Doe Season

In the story "Doe Season" by David Kaplan, Andy relishes in the thought that "They were the same woods..."(par 1). Andy thinks of the woods as being stable and never changing. Throughout this story Andy comes to realize that while growing up, things change and life is not quite so simple as it is when one is a child. Growing up a person comes to have more responsibilities and that things are always changing.
Andy thinks the ocean is like the world, "huge and empty, yet always moving." (par 45). Andy feels the ocean is similar to the unknown. As a child becomes older, they tend to venture out farther into the world and they learn all of the obstacles that a person must overcome to survive. Andy states, "If you walked in it, you couldn't see how deep it was or what might be below; if you swam, something could pull you under and you'd never be seen again." (par 45). This means that when you walk out into the world for the first time, say as a high school graduate, you are not quite sure how far to venture, you are a little intimidated by the unknown. If you swim a little farther out, meaning if you get caught up into something like drugs or the wrong crowd of people, it could break you.

Doe Season Question #3

The woods consist of the same trees, with small changes year after year, giving life and offering support, much as parents do with young children. Life is easy in the woods, peaceful and relaxing with not much demand. You can take your time, have fun and enjoy all parts of the forest (animals, smells, sounds). The forest has everything at hand that one would need to survive, streams for drinking, berries for eating, leaves for shade and branches for a bed. The woods in this story are a comparison of the childhood life that Andy is about to leave behind, in theory, with this hunting trip. While in direct contrast the ocean, as stated " it frightened her. It was huge and empty, yet always moving" (Kaplan 459) compares to teenage years and adult life she is about to enter. The ocean moves fast and is very loud, with each incoming wave, new water arrives. The sand at your feet is ever-changing, sometimes supporting you and at other times being swept from under your feet as you stand. The ocean is very demanding and one needs to be quick, fast and ready to react if a large swell comes up suddenly. Swimming in the ocean takes a great responsibility with regards to personal safety, not only with the pull of the waves but with things that are hidden beneath the surface.

"Doe Season"

In the story "Doe Season" Andy, a young girl has went on a hunting trip with her father and also another father and his son. As the four of them are driving out to the woods she starts to think about the woods and no matter how many miles there are, "...they are still the same woods. The thought made her feel good: it was like thinking of God..." (456). This part of the story shows the comfort that Andy found in the woods, this represents the stability of her childhood and the fact that it was never changing. Later on in the story while the four hunters were walking through the woods the sound of the wind made Andy think about the ocean. Andy begins to describe her feelings about the ocean, "...it frightened her. It was huge and empty, yet always moving." (459) Andy's thoughts about the ocean show that she is scared about her future and becoming an adult because it is unknown and unpredictable, just like the ocean.

"Doe Season"

The blood that is in the story represents of course the death of a deer and the running of purity and innocence. But another theme is that Andy is growing up and turning into a woman. The blood would represent menstruation and the change of life. She was scared of the death of the deer because she saw what was really inside of the life she has taken. The blood must scare her because she has not accepted all the change that she is going through. She must feel that she has made a grown up choice to shoot a deer and watch it bleed, there for she ran away and did not answer to Andy any more.

"Doe Season"

“Doe Season” by David Kaplan
This story is about a father taking his daughter on a deer hunting trip with friends. The friends throughout this story don’t think that a girl should be hunting. Andy must make a decision of being a girl or a boy. She recalls the woods and then she thinks about the sea which means different things to her.
Andy found the woods to be a great place to walk and spot animals. She thought, “the woods are the same and they stretch all the way to here.” (Doe season) This thought made her feel good and then she thought of God. I think this good feeling represents her childhood because it relaxes her to think the woods are the same. At this point she doesn’t need to make a decision to grow up or choose who she will be. She is comfortable thinking she will be the same no matter what she does or where she goes.
Andy did not like the thought of the ocean. “it frightened her. It was huge and empty, yet always moving.” (Doe season) The thought of the ocean is a change, the thought of growing up or becoming something different. She was afraid of feeling empty, yet in the last paragraph this is how she felt.

