Common Ground

This poem makes me feel sympathetic towards the author. It is obvious by her negative descriptions that she does not like what she sees when she looks in the mirror. We first get the impression that she is unhappy when she describes her stern lips. That tone of unhappiness is carried all the way through the poem, and it is almost human nature to feel sympathetic when someone is unhappy.

The overall tone of this poem is bitter. The author expresses her disappointment of her aging body in her diction. Someone with stern lips would be expressing an emotion similar to bitterness. The readers get a mental image of her trying to smooth out her wrinkles, but when she releases the skin from her nervous hands we would expect her to be bitter about the reappearing wrinkles.

Summer reading assignments

I think the summer reading assignments had their pros and cons. I like that when we came back to school we already had a good start in the class. I am sure it also cuts back on the initial amount of homework we receive. Having two books read by the first day of the class definitely reduces the amount of stress for the class. I also liked that we could read and work on projects over the summer at our own pace. This was nice for those times when things got really busy and those times when I had nothing better to do then homework.

There were cons to the summer reading, however. It was kind of overwhelming, but I realize it could have been worse. I didn't like how we didn't get to discuss the book as we read it. I think that would have helped me understand Walden a little better. One of the hardest things for me was finding the motivation. During the summer the last thing I want to worry about is homework, which made it very easy to procrastinate. So in the end it was a little stressful.

Barcelona

The story seems to give the impression of the stereotype that men are supposed to be heroic and brave and women are scared to get into action and stand up for themselves. The story also seems to hint that men are the only ones who steal from others and women are always the victim. The conclusion we see however is that woman aren't always afraid to get involved and stand up for themselves. It shows very well that women can be just as brave as men. I strongly agree with this standpoint. I think gender is a minor factor when it comes to qualities such as bravery. Persis may feel that men are just dopes, and they are always chasing after something because she has been exposed so much to men, like her husband trying to show just how brave they are, yet she doesn't see the value in that bravery because she is just as capable. Thad may resemble the thief in that they are both trying to prove their bravery and act like they are the bigger, more powerful man.

Walden and Frankenstein

I enjoyed reading Frankenstein more then Walden. I felt it was easier for me to follow and understand. I was pleased with how the plot developed. I was a little disappointed in the ending, however. I wasn't too fond of the idea of the ending being a tragedy, but I do understand how it was fitting for the novel. I really wouldn't expect such a gruesome story to have a happy ending. I felt like this was a good book that I could read without any issues with comprehension. The different levels of the plot also made the book interesting. It was long story that consisted of really three points of view. Frankenstein was telling his story to Walton, and in some of his recollection Frankenstein told of how the monster told his story to Frankenstein. There was also Walton telling all of this to his sister in his letters. In my opinion that complexity makes the story a little more interesting so you get a change of narrators every now and then.

I was not too interested in Walden though. I had a lot of difficulty understanding and dissecting the story. Often times I felt like Thoreau was just rambling on about nothing at all and he didn't really have a point to make. I guess I just didn't like how there wasn't really a definite story line. I had trouble seeing how the plot developed. I think the basic idea of the story is interesting, but I did not like how Thoreau presented it in his writing.