Scarlet Letter R/D #2

Audrey Schultz Schultz 1
April 27,2011
English 1B

The Scarlet Letter

In reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne I chose to use the Reader Response Theory. I am interested in the social values and the concepts of good and evil that are being portrayed in the novel. There are two specific characters in the novel that I chose to focus my interest in and they are Hester Prynne and Pearl. The reason for choosing these two characters is because they together have to share in the burden of being marked as sinners of evil in the eyes of the Puritans belief system.
Hester Prynne a young women, lady-like, with a tall figure of perfect elegance with dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and her face with a richness of complexion and the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes.(40) The observers envied her grace and beauty, but most of all they envied the way she walked out with her head held high and the Scarlet Letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom.(41) The women spectators feel a slap in their face; for they feel that Hester is mocking them with her beautiful stitch work of the scarlet letter, as if laughing in the faces of their godly magistrates, and making a pride out of her punishment of sin. She has committed Adultry.
Even though she wore the letter of sin, “The A for Adultry” every one saw Hester Prynne in a different perspective. She held herself with natural dignity and force of character. Everyone who knew Hester prior to her sin, expected to behold her dimmed and obscured by a disastrous cloud, were astonished, and even startled, to perceive how her beauty shone out. (40)
The following are some examples of The Puritan’s laws and punishment if laws were broken according to their beliefs:
1. Benefit of Clergy- the convicted may plead benefit of clergy, in which case, if they can read a passage from the Bible without one mistake, their sentence will be reduced.
2. Stocks- the convicted will have his head and hands placed in a locked stockade for the remainder of the day, and the community will be invited to pelt him with food. The convicted must clean up anything he is pelted with.
*3. Wearing a sign- a milder punishment than branding. The convicted must make their own sign to hang around their neck, which indicates their crime.
*4. Branding-the convicted is marked with letters that stands for their crime. HT for hog thief, A for Adulterer. The branding can be on the cheek, forehead, or more mildly on the hand or finger.
5. Ducking stool- for women only, usually used in the case of gossip. The woman shall be confined in a chair and dunked in water.
6. Whipping- for men only, a common punishment. A number of “lashes” is administered to the convicted back. Lashes usually number from 5 to 20.
*7. Public shaming- a milder form of punishment, the convicted is pulled on a rope through the town while the community is invited to point fingers at him/her and tell him/her that they are naughty and pelt him/her with small objects.
The late 16 hundreds, the Puritans wrote the laws according to the Old Testament of what the Bible stated. And to what they thought should be a sin against God. The Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony are a prime example of an extremist view of their religion. A religious fanatic is someone who takes his/her religion to the extreme, letting it control everything in his/her day to day life.
I believe that Dimmesdale

The Glass Menagerie....

 The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams was an intersting and sad read for me. I found that all the characters in the play write were all suffering from loneliness and from broken dreams. They are long-delayed but always expecting something that they can live for. With the absense of the Man of the house who abandonded his family to fend for them selves creates the main setting for everyones broken dreams and self-esteem. "He was a telephone man who fell in love with long distance; he gave up his job with the telephone company and skipped the light fantastic out of town..."(5) Even though the father abondonded his family they still kept a portriat of him on the mantel. Amanda who plays the mother is very hard on her two grown children. She pokes and pokes at them to better themselves for their family and their future. "What are we going to do, what is going to become of us, what is the future?"(12) Her daughter Laura has low self esteem and never finishes anything she starts. She didn't finish school because she was self-conscious about herself when she had pleurosis. She did poorly on her tests and therefore never went further in her study's. She pretty much excluded her self from the social scene. In this she does not have any gentlemen callers banging at her door. This worries her mother Amanda. She worries that her daughter Laura will become a lonely old maid. But Laura does leave the home during the day and explores the city. she takes long walks and goes to the musuem and visits the bird houses at the Zoo. She goes to the movies sometimes and she spends her afternoons in the Jewel Box, a big glass house where they raise the tropical flowers. She finds beauty and wonder in her little glass collection of ornaments so delicate like her.

