This passage stood out to me because it it just so true. I hate when people ask "how are you" but then keep on walking and don't even care to hear your response. It's so annoying. If you see someone you know, it's nice to say hi, but don't ask how they're doing if you really don't care and are just thinking of something to say. I understand that some people do it because they think it's what is polite, but they're just contradicting themselves when they say that and don't really listen for an answer. They just assume people will say "good." And that's what most people do say, because they know that it's just to make things less awkward, so they know they're not really wondering how they're feeling. I obviously have no problem when people ask this sincerely, but it's very annoying when people ask this and don't listen for an answer. It's almost like they use it as another way to say hi. This passage also stood out to me because I like the sense of humor, the sarcasm.

Ender is truly a little boy living in fear and with a constant need to defend himself. I don't think he ever has a chance to just be alone and focus on his own needs. Having a violent older brother and being made to think as though he is this tough kid, well, how is he supposed to do this? He thinks of solving things as killing them. He's been praised for it. He got into the school for it! He cannot imagine life just being simple, without obstacles to face and things to kill. That's life to him because that's how he interpreted the sign "the end of the world." He probably doesn't even know how to just live. It's very sad. His innocence was taken so early and it probably won't come back.

When anyone is being taken care of or catered to in some way that is necessary or unnecesary, we become so used to that, and don't want to break out on our own due to fear. Andrew is scared because he knows he's independent now. I think this quote shows his fear, but it also shows his acceptance, because he says he would miss them, so he realizes that he doesn't have the monitor anymore, that it is something in his past. Andrew doesn't know anything else, so it's scary, but I think it will be easier for him because of his young age.

In high school, I remember being so nervous if I didn't finish an assigned reading because I feared not knowing who exactly did what in the novel when I was called upon by the teacher. I like that now what I read is for my benefit and how I apply it to my homework and papers. Now, we're focused more on higher level thinking, whereas in high school, it was all about memorization.

Well, we’re more than halfway done with the Spring Semester and I must say that I have enjoyed my Introduction to Literary Study course. Of course, there were some negative aspects, but overall, I have positive feelings toward this course. Below are my blog entries that covered coverage, timeliness, depth, interaction, and discussion. Enjoy!

Coverage

So Much More - I included a link in this blog that goes back to the page on the course website about this particular assigned reading.

Timeliness

Lost Souls - this blog was about the article on the Misft in Flannery O’ Connor’s short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” I wrote this early because I enjoyed the article a lot and wanted my ideas to get out there sooner than later so my fellow classmates could read them.

Interaction

Always Unsatisfied with that Burning Desire

Remember That?

Small Job=Big Appreciation

Out of Order

That Magical Place, but There is No Magical Place

Depth

Pain is Always Too Real - in this blog, I went into depth because I was relating my own personal experience to the boy’s situation in Flannery O’Connor’s “The River.”

Always Unsatisfied with that Burning Desire - in this blog, I referred to what I have been learning in my Faith, Religion, and Society class, which is how we are born with a fire that drives us to do something, which is our spirituality.

Lifelong Learning - this blog shows depth because I talked about how I want to be a teacher and how much I like to learn

Small Job=Big Appreciation - this blog shows depth because I explained why low wage jobs should earn just as much respect as those that require college degrees.

You’re Simple - this blog shows depth because I referred to modern day usage of the word “simple.”

Cocky Much? - this blog shows depth because I questioned the author Truss’ intention of her book “Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.”

Why? It’s Obvious - this blog shows depth because I gave specific examples as to why I thought that the apostrophe is misused.

Pathetic? - this blog shows depth because I wrote about my personal confusion with this term.

Discussion

Foreshadowing and Characterization in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” - this blog was written by Erica Gearheart, and I commented on how well she analyzed the title of this short story by Flannery O’Connor.

This confused me because I don't understand how you would be able to tell the number of feet. I know Hamilton gave examples, but they didn't show how it was done.

Didn't know where I was going from there

Butterflies, shakes, first kisses, and dances

Reminders of those early days with him

Time went by, my heart grew fond, I felt trapped

Because he threw a curveball to my life

His attitude changed, I felt sad, confused

One summer we went away and love won

Every piece of suffering is old now

This love is real, eternal, and all mine

This was an example of Narrative Pace. It's from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I think the reason Hamilton used this example is because it paints the picture right there for you that the voice is skipping over something, in other words, omitting the next phase in her life, and moving to the next. It was a good example, but I think Hamilton should have used another that wasn't so straightforward. I think she should have also used an example that made the reader figure out on their own what was being talked about, and what is going to be omitted, and what might happen next.

I think this passage shows the importance of grammar. Without correct grammar, when we read, they automatically don't make sense. So, we made things up in order to make it make sense. I'm not sure as to whether her saying "grammar came along and ruined things" is sarcastic or not because she gets upset at people who use it incorrectly, but she also praises it.

People who use poor punctuation definitely do not get things communicated as well because they may mean to write in the singular sense, but they write in plural and therefore, cause confusion. It's pretty obvious what is wrong with puncutation: people either just don't care, they are uneducated, or high-tech society of instant messaging and text messaging has corrupted minds. The only thing that can solve this problem is to continue stressing the importance of correct punctuation and what it can cause if it is incorrect.

I think Truss is being too general when she says that the apostrophe has "never" been taken seriously. I feel like she's coming off like she's so smart about grammar and everybody else is just dumb about it.

I think Mrs. Freeman was the smartest person in this story because she didn't see things in just one way as Mrs. Hopewell did or Hulga/Joy did. This passage shows that she kept up with things, people, or places, she was not naive and thought outside what most people around her thought. When it says that she thought forward, I think this shows that she really looks at people and isn't fooled easily. She looks beyond the surface. As in the end when Mrs. Hopewell talks about the world being better if more people were simple, Mrs. Freeman says that "some people can't be that simple...I know I never could" (195). Today, it's an insult to be told that you're simple. It means you're narrow-minded and don't have much common sense. This idea of common sense shows significance in Mrs. Hopewell saying that Mrs. Freeman's daughters had common sense. They get this from their mother, Mrs. Freeman. I think the real good country person in this story is Mrs. Freeman.

Ruby was reluctant and irritated when Mr. Jerger was talking to her, but as soon as he mentioned finding the fountain of youth, she became interested. She wanted him to answer her by saying it's an actual place, something she can actually touch. But when he told her its something mental, she didn't care anymore. I think this shows that she really doesn't have good self-esteem and is not willing to find her inner beauty. I think she's too focused on her brother Rufus and how he ruined their mother, that she can't see anything positive in herself. She wastes so much time comparing herself to her mother when she could be happy by having a family of her own.

I chose this passage because this is how I feel about the Misfit. He's a lost soul and does not know what to do with his desires. He chooses evil instead, which is what most lost souls do. They're separated from good. This refers back to Adam and Eve. The snake deceived them, but they would not have been deceived if they would have had more solid beliefs and understandings of themselves.