The Swimmer and Swimming

Similarities:

• Within The Swimmer, the name of the river, which is really just a chain of pools, is Lucinda, which Neddy names after his wife. Within Swimming the name of the lake in which Frank swims so routinely is named Juliet, a name which will later come up in the story as the name of Frank's mistress of interest.
• Routines are common within both of the stories. For Neddy it is the routine of drinking at every stop on his journey through the pools of his county. For Frank, there are many routines: his routine swim every morning, the breakfast routine with his wife, in which they barely look at each other, etc.
• The claim, "I just wanted to do it." is said by both Neddy and Frank. Neddy's claim is that he wasn't trying to escape or accomplish anything by swimming across the county, he just wanted to do it, he wanted to explore. Likewise, Frank explains to Juliet, his love intrest, that he didn't always love swimming and actually was very fearful of it. But one day he decided he would learn how to swim, nothing posessed him to go through with it, one day he woke up and just wanted to do it.
• Cheating as an action and thought is another commonality between the stories. In The Swimmer Neddy admits to cheating on his wife with an old mistress, Shirley Adams, however his memory and recollections of the affair are very scarce and fuzzy. Frank, on the other hand, thinks of cheating on his wife, but we don't know if he actually did or not, he kissed Juliet, well she kissed him, but it remains a mystery as to whether Juliet actually existed or not, so we shall say he definitely thought of cheating on his wife, and possibly performed the act.
• Nudity is present in both stories, moreso in Swimming than in The Swimmer. In Swimming Frank tries to go swimming in the nude as much as possible, it's a freeing, exhilirating experience for him. Neddy, from The Swimmer, though is only nude for one scene in the story, the pool at the Halloran household.
• The element of swimming as an escape...Neddy is trying to escape life, and go for a delightful, yet challenging swim through all of the pools in his county. None the less, it seems a great escape from the many changes in his life that occur while he is on his journey, or perhaps the changes occur due to the fact that his journey is so time consuming that while he was trying to escape life for a while, life as he knew it actually escaped him (financially - money, emotionally - family, mentally - his mind...is he crazy? delussional?). Frank uses swimming as an outlet to escape his wife, whom he doesn't think he loves anymore (emotionally) and his reality, the depression he feels with his lack of excitement and spontinuity in his life (mentally, physically).
• Abandoned houses: Neddy notices that the Welcher's home and pool seem desolate and dry, his first reaction is to assume that they went away on vacation or something, but then comes to realize that they have moved due to a "For Sale" sign posted on the front yard. Frank's Juliet Lake has many houses on it, but one of the most notorious ones is the Ice House, which has been empty for years, until one day (the day Juliet appears -- could be fabrication of Frank's mind)

Differences:

• Water: Although present in both stories, for Neddy in The Swimmer, the water is a painful exploration. Not only physically but mentally, he cries and is battling with alcoholism. Also with Neddy the fluidity of water is symbolic of tears, water in the pools, the fluidity of the stream, and the fluid which runs his system, alcohol. For Frank, however, water is a positive thing in his life, it's the only thing that keeps him sane, preoccupied, and out of his wife's way. The water helps him to get into the best shape, barely aging as far as physique goes, and heals him emotionally with the drama he deals with when associating with his wife.
• Weather: The Swimmer, Neddy, goes through all of the seasons during his expedition, starting with summer, when times are happy and gay, and ending with winter, the saddest time in his life where he has seemingly lost everything important in life, his family, his money, and his mind. The weather in Swimming is bright, sunny, beautiful, and hot the whole time. It is summer, and although Frank has many issues, none of them seem so enormous that they can not be dealt with or Frank will lose his mind. In fact, the temperature actually increases in the story, especially when Frank meets and swims with Juliet, significant of the increase in joy and happiness in Frank's life.

* Within the story Swimming, I noticed a repition of the color red: dot, sweater, bathing suit, blushing. Red within the story is only mentioned with Juliet. Other repitions within the story include that of electricity (caused by Juliet and her red swim suit), and black bubbles. Notice red and black are dark colors, maybe indicative of the danger Juliet (her presence makes Frank want to teach his wife how to swim in which instance she almost dies = black bubbles)

The Colors of the Hull Case

The colors that come up in the short story "The Hull House" are numerous and ambiguous. The colors mentioned often that seemed to have the most meaning were: white, black, gray, and blue.

