Here are the guidelines:
- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
- From the "Comment As" drop-down menu, choose Anonymous, then click "Publish."
- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
In the first story by Ursula Hegi known as “Doves” I loved the imagery that is used throughout the story. For example, it states “six of them perch on the bars in the tall cage near the wall, two white with brownish speckles” which I liked because it paints a vivid picture of the characteristics of the birds. Also, the fact that it brings up the idea of love and heartbreak is ironic because doves can symbolize love and peace which is the opposite of heartbreak. In the “Symphony,” by Pam Houston I found the protagonist quite complex because she may be sleeping around with many guys, but it seems she does it to fill the emptiness within herself. She does not even understand herself especially when she says “inside a world where it has become impossible to kneel down and hold out my arms” which may mean she has commitment issues. However, I was confused as to the reason why the title is called symphony because I don’t see how it relates to the poem as a whole. In the “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid I did not like the sentence structure, but I see the effect it makes by giving a list of what a “proper” girl is meant to be. Although it gives of a list of what a stereotype of a “proper” girl, I feel this piece to be feminist in a way to be able to bring up the ridiculous expectations a girl might face.
ReplyDeleteKevin Esparza
The first story “Doves” is somewhat associated with loneliness, even depression. The character in the story, Francine, resembles as someone who is by herself all the time and simply wants company. She buys the doves, who resemble peace, and becomes used to their company. This story relates to wanting love, but it also relates to heartbreak. Makes me wonder if Francine was trying to heal from a broken heart. The next story “Symphony” talks about a woman who sleeps around with different men. I believe that this woman finds power in her actions and in a way likes the feeling of control. When she says that she is “collecting them like gold-plated sugar spoons…” it is almost as if she refers to the men as trophies. Yet at the end, even though she may feel empowered, she is still left feeling lonely and with an empty heart. The last story “Girl” I though was very interesting and true. I wonder if the author comes from a conservative family where parents hold certain stereotypes of what women should do and what they shouldn’t. I feel that this piece is kind of taking this notion of what is “right” as a joke and playing around with it. At the end, it doesn’t matter how much they teach you about it, the author portrays the idea that a woman will be whatever she wants.
ReplyDeleteAna T. Flores
This week’s assigned readings have been my favorite assigned readings. “Doves” by Ursula Hegi follows the story of Francine, a lonely woman, who decides to buy two doves. Her doves enjoy listening to country music, which causes Francine to develop a fondness for the genre. As a result, Francine feels herself become the heartbreaking woman that is always sung about. I enjoyed the vivid imagery such as when Francine is walking into the pet store and she has to walk past the various wildlife, just to get to the doves, “past the African Violets, past the jade plants and fig trees, past the schnauzers and poodles…”In “Symphony” by Pam Houston, the narrator details her love for love. She recounts her various lovers and the special moments that she had with them. I feel like the title can relate to the structure of the story in that a musical symphony uses a sonata form, or a fast-fast-slow-fast pace. The lulls within her story would be the dream sequences, like the slow parts of a musical symphony. Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” is told from the perspective from an overbearing mother. It is in the form of a single run-on sentence that is only separated by the semicolons. The semicolons separate the words of wisdom from the admonitions. The mother makes a point to constantly remind the daughter to not succumb to her true nature as a “slut.” Each of these readings made me more aware of the different styles of structure.
ReplyDeleteKayla Garza
All three essays left me speechless. All three stories were written in a vulnerable manner, and I was thankful for it because it felt real. The essay “Doves,” had a melancholy tone to it. In the story, the protagonist, Francine appears to be emotionally numb. At the beginning, she chooses the grey, quiet doves instead of a colorful, loud parrot. I feel like the reason she chose what she chose was because she is emotionless herself. Throughout the story Francine “ keeps the discarded shoes in the store’s lost and found crate out back, though no one has ever tried to claim them.” This quote gave me the idea that the main character has lost herself as well. At the end of the story, Francine “becomes the woman in all the songs that the men on the platform sing about,…the woman who keeps breaking their hearts.” Furthermore, the essay “Symphony” was written beautifully, but I still don’t really understand what the author is in love with and what she is afraid of. Moreover, the essay “Girl” was very relatable because the author write about the way women are expected to act. The world expects so much from women, including perfection.
ReplyDeleteJulissa Balderas
I thought “Doves” was all over the place and I was trying to figure out the plot because of its inconsistency but I enjoyed how Francine went to the pet store to get two gray doves and I think the reason for her doing so was to make her feel comfort and less lonely, She mentions how her house was lonely and Francine appears to be extremely observant of her surroundings but that doesn’t fil the hole her life. In “Symphony” it was very interesting to hear the different characters mentioned in her dreams and how she felt about each of them. It was very cool to be able to fantasize them. I really enjoyed “Girl” it had very intense and vivid dialogue towards a girl and what is expected of her. Telling her what and what not to do. I didn’t like how they would tell her not to become the slut that she is so bent in becoming. I think its so easy for a female to get mistaken for something she’s not because the laws of women are so strict and nowadays anything makes you a slut. It was a lot of dialogue which I believe is from more that one person.
ReplyDeleteMarissa Sanchez
In doves, the story opens us about a woman buying two birds as she is feeling depressed. The doves are fond of country music which I thought was funny because doves seem like peaceful, and I would picture them enjoying classical music, or soothing. The story did seem confusing to me, maybe the doves had a symbolic meaning towards the end. As for “Symphony” a story about love, the women describe that she lost weight and as a result the men love her again which really spoke to me because that’s what girls today think they have to do in order to get attention from a certain someone. But the character seemed afraid of love or to submit to a man, this story I was more interested in. “Girl” is about a girl in terms of learning to become a women/wife/ etc. basically reminded me of the old times when women were limited in certain things. I also like how it brought up Hispanic, Latin vibes. Although I was very uneasy about the girl doing duties just be torn down by being called a slut. Women now have evolved more within society and still continue too.
ReplyDeleteALyssa Duque