Thoughts on "I, Too, Sing America"

"I, Too, Sing America" is a poem written during the Harlem Renaissance by Langston Hughes. In this poem Langston Hughes addresses how Black Americans during this time period were treated like second class citizens, but in the poem Langston Hughes laughs at that idea. "But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong." In this poem Langston Hughes also presents his vision for the future. He says, "Tomorrow, I'll be at the table, When company comes, Nobody'll dare, Say to me, Eat in the kitchen." Langston Hughes in the future that one day Black American will be treated the same as everyone else and enjoy the same freedoms that every White American has. This poem stands for the hope of many Black American who worked hard and fought to try to become equal with White Americans. I believe Langston Hughes wrote this poem to encompass the feelings of many Black Americans during that time period.

Thoughts on "The Death of the Hired Man"....

"The Death of the Hired Man" by Robert Frost is very interesting poem. The thing I find most interesting about the poem is that the whole poem's structure is a conversation between a man and his wife. In this conversation, the man's wife lets him know that the hired hand Silas has died. She also tells him where she finds Silas. The poem also gives background information on Silas. I believe the word home in this poem is used to describe not only Silas dying and taking a place in the afterlife, but I feel it also has a literal meaning because the man and his wife gave Silas a home that he didn't have before he died due to various circumstances mentioned the poem.

Thoughts on William Carlos Williams...

After reading a some of his poems such as The Shadow, Metric Figure, and The Red Wheelbarrow, I think that William has a unique writing style. He uses easy to understand everyday vocabulary and and gets straight to the point during his poems. Even though it seems like he makes things painfully obvious in his writings there is very much room for different interpretations of his poetry that uses such basic words. I feel that his unique writing style is what made him such a great American author. I look forward to reading more of his poetry.

Thoughts on The Love Story of J. Alfred Prufrock...

The Love Story of J. Alfred Prufrock is a very intriguing poem by T.S. Eliot that can be interpreted in many different ways. There is the one literal interpretation that T.S. Eliot is writing a story about a women whom he loved or in love with, but I believe otherwise. When I read this poem I get the feeling that T.S. Eliot is describing a man who is somehow has a enamored with the thought of dying. "We have lingered in the chambers of the sea, By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown, Till human voices wake us, and we drown." In these lines I feel that Prufrock wants to die, but wants someone to attempt to save him. I feel that there is more to this poem than meets the eyes. If it was possible, I would really like to know what T.S. Eliot's real motivation behind writing this poem was.

Research Paper Reflection

During the course of completing this project, I learned some very interesting things about William Faulkner and his writings. I learned about his unique writing style and also more about the literary Modernist movement and a literary writing tool called stream of consciousness. I also learned how hard the research process can be. After doing my first research paper on Nelson Mandela and finding a plethora of information I figured the second time should be much easier because I have had the experience of writing a research paper before. I was mistaken. I originally chose to do my paper on Tennessee Williams, but I had to change to William Faulkner due to a lack of information to support my thesis statement. Faulkner also had challenges. Information on Faulkner wasn't as abundant as Mandela and I had to search very hard and change my search terms often to find valuable and relevant information. In all, I've gained another valuable experience in writing a research paper that due to my struggles is more valuable than my first research paper.

Thoughts on My Research Paper...

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been finding that doing research on Tennessee Williams was becoming increasingly difficult. I changed my topic questions three times in order to maximize my search results, but with no avail. No articles on JStor, Galileo or Google Scholar mentioned any of my specific topics. After talking with my teacher and trying again with no results I decided to change my topic to William Faulkner, but I kept my same topic question which was does this author's literary works encompass the ideals and values of southern lifestyle during that time period. The topic change has been very fruitful for me as I have been finding articles on JStor where literary scholars have analyzed his work and made connections to alot of the things that have went on during that time period.

Thoughts on "The Minister in a Maze" (Scarlet Letter Chapter 20)...

In this chapter, we see more of Arthur Dimmesdale deteriorating mental health. The maze is a self-inflicted situation that has been brought on by his internal struggle with himself. His experience in the wilderness has led him to question every aspect of his existence. It is causing the reverend to alienate himself from everyone else for example the young lady he meets in the town. He wants to be this knew persona he has created, but he isn't sure how to go about it or how he should treat people in the process. As we come to the culmination of book, I would like to see how the minister escapes or attempts to escape this maze he has entrapped himself in.

The Scarlet Letter & The Metaphysical...

