Langston Hughes - New Song

This is one of my favorite poems that I have read this entire semester. I loved Hughes passion behind his beliefs. I love how hopeful his of tomorrow, without forgetting the past. However, he is so joyful that the past is now behind him and his country. I especially love the end of the poems where he talks about the White and Black worlds as One World. I love Hughes wants a united people and believes that it can be so.

Stevens v Williams

In read both of these two poets, I can't help but be drawn to Wallace Stevens. I love his delievery, his use of words and the imagination of his poems. I found Williams to be slighty more stale in his works, although I enjoyed some of them. However, Stevens makes you think and lets your mind explore as you read his works. I am very much looking forward to reading more from him.

Beloved 4

Sixty million or more...

That's who the book is dedicated to. The sixty million plus slaves who were affected by the slave trading that took place in our country. I often wonder what people of the past would say about the books written about them. Would the story of Beloved hit too close to home for them to read? Or, would this story only scrape the tip of iceberg of what they struggled through? I hope that Morrison's story and others like it will help us to remember the horrors of our past so that we don't repeat our most indefensible mistakes.

Beloved #3

I just can't get involved emotionally in this novel. I understand the difficult, tragic and heart wrenching themes and ideas that Morrison is trying to tell, but I can't get past the supernatural elements of the story. I'm too put off by the "strange-ness" of the tale to get wrapped up in the non-fiction elements. I'm almost ashamed that I care so little for such a sad story.

Beloved #2-

Why kill off Baby Suggs? She was one of the most interesting characters in the whole story and, seemingly, the glue that was keeping everything together. I understand the emotional reasons for killing her, but so soon in the story? She was one of the few characters that was keeping me reading. I read that this novel was voted the best of the past 25 years. If so, it better start getting more interesting.

Beloved - Post #1

A ghost? I'm a little wary about this novel. I usually am about anything that looks to be a fiction story based in non-fiction, but out of now where adds elements of the supernatural or fantasy. That having been said, I do find the writing to be superb and that's enough to make to continue to read.

Frost

What I like most about Frost is the way he uses he vocabulary to paint the picture of rural American life. Many of his poems are based on rural New England and the simplicity of life there. However, Frost has a way of making you feel the culture and impression of this life. After reading Frost, I always want to go buy a farm in the middle of no where and live a simple life, working the land and be content.

John Ashbery

I've always found Ashbery to be more and more entertaining and meaningful the more and more I read his works. I think you have to learn how to read Ashbery, because he has a style all his own. I remember reading his poetry in high school and hating it at first because it was so frustrating to read. However, the long a spent reading, the more I liked his style. I hope that people will not give up on Ashbery after one or two reading, but give him the time he needs to be truly understood.

A & P

I found this story to be kind of boring. I mean, how much am I supposed to get our of a kid working the check-out at some grocery store lusting over a couple of girls just because they're in bikinis. The ending was very predicable, as it was easy to see that the kid was going to try and impress the girls to no avail. Maybe I'm misssing a deeper meaning, but I found none in this piece.

The Balloon

How long before these people need the balloon again? And can you continue to repair you relationship time and time again through a balloon? How long will that last? I believe this to be a commentary on many of our relationship in today's society, that so often are let rot and decay until some drastic measure is taken to revive them. Unfortunately, these measures will not work every time. The hope to never get to the point to where you need your own "balloon" again.

A Rose for Emily

I spent the entire reading of this piece trying to figure out who the author was. The author often refers to "our town" and "we", but never directly identifies his or herself. I am guessing from context that the person knew Emily Grierson fairly well, but was not close enough to be so affected by her death that he or she could not write this story. I wonder if Faulkner left the narrator unrevealed on purpose so that you could focus more on the story and not who was telling it. If this was he plan, it did not work for me.