"The Chrysanthemums"

In "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck, Elisa plans to go have a nice evening with her husband Henry after Henry had just sold some cattle for a good price "I sold those thirty head of three-year old steers" (633). As he leaves to go to round up some cattle with Scotty, Elisa finds that she has time to transplant some of her chrysanthemums, which symbolize her God given gift not only that, her self worth. While doing this, a wagon pulls up with a man that fixes pots and pans, sharpens scissors and lawn mowers. The man (the book does not mention his name)tries to see if he can do some work for her, she shoots him down so to speak, in doing this, she essentially puts down his God given gift and means of survival (his work doesn't benefit her, so she blows him off). He finds that by talking about chrysanthemums he sparks an interest in her telling her that this other lady he knows would love to have some for her garden, so one thing leads to another and she ends up finding some things for him to fix (as well as giving him some chrysanthemums). After this he leaves, as he is leaving she says, "'Good-bye--goodbye.' Then she whispered, 'That's a bright direction. There's a glowing there.'" (637,38). This symbolizes her finding new respect for his livelihood (after pretty much thinking he was a loser). Then Henry comes home and they head off to town. On the way they pass just the chrysanthemums which had been dumped on the road but not the pot. Looking ahead Elisa See's the wagon creaking along, it is at this point she realizes how selfish she had been by not being willing to help this man who was obviously desperate and poor before he had caught her interest with the chrysanthemums. In this, Elisa finds an epihpany, "She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly-like an old women" (639). This stories abstract symbol is simply our selfishness in our lives, and how we are unwilling to help those in need, if it does not benefit or amuse us.

Doe season

In the story Doe Season Andy finds comfort in the woods, “They were the same woods that lay behind her house, and they stretched for miles all the way to here…” (456). The woods to Andy were familiar and safe to her just as her childhood has been. When she thought of the woods it “made her feel good; it was like thinking of God;” (456), which made Andy, feel the comfort and reassurance. Then things in the woods started reminding her of the ocean, “Blowing through the treetops, it sounded like the ocean, and once Andy thought she could smell salt air.” (457).
She had very different feelings about the ocean than she did the woods, the first time she had seen the ocean “it frightened her.” (459). She described the ocean as “huge and empty, yet always moving. Everything lay hidden…” (459). The ocean was like adulthood, both unknown and frightening for her, the way she feels about each the ocean and the woods shows the transition she has to make from childhood to adulthood.
-Colleen

Yellow wallpaper

Yellow Wallpaper
This story is about a woman who has recently had a baby, but doesn’t feel quite right anymore. Her husband and brother are doctors, but they say she is just fine. In this story her husband takes her to a remote house to get better. This woman rarely talks about her baby and doesn’t want to be hidden away. She asks to have visitors, but her husband says she isn’t ready for guests.
This woman doesn’t like the house that her husband has her stay in. She first complains about the wallpaper. She doesn’t like the design or color on the wall. She says, “I never saw worse paper in all my life.” (Yellow wallpaper line 33) When the couple first gets to the house she says, “I would say a haunted house.”(Yellow wallpaper line 2) She got the feeling that the house was very different and something wasn’t right.
The character’s mood changes at about line 85 after she starts focusing on the wallpaper patterns. She claims in certain light, “I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure, which seems to skunk about behind that silly and conspicuous front design.”(Yellow Wallpaper line 81)
This woman could have been cured with the right diagnosis. She was suffering from depression after having a baby. Doctors are very careful to diagnose this early now, but then maybe weren’t well known. Postpartum depression can be very serious and make a person go crazy without proper help.

Doe Season

In the story "Doe Season" written by David Michael Kaplan is a story about a girl named Andy and her first experience with doe hunting with her father. Andy describes the wood as "always the same." This phrase really means she is feeling safe there. Just like being a child, things are really don't change hat much and she feels safe and sheltered. After she shoots the doe, it makes her see things in a different light. How her life is started to change and feel more scary as she will continue to grow up. Andy describes the ocean as "hug and empty, yet always moving". Much like the woods compared to her childhood the ocean is compared to her adulthood. She's not quite sure what the future holds. Her options are open and when she decides what her life will be then and only then will she not be so frightened of the ocean, and the changes that come with growing into an adult.

The Lottery

"The Lottery" written by Shirley Jackson is about a t town not like any other town in any state across the US. Except that it's residents are involved in a "lottery" that takes place once a year. Now when I think of a lottery, I think of someone winning something. Unlike the typical lottery this town holds a drawing where the winner, actually loses. Whom ever wins ultimately ends up getting stone by all of the other people who live in this town. There are people who would like to change this, but they can't it's just the way it has been.

