Response

One of the opinions of one of my classmates was that this story did not seem to have a purpose, did not seem to exist for any reason except to exist. And to that I must wonder, has this person ever truly experienced grief? I am sure she has, almost everyone who has reached college age has had to deal with maybe the passing of a grandparent, or a particularly bad breakup. This story does a wonderful job of conveying what goes through the mind of a person struggling to deal with a tragedy that claimed the lives of her family, the people she loves and cares for most. Sheila is an amazingly strong woman, and this story--in my opinion, at least--serves as an excellent job of showing how grief and loss can completely alter someone's mind.

The 5 Stages of Grief

The Five Stages of Grief:
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

The woman in the story does not seem to follow these stages, reaching Denial ("What if they aren't lying pinned under the debris?") to Anger ("You think we're smuggling contraband in those coffins!"). But Bargaining and Depression never seem to come for the unlucky main character. She displays amazing courage and mental fortitude by holding her resolve on nearly every occasion and not sinking into uncontrollable depression that so many victims of tragedy do....we should all be so strong.

How to make someone laugh

There are hundreds and thousands of ways to make someone laugh. It can be as simple as making a quick joke, or by doing something completely and utterly insane. Some quick tips to remember:

-Always have a smile on your face! Make sure the other person is aware that you're happy...it makes them want to be happy as well.

-Don't be afraid to be a little sarcastic, a little edgy. As long as you keep that smile on your face and in your eyes, they will realize that you're joking around with them and will be more receptive to jokes that aren't completely safe.

- A tip for a good joke: start by saying something completely serious, but end the statement with something completely off the wall and crazy.

-Be animated! Remember, you're happy while you're doing this and you're going for an equally happy response.

-Last and most importantly: DON'T worry about making a fool of yourself! If you have to do something insane, like make goofy faces at a person all day to make them laugh, do it! At the end of the day the other person won't think less of you for acting crazy if it results in them laughing.

-Go make someone laugh!

Response

In another classmate's blog, they talk about how true love is something that is not just there and ever-lasting, but is something that must be worked on endlessly, to rekindle the fires periodically. And while I agree with this-to a certain extent- there is a catch. Many girls of all ages and in every facet of society attempt to continue to work on their version of 'true love', but rarely do they ever stop to think that they are not experiencing true love in the first place. Too often girls attempt to work on their 'projects', to make their guy a better person, not realizing that the guy is beyond help, at least at this point in time. So when they are hurt, in a twisted point of view, they are as much to blame as anyone, because they overlooked flaws and warning signs so they could change their man for the better- instead of looking at the safer option, the one who may not be as exciting or as rough around the edges, but the one who won't make them cry either. This is the type of man who seems to be the focus of Lorrie Moore's How, and there should be many more men in the world like him.

How

I loved Lorrie Moore's How. It perfectly explained the thoughts and urges that go through everyone's (not just women's) minds while in a relationship that clearly does not have a happy ending. There are parts of this story that seem pure genius- the "narrator" being the woman's subconscious (in my own opinion), how there are subtle hints that the man is not 'sick' in medical terms but merely stressed over the possibility of his girl leaving him, the absence of time, leaving the story very vague on whether this takes place over a couple weeks, a couple months, a couple years....simply fantastic.

Sonny's Blues

While initially reading Edith Wharton's Sonny's Blues, one cannot help but think that at some point in her past, someone close to her went through a nasty spot in their lives involving drugs, and she tries to 'relive' it, as it were, through the story. After reading 90-95% of the story, the moral seems to point very clearly in one direction--that if someone close to you is involved in drugs and are at any point in the addiction and recovery process, that you need to help them, one way or another. Through the story, Sonny's brother recounts the story as if Sonny's problems are his fault, because he was not there when Sonny needed him, or because he failed to deliver on his promise to his mother until after Sonny had returned from jail/rehab. But once reading the conclusion, the moral seems to point in a different direction--that ultimately, the path to recovering from addiction lies within the addict and the addict alone. While it certainly helps to have outside support, being that friends, family, or even music, the decision to relapse or begin anew rests completely with the user. Wharton expresses this with intimate knowledge of what addicts and people close to the addicts go through, and what the thought process of all those involved are through every phase of the process.
-Nick

Introduction

Uhhh...where to begin? I am a 5th year senior at WMU, and this is the only class I am taking this semester. Due to an unfortunate scheduling error many moons ago during my freshman year, I missed a gen ed class and somehow slipped through the cracks. I graduate at the end of this semester with a degree in Accounting and intend to move South and begin grad school at North Carolina. I think that's all for now!
-Nick