Thesis Statement

Throughout the book, Janie encounters many different issues and situations with other men that continue to conflict with her plans on finding the perfect husband to get old with.

Reading Summary

As the chapter begins, Janie sits in the store and waits for an possible customer but assumes there will be none since there is a big game in town. To her suprise a man named Mr. Woods enters the store and makes himself right at home. Throughout the chapter Mr. Woods continues to visit Janie, and also makes an effort every time he comes to be even more flirtatious. The towns people begin to question why Janie is hanging around this man and why she is dressing the way she is. Janie claims that she is wearing such vibrant colors because she is no longer mourning the death of Joe, and Mr. Woods also wants her to wear these things because he believes she looks good in them. After lots of talking and numerous instances with Joe, Janie announces to Pheoby that she is going to get married to Mr. Woods. Pheoby questions this decision but dosn't hold Janie back. And little does Janie know that she is in for a big suprise about the kind of person Mr. Woods really is.

Reading Summary

At the end of chapter Janie decides to thrust herself into a conversation for the first time. Considering that almost everyone is telling her that she is an orally good speaker, Janie decides to take that to heart and follow what they have to say. Janie sticks up for herself and other when Starks says that there is no place for a woman. Janie lashes back by saying things such as that men don't know half as much and their place in this world is much different that a womans. She also says that woman do many other things different from men which makes them the way they are. Starks ends the conversation by telling Janie to go fetch his checkers and checker board. The argument and suprise of Janie's outrage are truly outlined in this coversation made by Starks and Janie.

Quotation Responses

Their Eyes Were Watching God

by Zora Neale Hurston


1.)
This quote reveals the true difference between woman and men. Men are seen by Hurston as either letting time surpass thier dreams and be forgotton, or, their dreams reached or almost achieved. As for woman, Hurston sees them as only remembering the realistic dreams and forgetting the unreachable ones. Woman are also seen as following the truth and only the truth to Hurston. The statement made sugests that woman act and do things accordingly because of this element of only following the truth. Men are not seen this way in Hurston's eyes and later in the chapter this way of only following the truth is shown to the reader.


2.)
The quote here suggests a different type of marrige, but comparison to the attributes that Janie thinks a marrige should have. The quote uses much imagery which helps emphasize the beauty of example. In this case the example made is a bee who marrys a blossom underneath the tree. When Janie sees this she truly believes that that is what a marrige should not only be like but look like. This quote is significant because later in the story Janie finds out from the others what to really expect from marrige and what kinds of troubles it can bring. When she learns this her opinion on marrige slightly alters from what she had previously percieved it as.

Quotation Responses

Huckleberry Finn


1.) "Dry up! I don't want to hear no more out of you!...G'long to bed, and don't you deffersit me no more deffersits, long's you live!"

The significance of this quote by Duke is to show the disgust that Duck and the King have for eachother after losing track of Huck after his escape. Duke and the King begin to drink heavly to forget about not only losing Huck, but the con men as well. The quotation reveals the downfall in emotion of the two and somewhat shows some hope for Huck's escape. Although it does not seem imminate, Huck knows that their will be no true way of escaping this trouble. As for Duke and the King, the frustration can be seen as it continues to grow, showing a possible future for the emotions that might be set between the two later in the story.


2.) "I set up a shout-and the another-and then another one; and run this way and that in the woods, whooping and screeching; but it warn't no use-old Jim was gone. The I sat down and cried; I couldn't help it."

The importance behind this quote is to truly show the emotions that are running through Huck with all the stress and choices that he needs to make. This part of the story is the beginning of Huck's true innner struggle. This struggle all begins when Huck comes back to fine that Jim has been taken and their efforts to keep him from reaching slavery has failed. This is mainly what causes him to outbreak in tears. The choices that meet Huck at this crossroads include whether he should tell what has become of Jim to Miss Watson or attempt to help Jim escape. This emotional struggle that Huck must deal with is one of the major factors that influences his decisions made later in the story.

Quotation Responses

Huckleberry Finn


1.) "There was trouble 'bout something, and then a lawsuit to settle it; and the suit went agin one of the men, and so he up and shot the man that won the suit-which he would natuarally do, of course."