"Doe Season"

In the story "Doe Season" by David Michael Kaplan, Andy finds comfort in that the "woods are always the same", which to her it is a security blanket so to speak, being a child it is comforting to have things the same. Andy is constantly reminded of how young she is, her father pouring coffee, pours her a cup also, and says, "we won't tell your momma" (459). Charlie also says, "I don't understand why she's coming", "How old is she anyway-eight?"(457).
In Andy's memories of the ocean, it frightened her, kind of like growing into adulthood, somewhat scarey, not knowing what lied beneath the water is kind of like not knowing what lies ahead when growing up. In the end when she ran from the men gutting the deer, she could also hear her mother's voice, "come in, come in"(467). It was all so frightening for her she tried to run from growing up.

"I Stand Here Ironing"

The events presented in "I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen does occur in today's world all the time. There are more and more teenagers having children, single parent households, and neglectful parents. It was obvious Emily's mother hardly made the time for her when the school counselor said "I wish you would manage the time to come talk with me about your daughter"(283). She was only nineteen and the father left. This is a common situation in today's world. Often teens have kids and the young boys don't step up to the plate to help care for them. If the mother doesn't have good family support they often end up homeless and living in poverty. Emily's mother needed to work however she left Emily with people who didn't show her love or care for her. She knew the teacher was evil, she just chose to ignore it (284). She never made use of her time with Emily. She was too worried and never smiled at her. I feel there are many mothers today who have kids but don't make them their number one priority. They choose to become involved with drugs or alcohol or even tend to their own social lives instead of giving their time and love to their children. By the time Emily's mother realized how she had been neglecting her, she had learned to be independent and no longer needed her mother's help. Emily had no desire or drive to live life. When asked about midterms she replied "in a couple of years when we'll all be atom-dead they won't matter a bit"(288). When a child doesn't feel loved they don't feel like they need to bother with life because there's no point.

"The Lottery"

In “the lottery” Shirley Jackson tell a story of a village annual ritual sacrifice in which one member of the family is picked to be stoned for the annual tradition. She uses the leading role of Mrs. Hutchinson to describe how she question the fairness of the drawing after her family draws the unlucky slip with a black mark on it. Mrs. Hutchinson tried to persuade others from carrying out the lottery. "I think we ought to start over," Mrs. Hutchinson said, as quietly as she could. "I tell you it wasn't fair. You didn't give him time enough to choose. Everybody saw that” (pg. 410)The village square connotes the center of attraction whereby all the people in the village will have the opportunity to participate in the drawing of the lottery, and also given equal chances to pick the next person to be stoned. The apron signifies Mrs. Hutchinson’s unreadyness and eagerness to see who the next victim is, but unfortunately, she got picked as the next person to be stoned. The old man Warner signifies the tradition, which means the lottery is been carried on from generations to generations. "Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery," Old Man Warner said as he went through the crowd” (pg. 409). The significance of the slip of paper is to clarify who get picked among the member of the family, as every member takes their chance. The black spot indicates death, for whoever has the slip with the black shot pay the ultimate price of being stone to death.

The Lottery

In The Lottery, Shirley Jackson detailed an event in which otherwise normal townsfolk, unleash their dark side to ensure a tradition continues.
The ritual of the annual Lottery could have similarities to our hometown summer festival. The townspeople anticipated the day and participated with loyal conviction. Seen as somewhat of a social gathering, the children played while the menfolk discussed crops and taxes. Yet the men were not talking lightheartedly, they were heavy with the responsibility that would befall them. "Their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed." (pg. 405)
"The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool." (pg. 406) showed that even though they were in attendance, there was a dislike for the black box and what it would mean for one of them. That the box was black is significant, as is the marking on the paper being a black dot, after all, black signifies death.
The significance in the town square is that the village is the center of all. There is a hierarchy here that the town comes first. Then the men, who drew first for their household. If the man of the home wasn't able, the wife or an adult son drew for the family. It was a responsibility to the town, not a privilege. The family is treated only as a unit and I find it unusual that even the youngest children are obligated to partake in the drawing and little Davy was given stones to throw at his own mother. Parents did not shield their children from the violence, rather they insisted they were a part of it. Even so far as Mrs. Hutchinson calling out that her daughter and son-in-law need to draw and face the possibility of death. And when Nancy and Bill Jr. opened theirs, they "both beamed and laughed" (pg. 410) even though this meant that one of their parents would face a stoning.
The author also shows how personal friendship is of no value in this town either. Mrs. Delacroix was chatting with Mrs. Hutchinson and acting as they here old friends, yet in the end, Mrs. Delacroix was in the front of the crowd, holding a rock so heavy, she needed both hands to lift it. The significance of this part of the story in relationship to the author is that she felt her town had never accepted her, that they town would have turned their back on her friendship, doing only what was good for the town, even if it meant harm to their own.

