I found out what the lottery was it sickens me and I think very differently of Old Man Warner. I was curious to find out who would get the lottery and what it would be. I was confused when Tessie Hutchison demanded them to redo it. I thought well they won the lottery, didn’t they? I thought it was ironic that she ended up drawing the slip of paper with the black mark.  I was also confused as to why Bill was forcing the paper out of her hand, I thought she would be happy if she won. Once the villagers started picking up the stones I was lost as to what they were going to do with them but I knew there had to me some twist. I thought to myself, what kind of lottery uses stones? I was mortified when Tessie was struck with the stones. This is definitely a tradition that should no longer continue.  

Image of a loving Grandmother

After reading and watching the class DVD on Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” I am reminded of my Mama (grandmother), who lives in West Virginia. My Mama is feisty and determined like Phoenix Jackson. They both also have a sense of humor, which must be associated with growing up in the rural South. The big exception, of course, is that my grandmother is White and therefore did not suffer the racial bias that Jackson does in the story (452, 453).

Phoenix talks to the animals, “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals!” (449), and I can almost hear my Mama saying something like that to the animals that eat her flowers and plants. They are both small with Phoenix being described as “very old and small” (449) and my Mama weighs less than 110 pounds. However, they both are fearless with Phoenix being described as “a hundred years old, and scared of nothing” (452) and my Mama shooing away a mountain lion from her back patio.

I believe Phoenix Jackson’s grandson and I are very fortunate to have such special grandmothers in our lives. They both treat their grandsons with love. For example, Phoenix says, “I could tell him from all the others in creation.”(454) These traits are passed on to other generations making the family stronger and leaving essential values.

Alex Schoener