Sure Thing

It took me awhile to realize what was going on, and I still do not fully understand. At first, I thought the guy could travel back in time to have a redo until he gets it right. Although now I think, the author was trying to show all the possible scenarios, until he got to the ‘sure thing’. I thought the play was cute and simple. Simple but longer than I thought, I kept thinking this is the end. I think it was kind of a mockery of all the romantic movies out there, especially the end when they vow to love each other forever. That never happens in real life. It is entertaining to watch, but completely fictitious. She just met him and said she would love and cherish him forever. The response after each bell was better than the last. Each one less truthful than the last. The first being closest to what would have happened in real life. The ending confuses me a little; I cannot tell if the actors would say the lines seriously or jokingly. I am know thinking they would say it jokingly, sarcastically. I would like to see it performed; I think reading it definitely hurts the integrity of the play. Overall, I really liked it. It was interesting and sarcastic.

First, I did not know a poem could be that short; it is only sixteen words long. I like the sarcasm of the poem. Also, the simple delivery is nice. It starts out as thought the two were made for each other. Then it reveals the true feelings. It quickly turns to mockery, adding another level to the poem. It is the well known trick of setting someone up then letting them fall. It happens in movies a lot, bad movies. It reminds me of a saying that I thought was the most hilarious thing ever when I was younger: your pretty, pretty ugly! It did not take much to make me laugh. I really like this poem, mainly because I like sarcasm. The dryness of the delivery is nice too. It is written as though it is no big deal. There are no fluffy surroundings to cushion the blow. There is also a bit of humor to the poem as well. This person, I am assuming it is a woman, clearly does not like the guy she is talking about or to. Hopefully not actually to that person, that seems a little rude. It still boggles my mind that this little collection of words is considered a poem. It sounds like she is just talking to a friend about a guy she knows. Like she is saying what she wishes she could say to him face to face but cannot. It also sounds painful, “a fish hook an open eye.”

Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter

I like the simplicity of this poem. It is short, sweet and to the point. It paints a picture of complete solitude and comfort. The snow brings peace that is unusual for any town of any city. Now that it has snowed here, I see how the snow covers up everything and laces it with its own beauty. It brings a calming effect that the narrator enjoys and wants to bask in it longer than he or she has to. It is the type of loneliness that carries a sense of comfort with it. Being an only child, I can relate to the calming effects of isolation. There is serenity in having no one around and being able to enjoy it. Serenity Now! (Seinfeld reference, sorry I couldn’t resist)In a fast pace world it is nice to just stop and live in a moment of complete solitude. I think we sometimes are too caught up with the stresses of everyday life. Constantly having papers due or having to work an extra shift or having three tests in one week (like next week), it takes it eventually takes its toll. The author is able to identify with the internal want of many to be able to forget about everything and relax. It sounds easy to relax, but at times, it seems impossible.

White Lies

I liked this poem. It is probably one of the few poems I could easily read without being confused. It is about a little girl who tells white lies about almost everything. She can tell them quite easily without anyone knowing the difference. She was a black girl who had a light, white complexion and would lead people to believe she was something that she was not. I think she secretly wished the lies she was telling were true. She wanted to be able to live in a better neighborhood, in a nice house and have nice clothes. She even “kept quiet” when one little girl in her class assumed she was white too. However, whenever her mom found out she would always get in trouble. It says her mom would wash her mouth out with soap, “Ivory soap.” I thought it was interesting the author purposely included the color of the soap and made it ivory. In addition, having the mother say it would purify the girl and the girl believing her “swallowed the suds thinking they’d work from the inside out.” I thought this alluded to the girl wishing she were truly ivory like the soap. Although at the same time, I think it could mean she wished she could tell the truth and be proud of who she is. The beginning paragraph, I assumed the list of names were something she was called being that she was so light skinned. Probably the reason why she wished she were something that she was not. Even thought the poem was written in 2000, it felt like it was written in the forties. It had an old feel to it, as if it were written in completely different time and place.