"The Lottery"

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" (1948) is a suspenseful story that leaves one pondering what the winner is going to receive as their "winnings" up until the very end. When a person thinks of a lottery, we tend to think that it will be some sort of fabulous prize. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. As the families gather and wait you can sense how much tension is in the air by the way the characters speak - or sometimes not - with one another. Idle chitchat and gossip to pass the time so they can get on with the whole process and get it over with.
When the black box is first mentioned, it gives one a sense that the whatever they may win may not be something that they want. A black box has never been known to hold something grand, generally it is something evil. Also, the black box that they use is made of old pieces of the original box which gives a sense of how old this tradition really is in this village. It must be something bad if no one wants to make a new box. They don't want to replicate the box, for fear that something even worse could happen if they did.
The paper containing the names are opened up with hesitation each time. Even Old Man Warner, who states he has been in the lottery 77 times, holds his breath until he hears his name. With the name "Old Man Wanner" it makes one think that he is quite knowledgeable of this whole process. He has been through this more times than any one else that is present and knows what this all means.
Shouts of unfairness are to be heard up until the very end. " "I think we should start over," Mrs. Hutchinson said, as quietly as she could. "I tell you it wasn't fair." "(p. 410) It was like she had a sense from that point that she was going to be the winner, even though they weren't even through calling names. Sometimes in a lottery the winner can actually end up being the loser.

"The Storm"

This story is really confusing and good at the same time. When you first start reading it you can feel what is going on and later you just kind of feel shocked. The story puts these people in this sense of closeness and it was not permissible for them to act this way. This shows weakness in emotions and desire in a bad way. Calixta had no self control and having Alcee pushing himself of her is him taking advantage of her.

The Storm

Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” is a wonderful short story that provides many emotions that women can relate to. The feelings for a past love or maybe even the feeling of being stifled in a marriage. The storm outside the house and the storm inside feed off of each other; however, I do not believe that the storm excuses the characters of their actions. Outside elements of a relationship can provoke certain behavior but it cannot excuse it. It is up to the individual to know right from wrong and to weigh the rewards or consequences. Calixta and Alcee had the storm of desire swirling in the house. A storm doesn’t stop to think about way lays in the aftermath just like Calixta and Alcee didn’t either. They felt the passion and the need and they went for it.
At the end of the story on page 259 the last sentence is written, “So the storm passed and everyone was happy.” As in real life, usually after the storm passes outside, the sun comes out and sometimes there is even a rainbow. A happy ending after a
whirlwind of forces.

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

The short story, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson was first published in 1948. It shows the very cruel and passive side of humanity. The story presents a lot of symbolism in many different forms.

The first main symbol of the story is the black box itself. It holds a lot of meaning. It definetly presents the fact of death. It is what decides and what determines everyones future of the village. Everyone knows that their name is in the black box and that they may be the next one to go, but they still go on to live with it because it is just part of their culture. It also represents tradition.

Another significance in the short story is some of the citizens names in the village. Like Mrs.Summers, her last name is summers and the lottery happens in the summer. Another one is Mrs