As for her son Tom he had to take the role of the man of the house. He took up working in a warehouse basement making shoe's. "You think I want to spend fifty-five years down ther in that-celotex interior! with-fluorescent-tubes! Look! I'd rather somebody picked up a crowbar and battered out my brains-than go back mornings! For sixty-five dollars a month I give up all that I dream of doing and being ever!"(23) Amanda, Toms mother thinks that he is selfish. That all he thinks about is his self. But Tom states that if he were selfish he would be long gone just like his father was, to leave her and her sister to pick up the broken peices of their lives. Tom compares his life there at home as being nailed shut into a coffin. "You know it don't take much intelligence to get yourself into a nailed-up coffin, Laura. But who in the hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail?"(27)

This is very sad to read. It is such a grey and somber life for the three of them. Amanda wants her daughter to find a man to marry to take care of her. That is the only way she see's that her daughters future will prosper. She never mentions that she is intersted in her son Tom finding someone to tie down with and make him happy. She only focuses on Tom helping find his sister Laura a gentlemen caller. And that mean while Tom should continue supporting them until then. "I mean that as soon as Laura has got somebody to take care of her, married, a home of her own,independent-why, then you'll be free to go wherever you please, on land, on sea, whichever way the wind blows you! But until that time you've got to look out for your sister. I don't say me because I'm old and don't matter! I say for your sister because she is young and dependent."(35) That is so sad that Tom has this preasure put on him, but also sad that Amanda feels that she does not matter to anyone. This is all the damage that the abscent father has put on his family. Three very lonely and lost people trying to find their way into the existence of the world ahead of them. In the end Tom does leave his mother and sister to live his life. Still a lonely life full of wonder and worry of what he left behind. Wow...            

Mariners Description....

Kevin G.
Jorden C.
Kelly F.
Audrey S.

The sailors are characterized and descriptions are as follows:

"the most showy and gallant figure, so far was apparel went , any where to be seen among the mustitude.  He wore profusion of ribbons on his garment ,and gold lace on his hat, which was also encircled by a gold chain and surmounted with a feather.  There was a sword at his side and a sword-cut on his forehead, which, by the arrangement of his hair , he seemed anxious reather to display than hide.  A lands man could hardly have worn this garb "(148)

 The ship-master was very showy just as Pearl was with her garments.  He seemed to make a connection with her because they both chose not to conforme with the norm of the people around them.



The swarthy-cheecked wild men of the ocean, as the Indians were of the land. p155
Their skin was dark and worn  and they were wild just as the Indians were. Puritains feared the Indians as Hester should fear the Sailors the same way.

They gazed wonderingly and admiringly at Pearl, as a flake of the sea-foam had taken the shape of a little maid, and were gifted with the soul of the sea-fire, that flashes beneath the prow in the night-time. p155
One of the seafaring men-the shipmaster, was smitten with Pearl's aspect that he attempted to lay hands upon her, with purpose to snatch a kiss. p155
This explains that the sailors seek female privlages aboared the ship. A virgin is tempting to the sailors that are rarely around women while out on sea so to them this brought  filthy thoughts.

Young Goodman Brown...

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a very intersting story. I found it to be very suspensful and it kept my interest going. Unlike the Scarlet Letter in which I found myslef a little bored at times. Even though both stories use the same language; Old English it flowed alot more easier for me than Scarlet Letter.

As I read the story I wanted to see what was going to happen to YGB. I couldn't put the story down. At times I had to look up some of the dialogue but all in all I enjoyed reading it. I felt like I was lost in the Woods with him when he was hearing all the voices laughing and taunting him closer and closer to the communion ceremony. I knew right at the begining that the traveler waiting in the woods was the Devil luring YGB to the evil side. When they described his staff, "which bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought that it might almost be seen to twist and wiggle itself like a living serpent"(19).  To me the symbol of the serpent is the symbol of the devil. I found it intersting that YGB had scruples (doubt to what is right or proper) about his night journey. But the fellow traveler who carried that serpent staff slowly lures him to continue on his journey deeper into the woods.

