Narration- A Critical Response

     In Joyce Carol Oates' story Three Girls, the narrator is developed through the first person narration of the story. The setting in which the story takes place is immediately revealed to the reader, though it takes the entirety of the story to properly develop the narrator. The narrator is described as an "NYU girl-poet", meaning a female college student most likely majoring in English, though the reader is able to construct a better picture of the narrator not through the facts that are directly stated, but instead by the heavy use of voice and tone (Oates 77). Because this story is written in the first person, the narrator is able to convey her experiences in a manner that forbids the absence of bias and emotions, as shown by the changing tone as the narrator addresses a new topic or aspect of that "one snowy March early evening in 1956" (Oates 77). Using such phrases as "always on these romantic evenings at the Strand" and prefacing it with "in an agony of unspoken young love I watched you", the reader is able to assume that the narrator is in love with her female friend and therefore lesbian.
     Furthermore, the use of parenthetical interruptions allows the reader to paint a better picture of the narrator. From these interruptions we find that the narrator is "tall for a girl, in 1956", has "male contempt for the merely 'conventional female'", and learns new facts that shed light on the experience with Marilyn Monroe (Oates 78). The information, however many words in which it is relayed, contained in these parentheses allows for a deeper bond between the reader and the narrator; the insight into the narrator's character becomes more refined and complex as the story continues. This information betters the reader's understanding of the events that occur as well, until the final sentence pulls the emotional and tonal range of the story together when the narrator "kiss[es her friend] for the first time" (Oates 83). The lack of dialogue in the story is not a weak point, as the reader can characterize the narrator through the voice, tone, and language of the story.

The Second Week

Buddies Day! 

     Though it greatly limited the amount of time I actually spent in class, it seemed to be a huge success for all those involved. The freshmen were welcomed officially to Burlingame High School and shown that they will have strong moral support for any endeavor they choose throughout their four years as a panther. They also learned that the Buddies, though we are made up of "frightening" upperclassmen and sophomores, were relatable to them in more ways than just being panthers. The guest speaker, Keith Hawkins, had we Buddies stand up if certain life events applied to us; namely if we had a broken family, financial problems, or even had to leave home because our home lives "got too bad."

     I know that I was not the only one surprised to see so many others affected by these issues; we live in a society today where we tend to believe that we are the only one in the entire world that is struggling this way and that there cannot possibly be anyone else that can empathize.

Clearly, we are wrong.

     This issue brings me around to "Richard Cory", the poem we read in class about a man who seemingly has everything that anyone has ever wanted, and yet commits suicide in the last line. The townspeople's ability to see the reality beneath the facade is nonexistent, oftentimes like how so many can attend school each day and not even know that their best friend is suffering. One must look beneath the surface of the smile, clothes, and demeanor to see the goings on of the world around us, or we risk losing mentors, friends, and perfect strangers.

"I want so much to open your eyes, 'cuz I need you to look into mine." Snow Patrol, Open Your Eyes

The First Week

Ah, the joys of school.
I have to be honest, I expected a heavy work load this year...only really from AP English Literature. Deciding last year that I was going to be taking this course felt like I was signing my life away to a future of nonstop essay writing, and indeed it felt as if my grave was being dug by simply thinking of taking other classes. So far there has not been so much work, but I feel the work just around the corner, watching like a demon in the shadows. With the most recent school loop post hinting at an essay next week (which is merely the second week of school), I know now that the past year's seniors were right; I'm going to get my butt kicked.
Surprisingly, I'm completely fine with that.

As long as I can still sleep, that is.

Musings on the Academic and Intellectual Evaluation

Now I know.
I am blissfully unaware of the extent of the things that I do not fully understand. If that does not make sense, I apologize. What I mean to say is that I cannot make a judgment on what kind of writer I am when the aspects of writing which with I am not as strong are unknown to me. Simply put: I don't know what I don't know. Which stinks.

It is nice to know though, that your greatest weakness can still not put a dent in your greatest strength, especially when the two are directly connected.

Relief.

Musings about The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale, a novel by Margaret Atwood, was a story that intrigued me quite a bit more than 1984, as it was able to pull me into the plot and force me to continue along its journey. Unlike 1984, The Handmaid's Tale created more of a connection to me in the beginning with its female perspective and more believable background. As the story progressed and the reader became more aware of how the Republic of Gilead came to be, I found that it being the product of a religious coup d'etat in our modern society was far more realistic than just "the Party always existed." The fact that there was an end goal set for the main character, Offred, also gave the reader hope that the story would actually "go somewhere", even though the pregnancy never truly occurred. An encapsulating story that had me clenching the pages with anticipation, this book was a truly enjoyable read, despite the over flowery language.

Musings about 1984

George Orwell's novel 1984, though seemingly a good read from the impressive summary and praise assigned to it, was, in my opinion, surprisingly dry. With it's barely existent plot and repetitive ideas, I felt as if it was more a story based on Winston's monotonous stream of consciousness. Not much about the story shocked me, as I feel a good read needs to do at least once or twice in order to keep the reader engaged, and from the beginning there was not much motivation for me to continue reading the novel. I was disappointed that I was unable to enjoy this novel more, as I had heard rave reviews about it and was greatly looking forward to falling in love with it.