Hills like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway
A story full of symbols, I'll try to interpret one of them which is the title. Let' s go!
"Hills like White Elephants":
White elephants, mountains, belly, pregnant women, we can surely see the link between the round form of the hills and the women's belly being pregnant. Then, I could say that the color white symbolizes the innocence and purity of her unborn child. Seing the fields around, we could also interprete it as the fertility that permited her to have a baby. In another point of view, a white elephant is something that wont work, wont be alive successfully, a littel like the baby if she's being aborted.
I found it funny because I could not have imagine the ending this way, I mean talking about abortion all way long. It's only when someone told me that I founded it maked sense, but I kept asking myself if it could have been something else the author was talking about and what could it be applied to? At first, I tought they were talking about plastic surgery, then, about commiting a crime ar not. It could also be as simple as hidin g something. Maybe it was something really absurd, without sense and we're making something big out of it...
Who knows?
Well,well,well, so many questions in my head, I'll finish my Reading journal asking myself all those questions...imagine the repercussions!
lundi 8 octobre 2007
Reading journal #2
The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson
How can they be able to process to such a ceremony?
What is the trip of killing someone?
If I was part of this communauty, would I have the courage to diagree about this coutume?
What was based on this ritual?
At first, for sure, I don't agree with the idea of sending somone to death just because it has always been like that, but if I thougt about the reasons of such an abominal rite. I started to do researches to known if it was true, if it really existed and I learned that it happened before in Mississippi, in the post-war years. When Shirley Jackson's short story was published during the late 1940s, it sure created controversy; some people even said that we was just someone who liked to twiste the old values and trditions of small towns of America into pure violence. In this manner, he was interviewed and he answered: "Explaining just what I had hoped the story to say is very difficult. I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock the story's readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives."I guess publishing this story was a way for him to denounce those rites. Anyway, even knowing it was done because of believes, I still have trouble understanding how convictions can be strong enough to stone or kill someone.
In order to understand why people in the story didn't disagree about this tradition, except for Tessie who screams "It isn't fair." when she "wins" the lottery. Once again, she reacts only when she's chosen, this is kind of ugly when we think of the legendary egocentrism of humans. The hypocrisy of the society is well illustrated; it also proves that people can believe strong enought to let their lot into the hands of magic or destiny. Am I like that, I would not pretend that in a similar situation, I would've doo something because I don't know, but I can say that I found it out of sense.
I'm working understanding it!
How can they be able to process to such a ceremony?
What is the trip of killing someone?
If I was part of this communauty, would I have the courage to diagree about this coutume?
What was based on this ritual?
At first, for sure, I don't agree with the idea of sending somone to death just because it has always been like that, but if I thougt about the reasons of such an abominal rite. I started to do researches to known if it was true, if it really existed and I learned that it happened before in Mississippi, in the post-war years. When Shirley Jackson's short story was published during the late 1940s, it sure created controversy; some people even said that we was just someone who liked to twiste the old values and trditions of small towns of America into pure violence. In this manner, he was interviewed and he answered: "Explaining just what I had hoped the story to say is very difficult. I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock the story's readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives."I guess publishing this story was a way for him to denounce those rites. Anyway, even knowing it was done because of believes, I still have trouble understanding how convictions can be strong enough to stone or kill someone.
In order to understand why people in the story didn't disagree about this tradition, except for Tessie who screams "It isn't fair." when she "wins" the lottery. Once again, she reacts only when she's chosen, this is kind of ugly when we think of the legendary egocentrism of humans. The hypocrisy of the society is well illustrated; it also proves that people can believe strong enought to let their lot into the hands of magic or destiny. Am I like that, I would not pretend that in a similar situation, I would've doo something because I don't know, but I can say that I found it out of sense.
I'm working understanding it!
lundi 24 septembre 2007
Short test
Reader’s Response
1.Yes, I appreciated the ending of the story because I found it suprising and different than usual. 2.I liked Louise Mallard because I understood her reaction when she learned about her husban’s death; feeling free. Freedom is something I love and sometimes I feel like I had to be lonely to be happy, whith nobody aroud me wich I’m attached to. In her case, it was a husband.
3.Her vision is similar from mine because I have always use to think that marriage is an obligation that leeds you to the lost of freedom eaven if your in love at the beginning.
Close reading
1. Because Louise Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, wich made her very
fragile.
