The first few chapters of "The Great Gatsby" are an introduction to the main characters Nick, Tom, and Gatsby. Nick previously lived in the Midwest and just moved to West Egg. He is contacted by his former friend Tom Buchanan. I feel that Nick is nervous to arrive here because he has nobody except for Tom, who he hardly remembers. Although, the main reason he came to West Egg was to get into the bond business and make some money. Tom invites Nick over for dinner and as soon as he walks in he senses pressure between Tom and his wife Daisy. This is because Tom is said to be having an affair with a mistress in New York. This I feel, makes Nick even more uncomfortable it his arriving at West Egg. It is also in these first three chapters that Nick first lays his eyes on Gatsby, he was on the lawn across the street. In the second chapter, the relationship between Tom and his mistress Myrtle is finally released. Myrtle is a woman in her mid thirty's who lives with her husband Wilson who owns a garage. I like that they have an affair because this gives Gatsby and Daisy a better chance to get together and live happily ever after. The only reason I know that they had a past relationship is because my class spoiled it. In chapter three, Nicks relationship with Gatsby starts. He is invited to Gatsby three day weekend party. He arrives and there are hundreds of people drinking and socializing. This I feel, is so typical. A rich man having a party and half of the people don't even know him, but yet they are there having fun. When this party comes to an end on Monday, Nick sees Gatsby's servants fixing the place up.

Anne Bradstreet

Anne Bradstreets- "To My Dear and Loving Husband"- http://www.poetry-archive.com/b/to_my_dear_and_loving_husband.html

Anne Bradstreet was born in Northampton , England in 1612. Her familys position caused her to gorw up in cultured circumstances and she was very smart for her time. Anne happened to be a very sickly woman. Despite this, she still managed to have eight children. Along with smallpox, Anne soon was a victim of paralysis of the joints. As the years progressed, Anne became even more sick and died on September 16th, 1672 in Andover Massachusetts at the age of 60.
The rhyming in "To My Dear and Loving Husband definetely contributes to the "cuteness" and "happiness" of this poem. It draws you in and makes you anticipate the next rhyme that goes with the previous line you have read. Also the metaphor " I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold" is excellent. It obviously shows how much she loves her husband.

Anne Bradstreets- "Upon Some Distemper of Body"-http://www.annebradstreet.com/upon_some_distemper_of_body.htm

This poem is about Bradstreets body being in pain and from what I got out of it, God taking the pain away. In the first half of the poem she describes all the symptoms of her body being in pain. In the second half, she describes it being taken away by the help of a greater power. I really liked reading this because I am in pain alot from all the physical acitivties I do. This gives me some hope that maybe a higher power will help me out one day. Once again, she rhymes in this poem. Rhyming to me, is a key factor of making a poem good and not boring. Like I said in the previous paragraph, it draws you in and keeps you wanting to know the following rhyme.

"Is there anything about the works of this poet that makes them distinctly American?"

From what I've read, nothing makes this poet distinctly American. She focuses on love, pain, sadness, happiness etc. These subjects do noty make any poet distinctly American. i am not saying she is your average poet, but she is not classified as distinctly American.

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.

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.

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.