- JOURNALS Name: DANG HA LINH (HAILEY)
1.
Student ID: 10910834
“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan
Reading “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan left me with the fascination that I have long
gone neglected. I was able to see English with a different aspect, which makes me feel a
strong connection with Amy Tan. In her essay, Amy gave us many stories, but the one
impressed me is the background of her mother’s English. The reason is because we are
all from Asia, unless having interacted with English before, most people will have
difficulties using that. I used to evaluate people based on their English level because
English is important. But I was wrong, There is nothing called “Broken English”, nothing
here is damaged or needed to be fixed. The fact is, our generation is more privileged than
the time before, we have chances to learn more than them. But that does not mean
someone is judged because of poor English. The society should normalize it, knowing
that not everyone is provided with the opportunities to have fluent English. Through the
essay, Tan wants to send a powerful message of how we ought to view people by their
beautiful side, not by their shortcomings, because people’s value has way more than that.
2.
“A Pair Of Tickets” by Amy Tan
Reading “A Pair of Tickets” by Amy Tan surely gave me many thoughts and sense
of gratitude. This tells us about the reunion of her Chinese family after being separated
by the war. Her story mentions Suyuan, Jing Mei’s mother, who has never given up the
hope of finding her lost twin daughters many years ago; and Jing Mei wants to accomplish
her mother’s wish. Fortunately, through many ups and downs, they can finally reunite,
spend the precious time together as a real family. This story enhances that family love is
one of the most valuable kinds of feelings that ever existed, and for some reasons, family
cannot be separated. And of course, no matter who you are, or where we at, we should try
our best to protect our family.
“In Broad Daylight” by Ha Jin
3.
After reading “In Broad Daylight”, my honest reaction is that I am rather disgusted
by the story. The way Mu Ying was tortured is very disturbing and cruel. Even though I
have read or heard about these types of stories before but this time. When it is filled with
specific details it really triggers the imagination in my mind and made me feel rather
uncomfortable. The death of Meng Su has way too many graphic details which again
brought my train of thoughts to unexplored areas in my mind. Furthermore, I realized
why most of the author’s work is banned in China as it is not made for a wide variety of
audience. With that said, if Ha Jin aims to make his readers visualize the graphical
features in his work then I think he did a really great job. It demonstrated the different
aspects of the past rather well but in my opinion only a selected amount of audiences can
cope with this type of stories.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
4.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper is about a lady with postpartum
depression. The Yellow Wallpaper depicts the mental and emotional degradation of
women in the late 19th century. This anecdote represents Gilman's "response" to such
treatment. Given the importance Gilman accords The Yellow Wallpaper and her personal
life, it's likely she was referring to herself. Reading the narrative, one can sense the
women's longing to escape dominance. In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's narrative, women
dominate and society supports it. The narrative looks to be about the narrator's illness, but
a closer look shows it's about women in general. Women are expected to follow society's
roles. John symbolizes males, whereas the narrator represents women. Throughout the
novel, the narrator and the other women in the wallpaper struggle to escape their social
roles.
5.
“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants," published in 1927,
takes set at a railway station in Spain, where a young couple is discussing an abortion.
Despite the fact that the term "abortion" does not appear in the narrative, it is primarily
understood via Hemingway's use of literary components such as context and imagery /
symbols. This narrative takes place over a brief period of time, yet it reveals a far wider
story. Jig is the name of the lady, while the guy is just referred to as "a man" or
"American." Despite the fact that their relationship is ambiguous and that they are
certainly not married, the girl becomes pregnant as a result of the connection. The duo,
however, seems to be vacationers who are stopping in various towns before continuing
on to the next destination on their agenda. Finally, the reader is left with a lot of
uncertainty since the author does not provide a resolution or choice at the end of the novel.
6.
“The Story Of An Hour” by Kate Chopin
"The story of an hour" is about a lady who is imagining her future after learning that
her spouse has been murdered. We can see Louise realizing that she can now live for
herself rather than bowing to the will of someone else who, even if kindly, was putting
his will on her. She had never imagined having this much freedom in her life. In only one
hour of her existence, Louise experiences a wide range of emotions. This narrative teaches
us to love people without influencing or shaping them, without being concerned about
what they really want, and without being scared to speak out.
7.
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
I think it's an interesting, dark, evocative, well-observed, and well-written story. The
themes are so universal across times and cultures that it wouldn't require knowledge of
this particular story to create another with overlapping ideas. The story reaches its
terrifying effect essentially through Jackson's skilled use of contrasts when keeping the
reader's expectations at odds with the story's plot. The narrator told us about the winner,
Tessie Hutchinson, who won the lottery. The word "lottery" usually implies something
good for the winner. However, what the "winner" really gets is all the more horrifying.
