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Eighth Page: Final Reflection

  1. Throughout this semester my concept of reading and critical thinking has definitely evolved. I feel as though I have learned new ideas in literature that I have never considered and my knowledge in this subject has expanded greatly.  2. My favorite reading in this semester was "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman because this storyline was unique and unexpected. I enjoyed the hidden meanings in this story and the dark undertones this story expressed. I feel like it was a very emotional story that brings light to a concept in mental health and institutions involved in mental healthcare.  3. Although it is hard to pick a reading I dislike because I enjoyed all of them, the reading I struggled with the most was "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. I enjoy the overall concept this play has with themes of revenge, but it was a bit difficult to commit to reading this text because of its length. 4. Moving forward I am looking forward to reading more poetry a...
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Seventh Page: Plays of Revenge

  The concept of revenge is found in the plays "Trifles", "Words, Words, Words", and "Hamlet". In the play "Trifles" by Susan Glaspell, readers learn about a conflict that has occurred in a normal home. Mr. Wright was mysteriously found dead next to his wife and his wife doesn't talk about what has happened. All the major characters try to figure out what has happened and the two women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters make the shocking discovery. The women found a dead bird with its neck snapped in an unnatural way. This led the ladies to assume that Mr. Wright killed Mrs. Wright's bird, which led to her act of revenge. Out of rage, Mrs. Wright killed her husband with a rope because he killed the only thing she cared about. It seems as though this act of rage on behalf of Mrs. Wright does not seem to regretted and she was quick to kill her husband. Although killing someone is not justifiable, I can sympathize with Mrs. Wright because she had no...
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Sixth Page: Themes in Poetry

  In the poem "The End and the Beginning" by Wislawa Szymborska, the writer describes the aftermath of a war. The theme of war is heavily involved in this poem as the speaker describes what must be done after a war. The people that have experienced the pain of the war must carry on the stories they've experienced for the future generations who may not understand it as much. It is important for future generations to understand the hardships people have went through in order to not make a repeat in history. The use of rhythm is used as a form in this poem to highlight the somber tone.    "To See the World in a Grain of Sand" written by William Blake expands on the idea of changing your perspective on how you view the world. By making readers ponder about what it would be like to see the whole world easily or have all the time in the world, it evolves around the theme of appreciating life and living to your fullest extent. The poetic form used in only the first 4 l...
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Fifth Page: Poetic Form

The poetic form poets use in their work can influence the structure of the poem. Common forms readers have seen are rhyme, rhythm, and repetition. These forms can help set the purpose and tone of these poems.  In the poem "Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas, the form of villanelle was used. Villanelle tends to consist of 19 lines in total. It is a unique form in poetry because the first and third lines in the beginning three lines (tercet) of the poem are repeated. In an alternating fashion, they are repeated in the last line of the following stanzas. Then in the final stanza, they are repeated as the last two lines of the poem. Dylan Thomas uses this form to emphasize the purpose of his poem. Written on behalf of his father who has passed away, this poem expresses Thomas' emotions about his father's death. The first line highlighted in this poem was, "Do not go gentle into that good night" (Thomas, line 1). This statement showcases the g...
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Fourth Page: Figurative Language

  Figurative language is a different use of words poets can use in their work to appeal to the senses of their audience. In the following poems, writers use figurative language to convey their messages in an unconventional way.  Imagery: "In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound   "In a Station of the Metro" is a poem written by author Ezra Pound. Throughout this poem, Pound makes use of imagery to describe the scene of people waiting at the subway station. Pound explicitly compares the numerous people waiting at the metro station to flower petals on the branch of a dark tree. He describes the people as an apparition, allowing readers to visualize the people as ghosts who all have a life to carry on. The countless people that go through the metro station can compared to crowded flower petals.  Simile: "Harlem" by Langston Hughes In the poem "Harlem" written by Langston Hughes, the use of the literary device simile is evident throughout the poem. ...
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The Yellow Wallpaper

"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman follows the narrator of the story who is a middle class woman that is "married". Readers learn, through the journals the narrator has written, that she has temporary nervous depression and slight hysterical tendencies. As the story progresses, readers observe the narrator's condition declining even more, noticeable through her remarks about the wallpaper. She becomes hysterical about the wallpaper, claiming "And it is like a woman stooping down and creeping behind that pattern" (Gilman 440), near the end of the story. The narrator believes there is a woman that creeps behind that wallpaper in order to her.   The narrator's mental illness may have been a development that occurred at some point in her life. Although it may be plausible that this type of mental illness could occur at the beginning of someone's life, this is likely not the case with the narrator. I believe the narrator in the story...
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Everyday Use & Cathedral

"Everyday Use" In the story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, readers follow the point-of-view of Mama, who is a hardworking person that does not fall under the norm of an "ideal" woman/mother. Mama raised two daughters, Maggie and Dee (later known as Wangero). Maggie was viewed as the underdog of the two sisters, where she tended to live in the shadow of Dee. In the story Maggie states, "'She can have them, Mama,' she said, like somebody used to never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her" (Walker 351). Evident through this example in the passage, Maggie was always used to being the unappreciated one of the two sister. In contrast, Dee was known as the perfect/ideal daughter and woman. Mama states, "Dee, though. She would always look anyone in the eye. Hesitation was no part of her nature" (Walker 346). According to this quote, Dee was the type of person that would get what she wants out of the world. Things came ...
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