Welcome!

Welcome invested readers, curious cats of literature and scholars alike!

I wanted to take the idea of a "Literary Magazine" and create an environment that would be inviting for anyone to read upon and get involved in. A more casual take on what "Literature" really is. This type of arena allows easily for connections and communications between all that visit the site.

These are my opinions (as I am the Editor), but I do welcome any and all perspectives and voices on any and all pieces alike! Just please refrain from vulgarity, as this page is open to the general pubic and may be in the view of young, impressionable eyes...and those type of words aren't in the dictionary so they are not allowed!

Again; welcome, and enjoy!

Extra Credit!!!!

Extra Credit

Assignment:

Create a list of “Literary Symbols” to include in your magazine. For at least 20 of the texts discussed in class, locate one symbol from each text and discuss how it was used to enhance the theme(s) of the story or poem.

List of Texts

1.     Othello – The handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona; it was a symbol of loyalty and love.

2.     Death of a Salesman – The seeds Willy planted; him trying to produce the American dream.

3.     The Origins of Oedipus the King – The gouging out of his eyes; was a symbol that he felt that with eyes he never really did see and therefore did wrong.

4.     A Rose for Emily – The dust in her house; it was a symbol for trying to live in happier times.

5.     Sonny’s Blues – The music he played; was a symbol for his escape from his struggles and troubles.

6.     Cathedral – The drawing; was a symbol for the epiphany of the man realizing that he hadn’t really seen things before.

7.     Greasy Lake – The term greasy – was a symbol for the wild life and everything it stood for.

8.     The Storm – The affair; was a symbol of secrets, desires and infidelity.

9.     Saboteur – The soup; was a symbol for a mans revenge and rage.

10.  Girl – Slut; isn’t really her mom calling her a slut, it’s a symbol for not being respected or in the norm for what is expected.

11.  Harrison Bergeron – The noises; were a symbol of control over expressive freedoms and thought.

12.  A Good Man… – The term good man; was a symbol of what the grandmother thought of society as a whole.

13.  Out, Out – The saw; is a symbol for the consequences of becoming a man.

14.  My Last Duchess – The painting; was a notch on the Dukes belt.

15.  My Papa’s Waltz – The waltz; was a symbol of a relationship between father/son skewed.

16.  For A Lady I Know – Cherubs; are a symbols for what this person thinks is what God intended.

17.  I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud – The cloud; is a symbol for a fond memory or dream.

18.  Rites of Passage – The general; was a symbol for the boys playing together and accepting one another.

19.  The Chimney Sweeper – The sweeping; was a symbol for an escape.

Aftermath – The term aftermath; is a symbol for a tragedy.

References

References:

1. Literature; An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Dram and Write by X.J. Kennedy & Dana Gioia

2.http://www.bookbrowse.com/authors

3. http://classiclit.about.com/od/atozwriters/AtoZ_Writers_in_Classic_Literature.htm

Harrison Bergeron - Reaction Column

Harrison Bergeron - Reaction Column

Plot of Text:

Throughout the course of history in this piece of literature, the characters are shunned and even punished for being beautiful and intelligent. They are handicapped and taught to be like one another.

Literary Devices:

Style, language, tone, characterization (antagonist, antihero and motivation), setting (location, situation, time period), plot (internal and external, rising action, climax, suspense, falling action, foreshadowing and open plot), point of view, theme/message and symbols).

Major Themes/Symbols:

Defiance, uniqueness, individuality, power, intelligence, the power of tv, destroying any chance of progression through the pressure of total equality, the noise is that to the comparison of a dog shock collar.

Did I Like:

I liked this text more than any other piece written. It quite sad, but so powerful.

Why Did I Include This:

Mainly because the moral of the story is; don't let someone tame, control or destroy what makes you shine.

Girl - Reaction Column

Girl - Reaction Column

Plot of Text:

Girl is about a mother giving her daughter advice. While the mother is trying to give her daughter bits of information that'll be important in her life, she insults her and puts her down simultaneously.

Identify the Literary Devices:

Characterization (protagonist and static), plot (open, internal and external), setting (time period, location, etc), tone, style, language and theme/message.