White is a color usually indicative of innocence, youth, pureness, angelic, and perfection. Within the story, this is a wonderful description of Bessie. Not only is she white characterisically, but physically as well. She is a white female, innocent and pure, and when Bernie stumbles upon her when she is his nurse in a hopsital, she is dressed in a white uniform and her teeth are white as well. Clearly the author is attempting to describe to the reader the extent of innocence, pureness, and angelic perfection of this white girl (seemingly being corrupted and deceived by marrying this black man; which was the common idea of the anti inter-racial 60s)

White is also indicative of brightness and the unknown. When people often have near death experiences they retell their stories of going toward the "white light" although no one ever knows what the white light is or where it leads. Within the story the lights of the UFO, as described by Bessie, are white (and red); they remain to her and to all who hear her story very mysterious. Also, when Bernie retells his memory of the experience, under hypnosis, he claims he remembers the "pale figures, the bliding wall of light, and the great white sails". It is highly unlikely that the figures were pure, innocent, being, although they were undoubtedly myserious. The "blinding wall of light" could be synonymous with the "white light" as seen by those who go through a near death experience; Bernie clearly does not remember what he was around or what was going on when the "blinding wall of light" hit, he simply remembers the tunnel of light he saw. Lastly, the "great white sails" Bernie claims to have seen are interesting, because white sails are usually a sign of surrenderment and giving up; however, these aliens were clearly not giving up but rather taking over; a better color that could have potentially been given to the sail would be black.

Black is synonymous with death, power, darkness, bad (evil), mystery, and fear. Bernie is a black man, in the 60s, someone who was evil and mysterious. He was considered evil and mysterious simply because he was not white and therefore unknown; and to people of any time period 60s or present day, the unknown is frightening and evil, it is just human reaction. Not only do white people fear Bernie, a black man, he fears them, and their reactions toward his life and marriage to a white woman, the essence of purity, wholeness, and innocence. He is not naiive of the times in which he lives and is fearful of cops (most of which assume he is hurting or stealing Bessie, who is only his wife, when they pull him over and see the two together) and what people will think of him as well as Bessie, after she tells her story. Bernie fears for their reputation, his is already on eggshells being that he is living against the norm of the times, and living and being married to a white woman. He also fears having a child, and in a way is greatful of the miscarriages (deaths) of the children since he is fearful of the life they will endure as being half white and half black. Clearly the color black was a good choice for describing Bernie, both physically and emotionally.

The Colonel's driver also happened to be black and he was a very mysterious fellow as well. Not much was said about him in the story, other than he was in the Air Force, and he and Bernie did not get to go very indepth in their conversation, so he too remains very mysterious to us, the readers.

The bruises on Bessie's palm were also black (and blue). She received the bruise from when the aliens were performing tests on her and she was squeezing Bernie's dentures so hard she bruised. Clealy, she was in pain, not to mention fearful for her life and being overpowered by some crazy, mysterious creatures. So the bruise on her palm is a physical indication of her fear, pain, and being overpowered by mysterious creatures.

Another color that was mentioned within the story was the color gray. Gray is usually associated with dull, gloomy, bland, and "the unknown" not being black or white. The aliens were described by Bessie as "short gray men". Although she did not go into much detail, they don't seem extravagent or happy but rather bland and gloomy. They captured them to do their tests and when their mission was accomplished they let them (Bessie and Bernie) go. They will remain mysterious, since recollections of both witnesses were undescriptive.

The last color mentioned was the color blue. Usually indicative of happiness, depth, tranquility, and stability, it seems in the story that it is meant to be taken the complete opposite direction. Blue is used to describe the water of Niagra Falls, the falls themselves, the mist, and the tears Bessie shed on the boat. Clearly, none of these describe happiness, depth, tranquility, or stability. The falls are not tranquil or stable but rather forceful and rapid. The mist is not deep, very shallow, but blinding. And Bessie's tears are not significance of happiness, but rather sadness and sickness.

Evidently, the colors used in the short story "The Hull Case" are very important and useful; however, in some cases, as in the color blue, they are used in the opposite way they are usually indicative of.

