Hills Like White Elephants (Ernest Hemingway) seems to be an odd piece of writing at first, but after reading it several times I have a completely different perspective about this story. The author is very indirect, which makes it harder for the reader to comprehend the text; but overall I enjoyed this writing piece because the ending is not very clear, meaning that I could conclude the story however I wanted.
1. Does she stay in her relationship with the man? After reading the story the first time I looked over the response questions again and immediately assumed that the answer would be written clearly in the text like most short stories. I read through the story a second time and a third, a fourth, a fifth and so on. I must have read Hills Like White Elephants about ten times until I finally figured out what was going on. As I stated above, the ending is very unclear, so therefore readers do not really know whether or not the girl decides to stay in her relationship with the man. In my opinion, I believe that the girl wishes to continue her relationship with the man, but the man refuses. This is evident because I noticed that the girl in this story must be young because the author refers to her as “the girl” and the waitress is referred to as “the woman.” Her partner, the man, must be older which explains why he is so against keeping the baby. Maybe he has a wife that the girl does not know about and he doesn’t want to be exposed as a cheater. “He did not say anything but looked at the bags against the wall at the station. There were labels on them from all the hotels where they had spent nights” Hills Like White Elephants (Ernest Hemingway). This girl may have just been a mistress that the man took along on trips in order to keep her away from his friends and family. Since she is young she may be very desperate for love, meaning that she is so oblivious to his double life. There are so many different ways that this story could have ended, and the text is so indirect that we as readers really have no clue what happens. It’s a bit mysterious to think about what the author had in mind. 2. When have you made a important choice to stay in a relationship or leave a relationship -- OR -- stay or leave a difficult situation? I encourage you to write a scene that shows the moment. Consider using dialogue.
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The podcast What You Don't Know (Lulu Wang) tells a story about a family who is faced with a tragic incident and they must decide whether they want to lie or tell the truth to a relative who is diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Lula and her family work together to make Nanai’s last few months memorable and the outcome is amazing, but was it the right thing to do? 1. Did you agree with the family's choice to deceive Wang's grandmother? Yes I did agree with the family’s choice to deceive Wang’s grandmother for a multitude of reasons. In the text we are reminded plenty of times that Wang’s relatives are a traditional Chinese-American family, therefore they have strong beliefs in their Chinese culture. “My mom told me about an old Chinese belief called chongxi. Chong means to rinse out, and xi is joy. So chongxi is the belief that you can wash away a misfortune with joy”(Lula Wang). I feel that this Chinese belief is true, especially in the situation Wang and her family went through. Perhaps they had told Nanai the truth, maybe she would not have been blessed with another three years of life, maybe she would have passed away within the three months she was given. However, Nanai was granted another three years and throughout those three years she was full of joy and completely immersed in life itself. 2. When have you made an important choice to tell someone a difficult truth or you made an important choice to tell a lie that had a major impact on you and/or someone else? When I was younger I played softball all throughout my childhood up until 8th grade. By the time I could walk my dad had me out in the yard with a tiny pink glove and a squishy ball. As I got older he would take my little brother and I to Hopewell field to practice batting and fielding. We always had a blast and it was something I always looked forward to. My dad would always tell us stories about his baseball experiences; one time he was playing for three different leagues at the same time so baseball basically consumed his childhood. He was obsessed. My family and I would go to at least fifteen Phillies games every season; it was always a huge event and we went all out. I played for EBYA and when I got to middle school I joined the league there. I was always really good at softball, I almost always had an amazing play or hit every game. My dad was convinced that I’d play throughout high school and receive a scholarship to play in college, but that’s not what happened. When I went to highschool my life completely changed; I was so wrapped up in my friends and boys. It was a whole new world and I wanted to explore every bit of it. So when try-outs rolled around the corner I had to tell my dad that I didn’t want to play softball anymore. I was a total mess and I put it off for weeks. I didn’t want to break his heart, he had such high hopes for me. Finally, I broke the news to him and at first he was disappointed but over time he learned to respect my decision. This happened about six years ago and I still regret my decision to give up on softball; sometimes I catch myself thinking about what my life would be like right now if I would have stuck with it. We still go to Phillies games every year together and sometimes we’ll have a catch if we can find the time. So all in all my passion for softball wasn’t completely lost. My Name is Margaret (Maya Angelou) is a sorrowful story about a young black girl named Margaret who is seeking to gain knowledge regarding household duties, such as meal preparation and proper table setting. Throughout her experience she is faced with many obstacles, one being her inconsiderate employer, Mrs. Cullinan. In return, Margaret rebels.
1. Did you agree with Margaret's choice to break the casserole dish and two green glass cups? No, I do not agree with Margaret’s choice to break the casserole dish and two green glasses. In my opinion, Margaret had every right to be upset with her employer, Mrs. Cullinan, for a multitude of reasons. However, I do not think Margaret should have dealt with the situation in a childish manner. If I were in her shoes, I would have asked to speak to my employer alone and then I would have proceeded to ask her nicely to call me by my real name. If my employer were to deny my wishes I would have left the job. On the other end, Mrs. Cullinan had no right to call Margaret by another name without her approval. In this particular situation, I believe that both parties were wrong and there may have been a better outcome if they had communicated with one another. 2. When have you made an important choice to either resist or not resist oppression, challenge the status quo, or refuse to obey an authority figure? Although I have not experienced the cruel, inhumane treatment Margaret had been put through, I have had my fair share of unpleasant treatment from authorities in work environments. I worked as a banquet server at a country club for three years and I really enjoyed the atmosphere, my co-workers and the hourly rate I received. The only con to it were the late night hours during the busy wedding season. Sometimes I wouldn’t get off until 3:00 a.m. and then I’d be scheduled to work an event the next morning at 8:00 a.m. The long hours really started catching up to me as the weeks went by. At one point, we were so short staffed, management insisted on having the experienced employees, me being one of them, to work double shifts meaning we could be there for thirteen hours in a day. This went on for quite some time and I didn’t mind it too much, but what really made me angry was the fact that management began to send employees home after only working five hours, but employees who had been in since 7:00 a.m. that day had to stay throughout the whole event. It was completely out of line and made no sense whatsoever. I noticed this was a recurring situation, so I spoke to the manager about the mistreatment me and other employees were receiving and he was very understanding. He decided that it was unfair and he made adjustments to fulfill everyone’s needs. I was very happy with the outcome of the situation and all it took was one simple conversation to change things. |
Brianna MageeI will use this blog to compose my thoughts and network with others. Archives
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