YGB continues to find ways to second guess what he is doing and worries about his wife he leaves alone at home. His love of his Life. He is conserned on how she would feel about his choice in this journey. How it would affect her and their pure and inoccent beliefs. Maybe he was questioning who he was and how he was living. So maybe that is how temptation took over him.

A few times I had to rethink if he was truely living the moment or if it was all a dream. Your thoughts can truely play tricks on you while reading this story. I read it twice to make sure I understood what I read. Maybe just maybe I need to re think the story to truely understand what was going on in Young Goodman Browns thoughts.

Difficulty Paper #1 "Scarlet Letter"

In reading the Scarlete Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne my difficulty I am having on reading this is trying to understand the language used in it.  It is not your everyday use of language. I believe it to be Old English. So therefore I have to keep reading it over and over to try and understand exactly what the passage is saying. I find myself having to refere to my little Webster Dictionary just to get through some of the pages.  I like the story I have heard of it many years ago and know that a movie has been made from it but in reading it, it is intersting to read minus the language being used. "Pang" is not a word I ever heard before and now I know that it means "Pain"..."let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart" (39).

Sometimes I find myself getting a little bored reading the story only because I can't flow through the story like I could the Flowers. I love reading so I will get through the story but my interest is limited due to the language block.

The Yellow Wallpaper...

"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a very interesting short story. Not really short alittle long but interesting to say the least. I felt alittle angry when reading how the poor lady who obviously was suffering from some stage of depression was kept locked up in solitare and away from the world.

One would think that when one suffers depression that the best thing would be to surround them with Love, Friends and Family. She never got to play or hold her baby. That made me sad for the baby and her. She never really left that room with the yellow wallpaper. Maybe just a hand full of times. That alone would make a person go mad!!

In the story she explains how she love to write and that her husband who is a doctor forbids her to write. "He says that with my imaginative power and habit of story-making, a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my will and good sense to check the tendency. So I try. I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me."  This right here makes me sad for her. They are not letting her express what she is feeling inside. I don't blame her for thinking that she is trapped in side this room of yellow. It is her that she see's becoming one with the room. it is her that she feels is trying to escape the bars that hold her in that yellow wallpaper. I wanted to scream for her. I felt like I was going to go mad along with her!

I feel so angry that she felt she couldn't speak about her feelings to her husband or too any one that was there to take care of her. "I don't know why I should write this. I don't want to. I don't feel able. And I know John would think it absurd. But I must say what I feel and think in some way--it is such a relief." She is totally crying out but in her own mind.

I love the end of the story when she knows that their time is almost up to head back to their original home and leave this mansion and the room with the yellow wallpaper and the misterious lady stuck behind it. She locks herself in the room and throws the key out the window to buy her time so she can release the misterious lady from her intrapment of the paper with the wild design. She works all night and day to rip that paper off the wall and succeeds to release her. "I've got out at last," said I, "in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!"

Great story!! :)

 

Imitation...

Be a good girl...
Don't fight with others!
Share your toys with others...
Don't leave your clothes on the floor!
Keep your room clean...
Always say yes Sir no Sir!
Respect your Elders...
Do your homework!
Don't get detention at school...
be on your best behavior!

The Story of An Hour....

In reading the short story..."The Story of An Hour" I found it very interesting to see the way the Author chose to use emotions in a roller coaster sequence.  In the the story Josephine Mallard is home awaiting the arrival of her husband. When her husbands good friend shows up to her house and has to break bad news to Mrs. Mallard. There was a really bad railroad disaster and her husband Mr. Bratly Mallard has been one if the many passangers to be named as diseased. She broke down in her sisters arms weeping with wild abandonment.

One she found her self done with the weeping she asked to be left alone and headed off to her room. In her room she found herself pondering with mixed emotions! Her she realized that she was no longer crying of sadness but more of over joyment.  She found the words leaving her lips over and over..."free, free, free!"

In reading this I sence that her relationship with her husband was not a happy loving one. For why else would someone react in the way she did by saying free? She must of felt traped to be married to this man she called her husband.

She knew that when the time came to see his body she would once again weep. To see "the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead." She also knew that that bitter moment would end and that the years to come ahead would belong to her. And she welcomed it with open arms.

