Confused!

Does anyone have an idea of the topics we are going to have for the essay?

Trifles

I read Jury of Her Peers and I was expecting the story to be about her going to court for the crime she committed and Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters were going to be the jurors along with other women of Dickson County. However the story is very similar to the play with just a little bit of differences.

Drama

So I reread Trifles and the story is starting to make sense to me. I think its a pretty good short drama. Just dropping in to say hello and wishing everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Poetry Project

Just decided to drop in and say hello before I begin my poems. This is harder than I thought!

Poetry

Sitting here trying to analyze my poem, I hope it doesn't become too difficult.

Lazy Day

Today was a very long dull day. It was cold and it rained a little. My plans were to sit at home and do homework but I went to see Law Abiding Citizen instead. I would highly recommend anyone to go see it because it is very good. I give it two thumbs up!

Poetry

I have been reading through a couple of poems and poetry doesn't seem so bad. Maybe it's me or I just haven't got the feel of it.

doing a good deed

I am taking Dr. Worley's Education 2120 class on diversity. Each class member was required to go to a location where their culture is different from ours. I had the opportunity to attend Trinity United Methodist Church yesterday and I had a wonderful time. I thought we was going to attend a church event but instead we fed the needy. It really touched my heart because there were so many people waiting in line to get a hot meal. I feel blessed with the little things that I do have because I know it could be a lot worse. The people were so friendly and they insisted that I come back next Thursday. I think I will complete all of my field hours at the church because I did a good deed yesterday and it felt good to do something positive for the community.

Symbolism in Good Country People

Ashley N. Colson
Dr. Aiken
English 1102-50
September 30th, 2009
Symbolism in “Good Country People”
In Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People”, country people are seen as good down to earth honest people. However in actuality good people also have flaws in them as well. In O’Connor’s “Good Country People” there are six different characters portrayed in the story which are Mrs. Hopewell, Joy-Hulga, Mrs. Freeman, Carramae, Glynese, and Manley Pointer. Each character’s name reflects much about their personalities.
First we have Mrs. Hopewell. Mrs. Hopewell is a divorcee and a landlord. Mrs. Hopewell is a positive thinking woman and a devout Christian. The name Hopewell symbolizes Mrs. Hopewell’s hope for good things to happen to everyone. Mrs. Hopewell would use other people’s qualities in a good way so she never felt the lack of her own qualities. She is a very hospitable woman and she had a strong sense of superiority. Mrs. Hopewell is the type of person that knew more than anybody else. Mrs. Hopewell has a tendency to speak in clichés. One of her favorite sayings was “Nothing is perfect” (O’Connor 101). Mrs. Hopewell is kindly stating that everyone has flaws and nothing in this world is perfect. Mrs. Hopewell would be viewed as the type of person who encourages others to look on the bright side of things.
Next we have Joy-Hulga. Joy-Hulga is a thirty-two year old woman who has a heart condition that forces her to live with her mother Mrs. Hopewell. Joy-Hulga was shot in the leg during a hunting accident as a child and this is what led her to become dependent of her wooden leg. She has a degree in philosophy which makes her feel like she has a sense of superiority like her mother. Joy-Hulga is the type that assumes she knows more than others. Joy symbolizes happiness or a bright smile which Joy had neither one due to her disabilities. Joy didn’t feel happiness so she legally changed her name to Hulga. Hulga symbolizes ugliness. When you hear the name Hulga you would think of this big fat ugly woman which is a good representation of Joy-Hulga. Joy-Hulga would be viewed as the protagonist of the story.
Then we have Mrs. Freeman. Mrs. Freeman worked for the Hopewell’s as well as her husband who were both tenant farmers. Mrs. Freeman was a very outspoken woman who loved to gossip. She likes to be in charge of everyone else’s business. Freeman symbolizes a free minded person. She was viewed by Mrs. Hopewell as a very reliable and trustworthy person. When it came to wealth she couldn’t compete with Mrs. Hopewell but she did have more common sense than Mrs. Hopewell. Mrs. Hopewell tells her “You know you’re the wheel behind the wheel” (O’Connor 101). Mrs. Freeman states “I know it. I’ve always been quick. It’s some that are quicker than others” (O’Connor 101). Mrs. Freeman is simply stating that she has more sense than other people and she is on top of her game when it comes to pointing things out. Mrs. Freeman is the dominant force in the story.
Carramae and Glynese are Mrs. Freeman’s two daughters. Carramae is a blond fifteen year old that is married and pregnant. Glynese is a red head with many admirers. Even though Mrs. Hopewell didn’t think too much of the girls she stated that they were two of the finest girls she ever met. This was another way Mrs. Hopewell was finding the good qualities in everyone. Both Carramae and Glynese symbolizes that even though they are not highly educated they have plenty of common sense when it comes to men and relationships. This is evident by Glynese not wanting to be married in an office but rather by a preacher. These two girl's characterization were used to show how experienced they are with men and how Joy-Hulga doesn’t have a clue.
Finally we have Manley Pointer. Manley Pointer was a traveling bible salesman. At first, he seems very simple to Joy-Hulga. Manley symbolizes a very strong honest man. Pointer symbolizes how well he point things out to Joy-Hulga. However Manley Pointer is a liar and a con artist. He carries a hollow bible around with obscene playing cards, condoms, and whiskey. When Joy-Hulga allows Manley Pointer to remove the leg it was in a sense that she was losing her virginity. She had been dependent on that leg for so many years. Joy-Hulga’s plan was to seduce him but he uses reverse psychology on her. Manley Pointer states that he has a bad heart condition but in reality he is a cold-hearted person this is evident by him stealing Joy-Hulga’s leg and he tells her he goes from town to town doings things like this. He once stole a woman’s glass eye. Joy-Hulga then realized he was not the simple person she made him out to be.
Each character has their unique characteristics. Mrs. Freeman and Manley Pointer can be viewed as the superior characters in the story because they were the ones that have common sense. Carramae and Glynese have common sense when it comes to relationships and dating. Mrs. Hopewell and Joy-Hulga were the two naïve characters. They were the two that thinks you would have to wake up bright and early to pull a fast one of them but Manley Pointer tricked both of them. In this story the relationships between Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman are just as important as the relationships between Joy-Hulga and Manley Pointer. O’Connor shows how one individual can bring out the bad qualities in one person and bring out the bad qualities in themselves as well.