Major Themes/Symbols:

How domestication and the knowledge of being able to prepare food, clothing and overall being able to take care of a household, will prepare you for eternal happiness. How being a "slut" will make you an outcast, and open yourself to sexual dangers. How being submissive is what's best for your future.

My Opinion:

I liked and didn't like it. I liked how the mother was trying to look out for her own daughters welfare. At the same time, she's closing her daughter off to bigger and better possibilities because she is young and impressionable. 

Why Did I Pick It:

I like how the moral of the story is just because your parents or elders say so, doesn't always make it right. However when it comes to your safety, you better do what it told.

Webliography

Webliography


*As the Editor, I would like to make a few suggestions to the readers of my blog of other sites and articles to take the time to read if they are looking to more different perspectives on literature. Enjoy book worms!

1. www.newpages.com/literary-magazines

2. www.pw.org/literary_magazines?&perpage=*

3. www.world-newspapers.com/literature.html

4. www.everywritersresource.com/topliterarymagazines.html

Cathedral - Reaction Column

Cathedral - Reaction Column

Plot of the Text: 

Narrator (husband of the wife) allows the wife to invite her blind friend (Robert) to their house after his wife passed away. The narrator is closed off at first and quick to snub and judge. By the end of the cathedral, the Robert opens the narrator up and teaches him how to "see".

Literary Devices Used: 

Tone, style of writing, language, central conflict (internal and external), characters (round, dynamic, stereotype and flat), flashback, closed plot, setting, theme/message, and figurative symbols.

Major Themes and Symbols:

Roberts apparent blindness, which is irony because he can see more intimately than the narrator can with his full vision. Instead of being able just to see something or someone, he believes it, and listens to it, which gives him more insight on whatever he is doing than the narrator could ever have had until his realization at the end of the story. The cathedral itself and the way of drawing it was giving it a meaning to the narrator, and teaching him to dig deep and to really see what he is doing and be invested in it. I would also say that the videotapes we basically the equivalence of them having sex. Realistically. Nothing can bring someone closer to another than being a genuine and participative listener. 

Personal Views on the Text:

I very much liked the text. I didn't like how the narrator was plain old being rude and applying stereotypes. However, his ignorance was removed from the lesson of one he judged. It was nice to see the turn around and evolvement of that particular character.

Why Did I Chose This Text:

Simply put; I like that the moral of the story if basically that of you can learn a lot from those you act ignorant towards.

Sonny's Blues - Critical Essay

Sonny's Blues - Critical Essay

1. INTRODUCTION -

During the course of this writing, you begin to understand exactly what trials and tribulations Sonny was going through. Having grown up in the projects/low income housing, finding out the truth out how his father had really passed and their rocky relationship with one another, his turbulent dynamic with his own brother, his heroin addiction and the problems it brought on, his struggle to fulfill the typical American dream, and finding the courage to do what he really loves; play music.

A. THESIS - 

Sonny’s Blues are the story of his life, and the failures or pitfalls he endured….feeling imprisoned in his own body”.

2. BODY - 

A. SUMMARY - 

Sonny had a lot of internal and external conflict that he went through. Most of the time, even though he had family around him that loved him very deeply, he felt as though he were alone, and therefore struggled alone.

B. CRITICISM/ANALYSIS - 

First example I would like to use would be his relationship between his father and Sonny himself. Every boy wants a healthy father/son relationship with his own father. However, in this case, the father was resentful and argumentative towards Sonny…mainly due to the fact that they were so much alike. Their stubborn personalities clashed a lot, leaving for something to be lacking in the relationship.

The second example I would like to mention would be the relationship between Sonny and his brother (presumably James, the narrator). They have a definite bond due to the idea that they are blood brothers. There seems to be constant mistrust and conflict between these two. Sonny feels James consistent judgment towards him, and his disapproval for his life choices and decisions.

The third example would be his neighborhood in which he grew up. Sonny grew up in New York, but it was in a low-income, project housing area. The people in the area were not exactly the most respectable…one of which introduced Sonny to heroin. To be surrounded in a living situation and people that bring you down and present no good opportunities, has to be depressing. Possibly a feeling as though you cannot achieve beyond it. “Yet, when he smiled, when we shook hands, the baby brother I’d never known looked out from the depths of his private life, like an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light.”

