Waiting for Godot - The Boots

Like I mentioned in my last blog post, the scenery and plot are very scarce in the play Waiting for Godot.   The very few inanimate object props, like Vladimir’s hat, are important in determining the motives and personalities of the two main characters.  Estragon seems to be obsessed with his boots like Vladimir is obsessed with his hat.  Estragon is always trying to take of his boots and is constantly complaining about how they fit.  Instead of symbolizing his eager for knowledge and answers, like Vladimir’s hat, these boots help show Estragon’s more realistic, hopeless approach to life and the arrival of Godot.  Because boots remain on the ground, one could interpret this object as standing for Estragon’s grounded, practical, yet kind of pessimistic  approach to life than that of Vladimir.  As the men are struggling and waiting for Godot, Estragon struggles with his boots.  These struggle with the boots are parallel to the struggle of the men’s lives.  Estragon wants to leave and does not see a purpose in waiting for Godot, yet Vladimir and the ideas he received from his hat always convince Estragon to stay and wait.  While Vladimir peers inside of his hat to find answers to problems and the future, Estragon looks inside of his boots and sees emptiness, which seems to not only represent how he feels inside, but also represents his lack of position and role in life.

Waiting for Godot - The Hat

In Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, main characters Vladimir and Estragon wait the entire play for a man named Godot to arrive.  During this play and their time waiting, the men have little to keep themselves occupied, and with little scenery in the play, they only have their boots and hats to keep them busy.  For example, Vladimir seems to be obsessed with his hat and turns to it when he is contemplating the arrival of Godot.  With little action in the play, this inanimate object actually plays a huge role in representing the struggles of Vladimir.  He is constantly seen shaking, knocking, touching, and looking at his hat, almost as if he is searching for something inside of it.  By constantly examining this hat in times of trouble and confusion, one may think that he is turning to his hat for answers and knowledge for what to do or say.  Whenever Vladimir fails to find the solution to his problems (like where Godot really is), he adjusts his hat and seems to be disappointed because of his lack of knowledge.  Because of the lack of plot and conflict and characters in this play, this hat is really crucial object that helps the audience discover more about Vladimir as a character and his role in finding Godot and answers to life.

Grete's Metamorphosis

Grete is Gregor’s beloved sister and his primary caretaker.  She seems to be the only one who actually has sympathy towards Gregor once he transforms. Grete cares for him by bringing him food and rearranges his room to suit his new life as a bug, and she is really the only connection he has with the family and humans in general.  As Grete begins to grow older and more mature, she gets a job to support her family which takes away her focus on Gregor.  Furthermore, her once enjoyment of taking care of Gregor begins to fade away, and she begins to view taking care of Gregor as a distasteful obligation.  In the end, Grete is the one who really decides that Gregor must go.

While this novella focuses on the transformation of Gregor that physically happened before the start of the story, the real transformation that takes place throughout the entirety of the plot is really Grete’s transformation.  We see her go from a young, caring sister who protects and pities her bug brother to a lady who is still dutiful to her brother, but also responsible and devoted to her family financially and emotionally.  While the story has a sad ending for Gregor, it holds a happy one for Grete, who is now allowed to find a husband.  Grete is no longer a little girl!

Gregor's Parents are Awful

Once I was able to overlook the gruesome imagery and grossness of the giant bug in Metamorphosis, I began to see the depressing nature of this novella.  After Gregor suddenly transformed into a bug, his first thought was whether or not he would be able to ride the train to work, not how he became a bug in the first place.  Gregor never really questions or tries to figure out why he has transformed into a giant bug, but rather is concerned with being a burden to his family in which he financially supports.  Though Gregor does not want to bother and disturb his parents with his new identity, he is in fact was avoided at all costs and eventually destroyed by the people in his life who are supposed to support him and care for him the most, his parents.  Since Gregor is unable to perform his necessary duties for the family, they no longer want anything to do with his bug self.

