Getting Out by Cleopatra Mathis

The poem Getting Out by Cleopatra Mathis was the only poem from this unit that I understood. It is a poem about a couple that divorces each other, but still have feelings for one another. I can really connect to this poem because my parents got a divorce, and I think it is interesting how realistic the poem is on the topic. After the two are apart, the speaker states, "And in the yearly letter, you're sure to say you're happy now" (Mathis, lines 19-20). I find this comment to be quite ironic because from my own life experiences, I know that if someone says this they usually are not happy. I also find it peculiar that the couple still stays in contact even after their divorce. This is not something that usually happens unless children are involved in the situation. I found this poem to be very deep and self explanatory. It is a sad and somber poem, but contains some positive aspect because the two people obviously still care about one another. I really enjoyed reading this poem, even though it was accurate about a negative aspect of some relationships.

Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver

The short story Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver is a story about a couple fighting over who gets possession of their son. There is a correlation between the structure of this story and the intensity of the situation. The dialogue between the couple lacks quotation marks as they volley comments back and forth at each other such as, "I want the baby. | Get out of here!" (Carver, 335). The lack of quotation marks allows the reader to get a sense of a fast and heated situation. The dialogue between the couple is short and quick. These two are so angry at each other that their actions and words happen before they even get change to digest what is said. The structure is also a very short and simple short story. This also shows that the event in this story happened quick and was over momentarily after it began. The woman was able to fight strong and end the conflict swiftly. This structure is able to show the heated rage between the couple, which causes them to react quickly to poorly thought out comments.

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is a story about a woman who is informed her husband died and she is happy to be free. Setting is able to create juxtaposition between death and the beginning of new life. After finding out her husband died, Mrs. Mallard , "Could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life" (Chopin, 326). Mrs. Mallard was trapped in her marriage and only death would set her free. Death is not only used to show that Mr. Mallard died, but it also showed that the control Mr. Mallard had over his wife was no longer there. This death allowed Mrs. Mallard to start fresh and live for herself. Spring is used poetically to represent new life or birth. Mrs. Mallard is now resented with the opportunity to make drastic changes to her life. This image of spring is able to show that the death of Mr. Mallard will allow Mrs. Mallard to begin new life.

You're Ugly, Too

The short story Your Ugly, Too by Lorrie Moore is about a woman who is alone and goes to visit her sister in New York. The story uses repetition to establish Zoe Hendrick's character, which allows the reader to observe why she is alone. Negative comments about Zoe such as, "Sometimes Professor Hendricks will take up the class's time just talking about movies she's seen" are repeated throughout the story to show Zoe is a unique character. Zoe is constantly taking actions that most people disapprove of. She sets herself apart, which allows negative comments to be made about her. Since everyone views Zoe as such a radical person, this may show some insight into why she lacks a husband or boyfriend. Since Zoe maintains characteristics that people dislike, it is he fault she is alone. She pushes men away and finds herself alone. It is her fault and yet she always blames the reason on something the men do. If she does not make change in the way she acts, he will be alone forever, while her sister achieves happiness with her relationship.

Delight in Disorder by Robert Herrick

Delight in Disorder by Robert Herrick is a poem about a man checking a woman out, and the man is verbalizing his observations of the woman. The man notice the slightest imperfections on the woman, which he enjoys. I found this poem to be hard to understand, but once I figured out what was being said I liked the poem. I think this poem is very well crafted and realistic with the way the speaker is noticing little things in his first glance. The speaker states, "Do more bewitch me than when art Is too precise in every part" (Herrick line 13-14). When it comes to girls, I can connect to this speaker. I enjoy noticing the little things about females that most other people do not notice. I think this poem has a good lesson that nobody is perfect, and rather than criticizing imperfections, they should be embraced. The speaker was also honest with the way men notice women in that men start from their head and work their way down. I like how straightforward this speaker is and how accepting he is of the minor details.

Lonely Hearts by Wendy Cope

The poem Lonely Hearts by Wendy Cope is a poem composed of multiple people looking for someone to love. There is a great deal of repetitive lines and themes throughout the entire poem. One of these themes actually results in irony. Each of the people who make a statement about the type of person they are looking for ends their statement similar to, "Can someone make my simple wish come true?" (line 6). Each of these entries describes a perfect person in their eyes and how they want a specific person. These people are picky and have high standards, and yet they state that they are making a simple request. This is an example of irony because their requests or wishes are not simple if they are going to narrow down the type of person they are looking for. These statements are also ironic because, according to most of the entries, they all live in close proximity and are looking for someone to love them. Rather than looking for a specific person, they should be looking for each other. This poem serves to show that humans search and require love, but look in the wrong direction for love.

Eveline by James Joyce

Eveline by James Joyce is a short story about a girl trying to make a decision to leave her home or leave her lover. She faces the challenges of living with an abusive father or traveling to a new land and starting a new life. Eveline serves as a static character because her actions do not change at all throughout the entire story. She starts the story by thinking about her home life and how, "Now she had nobody to protect her" (Joyce 219). Then by the end of the story she decides to leave her lover and stay at her home. Eveline goes through the entire story questioning what she wanted to do that would effect her future, and she instead stayed right were she was. Eveline did not improve her situation, nor take any new actions. Allowing her fear of the unknowing to overwhelm her, Eveline does not develop mentally throughout the story. She is a passive character in the beginning of the story, and continues to act in the same passive manner when she makes her final decision.

How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro

The short story How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro is a story about a girl who is hired to work for a wealthy family. There are many minor characters, such as Alice Kelling and Mrs. Peebles, who impact the story immensely. Both of these characters serve to be protagonists against the main character, Edie. Alice Kelling is an opponent to Edie because Alice is Chris' fiance. Both of these women are interested in Chris, so they have a natural dislike toward one another. Alice also creates a great deal of drama between herself and Edie even though Edie is too naive to understand the situation. Mrs. Peebles acts indirectly as an antagonist. After Chris discovers Edie wearing Mrs. Peebles' dress, Edie states, "Mrs. Peebles might not fire me, when she found out, but it would give her a different feeling about me altogether" (Munro 135). Mrs. Peebles is an antagonist because she creates internal conflict within Edie. Anything Edie does that borderline mischievous, Edie always worries about what Mrs. Peebles' response will be if she were to find out. This causes Edie to be secretive and rarely go outside her comfort zone, giving Edie a characteristic of innocence. Mrs. Peebles and Alice Kelling serve to challenge Edie in ways she had never experienced due to her country upbringing.