Harrison Bergeron

Overall, I liked this story. It seems plausible that everyone in the future could be suppressed into equality. Even today, we try to make sure no one feels inadequate. An act that is justifiable, but should never be taken so extreme. Everyone should feel confident in who he or she is, and be able to reach his or her full potential. I think it is ridiculous to stifle a person’s abilities in order to keep someone else from feeling bad. It is also dumb that in some elementary schools they have a “graduation” from one grade to the next. It makes graduating from high school or college seem like no big deal. If we lived in the world portrayed in the story, we would never move forward as a society. We would stifle anyone who could make a real difference in the world, like Harrison Bergeron. He was willing to fight against everyone to help the nation as a whole. He probably could have thought it out better, but he was only fourteen. In addition, I would think having weights and multiple handicaps on you would just be a sign to everyone else that you are smarter or prettier. Then everyone would try to get more handicaps to prove how much “better” he or she was. True equality in that way would never be met. There never will and never should be true equality and the short story shows a great example of why this is so. Our nation needs distinction between people. How could you ever learn from someone else if they are just like you? No one would be able to rule if they as smart as everyone else, well maybe. I thought the shooting of Harrison and his girlfriend was harsh. I also do not believe that the parents would forget what happened that suddenly. Bye.

Saboteur

I just finished reading Saboteur, and I actually liked it. I love the ending (not the part where it said two children died), and I choose to believe that all of the police staff caught hepatitis. It sounds harsh but they had no reason for treating Mr. Chiu the way they did. I thought the way he spread the disease was ingenious. I would like to know why the policeman threw the hot tea on them in the first place. All I can assume is that he somehow knew Mr. Chiu was part of the Communist Party. A party that the policeman himself dislikes. I liked how the author made sure the “criminal” was well educated, I feel like it made the injustice that much more obvious. If he had been stupid, the situation could have gone in a completely different direction making Mr. Chiu seem guilty. I thought it was funny how Mr. Chiu cursed by saying “[e]gg of a tortoise!” I do not know if that is a legitimate cursing in his country but it made me laugh. I also enjoyed Mr. Chiu’s optimism; by realizing being in jail would be a nice place to relax. In addition, that he realized that he needed to sign the confession merely for the sake of his former student. He did not let his pride stand in the way of Fenjin’s well-being. Standing up for what you believe in is a trait that everyone should posses, but being smart about how go about your stance is another thing. I hope that the injustice in the story is not still alive today, but I think it would be foolish to think that it has completely disappeared. You can tell the author is not happy with the Chinese government. I read the small author biography in the front of the short story, it is very evident why he wrote this story, and why it ended the way it did.

Rich Brothers

Finally, a story that doesn't involve crazy amounts of violence.
Overall, I think the story was boring. I kept expecting something exciting to happen and it never did. I also feel like it left several things unanswered. Why did Pete try to kill Donald when he was younger? Was he that jealous of his little brother? Why did they let that hitchhiker come with them? That would have been the last thing I would have done. The hitchhiker did however highlight their differences even more. Donald being more open and naive agreed to let the guy come along even before he finished talking. Pete on the other hand was suspicious of the guy the entire time. The way Donald talked made him seem as though he were still ten and trying to please his older brother. I think the title of the short story perfectly describes the brothers’ differences. While it may appear that Pete is better off, Donald has the possibility to do whatever he wants, he has no one tying him down. Pete is rich in actual money and things. He also has a family and a permanent home. I think the characters themselves were too stereotypical. It is not a surprise that the little brother is the one messing up. Then the big brother always has to clean up after him. It would have been more interesting I think if it were the other way around. I did like how the author developed the characters in a way that let the reader feel Pete's frustration against Donald, and vice versa. It seems like sometimes, family members aggravate you more than anyone does. I like how in the last paragraph the author lets the reader know that Pete did turn around to get Donald. It shows what is true in most families, how you can be mad at relative but still love them through your anger.