Desiree's baby link

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/DesiBaby.shtml

Scarlett Letter ?'s

1.) Different authors choose to start their books in different ways. Nathaniel Hawthorne chooses a length introduction to begin his story. There are many reasons he could have done this. One reason Hawthorne includes the Custom House inroduction is to show the reader his style of writing before he simply jumps into his story. How many times have you started reading a story and not understood what the author was talking about? By including this introduction Hawthorne attempts to eliminate some of the confusion for the reader.

Considering what this book is about, the ideas and conflicts in this book are things people most likely tried to avoid talking about at the time this book was published. Therefore, Hawthorne kind of uses the introduction to warn people that this book is a little different. Also, it seems like he tries to ease the reader into the book. He wants the book to be easily accepted by those who read it. Really this is the goal of any author. Adding an introduction to the beginning of this book was a good move on Hawthorne's part.


2.) Sometimes in hollywood movies that are based on a true story, they change how things happened for dramatic effect. Nathaniel Hawthorne does the same thing in his book. He says in the introduction that he changed some things in the story. Why do this? Again, it adds dramatic effect. Also, he may want to depict a theme that was better shown with his changes than would be shown if his story was strictly historical.

For another thing, if the story was simply about regular life in the colonies, would you read it? By embellishing his story a little bit he makes his story more interesting to read. He also makes his story controversial because of some of the things that happen. By adding all these new things he creates a fictional piece of work with some, but not all, historical background. In this way, he creates a story that was both enjoyable to read back then, and still interesting in current times.


3.) Hawthorne's embellishment has a lot of potential change on the story. One thing his changes probably did was create drama when the book came out. Already having an outrageous plot for the time period, changing and adding things to the story made it more scandalous. However, the changes were necessary to create a more exciting story. Hawthorne's story must have been one of the first pieces of fiction in the colonies. Therefore he got the satisfaction of changing literature forever.

By coming away from truth and adding changes, he gives himself more room for creativity. By doing this he does not have to stick with a story that has already been determined. Instead he is given the freedom to come up with whatever plot suits him. This must have been exciting for Hawthorne and overall the fact that he did not have a template to follow definitely benefited him.

Anne Bradstreet reading response

When reading a poem, it can sometimes be difficult to understand what an author is trying to say. Poems, unlike novels or essays, can be quite short at times, giving the reader less text in which to find the underlying meaning. However, in some cases, with poems like that of Anne Bradstreet, it is true that less is more. Bradstreet uses less words to create a more powerful and deeper message than some writers do with an entire novel. Her incredible use of diction and syntax leap off the page and leave the reader wanting more. Bradstreet is truly a gifted poet and because of the way she writes she is able to connect with her reader in amazing ways. Even now so many centuries later, readers are able to connect with her and understand where she is coming from.
Syntax can be a very powerful writing tool when used in the right hands. Bradstreet effectively uses this tool, and even uses it in a unique way. Most writers like to ease into their writing. Not necessarily meaning the start off slow, but they usually do not introduce their point until later in a piece. However, Bradstreet is unique in that she starts off right away with her point. There is no beating around the bush, there is no leading up to a great climax, it just simply starts with her feelings. Right away she says "If ever two were one, then surely we." (Bradstreet, line 1). She starts out with such a powerful line, and it is the first line of her poem! Right away the reader knows this is her true feelings. Some might argue it is not a powerful first line, but if you think about what she is saying, you can see the power this line truly has. She is talking about the unity between her and her husband, and not only that, but she is also saying that they have a deeper connection than any other couple. In other words, she is saying that her and her husband were made for eachother; they are a perfect match. How beautiful is that? Not only is it a truley intense beginning but it sets up the rest of the poem. Her choice of arranging that sentence to be the first sentence worked out really well for this poem. But there is more to this poem than just a strong first line.
Another literary tool that Bradstreet uses to her advantage is diction. Most writers when writing about love might never actually come out and say the word "love", however, Bradstreet does not appear to be like most writers. She comes right out and says the word "love", in fact, she uses it repeatedly throughout the piece. It is an interesting word choice because by coming out and just saying the word, it leaves room for metaphors that are more easily understood. Her use of metaphors in and of themselves could be argued as a use of diction. When love is used as a theme of a poem, it is often followed by cliche, and sometimes corny, metaphors. This is not the case with Bradstreet. She says "My love is such that rivers cannot quench" (Bradstreet, line 8). She shows how great her love is here and she does it eloquently. She does not simply say, 'even a river could not quench my thirst', for example, but she says it in a way that is not so plain. The way she wrote this metaphor shows more intensely how great her love is and how nothing could change the way she feels. The last place that diction really sticks out in her poem is the last sentence. She says "That when we live no more, we may live ever" (Bradstreet, line 12). This line is a perfect ending for her poem. In this line, she is basically saying that the love she and her husband share is so passionate that even when they die their love for eachother will go on. Expressively written, the reader can feel the true love behind the words she writes. Her words touch the reader and it opens up a new world to them.
To say that poetry was Anne Bradstreet's "thing" would be a horrible understatement. The way her words flow off the page makes reading her poems quite enjoyable. She has an amazing way of connecting with her readers that is difficult to explain. They say a great writer leaves their readers wanting more, and that is just what Bradstreet does. She was indeed a poet way ahead of her time.

