The Lady in the Looking Glass

Oh! I love this piece. I love reading it over and over. It talks to me, personally. I wonder if you can understand it at all - I mean connect to its ideas at all, being so young. It is not about getting old, but more about getting nowhere. Tell me your impressions - QUIZ GRADE!!!

The Rocking Horse Winner - What the heck?

Isn't that what you were just thinking? What the heck was that all about? The kid rides on the horse and what? Huh? I know - But think about it. What is Lawrence's point here? It gets a little freaky with the boy - who is obviously too old to be riding a rocking horse, riding it - trance-like- until he somehow divines the name of the winner. Weird - yes - Cool - I think so. I mean - here's this kid, never felt loved, told his family is unlucky - want to change it - so he does. Well kind of. It is a sad commentary on society at the time - early 1900's - but how true is it now? So true - Explain and discuss this idea in a well-thought-out response - and you'll get an A!!!!

Araby - to answer for a quiz grade!

When you read these stories - there is no boom, no big bang that shows you the climax, no hunting men on an island like in The Most Dangerous Game, or no locking a man inside a wall like in The Cask of Amontillado - you know, all those stories from 9th grade. But there is a quiet explosion going on in the minds of the characters. In The Lagoon Arsat realized that darkness is always looming - ready to take over. In Araby, James Joyce is even more subtle in his depiction of the main character's realization about life. It is a negative realization, but one we all feel at some point in our lives. What does the boy realize at the end of the story? And don't tell me he is angry at his uncle, because he really isn't. How does this story make you feel about your own futures? Are we so different today that we cannot relate to this? Answer all of these questions and you will get an A quiz grade, to make up for all your bad ones!!!

The Lagoon - read and answer this one! - Quiz grade!

So - I know that you thought that "The Lagoon" started out boring - Conrad is known for his long sentences, his detailed descriptions, his dense writing - but you really need to be introduced to him before you go to college.
At the end of the story Arsat looks out "Beyond the great light of a cloudless day into a darkness of a world of illusions."
I told you that Conrad wrote stories that criticized society and politics. What do you think this kind of contrast between light and dark - especially when read in that line above - means?
I think it has to do with the fact that Arsat goes against conventions and has a brief moment of happiness, only to lose it when the white man shows up. I think that Conrad was criticizing his own people for believing that what is in darkness - like the dark skinned men - was savage, and what is light- like the white man- is civilized and pure.
I hope I haven't confused you more - now what do you think?

British Short stories found here

I am adding links to several British short stories You must read all of them. I hope you enjoy!