The Storm

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1337/853794958_e583057c16.jpg
[photo used for educational purposes only]

This photo represents the calm after the storm. Kate Chopin's short story "The Storm" takes place in the wake of a terrible storm. The storm not only involved thunder and rain but also reflected Chopin's literary suppression. The tone of her story reveals the writer's ability to conquer obstacles. The woman in the story, Calixta, is a happy wife and mother but allows a violent storm to lead her into the arms of another man. The storm is symbolic of the censorship Chopin suffered in her writing style - her need to show the sexual feelings of her characters. After the storm, and her sexual interlude with Alcee, Calixta returns to her normal life as mother and wife. She suffers no remorse about her behavior. Similarly, Chopin was a wife and mother who endured many 'storms' in her life like the loss of her husband and the censorship of her writing.

Cathedral

http://bp0.blogger.com/_Y9lQ_RRxe04/RqkOcNMV0QI/AAAAAAAAAM0/JmdVPtBvnzQ/s1600/write-to-think-header.jpg
[photo used for educational purposes only]


Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" is written in the first person point of view. It is a story of a sighted man who learned the true meaning of sight from a blind man. Vision is something many sighted people tend to take for granted and although they can "see", they can't "envision". Carver's blind man taught the narrator of this story to "envision" things he could see. This photo represents the power of writing (and drawing as done in the story) and its ability to enhance the senses.

A Clean Well-Lighted Place

http://www.gfn.com/sowhatsyourpoint/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/french-cafe.jpg
[photo used for educational purposes only]

This is the perfect setting for the story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway. (photo left) The old, deaf man could well have chosen one of these chairs to relax in during the quiet of the night. It is a clean and pleasant cafe and exactly matches that very description of Hemingway's cafe setting.

Greasy Lake

http://aishagrace.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/11nasty-nightmare.jpg
[photo used for educational purposes only]

To me, this photo is symbolic of something good that turns bad. This is my visualization of the symbolism posed by T. Coraghessan Boyle in his story "Greasy Lake". Boyle's story is about young boys who are typically good but decide to go renegade and have a good time during summer break. They begin their 'escapade' by defying all the rules and ignoring the good sense they were born with. What starts out as good natured fun turns to tragedy, fear, and the sad realization that having fun doesn't have to come with a high price tag. The photo is almost demonic feeling with the dark, wild skies, the dead looking tree, the disfigured people gazing off into a bleak future - perhaps the result of wild, reckless abandon and lack of perspective of right and wrong. The photo could be interpreted as an abstract of the result of these boys' wild night evolving into terror.

Miss Brill

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m176/niascissorhands/Vintage%20Pictures/WL433.jpg
[photo used for educational purposes only]

The photo (left) is my mental image of Miss Brill in Katherine Mansfield's "Miss Brill" story. I picture the character of Miss Brill as resembling the woman on the right side of the photo. She's a young, 1920's flapper who loves to stroll the streets, enjoys conversing with strangers, and revels at people watching. Miss Brill is a lonely young woman whose fur is her only true companion. She gives this raggedy, worn, dead animal humanistic qualities. Miss Brill is a loner but longs to become an invisible part of the lives of the people she watches. The author, Katherine Mansfield portrays Miss Brill as being an expert "at listening as though she didn't listen, at sitting in other people's lives just for a minute...".

A Rose for Emily

www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/nag/exhibitions/past
Tom Roberts Roses (1888) 51.4 x 76.9 oil on canvas on plywood
gift of Mr J.O. Manton 1972
[photo used for educational purposes only]

I chose this photo to illustrate the overall theme of William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily". These roses, like Miss Emily Grierson, were once stately and proud. Time, and perhaps neglect, has diminished not only their beauty but also their noble stature. The roses pictured here have nearly reached their end and while still beautiful, they lack luster and strength to hold themselves together or even to stand upright. They remind me of the aged Miss Emily who fought to remain proud and strong to the very end of her life. As Faulkner writes in his story, Miss Emily had "a vague resemblance to those angles in colored church windows - sort of tragic and serene". The feeling I get when viewing this artwork is that the roses, wilting and dying are also sort of tragic and serene.

Savior in Fear

This is a revision of the tiny tale of terror titled "The End" that was posted to my blog previously. The point of view has been changed from the dog's perspective to mine.

Savior in Fear
(New Story)

I awaken with a start. My miniature white Pomeranian, Muffin, is barking wildly. I race from my bed out into the hallway where I find her barking at my husband. He is slumped over in his wheelchair, unconscious. Fear grips at my heart just as it seems to be gripping at Muffin's heart. I panic and Muffin's obvious distress isn't helping matters. It's a good thing she alerted me when she did because my husband is still breathing. All the time that I'm checking for a pulse, Muffin races wildly in circles around the wheel chair. She is watching him and watching me, obviously seeking some reassurance that her master is still alive.

While my fear is overpowering, in the back of my mind I speculate how this little, old dog must feel. She has always been my husband's side-kick, favoring his attention to mine. She can't possibly understand why he isn't responding to her - can she?

Hi readers! This "tiny tale of terror" was written for my Lit class and while it did not get voted as the best of the best, it did recieve one or two votes. The story may seem a bit far-fetched, but it is actually true. Enjoy...

The End

Muffin is a miniature white Pomeranian who is getting quite old. She is suffering from partial blindness and near deafness. Since she was a puppy, she has been a one person dog - her master's. While she loves the mistress of the house, she is almost exclusively dedicated to the master who has been her caretaker since birth.

Today, she wakes from a wonderful night's rest and barks at her master to be let outside. The problem is, her master is slumped over in his wheelchair in the hallway, obviously fast asleep. It seems strange that he isn't still in bed or in his comfy chair. Muffin wonders, "Why won't he wake up and let me out?" Suddenly, Muffin notices that her mistress is upset too. Muffin is in agony; she shrieks, "My master still won't move!"