His parents are really terrible, and their actions and lack of true love for Gregor makes me sad. Yes, Gregor's mother does seem to love him on the surface layer, but she is too disgusted with and unable to overlook his new bug body and love him even as a bug.  I would for sure be heartbroken if my parents did that to me after I magically transformed into a bug.

My Poem Project

    I have chosen to do "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost.  I read this poem for the first time in the stall of the bathroom in Creeden during Poetry Week last school year.  After my first time reading this poem, I immediately was impacted.  At the time, I was having a difficult time coming to terms with my decision for lacrosse and whether I was truly happy with the school I committed to (Furman University).  I always wanted to go to a school that was north of Maryland, preferably a liberal arts school or well-respected prestigious university with name value, one that someone would easily recognize on College T-Shirt Day. This poem made me do some soul searching to think about what really matters in this college decision.  At the time, I cared WAY too much about what others would think of my choice, not what I really wanted.  I was hung up on the idea of going to an Ivy-League school like my dad, too concerned that I was "settling" for my hefty scholarship at Furman and didn't really want to go there.  For me, the two roads discussed in this story represent my choices for college, one Furman and the other a small liberal arts school like Middlebury.  The last two lines of the poem really impacted me the most.  They read "I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." These two lines spoke to me the greatest, telling me that everything will work out and that my choice will benefit me in the long run.  This poem gave me comfort and security in my decision.  I have so much gratitude for whoever taped that poem up on the bathroom stall.  It has affected me more than she will ever know!

Should Ariel Be Portrayed as Male or Female?

In the written play of The Tempest, Ariel does not seem to have a gender.  However, depicted on stage and in the 2010 movie, Ariel always seems to be played by a male actor. Why?  Ariel is more of a fairy-like spirit than a boy.  It would make sense to have a female play Ariel in the modern day movie, as we typically think of fairies as girls, like Tinkerbell.  But why the choice of a male?  Maybe choosing a male that is prepubescent or has a higher pitched voice makes Ariel seem more neutral in gender.  Like the switch of Prospero from male to female, it would be interesting to see Ariel being portrayed as a female.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS1D4d4lMyM

This is the only clip of The Tempest I could find with Ariel played by a female actress.  Right away, I noticed that the female Ariel was wearing a more feminine looking outfit with glitz and sparkles.  It may have been hard for the director and costume designer to make the female Ariel seem less girly and feminine. After seeing the very girly representation of Ariel in this production of The Tempest, I think that I prefer when Ariel is played by a male but dressed and portrayed as neutral in gender.

Tempest's Adjustment to the Screen

The Tempest has been described by critics as very hard to adapt to the screen, which I found hard to believe since I personally enjoyed the 2010 movie version of Shakespeare's play.  However, after reading some critiques that questioned the portrayal of this classic, I began to understand the critics.
The switch from the male Prospero, a main character in both the play and movie, to a female Prospera seemed to be the focal point of discussion.  The whole attitude and motives of this character seem to change as his gender is switched.  As a male originally, Prospero does not come of to readers, or me at least, as caring and looking out for his daughter Miranda's best interest.  But the minute Prospero was portrayed as Prospera, I began to think that she is being a caring mother who is being protective of her daughter.  I, as well as the critics, see Prospero as a bit more villainous in some regards than Prospera.  Maybe that is because of our preconceived ideas about roles of moms and dads?  It is interesting how the switch of gender of a main character can change the meaning or perception of a play so drastically!  Does the switch from Prospero to Prospera affect you?

Thou is Quoting Words of Shakespeare!

After attempting to read Early Modern English, Shakespeare's choice of language, we all know that it is a bit troublesome.  How could Shakespeare be using this “Early Modern English” if it sounds to different than our own vernacular?!  Well, it turns out that a lot of words, expressions, and idioms we say have actually come from Shakespeare’s plays. For example, if you have been “in a pickle,” have “a heart of gold,” or have gone on “a wild goose chase,” you are using idioms from The Tempest, Henry V, and Romeo and Juliet respectively.  Besides these quirky sayings, many terms have come from Shakespeare’s writing as well, like gossip.  Gossip is a word that is commonly known and used today, and it comes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  It is fascinating how a lot of Shakespeare’s words are still relevant today, despite his language seeming so different than our own.  I guess this really shows that his language was Early Modern English, a building block of our same language today, and NOT Old English like so many seem to assume.

