Week Four Blog

Harrison Bergeron – by Kurt Vonnegut

I have often wondered and thought what a better place the world would be if we were all more equal. If there weren’t people who were richer or if everyone looked the same, or if there weren’t some that were smarter or funnier or more talented. Well, this story touched on that exact thought. It made realize just the opposite – not how much better the world would be if that were true, but how horrible it would be. The story had a Handicapper General – one who saw to it that if anyone was more intelligent, that they would have certain devices put into their ears to jumble their thoughts so as to interrupt their intelligence and people that were beautiful had to wear hideous masks to cover their beauty. The Handicapper General was the one to enforce the implementation of these devices as well and if they weren’t followed – the people would be fined, imprisoned and sometimes, death would occur. There was a rebel – Harrison who didn’t comply - he breaks out of jail – decides that he will be the Emperor, finds someone to be his wife and even if for a brief amount of time – the musicians play without any type of hindrance and things seem momentarily freeing until the HG finds him and shoots him and his would be wife – after that – things resume as they were. With all of it’s heaviness, conformity and to me what seemed like a sad and horrible existence.

There is a part in the story where George and Hazel talk about going back to things the way they were before this and Hazel states “I’d hate it”, George goes on to say – “There you are, the minute people start cheating on laws, what do you think happens to society.” I found that interesting because sometimes, the laws aren’t good ones. Sometimes, society isn’t a better place because of some particular laws. So, a person doesn’t necessarily have to “cheat” the laws but you could definitely challenge them which is what Harrison did and he ended up dying for that choice, however, if you get a group to challenge them with you – there is strength in numbers. Plus, Harrison didn’t really go about the best way either. So..there is another lesson there – when you challenge things, do it through the right channels.

Over all – it was an interesting story, with an interesting concept. I hated the ending.

The Lottery – by Shirley Jackson

This story basically was about a death lottery that happened once a year in this village. Slips of papers were selected and the unlucky person who ended up with the paper with the black bulls-eye at the end was basically stoned to death. The story basically said that the only reason for this ridiculous lottery was because it was “tradition.”

I found this to be a dark story – at first, I wasn’t really sure what was going on or what was going to happen and I was struck by the nonchalant way that everyone

seemed to be acting when they arrived at the town square. I gotta think that if that was me or potentially any of my family members that could end up with that piece of paper, I wouldn’t be all that interested in making small talk with my neighbor.

What this story did make me think about however, was, how often do we do things because it’s tradition or “that’s just the way that we have always done things.” I know that I do quite often. While this story is quite extreme and most things that are done out of tradition don’t have quite this horrible of an outcome – it made me realize that I need to think about why I do things and if they are done “just because that’s the way they always have been done”, does that make it right? Also, there are some things that are don e out of tradition sake that do have terrible outcomes – and maybe as a society – we need to look at those things more closely from time to time and determine if it something that really should be done anymore – and if it’s ethical and right.

Dead Man’s Path – by Chinua Achebe

This story was about a young man that was going to take over a school that he thought was completely backward and in need of new and fresh ideas. He and his wife went in there with determination that they were going to make things great. However, things didn’t go quite as the young man had planned and he started to become irritated that people were walking across the school’s courtyard – so he put up blocks to make it so that the people couldn’t cross. What resulted because of the blocks however was that it made the ancestors of the insulted and his work – all his beautiful work was torn up, a school building was pulled down and when the Supervisor came to inspect things, a nasty report was written about how the headmasters zeal was misguided. You see, in this story, it also made me realize that while maybe not all traditions are still good or necessarily need to be followed anymore – there are some that out of respect to those that have gone before you, or maybe to those that follow ones that I don’t necessarily follow – it is important to respect those traditions. To be mindful of what we do as not to be hurtful to others for what they believe and practice that maybe I don’t. I would in turn, want that from them after all as well.

