Blog for the week of October 23rd

I think that Briony did acheive atonement in the story, at least in her own mind. I do have sympathy for her because it seemed like she internally struggled for the remainder of her life. She finally seems to come to terms with it at the conclusion of the novel. Paul Marshall did not reach atonement, he obviously has a dark secret that he is trying to compensate for. It never reveals if he came clean for what he did, but I doubt it. I just don't know how he can live with himself. As for Cecilia, I think she reached her atonement for not helping Robbie get out of jail. She said she would wait for him and she indeed was not lying. She always believed him and loved him, so it seems to me that she came to terms just like Briony did.

Blog for October 12

I chose to write about The Indian Uprising by Donald Barthelme. To be honest, I despised reading this story at first. I didn't realize when the story was published or the fact it was a stream of consciousness style. It takes more than several readings to draw the full meaning and significance of the story. It is interesting that such a short story can possess so many symbols and sometimes hidden meanings.

Once we began to discuss the story in class, I began to realize how much I enjoyed the story and breaking down its true meanings. I was fortunate to hear everyone elses point of views. One thing that bothers me with literature like this is that I want one answer about what really happened. The conflicts and situations in the story were difficult to fully comprehend, perhaps that is why some literature can be so unique. I am beginning to realize that literature has more than just one or two interpretations. The Indian Uprising was one of my favorite pieces we have reviewed and has helped me understand literature better.

Blog for October 2nd

"Last Call." He tips his head back and pours the last shot down his mouth, leaning over until the burning stops. When he looks up, his vision crosses and he pulls a typical drunk stumble towards his friends, which were on the way out. All he could think about was if this was the right girl. He was trying to distinguish if he was thinking about her because he was inebriated or because she WAS the right girl. Then there she was smiling at him, like she knew what he was thinking about. his walk to the car was not easy, stumbling over curbs and walking in the street, but he knew once he made it to the car he would be fine. He keeps thinking of how he is going to invite the girl over and how he would take a rejection. Smack! Before he knew it, he was on the ground being attacked. Blows continue to strike his head as he is in no condition to defend himself. He knows now that he is being attacked and what he must do, damage control. The savage beating ended as soon as it started. Stunned, he lifted himself off the ground, just in time to see two figures walking off in the distance. One was the man who just struck him and the other, well the other was not the right girl.

Blog Post 4: A Character's Theme Song

I chose the song "That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd as the theme song for Rudy Elmenhurst. The link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjAPoN8qs0Q

I chose this song because is describes someone who abuses drugs and how they have a "smell". It reminds me of the girl in the story revealing that Rudy would drop acid into his beer. Then five years later he came to her door with wine and she still turned him down. Perhaps she couldn't forget his smell that she learnt about during their college years. Also, the guitar solo at the end is sick and reminds me of Rudy's face paced life.