The final would be Sonny’s drug habit and addiction to heroin. He struggled to get clean, and find an outlet. One unsuccessful attempt led to a drug bust and jail time resulting from his lifestyle.

3. CONCLUSION - 

I believe that “Sonny’s Blues”, were the stories in which made up his life. His trials and tribulations. The actual “blues” he played through the piano, was him (to me) releasing those inner demons from his life and rising above and beyond it. “For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn’t any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness.”

Fire and Ice - Historical Perspective

Fire and Ice - Historical Perspective

Written by Robert Frost in the early 1930's, Fire and Ice is a blunt, yet humorous way of looking at how the world will end. Will we burn up by the sun, or freeze when it shuns us? 

There was a lot of speculation at the time as to how the world would end. This was right at the end of the Great Depression. People were homeless, hungry, unemployed, suicide rates were high...it's easy to see why the question popped up in Robert Frosts mind. Unlike his depressed peers, he played on it jokingly, because why stress about the world ending? Because if it is, why spend your last few moment on Earth worrying about it and just enjoy yourself?

I think this literary piece is a clear insight as to the number one thought on everyones mind.

My Life Had Stood -- A Loaded Gun - Historical Perspective

My Life Had Stood -- A Loaded Gun - Historical Perspective

This poem was written by Emily Dickinson. She was a religious woman, who grew up in the 1800's. She grew incredibly homesick after having left home for school, and upon her return grew to live in almost complete isolation. While it is not sure of an exact date when this was written, we know it was produced before she passed.

Some people say that this was her way of discovering within herself that writing was her "gun" and when the trigger was pulled, she felt alive. As though she had accomplished something of importance. Some people feel the "gun" and the gun going off, was her doing things in the name of God. Which would have made sense because of her religious background at the time. Women were relatively oppressed at the time, and feminists have grown to believe this was Emily's way of being everything but a woman. The gun was unladylike, harsh, and cold, unlike Emily herself. 

For being a religious, unemployed recluse, all of these analysis make sense for the time period she was in. She was very insightful on people, even though she had very little interaction with them. She however learned through observation not to judge a book by it's cover, and she herself was a book of many words and pictures. Way beyond her historical time frame.

Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter & Funeral Blues - Critical Essay

Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter & Funeral Blues - Critical Essay

1. INTRODUCTION - 

Throughout the course of literature, authors have customized their writings to that of either the time period they were living in, or that of which the piece was supposed to be set in. Along with the use of words, there is a difference in style, language and tone. The purpose of this essay is to "modernize" two poems, and explain the reasoning for the new composition/rewrite, while keeping the major theme of the poem the same as it was originally intended.

A. THESIS STATEMENT - 

Regardless of the time period in which a piece of literature was written, the message/moral can still be affective just the same if modernized.

2. BODY - 

A. SUMMARY - 

This is what was originally written for my first poem choice:

Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter

Author: Robert Bly

It is a cold and snowy night. The main street is deserted.

The only things moving are swirls of snow.

As I lift the mailbox door, I feel its cold iron.

There is a privacy I love in this snowy night.

Driving around, I will waste more time.

This new version, is the modernized version I have created:

My Kind of Night

It is dark and muddy out tonight. My hybrid broke down on the back woods road.

The only things I see are the trees swaying in the wind, not an animal or person insight.

I lift my flip phone to check my signal, I have three bars.

I ponder send you a text message, "liking" you on Facebook, and tweeting your twitter while sitting alone in the car.

And then I leave my phone in the car, grab my wallet, and walk 12 miles to the nearest bar.

This is what was originally written for my second choice poem:

Funeral Blues

Author: Wystan Hugh Auden

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone.

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling in the sky the message He is Dead,

Put crêpe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last forever, I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun.

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

This new version, is the modernized version I have created:

Break-Up Blues

I stop checking my email, I started screening my calls

I don't let my cat leave my side, but she runs away in fright,

I turn off the tv, and turn off my ipod

I cancel my holiday party, I don't want anyone to come.

I let the thoughts race inside my head

Ultimately he isn't coming home, he's going to another woman's instead,

I put on my "fat" pajama pants

And I let my hair go, it's such a mess.

