Cask of Amontillado

It’s the second week of classes and so far I am enjoying all of the readings that were assigned to us. I will be discussing the reading and analysis of the story “Cask of Amontillado”. I have read this book before in 9^th grade and I can definitely see a difference in my ability to analyze motifs and themes in literature. One main theme is that of revenge and pride. Montresor is a well-known man that comes at odds with a wine connoisseur Fortunato who has been going around accusing Montresor of not being an authentic Mason. The main symbol for the theme of revenge is the Montresor coat of arms, which is a foot smashing the head of a snake. The motto is that no man who wounds the honor of a Montresor will not go unpunished; which is true in this case. Montresor tricks Fortunato into following him, during carnival, down his catacombs. There waiting in the catacombs is supposed to be a cask of Amontillado, but instead Fortunato’s tomb awaits him. Fortunato is drunk and tricked into the hole in the wall where he is chained by his hands and waist. Montresor then continues to make tiers of bricks where the wall was broken, forever trapping Fortunato to his fate. This is personally one of my favorite short stories.

First Week of Classes, Becoming a Writer

This is officially the first in the series of posts for my English 102 class. So for my peers reading this, disregard the pervious posts before this one. Even though class has been canceled twice I have been keeping up with all the readings so far. To start the class off we were assigned to read an excerpt called ‘How to Become a Writer” by Lorrie Moore. Its main purpose is to give her advice on the struggles of being a writer. I did enjoy the style of her writing; I thought it was quirky and original. By making it in second person I believe Moore is trying to get the reader to envision themselves in her shoes, it also felt sort of like a flash back. Moore’s main criticisms from others is that she has a lack of plot, and that is essentially the theme of the excerpt, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there is no reasoning or deeper meaning to the writing. I think a lack of plot is fitting, there is no “plot” when it comes to living life, and Moore has experienced this first hand. She explains that people had doubts about her choice in profession, but continues to do what she believes in. Sometimes that just how life works and what she is criticized the most for becomes what makes her an individual writer.  

Last Week Of Classes

The last days of the semester have been hectic with final exams approaching. In English we don’t necessarily have a “final exam” so instead we have papers to write. The deadline for the papers are Thursday, and of course the blogs are due as well hence me writing this. The topic of our argumentative paper is Family and my sub-topic is fetal alcohol syndrome and its negative effects and what women can do to seek help if they are drinking while pregnant. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to write about, numerous times I had to rewrite my intro because I wasn’t quite sure how to approach the topics. Then we had to write a short essay on the reasons why we deserved our grade for participation in the class. I pretty much said I deserved an A and then listed all the reasons and what not. Well since this will be my last blog, I do have to say I did have fun in this class. Happy Holidays hope everyone has a good break.  

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

I hope everyone had a wonderful break and had a great Thanksgiving with their family. There may be variations to how people celebrate this upcoming holiday season, but what most people would agree on is that this is the time to spend it with family and loved ones. The food is always good too! Then of course the day after is Black Friday, and almost every store has price cuts and deals for the Christmas season. I’m not quite sure the history of Black Friday, but please leave a comment if you have any knowledge on the subject I would love to know more. Last year I heard someone got shot at a Wal-Mart and this year two people were shot to my understanding. It’s totally outrageous what people will do to reach their idea of the American dream. Is it really worth killing someone over products that are being pushed onto us by big corporate America?  I think not, but some people are forever brainwashed. I did of course participate in the “festivities” of Black Friday, but it was mostly to make sure my mom wasn’t robbed. We went to a few stores and I felt like it was a never-ending line, of just waiting. I'm definitely ready for class to resume so I can finish out this semester, that seems never ending as well! 

Issues With Laws

So a couple of weeks ago the election took place and Obama was re-elected as our president. There were other pressing maters on the voting ballot as well that will be some what addressed in this post. Such as the question of eminent domain, and small details involving the senate. In some states the question of legalization of marijuana was put on the ballot. For the first time it was legalized in the states of Colorado and Washington for people who were 21 and older for small recreational uses. This decision is questionable, because it is unconstitutional for sates to go against federal laws. These states could argue that they are going with what the majority of voters want and that Cannabis should be an issue for sates to decide. Another issue that sprang up after the election was the issue that states waned to succeeded from the United States. This brings up past history when South Carolina wanted to succeed in the 1800’s. With both of theses pressing matters occurring soon citizens and the government will have to choose what they believe is the right path for this nation and we must work together. For my readers, please comment with your thoughts on these issues.  

Halloween Fun

I hope everyone had a good Halloween last week. Usually people have plans to hand out candy, go to parties or some people just don’t care. It is a very particular tradition that we take on. Sort of funny if you think about it, kids dressing up to ask for candy. Some would say that the holiday is just a ploy for companies to make money and exploit the consumers to media manipulation. But all the same it’s still a fun holiday, goblins and ghouls, tricks and treats. I even went with a friend to KD for the hallow-scream festival, It was pretty scary with all the people dressed up and trying to scare you. Maybe the best part about Halloween is the movies that come on TV. I’m a big fan of scary movies, even though some can be outrageously stupid, it’s still all for good fun. I’m interested to hear what some parents have to say about trick or treating for children these days. Are there any concerns about where the candy is coming from and if it’s safe for kids to be venerable to those risks. I definitely saw a difference in turn out of kids this year, there was a lot less.