A BBC article discussing Shakespeare’s effect on our modern day language says, “If the mark of a great writer is that they’re still read, then perhaps the mark of a genius is that they’re still spoken, too.”  Shakespeare really was a genius!

Shakespero

Does the character Prospero in The Tempest represent Shakespeare himself?  The  documentary that we watched in class last week brought up this very interesting idea that maybe Prospero is a self-portrait of Shakespeare.  Because The Tempest was  said to be Shakespeare's last play, it makes sense that the great playwright would leave himself behind in his work.  Some of Prospero’s references and lines in the play make this belief seem true.  For example, in the final lines of the play, Prospero asks to “set him free”  in a round of applause.  Interestingly enough, about five years after writing The Tempest, Shakespeare died.  This round of applause seemed to be one of Shakespeare’s last.  Maybe Prospero was setting him free from his career as a playwright, asking the audience to give Shakespeare himself a round of applause.  Or maybe wa this Shakespeare’s own way on leaving acting behind just as Prospero leaves his enchanted island behind?  The documentary definitely brought some interesting ideas to the table that have changed my view of The Tempest.  I cannot help but to think that Prospero is definitely Shakespeare.

The documentary definitely brought some interesting ideas to the table that have changed my view of The Tempest.  I cannot help but to think that Prospero is definitely Shakespeare.

Illusions - 10/18 Quick Write

Illusions, if kept to a reasonable standard and used appropriately, are definitely a good thing to have in life. Illusions can oftentimes take a person away from a bad situation and give him something positive and light ponder, giving that person an escape from his own personal hell. For example, in the book Bridge to Terabithia, main characters Jesse and Leslie imagine the woods near their houses as a forest full of magical creatures and powers, giving them a sense of escape and separation from the real world. In this case, the illusion of the magical forest takes Jesse’s mind off of the fact that he is viewed as underprivileged and “poor” at school, and it allows Leslie to forget about her bullying classmates that poke fun at her differences. Going to the woods, or Terabithia for Jesse and Leslie, is an appropriate illusion to make because it creates happiness for these kids who need this certain illusion to escape from hardships in their real lives.  Mild and innocent illusions, like Terabithia, that are created by the imagination of children, are completely beneficial and appropriate to have in life.

Huffington Post - Why Poetry Is Necessary

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roger-housden/importance-of-poetry_b_884319.html

Surfing the internet this week for inspiration for my post and googling poetry, I came across an article on the Huffington Post website called “Why Poetry Is Necessary” by Roger Housden and was immediately intrigued. After doing the Poetry Circles, I can definitely reflect on the same elements of poetry as Housden does in his article.  He discusses how a person is never the same after reading a poem that speaks to their life directly, bringing a person clarity, making them feel open, and confirming a sense of truth.  This exact experience happened to me after I read Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” which has given me clarity and has helped me find peace and confidence in my college decision.  

Poems serve a greater purpose than to just appeal and relate to its reader.  While some poems may have no personal connection to its reader’s life, they can still have an equally meaningful effect.  Housden says, “Its (poetry) effect is to illuminate our lives and breathe new life, new seeing, new tasting into the world we thought we knew. Poetry bids us eat the apple whole.

To eat the apple of the world whole, we have to learn to pay attention; not only to the inner promptings of the imagination, but to the physical world around us.”  Before our Poetry Circles, I could not fully understand the words of Housden.  However, after I read the poem “Someone Told the Wild Geese,” I completely agree with his statement.  This poem focuses on geese sensing/being told that the seasons are changing, and the cold of winter is coming.  With the author’s use of alliteration of the “s” sound, vivid visual and olfactory imagery, and repetition of “someone,” the poem urges the reader to focus on the atmosphere in the poem, painting a picture and allowing the reader to feel a part of the poem.  Geese migrating for winter certainly does not apply directly to my life, but it does make me “breathe new life” and get a taste into different aspect of the world.

