Random Thoughts

Oh my good golly gosh! We are almost done with this class. Plus, I am almost finished with my first year of college here at the wild and crazy town of North Manchester. Sorry, but it just caught up with me :) I was looking at my calendar of the next month, and I saw finals were coming up and then summer! I think I can survive finals for a little bit of freedom before I have to come back and start an even tougher year.

Later 20th Century Lit

Okay, so I had mixed feelings about this pod. First off, I really hated the short story "Going to Meet the Man". It made me feel so dark when I was finished.... As for the other stories, they were not that bad. I was happy when Mama stood up against Dee for her daughter Maggie in "Everyday Use". A quilt is to be used. Yes, they are artsy, but those quilts meant so much more than to be hung up on a wall. I also liked Dee being shut down. I really don't know why, but it made up for a man dominating African Americans to get an erection and feel like a man.

Streetcar

I have got to admit I was not a fan of this play, but it did allow me to yell "Stella!" and understand where it came from.
Blanche made me angry only because she reminds me of one of my friends here at Manchester. I am starting to believe I may need to get her some help because she could become this insane thirty year old woman who believes she is young and beautiful (Not that anybody over the age of 25 isn't because they so are) and can get any teenage boy she wants if she hides in the dark and dimmed rooms. It also makes me thank the good Lord my friend is not going into the Education field. That would be scary and make me take drastic measures of keeping her from becoming a full Blanche. I mean, she already does that whole act of innocence and charm when in reality she can be really self centered and mean. I am just not keen into telling her she reminds me of a character from my Lit class...........

Whoo! Another Fitzgerald!

I was really happy to see we got to read more of Fitzgerald's stories in this pod! I loved The Great Gatsby so I had to read "Winter Dreams" at least. I liked this story. It was sad when he found out Judy married a man and lived a depressing life (Sorry for the spoiler) but it was nice to see she proved him wrong when he thought she would be a terrible wife. She was actually staying with the man who treated her like crap and she loved and watched her children. Dexter, the narrator, thought she was always going to be a flirt and never settle down. That was one reason he would not or could not marry her. I will definitely be reading his other short story, "Babylon Revisited."

Daisy Buchanan

After reading The Great Gatsby again, I have decided I actually like Daisy. In high school, I thought she was annoying and weak and kind of oblivious to her surroundings. Now that I read the book again, I find she really is more stronger than what I had originally thought. She is trying to make things work with her rude husband, but when someone from her past comes back, she goes for him. They were in love then, why can't they be in love now. I do remember the ending however.....
Daisy says the line," I hope she grows up to be a fool." It's sad to know what she means by that. Women shouldn't have to act like fools to avoid the pain. I really do not like her husband and I wish I could just make Daisy see what is best for her.
So far, great book.

The Great Gatsby

Our next Pod is over the novel The Great Gatsby. I am actually really excited about this pod because I read this novel in high school and I liked it then, just like "The Yellow Wallpaper". It was an easy novel to get into and I liked the time period it is set in. It is kind of glamerous and fancy. Our English teacher had us watch the movie after we finished the book, and I liked the movie, too. It is a fun book and I am excited to read it again and refresh my memory.

Finished Poetry!

WOW! That poetry Pod was tough. I like poetry but some of that was really hard to read. I like when poems are easy to get, but I suppose it is a good thing to challenge yourself once in awhile. I have decided that the poetry section of this class is one of my favorite to tackle.