American Lit II: Ida B. Wells-Barnett Mob Rule In New Orleans

"Wow, what is story!!!" That was my thoughts upon reading "Mob Rule in New Orleans" by Ida Wells-Barnett. In it, Wells tells of the rioting and lynchings in turbulent 1900 New Orleans. Anyone who knows about Wells and who she was knows she is well qualified to write this story about the racially charged violence of this time. Wells was born to slave parents in 1862. From early on in her life she had to be a fighter. At the age of 16, her parents died, and she had to fight to support and keep her siblings together, which she did by taking a job as a teacher. She attended college at Shaw University and after this Wells moved to Memphis to help her aunt raise her youngest sisters. After she arrived in Memphis she was forcibly removed from her seat when a white man wanted to sit where she was at. After this, Wells was well on the path to be an activist for suffrage and the cause against lynching. Eight years later, three of Wells' black friends, who owned a grocery store, were lynched by white competitors who were looking to protect their own business interests. After this, she intensified her fight against lynching. After reading this brief review about Ida Wells, I hope you choose to read this captivating story about the turbulent times of this era.

English Comp II: William Faulkner A Rose for Emily

A Rose for Emily is a very interesting story. The story, which is divided into five parts, begins with the funeral of Emily Grierson. The whole town attends her funeral, but not because she was a socialite of the town, but because the men went out of obligation and the women, many of whom had not been in her house in years, or for that matter at all, were curious as to what her house looked like. We also see some of Emily's background in the first section when we are told that she has to pay no taxes because the former mayor of the town feels sorry for her because when Emily's father died he left her penniless. Later on in the story we see that she causes quite the scandal by having an affair with a man named Homer Barron. The women of the town become upset by this affair, and try numerous times to convince Emily to marry Homer or break off the affair; she does neither, and eventually her cousins are sent for to try to convince her to marry Homer. Homer leaves for a few days, but returns after Emily's cousins leave. After returning to Emily's home, Homer is never seen again. The story ends with the narrator returning to Emily's funeral. After the funeral is over, some of the town's men force her upstairs open, for it seems that she had closed the top floor of her house off. Upon doing this, they find the remains of the long deceased Homer. I would recommend this story for anyone as it is a very intriguing read.

American Lit II: Sarah Winnemucca Life Among The Piutes

Continuing with the Native American theme, our next read in Comp II is Life Among the Piutes by Sarah Winnemucca. In contrast to "Charlot," which was a speech about the creuly and greed of the white man, "Life Among the Piutes" is more of an inside look at the lives of the Piute people. We see how they live, how their boys are introduced into manhood, and even are told about a ceremony in which young men and women have a chance to inter-mingle with one another. In it, we also see that the Piutes are not afraid of the wihte man at first, believing in a legend that the white man and dark man will come together one day after years of separation to finally settle their differences. Throughout the story, examples of generosity of the Piute people toward the white man are shown, but byy the end of the story, as most Native American stories of this time end, the Piute people are forced from their homeland onto the Yakima reservation. I can only hope that the atrocity that took place some long years ago toward the native population never takes place again.

English Comp II: John Updike A&P

John Updike's A&P was an interesting read, especially for me because I work at a grocery store, just as the narrator of the story does, and am only one year older than the narrator. Because of this, I can closely relate to some of the things he talks about in this story, especially the thing he talks about most, becoming distracted (and very easily I might add) by the beautiful women who choose to shop in his store. In Updike's story, three women come to shop at A&P. He describes them, including how they are dressed in bathing suits, but mainly chooses to focus on one in particular, whom he calls Queen or Queenie. He gives a very detailed description of her, mentioning things like the color of her bathing suit, her hair, her face, the way her bathing suit is being worn, he even mentions how she walks. It is my opinion that in this story Updike is paying tribute to the power some women possess just by their looks. Even though Updike does this, he ends the story by showing that looks aren't enough to capture the attention of every man when Lengel, the narrator's boss, sternly reminds the girls that they are not at the beach and the next time they choose to shop at A&P they need to dress in a more decent manner.

English Comp. II: Flannery O' Connor, "A Good Man Is Hard To Find"

For my first assignment is English 1102, I had to read "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O' Connor. This is a very deep story which illustrates the increasing difficulties in finding genuinely good men, or people in general for that matter. The amazing thing is, O'Connor wrote this story back in 1955, a time condidered by many people today to be a time in our history filled with good people. If O'Connor were alive today, she would be appalled by the current state in which we live. Everyday, there are reports of people stealing from and harming one another. So one wonders, if Ms. O'Connor were to write her story today, would it be appropriate for her to title the story "A Good Is Impossible to to find? You be the judge. Well, that's all from me for now, goodnight.

American Lit. II: Charlot

Our latest read in our literature class is a speech written by the Native American Charlot. This speech was given during a time of great oppression for his as well as other Native American tribes. The year was 1876 and his tribe, the Kalispel band of the Flathead Indians, was slowly being forced off their native homelands in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. To add to this, newly arrived settlers proposed that the Indians should have to pay a tax to the government in order to remain living upon their assigned reservation lands. After seeing this, and realizing that the white man was being consumed by a ceaseless amount of greed, Charlot decides to give his speech to his fellow tribesmen. In it, Charlot gives examples of how his people have helped the white man, and how the white man have harmed the Native Americns. Charlot's wording of his speech is amazing, and to make a long story short, must have had a profound effect upon his people because they remained in the Bitterroot region for another fourteen years until they were forced out by U.S. troops in the year 1890. The blow dealt to the Native Americans by the white man was no doubt a major one, and one that still has a profound effect today, as the majority of the Native American population still resides on the northern great plains. I can only hope that we as a nation never commit such a trvesty again.

American Lit II: Emily Dickinson

In my American Literature class, we are currently reading some of Emily Dickinson's poetry. As anyone who has ever ready a stanza or two of her poetry can attest, the was she writes can at times be confusing. One has to read and re-read her numerous scraps of literary gold in order to fully understand them. My favorite Dickinson poem thus far is "My Life had stood a Loaded Gun." In it, she compares life before meeting her husband/boyfriend to that of a loaded gun sitting in a corner, having the potential to do wondrous things, but not having the ability to without the help of the right person. After this person finds her, the poem indicates that she experiences happiness and would kill for him. Alas, i have gone over my 100 word limit, so I must cut my blog short for now. I strongly recommend to anyone who is not familiar with her work to take the time to read her poetry and see just what this literary genius has to offer to you.