He was my love, my life, my everything

You were my first thought when I got up,and my last when I went to bed,

You were the one my mother looked down upon

I told her you loved me, but I was wrong.

I just want Ben & Jerrys now, I pulled every flavor

I ripped down our pictures and love letters, nothing left to savor,

Ill cry me a river at home tonight and watch your favorite movie...Goldmember

Although now, the movie is not as enjoyable as I remember.

B. CRITICISM/ANALYSIS

1. Regarding Driving to "Town Late to Mail a Letter", the main plot in the original text was the savory experience and pleasure of being alone. I captured that same feeling in my version called "My Kind of Night". In "My Kind of Night", the driver of the vehicle is on their way to the bar to drink alone. Along the way the car breaks down in the back dirt road. The driver contemplates using any and all forms of technology to call someone for help. Instead, they opt out and walk to the bar...as they'd rather be alone than not.

2. In the second poem "Funeral Blues", the main plot is that the world is no longer beautiful without the love of the persons life there to enjoy it with them...as the lost lover was their life. In my version, called "Break-Up Blues", this girl believes life will not go on without her cheating boyfriend. She cancels time to spend with friends, seeks her cat for comfort, doesn't see the beauty in not doing her hair perfect or enjoying that she can wear "fat" pajama pants without judgement of him, and looks for reason to believe in watching his favorite movie. As if watching the movie will bring him back. For now, her world has ended, and so won't her Ben & Jerrys Pint shortly.

I used some of the situations I did (going to the bar alone, the bad break up), items (pajama pants, cell, hybrid), and technology terms (twitter, Facebook, text) to make the story more relatable to a younger reader. Most people would be able to understand what the character is going through, but it is still portraying the original message intended.

3. CONCLUSION - 

Regardless of the language, tone and style, the moral of the story remains the same...no matter what time period or background of life.

Robert Frost - Author Biography

Robert Frost - Authors Biography

Date of Birth: March 26th, 1874

Date of Passing: January 29th, 1963

Place of Residence: Started in San Francisco California, England, New Hampshire, Boston Massachusetts

Occupation: College drop-out (Dartmouth College and Harvard), Author/Poet

Marital Status: Elinor White in 1895

To his Credit: 105 poems

Misc: He was a old man in "a young" person game. He publish his first book after the age of 40. He sought out to do the "right thing" wit his life (IE - college) and he found himself to be unhappy. He went down the road more beaten and became a successful poet.

William Shakespeare - Authors Biography

William Shakespeare - Authors Biography

Date of Birth: Unknown...although he was baptized April 26th, 1564

Date of Passing: April 23rd, 1616

Place of Residence: England

Occupation: Actor, author, and owner of a playwright company.

Marital Status: At the age of 18 to Anne Hathaway

To his Credit: Numerous plays, sonnets and poems

Misc/Mystery?... - "William Shakespeare" has written some of the most famous pieces of literature second that of the Bible. However; people over the course of years are questioning his actual existence. His DOB has never ben truly identified, his family tree, people physically seeing him...so did he truly exist? Was it another persons writing and he never penned these things at all? Was it a stage name he used to remain anonymous? No matter how many people search into this subject, I believe the mystery will never be solved/proven. His existence, is in the readers faith. Faith in him.

A Good Man is Hard to Find - Critical Essay

A Good Man is Hard to Find -  Critical Essay

1. INTRODUCTION - 

In,"A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor, it describes a grandmother from the south. This piece of literature goes into description of how a woman that holds herself so highly above others and judges people around her so quickly...is the one that suffers the most. This story truly exihibits a play on words. The true meaning and emphasis behind the word "man" takes on a whole other definition in this writing.

A. THESIS STATEMENT - 

In "A Good Man is Hard to Find", the use of the word "man" in the title is not simply referring to the male gender; the title is a play on words, which speaks to a larger context of humanity.

2. BODY -

A. SUMMARY - 

The use of the word "man" in this story isn't specifically speaking of one male, or of the sex in particular.    The way the grandmother uses the term man is quite insulting, and used in a broad sense. She thinks positively or highly of no one genuinely. If she acts civil, it's because she would be gaining something from the "positive" interaction. The term is disposable. Through different actions she takes, and things she says, it will show you exactly what the author wanted you to see and realize.