3. She wept in her sister’s arms with abandonment and cried.
5. He felt a power on her because he was married to her.
7. The crime to impose a private will upon your wife or your husband when they are married.
9. Brently Mallard, her husband, comes back because he wasn’t dead. Richard tries to hide him from the view of his wife, but it’s too late; she sees him and, because she was afflicted from a heart disease, she dies under the shock.
Narration and point of view
1.Omniscient point of view.
3.Distant from the reader.
Style and literary devices
Irony
a) « …she had died from a heart disease-of joy that kills. »
The last sentence is ironic beacause the joy kills her. In this situation, the joy isn’t real, she’s not happy; she lost her freedom, but her relatives tought the she was ful of joy to see her husband and that’s why she died.
b) He wanted to protect Louise so that she would not be shocked from her happiness
of seeing her husband back. On the contrary, she was shocked in a bad way
because she lost her freedom once again. His action is ironic because he di dit it
for the wrong reason.
c) She sees his body and is not sad, on the contrary.
Homonyms
- I die of sickness while my mother dyes my t-shirt in red.
- In the brake, there are full of little animals, be carefull not to break your car going in to it.
- Its hat is red, it’s so beautiful.
- We have weathered the crisis of my sister eaven if the wether was really bad.
- I sent my brother to smell the pie and describe it to me because I had a cold and could not detect the scent of anything.
Foreshadowing
1. Louise Mallard did not react as many woman, she cried in sted of being paralyzed.
2. Louise Mallard has a heart disease.
Theme and characterization
Louise: Round chacter because she evoluates in the story. At first, she cries her husband’s death, then she’s lost, the she happy, then she dies of loosing her freedom.
Brently: Flat character because we don’t kow about his psychologic evolution.
Richard: Round character because we know he evoluates when he tries to protect Louise from seeing her husband.
Josephine: Flat character
1.Yes, I appreciated the ending of the story because I found it suprising and different than usual. 2.I liked Louise Mallard because I understood her reaction when she learned about her husban’s death; feeling free. Freedom is something I love and sometimes I feel like I had to be lonely to be happy, whith nobody aroud me wich I’m attached to. In her case, it was a husband.
3.Her vision is similar from mine because I have always use to think that marriage is an obligation that leeds you to the lost of freedom eaven if your in love at the beginning.
Close reading
1. Because Louise Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, wich made her very
fragile.
3. She wept in her sister’s arms with abandonment and cried.
5. He felt a power on her because he was married to her.
7. The crime to impose a private will upon your wife or your husband when they are married.
9. Brently Mallard, her husband, comes back because he wasn’t dead. Richard tries to hide him from the view of his wife, but it’s too late; she sees him and, because she was afflicted from a heart disease, she dies under the shock.
Narration and point of view
1.Omniscient point of view.
3.Distant from the reader.
Style and literary devices
Irony
a) « …she had died from a heart disease-of joy that kills. »
The last sentence is ironic beacause the joy kills her. In this situation, the joy isn’t real, she’s not happy; she lost her freedom, but her relatives tought the she was ful of joy to see her husband and that’s why she died.
b) He wanted to protect Louise so that she would not be shocked from her happiness
of seeing her husband back. On the contrary, she was shocked in a bad way
because she lost her freedom once again. His action is ironic because he di dit it
for the wrong reason.
c) She sees his body and is not sad, on the contrary.
Homonyms
- I die of sickness while my mother dyes my t-shirt in red.
- In the brake, there are full of little animals, be carefull not to break your car going in to it.
- Its hat is red, it’s so beautiful.
- We have weathered the crisis of my sister eaven if the wether was really bad.
- I sent my brother to smell the pie and describe it to me because I had a cold and could not detect the scent of anything.
Foreshadowing
1. Louise Mallard did not react as many woman, she cried in sted of being paralyzed.
2. Louise Mallard has a heart disease.
Theme and characterization
Louise: Round chacter because she evoluates in the story. At first, she cries her husband’s death, then she’s lost, the she happy, then she dies of loosing her freedom.
Brently: Flat character because we don’t kow about his psychologic evolution.
Richard: Round character because we know he evoluates when he tries to protect Louise from seeing her husband.
Josephine: Flat character
mardi 11 septembre 2007
Reading journal #1
Text: "The Lady or The tiger?" by Stockton
Love or jealousy?