Ideas for Essay #1: Title Paper

Are titles meant to be taken literally? Figuratively? Ironically?

The Use Of Force:

• meant to be taken literally
• force of dr. on girl (patient)
• force of parents on girl (dad-physical; mom-mental)
• force of dr.'s instruments on girl = bloody mouth
• force of girl against doctor = almost claws his eyes out
• force of girl against father = fighting dad's strength; dad sometimes letting go
• force- 1. physical power/strength possessed by living being
• 2. strength/power exerted upon an object/being

The Gift of Sweat:

• meant to be taken figuratively
• sweat = not desirable/not usually given as a gift
• sweat of her friend (who's dying) is left on her shirt - all she has left of him forever = gift - only physical item she has left
• sweat- to perspire/ooze moisture
• gift- something given voluntarily without payment in return, to show favor toward someone, or honor an occasion

How do the titles direct or alter your readings of the stories - or do they?

The Use of Force:

• direct you to assume the story will be about violence because force has a negative connotation
• force = one person is not doing what the other wants so they use force to get what they want regardless of the others feelings
• force = fighting, yelling, strength vs. weakness, young vs. old
• doesn't make you think someone is helping someone, rather makes you think someone is hurting someone (dr. hurting little girl)
• force = sexual, violent, helpful, push or pull, energy, power, control

The Gift of Sweat:

• doesn't give you any specific direction
• sweat isn't usually given as a gift = makes you wonder "why is sweat being given as a gift?" = sparks your interest, makes you want to read it
• makes you wonder: "who's sweating?" "is the person sweating getting a gift?" "is the sweat a good thing in this case?"
• doesn't make you think someone is helping someone else, doesn't necessarily make you think someone is hurting someone else though either
• alters your reading...this story could be gross - sweat = not a beautiful thing; in the end it is a beautiful thing though
• sweat = sex, sickness, working hard, worrying (sweating the small stuff)
• gift = present

Similarities and Differences of "The Use of Force" and "The Gift of Sweat"

The short stories The Use of Force by William Carlos Williams and The Gift of Sweat by Rebecca Brown are two stories that have very similar and very different qualities.

The stories are similar in that they both tell the tales of two people taking care of other people. One caretaker is a doctor trying to help diagnose a little girl and the other is a volunteer/housekeeper/friend just trying to make a friend’s last days as comfortable, clean, and non lonely as possible. Both of the people who are sick are carriers of contagious diseases, the little girl, Mathilda, is diagnosed with diphtheria, a contagious respiratory disease, while the man in The Gift of Sweat, Ricky, is most likely the victim of AIDS. In both cases the relationships between the people are both male/female. In The Use of Force the doctor is a male and the little girl is obviously female, and likewise in The Gift of Sweat, Ricky, is a male suffering from AIDS and his housekeeper/friend is a female who remains nameless. Within both stories the people trying to help the sickly show definite wishes that their experiences could last longer. The doctor in The Use of Force is enjoying the struggle being put up by the little girl, he claims on page 99, “I could have torn that child apart in my own fury and enjoyed it. It was a pleasure to attack her.” Similarly, the housekeeper/friend of Ricky’s exclaims once she’s left alone in his apartment, “I did it all fast because I wanted to get everything done, but I also wished I could stretch it out and still be doing it and be here when he came home as if he would come home soon.” Lastly, the two pieces of literature are similar in their simplistic styles. William Carlos Williams uses no quotation marks within the short story, The Use of Force, nor does he use very extravagant language. Correspondingly, Rebecca Brown uses simple language as well as simple sentence style, plain subject-verb sentences, to convey her ideas in The Gift of Sweat.