B. CRITICISM/ANALYSIS - 

The first example would be the grandmothers lack of insight on herself. She never refers to herself how she does everyone else. Claiming she is a "lady", as though her status and class will get her further in life regardless of her true feelings and treatment of others. She exhibits dishonesty when she hid the cat in the car, she chose not to tell her son that the directions to the house were incorrect, she also decided not to plead for the life of her son, wife wife or her grandchildren...but only that of her own. Ladies of virtue wouldn't do that. But she chooses to almost flatter people and butter them up by stating they are good "men".

In her mind, those surrounding her are not her peers. She almost acts as though she were God herself. So when addressing people as "men" it isn't really one person, it's indirectly her feelings towards humanity. She feels that general society hold nothing against her, and they are below her level. What's ironic is the Misfit, the person she claims is a good "man" although he kills her...he provides her with her first true realization is her place in society amongst those "men". Her realization that these people she always frowned upon, all came from the same God, and that she were no different from them. She was one of those men.

3. CONCLUSION - 

Not just only the use of the word "man" but between the grandmothers and the Misfits view on God, his children and their place in the world, really shows us that society overall does try and do what's right. Humanity is good if you believe it is good. Being negative about it, will only attract that negativity and seal your doom. That's what I feel happened to the grandmother. She brought onto herself and her family  karma that she put onto others around her.

Rite of Passage - Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I just wanted to praise Sharon Olds and more specifically her work on the poem "Rite of Passage".

Sharon is candid in the way she speaks. Brings a lot of emotion to a person or situation that may not normally be looked at al emotional. While a person may read the poem and think that the boys mental behavior is disturbing and violent...it's clearly a mother watching her son...being a boy!

This poem also shows an innocence that once gone, a person will never get back. A mother captured it in this moment.

Although her writing is more currant than that of Shakespeare, I feel as though she has made a tremendous impact of english literature so far, and will continue to do so.

Thank you.

Interested Reader

For a Lady I Know - Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I cannot believe a poem that defines an author being a racist! In, "For a Lady I Know", the author (Countee Cullen) writes a four line poem of the following;

"She even thinks that up in heaven
Her class lies late and snores
While poor black cherubs rise at seven
To do celestial chores".

This is clearly racism! Not only does the author feel superior to her "black" peers (even in heaven), but insinuating that even God created them for never ending service in heaven and Earth!?!? Ridiculous. Seriously. Everyone has value, and all were created equal. Not sure why the author is proud of this work of "art".

Sincerely,

Invested and Offended Reader

Othello - Critical Essay

Othello - Critical Essay

1. INTRODUCTION -

William Shakespeare wrote the tale of Othello. A tale of many things; love, heroism, plants, military, isolation and sadness. In the review of this piece, Alvin Kernan says, "Othello is probably the most neatly, formally constructed of Shakespeare’s plays. Everh character is, for example, balanced by another of similar or contrasting character. Desdemona is balanced by her opposite, Iago; love and concern for others at one end of the scale, hatred and concern for self at the other." Besides Desdemona and Iago, what other pairs of characters strike balance?

A. THESIS STATEMENT - 

In being polar opposite of one another, I believe that Othello and Roderigo  balance eachother's sayings and actions throughout this dramatic piece.

           

2. BODY

A. SUMMARY -
In my eyes, a pair of characters that strike balance (as in being opposite from one another) would be Othello and Roderigo. Just because characters have similarities, doesn't mean they are good for one another, nor would they be good for a good story line. For one thing, Othello is a natural leader, he has faith, and faces altercations right on. Whereas Roderigo does none of those things.

B. CRITICISM/ANALYSIS -
Othello can be described as such; strong, independent, and willing to do the right thing for his people, is what a leader is all about. Roderigo by comparison, is very much a follower. He is not a natural born leader, or person to take control. He relies on others to help him decide what actions to take or words to speak. A good example of this would be how heavily he follows Iago’s every word and move.

