Friday, February 27, 2009

Kate Chopin- Reading Journal

Kate Chopin, from what I have read, loves to write about sensitive subjects. Her two stories “Lilacs” and “A Pair of Silk Stockings” are both about a nice, not your “average” woman. “Lilacs” is about a woman who is friends with nuns and “A Pair of Silk Stockings” is about a poor woman. Chopin definitely is a sensitive woman, I can tell from these two pieces.
There is definitely no comparison between writes of the American Romanticism and the American Realism periods. Romanticism focuses on revolting against politics and displaying the beauty of nature. Realism is just straight up modern day stories about random subjects of the modern world. These include stories about money, sadness, happiness, drama between people etc.
From what I have read, Kate likes to focus on happiness and friendship between people. She doesn’t focus at all on politics in her writing. This can tell us that she is big on being happy and enjoying the little things such as the smell of lilacs as in one of her stories. Also, I am sure she had a lot of friends because in her story “Lilacs” the main character Adrienne is very friendly with her fellow nuns. Overall, Chopin is the kind of girl that can be sitting in Starbucks; you can join her, and have a full on conversation.
I think Chopin focuses her stories to either an elderly woman or a teenage girl, I am sorry to say, with no social life. Her stories are just way to boring for your everyday teenage girl. Teens want to read about drama and love, not friendships with nuns and poor middle-aged women finding money on the ground.
As a reader of Chopin’s stories, I am not entertained at all. Her stories bore me to death. I am not much of a reader in general, but if these were the only type of stories out there, I would erase the word reading from my mind. These two stories sent me no message except that a poor woman can have a short time of fun if she finds fifteen bucks on the ground and that being friends with nuns can be fun.
I am going to be honest; the only thing that drew me to this author was the fact that her short story in the textbook was very short indeed. This appealed to me big time. It is only until I found out that the other story I would be receiving from her was very long and boring, that I regretted picking her.
“After a short while, a lay sister came out of the door with a broom, and swept away the lilac blossoms which Adrienne had let fall upon the portico.”
Whoa…that quote up there is the only sad aspect of her two short stories. This is why this particular quote appealed to me. This upset me because the character Adrienne did not deserve to be let down like she was. Oh well, what are you going to do; Kate had to throw a negative aspect in there at some point.
In conclusion, Kate is just a happy woman. I think she does a good job entertaining the non-social teens and the elderly women.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Does Writing Have The Power To Enact Social Change?

Jordans piece is breathtaking. It list every possible aspect of the war and all those aspects are horrible. The war should be terminated, it is completely unnecessary. After reading her piece, I now one hundred percent do not agree with the war. This being, writing can enact social change. It juust did on me. I now despise the war even more than I did. Jordan convinced me that all the war does is take life away and cause more conflict. Her poem I am sure has affected many peoples opinions about the war and made themk feel remorse for ever agreeing with the war in the first place.Overall, this piece especially has the power to enact social change. She states many things that could change anybody's mind about the war. For example when she says "And all who believed some must die they were already dead," this to me means that if you are a believer of the war you must believe somebody should die. If you believe somebody should die you are already "dead" as a person. Who wants to feel "dead" as a person? Not me. So this quote made me change my opinion about the war. This is just one of the many great lines in her peom that could enact social change just like it did for me.

Friday, February 20, 2009

price of a child

I'd Trade It All

I sit here, my family incomplete.
You should be here.
We are missing a set of feet.
I'd trade it all...

I should be sharing this new environment with you.
Instead, You're back in Virginia.
And I have to wipe away my tears with a tissue.
I'd trade it all...

My son is suffering,
And its all my fault.
It hurts like a wound mixed with salt.
I'd trade it all...

Where are you?
Are you okay?
Will we meet again?
I'd trade it all....To be with you my son...Bennie Pryor.