Summary+Pages+Ilmin

One source pg. 101 -- http://www.questiaschool.com/read/14822881?title=Political%20Mythology%20and%20Popular%20Fiction -- can take the book to the literary realm and not just about grieving or troubled teenagers. As I look at the thematic base of your articles, my worry becomes about the literary merit. Yes the books are interesting, but what makes them of literary merit. Now, I believe they do have literary merit, but as of yet none of your sources seem to find it worth exploring. http://www.questiaschool.com/read/52665438?title=The%20Columbia%20History%20of%20the%20American%20Novel

This essay, “Judith Guest: Ordinary Person” written by Jeannine Ouellette, focuses on Judith Guest the person and her life as it connects with her novels. It analyzes not only the Tarnished Eye and Ordinary People but also every other novel written by her as well. The analysis begins at the front door of Guest’s house, as she is described as both an ordinary person and an extraordinary writer who has both a touch of talent and luck(then there is an abundance of information about her life that has no relation with the topic I am writing on). From there, the essay goes on to discuss the topic of pain and loss that Judith Guest almost always focuses on in every novel. In Ordinary People she focuses on how a family should continue on after bonds are damaged between sons and parents. Because she values close bonds so much, this theme is apparent in every single novel she writes. Also, Guest has been always mesmerized by murder and “tyranny of chance.” She is so engrossed by what would make a person want to murder somebody else. It goes on to discuss the actual murder case that the Tarnished Eye is based on and the mysteries and secrets of the case that led Guest to write about it. The essay as a whole focuses on Judith Guest herself, her main themes, and how those two relate in her novels, much like a biographical criticism would do. One interesting factor in this essay is that it points out the extreme similarities of the multitude of novels that Guest has written. Of course, books by the same author are due to contain similarities, but Guest’s novels seem to have too much in common with each other to the point that one book can be easily confused with another. This is because she uses the same themes of loss of a loved one and the dealing with the pain that comes afterwards. Even with the two novels that I have read, I often confused Cal for Hugh and Beth for Pam for they shared the same pain and personalities as the other. Another interesting aspect was that the Tarnished Eye was based on a true serial murder case(although loosely). The essay goes on to discuss the murder case and Guest’s immense interest in the case, and it is fascinating to see that the mystery that had me so engrossed was one that was also on the news, horrifying many more. What I found ironic, however, was Guest’s apparent position on murder and bonds. Obviously, she is a fan of writing about losses. However, her respect for family bonds and pain that people suffer through the bonds is in direct opposition with her immense interest(and seeming love) for murder cases. After hearing her opinion on the Ann Arbor Serial Killings, my original imagination of Guest as a homely author who loves her children has changed into a sadistic writer who feeds her hunger by torturing and manipulating her imaginary character’s lives. I strongly agree when the author says that Guest is a combination of excellence and luck. Ordinary People, much like the Catcher in the Rye, caught my fascination largely because it was a novel that I as a teenager in pain could relate to. Also similar to the Catcher in the Rye, Ordinary People has caught a great time to catch the minds of the people. If it was published some other time or in some other era, I doubt that it would have gotten the high merits that it gets today.

Zimmer’s Head Thudding against the Blackboard

At the blackboard I had missed Five number problems in a row, And was about to foul a sixth, When the old, exasperated nun Began to pound my head against My six mistakes. When I cried, She threw me back into my seat, Where I hid my head and swore That very day I'd be a poet, And curse her yellow teeth with this.

Read the poem in a funny mood Superficial Meaning: Obviously, the poem is meant to be funny Word choice Missed, Mistakes These words make the event seem more silly and thus add the funny characteristic to the poem itself. foul, cried It makes the reader imagine a childish mood where a stereotypical troublemaker is getting harassed by an angry teacher. Topic it is a silly reason to become a poet This adds to the incredibility of the author and makes the whole poem funny. Title It is obvious by the title that the poem is no conventional one. The title makes it very funny because the situation is imaginable and unconventional. Reread the poem in a serious mood Deeper Meaning: Education and discrimination Enjambment Accentuates the unfairness missed, against, swore Because these words are in focus since these words are enjambed, this makes the poem gain the element of unfairness(which is included in the connotation of these words). Consonants Against, mistakes, exasperated This shows the anger by making the rough pronunciations hard to read and thus makes it more sketchy. Word Choice yellow, foul This makes it seem more unfair because it makes the reader imagine a bad person, thus making the victim a sufferer of more unfair things. irony of the nun