Anne Bradstreet Biography

Anne Bradstreet is a writer who was born in 17th century England. She married at the young age of 16. Her husband was 25 and the son of a minister. She came to America in 1630, but was unprepared for the long trip. Her and her family had a difficult travel and their hard times continued when they arrived in America. Anne struggled with her health for most of her life. Even with her health struggles, she raised eight children and kept a positive out look on life. Anne and her family went through struggles including a fire that burnt their house, but Anne and her husband were able to keep their family together. She began writing and became friends with other women who spoke out in that time (Anne Hutchinson). She originally did not want to publish her works, however her brother-in-law decided to take that choice from her. He sold a book of her writings in England. While the book did well, most of her work was published after her death. She died at the age of 60 after years of struggling with health problems.

http://www.annebradstreet.com/anne_bradstreet_bio_001.htm

Cabeza de Vaca visual

In the beginning of the letter written by Cabeza de Vaca, I felt he was belittling himself to make the Catholic Majesty feel more important. He referred to his opinions as trivial and unimportant. By doing this he humbles himself before his majesty and in a way he kind of comes across as a brown-noser, or a suck up. In his majesty's case, it most likely made reading his letters easier because Cabeza de Vaca showed him that he knew his place.

I chose two cartoons because they both together show how Cabeza de Vaca comes across in the early paragraphs of his letter. In the first one, the man wants a big loan and before he even attempts to explain his case he is kissing up (quite literally) to the man who can approve or deny his loan. This is just like Cabeza de Vaca, he knew that to even be given the chance to state his case he would have to kiss up to his majesty. Finally, the second one I chose because the suspicious look on the boss's face caught my attention and makes me wonder about the reaction of the Catholic Majesty. Also, the huge grin on the man was funny and is how I picture Cabeza de Vaca.

Columbus Picture

I found this cartoon on the internet and it really sums up what I think about Columbus. When we were little our history classes always taught that Columbus discovered America and that is why we celebrate a whole day for him. However, then we get older and we are taught the truth. We find out that Columbus did not infact discover America and he really had no idea what he was doing. Columbus should not get credit for his "discovery" because he did not even know where he was. He thought he was in the west Indies, which is why Indians are known as Indians.

Just because he thought he was somewhere else does not make him a bad guy. However, there are other reasons his efforts do not deserve credit. He was not even the first person here. Vikings were here and had discovered land long before Columbus had even been born. Plus, people were here already when he landed, and you can not discover something when people already know about it. So I picked this illustration because it was funny and very simply and cleverly depicts the fact that Columbus deserves no credit for what he did because it had already been done. He really did copy off of those who went before him.

Columbus Reading Response

What usually happens when someone makes a mistake? They usually feel embarasses, learn from their mistakes, and move on, right? This was not the case, howeve, for Christopher Columbus. Christopher Columbus made the most celebrated mistake in history. His mistake made him famous, while our mistakes simply get us laughed at. Columbus has been written about and studied countless times, however, every person has a different take on him and his adventures. In this particular article, the author seems to believe Columbus’s achievement was not so impressive. But how does he show that? He shows what he thinks of Columbus through the use of diction and syntax.
One way authors show their feelings towards ther subject is by using syntax. The way an author presents information tells the reader what the author thinks about what they are writing. This author only uses bad things or things that set Columbus back in his journey to explain him. By this negativity it is clear to the reader how the author feels. The author thinks Columbus is a joke and his achievements, if they even are achievements, should not be acknowledged. For example, the author points out when Columbus was put under arrest and his troubles at that time. The author very specifically picks this information to share in order to show how Columbus could get himself into a mess a trouble like the best of us. But there are other techniques the author uses to show his point.
Another way the author shows his feelings towards Columbus is through his use of diction. There are certain words the author uses to belittle Columbus. Certain groupings of words around explanations of things he did help show that the author thinks of him as an unresponsible person. He says things like “in rebellion against his authority”, “at the expense of” , and “this discovery fell into such a disorder” (Christopher Columbus 1452-1506). The reader can clearly see that the author thinks Columbus an incapable leader and has no right leading a group of people. It is also clear that the reader not only thinks the “discovery” is not accurate, but also that it caused catastrophe and perhaps things would have been better had Columbus just stayed in Europe. This is how the author shows the reader how they feel.
The athor of this article clearly does not appreciate Columbus’s efforts. He thinks Columbus was not a fit leader and just caused bad things to happen. This person obviously is one of those people who does not celebrate Columbus day. However, this is only one author’s opinion. There are, of course, many others out there who think Columbus was a guy to be respected. His mistake will probably still be celebrated many years from now. I guess we can learn something from Columbus. We should take pride in our mistakes because they may turn out to still be talked about centuries later.

English Simile

A palm tree is like a couched kitten.