That is pretty deep to see that someone feels free from some one they were supposidly in love with.
She claimed to have loved him at times but only sometimes. How could some one love someone at times? Love just doesn't come and go! Relationships have their ups and downs...this I know!! But why would she have stayed with this man for however long if she felt unhappy and unloved? Now that he has passed away she reconizes her true feelings and her soul is crying out.  "Free! Body and soul free!" she keeps on whispering.

She finds herself pondering on the idea of living the rest of the years, Spring days, and Summer days and all sorts of other days just her to be her own self. She prayed in happiness that life might be long. when only yesterday she shudder at the thought!

When she composed herself she went out of her room to join her sister and husbands friend Richard who were both waiting for her to help her get through this difficult time. As she joined them down stairs there was someone entering the front door.

In enetered her husband Mr. Brently Mallard.  He had been far from the scene of the accident and was not even aware it had occured. Mrs. Josephine Mallard let out piercing cry!  She was pronounced dead of a heart disease--of the joy that kills by the doctor who was called in when she collapsed.

This ending I found very interesting. It was definatley the Climatic Moment in the story. It is sad and silly at the same time. She felt so trapped that when she heard of her husband being dead she found herself elited with happiness and freedom. But when she saw him standing at the door she went into shock of disapiontment and died! She did find a way out by dieing and leaving him but I don't think it was truely the way she had invissioned it!

Very intersting ending to this story!

Transition...

Addition-again, also, and,and then, besides,equally important, finally, first, furthermore,in addition, in the first place, last, moreover, next, second, still, too

comparison- also, in the same way, likewise, similarly

consession- granted, naturally, of course

contrast-although, and yet, at the same time, but at the same time, despite that, even so, even though, for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, vevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, otherwise, reguardless, still though, yet

emphasis- indeed, in fact, of course, certainly

example or illustration- after all, as an illistration, for istance,

Summary-

Second Rough Draft...

 Audrey M. Schultz
3/7/11
English 1B
Reader Response Paper
In the novel, The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb; Sonny is the main character. Sonny tells his
story about his life and the obstacles he faces. In reading this novel I chose to write my

views and thoughts in the Reader Response Theory about Sonny and how he controls and
reacts to his fears. Sonny starts off early in the story sharing an in counter he has with an
angry man who comes to his home looking for his mom Silvia while he is alone. The man
is drunk and irate. Sonny right away has to show that his fears turn into protection and
survival. “I ran to the kitchen. I found that big knife. As soon as I grip it in my hand, I (7). Sonny seems too lose himself and becomes one with his actions when his
don’t feel scared. I didn’t care if he carried a gun. He comes in I cut the dude. I held

the big knife in my hand and I’m gripping it so hard I didn’t feel like it was a knife but
me”
adrenaline is pumping.
Sonny always knows when his mom is dealing with drama because he usually tries to listen
in on her phone conversations. Almost as if he goes into an area in his mind. “I made itHe would take a lot on at such a young age, by trying to be strong for him and his mom
and what ever choices that she made. Sonny never really having any adult supervision
came and went as he pleased. Experiencing the world for himself. He finds himself
dealing with all these older adults that want things from him rather than them steering him
in the right direction. I believe that when Sonny goes to the bowling alley he is looking
for some type of affection. Mrs. Zuniga is always asking him questions about his life. She
is probably the only when who really seems to care for Sonny’s well being by feeding him
full plates of food and being his friend. She is the only one that never shows that she
wants something from Sonny. She seems to be the only genuine person in Sonny’s life.
When Sonny is there at the bowling alley I sense the calm in his in his voice. That is his
safe haven where he can just hang out and let some of his Steam out when he is angry or
upset. He bowls games to let out his frustration and bases his Score on how bad he is
feeling that day.
When Sonny is followed home by the sickie white dude he is very upset. Every where
Sonny turned there he was looking at him with a pervie look. “Inside I was screamingat him to fuck off, calling him queer joto homo and shit.(56-57).“
passage in the Novel because I experienced the same situation as Sonny. One day when I

was walking home from middle school I noticed that every time I turned on to a new