Reading the Huffington Post article by Roger Housden was a nice way for me reflect on our week of Poetry Circles and fully appreciate the existence and power of poetry!

First Impression of Jewel

The first time we see Jewel in the novel is in Darl's first chapter.  Jewel is in the barn with his horse and is seen violently beating his horse, kicking it in the stomach and punching it in the face. Right off the bat, we develop a bad first impression of this angry character. In the very next chapter, Jewel narrates for the first time and gives us an inside look as to why he is so angry.
Jewel seems to be filled with envy of his brother, Cash, and his affection for their mother. Cash's detailed carpentry when making their mother's coffin angers Jewel and causes him to become jealous. This is seen with the repetition of "One lick less," as Jewel views Cash's carpentry of the coffin as a way to draw attention to himself rather than Addie, their late mother. At this point in the book, it is unclear to the reader why Jewel is so angry and bitter. But that's makes us wonder, what is his secret and what caused him to act be like this?

Mr. Faulkner's English Class

I made it to English class on time

1. There is a new teacher in the classroom.
2. The classroom is twice the size of my classroom last year.
3. The back corner is where I will sit.  No one gets called on in the back corner.
4. In English class students are discussing literature most of the time.  So they learn how to analyze text.  Because the AP exam requires students to analyze text.
5. At home where students go to after school, the workload and stress pile up, because Mr. Faulkner’s assignments never stop.
6. Except.
7. Mr. Faulkner assigns work in the beginning of the week.
8. Budgeting time.
9. Budgeting time should alleviate stress, so the assignments and multiple choice questions are finished well before the start of English class.
10. Mr. Faulkner can tell that which students write their essays the night before they are due.
11. While in class the next day, those students who just finished their essays seem drained from analyzing text all night.
12. So I wrote mine way before English class.
13. It makes a better essay.

True or Not? Follow up

One of my class's main topics of discussion last week was the "true or not?" question the book poses. I touched on this in my blog last week, but deciding whether certain aspects of O'Brien's book are true or not is something that I'll never fully be able to do. As an interested reader and granddaughter of a Vietnam War veteran, I want so badly for his stories to be true--the gruesome and sad ones, too. I want to know what it actually was like in Vietnam from a soldier's perspective, maybe because my grandfather always avoided war stories. Maybe, like Elizabeth mentioned in our class discussion, the actions of former soldiers are blurred by all of the violence and shock they face. Maybe a soldier telling a regular civilian that he/she killed someone brings old demons and negative thoughts back.
Maybe thinking of the war is too traumatizing. We as students will never really know the answer.
This question in the discussion really led me to think--are any of the war stories we hear in the present day fully accurate and truthful? While news cameras and reporters can try to share all of the facts and images of the war with its viewers, the only people who really know what is actually happening are the soldiers fighting in the war. I think the reason that viewers and readers of war stories are so fascinated by war and what is happening abroad is because they too cannot fully know if every piece of information they are receiving is true. Like O'Brien's book, oftentimes it's left to one's own personal interpretation and judgement to decide if a story is true or not and whether that person chooses to believe it.

Post Harkness Question

After the Harkness Discussion, Ms. Maxey asked her students why they are unable to relate to any of the war characters from the book. Why are we as readers able to relate to some of the most abstract and interesting of characters, like Holden Caulfield, and not characters from O'Brien's book? I personally believe it is because war is unlike any experience any of us as students have had. The violent environment that the war provides where one is forced to kill is completely unlike anything a regular civilian could possibly experience. In addition, veterans and current soldiers and military officers deserve a high level of respect for their sacrifices for this nation. It would be rude or disrespectful of me to try to compare a situation in my life to that of a soldier fighting in war. The amount of physical and mental stress they go through or have gone through is truly unmeasurable by a civilian, so for me to relate myself or my emotions to that of a soldier would almost minimize their actions and importance to our country.
While I cannot say that I fully relate to Holden Caulfield, I am able to relate my emotions or aspects of my life to that of his because he has not experienced war and the tremendous effects fighting in war has on soldiers. It's appropriate for me as a reader to be able to relate and compare myself to another civilian, not a war veteran or soldier.

