Because I could not stop for death...

Emily Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" is a classic example of a poem using personification. It turns death into a person who the narrator of the poem will ultimately spend her life with. Death stops by "kindly" even though the narrator, it seems, is not quite ready to die. However, since death comes nicely and gently, the narrator is kind of relieved. There is lots of marriage imagery in the poem, such as the lines "For only Gossamer, my Gown-- My Tippet-- only Tulle--" (15). These two lines describe the sheer fabric of the gown shes wearing, including a tulle shawl. If I'm not mistaken, tulle is a weird fabric sometimes used in wedding dresses. The fact that the narrator is going away with death while wearing something akin to a wedding gown is strong symbolism showing that death is something you can't turn away from. Is it almost like a commitment? It's an interesting way to view the very complex topic of death.

The Lady and the Dog

I enjoyed all of the short stories we read for class on Wednesday, October 23rd. However, my favorite was The Lady and the Dog. One of the reasons I liked it so much was because the protagonist was downright unlikable. I always thinks this makes for an interesting story. For example, Holden Caufield of Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite characters in literature, even though he can be described as whiny and self centered. Even Harry Potter becomes a bit of a jerk in the later books, showing his teenage angst on full display. I think it's super interesting when a character is brooding or dark or even just a bad person. It provides a new perspective, maybe a different way of viewing  a situation than we as readers normally would. The protagonist's sexism did make me a little uncomfortable, however. Overall, I enjoyed the fact that he ended up "falling in love" with the woman even though it was never his intention to. I also enjoyed the fact that we have a compelling feeling to not believe him. Is he unreliable? Very interesting....

Cathedral

Cathedral is a very interesting piece written by Ramond Carver. I don't think we're supposed to like the narrator, as he's kind of a jerk. However, we don't really see him have an epiphany until he closes his eyes and gets the blind man's perspective. It's an interesting story about realizing that other perspectives are important. I also think the character development for both the blind man and the narrator is really interesting. Overall, it's one of the most interesting short stories I've read.