Friday, March 9, 2012

"Chef's House"

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In "Chef's House", one of the themes in the story is finding yourself. Close to the end of the story, Wes finds out he has to leave his house because the landlord's daughter is going to live there. He then realizes that his world isn't how it really is, and he says that he can't live a life were he is someone that he is not. This shows that he could be going back to his old habits... drinking.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

"On The Rainy River"

"On the Rainy River", by Tim O'Brien, is about a part of Tim's life after he is drafted to the United States Army and has to go to Vietnam. Tim didn't like this because he doesn't even believe in this war and he thinks he is "too good for the war". So he attempts to run for the border of Canada to try and get away from going to Vietnam. He meets a man named Elroy, who takes him in and asks no questions why he was there or anything like that. Tim stays there for 6 days, then he feels he would be judged for deserting, so he goes to the war.

While Tim was with Elroy, the cabin was right beside a river.

Elroy's cabin was right beside a river.

Elroy enjoys fishing and quietness.

This is what Tim, in the beginning of the story, tried to stay away from; the Vietnam War.

Before Tim decided to flee the country to Canada, he took a look at his kitchen and remembered all of his memories in the house, and then he left.
Harvard University Logo - [Vector Format]
If it were not for the war, Tim could had went to Harvard and been very successful. All that went away when he got the draft notice.

This is a draft notice during the Vietnam War for the person to get an Armed Forces Physical Examination to see if he is eligible to enter the military.

This is a protest showing that many people disagree with the United States going to Vietnam, and these people want the troops out of Vietnam.

Before Tim went to the war, or attempted to dessert, Tim worked at a pig slaughterhouse.

Tim did editorials stating his opinion on Vietnam and what he thinks should had happened.

Elroy and Tim chopped wood a lot.

While Tim was deciding to desert, he showed a lot of cowardliness, for leaving his country and his family, to save his life.

Tim said that he felt a rupture in his chest when he was deciding to desert.
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Tim and Elroy went on a boat and fished.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Blood

"Blood" by Zdravka Evtimova is about a man in a declining pet store. One day, an old and sad woman came in asking for the blood of a mole to try and save her son of a sickness. The man said he didn't, but then he felt bad and he gave her his blood, and said it was the blood of a mole. A few months later, the woman came and said that the pet shop owner answered her prayers, and healed her son. She tried to give him money, but he wouldn't take it. Later that day, a man came and said he needed the blood of a mole to save his wife. So the man cut the shop owner's wrist where he had cut it previously and had a few drops, and he was on his way. The very next morning, the pet owner saw a mob of people holding knives and little bottles yelling out "Blood of a mole! Blood a mole!"

The story "Blood" ends very abruptly, with the last line of the story saying, "They shouted, and pushed each other. Everyone had a sick person at home and a knife in his hand". In this blog, I will be adding more to the story to try and end it on how I believe it should end. 

I tried to think of something to tell the mob, so they wouldn't stab me to death. I get a piece of paper and write on the paper OUT OF BLOOD. But this only enraged the mob more. They started pressing on my door and windows. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I notice that on one of my windows, it cracked, and that cracked turned into a hole before I could think of doing anything about it. People with knives started pouring in. I turned to run for the backdoor, someone dove for me, and I turn to see it is a large, raggedy looking man, and yelling out at me, "Give me mole's blood!" I attempted to tell him that I was out, but he didn't listen, and his grip on my ankle became tighter. I become somewhat claustrophobic, so I kick my leg free and run for the backdoor. When I get outside, I ran to my Ford, and jumped in. I attempt to crank the engine on, but nothing happened, I swear loudly to myself, and think of another way to get away from basically the whole town. I get out of my car and notice that people are starting to flood out of the back door, with the same man that grabbed me before in the front. I noticed that I had the banknotes in my pocket from the man that gave me them the previous day, and I call the first taxi and I told him, "Drive as fast and as far away as you possibly can!" the taxi driver burned out trying to catch the frozen road "GO! GO! GO!" I plead to him, and finally it caught the road, and I told him, "Thank you very much, I thought the whole city was after me." When I finally get there, he told me,"Listen, my baby girl is really sick, and the doctors say that her chances are slim... Instead of paying me, do you think I could have a few drops of your mole's blood?" And I thought for a second, and I gave him a few drops of my blood from my re-opened scar, and I was on my way to start my new life, in a new town, with all new people.