TTTC - True or Not?!

O’Brien as a writer plays constant mind games with his reader.  He is the author of these “fictional” stories yet he has a character named after himself.  He as the author has experienced many of these stories in different variations than the ones told.  Before the short story “How to Tell a True War Story,” where O’Brien completely messes with the minds of his readers, one may be led to believe that his stories completely fiction because of the great intensity and severity of some of his accounts.  However, in the short story “Spin,” O’Brien talks about how stories fill in when memories are erased and that stories connect the past to the future.  The way O’Brien describes his memories in conjunction with stories makes it seem like he is sharing his own personal, real-life encounters.  However, as the reader, it is our job to remember that this book is not a memoir but rather a work of fiction.  This tactic of making his reader guess whether each story actually occurred that O’Brien uses in his book is powerful.  While it frustrates me and confuses me all at once, O’Brien’s mind games keep me on my toes and questioning each and every story he tells. In my opinion, this is one of O’Brien’s most useful tools as a writer, which has captured my attention and has forced me to keep reading.

TTTC - Enemies

The chapter titled “Enemies” is perplexing to me as a reader.  When I first read the title of the chapter, I was expecting to read about a war battle or an encounter with enemy troops, not an inner platoon fistfight between Jensen and Strunk over a missing jacknife.  As I read this chapter, I begin to more fully understand the paranoia and mental battles these soldiers have with themselves as a result of the war. If Jensen and Strunk were on a team of some sort together back in the United States without experiencing war, I would like to think that there is no way that the two characters could get into a fistfight over a missing object.  With the stresses of war, however, every little argument or tiffy between fellow soldiers is largely escalated, causing a soldier to result to violence and physicality because that’s what they have been living and always doing in Vietnam.  The aftermath of the fight and mental state of Jensen is by far the most shocking part of this chapter and fight between the two men.  The visual and auditory imagery of Jensen shooting the sky with his gun while yelling “Strunk” really shows the reader his deep anger and twisted mentality as he is unable to separate his feelings of war with the way he treats and regards his colleagues.  “For two or three hours he simply sat there,” O’Brien writes as Jensen collapses after displaying his anger towards Strunk. This demonstrates the impaired mind of Jensen and the physical toll that the fight and the war at large have taken of Jensen as a person.  He has lost sight of himself being involved in the war.

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost presents readers with a recognizable situation that they have probably encountered numerous times in their lives: a moment where they have to make a choice. This choice is typically between two things that are similar but have the ability to lead you in completely different directions. It is a free choice that we are given, but have no exact knowledge of what we are fully choosing between.
 During Poetry Week last year, I saw this poem plastered on the door of a bathroom stall, and it caught my eye and immediately had a profound impact on me. I read it over and over again as certain lines resonated with me. "I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference," kept standing out in my head as I read the poem. Clearing my mind and easing my indecisiveness, I had made my decision. For me, I wasn't choosing between what tennis shoes to buy or what to eat for lunch; I was choosing my college.
Poetry has the ability to bring all sorts of emotions to people, making them react in different ways than maybe their friend would. That, however, is the lovely thing about poetry. It can be as small as four stanzas, like "The Road Not Taken," but can impact a life or decision so greatly.
My favorite aspect of this poem is that Robert Frost really leaves the meaning of the poem up to the reader, allowing them to insert parts of his/her life in the cracks. This also allows the reader to find a slightly different meaning to the poem every time he/she reads it because it is so flexible and adaptable.
I think it was fate that I found this poem while I was going to the bathroom in the middle of math class. It is by far my favorite poem because of the effect is has had on me. I also knew it was important to me when it was the first thing I shared with my parents when I came home from school. This poem, as weird as it sounds, saved me from my own insanity at a time of tremendous stress and indecisiveness. It has eased my mind and made me find clarity and confidence in my college decision. Thank you, Robert Frost!