That is the question.
My romantic side would say to hold on to love and to believe in it eyes closed.
My realistic side would based his decision on the fact that the human race is egocentric.
I'll explain myself now:
Once, I read something in a book called "The opening of the conscience". Don't ask me why I was reading this book......... So, I was saying that, the author, proclaimed that there were two kinds of egoism; one was healthy and the other insane. The first one was considerated as normal, it's also when you help without waiting for something in exchange. The other one was the one to describe the manipulative side of our person, wether it's done counsciously or not.
To apply this theory to "The Lady or The Tiger" written by Stockton, we could ask ourselves if the Lady was practicing the bad or the good egoism when she took the decision to send or not to send her lover to death. To answer this question, we could, as readers, think about what we would have done.........Are you a bad barbaric girl or a nice little innocent Lady? In my opinion, I would say it deppens on the day....and on the nature of my emotions toward my lover.
If I'm to attached to him, maybe I'll kill him and then kill myself after realizing what I have done, or I could let him live and then commit suicide because I'm too sad not to be whit him.
If I'm more tolerant and ready to do anything for him to be happy and alive (What would correspond more to the definition of "LOVE".), I would only care about seeing him alive not wondering if he's married whith another woman.
In a way or in another, as a human, I would be tortured by my feelings and the decision to take considering all of them.
And you, where would you send your lover?
Love or jealousy?
That is the question.
My romantic side would say to hold on to love and to believe in it eyes closed.
My realistic side would based his decision on the fact that the human race is egocentric.
I'll explain myself now:
Once, I read something in a book called "The opening of the conscience". Don't ask me why I was reading this book......... So, I was saying that, the author, proclaimed that there were two kinds of egoism; one was healthy and the other insane. The first one was considerated as normal, it's also when you help without waiting for something in exchange. The other one was the one to describe the manipulative side of our person, wether it's done counsciously or not.
To apply this theory to "The Lady or The Tiger" written by Stockton, we could ask ourselves if the Lady was practicing the bad or the good egoism when she took the decision to send or not to send her lover to death. To answer this question, we could, as readers, think about what we would have done.........Are you a bad barbaric girl or a nice little innocent Lady? In my opinion, I would say it deppens on the day....and on the nature of my emotions toward my lover.
If I'm to attached to him, maybe I'll kill him and then kill myself after realizing what I have done, or I could let him live and then commit suicide because I'm too sad not to be whit him.
If I'm more tolerant and ready to do anything for him to be happy and alive (What would correspond more to the definition of "LOVE".), I would only care about seeing him alive not wondering if he's married whith another woman.
In a way or in another, as a human, I would be tortured by my feelings and the decision to take considering all of them.
And you, where would you send your lover?
mardi 28 août 2007
Who's Michelle Bouchard?
Also known as Mimi, Michelle Bouchard was born in a little village named St-Eustache.
Yet she was out of her mother's belly, she stammered her ultimate goal which was to go on every continent of our beautiful and hudge purple earth.....
How will she do? Where will she get the money? Whith whom will she go? What language will she have to talk? What kind of person will she become? What skills will she develop? What will her interests be?
I, Kumbalawé Mana couroulimé, interviewing our famous Mimi, succeded to have a few answers to all those complicated questions.
I know you're anxious to know what she brightly answered.........suspense,suspense!
Don't worry, I will give you some scoops on this marvelous girl who's is now only 17 years old.
Believe or not, she whistles as a bird in an instrument called the flute.
Sportive, reader and known as "the network person", she's the best at helping people and organizing them.
In short, Michelle is an unique person that you would like to be friend with!
Yet she was out of her mother's belly, she stammered her ultimate goal which was to go on every continent of our beautiful and hudge purple earth.....
How will she do? Where will she get the money? Whith whom will she go? What language will she have to talk? What kind of person will she become? What skills will she develop? What will her interests be?
I, Kumbalawé Mana couroulimé, interviewing our famous Mimi, succeded to have a few answers to all those complicated questions.
I know you're anxious to know what she brightly answered.........suspense,suspense!
Don't worry, I will give you some scoops on this marvelous girl who's is now only 17 years old.
Believe or not, she whistles as a bird in an instrument called the flute.
Sportive, reader and known as "the network person", she's the best at helping people and organizing them.
In short, Michelle is an unique person that you would like to be friend with!
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