Ernest Hemmingway

As the story, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” begins, it shows how things are going in the life of Mr. Macomber at that time. He is embarrassed due to his fears in dealing with lions. Many comments are made regarding his cowardly ways. His wife also senses his fears and is embarrassed by her husband’s cowardly ways. She seems to be more interested in the brave hunter Wilson than in her own husband even showing affection to him. This affects her husband and will ultimately affect his life.

     Francis Macomber seems very embarrassed by his fear of wild animals. This character cannot believe the fear he has and where it could be from. His wife seems to not want to be with him because he was a coward. She seems very turned off by his fears. This feeling is echoed by Mr. Wilson as well. No one feels like being a coward is the way someone should be. Macomber’s wife seems to really like the hunter, Mr. Wilson as well. She is so intrigued by the hunting and the hunter that she feels compelled to accompany them on the hunting trips. She also makes several flirty type remarks to Mr. Wilson in front of her husband and insults her husband.

     As the last hunt of the story begins, the reader can see that Francis Macomber is finally living the type of life that he wants to live. He seems to finally be free of the fears that encompasses him. Through the last hunt, he had hopes of redeeming himself. Ultimately, he is accidentally shot and killed by his wife. Ouch, that seems a little harsh in the story. Francis Macomber after trying for a while had finally lived a happy life, but it was brought to a short, abrupt end.

William Faulkner

After reading “Barn Burning”by William Faulkner…. The following are the thoughts I had after reading this story. 

In the beginning of the story, the boy’s father, Snopes, was on trial. As the Justice asked questions, he could not really prove that Snopes is the guilty one responsible for burning down the barn. So Harris, the plaintiff, wants the boy Sarty to get on the stand. Sarty’s father is angered by Sarty. Sarty’s father feels during the court proceedings that Sarty should stick with his blood even if it requires lying. Sarty seems to feel scared of his father. He also seems to feel like he let his father down.

During the middle of the story, it goes back to the court setting. During this time though, Snopes is found guilty of another crime and is ordered to compensate the person. Snopes does not like these findings and has no intention of paying the fees that he is ordered to pay.

The boy Sarty seems to have a conflict between doing the right thing and what his father makes him do. It appears that Sarty’s father doesn’t speak much and treats Sarty very sternly. The story feels like a constant turmoil between the boy and his father. It even incorporates the mother, sisters, and aunt into the story. Everyone seems scared or intimidated of the father and will do what he says even if they do not feel it is the right or moral thing to do.

Lanston Hughes' Poetry

  “I, Too” by Langston Hughes seems to depict the life of an African American. The speaker of the poem feels like telling everyone that he is an American just like they are. In the first stanza, the speaker of the poem does not seem to be bothered by the fact that he is sent to the kitchen to eat when company comes. He wants to shout he is also an American and knows that a day will come soon when he will be allowed and welcomed to eat in the dining room with people of all color. In the second stanza, he speaks of a day when he will not be asked to eat in the kitchen. This poem seems to depict how many have felt over the years when faced with prejudice.

“Harlem” by Langston Hughes is the poem from “A Raisin in the Sun.” I thought I had seen and heard it from another place. I didn’t realize that Langston Hughes had written it. I like this poem. I feel like it explores what happens to men or women when they don’t have any dreams.  When someone crushes their dreams is also a theme that could ring true. I feel like it could also be saying that when someone has so much potential and someone has hopes/dreams invested in them that much is expected. When nothing is delivered, it seems like such a waste. In America, we are taught the American dream where when you work hard you can be successful. This is not always the case for everyone, especially African-American men during the time of Langston Hughes. It is amazing how a short poem can pull so many thoughts from someone. The shorter poems like this one seem to be easier to understand than really long poems.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

My Reflections on the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

            I couldn’t help but want a happy ending for Janie while reading the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. It seemed as though during the entire novel she was searching for happiness until finally experiencing it when she fell in love with Tea Cake. Even though this relationship didn’t last as long as the others she had been in, she finally felt alive. Even though the ending was tragic, Janie finally figured out who she was and what she wanted.

            The first relationship Janie had was because her grandmother wanted to keep her from being wild. So, she found her an older man with a lot of land that Janie would inherit at his death. Janie was more like a worker than a wife to this man. That didn’t work for her and she was not happy.

            The next relationship was with Joe Starks. He made Janie happy and to think of the nicer things she never had. As Joe became more powerful, Janie didn’t feel the same anymore. It seemed as though all the things he promised were not going to happen. She was more like a “mayor’s wife” for appearances more than anything.  At his death, she received a fortune.

