Name All the Animals by Alison Smith(Part 3)

So far, the book is...interesting. I don't really find any part of the book to be difficult to read nor do I find it easy to read. To me, it's just like any other book I've ever read. A character that I seemed to start liking in the novel is Teresa. I liked her because she's very daring and different. She seems to be the one who is helping Alison forget the pain and misery from the death of Roy. I think the author includes Teresa in the novel to keep the story from getting so bland and to show how much Teresa changes Alison. Alison soon discovers things about herself that she never knew and she begins to feel things that she has never felt. Alison discovers that she is Lesbian and she experiences the feelings that one feels when making love. There aren't many characters that are described besides Alison's parents, Teresa, Alison and Roy so I can't really say that I dislike any of the characters. But so far, I guess that the story is somewhat progressing because Alison is making changes in her life and the subject is gradually moving away from Roy's death. So...I guess I should keep reading. Bye :)

Name All the Animals by Alison Smith(Part 2)

I'd have to say that Alison uses a lot of characterization throughout the novel. Often, when introducing a character, she describes their appearance, gestures/actions and conversations. For example, she describes Teresa by telling the reader that she has massive curls with a wide face. She also describes how she watched Teresa with sketchpad on her lap. This introduces Teresa as an artist. I think that Alison made Teresa kind of mysterious or shy because of the fact that Teresa doesn't want to share her drawings with Alison. Another example is Alison's father. He often calls Alison 'baby' showing that he is caring.  When Alison's mother and father let the nuns know to keep a close watch on Alison when they went on their trip to Toronto, it shows that they are protective. Throughout the story, when Alison's parents do things to show that they are grieving for Roy, they tend to come to Alison, as if to make sure that the only thing that they have left, is still there. Overall, I think Alison does a great job in introducing the characters' personalities as well as their image.

Name All the Animals by Alison Smith

Hmm...Well, so far, I'm not too intrigued or interested in the story. I was interested at first because I liked how the action happened so early in the story, but now that I go on, it seems as if the whole story is going to revolve around Roy's death. I wouldn't mind if the story was going to revolve around Roy...if he was ALIVE. It's different when he's dead. I don't want to read about someone's life...There won't be any action going on. Just thoughts and memories about him. I really hope that as the story goes on that Alison's character will become more developed and it won't be so much about Roy. Off to do work now :)

Sylvia Plath's Poetry Response

"Admonition"
- I really liked this poem, however it was really dark. All three stanzas consist of an 'if and then' situation. Each have to do with hurting a living object and what the effect would be. For example, the first stanza says that if you cut the tongue of the bird, you will hurt their vocal cords. The one that moved me the most was the last stanza in which she says that if you attempt to cut out a person's heart, you will stop the syncopation of two hearts. Overall, I really liked the structure and the point of the poem :)

"The Applicant"
- From what I understood in this poem, it seems to me like Sylvia is trying to say that if she changes herself and empties her mind out (in other words, being dumb), would a guy marry her. She talks about having fake body parts and she talks about having empty insides. This poem for me depicts reality because today, girls go through great measures in order to find 'love.' I also liked this poem because I could easily connect.

"April 18th"
- Uhh....This one was kinda confusing too, but I kinda thought that it was about her wanting to forget about something or somone in the past. She says that no matter what happens, like pregnancy or constipation, she would still not remember what happened in the dreadful memories from before.

"A Better Resurrection"
- I really liked this poem for some reason. I'm not sure what stood out to me but maybe it's just that I like what the poem was about. From my understanding, it was about her wanting to be born again because life at the moment for her wasn't going the way she had planned...or the way she expected or maybe wanted. It seems to me as she is fed up with everything and has no emotion left to show the way she feels.

"Mad Girls Love Song"
- I kinda liked this one too. She seems to be explaining how when she shuts her eyes, every bad thing in life seems to just go away, as if her eyes were doors to the world and she could block them out. And for some reason, when she says "I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead", I kind've believe that she thinks she's 'pausing' the world. But then again, that's how I think about it when I read this poem :)

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

In the first chapter, the character of Esther is introduced. Esther is a college student working in New York as an editor for a magazine. Here, Esther worries too much, it seems. She does not seem to enjoy all of the luxurious clothing, parties and free trips, and in the very beginning of the chapter, she worries about the electrocution of the Rosenburgs. In New York, Esther stays at an all girls hotel named the Amazon with eleven other girls. Her main companion seems to be Doreen, a beautiful and carefree, young woman. When Betsey, another girl who stays at the Amazon with them, comes and asks Esther if she wants share a cab with her and she declines because Doreen tells her to. They then take a cab together and while Doreen and Esther are stuck in traffic, a man named Lenny convinces them to get out of the cab and have a couple of drinks with him and his friends. Doreen and Esther accept and soon Doreen and Lenny are flirting while Frankie is attempting to occupy Esther. Esther ignores him for the fact that he is extremely short and she hovers over him like a giant. Frankie leaves, noticing that he is there for no reason. Esther lies and says her name is Elly begins to order random drinks, hoping to find one that she likes. Soon, Doreen and "Elly" leave with Lenny. Well, that's how far I've gotten so far so...Bye :)

Unsettling America Poems Response

In my opinion, "Mnemonic" by Li-Young Lee, it was a bit confusing. I didn't quite grasp the meaning of the poem. I also felt that the poem wasn't exciting, resulting in me not being interested in paying attention to the poem. I couldn't relate to the poem, due to the fact that it was about a boy who praises his fathers blue sweater. I think O.o "English Speaking Persons Will Find Translations" by Michael S. Glaser depicts the way Americans view the Holocaust. Glaser also mentions how tourists crowd around as to not miss a thing, and they crowd around to take pictures with the ovens at Dachau. We should be ashamed of the reactions, but we aren't. Glaser also speaks of a movie that the narrator watches in a hotel room where Americans so inappropriate things to Native American women. In this poem, I believe that Glaser attempts to point out how we go on with our daily lives as if everything were okay, but we don't realize how difficult it must have been for those who were apart of a crisis. We only see that crisis as an "important piece of history", but we shouldn't be so insensitive and only look at it that way. Glaser beautifully succeeds in portraying this idea.

Betsey Brown by Ntozake Shange- Part 3

I'm now on Chapter 8 and I still have to say that I am enjoying this book. The most important scene to me so far is the scene in which Charlie got in a fight with the whites at his new segregated school. This I feel will drive the rest of the story or at least it will drive the conflict of the story. I think that Jane is changing the most throughout the story because she seems to be paying more attention to the children and seems to be taking on the responsibility of having and maintaining a family. Also, I think That Betsey Brown is moving ahead of herself. She seems to be in a great rush to grow up which leads her to run away from home. She thinks she's got everything planned out but in reality, she has no clue what awaits her. I've left off on page 125. And I don't really know what else to say about the story so I've gotta go read some more.