This blog entries are for American Literature 1915-present with Dr. Jerz.

I did not receive many comments compared with the first semester. However, I was more clear what to write for blog entries. The reason might be that when I read short stories, I think more deeply.

A Streetcar Named Desire - I felt pity on Blanche because life always cannot go well. The play makes thinking about life.

Greanleaf - I was studying about racism in another class, so the short story was interesting to me. Black people were getting power and wealth, so some white people did not like the situation. Mrs. May was a person who consider white people are better than other race.

Here We Are - I thought the story is interesting because American culter is very different today compared with the time that the short story was written.

The Best Girlfriend You Never Had - I mentioned about Leo. I got a few comments about a relationship between Leo and his friend. Readers of the short story think differently about the relationship between Leo and his friend.

The Half-Skinned Steer - I did not like the story because I did not understand much. The reason I decided to include in this portfolio is that I received a comment from a person who do not take American Literature.

Miracle at St. Anna - I liked the story, and I understood the story well compared with other stories. I thought it was the best story I read in American Literature class.

I Want to Live! - I presented the story, so I blogged longer than usual. It is hard to give answer whether Mrs. Wilson had the Will to Live or not. Even though I presented in the class and wrote a research paper about the short story, I still cannot have a clear answer that Mrs. Wilson wanted to live or die.

Announcing cancer is like death sentence. Especially for Mrs. Wilson because her husband died for cancer. Mrs. Wilson coild not see her situation is real. Having cancer was too painful to her. Mrs. Wilson described that it was easier to do that if you pretended that it wasn't real, if you pretended it was all on TV.
Mrs. Wilson lost being female because she had breast and uterus cancer. She coundn't enjoy normal life because she couldn't eat. Diarrhea in the bed was the worst humiliation. Moreover, tests at the hospital wiped out the last of her physical and emotional stamina. Living became pain.
Mrs. Wilson thought nobody really cared about her. She thought that people just came to the hospital and gave her flowers and various intrusions at all hours. These people really don't care whetehr she is really sick or not. But Mrs. Wilson realized she needed love in order to fight against cancer. The doctors seemed not human being because they just do thier job, and it wasn't really a big deal if their paitents die. The medicine makes her sick. Love is only relif for her.
Nobody wants to die because people are afraid fo death. Mrs. Wilson also didn't want to die. She wanted to live. (I guess that's why the title is I Want to Live!) But I think she was relifed when she died. She didn't need to fight against cancer anymore, and she might able to meet her husband.
Her son-in-law asked to Mrs. Wilson "What does it feel like? Does it feel like a hangover? Worse than a hangover? Not like a hangover?" My mother had cancer and I often went to the hospital to see her. But I think I think I did not understand her how it is like having cancer. If I have cancer, I think I will feel differently.

Question 1
Do you think Mrs. Wilson had Will to Live or tired of cancer treatment?
Question 2
Do you think Mrs. Wilson was relieved when she died?

Reading the story, I felt the government was forcing to people to hate Germans. The black American soliders had no reason to hate Germans. War destories everything. People, nature, art, etc.
I woder if Arturo wasn't white, whether Train treated him differently. I think Train would treat him differntly because he might be thinking white privilege (white poeple are better than color people. etc)unconstiously even though he didn't like white people.

The story remains me my grandparents because they used to have about 15 or 20 pigs. When I went to their house, I sometimes feeded these pigs. My mother told me that my grandfather used to sell some pigs to butchers. My mother didn't llike it because she thought it was cruel. Tin Head did skinning his cows. I wonder he thought anything about skinning his cows. He had dinner after skinning. I don't think I can eat anything after skinning.
The story doesn't have " " (I don't know the name) when people talk. It was sometimes hard to read for me.

I didn't understnad What Leo was thinking about her. He said "I love you." Then he added a comment "I mean, in the good way." I felt like he was avoiding making eye contact with her because he often looked something else, not her. On page 788, "I can't help you," Leo says, and squints his eyes against the mist in the air. He could have told the sentense looking at her.