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, metaphysical is defined as relating to the transcendent or to a reality beyond what is perceptible to the senses. Throughout The Scarlet Letter I believe there are many metaphysical references. Metaphysical references happen throughout the story and occur most frequently with situations that involve Pearl. I think that Pearl, even though she is a human being, through her actions is sort of the metaphysical element in story. She is often involve in a lot of the motifs that the author tries to present to the reader like the chasing sunshine situation for example. To conclude, metaphysical happenings is a significant theme in this book. As we come closer to finishing the book during class I will be trying see how significant it is.

Another Perspective on Hester...

Since we are coming to the end of the book The Scarlet Letter my thoughts on Hester have changed tremendously. At first I thought the book was purely about her and her relationship situation with Rev. Dimmesdale, but I've come to notice that the author wants to examine Hester's reactions and feelings to the situations she's being placed in. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable, strong, compassionate, but not necessarily extraordinary role model. It is the extraordinary circumstances shaping her that make her such an important figure and potential role model.

Thoughts on My Research Topic

I chose to do my research paper on Tennessee Williams. During my sophomore year, after reading his very intriguing short story "A Streetcar Named Desire" I became very interested in his imagery, description, and very multi-dimensional characters. One of the characters that intrigued me the most during that story was Blanche. She was a very aristocratic, pre-antebellum southern belle. After seeing the struggles that Blanche went through during the story and learning that Tennessee Williams was gay I wondered if Blanche could be a self-reflection of him and if it isn't some sort of his self reflection where did the inspiration for her character come from. I'm not actually sure what angle I want to take with this paper yet, but I hope to utilize "A Streetcar Named Desire" and learn more about Tennessee Williams' life.

Thoughts on "The Interior of a Heart"...(The Scarlet Letter Chaper 11)

In chapter 11, Chilllingworth is still playing his mind games with Dimmesdale who's health is still deteriorating. Throughout the chapter, the reader can sense Dimmesdale's distrust for Chillingworth, but Dimmesdale continues to sort of confide in him. He sort of preaches sermons in his conversations with Chillingworth in which the main topic is sin. The reader also learns that Dimmesdale wants to confess the truth of his sin to his congregation but, he cannot bring himself to do so.

This chapter shows more of the climax of Dimmesdale's moral battle with himself. Throughout the chapter Dimmesdale tourtures himself mentally with visions of telling the truth, but he can't bring himself to do so because of how it would affect his congregation. And his internal conflict is wearing on him physically because his health keeps deteriorating. Due to the fact that the scaffold keeps reappearing in his visions I think it's a very significant motif. I think by him visiting the scaffold it could help him restore some sort of sanity. I am anxious to see what becomes of the scaffold in future chapters.

Thoughts on "The Elf-Child and the Minister" (Scarlet Letter Chapter 8)...

In this chapter, Hester is still inside Governor Bellingham's mansion. Bellingham, Wilson, Chillingworth, and Dimmesdale enter a room. They notice Pearl and begin to tease her by calling her a demon-child. They Come to the realization that Hester is there also and they proceed to ask her why she should keep Pearl. Hester tells them she can teach Pearl an important lesson. The men question Pearl and she refuses to answer. The men don't like this. Hester begs Dimmesdale to speak for her and her child. He replies by reminding the men that God sent Pearl and that the child was meant to be both a blessing and a curse.Bellingham and Wilson agree not to separate mother and child.

I believe this chapter to be one of the most significant chapters of the book because a lot of dynamic things happen. It serves as a sort of a build up to the climax to the book. Pearl seems to be very fond of Dimmesdale who is her biological father. Dimmesdale's defense of Hester seems to peak Chillingworth's suspicions of who Hester committed adultery. Also, Hester seeing her reflection in the suit of armor is very important also. Her distorted reflection shows her being unable to fit in in society.

Thoughts on "The Market-Place" (The Scarlet Letter Chaper 2)...

In this chapter, the crowd watches as a condemned Hester Prynne (the protagonist) emerges from a prison with her child to be placed on a scaffold (a raised platform) to be publicly humiliated as a part of her punishment for committing adultery. Also, Hester has an A on her dress, which is also a part of her punishment, that means Adulterer.

This chapter serves as an introduction along with the first chapter "The Prison Door" to Hester Prynne and her situation. It also serves as direct links to how a real Puritan society deals with crimes that are committed. Puritans believe that sin permeates our world and it should be sought out and those who commit sins should be punished and made an example of. I think so far this book will be a great fictional look inside the way the Puritan society deals with crime and punishment. I look forward to reading more of the book and getting more insight in to the Puritan society.