Journal 28

"I heard a Fly buzz- when I died" is a very strange poem. The speaker is talking about what happened after he/she died. This fact and point of view gives a new and different way of reading the poem. Dickinson writes, "I heard a fly buzz-when I died" so it makes the reader think more about what Dickinson was talking about. You never get to hear what death is like from the point of view of the dying person. Then Dickinson writes, "The stillness was around my form Was like the stillness in the air Between the heaves of storm." This gives the image that when she died it was calm except for the occasional sobs from grieving friends and family. "The eyes beside had wrung them dry" shows that the people who were crying, but when it says that they were wrung dry it means that they had finished crying. Then she writes, "And breaths were gathering sure" I believe that it means that the person that was dying was gathering his or her's last breaths. He or she knows that the end is drawing near. "For one last onset, when the King Be witnessed in his power." I am not sure what this is saying, but it could mean that the "King" is calling the dying person home or to heaven. "I willed my keepsakes, signed away, What portion of me I, Could make assignable,—and then, There interposed a fly,". This part of the poem shows that she is giving up all of her material possessions, and was ready to die. "With blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz, Between the light and me; And then the windows failed, and then I could not see to see." These lines are showing that the person was ready to die and was going to have a peaceful death, but then he or she was interrupted by the fly. The person died anyways. Even though she was interrupted by the fly he died anyways and it didn't matter because now he or she is dead.

Journal 27

Emily Dickins0n's poems can be sung to the tune of "Amazing Grace" and "Yellow Rose of Texas". her Poems have rhythmic lines and the reason that they can be sung to several different folk songs was because her rhyme scheme and and story telling can follow a musical beat. Dickinson grew up in a Christian family. Her family was very legalistic about Christian laws and held many Puritan beliefs. "Amazing Grace" is a hymn that is a staple for the Christian religion. The lyrics summarize the belief's of Christianity, and what Jesus did for us. Since she grew up in the church she most likely sang "Amazing Grace" and many other hymns. Because "Amazing Grace" is a base of the Christianity, Dickinson was very much influenced by this song. Most of her poems were published posthumously. I do not think that she wrote these poems to go along with the tune of "Amazing Grace", but the rhythm and beat of the poems were influenced by it. When she was writing the poems she had the tune in her head. Because she had it in her head, the tune most likely helped her with the cadence of the poem. When Dickinson grew up she she started to stray away from the Christian faith however. As she grew up and began writing it appeared that she was beginning to develop here own idea for religion. Her Christianity faith was diminishing, but her the things she had learned when she was young were still sticking with her. Even though her faith had changed, you never forget the things that you learn when you are young. The things that she was taught when she was young still had an influence on her. Because she had strayed from her faith when she grew up and became a writer, I do not believe that it was her intention to writer her poems to the tune of "Amazing Grace", but because she grew up with that tune and rhythm in her head she unintentionally did it.

Richard Cory

Edwin Arlington Robinson’s “Richard Cory” is a short, but very powerful poem. It shows how people can have one perception of a person, but in reality they my lead a completely different life. Robinson writes, “In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place.”(Robinson 575) People become envious of what they believe other people have. There are two things that are wrong with that. First is the fact that people want what other people have. Envy is a very dangerous sin. If you are not careful you may hurt someone when you are trying to attain what someone else has. It may not be a physical hurt, but your actions affect a lot of people without you even realizing it. The second thing that is wrong with this picture is that people are making assumptions. They are stereotyping someone because of the way they behave or dress. People are basing their happiness on the material possessions the man, Richard Cory appeared to have. They were basing their happiness on something that could be taken away very quickly. Robinson writes, “And he was rich-yes richer then a king.”(Robinson 575) Many people assume that money equals happiness and joy. When in reality, many people have more trouble and discontent when they are wealthier then the average human being. Richard’s discontent is shown in the last line of the poem. It says, “And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head.”(Robinson 575) Cory may have had all of the wealth and luxury that the other people desired, but he was not content. Because he did not know where to look next for his contentment and happiness, he thought his only option was to end his miserable life.

A person should never be driven to a point where he thinks taking his life is the best way to escape the pain. He should turn to other people for help, suicide should never be an option.