            The next relationship Janie had was with Tea Cake. He was a man much younger than Janie. This was not looked on well within the town and they gossiped about Janie. Janie felt loved by Tea Cake like she had never felt before. They were really happy and cared deeply for one another.

            Tragically after a hurricane almost killed both of them, Tea Cake became ill. He became crazy and tried to kill Janie. As she watched the disease eat away at the mind of her precious Tea Cake, she could hardly bear it. At his death, it was very difficult for Janie. He was no longer sick, but no longer with her as well. He was the only man that ever made her feel alive. It took Janie a long time to find her way in life and she did that with the help of Tea Cake.

Willa Cather

My reflections on Willa Cather and her short stories, “Paul’s Case” and “A Wagoner Matinee”

            While reading both of the stories by Willa Cather, I felt like both stories reflected the feelings people get when they are stifled by their surroundings. Everyone doesn’t always “fit in” in their community. Some people are looked at as weird. Some people can only feel alive when they are not in a small town. Music, drama, and the sounds of the big city often allure many people in.

            “Paul’s Case” is one of Willa Cather’s short stories. Paul seems like a troubled young man. He has been kicked out of school. His teachers do not like him and have bad things to say about him. He has never known a mother because she died a few months after his birth. Paul seems to only feel like he fits in when he is at Carnegie Hall. He can be himself when he is an usher there. Many people like him there and think he is a nice young man as well. Paul feels like he has to lie to not be like the other people in his town. He tells big stories of places he is going or people that he knows. When Paul escapes to New York after stealing bond money, he knows that this is the place he should be. He dresses like the people he is around. He enjoyed everything about New York. He felt like he didn’t have to lie and all his nervous ticks went away. Paul’s bad behavior back in his hometown was a result of his wanting to get out of there and not be like everyone in that small town.

            “A Wagner Matinee” is another one of Willa Cather’s stories. Georgiana is the aunt in the story who must travel to Boston from a little Nebraska town because she has been left a small legacy by a relative. The nephew Clark must help her since he is living in that area and meet her at the train station. He looks up to Georgiana and feels she has helped him be where he is today. During the visit, he takes her to a Wagner Matinee. She doesn’t seem to feel alive in the small town she lives in although she must love her husband Howard to have settled there. The story tells every part of the matinee. With each part, Georgiana comes alive and begins to act like the person she once was. At the end, she doesn’t want to leave. It seems like she enjoyed being around the music. It helped her to feel alive again as well.

Zora Neale Hurston's "John Redding Goes to Sea"

John Redding Goes To Sea by Zora Neale Hurston

My reflections on the short story, “John Redding Goes to Sea”

            From the title at first glance, it sounded as if John Redding was going to the Navy. Perhaps he could even be a fisherman. As the story moves on, the reader sees that the character John Redding longs to go to sea. He wants to see the world. He is held back by his mother and others. His father supports John and shares his dreams though. John has to spend all of his life longing to see the world.

            From the time of being a little boy, John always wanted to see the world. He would go to the water and cast out sticks to see where they would go. His father was with him when he did this at times. Both of them shared a dream to see the world. His father Alf didn’t feel like he could see the world, but could through John’s eyes. The people in the community thought John was weird because he talked of seeing the world. They all thought he should be a teacher and settle down. Day after day, John felt torn to go see the world. He didn’t want to disappoint his mother though.

            John’s mother Matty sounds like a typical mother when her children want to leave home. Mothers always see their children as their babies. It is hard to let them go. John insisted that he would come back and wouldn’t be gone long. Matty would always cry and get mad at him. John didn’t feel he could go on a trip remembering his mother not wanting him to be there. Matty just couldn’t let go and wanted to discourage her son from seeing the world and going to sea.

     John’s father Alf supported his dreams. He tried to help him convince the mother and it often ended in arguments. Matty felt like she and Alf should discourage John, not encourage him. Alf felt like women take away men’s dreams.

      Other people like John’s wife and people in the community could not understand John’s dreams to see the world.  People called him queer. So, when he had the opportunity to help Mr. Hill with the bridge, he took it promising to be back in the morning. When the storm came, the entire family feared for John’s life. When he didn’t come back in the morning, they went looking for him. Some people had been killed, injured or swam to safety. No one could find John until they saw him floating on a log dead. Everyone was distraught at that time. Alf was upset that his son never got to see the world and wanted him to be left to float at sea.

     John Redding had to die before his mother would let him go to see the world at last. John was left floating on a log out to the sea like the many twig ships he sent out.