"Edward"

     The very first thing I noticed while beginning to analyze "Edward" by an anonomynous author was the immediate repetition in the first stanza. The repetition is in every other line, and is probably the author's way of emphasizing those lines as opposed to the others. I also found it interesting how the poem was basically a conversation. The author was very clever in the way he went about doing that, with the quotations. I have never seen a poem written in that way, so I took interest in that. Other than those structural things, the rest of the poem confused me. He lied about killing his father at first, and then we he admitted it, his mother reacted by asking what he will give to her? I do not understand why! Edward seems sorry for murdering his father, but the mother is asking what he will do as penance. Then, it is implied that she just wants to know what she is going to get out of this. Once, Edward realizes this, he gets very angry with her and leaves her nothing.

The Drunkard- Frank O'Connor

   The questions at the end of each story actually have meaning! While most of the time, there are about typical parts of a novel like characters, setting, symbols, and irony, now we have a question about pathos! While reading this short story, I realized just how much emotion the author evokes. This is a fictional story, but the concepts that it uses give readers a lot of emotions to sort through. First, I would say that we experience sympathy for the mother because this is one of those family's where the father is absent, and the wife works incredibly hard to make up for it. O'Connor actually mentions clearly early on by writing, "Drink, you see, was Father's great weakness,"(O' Connor). Knowing this, we automatically know and recognize that the mother is going through a lot, and we feel sympathy for that reason. The other emotion evoked is frustration. The irony of the story, to me at least, evoked frustration because the concept of a child drinking is ridiculous. And who is to blame for this? The father who goes to the bar is responsible. He brought his child to a bar and was planning on drinking in front of his son. Then his son, who must learn from his father, drinks the entire thing. With the outrageous event, O' Connor definitely succeeds in using pathos to create a mindset of sympathy for the mother, and frustration with the father.

Once Upon a Time- Nadine Gordimer

     In the short story "Once Upon a Time" by Nadine Gordimer, the first thing that we notice and take into account is "the sound". Now, after finishing the story, I realize that I was very hung up on the beginning. It was more than just a sound; it was a symbol, and it held incredible significance through the entirety of the novel.
    There are two possibilities given for the cause of the sound. A figment of the imagination, or as Gordimer writes, "...a voice in the echo-chamber of the subconscious?" (Gordimer) is the first option. Then, the person elaborates on the fact that it might be a person. It is this very assumption that sets the tone for the rest of the story. Now that he has fixated on this possibility, he cannot get it out of his mind, therefore, causing him to make up this gruesome scenario. In this children's story that he thinks to himself, while starting out completely normal with the "ideal" family in mind, things quickly get out of hand with the constant obsession with having someone break into their home. In the end, we have a situation that shows that obsessing over something like that only leads to more trouble. It is ironic, and yet, from the very beginning, anyone could have predicted that it would not end well for at least one person, if not more.

A Worn Path

    In A Worn Path by Eudora Welty, involves a lot of minor characters that help us to characterize Phoenix- the protagonist. On Phoenix's journey to the city, she encounters quite a few people and they each teach us different things about her. One of those people is the hunter. The hunter helps us to see and visualize her courage. Being a old, African American lady, she was incredibly brave and shows her perseverance even when he holds a gun to her head. Unyielding and strong, she knows her purpose and according to her, no one will stop her. She tells him, "'I bound to go my way, mister,'"(Welty). She is a role model for her race because she never let that hinder her from reaching her destination. From the nurse, we learn that she is making this entire journey for her grandson, which shows her unconditional love.  Willing to travel through a sketchy forest, have a gun pointed to her head, and find her way through the city, she underwent incredible circumstances, all to help out her grandson. This love reminds me of the love between most mothers and their children. The motherly instinct to take care of a child is almost second nature, and it seems to be the same with Phoenix.

Those Winter Sundays

    The poem "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden was a very interesting poem to read and analyze. I assume the poem was describing how a job is never fully done, and therefore this boy and his dad continued their work even on Sundays. A very important aspect however is the imagery that deals with winter. These descriptions are put there to try and allow us to better understand that the work they were doing in the dead of winter was not easy by any means. Hayden writes, "in the blueblack cold" (Hayden, Line 2) and "I'd wake and hear rrhe cold splintering, breaking." (Hayden, Line 6). The father and son do not just work on Sundays, but they work practically regardless of the weather. The imagery allows us to feel sympathy for them for having to work in the cold on Sundays.
   Also, I noticed the mentioning that his dad never received any thanks for the work that he did. This may serve as the main purpose to the poem. He wanted to give some credit to his father for all the hard work he put into his job and family. This seems to make sense because even while the author does not use positive imagery, it does paint the readers a picture of what the father had to endure working to support his family.

A Raisin In The Sun- The Oldies vs. The...Newies?

     One of the conflicts that really helps the storyline of A Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is the generation gap. The setting of the play being in Chicago in what we believe to be the early 1950s helps to display this very well. Mama is the elder in the family and actually lived in the South in her earlier years, before moving to Chicago. Needless to say, she grew up in a completely different era than her children- Walter and Beneatha- which contributes the most to this generation gap.
     Mama always seems to have the words of wisdom because of her life experiences. For example, she says to Beneatha, "When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got to wherever he is," (Hansberry 530). She has known struggle and what it means to really work and earn everything one gets. On the other hand, we have Beneatha and Walter the dreamers! With Beneatha, her dreams are way beyond any person of her race and gender. With the help and reassurance of her friend Asagai, she has high hopes for the future- unlike her mother was able to do.
   With these two alternating perspective on the concept of "dreams" and what it means to be successful, we see the generation gap really play a big part in this play. In the end, though, it all works out as Beneatha plans to live out her dream with Asagai, Walter accepts that while reaching for the stars he has to keep his priorities straight, and Mama and Ruth get ready to embrace a big change in their lives- and know that everything can and will work itself.