Losing My Cool

I'm trying to complete my math homework for tomorrow but my kids seem to think otherwise. They are constantly calling my name, fighting each other, and anything else you can imagine. I took a few moments and took a deep breath because I'm about to lose my cool with them. It's hard trying to get things completed when you have kids. I think I'm going to put them and myself on a schedule because this is just not working out. Until next time see you later!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Country People

I really enjoyed the discussion of Good Country People today. When I learned what the word salt of the earth meant the story really made a lot of sense to me. Until next time, see you later!

I read our story Good Country People last night and I wasn't so bad. I thought the story was okay but my favorite story so far is A Rose for Emily. Well until next time see you later!

Helppppppppppppp

I have posted my essay but it is not appearing on Dr. Aiken's blog page. I added the URL like she did in class. Can someone pleaseeeeeeeeee tell me what I am doing wrong!

Ashley Colson

Dr. Aiken

Engl 1102-50

September 9, 2009

Symbolism in "The Things They Carried"

The story titled "The Things They Carried" was written by Tim O'Brien. In this story the things the men carried were actually their necessities which varied from different items. The men carried these items during the war which occurred in Than Khe, Vietnam. In O'Brien's "The Things They Carried", the three soldiers, Kiowa, Ted Lavender, and Lt Jimmy Cross each carried items that have significant meaning to them throughout the story.

Kiowa is a devout Baptist, who was a Native American from Oklahoma. In this story he carried the New Testament of the Bible, his grandmother's distrust for the white man and his grandfather's old haunting hatchet. The New Testament symbolized his religious belief in Church. Kiowa felt that during the war times, his bible was his way of keeping up with things. The bible also symbolized his faith of surviving the war. Kiowa found hope and strength through the New Testament. The distrust his grandmother had for the white man symbolized his hatred for his enemies that he were fighting in the war. The haunting hatchet his grandfather gave him symbolized his weapon of defense. His grandfather used this weapon to defeat his enemies so Kiowa used this weapon as well to defeat his enemies in the war. The things Kiowa carried had significant meaning to him because they were items given to him by his loved ones.

Ted Lavender, the second solider throughout the story carried dope and tranquilizers. Dope symbolized his way of calming down. Dope helped him to relax and to forget about things that were occurring in the war. The tranquilizers he carried symbolized relief. The tranquilizers helped him to deal with the pain but most importantly the tranquilizers helped to ease his mind of the war. Lavender was the first to be shot and killed during the story. It was a tragic moment for the men but they used Lavender's dope as a way of coping with his death. The things Lavender carried symbolized his relief during the war.

Lt. Jimmy Cross was first lt. in the story. He was twenty two years old and he was in love with a college student by the name of Martha. Cross could be described as Jesus because he was the leader and his men were his followers. Cross carried the letters Martha had written him which symbolized the remembrance of her. The letters were his way of getting through the war. Cross also carried thoughts of Martha which symbolized how much he wanted to be with her and how much he loved her. The pebble Cross carried symbolized good luck but it also symbolized the distance between him and Martha. Martha found the pebble on the shoreline where things came together but also seperated. The things Cross carried were more of romantic symbolism than anything else.

In conclusion, the character traits varied for each character through the story. The items they carried had significant meaning to each one of them. It is evident that each item had symbolic meaning to each men throughout the story.