Week Three Readings

Week Three Blog Posts

 

A Pair of Tickets  by Amy Tan

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this short story.  I liked how through out the story the author talked about how even though the main character never really felt Chinese, that it was indeed in her and it was just waiting to be let go.  This reference came up a couple of times and in the end – when she sees her sisters, she realizes that the part of her that is Chinese is her family.  I also liked how she described the angst that she felt about meeting her twin sisters and the scenarios that she played in her head.  How often I have done that with things in my life as well.  Most of the time, much like narrator, I think that things will be far worse than they actually end up being.  When the time does come and she meets her sisters – the reunion is joyous, loving, wonderful and nothing like she anticipated it would be. 

 

Another chord that really resonated with me was when the mother left her two daughters on the side of the road.  I am a mother myself – of five children and I cannot fathom leaving my children on the side of the road – however – yet I have never been in a situation anything remotely the same as that mother and the sacrifice that she made for them – hoping that they would be found safe, pinning to them all her material possessions in hopes that they would be cared for was such a sacrifice.  I cannot imagine what it must have been to walk away, not look back and live the rest of my life not knowing for certain what happened to my children.  That’s the one thing that I wish had had a different ending – that the mom could have known and seen her beautiful girls – to have known, that they had been well taken care of and that they were alive.  I also thought it was very neat of the mother that took them in – that she didn’t hide from her daughters that they had another biological mom and that she had encouraged them to want to find her too.

 

 

A Clean, Well-lighted Place – by Ernest Hemmingway

 

I honestly didn’t like this story at all.  For me it was not an easy read and I found the flow to be less than smooth.  I thought it was a dark, sad story with no real happy ending.  Here you have an old man – one that comes to the café frequently and gets drunk.  He is obviously a sad and lonely old man as the story indicates that the week before he tried to kill himself by hanging.  Then you have another character – an impatient, uncaring waiter that is mostly concerned with himself and getting home to bed and to his wife.  He is nothing short of rude to the old man and clearly has not time for him.  The older waiter seemed to have a bit more compassion and understanding – knowing that some people needed the well lit little café and the drinks that it had to offer.  Maybe to feel less lonely – maybe to not feel all alone in the world. 

 

The thing that resonated with me in this story was that even though I disliked the younger waiter the most in the story, I think that at times, I am most like him.  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own thoughts, worries, sorrows, troubles, engagements, etc. that I forget about those around me that might need a cheerful hello, or a smile.  Instead, at times, I am short with others, non-caring and also nothing less than rude.  

 

 

The Gift of the Magi – by O. Henry

 

While at first, I had a bit of a hard time getting “into” this short story – it paid off to press on through because the story was amazing and touching.  This young wife, who so loves her husband, is troubled that the next day is Christmas and all she was able to manage to save for a gift was $1.87.  That simply wasn’t enough to get him something proper.  She is sad about this and then finds a way that possibly she can earn more and get that special gift.  You see, our young wife has beautiful long hair.  I am guessing that this hair is something that her husband also very much loves about his wife.  She proceeds in having her hair cut off so that she can sell it and in turn gets $20 for her hair.  She is then able to buy her husband the chain for the beloved watch of his father and grandfather.  While she is saddened by the loss of her hair, she is more excited that she was able to purchase the chain for her husband.  She is worried about what her husband will think of her without her precious hair – but she reassures herself (and him when he sees her) that her hair grows back quickly.  The husbands response to her haircut was so sweet to me.  He says “I don’t think there’s anything in the world that could make me like my girl any less.”  So his hesitation wasn’t that he loved her less because of her sudden lack of hair – but more so by the irony of the entire situation.  He bought her combs for her hair by selling his beloved watch.  She sold her hair for a chain for him.

 

I agree with the author – these two characters were the wisest.  They gave completely for someone other than themselves.  They sacrificed their greatest treasures for the other person. 

 

I can only imagine the telling of this story from year to year and how their eyes must have shone when the recounted the story of how great their love for one another was.