Memorable Teachers

            In the short story, “Gryphon” the students of a fourth grade class have a very interesting substitute come and teach their class for a few days. Ms. Ferenczi was a fresh and new person in the town, something that none of the kids were used to in their little northern rural town. The children don’t really know how to react to Ms. Ferenczi’s strange teaching style, but at first they seem to like the change. Although as the story progresses her style becomes weirder and weirder. One thing that never seems to happen in Ms. Ferenczi’s class is that it never really seems to get boring. This reminds me of my sixth and seventh grade teacher, Mrs. Hoskins. Mrs. Hoskins taught history and always knew how to make it fun. She and Ms. Ferenczi are similar in that way, but also in the way that they both are a little strange. Mrs. Hoskins would always wear the craziest outfits and had the strangest room decorations, but that was one of the things that made her class fun and interesting. We never did the same thing twice and she let us use our imaginations while we learned instead of teaching such a strict curriculum. Mrs. Hoskins, like Ms. Ferenczi, is a teacher you just can not forget.

The Secret of the Cathedral

            Throughout the story “Cathedral” it is evident that the main character, Bub, has gone through some very traumatic events through his life. These things have led him to become this very disconnected person that just doesn’t connect with anybody, not even his wife. When his wife has a friend of hers, who is blind, come into town, Bub does not really know how to react. Instead of smoking that night, Bub has a break through with Robert. When Robert tells him to just close his eyes and draw a Cathedral, suddenly a new world was opened up to him. Instead of what Bub thought would happen with the blind man, something completely different happened for Bub. He connected with Robert more than he had connected with anyone in a long time. Bub had changed from a completely closed off, standoffish guy, to more of a open man with just the help of the blind man.

Abner and Share Cropping

Share cropping is the act of a landowner and a tenant farmer, where the farmer is provided with credit for seeds, tools, living quarters, and food, who work the land. This affects Abner in more ways than one. Because he and his family partake in share cropping he knows that he is not providing for his family as great as he could be providing for his family. This makes him feel like he is not doing all that he can to make his life for his family easier, but that he is actually making the life hard for his family. Also the aspect of share cropping that forces the tenant farmer to rely on the land owner does not sit well with Abner. In the story we get the feeling from Abner that he is somewhat of a large man with an even larger ego. Having Abner needing to rely on someone else to help him provide for his family is not good for Abner. Although these things do not make up for the things that Abner does through out the story it gives us an insight to a possible reason for why Abner does the things he does.

Marthas Meaning

            Amidst all of the hard ship and war that has fallen around Lieutenant Cross the only thing that he can think about is Martha. To Cross Martha represents home and his life away from the war. The pebble, picture, and the letters are constant reminders to him of her and everything that she represents. Martha also is motivation to Cross. She is motivation to Cross because she is the representation of home, and of all the women and people that he, and all the other soldiers are fighting for. Cross sees Martha as peaceful, soft, and feminine and all the good things in life which helps him escape all of the gruesome things that are happening all around him in the war. At the end when Cross decides to burn all of the letters from Martha with it he is loosing sight of what he is truly fighting for. He thinks that by getting rid of this vision of Martha and everything that she means to him, his home, and his life before the war, he will become a more focused soldier and less emotionally attached to the world he left behind.

Family Connection

In “Everyday Use” you get the feeling that family is important to Maggie from an early point in the story. She values the bond that she has with her mother and the ties that she has with her family history. One of the ways she shows this is through the quilt. The quilt represents their family history, and their family heritage. It is also a symbol of their culture. The fact that Maggie knows so much about this quilt shows her connection with her family, and shows how she cares for her family so much. The way that Dee only wants the quilt to hang up and display it in her house shows how completely out of tune she is with her family. Even though she is trying so hard to “connect” with her culture and where she came from she is actually completely overlooking the true place she came from. Maggie does a much better job of making connections with her past than Dee does, and Maggie is not trying to make connections, she just does it naturally.

I am Sorry Mom

Dear Mom,

I am so sorry for everything that I did; I know that it was harsh. I’m sorry that the things I did and said to you hurt you, but I need you to know that I had to do them. I had to do them to become who I truly wanted to be and not who you wanted me to be. I am sorry that I disappointed you so much in your life; I know that you lost everything in China and that you just wanted me to succeed and excel in life. I do thank you for giving me all of the opportunities that you gave me, I wish I had truly tried in all of them. I want you to know that I appreciate how much you cared about me and how much you wanted me to find something that I was good at. I love you very much.

Love,

Your Daughter

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

I did something the other day, something rash and sudden, and also kind of stupid. I quit my job, now I know what you are going to say, that it was irresponsible and that I need that job, but there are other jobs out there for me to get, and I will get one of those jobs. But you should be proud of me for the reason I quit, plus I used grandmas’ favorite saying, fiddle-dee-doo, it was great. The reason that I quit though was because of my boss. He is a real stickler you know, there were these three girls that came into the store to quickly pick up something really quick for their parents, but they were wearing their bathing suits. My boss got quite mad at them so I quit, to be their hero. Don’t worry though I will be getting a new job soon so you don’t have to be mad. I just wanted to let you know that. Well I love you and hope things are going well with you.

Love your Son,

Sammy

For the Young Soccer Star

Always wear your shin guards in games; always play your hardest; never give up; when slide tackling for the ball always put one leg behind you; never let the other team score; always use your laces when shooting; don’t act like your too cool for your team; always bond with your teammates; never be a ball hog, no one likes a ball hog; always help when someone needs it; always be open on the field; create space when you pass the ball; when playing up, never get caught off sides; never lift your foot up while throwing in the ball; never touch the ball with your hands when you are playing on the field unless you are the goalie; if you are goalie always pay attention to what the other team is doing; always mark your man, and when you do not have a man, mark the open space; always envision what will happen in a play, and always plan ahead; never get to cocky, no one them either; always see who you are playing to; always plan ahead, and if your plan does not work make something up; always be a team player; never forget what team you play for; always remember the name on the front of your jersey is more important than the one on the back.