Doe Season

In the story “Doe Season” David Kaplan’s character Andy is going through a transition from childhood to adulthood. Andy sees the woods as being “the same woods” (456). This description is how Andy sees her childhood. Her childhood stays the same and makes her feel good and safe. She knows what to expect already from her childhood but she isn’t sure about being an adult. She feels the same of being an adult as she feels about the ocean. She finds the ocean (and her transition into adulthood) to be scary. An example of this in the text is “Everything lay hidden. If you walked in it, you couldn’t see how deep it was or what might be below; if you swam, something could pull you under and you would never be seen again” (459). Andy was too afraid when she visited the ocean to go into water or to become an adult. Parts of being an adult even embarrassed Andy and made her uncomfortable like when her mother’s top came off in the water or when Mac brought up the conversation about her seeing a “pecker” (460). This showed how innocent Andy truly was. In order to go into adulthood she has to, in a sense, lose some of that innocence. Until Andy was ready she couldn’t cross the barrier of being a child to being an adult. Andy must step out of her comfort zone of feeling safe and having everything be the same and enter into a world where “everything lay hidden” (459). At the end of the story Andy had finally lost some of her innocence and realized that the ocean (adulthood) was too close to turn back on. An example of this in the story is “like the ocean where her mother floated in green water, also calling Come in, Come in, while all around her roared the mocking of the terrible, now inevitable, sea” (467). Andy had no choice but to become Andrea and enter into the world that was full of unknowns like the ocean and leave the safe world of the unchanging forest behind her.

"The Storm"

Question 9 at the end of the story, "The Storm," by Kate Chopin poses the question whether or not the storm excuses the characters in any way for their actions in committing adultery. To answer this question, without a doubt, I have to say no. In my mind there is no good or reasonable excuse for adultery. The fact that the two were ex-lovers I think makes in even more inexcusable because obviously the two had been there before and they should not have feelings anymore beings that they both are married to someone else. I think that the most inexcusable part of the story was in part IV when Alce'e writes to his wife and tells her not to hurry back (259). It is like he is saying that he has already satisfied his sexual needs so she can take her time. Maybe he was hoping that he would have the chance with Calixta again while she was away, that was the impression that I got from this comment.

"A Worn Path"

“A Worn Path,” by Eudora Welty is an immaculately written short story of an old woman’s journey down a cold winter path to aid her grandson by getting him a bottle of medicine. I believe the main theme of this story to be about the plight and struggle of the black race. It is first important to recognize this story takes place throughout America’s segregation years, as Old Phoenix states she was alive at the time of “the Surrender”(454), which according to the sub-text refers to the end of the Civil War. There is no question that Phoenix has been through many trials in her life as “her eyes were blue with age” (449). The color blue refers to spirit, intellect, truth and transparency, according to umich.edu. Also her name suggests perhaps that she symbolizes many generations of her race, since the phoenix is a mythical bird that supposedly lives eternally.
Along her path, Phoenix encounters multiple antagonists. The first is a thorny bush which “never want to let folks pass,” (450). This can be compared to slave traders, refusing to let slaves escape their imprisonment. As she progresses through fields she states that she “heard of nary death close by,” (451) and even when a gun is held to her face she does not fear it. Another struggle comes in the form of the nurse at the doctor’s office who is not familiar with Phoenix and assumes her for “a charity case,” (453) which must have been a common stereotype in that era.
Throughout the entire story Phoenix encounters adversity and overcomes. She signifies many worn generations that had to fight for everything because at that time they had no rights. Also, true to her name, she signifies a rebirth, or new way of life, a sign of things to come for her people.

"The Chrysanthemums"

Symbolism references to the objects, events or relationships in ones' life. In "The Chrysanthemums" one of the main symbols is the title of the story itself. Chrysanthemums, a beautiful and vibrant flower I believe is Elisa's pride and joy. When her husband Henry states, "I wish you'd work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big", (Steinbeck, p. 633) seems to show his disinterest in her flowers and a sense of mistreatment. "The Chrysanthemums" resemble who she really is, a beautiful and strong-willed woman. Another symbol might be her garden, in the sense that she seems to be in there alot, it is almost like a hiding place for her. A place she feels she belongs, where she may not feel that way anywhere else. This old man comes along and pretends to have an interest in the flowers and Elisa loves the idea of a man showing some interest in her work. In return she gives him a pot of Chrysanthemums as he is about to leave. Later as Henry and Elisa were riding to town to eat she saw the flowers on the gravel road, as if that old man had just dumped them out. I would refer to the flowers on the road as a sense of being used and she felt neglected. " She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that was crying weakly---like an old woman." (Steinbeck, p. 639) is a prime example of how she felt she had lost all womanhood and confidence from that incident. "The Chrysanthemums" seems to be a reflection of women who live in confinement and under their husbands hopes.