A Raisin in the Sun- Even scripts have imagery!

    Even the smallest of details are significant; sometimes those things are the most significant. In a play, however, things are clearly going to be different than in a regular novel. Plays are meant to be acted, so a person's thoughts are not considered like in a novel. Therefore, the imagery and detail comes through body language- acted out in a performance, or in parentheses in the script. Body language gives us big hints on characters during specific scenes, like how they react to certain situations, their opinions, and their attitudes at critical points.
     A great example of this occuring in A Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry occurs right after Walter learns about his money being lost. Mama's reaction to this event will set the tone for everyone else's, and Hansberry writes, "Mama stops and looks at both of her children and rises slowly and wanders vaguely, aimlessly away from them," (Hansberry 518). We don't even have to read her next line to know that she is upset, and more importantly disappointed in Walter.
    Another example of this is a simple one word description, "beaten," (Hansberry 476). This is right after Mama explains to Walter that Ruth is considering an abortion, and before Ruth butst in to confirm what Mama has told him. One word, "beaten" has such incredible meaning. Ruth is not just tired, sad, or desperate, she is just beaten down.

A Raisin in the Sun- Thematics! (I think that's a word...)

    This play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, demonstrates a theme that seems to be recurring in a good number of the works we have read and analyzed. This theme is that money does not bring happiness in life. Family, friends, love, dedication, perserverance, and hard work- those things can bring true happiness in life. The Younger family illustrates this in an exceptional way- each character in his or her own way. Walter and Beneatha have big dreams, but without money they are dissatisfied since they aren't living up to their dreams yet. Ruth and Mama just want to be rational and intelligent with the money, not making any decisions without careful thought and evaluation.
    When the money comes it is divided between a down payment for a house, money for Walter to start his own business, and money for Beneatha's schooling. Satisfied for the moment, everyone seems to be happy again, but as soon as most the money is gone in a bad investment, suddenly, everyone is bitter again. The only thing they have left is the house, and even so, there are worries that they might not be able to afford it, in which case they would sell it back. However, luckily, our theme comes full circle now, and Asaga puts it very well, "' You talk about struggle , what good is anything! Where are we all going and why are we all bothering!... I LIVE THE ANSWER!" (Hansberry 522). We have struggles and failures to make us stronger, and we have family and friends to get us through when things get tough. That is what the Youngers are learning, now. Money is not the answer, but learning to get over these bumps in the road, with the support of loved ones beside us, that is.
     Finally, at the conclusion of the play, we see this. We are shown it when Walter says to Lidner, "And we have decided to move into our house because my father-my father- he earned it for us brick by brick,"(Hansberry 532). Despite all the things that were holding them back, they realized it was time for change, and for the start of something new.

A Raisin in the Sun- What does it take to save a family?

    In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, a family torn apart by years, by skin color, by crushed hopes and dreams, and a family torn apart by too many years without change. Is there anything that can fix this? This is the conflict I cannot help but focus on, since it seems central to all the other conflicts that are taking place. A broken family under a lot of pressure, waiting for a check to come in the mail. The check is a very important symbol here because every person is convinced that it can fix their individual problems. However, the catch is that they believe it can only fix one person's problems. It can go the Beneatha for schooling, to Walter to invest in business, or to Ruth, Mama and Travis for a new home.
    There is more to life though than money, and it is Mama who understands this the best. She says, "Oh- So now it's life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life- now it's money. I guess the world really do change..." (Hansberry 475). The money symbolizes a "temporary" solution to a big problem, a problem bigger than any monetary value can fix. Even when the check comes in, it is not going to fix the family's underlying brokenness. It may fix a problem or even two, but money does not bring happiness like a true family does. And right now, since no one seems able to communicate, the Youngers are struggling to be a true family.
    Will they recognize that there is some serious change that needs to take place, or will they continue to believe that money can solve all problems? As the plot unfolds, the answer is sure to be found.

A Raisin In the Sun- Time to Characterize!

     In the first few pages of this play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, we are introduced to all of the main characters. In addition, we see all the different personalities and how they begin to play into the storyline early on. First, we have Mama, who runs the house and is mother to both Walter and Beneatha. She may be old, but she still has the biggest influence on the things that happen in the Younger household because of her strong-willed nature and the fact that she will soon receive a ten thousand dollar insurance check. Then, we have Walter and Beneatha. They each have their own dreams for the future, but neither has the funds at the moment, so they are both hoping for help from Mama. These characters also demonstrate the difficulty of being black during this time period- Beneatha also being a woman. Walter has a job he despises as a chauffeur, and Beneatha is desperately wishes to become a doctor. Ruth illustrates for us the typical housewife. A dutiful wife, she too wonders if they are ever meant for something greater, and how her and her husband, Walter, came to be so distant. One of the first sentences in the play, not even a part of the dialogue, demonstrates this: "Life has been little what she expected, and disappointment has already begun to hang in her face," (Hansberry 436).
    As we dive into the play, I'm sure we will learn more and more about these characters, and the way that their lives are about to change for the better.