street there was this car with black tinted windows slowly driving across the street from
Me. I realized that it wasn’t a coincident that the car was turning on the same street as me
because the driver slowly lowered his window and yelled out for me to go over to him.
I was terrified. I wanted to yell out and scream “stranger or pervert” but I just kept
walking faster and faster. The faster I walked the faster the driver drove getting closer
and closer. Suddenly to my rescue I saw a familiar face, my friend Robert was riding
towards me on his bike. I started running towards him yelling…help me help me!! The man in the car took off super fast down the street. By then I was crying because I felt safe
now that my friend was there. My friend ended up walking the rest of the way home with
me to make sure I got there okay. I told my parents and they made a police report.
Unlike Sonny, he didn’t have any one to mention this to but his two friends. He felt he
had to take the matter into his own hands. He later on in the Novel confronts the perve
and throws his rock at him, hitting him in the face and making him crash his car.
When Sonny has a small confrontation with Cloyd he shares how he felt scared. “I hatedSonny always tried to
that I was afraid to leave, to scratch an itch. I hated him (126).”

swallow his pride when it came to him dealing with his step father Cloyd. As strong
willed as he was he did what Cloyd asked of him to keep the peace for his mom. Sonny
had a good way of turning on and off his temper and feelings. That is very hard to do at a
young adolescent age. He was growing up too fast and experiencing a lot of hatred all
around him and disappointments.
I did a lot of running around while I was a teen. I was the rebellious daughter always
wanted to explore the world and learn the hard way about life. My life was a little

different than Sonny‘s. I had both my parents in the same home and they loved me and

wanted the best for me, but we lacked the friendship stage. I never felt I could really run
to them for advice or my problems. They were very strict and I hated not having the
freedom that Sonny had. So I made a lot of bad calls in my time. I would take off and
hang out with my friends and not come home at times. I made my parents worry. I knew

it wasn’t the right thing to do but at that time I was selfish and thought only about myself.
One day when my dad confronted me on my disrespectful choices I felt like Sonny. I was
terrified of my father and what he thought of me. It broke me to the point that I didn’t like myself anymore. Sonny always went home to Apt.#1 no matter what. Even though
his Mom and him had a distant relationship he still loved her and worried about her.
When Bud confronts Silvia (Sonny’s mom) in the apartment and becomes loud
and rude with her, Sonny feels the need to protect his Mom. He does what an older
man would do when some one is being disrespectful.
“Don’t yell at my Mom, fuckass! (221).”
maple chair and table. Bud’s strength tore at Sonny’s shoulder muscles and forced
Sonny’s arm behind his back with one hand and locked under his neck lifting Sonny entire
body. Sonny states: “I didn’t care, I didn’t care how much he could beat me, I was going He has so much courage during the most scariest times. Any other
to find out (222).”
person might have just ran or called for help but Sonny always found the courage even if it
meant putting him in danger to protect himself or others he loved. Relating to this
passage I have found myself standing up to a man who was bigger than me to protect a
friend. Her boyfriend was being a real big jerk and he thought that by getting into her face
and threatening to hit her that he would prosper from it. I on the other hand would not
and could not ignore the situation. I ran right into the room and pulled him away from my

frighten friend who already suffered from low self esteem. I knew that he could and

would hit me but Something took over my mind and body. I pushed him up against the
wall and told him that if he laid another hand on her that I was going to show him what it
was like to be a little Bitch! I know that two wrongs don’t make a right but it was my
solution to the problem that day. I don’t think he ever expected some one to stand up to
him like that. I scared him away and got my friend to realize that she was better off

without him in her life.
We find ourselves sometimes in the worst of situations. Either by choice or because we
just can’t look the other way. I chose to focus on Sonny’s obstacles and FEARS that he

had to go through in order to survive his life, because we all go through it one time or
another in our lives. Some not so drastic but we do; and we all handle things differently.
Sonny would lose himself in the fear and act on it. Wither it be the right way or the