The young woman was worryng too much about her marrdge. She didn't want to fight with her husband, but her comment doubting her husband liked Louise cased fight. I feel the couple won't do well in the future because she concerns may things negatively and doubt her husband. She should think about happiness of her marridge. She never mentioned about how happy she was. She just said "I feel so sort of strange and everything. I feel so sort of alone."
I feel the young man is going to obey her most of time in the future. The young woman has more power than the young man.

Zoe went the bathroom to pull hair on her chin. I thought women ususally take care hair on their face because it is an embarrassed thing. Hair on chin is like hair under armpit. It dooesn't want to be seen by anybody. Zoe needs to take care herself more if she feels she is not pretty.

Mrs. May was afraid because black people were getting power. She didn't like Mrs. Greanleaf because she was happier than her. She also didn't like Mr. Greanleaf's sons because they got married and the government supplied some money for them. She liked seeing unhappy people. That's why she was smiling when Mr. Greanleaf went to shoot the bull. Mrs. May was unhappy about her life. Her husband only left the land and her sons didn't grew up what she expected. She was a miserable woman.

Lousia was a very sexy girl. "Her breasts, firm and up-pointed like ripe acorns." That's why Bob Stone loved her even she was black. He didn't know why he loved a black girl. I guess he didn't have any black friends and go out with black people before. In that time, white people discriminated against black people in American society. I believe Bob Stone had discrimination against black people, too. But he fall in love with Lousia. She was really a attractive girl.

Blanche didn't like herself, so she didn't have seld confidence. She didn't like her appearance and age. So Stella had to say to Blanche that she looks very nice and Stella put only 25 candles on the birthday cake.
Blache couldn't live well in the real world. She might have a big dream, but I think her life always went wrong ways. That's why she saw many things negatively and drink a lot to escape from the real world. I think if she consider the world more oisitively, her future would be much better.
I was surprised when Blanche and the Doctor went out together without turnung to see Stella. Blanche likes guys and like to show her sexuality. She had some nicce clothes, kissed to a Young Man, and slept with strangers. She arelly needed somebody. But she couldn't keep these men for long time. She might find kindness to these guys but these guys were kind because some of them only wanted to sleep with her.
Blanche thought the Doctor was intrersted in her sexuality and give her kindness. But only Stella cared of her because she is her sister. Blanche couldn't see her sister's kindness.
Stella suffered between Blanche and Stanley because Stella loved both people, but they didn't listen her. They just behaved what they think. Blanche said to Stella to leave her husband, and Stanley asked to the Doctor to take Blanche. Stella was pregnant. People should have given her a rest.

This blog entries are for American Literature 1915 - present with Dr. Jerz.

I feel more comfortable commenting blog entries. I could write only two or three sentenses first few blog entries because I did not know what to write. Now I am capable making comments longer than before.

The Great Gatsby - Discussing about a character of Gatsby and how much Daisy had an impact to Gatsby.

Machial - Discussing about machanism society. A Young Woman tried not to be in a part of machine. However, she failed to achieve her goal. I got many comments for this blog entry, so I feel I made a good comment.

Henry Adams on Mechanism and Modernism - Analyzing a new type of society. People started to put their faith on science, not religions. It was an interesting topic for me.

Technology in American Drama - Considering feminism and happiness in machanism society. I consider by myself as a feminist. However, the comment I got makes me think what feminism is.

I didn't know many New Yorkers didn't like the World Trade Center before September 11. The poem expresses how much September 11 had an impact to Americans. I didn't know about the World Trade Center before September 11, but people all over the world know it now. The World Trade Center is a new American symbol now. The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom. I'm not sure what kind of symbol is for the World Trade Centre. Is it a symbol of fear of terroorism? Is it a symbol of trying to spreading democracy to the world? Or a symbol of preventing another terrorism? September 11 changed many Americans' thoughts about their own country and other countries.

I felt love to the father. On the otehr hand, a poem "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath, there is no love to the father. Not many people call own father bastard.

I didn't understnad the poem very much. I felt the poem is telling me sadness of war because young men are gone for war.

I feel pity on the Young Woman because she just wanted rest and freedom. However, she should have take care her mother, daughter, and husband more. I know her marrige was not what she wanted, but she could have found something (manybe peace or humanity) by taking care of them.