Interpreter of Maladies

When I read this story, I sympathised with Mr. Kapasi. He did not have a loving relationship with his wife. He had no relationship with his wife. They would not talk to each other anymore. Mrs. Das was also unhappy in her marriage. She did not act like she loves her kids very much. In the beginning of the story, Mr. and Mrs. Das were fighting over who had to take Tina to the restroom. They both did not want to help their child. When Mrs. Das was painting her nails, Tina wanted hers painted and Mrs. Das says, "Leave me alone." This is not appropriate speech for a mother to say to her daughter. Mr. Kapasi starts fantasizing about Mrs. Das after she asks for his address. I thought that he overreacted. She ends up losing his address and this is when he realizes that there would be no chance of a relationship between them.

How I Met My Husband

For most of the story, the reader is led on to think that Chris Watters will be Edie's husband. He is the new guy in town and a lot of the events revolve around the arrival of Chris Watters. It is not until Edie waits for Chris' letter every day that the reader is introduced to Carmichael. He is dependable and easy to talk to. Edie can talk to him and depend on him. He will be there with the mail every day at around the same time. Chris was not anything like Carmichael. He just showed up and he was intimidating to Edie. She was not very comfortable around him. He was also a lot older than she was. The surprise ending was appropriate. Chris Watters did not seem like that great of a guy. He would say things like "It's a good thing I'm used to shy ladies." or he couldn't take people up for plane rides because he had some ladies over. He did not seem to have much respect for women.

A Rose for Emily

Question 2
At the end of the story the reader finds out that there was a dead man in Emily's house. He had been murdered by Emily and the man was Homer Barron. In the final paragraph of the story, the reader finds out an interesting fact. There was a strand of 'iron-gray hair' on the pillow next to the dead body of Homer Barron. This shows that Emily must have loved Homer though she was the one who killed him. He did not love her so she wanted him dead. She kept his body after she killed him because she was lonely and wanted someone there for her. This shows that Emily wanted to be loved. She did not want to die alone.

Lonely Hearts

This poem was like a newspaper for personal ads. Each stanza was about a different person, but all of the people have something in common. They are lonely and want someone to be with. Each stanza ends with 'Do you live in North London? Is it you?' or 'Can someone make my simple wish come true?' Each person has very specific needs so their wish is not simple. They have certain requirements. The lonely people say that the person must live in North London so they narrow their chances of meeting someone. They really want to meet someone, but they are leaving it up to someone else to answer their ad.

Edward

In the beginning of the poem, Edward's mother asks him why his sword is bloody. He lies and says he killed his hawk. She asks again and he says it was his red-roan steed and then he admits he killed his father. The mother does not seem surprised Edward killed his father and Edward blames his mother for his actions. She was putting the idea into his head and he cursed her for it. He loved his father. He referred to him as 'father dear' and he just called his mother 'mother.' He regretted killing his father. By the end of the poem, I felt bad for Edward even though he murdered his father.

That Time of Year

This poem contains a paradox on lines 10-12, "That on the ashes of his youth doth lie as the deathbed whereon it must expire, consumed with that which it was nourished by." This is in the quatrain about fire. Wood fuels fire and wood burns down to ashes. The ashes then extinguish the flames. In youth, people are full of life and energy. The older one gets, the less energy one has. Death approaches each day. The speaker begins talking about fall, then twilight, and then a fire. Each image portrays a shorter time period. He is getting closer and closer to death.

Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead

This poem's tone cannot be described as optimistic or pessimistic. There are aspects of both within the poem. The son has a pessimistic attitude towards death and the father has an optimistic view towards death. The father is ready for death and the son is not. The father has an 'itch to see fresh worlds." The son is not condescending towards his father's view on death. He states what his father believes and he states he does not believe it. The son is not ready for death or for his father to die.