wrong way he had to act on it.
I never liked what I went through in my past. I had to learn the hard way and make crazy
decisions on how to deal with things. Therefore I became the person I am today. Maybe
still not the wisest person but a little more smarter and I know now what I didn’t know
then. Fear is not always a fun thing to have, but when you do have it you either
need to look it in the eye or run from it. Sonny chose always to look it in the eye and not
let it break him. I hoped that in the end he would of got away from all the drama that
surrounded him so that he could make better choices. Although he stayed I feel he was
growing every day and learning to try and become a better man. I know I have through all
of my experiences! I thoroughly enjoyed the novel.Sonny came at Bud and Bud tossed him into theI can related to this
go black inside my head, and the words, when she’d make them, were these shapes that
wormed around, spraying light that would disappear into a hole that was bigger than any
room I been in” (9).
　

Rough draft

Audrey M. Schultz

3/7/11

English 1B

Rough Draft-RR

In the novel, The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb; Sonny is the main character. Sonny tells his story
about his life and the obstacles he faces. In reading this novel I chose to write my views and
thoughts in the Reader Response Theory about Sonny and how he controls and reacts to his fears.
Sonny starts off early in the story sharing an in counter he has with an angry man who comes to his
home looking for his mom Silvia while he is alone. The man is drunk and irate. Sonny right away
has to show that his fears turn into protection and survival. “I ran to the kitchen. I found that big (7). Sonny seems too lose himself and becomes one with his actions
knife. As soon as I grip it in my hand, I don’t feel scared. I didn’t care if he carried a gun. He
comes in I cut the dude. I held the big knife in my hand and I’m gripping it so hard I didn’t feel
like it was a knife but me”
when his adrenaline is pumping.
Sonny always knows when his mom is dealing with drama because he usually tries to listen in on
her phone conversations. Almost as if he goes into an area in his mind. “I made it go blackHe would take a lot on at such a young age, by trying to be strong for him and his mom and what
ever choices that she made. Sonny never really having any adult supervision came and went as he
pleased. Experiencing the world for himself. He finds himself dealing with all these older adults
that want things from him rather than them steering him in the right direction.

inside my head, and the words, when she’d make them, were these shapes that wormed around,
spraying light that would disappear into a hole that was bigger than any room I been in” (9).
　

Idea Paper...

I am chosing to go with READER RESPONSE CRITICISIM. I feel strongly in some of my thoughts with the novel and feel that me being able to relate in some area's of the character Sonny that this would be my best avenue to write about. I enjoyed reading this novel but wish that it didn't end the way it did. So I will focus my thoughts and veiws on what the out come should or could of been. WISH ME LUCK!!

Prediction of Sonny and the Money...

"This was, definitley, the time if I was gonna do it. This might even be the only time. If I'm gonna do it. If if if. If if if. If I'm gonna do it, do it. Now. Do it now."p158

While reading this passage in the novel I predicted that Sonny would take the money! It was too tempting for him as it sat in that drawer. I felt that  he would take it during a fight between him and Cloyd or between a fight between Cloyd and Silvia. Anger would be a factor in his decision to take it.
I predicted that he would take it so that he could take his Mom away from The Flowers and start over some where new. I know that Sonny and Silvia didn't have a close relationship but I also know that Sonny loves his mom and really doesn't want to leave her alone.

But...

My prediction started to sway towards Sonny taking the money and running away with Nica. I know that he really wanted to go to Notre Dame so I felt that he would want to take Nica there to share in his dream. To see something beautiful away from all the madness that was surrounding them now.

I know that stealing is not the answer and I would never take anything that didn't belong to me! But as a prediction for Sonny I would say that this would of been the thought preocess for me!

Critique of a passage-Reader Response Theory...

On Page 141 in the Novel,The Flowers; Silvia is telling Sonny how she feels about living with Cloyd.
"I'm not happy here. I'm alittle bored, I just need to get out some." She said that more like a question and left it there to see if Sonny would say something to confirm her feelings.