For as much as the two stories are similar, there are in fact numerous differences. For example, both stories suggest two people attempting to assist a sickly person in need; however, in The Use of Force the person giving assistance is a medical doctor attempting to give medical support and advice while in The Gift of Sweat the person giving assistance is a housekeeper/friend who is simply attempting to give emotional and hygienic support. In The Use of Force the doctor seems cruel in the way he had to use physical force in order to help the scared little girl, Mathilda, as well as creepy in how he truly enjoyed the powerful rush of forcing her to open her mouth against her will. On the other hand, in The Gift of Sweat, Ricky, the AIDS victim, is willing to accept the help of his housekeeper/friend, who is very kind and compassionate, and seems accepting, not scared, of the fact that he has an illness. Within The Use of Force it is blatantly obvious that Mathlida has been attempting to keep her illness a secret from her mother, father, and the doctor for as long as humanly possible, conversely though, Ricky seems honest with the housekeeper/friend, who is seemingly his only true companion in life at this time, about his illness for it does not come as a total shock to her when she walks in ad he reports to her that he is very sick and it came on suddenly. The relationship between the doctor and the girl in The Use of Force seems to be one filled with sexual tension. It is as if the girl is guarding not only the secret of her illness but the secret of her innocence and virginity and it is as if the doctor is literally enthralled and excited about the blood filling in the her mouth and the fight he wins by physical force (a parallel experience to rape). However, in The Gift of Sweat, the emotional relationship between Ricky and his housekeeper is a friendship, one of mutual respect and genuine care, and this is evident when the housekeeper/friend is uneasy and unsure as well as a little glad to have some of Ricky’s sweat left on her shirt, it is the last piece of him she will ever have. Overall, the tone of The Use of Force is very scary and gloomy; it evokes a lot of negative emotions and discomfort because of the powerful words and phrases used within the story. The tone of The Gift of Sweat is completely opposite of this though, it seems more happy and helpful since the housekeeper is focusing on the fun times and memories they have had despite the fact that the story is very sad emotionally since Ricky dies.

This last comment is especially striking to me; that in a story where the outlook of the life of a little girl is very bright, she will most likely live; the tone of the story is very gloomy, scary, and nerve-wracking. However, in a story where the outlook of the life of a young man is definitely sad, he will die; the tone of the story is more cheerful and happy.

The Things I Carried

At the age of 18 it doesn’t seem like there’s much I should have to worry about or carry at this point. However, my life revolves around responsibilities and social activities of which I would be lost without if I was not carrying the necessary items.

First there’s my bright pink Vera Bradley wallet (bright enough so that I can spot it in my endless purse), my safe haven and treasure chest of goodies that contain such jewels as my driver’s license, not quite sufficient enough to get me into bars; my library card…the jewel that allows me to escape this crazy hectic world into one of surreal tranquility, love and joy; money…the treasured item I never have nearly enough of but am always working for…the item that literally keeps me going, it’s like the one thing you want the most but will never have enough of…however, money doesn’t mean everything to me and I think that’s why I’m ok with never have plenty of it. Life is happier, simpler, and better when there’s little/no money. Or I could just be happy because I always have my debit card to fall back on…that little gem gets me out of trouble when cash bails out on me…or is simply there for me when a new outfit or pair of shoes is undoubtedly necessary…I would literally die without it.

Next there’s my teal Vera Bradley key ring. This tiny compartment holds my ID Card…the symbol of my new life. I would be lost, hungry and cold without my ID card so I make sure to never leave the house without it. On my key ring is the one and only key that matters in my life right now, the key to my dorm… my new place of living where new memories and mistakes have already been made but where so many more are to come.

Around my neck I carry my favorite multi-colored pink scarf…the one piece of home that I can carry around with me at all times without question. It smells and feels like home…relaxing any stresses I accumulate over the hours of the grueling days of classes. If classes aren’t so grueling it’s just there as a safety blanket, holding my head on straight keeping me warm and cozy on the bitter cold of January days, just as my family would be if I were home.

Around my shoulder I carry a bag my roommate gave me for Christmas. In that bag I carry my books…my future. The cause of most of my anxiety here at school. They’re heavy but as I take them out one by one I realize that all of this is not impossible… that little by little I can and will accomplish my dreams and goals. Also in that bag I carry pens, pencils, highlighters and sticky notes. The few simple tools I need to do a job well done. My connection to the world, my 5th limb, if you will lies in the front pocket of that bag…clearly within easy reach so that I’m never too far away. My small black seemingly indestructible cell phone is the cause and cure of most of my anxiety. I wonder if I have missed messages/calls, what my friends are doing while I’m cooped up in the classroom and what’s new on “Facebook”. And while I wait in that classroom which has zero service I can’t focus on anything but those burning questions. I drink water to cleanse my body, keep me rejuvenated, fight hunger, and relax myself. The calmness of the water is contagious and it makes me feel so focused and pure. Once out of the classroom though where the connection to the world has been reestablished, the rest of my anxiety melts away and I am no longer anxious but idle. As idle as the water. Idle and happy about not looking for love/boyfriend but just going with the flow, that I’m finally okay with who am I and who I want to become.