(I'm excited to start the poetry unit!)

The Magic of Books!

In every high school English class, students are required to read multiple works of literature--short stories, poems, long novels, etc. These students, who are often tasked with many assignments from their four or five other classes, tend to lose desire to read assigned books, viewing the reading as a burden and not as a joy. Oftentimes, students required to read to a specific section of the book a night, like "chapter four" for instance, see that marker as a finish line for the night. Cramming two hours worth of reading into a forty-five minute time slot, especially when it is late at night and one's eyes start to fade in and out of the light because of his/her exhaustion, does not allow for one to fully grasp the "magic" of the book. Some of my favorite books to read have been school assigned books that I have re read during a school break because I could fully enjoy the book without feeling overwhelmed or having my mind wonder to the thoughts of my incomplete math homework or my biology test the next day.
Reading should remain a joyful yet impactful activity that can be done in an academic setting or on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon. Reading allows people to reflect on their own lives, connect with characters, and imagine the plot coming alive in their minds. When reading is rushed and not read for meaning, the reader is not able to pick up on the important details that make the book and its message unique. As a result of rushed reading, the reader is also unable to really use his/her imagination to interpret the book as they please. This is one of the biggest points Hermann Hesse makes, as he believes that books are what is "keeping our imagination from dwindling away." So while assigned reading can seem unnecessary, extensive, and boring, we should all try to give the book and its plot or utmost attention so we are able to subconsciously allow are imaginations to translate the thoughts we develop from reading the book into an image that plays as we read in our heads. Everyone's "internal movie," the image one sees when reading a book, is original to each individual, and that's the special and magical thing about books! Allow them to take you where you want them to go. Read for enjoyment, to better yourself, improve your imagination, and expand your views. Experience the magic in each book, and do not just simply let it skim by!

The Thing Around Your Neck - Marriage and Faithfulness in the Nigerian Culture

In Nigerian culture, marriage is not typically something chosen by two in love; marriage is arranged between a man and a woman by their respective elders.   A few of the short stories in The Thing Around Your Neck, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shows readers the different cultural norms Nigerians follow in regard to marriage and loyalty differ tremendously from that of typical American culture.
The chapter "On Monday of Last Week" demonstrates the idea of loyalty to a spouse despite his/her absence from the spouse's life for several years without much explanation.  In this chapter, Kamara and Tobechi are the main characters, a married couple from Nigeria, that are living in separate countries for several years.  Kamara patiently awaited in Nigeria for her husband to invite her join him in the United States to work and help support their new life together.  While this is a norm for a couple who is a part of the Nigerian culture and trying to immigrate, people from the U.S., for instance, may view the separating of one's spouse for many of years odd and have thoughts (or even actions) about infidelity throughout their years apart.  But in the case of Kamara and Tobechi, their separation was a very typical plan that many other Nigerian had probably had to follow as well to successfully immigrate and rebuild their lives together in a new country.
Another norm of Nigerian culture is the act of arranging marriages.  This is demonstrated in the arrangement of a marriage between Chinaza and Dave in the chapter "The Arrangers of Marriage."  Dave, a medical school student in the United States, has agreed to come back home to Nigeria to please his parents are marry the girl of their choice, Chinaza. She, as well, is being forced into the arranged marriage by her aunt and uncle who see Dave as a future success.  Once introduced, Dave and Chinaza had only two weeks to get to know each other before becoming wed. While the marriage does not turn out to be successful, a reader can infer that neither Dave nor Chinaza was too heartbroken about the failure of a marriage they shared because the two were never truly in love.  Even though their arrangement is not ideal, it is the norm and what they both have grown up expecting to have one day.  On the contrary, people of the United States grow up expecting to marry someone they love, not someone chosen for him/her.
One could say that there are pros and cons to the marriage norms in Nigerian culture.  The faithfulness that couples display is definitely an aspect of the culture that outsiders would definitely want in their own respective relationships.  However, arrange marriages to people that are not of the same or similar culture may see it as a forceful trap that could make life for people wedded by arrangement a living hell.  It is all about prospective and what one has grown up seeing as a norm.