Robinson, A. Edwin. "Richard Cory" Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

The Darling

Anton Chekov’s “The Darling” is an ironic story. It is about a girl, Olenka, who does not have any of her own opinions, and she is always looking for someone to love. It may not be the kind of love that binds someone in marriage, but she is looking for someone to love. Chekov writes, “She was constantly in love with someone, and could not live otherwise.”(Chekov 558) It may be that she can not form her own opinions and relies on the people she loves to give her the opinions she thinks. Or it may be that she loves to love. The author writes, “Whatever Snookin said about the theater and the actors, she repeated.”(Chekov 559) When she had married Snookin, she inherited his opinions and ideas. When Snookin died, she was remarried to Pustovalov, a timber yard owner. When they were married she adopted his ideas. Chekov writes, “Whatever thoughts her husband had, she had also.”(Chekov 561) It is evident know that Olenka does not have her own ideas, but she simply adopts them from the people she is in love with. There is also some irony in the story. Olenka’s first husband Snookin owned a theater. Olenka adopted the idea that, “Take the audience for a start. They are nothing but ignorant savages.”(Chekov 558) To her, and her husband, the audience does not know how to appreciate a good show. After Snookin dies, and she is married to Pustovalov she says, “What do people see in those theaters anyways?”(Chekov 561) It is funny that her opinion can be so swayed.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, on the other hand had a different idea. He believed that people had limitless potential. In an analysis of Emerson it says, “He believed human beings had limitless potential.”(180) According to the way Chekov wrote, Olenka’s only potential was when she was using the ideas of her love. Olenka’s potential only went as far as the person she loved potential went.

Chekov, Anton. “The Darling” Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

"Emerson’s Outlook." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Spoon River Anthology

I will Fight No More Forever

Two Views of the River

Mark Twain is an excellent example of a Regionalist writer. Twain creates a vivid portrayal of the region he lives in. In “Two Views of the River” Twain describes how he used to be awed by the majesty and splendor of the river, and the beauty of the sunset on the water. Now however, he has grown used to the beauty of the river. He no longer sees the magical qualities he once thought it possessed. Twain writes, “A day came when I began to cease from noting the glories and the charms which the moon and the sun and the twilight wrought upon the river’s face.”(Twain 505) Before this Twain had described how the sun was, “enriching it, every passing moment, with new marvels of coloring.”(Twain 505) In the beginning of the time Twain spent living on the river he was mesmerized by every passing second of beauty the river produced. Now that he had lived there for some time the river had grown dull to him. Mark Twain now sees the dangers and the bad things that the river possess or warns about. He writes, “that slanting mark on the water refers to a bluff reef which is going to kill somebody’s steamboat one of these nights.”(Twain 505) Instead of noticing the beauty as he originally had, he now sees the bad things that come from the river.

Ralph Waldo Emerson would have been enraged by the way Mark Twain wrote. In “Nature” Emerson writes, “Most persons do not see the sun. At the least they have a very superficial seeing.”(Emerson 191) The superficial meaning Emerson refers to would be the way Twain sees the river after he had lived there for some time. Emerson is coming down on people that get used to the life they live everyday. The people who do not see the beauty in where they live or what they do because they have grown used to it. Twain on the other hand is simply displaying his Regionalist characteristics. He is telling the reader the simple truth.

Emerson, W. Ralph. "From Nature." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Twain, Mark "Two Views of the River." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

Red Badge of Courage

Naturalism is an idea that people do not have control over what they do. Their power is limited in the decisions they make. People have little real control in how they live. Naturalists believe they are controlled by destiny. What happens to them is because of destiny and heredity. People base their decisions off of social and economic demands. A person is forced to do what he or she does because of how the world is affecting them. Naturalists believe that a person should not be responsible for their actions, because they are required to do what they do because of brutal society. Steven Crane demonstrates this when he writes in “Red Badge of Courage”, “His impotency appeared to him, and made his rage into that of a driven beast.”(Crane 493) An animal that has become angry does not stop to think of the consequences of its actions. It simply does it, and a beast that becomes angry is usually antagonized by someone or something else. People do not blame the animal for the rage, they blame the person or thing that set the animal off. There for making the animal exempt from its actions. Crane also writes, “He was at a task.”(Crane 493) The main character, Henry Fleming, was in the mist of battle, but it was as if it was just a job or a chore for him to fight. Crane writes, “He, in his thoughts, was careening of in other places,” (Crane 493) For Fleming he was not interested in what he was doing. He was forced to do what he was doing by the harsh and brutal environment of battle.

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s transcendentalist philosophy has a different idea. In the Glencoe Literature book a break down of Emerson says, “He believed human beings had limitless potential.”(180). This is contrary to the idea Crane presents in “Red Badge of Courage” when he writes, “His impotency appeared to him”(Crane 493) In this sentence it shows that Naturalists believe that humans power is limited and controlled by society.

Crane, Stephen. "From Sinners Red Badge of Courage." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.

"Emerson’s Outlook." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 97-99. Print.