The importance behind this quote coming from Buck is to help the reader have a understanding of why this shooting took place. It also aids in points of the concept of revenge. In this case Buck is trying to get Huck to understand the meaning of a feud and why this man was killed. A feud is illistrated by Buck as a quarrel with another man, so the man ends up being killed because of this. Buck says to Huck that the only way to end this feud is to kill off everyone involved so the the feud comes to an end. Buck explains this to Huck to help his understanding of why this man was killed so that it would no longer need to be debated.


2.) "He nearly cried he was so glad, but he warn't surprised. Said he swum along behind me that night, and heard me yell every time, but dasn't answer, because he didn't want nobody to pick him up and take him into slavery again."

The significance of this quote is that it reveals the inner struggle between Huck and Jim. Not only does it show Jim's devotion to staying with Huck, but it also shows Jim's thoughts. Jim was not suprised to see Huck because he knew that Huck would stay loyal to him knowing that he didn't want Jim to fall into the hands of Slavery. As far as the inner struggle goes, the quote shows the determination by Jim to avoid being captured and also shows what Jim and Huck have to go through in order to keep seeing eachother.

Emily Dickinson Question Response

Would you label Dickinson as a transcendentalist? Why or why not?


If I were to determine whether Emily Dickinson was a transcendentalist, I would say that she is not. There are many examples in her writtings that reveal that she truly does not follow the ideas of Emerson of Thoreau. Dickinson shows us this in her poem "In Shadow" when she says, "I dared not meet the daffodils, for fear their yellow gown would pierce me with a fashion so foreign to my own." This quotation taken from this poem shows that Dickinson is not a big fan of nature. This idea of disliking nature totally conflicts with the transcendentalist ideas that enforce nature. These ideas of Emerson and Thoreau want the individual to escape from society by going out into nature so that they may find themselves as well as discover their own beliefs. Dickinson also shows this in her 31st poem she writes when she says, "This is my letter to the world, that never wrote to me, the simple news that nature told, with tender majesty." This quotation states that although the world has seen what nature brings, Dickinson has never became involved in what nature has to share.

Paper Topic #2

The paper topic that I have chosen is the third topic. The third topic is a in depth study of either "Young Goodman Brown" or "The Ministers Black Veil." I have chosen to write about the tone that is displayed by Hawthorne in "The Ministers Black Veil."

Quotation Responses

Song Of Myself

By Walt Whitman


1.) "Who has done his day's work? Who will soonest be through with his supper? Who wishes to walk with me?"


Walt Whitman has a upfront statement in this quote. Whitman reveals to the reader in this quote is that you can never work too much in a days time and that there is always work to be done. Whitman says that no one can claim that they have done all of their work because we can always occupy our time with tasks that need to be completed. When Whitman says who will be done with their supper the soonest, he is asking who will be the one to rush through their supper so that they can continue to work. When he finally says "Who wishes to walk with me? he asks the readers if they will also follow this path that he has chosen. In life work is a major factor in not only success but wealth as well. Walt Whitman believes that their is always work to be done and we should look forward to completing our work.


2.) "You will hardly know who I am or what I mean, but I shall be good health to you nevertheless, and filter and fibre your blood."


The statement made by Whitman here reveals his opinion on judging individuals. If you are going to judge someone, Whitman believes that you should not judge them only by who they are or what they're about. From the point of view of the person who is being judged, Whitman believes that however you may judge me, I will still be a friend of you. The major lesson being made by Whitman is that we should treat everyone around us as a friend not matter how they look at you. When Whitman says, "and filter and fibre your blood." I think that what he is saying is that you should slowly show your kindness so that they may slowly begin to view you as a friend.

Quotation Responses

The Minister's Black Veil A Parable

By Nathaniel Hawthorne


1.) "For the Earth, too, had on her Black Veil."

This quote truly reveals the surroundings of Mr. Hooper and the people. Not only did Mr. Hooper have his black veil on but also because he wore this, his surroundings also seemed to bear sadness and grief. If Mr. Hooper were to take off his black veil, it was as if the true beauty of the Earth would stand right before him and he would be opened up to what really surrounds him. The other aspect that can be drawn from this quote would be involving the people. Since Mr. Hooper wore this black veil, when he was sighted the surroundings of the people might have turned sorrowful because of the knowledge of the sadness the carried with the black veil. Also the faces that Mr. Hooper saw through the black veil would be the cause of the people sighting the sadness carried by this veil.


2.) "Know, then, this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in light and darkness, in solitude and before the gaze of multitudes, and as with strangers, so with my familiar friends."

