Barn Burning

In William Faulkner's Barn Burning, Abner Snopes is on trial for arson. Originally, the trial seems to point towards Abner's guilt, but when no legitimate proof is provided, Abner is exculpated. However, the impunity had its negatives; he and his son are told to move away and restart their lives. This turns Abner into a malevolent, antisocial pyromaniac. This change in attitude takes its toll on Abner's son, Sarty. He is unsure of whether or not he should remain loyal to his father, or if he should do the right thing and turn him in. Throughout his life, loyalty to the family was seriously preached. However, in a situation such as this one, Sarty didn't know what to do. Sarty's moods were also resilient, as he displayed many different aspects of his personality. Originally, he was set on turning his father in, but later he defends his father when he hears some boys calling him a "barn burner." Throughout the short story, Sarty's mind was all over the place and he struggled deciding where his loyalty should have been directed.

How to Become a Writer

Laurie Moore's satirical short story, How to Become a Writer, presented her humorous, yet entirely serious perspective on becoming a writer. Typically, writing is viewed as a mediocre, sinecure career path. Evidently, the author disagrees with these jejune beliefs. She describes a story that may or may not have been true to her own. The second-person tone she used was very interesting and appealing. First, she describes what it is like to write, starting from the neophyte stage. Moore describes the character being ostracized because of her ridiculous plots and stories. Moore's mockery throughout her short story is extremely evident through the litany of comical incidents she writes about.

Cathedral

At the start of this particular short story, the narrator's wife reveals that she is inviting an old friend to stay at their home. The narrator makes it clear that he knows everything about his wife's friend, but was still discomforted by his presence. When their guest, Robert, arrives, the narrator is shocked. He was expecting the stereotypical blind man, right down to the sunglasses. Before this, he certainly felt malevolent and jealous of the blind man's connection to his wife.

Throughout the story, the narrator makes it evident that he isn't very gregarious. He prefers solitude and doesn't have many friends. Because of this, his encounter with Robert seems awkward and forced. I found it interesting that Robert, a blind man whose lifestyle is limited, is much friendlier and more outward than the narrator, whose life is only limited by his anti-social sentiments and his difficult job. Robert doesn't allow his disability to hinder his social life, seeing as that is one of the few things he can rely on. While Robert is friendly and amicable, the narrator seems to be reluctantly polite and tolerant.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this short story was the narrator's change in attitude. Originally, he was blase towards Robert's presence. He had never met a blind person before and had no idea what to expect. The narrator felt some pique and jealousy when his wife focused all of her attention on her blind friend. He was expecting a noiosome, unpleasant experience. To his surprise, the experience was extremely worthwhile. He was transfixed by Robert's outlook on life; his personality was riveting.

Everyday Use

"She thinks her sister has held life always in the palm of one hand, that 'no' is a word the world never learned to say to her."

Upon reading this quote, I came to the realization that this can be said in reference to virtually any sibling situation. Whether we like to admit it or not, younger & older siblings alike, are envious of their sibling counterparts. We can't help but feel inferior and subjugate to our siblings. Although parents make it tacit & obvious that they revere all of their children equally, subconsciously, we all envy our siblings. This foible is seemingly universal and applicable to every individual with sibling(s).

In Alice Walker's story, Maggie feels inferior to her sister. This is mainly because of her burn scars compared to her sister's beauty. I was extremely shocked when Maggie's own mother said that Maggie paled in comparison to her sister, Dee.

This week..

Unfortunately, this week is bereft of anything interesting and therefore, I lack any and all motivation. When one of my teachers assigned a homework assignment, I thought it was bunkum, and I doubted her seriousness. Typically, I am obsequious to the soporific homework that I have to complete nightly. This week, however, is an entirely different story. It took me approximately three hours to read twenty pages in my history notebook and take notes. Normally, this lilliputian task  would be completed within an hour, but this week seems to be different. Perhaps its the exams that have been so mentally straining for the past few days. Thankfully, those are over. Now, I have a huge workload to complete by tomorrow and I have no excuse as to why I cannot finish them.