Silvia spends alot of time getting dolled up to go out. I feel that she may be seeing another man behind Cloyds back. She seems to have realized that even though Cloyd provides money and a roof for her and Sonny that the fun of being in a relationship has burnt out. She was use to being wined and dined and now Cloyd expects her to be home. "He thinks I should just be here all day and dust." p141

Cloyd never really asks Silvia where she is going or who she is with. He seems to show that he is bothered by her being gone when he gets home but I never read that he forbids her to go out. He will ask Sonny her where abouts but only Sonny. She seems to always leave while he is at work but tries to get home before he gets back. I'm not sure if this relationship is going to last. Maybe Silvia will realize that by her and Sonny being unhappy their life at The Flowers is not worth the stability she seeks from Cloyd. She made it on their own before Cloyd and maybe now that Sonny is becoming a young man he will be able to help Silvia if they were to get out on their own.

Stability is always a plus but when it comes from someone who is making it unpleasant then it can be more damaging than good.

One Scene...

The scene that I can most relate to in the novel, The Flowers is when Sonny is laying in bed listening to all the sounds around him coming from the surrounding apartments. "The walls of the bedroom and ceiling creaked with a fump fump fump from above, not where it really was. I could hear the kind of air that didn't move, if I listened for it. There was music in it, and the sounds spun lines, squares and triangles and circles, colliding and crossing and twisting into new shapes, and then I'd be dreaming. p.116"

The reason I can relate to this scene is that I have a hard time falling asleep at night like Sonny. He has alot on his mind as well as I. Sonny has alot of responsabilities around him. He pretty much takes care of himself and he is trying to be there for his mother and her choices. In doing so he takes on the odd jobs around the apartment complex that Cloyd asks him to do to keep the peace around the home and also for himself to get away from Cloyd and his Moms issues. Sonny also finds himself taking on the burded of Cindy and her lonelyness with her living situation. He also takes on worring about Nica and her home life. He has alot on his mind and shoulders at such a young age.

I have alot in my life going on too. I am a single mother of two wonderful kids. We live with my parents who are a true blessing to me, but at times it is hard to raise your own kids when there are two other voices trying to put input. I take care of other people's kids during the day and I take care of my grandmother who is suffering from Dementia. My childrens father is dieing from a long battle with Multiple Sclerosis. I take my Babies every other weekend to go see their father 3 hours away. It is a very hard time for my kids but every moment spent with their father is a memory that they will cherish when he is gone. I am mentally and emotionally tired. But in all this chaos I have to stay strong for my babies and for all those around me who count on me.

At night I too have to lay in bed and listen to all the sounds around me. I have to allow my mind and body to relax and go with the sounds. Sometimes I have to lay in bed and put soft music on in order to fall asleep. If it is too quiet my mind starts to run a thousand miles per hour and I begin to stress out; hense I cannot sleep! So in order to have a good dream or a dream at all, the soft music or the sound of the cars and wind outside help me to keep my mind at peace just like Sonny.

Character Description...Cloyd

Cloyd Longpre is a very intersting character. He trys to present himself as if he is a nice clean cut man.

"He was wearing a fake blue suit and tie. I never saw him in one ever again. Also, his hair was all pomade oil. That also would be the only time it was so neat that they could see the comb lines." p.9
"He was trying to show he was, you know, intersted in me. That I mattered to him." p.10

Longpre was always ranting and ragging about his elks that he killed and mounted on his wall. "It was how killing them meant how much better he thought he was than me." p.30

Longpre had Sonny doing chores around the apartment complex to earn his keep without really making it seem that that was the exact reason he was doing it. "You don't mind, right? It's a big help. One less distraction for me, and the business I got plenty of distraction with already." "Good man," he said. "Good man." p.32

Cloyd wants to be a nice person to Sonny but in reality he is a drunk who has a big head. He thinks he is a gift from God to those around him and the truth comes out when he drinks.

"Cloyd was already red-eyed, and he was wearing that hick smile I hated the most and swirling that ice cube." "Hey you," he told me. "Come and shake hands."
"This is my son," Cloyd told the man. p.88

Cloyd is a tight wad with his money and his friend Mr.Womack lets that be known.
"You got to get good grub while you can, because I know this cheap bastard Longpre ain't feeding you steaks, is he?"p.90
Cloyd responds with, "Listen now, you don't gotta go let him in on that! I don't think he'd even noticed yet!"

