And Filling it Up with a Little Bit More of Innocence...

(How I Met my Husband, Munro)

One of the major themes of this piece is the affects of childish innocence. The scene following Edie's tent visit displays an excellent source of innocence. The meaning and impact of what Edie and Chris shared is blown out of proportion as the olderwomen precieve that they shared more than just a kiss. As a result of Edie lacking knowledge of her actions, her status and title are disgraced and she is judged by all of the women. Lack of knowledge in young girls can cause far more damage than an misinturpruted kiss. The story of Atonement revolves around the impact of a young girl who causes great damage due to her innocence. This child causes the disconnection and end of her sister and her sister's love. This sad tale simply magnifys the impact of acting without proper knowledge. The following clip is the trailer for the movie Atonement.

When you're alone....

(A Rose for Emily, Faulkner)

The setting and background of this story work to justify the actions of the story. The tale begins in media res, after the death of Emily, and backtracks to the past. Interest is created in the funeral scene; however, the bulk of entertainment comes from the described life of Emily. The setting plays an important aspect of the tale. Because the story is set in the traditional south, the abundance of pride and respect for Emily and other elders causes the freedom needed for Emily to become a twisted and mentally sick woman. The southern lifestyle forbid forced interaction as the town allowed Emily to forgo taxes and cause a reeking aura upon the house. This setting along with the given harsh background of Emily foreshadows the preserved death of her sweetheart; her father ruined her chances of other love resulting in her fear of losing her sweetheart. This story seems to not only display the wrong of the situation but also display the impact of parents and lifestyle upon lonely and wild people.

Flavors of Characters

(Interpreter of Maladies, Lahiri)

This story contains many types of characters represented in this story. Mr Das is a static character; he never diverges from his guidebook. He remains oblivious (or acts oblivious) to his wife's lack of compassion and family and never develops past his obnoxious and prideful state. In contrast, Mr. Kapasi is a dynamic character and undergoes much change within the story. He transforms from a lifeless and mundane interpreter to dreaming of being a lover and questioning his lifestyle. These two characters are foil characters. Mr. Kapasi receives Mrs Das' care unlike Mr Das in addition to the various culture and lifestyle differences. These characters do have something in common: attention for Mrs Das, a nice round character. Mrs. Das displays many characteristics throughout the story: selfish, zoned-out, soul-gushing, amused by family, compassionate to bastard son, and reserved. The various types of characters in this story create a story of realistic ideas and relate to the theme of unhappiness and dreaming of the future.

...I Wanna Hold Your Hand..

("Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night", Thomas)

Honestly I first reaction I had with this poem was a connection to the latest Glee episode. Call me a geek for referencing to English class or a gleek for watching the show, but the two medias are quite similar. The following clip is a song sung by a grief-struck son who simply doesn't want to lose his father who is sick in the hospital. He wants to return to a time of comfort and ease, displayed in the song "I Wanna Hold your Hand" a cover of the Beatle original.

Both the poem and the video clip express a similar emotion: to fight death and to find comfort here on Earth. Both hold tones of anguish and sadness and describe their fathers with honor and love. The poem also captures feelings of confusion and pain shown through the many paradoxes, as the son wishes for the saving of his father. These examples of family love and bond are remarkable. All children should be thankful for what parents they have and strive to maintain good relationships with their parents, who in turn should show support and love to their children.

But Now the Days Grow Short....

("That Time of Year", Shakespeare)

This poor speaker has reached/is nearing "the autumn of the year", meaning they are growing old. They certainly lack the positive attitude of Frank Sinatra:

But now the days grow short, I'm in the autumn of the year. And now I think of my life as vintage wine from fine old kegs from the brim to the dregs, and it poured sweet and clear; it was a very good year" ("It was a Very Good Year").

Rather this speaker seems to be fearing the "end of autumn" as much as a night terror. This is displayed through the negative imagery such as the "bare ruined choirs" and "black night" and "deathbed whereon it must expire". The end is in wight for this speaker, and rather than joyfully reflect on their life, they desire to blindly turn away. This speaker wants to look away from the past and future and desires to be nourished and consumed by present love. The tone is urgent and reflects the strength of love through the toils of time. This fear feeds into the strength of love.

..Hey Stupid, that Ain't News No More...

("Lovely Hearts", Cope)

"Can someone make my simple wish come true?"

This entire poem is centered on the irony of this phrase at the end of every line. Each stanza brings a new desperate seeker of love. All of the characters yearn for life's simple call of love, yet they all reject fate and try to create the perfect match rather then find the perfect match. These characters all have similar characteristic of fear and laziness despite their different sexual orientations and backgrounds. The chance of finding these specific lovers is slim, even with an ironic new paper ad. This poem reflects the natural instinct to hope that issues and desires will just appear without much work. This laziness and lack of confidence plagues our world, and has ruined the concept of love. Love is not meant to be given to us through a newspaper, rather love is to discovered by sharing a newspaper.

I'm Gonna Live till I die

("Death, be not proud", Donne)

Death is personified multiple times within this poem; it's described proud, a slave, and even a victim of death. This personification serves two purpose, the first being to exaggerate the role of death. The poem tries to decrease the effects of death and instead tries to focus on the life after death. This "short sleep" is rejected; it seems kinda like an awful ad between two excellent shows, pointless and thankfully short. The second motivation to personify death is to have a source to blame for the sadness and bitter feelings of death. Mr. Costello are you even reading this? The kings, war, desperate men, or sickness are not to blame; rather death is a pride-seeking being causes the negative imagery with death. The speaker calls for more pleasure from death, for even "our best men with thee will go". This poem desires a death of death; a world free of the fear and horror of dying.