Reading Response 2/18

The short story Survivors from the fiction packet on Canvas gave a good detailed description of how a gay man felt about out living his partner. Even though the story was no more than a page the reader is able to understand the reason the man felt the way he did about wanting to be the first to die. Not wanting to take care of his partner's pet or deal with his partner's un-approving family, he expressed how he felt in a way like he was writing a diary entry.

Another short story that I found had a lot of detail was The Colonel. It gave the reader a lot of detail to where the reader is able to visualize what the author is trying to explain. "I was in his house. His wife carried a tray of coffee and sugar. His daughter filed her nails"(Forche). The detail helps the reader to visualize the scene of the story as well see what the author has seen. Giving detail in short stories as well as long stories helps the reader to imagine the environment that the author is trying to create or describe. The more detail there is the better the story is because the reader is more engaged and informed. 

Sharon Krinsky's Mystery Stories were very interesting. I didn't realize you could have a paragraph of writing and it be a story. Krinsky's stories were mysteries that the reader had to uncover with little information, but I enjoyed reading them as they reminded me of the poems we had previously gone over. The stories give only some detail into what the author is try to convey somewhat like a diary entry gives only parts of a person's life experiences. 

Reading Response 2/11

                                                                        Tocqueville

The poem Tocqueville was very interesting and yet disturbing to me. I felt that the writer was writing each section from different points of view, as well as adding his own memories into the mix. The author points out the struggles that people around the world are faced with such as having to chose between killing your child or having someone else kill your child in front of you. It is very difficult to read and think about what this poor man had to go through. It breaks your heart to know that there are places around the world as well as here in America where people are being tortured, forced out of their homes and just treated like they are not worthy of life.  "What I fear is that I will meet the men who made me kill my child" (Mattawa, 31). For this man to fear seeing the men that first killed his wife and then made him kill his child is so painful. These men should be in jail or on death row, but instead they get to roam free while this poor man lives his life with the guilt.

I heard some horrible news today that three muslim american students were gunned down in there home. The forty-six year old male that killed them said it was over a parking spot dispute. Really? To kill over a parking spot is beyond anything I could imagine. These students were all very involved in the community and trying to make a difference in this world and for someone to kill them over an argument about a parking spot is just absolutely senseless. When I heard about this on the news it reminded me of Tocqueville and how certain things are hidden from the media.

Reading Response 2/4

                                                                   Tocqueville

Most of the poems in Tocqueville have such deep meaning it is hard for me to find the meanings in them. I find that the author is living out memories from his past writing them in such a way that gives the reader only a glimpse into his life. Expressing certain parts of memories that he has making the reader only imagine what he's really try to say. The reader is uncertain of the true meaning of each of the poems, which is where I fall as a reader.

The poem Ecclesiastes, has a kind of feel of a way therapist might be questioning his career. The tricks to getting someone to open up to him using rules that he has learned over time. Expressing thoughts that have crossed his mind when dealing with certain patients. Showing how the influence of someones parents have on that person's identity. "And when they say "too much," give them a plan"(Mattawa, 7). Having a plan to help them get through hard times that they maybe facing in their lives.

The poem Terrorist, gives me a feeling that the author lost his brother and is trying to understand how to deal with his death. "Will I be a victim again? and again a murderer?" (Mattawa, 17). I feel like he feels like a victim for losing his brother but then again like a murderer for not being able to save him. The poem though confuses me when the author states "Every breath I inhale is the cold wind that makes us embrace like statues of eternal lovers" (Mattawa, 17). I don't know now if his brother has been killed or has killed?