The story closes as the villagers—including her family members—begin to throw rocks
at her.
8.
“The Sun Rising” by John Donne
Author John Donne dedicated his poetry "The Sun Rising" to the sun, yet the poem's
focus is the thrill of real love. The author derives tremendous pleasure from loving and
being loved. When you look into her eyes, the light might be blinding. Wander the globe,
the day following the sun can tell him a small girl more than the East and West Indies.
The poet's lady encompasses all of her countries. Furthermore, love is revealed to have
triumphed over time and place. Furthermore, John's whole impression of having his
sweetheart is a delusion. However, lovers often mock space and time as illusions without
recognizing that they are hallucinating themselves. While accepting the truth of time and
space may be a terrible obsession, partners who brag that I have found satisfaction cannot
be much better.
9.
“The Black Cat”
"The Black Cat" is a short story that represents the darkness of Poe's writing. This
story is dark, disturbing, and horrific. The story is narrated from the aspect of a man-made
angry, aggressive from alcohol addiction. This story moves through the motions of his
life. He turned from a happy young animal-loving boy to a wife and animal abuser. The
narrator of "The Black Cat" is sufficiently aware of his mental decay, and at particular
points in the story, he realizes the change is happening within him. He tries to do
something about it, but he finds himself unable to turn his falling into madness. Symbols
are a vital component of Poe's dark tale. In this story, "the black cat" is more than just the
title character; it is also an important symbol. Like the bad omen of legend, the narrator
believes Pluto and his successor have led him down the path toward insanity and
immorality.
10. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce
First published in 1890, this very dark short story of death by hanging is loaded with
atmosphere and substance. The story tells a man who loves his wife and children, a man
devoted to the cause during Civil Wartime. The story begins with him getting hanged apparently sabotaging a bridge so the Northern soldiers couldn't use it. The author then
describes different sensations of dying, portraying the nature around Owl Creek Bridge
and even how the hanged man came to have the idea of sabotaging the bridge. There is a
lot of imagination and fantasy in Peyton's perceptions. The story is well written, with a
sort of romanticism about the place, not the people. It is also making a point of how
pointless human actions are. I would call this an American classic even due to the time
and the period it was written in.
11. “Shame” by Dick Gregory
Following my reading of Dick Gregory's short tale "Shame," I had some ideas of my
own on the subject. Because the author properly represented the notion of "Shame," the
article, in my view, is accessible to a wide range of audiences. The dread of being seen,
of the world looking down on you, of continuously telling yourself that you are an outcast,
a misfit, and that you do not belong in society. I believe that we have all experienced
some kind of "Shame" at some point in our lives, and that we can all relate to the author
in some manner. Personally, I appreciate reading the novel because it allows me to revisit
an earlier version of myself, the one who had her own "Helene Tucker" and a background
that was undoubtedly less fortunate than that of her classmates and acquaintances.
Furthermore, Dick's heroic and daring decision to expose a portion of his youth is a
remarkable example of how abused one's life may be as a black and impoverished person
in the twentieth century. In today's world, I hope that tales like these may be told to
younger generations over and over again to raise awareness about racial injustice so that
statements like "...you and your kind" are never used again since I think we are all equal,
one and the same.
12. “Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin
The short piece “Note of a Native Son” by James Baldwin depicted the complexity
of one’s emotions, thoughts which led to actions in such a sensational way. The author
successfully illustrated what it feels like when you are blinded by hatred for something
you have not fully understand. As for James, he took his father’s presence for granted his
entire life and only recognized what his father has been trying to do for him now that he
is dead. I felt the rage, the hatred, the anger that the author must have been through when
he became an adult himself. The struggle of the mind, the weight of the heart, the
bitterness of life hits like a truck, taking away one’s sane self and replacing it with a dark
void, something far beyond controllable. The racial issues in the story were also displayed
with an incredible amount of realness, making me as a reader felt as if I was a citizen of
Harlem or New Jersey in those scary years when black people were treated with such
disrespect.
13. “Wildwood” by Junot Diaz
"Wildwood," in my opinion, is a compelling, poignant, and well-written short story.
The author portrays Lola's tumultuous relationship with her mother, who is diagnosed
with breast cancer. Lola, a little girl who lives in New York with her brother and mother,
notices that Lola's mother is especially cruel and directs her rage towards her daughter.
Lola has a feeling her life will change when her mother asks her to inspect her breast for
a lump. What piqued my interest was the author's description of the story's characters. His
character descriptions made them appear so genuinely and approachable. Lola's mother
is unhappy and dissatisfied with her life, which explains why she is unsupportive and
harsh with them. Because she is harsh and cruel, this makes myself and other readers
dislike her.
