WEEK 14

Week 14

Flannery O’Connor

A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Flannery O’Connor had a really short life.  Our intro stated she often wrote about violence, evil and and not the typical traditional forms to write about. I did enjoy reading “ A Good Man is Hard to Find” What started out as what seemed like a happy story of a little southern family going on vacation turns tragic.  The family consisted the Grandmother, her son Bailey, his wife and three children.  They family is going on vacation. They are disagreeing on where to go.  Bailey wishes to go down from Georgia to Florida while his mother wants to go up north to Tennessee. The Grandmother is afraid of some misfit on the loose who is a escaped criminal.  They decide on Florida and on the way the Grandmother gets to thinking about an old house and wishes to see it again. After some arguing and persuading Bailey decides they can do.  They end up having an accident and roll their car over. Everyone is ok but shaken up.  Luckily a car happens upon them and I was relieved for the family.  But it turns out it was the Misfit.  He seems like a nice guy so I thought he just was using them for an escape or needed clothing.  The request Bailey to follow the two other boys out into the woods for no reason and they all hear a gunshot.  This really shocked me.  How horrible, just a family trying to have a vacation and now Bailey is shot dead or for sure dying alone in the woods.  Next they ask if the Mother and children wish to go and they do and bang bang bang they are also shot.  What did they ever do to deserve this? I guess this story follows along the writings of Flannery O’Connor with writing about violence and evil. I just don’t know why someone with talent to really write would choose such horrid topics.

Tillie Olsen

I Stand Here Ironing

Ok this was a sort of weird story.  But overall a good read interesting read. Tillie Olsen only completed the 11^th grade but has continued to educate herself through the public library.  By her early twenties she had already begun to make a name for herself.  Her career was interrupted to raise a get married and raise a family.  She continued on her writing journey later on.  I am not sure if this is a story about her own life or maybe her own child.  It sounds as if she is reflecting what could have gone wrong.  Very sad as her husband left her before Emily was a year old. She had no choice but to find work in a hard time of the depression.  She often had to send Emily away to other family members to keep her until she could get her back. Very sad to think what Emily went through!  She probably always felt like she could just be shipped off easily.  And then to add more brothers and sisters to the family probably only made it worse in her eyes.  It sounds like the mother often tried to make her feel special by allowing her to stay home and play as a family but I think the trust was already broken at this point.  She never had anyone to lean on and cry to, instead she was shipped off to strangers and even a convalescent hospital.  I cannot imagine having to do that or even choosing to do so. It sounds like Emily had found a way to be happy through her comedy.  It brought her attention she always wanted and needed.  I am not sure what is happening in the beginning with her on the phone talking about someone wanting her to talk to Emily.  I think her mother feels bad and possibly responsible for how her Emily has turned out.

Nikki Giovanni’s Poetry

Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1943.  She was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio but often visited Knoxville during the summer with her sister to stay with her grandparents. She currently works at Virginia Tech as a Distinguished Professor.  I did enjoy her poems somewhat.  They were easy reads which helps me a lot. The first poem Nikki-Rosa I think she is trying to say you cannot assume every black child had a hard rough life while growing up.  Just because she didn’t have all the fancy luxuries as some she was still a happy child.  I am not sure if she is just imagine what it is like for others or experiencing it herself. She was born in 1943 so it wasn’t that very long ago like the 1800’s during a time of slavery and all.

          I’m Not Lonely was a good point of view of someone worrying about what their life would be like if they were alone and here it happens and she is just fine.  There is no need to worry about her having nightmares because she is doing great. She can hog the entire bed at night without having to share.  That must be nice J I bet she felt sort of free. Instead of constant worry of what it would be like, she now knows and is doing great.

          Poem for Black Boys is a little unclear to me.  It sounds as if she is writing to say they should stick to their own thing, but I am not sure.  They should not act like they are something they are not and to stick to what they know like runaway slave.  That sounds really bad and racist to me.   Why cant little boys play what they want?  They can be the the sheriff if they wish instead of always the bad guy. I think this poem would make a little kid into a stereotype instead of shooting higher for a dream.