The final thing I carry is my pink bracelet on my left wrist. This bracelet has many of the Catholic religious figures on it…keeping me faithful and strong when I’m feeling hopeless and weak. It reminds me to pray…reminds me to never forget what my knees are for and that my situation is never the worst…when all else fails I look at this bracelet to get me through…all of the things I carry are necessary but this one item is crucially so.

The Things They Carried

Jimmy Cross carried the letters because it gave him something to believe in and rely on, it gave him hope and a sense of something to keep going for...many of the other characters had similar objects (toothbrushes, condoms, etc.) all of which seem completely unnecessary given their circumstances but to each individual character these items could not be done without becuase these items gave the same hope and sense of self for these individual characters as the letters from Martha give to Jimmy Cross...the photographs are reminders of happier times and a better life, a life without fighting and such emotional toil...the author throws in humerous tidbits such as:
"medic carried M&Ms for especially bad wounds...riflemen carried 8.4 lbs - 14 lbs of magazines & when available M-16 maintenance gear"
^ funny how the medic carried M&Ms...ridiculous that the riflemen carried 14 lbs of magazines (seemingly unnecessary) and only carried M-16 maintenance gear "when available"...seems twisted and out of order

Lieutenant blamed himself for the loss of a soldier because he was spending too much time thinking of the love of his life (Martha), this probably happened often with young men in the armed forces they take their mind off of their mission for one minute and it most likely ends in a casulty... that coincides with the quote:

"they all carried all they could bear, & then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power the things they carried."
^ the soliders understand the physical and emotional weight of the things they carried, both personal and required

"they all carried ghosts"
^all of the things that the men help onto so great (pantyhose, vitamins, etc) were all just to try and keep them as alive and functioning as possible however these objects are like ghosts, they don't really have any real meaning anymore

"imagination was a killer" - Cross's imagination literally is...it is his inability to focus that causes him casulties

the description of Strunk coming back from the cave (all zombie like) could be correlated to the way the men from war appeared once they finally came home...like Zombies with little to no life in them anymore...i don't understand the moral of the war and the thumb and the other objects and events that the soldiers describe but they believe there is a moral, one that can not be clearly stated or explained...i like how the author goes from crucial to emotional objects it really emphasizes their situation and the degree of their sufferings/emotional burdens.

"their principles were in their feet...calculations...no strategy"
^more emphasis on how the soldiers became less and less like people and more and more like robots due to their situation

for all the mysteries and unknowns of war there was always at least one single certainty...they would never be at a loss for things to carry...their lives, their families, their return home were all uncertain events but their bags would always be full regardless. They may die...but they will die with their bags full...

"it was the burden of being alive"
^sometimes being alive was harder than being dead.
"they were afraid of dying but even more afriad to show it...just to avoid the blush of dishonours...it was not courage rather they were too afriad to be cowards"
^ the male ego is a very powerful tool...it was the very last thing keeping them going

The Road Not Taken

This poem is about how there is always a crossroads during everyone's lives at one point or another...

• 2 roads that can be taken in life (usually easy path and the difficult path)
• the person tried to see as far as he could down one path to see if it would be the easier one to take...he could only see so far, to where it "bent into undergrowth"
• he decided to take the 2nd path and to his surprise it wasn't that bad. it was a little more difficult because it was "grassy" and not as beaten and smooth but overall they were really about the same
• that morning the person made a decision to take the 2nd path and keep moving forward...never go back
• he says he will go down the 1st path at another time but he knows this is probably untrue
• many years later he will be telling his story of how he came to a crossroads and chose a path less traveled and it made him who he was today
• had he taken the other path he might have been a completely different person with different values, morals, etc.

I think the poem is trying to convey to the reader that the easy road is not always the best road, sometimes the more difficult roads, the ones with paths less clear and easy are the ones that teach us the most about ourselves, our abilities, and what we can overcome. It is these difficult paths, the difficult situations and issues that effect us in life that truly make us who we are at the end of the day.