            

Along the same lines as above, Othello has faith in others to do right. An example of this would be putting faith in Desdemona, hoping that she not deceive him as she did her father. Roderigo is not confident in anything he does. He is very hesitant to act, and unsure of what to do. He only puts faith in others when it benefits him. Such as trusting that Iago will get Desdemona for Roderigo, even though she is married and clearly not interested.

Lastly, Othello and Roderigo are different for the following reason. Othello faces conflict head on. Deals with the problem, then moves forward. Such as, talking to the courts about how Desdemona came to love him. Afterwards, he proceeded on. Roderigo on the otherhand; instead of just doing what’s right straightforward to win Desdemona, he does the run around. Basically, indirectly trying to deal with the problem, while avoiding as much conflict as possible. 

3. CONCLUSION - 

A. I believe these two characters have enough opposite characteristics and moral beliefs, to balance them out. Throughout various things each character say and does, defines them. Clearly setting the one apart from the other. In the examples in the arguments I have provided above, I feel that has proven such.

My Papa's Waltz - Plot Analysis

In My Papa's Waltz, the author Theodore Roethke discussed so much in very little text. The poem speaks of a boy having a waltz with his father. Bringing up the whiskey smell on his breath, the dirt on his hands, and rough housing he shows during their physical interactions. Although the mother seems to look on with a look of resentment or slight disappointment towards the whole thing, the boy still loves his father none the less.

This particular poem goes on to express a son's emotional loss for his father. It sounds as though the boys relationship with his father before he started doing "mans work" outside and drinking, was a joyous one. He was excited to see his father. He thought lovingly of his father. And while the author recognizes the changes his father made into becoming a physically careless drunk, he still thinks of their interactions fondly. The mother looks on, as if she knows what's going on isn't right. But who is she to stop her son, from overlooking his fathers fault? While the situation is serious, Roethke brought some lightness and humor to it, maybe to show the reader that even in the darkest of scenarios, to find the silver lining.

My Last Duchess - Plot Analysis

The poem My Last Duchess spoke of a painting, a painting of the "last" duchess. Discussed by the Duke, to whomever he was exclusively showing the painting to at the event that was taking place (a royal party perhaps).

Throughout the poem by Robert Browning, the Duke speaks of the painting. How the artist captured her natural beauty on the canvas. He then switches subjects from her appearance, to her "intelligence". How she was easily impressed, almost gullible to another mans affections, and the Duke despised being treated like everyone else. In his mind, he wasn't everyone else; he was a Duke! He continues to insult her, and mentions how he may have been at the hand of her early passing.

Then in turn, he goes on to compromise a new marriage, with another physically beautiful young woman of a rich family. He closes the curtains to the painting, and him and his converser go back to their party.

I think the purpose of this poem was to be aware, that all that may seem perfect...really is not. The Duke himself, although a man of royalty, was incredibly jealous, pigheaded, had murderous tendencies and insecure to say the least.

Death of a Salesman - Critical Essay

Death of a Salesman Critical Essay

1. INTRODUCTION -
Death of a Salesman was written postwar by Arthur Miller about a family, more specifically about a man named Willy Loman. He's the bread winner of his family, who dreams of having it all. This written piece goes into the struggles he and his family have to go through due to blind faith in society and material "rewards". 

A. THESIS STATEMENT -
 “The American Dream is something that cannot be realistically maintained because the idea of the American Dream is purely superficial.”

2. BODY -

A. SUMMARY - 

A. Willy Loman is a Salesman, who travels daily for work. All his life he has convinced himself that with the American Dream, life will be grand. He's worked hard underneath one boss most of his life, dedicating all his efforts and energy towards his goal. In this story; through the physical changes in surroundings, the emotional internal conflicts his family has to manage, Willy's own psychological downfall, the author proves his point that the "American Dream" really isn't a dream based on your own pure happiness, and not only that of material possessions, but that happiness really isn't a part of the dream at all.

