Hills Like White Elephants”

1) THe setting being at a train spation is imporatant because the two characters are choosing where they want to go.. I think it is meaningful because it is almost to me like this is where the journey after a seperation will begin. It makes me connect to it. IT isnt a story about a journey its almost as if I see the story being written from the begining. The story is all about choices and choosing between to extreme ends. Like a train you chooce to go North or south east or west. I think of a train station you choose if you want to go on the E train for example but your decision isnt done now do you need to go on the E train  going north or the one going down. Just like her choices Does she want to go  to the hills or the platform. Have an abortion and going your seperate way.... like what are you gonna do next. the Story doesnt say it but i feel like the conversation while its going on in each of the characters head they are figuring out if they are going to be together or go their seperate ways, because they start to drink together but finish drinking sperately like they are done being one.

2)  The point of view is an objective point of view. This makes it that i am unable to answer how the narator feels about these characters because he leaves it to my choosing. It is like he write it sdo I feel like I am in the same train station and I am viewing and hearing these people. I decide who they are how they feel and why they say what they say. Usually The author tells me if the main character is happy or sad like the well lighted place story we know the old man is lonely he tells us. But with this story I choose as if I think if I was her in this situation based on what she is saying I would feel like this. Its written in a way like  whehn I describe each character  it will be different from when my classmate will describe the same character because we are choosing the mind, the inner thoughts of each character.

3) His style if really interesting to me because I feel like he leads me t o beleive something that it isnt. while I read the story im trying to figure out what is going on. I am not confused with what is going on but I am seeing what are they really talking about, do they wanna go together or alone, no thei rare talking about an abortion, they are talking about a place , no they are talking baout their relationship. My mind runs wild trying to figure out ok where is this story going not because im bored like blah blah blah get to the point but more are in  I wanna find out more like i am peeling on something in thin layers.

4) When you read his bio it makes complete sense how he write. For example  I feel as if he is the deaf man . After being married 4 times I can sense where the deaf man loneliness comes from. not saying he wasnt a happy man but after deing wounded in the war, living during a dark time in history, traveling constantly, and having 4 wives must have left him lonely. Just as lonely as the deaf man in the strory "A Clean Well-lighted place". Now I can see why he would write the " Hills like elephants story" because of all of his travels, he had to choose where to start. The choosing if they will have an abortion or not is  making a choice about a unexpected baby like when he got wounded and came home unexceptedly. The choosing of going their seperate ways is like all of his wives and divorce.  I feel like he writes his stories based on his life as if he thinks of an experience like his thoughts when he was deciding on doing to Spain or Paris or the war and he wrote the story "hills like elephants" talking about choices we face at times in our lives.

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/hemingway-bio.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hemingway

A well lighted place

1) I think it setting i simportant because the place is special because of what it is. The place is special which is why the old waiter and the deaf man enjoy it during the night. The time is crutial 2 because the two waiter are arguing about the fact the deaf man is keeping them so late. If it was earlier the waiters agrivation, wouldnt be there because it wouldnt be late. If the time was different the deaf man probably wouldnt be drinking to the point of being drunk or near drunk.

2)  The characters having names are less important than their jobs. The fact the deaf man has no name is ok because we still reconize him him being called the deaf man is important and makes him specail just like a name is suppose to be.  If the waiters name where bob and joe the understanding what they are saying and why they are saying it wouldnt be the same. The fact that we know their job title helps us paint a better picture of them compared to their names

3)  The plot is a deaf man  at a bar alone which is keeping two waiters at late work because he wants to stay at the bar and keep drinking which is upsetting one waiter while the other feels his loneliness.

4) Everything or place has a different meaning and purpose for different people that the same place who brings someone joy and love can bring someone pain or abasolutly nothing

Sonny's Blues

1) The setting of this story is crutial because the time makes it easy to understand Sonny's struggle. Sonny threw out the whole story feels trapped. Being black during that period meant u could only do certain things. Being poor made it hard for black people to do  what they where able to actually do. Being in Harlem was like a crutch to poor and black man. During that time, being a poor black boy in Harlem was a trap. You were limited to so many things I can see why he would feel like he needs to get away. The setting is important because I believe it created the pain that made Sonny feel that he needs to run and leave "Harlem's prison." The inner problems Sonny has were there and was created from the black boy who grew up in Harlem during that period of time.

2)  TO me it is ironic that Sonny wants to serve in the army for 2 reasons. One during that time Why fight for a country that doesn't respect you or even view you as a man. During this period of time Blacks were seen in a very dim light. Barely respected still fighting to their rights, respect, and justice. Being in the military is something a soldier chooses to do to fight for HIS country and His people. Why would Sonny want to go fight for a country where the people of that country that doesn't love him. Being a soldier means you holding your head up high because you are risking your life for a great country. Sonny could never do that because his personal inner issues make it impossible to hold his head up high and be proud to risk his life forthe people of the country. We respect our soldiers now because they are fighting for our rights, our lives, and our land. These things werent stuff Sonny could fight for because he didnt have any.

Another reason I thought of is  in the army you are stipped of your identidy you become a nation a group. You are trained to not only be brothers but to be twins. From the uniform to the way you walk, act, even say hello. So it is ironic to me that someone which such "identity" issues would want to be in the army.

3) The song I chose is called it "its like reaching for the moon." This song is an odd choice because it is a love song. But, the reason I chose it is because the lyrics are unrealistic. He is looking for this person he love ( which I believe exist. Everyone has a soul mate to me.) But he describes how unrealistic it is  he will never reach the moon, the sun, or the stars but he is still looking for his love.  just like Sonny you is trying to create a new and improved him which is possible but he goes on to do it in unrealistic way. To me Sonny thinks rejecting who he is and where he is from and running away will help him but as hard as someone tried running from/ or rejecting who you are and where you come from doesnt help you create a new and improved you. IT just destroys you slowly inside.  Also just like the song Sonny doesnt think much of himself on who he is. He almost makes me feel that if he had to describe himself he would make others seem so much higher than him. Just like the song " you are so far above me". I can see Sonny thinking that which is the reason why he is running from who he is.


It's like reaching for the moon
It's like reaching for the sun
It's like reaching for the stars
Reaching for you

You're so far above me
How can i expect than an angel to
It's so refined as you are

It's like flying without wings
Playing fiddle without strings
And a million other things
No one can do
No, my hopes are slender
In my secret heart i pray you'll surrender soon
No, it's like reaching for the moon 

4) bepop is the perfect type of music for Sonny to me. Bepop is free, original at all times, on the spot and completely spontaneous. To me this music represents everything Sunny wishes he could be and everything he isnt. Bepop is free- Sonny feels trapped. Bepop is original- Sonny is trying to find himself. Bepop is spontaneous- Sonny wants to do so much but is constantly dealing with conflicts. The most interesting this is Bepop cannot be expressed if he person feels like he is caged in. Bepop is something free no one can tell you if you bepop the wrong or right way because it isnt wrong or right. people can just tell you if they like it or not. Sonny felt like the life he was given or had wasnt the right one at all. you could "tell Sonny  if the life he had was wrong or right even tell him if his actions and decision where right or wrong. But you could NEVER do that to beppop because it is your own rhythm you own blues.