A Prayer for Owen Meany - Tabitha Wheelwright's Effect on the Plot

When Tabitha Wheelwright, the mother of the narrator in A Prayer for Owen Meany, is first introduced, a reader may just an attractive sexual object as Owen described her as having "THE BEST BREASTS OF ALL THE MOTHERS," and smelling "BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE, TOO." (32-33).  Almost immediately into the book, Irving shares the freak death of Tabitha who is stuck in the temple by Owen Meany's foul hit in a Little League game. However, it is not until the after her death that Irving introduces the reader to a more multi-dimensional Tabitha, one that was a great mother, loyal daughter, and loving wife, whose presence has made a huge impact on the novel's plot at large.  After losing his mother, Johnny is adopted by Dan Needham, who provides Johnny with a father figure he never had or had even known.  Dan's presence and adoption of Johnny turn out to be two of the best things that have ever happened in Johnny's life.  Dan is the best "Dad" Johnny could ever picture.  With Dan as a parent/mentor/left-hand man, Johnny begins to find himself as a person and eventually loses the deep desire to discover who his real father is.
While the death of a parent or loved one should never be seen as positive and hurts many around, like Johnny and Dan, it is how one continues with their life post death that can drastically change their own personal state of being.  Johnny and Dan both mourned the death of Tabitha and continue to miss her, but because of her death, they have come together as mutual loved ones and grown closer. Johnny and Dan's growing relationship and existence in each others' lives as a result of a life-altering tragedy has definitely benefited them both and has made their lives feel a bit more complete.

A Prayer for Owen Meany - 6 word story

"The abrupt death that changed everything" ... While the death of Johnny Wheelwright's mother Tabitha is one of much tragedy and pain for Johnny and her husband Dan, her death ended up having a more positive impact on Johnny's life in the long run.  While it may sound terrible, the death of Tabitha completely changed Johnny's life around.  He was able to learn more about his mother after her death, discovering that she was a singer that went by the name "The Lady in Red."  More importantly, he was legally adopted by her mother's lover from the Boston and Maine, Dan, who ended up being the best father figure in Johnny's life that he had so longed for when he was young. On the flip side, Johnny was never able to find out the name of his biological father, which left him feeling a bit incomplete.

How to Read Literature - Author's Casual and Humorous Language

In the informative and enjoyable book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, author Thomas C. Foster does an exquisite job of conveying important and knowledgeable information to readers eager to learn about literature.  Foster does so by using very casual language, referring to his audience in the informal "you" tense and making use of several relate able metaphors and analogies.  The comprehensible and simple language that Foster uses along with his humorous yet credible tone makes this book an enjoyable read for a variety of readers. Foster's language and overall tone is the complete opposite to what one would immediately perceive by reading simply the title of the book.  While at first glance an AP Lit student may see this book as a drag of a summer read, his/her mind will quickly be changed within the first paragraph of book by the author's captivating way of displaying important knowledge about reading literature in a fun and enjoyable read.

A Prayer for Owen Meany - Fate and Predestination

In the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany, author John Irving focuses on the idea of predestination, which he expresses through the dialogue of his main character Owen Meany.  Owen, a small boy with the belief that he is God's instrument on Earth, is the best friend of narrator Johnny Wheelwright, who the reader later discovered is impacted tremendously by Owen's faith. The idea of predestination is revealed early in the novel when Owen hits a foul baseball ball right into the temple of Tabitha Wheelwright, Johnny's a hot-commodity of a mother, which kills her immediately.  Owen's baseball hit that kills Tabitha makes him believe that he is an instrument of God. Furthermore, Irving reveals through this tragedy the belief that "everything happens for a reason."  This idea of pre-decided faith is something in which Owen strongly believes.  This theme is especially relevant in his own life, as God's plan (in Owen's mind) led him to join the army, which ultimately led to his death.   Owen's upbringing in Church and strong religious faith has fostered his belief that God has predetermined the faith for all human beings.