14. “The Jewels” by Guy De Maupassant
The Jewels makes me feel somewhat deceived. It is a short story about a man and his
wife and their relationship to Jewelry; this is how to story seems to be at first. But then,
Mrs. Lantin passed away, and Mr. Lantin found out that his wife's Jewelry is real, the
story turns. Though initially sad at his wife's tragic passing, Lantin soon gets over his pain
by developing a love for money that he seems to have forgotten about his late wife. In
effect, Lantin's soul has been infected by the love of money. He no longer loves the right
things, the essential things, the things that matter in life. He cares about having lots of
money, material goodies, and the social status it brings him. Mr. Lantin appears to have
lost the ability to love things that are not related to money. He makes the crucial decision
to choose a woman he doesn't seem to love and with whom he's destined to be deeply
unhappy.
15. “A Good Man Is Hard To Find”
If evaluate the short story just by reading the title, most of the readers might be misled,
even me. This is the short story about the trip of the family to Georgia, where the
protagonist is the grandmother. She lives in the house with her son Bailey and his wife,
along with their two children. The most hated character of the story, the Misfit gang, is
introduced later. The grandmother read about the escape of the heinous Misfit gang from
the federal jail and about the impending danger that may arise from them. However, she
still insisted to go to Georgia, where she romanticized her memories about this area just
to attract the attention from her grandson and granddaughter. When the car hit the tree
because of the naughty cat, the gang appeared. Nothing would happen if the grandmother
did not recognize the leader of the Misfit, but she did. So, her son and her grandson was
killed, and next was the whole family, including the grandmother with 3 shots right in the
chest. The short story basically does not contain any moral lesson, but the protagonist
kept repeating the phrase “A good man is hard to find” which makes me reconsider the
meaning of the story.
16. “Girl” by Jamaica Kinkaid
The short story “Girl” of Jamaica Kinkaid surprised me as a reader. Unlike other short
stories, this one includes a thousand of requests, one by one, seem like instructions to an
unknown person. After half of the story, readers begin to realize this is like a list of
housework, and basic manners given to a girl, whose dialogue is written in italic font as
a reply. It is noticeable that the list is long, complicated, and required a lot of demand for
a girl. At the end of the story, after being asked how she could do that, the character I
suppose a woman, answer her “you mean to say that after all you are really going to be
the kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread?”. The whole story in general,
emphasizes the sex inequality, where the girls have to take care most of the things and
handle a stressful life at a very young age. The story ends with an answer, but leaves me
questioning why the society has to be so harsh with women, especially girls? Where is
the childhood they deserve to have?
17. “The Friday Everything Changed” by Anne Hart
Anne Hart's novella “The Friday Everything Changed” is about a fight for gender
equality in which males gain the superior gender. The storyline of the primary protagonist,
Alma Niles, is followed throughout the short tale. It begins with a distant village school
obtaining a water pump from a nearby railroad station. Every two days, the "strong boys"
went to gather the water since they were deemed more "competent" than the girls.
Because the boys were assigned the chore of carrying the water, the girls became a target
for the males because they were seen to be the "weaker" gender. The males were playing
softball, while the girls were keeping score. Boys took first dibs on mags, while ladies
were trampled. Alma Niles raised her hand one Friday to question Ms. Ralston, "Why
can't females go for water, too?" Because of her bravery and fortitude in standing up for
herself and the other females, the heroine becomes a hero. An act like Alma Niles makes
us wonder how much power we as women truly have and how much of it is protected by
today's society. It simply takes one person's bravery, one tiny deed, and standing up for
what they feel is right to make a difference and bring about change in the world. We
humans are often oblivious to our ability to make a difference in a circumstance.
18. “The Guest” by Albert Camus
Reading “The Guest” by Albert Camus makes me have some of my own thoughts.
This short story was set in French Algeria, Albert Camus’s “The Guest” follows Daru, a
schoolteacher who is torn between his European education and his sympathy for the native
Arabs. Daru, an unassuming French schoolteacher, is tasked with escorting an Arab
prisoner to the police headquarters. Daru is uncomfortable with his task and secretly hopes
the prisoner will escape. After a fretful night, Daru gives the prisoner supplies and the
choice to either turn himself in or flee to safety. The man chooses prison. After returning
home, Daru receives a threatening message from the Arab resistance, who vow revenge
against him for turning their comrade over to the police. The theme of Albert Camus's short
story “The Guest” is that people must make their decisions according to their own
consciences and then must follow through with those decisions.