I Stand Here Ironing ~ Unit 5

In the short story, I Stand Here Ironing, Tillie Olsen uses the narrator’s mental stream of conscious thought to express her inner most feelings about her parenting flaws. By using this technique, Olsen has allowed readers to analyze her personal rationales and reasoning for raising her daughter the way she did. The narrator was forced to leave Emily in the hands of various child care providers, but the reason she feels guilty is the mere fact that Emily’s mother knew that these providers were not able to provide the nurturing, healthy environment that Emily needed for optimal growth. “She was a miracle to me, but when she was eight months old I had to leave her daytimes with the woman downstairs to whom she was no miracle at all” (284). She felt responsible for the fact that Emily had not been given the attention she deserved, at home and at school. “I was working, there were four smaller ones now, there was not time for her. She had to help be a mother, and housekeeper, and shopper. She had to set her seal” (287). The narrator feels that her lack of time has greatly influenced Emily’s development. “She was a child of anxious, not proud, love. We were poor and could not afford for her the soil of easy growth.. I was a young mother, I was a distracted mother” (288).

Although the narrator believes she has failed as a mother with Emily, she didn’t have the resources to help foster the growth of her daughter. “It was the only place there was. It was the only way we could be together, the only way I could hold a job” (284). She had to make sacrifices as a single mother if she wanted to keep her children, and she had made a significant effort to show Emily that she was loved, although it was often after she was completely exhausted. “I would start running as soon as I got off the streetcar, running up the stairs…” (284). The narrator has not shown signs of being an inadequate mother, but rather, she was forced to choose between being a supportive, loving mother to Emily and fulfilling her role as the sole financial supporter of the family.

In The lottery by Shirley Jackson, the characters choice in what they wore was a very significant symbol. They all chose not to wear their best attire as a person would normally wear if they were going to an important lottery where the outcome would be a good reward. The way the author explained, “the women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters” (405), brings an awareness in the beginning of the story that people were not there for a lottery like are held in today’s times. People would normally dress up in better clothes if going to an exciting function where they were intending on winning something good.
The conversation also depicts a somber picture of the day as well as the clothes. When the men began to gather “their jokes were quiet and they smiled instead of laughed” (405) suggesting that this time was not for a joyous gathering. Both the way the villagers were dressed and the tone of conversation before the lottery, gives readers an insight to the rest of the story.
-Colleen P

"I Stand Here Ironing" is a story written about a young mother trying to be all she could be during the Great Depression. Being a mother myself, I know how much we all want give 100% and she could not do that causing her to feel like she failed herself as a mother and failed Emily, because Emily depended on her to take care of her needs. Times were tough during the Great Depression and Emily's mother had to work wherever and whenever she could and this meant she had to leave Emily with people that could not care for her the way her mother could. She felt like Emily was not being well-cared for when she left her but she was left with no other options because she had to go to work. It was not that Emily's mother was a bad mother. She was a good mother and although it did not seem like it, she did have Emily in her best interest.

The Lottery

In the short story, The Lottery written by Shirley Jackson there are many different significant meanings portrayed from beginning to end. Old Man Warner says, "People ain't the way they used to be" (pg 410). This is an old man who has been around since the very start of this tradition and he finds that the village people are not as loyal as they have been. When Mrs. Adams explains of how other villages are not doing the lottery anymore, he snarls back with how crazy these people must be. Mrs. Hutchinson's apron signifies that these people are from the early developments of society. These villages relied on their crops for their very survival. Hard work and tradition go a long way to these people. The black spot on the paper also was significant in that it was the mark of death. Maybe the chosen one to be sacrificed for the harvest.

Kirzner and Mandell. Literature:reading,reacting,writing. 2007.

I Stand Here Ironing

In “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen Emily’s mother feels that she has in some ways failed as a mother. She had to leave Emily many times as a young child because times were very tough. There was very little work for anyone, and she was a single mother trying to do everything she could to take care of Emily. She knows now that she somewhat knew that Emily was not being treated right when left in the care of others but she had no other choice. She feels that Emily was pushed aside many times also because of the other children and the responsibilities that Emily had taken on. I feel that Emily’s mom did everything she knew how to and that when she sent her away she had no other choice. I feel she was a good mother because she did everything she could to give her daughter the best life that she could give her. I like to think that I would never have left my child in a place where she was not getting the very best care but that was a different time and until you’re in that position you never know what you would do. Emily’s mother loved her.