B. CRITICISM/ANALYSIS -
The first thing I will be discussing is what it really means when Willy plants the seeds throughout the story. He is a working man, and truly believes he is at the top of his game and well liked, but has little reward to show his family for his hard efforts. Willy only tries to grow the seeds at night...which if anybody has a bit of a green thumb, knows that the positive potential in that is slim to none. I feel as though that he is ashamed to show his family of his sensed failures at work and fears he has of not been seen for the breadwinner and successful businessman he wants to be. His insecurity shows a lot here. I  also noticed that throughout the story when he starts his delusions on the American dream, he plants a seed in his yard when more natural surroundings still existed and the land more natural. However; in the course of the story, the surroundings in which he plants his seed become more harsh backgrounds for that (the neighborhoods/apartments being built up, trees and wildlife being taken away), basically making it impossible for the plant to flourish. I think this represents how even though he is stuck on what used to be as far as the "American Dream" goes,that corporate America does not feel the same way, and that they will do what's best for them and their own interests.

The second thing is the hardships his family goes through. Barely having any food on the table, fallen relationships due to Willy's hard criticisms on his sons and his infidelity, having to cope with their father trying to inhale gas in an attempt to kill himself, a wife being left to feel trampled on and desiring to feel wanted and equal. If Willy had pursued a dream that he felt inside of his gut (which is exactly whhat his brother Ben did), he wouldn't had put pressure on his sons, he wouldn't have treated them so negatively because without societies version of the American dream...they would have had nothing to measure up to and therefore would not have failed according to Willy. The son's wouldn't feel the pressure to provide for themselves and their mother because they know their father cannot. Willy wouldn't have sought for comfort outside of his marriage through another woman. If Willy really pursued something that made him happy, he would not consistently be seeking a way out through daily suicide attempts. 

When times were easier, and the dream not so cemented in Willy's head, his own well being was intact. The more he saw that he was working hard for someone else's dream (that being corporate America), and getting nothing for it...he started to fall apart. Which in turn affected his family life, his work views, and skewed make believe and reality. He collapsed under pressure, and saw himself as a never ending failure.

3. CONCLUSION -
If you looked at Willy's mental stability, and the pure happiness he had with his family before seeking out so desperately the "American Dream", it shows the reader that real happiness isn't from where you  live, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, etc etc. It's from peace within yourself, and in the others you love. When this dream becomes an obsession for Willy, all of that goes away. Corporate American does not look out for you, but for their own welfare. This story captures that through the examples and arguments I have provided. I hope that after reading this, I have given you a deeper perspective on this subject as a whole.

A Rose For Emily - Story Organizer

Title of the Story:

A Rose For Emily

Characters:

Emily, Homer Barron, the people of the town.

Setting:

The Southern United States (Mississippi, Louisiana?) in a small town.

Problem/Conflict:

She kept to herself, was not stable and did not marry. She seemed as though she was keeping a secret, and people wanted to dig deep to find out what that secret was.

Solution:

The find her dead, and find her "lover"that was kept in her house hidden.

Introduction/Exposition:

Started with the people of her town attending her funeral, and looking inside of her house.

Rising Action:

People complained of an awful smell coming from her house. Which striked everyones curiousity about her.

Climax:

Emily goes to the local Pharmacy and seeks Arsenic, although she does not explain her purpose for needing it.

Falling Action:

Her lover, Homer Barron "disappears", shes grows old with her man friend/servant.

Resolution:

Emily passes away, and the town discovers her lover Homer laid out on a bed...with a gray hair next to him.

Sonny's Blue - Story Organizer

Title of the Story: 

Sonny's Blues

Setting: 

Low income housing in Harlem, New York.

Characters:

 Sonny and the narrator (assumed James).

Problem/Conflict:

 Sonny's struggle with his heroin addiction and life struggles, his fights to find a healthy outlet/escape.

Solution:

 Using the music he plays as a substitute for the heroin. Music is his escape from his reality.

Introduction/Exposition: 

The Narrator (assumed James) saw an article in the newspaper about his brother's (Sonnys') involvement in a drug bust.

Rising Action: 

The narrator writing a letter to Sonny after his daughter passed away, which brought Sonny back to the area.

Climax: 

The narrators stress over Sonny peaks as he finds out about the death his father endured. The brothers argue terribly.

Falling Action: 

The brothers stop speaking. Sonny drops out of college, joins the military and stays away for a while. ->

Resolution: 

Sonny comes back to the area and learns how to play music. The narrator goes to see Sonny play the blues, and he comes to a complete understanding as to why Sonny wanted to play.