When Mr. Hooper is explaining why he must boar this veil to Elizabeth, Hooper reveils that it will be with him until he breathes his last breath. When he says this, he literally means that the accident that had happened to him will stick with him forever and the veil is a way of covering up the sadness and grief that he bears everyday. Hooper claims that it does not matter what the condition of the day is, it is his duty to cover his face so that he may not be seen and tied back to the inccedent and schold him for causing the death of his good friend. By doing this, Hooper would be able to escape the attention of crowds and not be pointed out by many individuals who knew the man he accidently killed. He notes that he was bound to wear it as punishment for his owndoings and causing the terrible tragedy to happen.

Quotation Responses

1.) We have been a race of honest men and good Christians since the days of the martys; and shall I be the first of the name of Brown that ever took this path and kept."


What I interpreted from this quote is the tie it has with Christianity. Assuming the common religion at the time, men followed religion strictly and honesty was a main part of living their lives. When Brown says that "I be the first of the name of Brown that ever took this path and kept," he mean while others diverge and change their routes in life, his route will remain the same. The example of this route could be a dream of endeavor to be followed, or simply just a way to live your life. While in this, honesty is key in achieving this goal.

2.) "We are a people of prayer, and good works to boot, and abide by no such wickedness."

How I interpreted this quote was by seeing that Brown stated that our lives rely on prayer. Prayer is best seen as a way of forgiveness or help from God during a rough period of time. Brown says that we should put all good works aside and dare not follow wicked ways. If we do these things, our prayer requests may be granted, but, doing either of these things will not get help from prayer. As a "people of prayer," we gather in one as a community to pray for the struggles and harder times of our lives.

Esaay Topic

The essay topic that I have chosen to write about is a comparison between the writing of Ben Franklin, Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau.

Quotation Responses

"Where I Lived, and What I Lived For" by Henry David Thoreau. Page 25.

"Every man is tasked to make his life, even in its details, worthy of the contemplation of his most elevated and critical hour."


When I read this quote, I think of the importance of our individual purpose in life. What this quote means to me is that each one of us has a purpose that we strive to accomplish in life, weather it be wealth or fame. What Thoreau says in this quote is that each one of us has a task in life and even when were at the highest hour of our life, we should still seek to achieve what we are striving for. This quote can also be interpreted in the sense that every individual has a role in life and we each need to stick to the task we are given.

Quotation Responses

"Where I Lived, and What I Lived For" by Henry David Thoreau. Page 24.

"That man who does not believe that each day contains an earlier, more sacred, and auroral hour than he has yet profaned, has despaired of life, and is pursuing a descending and darkening way."

I believe that this quote can easily be related to of daily lives. When Thoreau says this, he means that every hour of our day should be valued only only the people who treat every hour as if it were our last, will succeed greatly. Those who do not live this way shall have a despaired life and continue towards a "darkening way." Also when Thoreau says an earlier hour, I think he is intending to say that we should not waster the early hours of the day either by sleeping in or we will to continue down the "darkening way".

Quote Interpretations from Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Self-Reliance" -

1.) "The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."

I think that this quote means, as hard as it is to follow the crowd and try fitting in, it is key that you as an individual maintain your self views and believe what you want without having to worry about no fitting in with the crowd.

2.) "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."

I think that this quote is one of the strongest points made by Emerson. What is being said here is that it is everyone's duty as and individual to protect our beliefs and stand up for what we believe in. It also states that it is key that we hold on to our integrity because it will always be our last resort.


"Nature" -

1.) "The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and heart of the child."

What this quote means to me is that man has a harsher outlook on life than a child who has not seen what is out in the world. To a man's eye, the sun is just another object in the sky. But since a child is not as developed in knowledge like men, curiousity and imagination takes over, and a child thinks differently of the sun.

2.) "In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate than in streets or villages. In the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon, man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature."

What I understand in the beginning of this quote is that when man leaves the streets and villages that clutter his mind, the beauty of the wilderness allows him to think clearly. The second part of this quote means even outside of the beauty of the wilderness, man is still able to see the beauty of the horizon that outlines the streets and villages that occupy the beauty that is sought for.

07-08 American Literature Class

What do you want to get out of this course this year?

The things that I want to get out of this year include expanding my vocabulary to learning more in depth literature. I would like to learn how America's literature compares to other types. I also want to expand my level of interpreting different types of literature. These are the main things that I would like to get out of American Literature this year.