The Storm

The story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin was a great story. The storm that was brewing outside was also brewing inside between two past lovers. I don’t think that the storm excuses the behavior from Calixta and Alce`e. After all they are both adults and should know right from wrong. The storm was the reason why they had committed adultery,and it was the reason why Alce`e stopped by her house to escape from the storm but it does not excuse their actions. They could have prevented this from happening by stopping it as soon as it started. It disturbs me that she not only had the affair in her house but the way she acted after her affair. She went on like nothing happened and had no remorse for what took place in her home that she shares with her family. “Calixta was preparing supper. She had set the table and was dripping coffee at the hearth. She sprang up as they came in.” (258) Calixta even kisses her husband on the cheek. You wouldn’t expect someone to act so casual after something like that had just happened.

"The Lottery" - Everything is not as it seems

Does Shirley Jackson give us “The Lottery” to serve as a symbol of horror in a world torn apart by indifference to our fellow man, or does Jackson just give us an interesting story with a strange twist? The setting is a little town on a beautiful morning, ”clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (405), making the reader believe that a sweet story is on the way. What Jackson actually does is to hit us in the face with an ironic twist, proving that everything is not always what it seems to be.

In a quaint village square “between the post office and the bank” (405), a symbol of anywhere USA where June Cleaver may be baking cookies in the kitchen, the villagers meet to carry out a bizarre ritual referred to as the lottery. No one questions the ageless tradition because “there’s always been a lottery” (405). When someone does talk about doing away with the lottery they are put down by Old Man Warner, calling them “a pack of crazy fools” (405). This old man has been through the lottery 77 times, so the tradition is just a part of his existence. Just as his name implies, Old Man Warner is always warning the town of the danger of doing away with the lottery.

It is very interesting to note that the black box, the ultimate symbol of doom, and the one thing that seems to represent the tradition of the lottery to the villagers, is given very little respect during the 364 days of the year that it is not needed. It is stored “sometimes one place, sometimes another” (406). This extremely important icon is treated with total disregard every day except June 27^th, when it is treated with reverence. Why doesn’t it have a permanent home throughout the year? Perhaps it is because doom is not relegated to one place and one time, but is everywhere and all the time if we are unfortunate enough to be in its way. Like the slips of paper, and the black spot that announces the “winner” of the lottery, life is a chance that can bring us good or bad tidings; it is luck of the draw.

For Tessie Hutchinson, who comes running into the square still wearing her apron, showing that she is just an everyday person doing everyday things, her luck is about to run out. As her family draws the unlucky slip of paper showing that one of her own will be stoned to death, she is visibly and vocally upset. Her husband seems to be upset by her reaction telling her to “shut up, Tessie” (409). She is upset and concerned for her family, he is just one of the crowd wanting to get it over with. Tessie’s luck has run out as it is determined that she is the one to be stoned to death, making her realize that being one of the sheep and blindly following tradition is wrong as she screams “it isn’t fair, it isn’t right” (411). It is too late for her, but what about the rest of the world?

As I Stand Here Ironing, question #3

The mother in this story believes that she has not given everything she could to her oldest child, as she was a child herself when Emily was born and was on her own as Emily's father was not around. She faces a lot of the same worries that single mothers today face. She had very few options for daycare and was forced to leave Emily with people who did not appreciate her as her mother did, and a nursery school that Emily had no desire to be left at. As a mother myself, it breaks your heart to leave your child someplace you know they don't like, but have no other options at the time. As this mother had more children, she worried that Emily wasn't getting the same degree of love from her as she gave the other children. One thing I didn't understand was why Emily had to go to a convalescent home, I feel the mother had a lot of grief over this decision. Facing some of the same challenges as this mother had, in my own life I can understand some of the decisions she made and definitely the feelings she had. It's hard raising children as a lone parent, you do what you have to do to make a life for your children and your hope that someday they will understand the choices you had to make. Who can say what a good mother is? Someone who gives their children everything they want, someone who does what needs to be done to survive, someone who loses themselves trying to make sure their child never hurts or needs anything? I think she did what was needed to survive and that in my eyes is a good mother.