Zora Neale Hurston

I though "Sweat" was very interesting. I think this story probably represents many women's lives. Delia worked very hard, and Sykes did not appreciate or help her. She finally got the the point where she said she hates him to the degree that she used to love him. The fact that he brought that snake in their house when he knew how muched she hated snakes showed that he did not care about her feelings at all. As I was reading the end I really thought Delia was going to get bitten by the snake, but when she didn't and Sykes did I thought that was a great ending. She did say he was going to reap what he sowed. He did. The thing he was trying to scare her with was what hurt him. I imagine she felt somewhat sad, but at the same time probably felt he got what he deserved.


Dianna Duhon

Langston Hughes

I read many of the poems by Langston Hughes. I liked "Negro". The poem seemed to have a light feel about it. Even though he was talking about a painful topic, he seemed to through in there about him being a singer. I think this may be his way of saying that he had faced troubles and been through bad times but it did not take away his joy.

I also read the poem "Mulatto" which was not on our list. It caught my eye because of the title. The word mulatto is used to describe a child with one black parent and one white parent. I researched the poem and found out that it is actually a part of a play. The play was banned from Philidelphia because it was so controversial. The play seemed very sad. I see this young boy who really does not know where he fits in. He has a white father who does not claim him. I imagine this was a real issue when this poem was written. An issue that was probably not talked about very often.

Dianna Duhon

James Weldon Johnson

"The White Witch"
This poem is a warning about a white woman. Johnson talks about his encounter with a white woman, and he is warning other black men to stay away from them. He warns them not to be intrigued by her looks. He speaks of his own encounter with a white woman, and he must of had a bad experience. He wants to make sure his brothers do not make the same mistake that he made. This is kind of the same thing as McKay's "Look Within". Something may look good on the outside but in reality be rotten within.

Dianna Duhon

Claude McKay

"The Negro's Tragedy"
I thought this poem was basically saying that only someone who has been through what he has been through can understand or tell the story of it. There is no way to fully understand something unless you go through it yourself. He mentions a thorn-crowned negro. I am assuming he is referencing to Jesus in some way. Maybe he feels that Jesus understands what he and his ken are going through.

Look Within
I think McKay is saying that people keeping trying to hide the truth instead of looking within and seeing the sin. He mentions worm-infested and rotten within. A apple may not look rotten, but once it is opened and a worm is in there it is rotten all the way through.

William Faulkner

I thought the story of "A Rose for Emily" was very sad. I remember reading this story in high school I think. I thought the same thing then as I do now. I wonder why someone would want to write a story that was so sad. I wonder did Miss Emily plan to kill Homer or did she just get fed up with him not wanting to marry her. It seems that she prepared everything very well to kill him. She may have actually gotten the arsenic for herself like the town's people thought but then changed her mind. I am not sure. The only way to know for sure would be for the story to have been told from Miss Emily's point of view instead of the town's people.


Dianna

Ernest Hemingway

After reading "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway I was very confused as to what was going on. I did some research on it and it appears that the woman was supposed to be having an abortion. I think what confused me was the dialogue. There is so much dialogue that I get very wrapped up in trying to remember who is talking rather than actually hearing what the person is saying. I had the same problem when I read "Snows of Kilimanjaro. I went back and read it again, and understood it a little better. I also felt like that would have been a very controversial issue during this time, so maybe Hemingway did not want it to be so obvious.

Dianna