Cloyd was always blasted from drinking. He was always in his office with a full glass of whiskey. He was always demanding respsect from Sonny and other's around him like Silvia. "Don't talk to me like that!" "You talk to me with respect, you understand?"  "He was drunk, the red in the bulb of his eyes at the bottom like it sank down there, or they were the roots growing off the blue above."p.126

Sometimes he tried to be funny when he was blasted. "He had the dumbest look on his face ever, smiling like-well, I'd heard him do that a couple of times. He'd cut one, then say, Speak again, sweet lips, I'll find you! He thought it was the funniest shit ever." p.115

Cloyd character is very complex for me. I want to think of him as a good guy taking Sonny and Silvia into his home and trying to be a family man, but then when he goes on his drinking binges I see him as a pompous jerk. He becomes this controlling man. He wants Silvia to be home waiting on him hand and foot and for Sonny to work around the complex to earn his keep and to be rarely seen and not heard. I am at the piont where Silvia is bored so it will be interesting to see what is going to come of this relationship.

   

My Father Always...

My father always was my hero.  He was kind and gentle and my bestest friend. I was always daddy's girl. He called me his little tag along or shadow. Every where my daddy went I was right there behind him. He was a big strong man. He made me laugh and was always there to wipe my tears away when I was hurt or just sad. I love my father he is the best.

My mother never...

My mother never gave up on me. She has always been here for me in anything I do in life. Of course she is my biggest critic when it comes to situation's that she feels may harm me but she is still there in the end with open arms. I have been the rebelious daughter. Always choosing to learn the hard way about life. Not truely by choice but more so because I am more independent. Sometimes it can end up bitting you in the butt. In all my mom always tells me that what you go through in life makes you harder and stronger and not to regret only learn and move forward!

My mom is a hard worker. She always told me to never rely on others to support you. Be your own maker in this world. She came from an old school house hold. Her parents both from Mexico and they believed that the Man provided and the wife stayed home and cared for the family. But my mom saw  things differently. She always worked for what she wanted and needed. She never wanted to ask her parents for money let alone her husband (my father). My parents have been married for 35 years and together for 41 years. High school sweet hearts. :) My mother is a very strong lady and I look up to her in soo many ways; even though we disagree at times with eachother. We hold a very strong bond. I am soo very blessed to have her in my life.

Predict what will happen to Sonny....

Sonny seems like a lonely young man who is tryng to find his way in this world.  He is left alone alot without any adult supervision. I feel he might get himself into trouble with the Law. He seems to be street wise when it comes to fending for himself. But that doesn't mean he is safe in all that he does.

He seems to be very interested in other peoples belongings and fantasizing on the way they live. He imagines him self in their home and what it would be like to be them. It kind of makes me sad. He doesn't seem happy. I probably wouldn't be happy either if no one cared or showed that they cared how my day went or what i've been up to or what I need and want.

If I am understanding correctly he enters peoples homes and goes through their belongings. And he looks through windows. That right there is going to get him into trouble with the law. I hope he doesn't end up a statistic and ends up in jail for his actions.

That is one prediction I have.

My Second would be that Sonny becomes smarter and proves that he is important and becomes a successful young man in anything he chooses to do and does not become a statistic. He does show that he is a hard worker when puts his mind to it. So maybe all the cleaning he does around the complex will give him the experience to go into owning property or taking over Cloyds property when he gets older.

I Am....

I am a very hard worker...I have two beautiful children who are my world! My son is 7 years old and my daughter is 9 years old, and two soon to be in the future step daughters who are 9 and 4. I have a wonderful boyfriend who is my best friend. I am blessed with two beautiful parents who love and help me with my babies so I can attend night classes so that I can reach my goals. I work full time as a caregiver and a nanny and go to school at night. I am working towards my AA in Child Development. I want to teach preschool because I love that age. Kids at that age are like sponges and I want to be the one to help open their minds to the world around them. I love to work out at the gym and cherish hanging out with my family and friends. I love to read. Reading and writing are my best subjects in school. Math not so great. I am a social bug...and make friends rather easily! I look forward to what lies ahead and welcome it with open arms! Life is a challenge...make the best of it!!