"Life's Scars" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

They say the world is round,
and yet I often think it square,
So many little hurts we get
From corners here and there.
But one great truth in life I've found,
While journeying to the West-
The only folks who really wound
Are those we love the best.

The man you thoroughly despise
Can rouse your wrath, 'tis true;
Annoyance in your heart will rise
At things mere strangers do;
But those are only passing ills;
This rule all lives will prove;
The rankling wound which aches and thrills
Is dealt by hands we love.

The choicest garb, the sweetest grace,
Are oft to strangers shown;
The careless mien, the frowning face,
Are given to our own.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.

Love does not grow on every tree,
Nor true hearts yearly bloom.
Alas for those who only see
This cut across a tomb!
But, soon or late, the fact grows plain
To all through sorrow's test:
The only folks who give us pain
Are those we love the best.


I would like to start out my blog by informing all who read the poem that "rankling" means to cause irritation, "oft" means often, and "mien" means demeanor. Now to briefly rephrase the poem by stanza:

So many little pains come from so many places, but one thing I've learned is that the people who you love the most are the one's who hurt you the most.

Although people you hate can cause you pain, the pain they cause is nothing compared to the the ache caused by people you love.

People you don't know that well are often credited with being good and us being good to them, yet we're mean to people we love the most.

Love is very rare, and sooner or later one will learn that the only people who cause true pain are those who we love.

The basic meaning of the poem is that although other people can cause us pain, true pain comes from the people we care for and love the most. And this fact is made clear through the phrase "Are those we love the most" stated in the first and last stanzas. I believe that the tone of Wilcox's poem was very negative. With the choice of words such as "hurts," "wrath," "frowning," "sorrow," and many more the mood created is depressing. Everything about the poem is depressing. For goodness sakes it's saying that the people you love hurt you the most! Talk about a downer...
With all the negative vibes surrounding this poem one might wonder why I chose this as a poem I like. Well, while I was searching the internet this one caught my eye because firstly it rhymed, secondly it made sense, and most importantly it had a clear message. Even though the message was downbeat is was apparent as to what it was, and very true in my opinion. One comes to expect good things from those they love, so when those people do even the slightest hurtful thing then it hurts much more than if that same thing was done by one's enemy.

End of Quarter One

First quarter went pretty well for me. I had some struggles with figuring out how to write a good thesis, but I'm a lot more confident with that now. Another thing I learned was how to write an essay. My organization skills are very much improved. I believe the classroom environment was relaxed enough so it was easy for me to not be stressed and learn easier. Nobody likes lecture after lecture.

For quarter 2 I think that if I put more time into my writing and have fewer distractions, they'll turn out better. I hope to improve my writing and analyzing skills further, and even though I'm more confident with thesis statements since the beginning of the year I still need work with them. I'm also going to try to participate more in in class discussions.

Outside Reading #5

Well, in a nut shell the ending goes kind of like this…
Nina has feelings for Patrick, but feels an obligation to stay with Caleb for Nathanial and she really does love Caleb. Caleb continues to think about how he is a coward for not killing the priest who he though molested his son, and when he finds out that the real molester is still out there he feels he must kill him and does! Caleb finds Father Gwynne in New Orleans and poisons him. And the worst part about it is we don’t know the end result of Nina’s case. Will she go to jail or be innocent under reason of insanity?
I hate books that end like this to be frank. This is a double whammy. One, Caleb does something to complicate things by killing the other priest, and two, we don’t know how Nina is going to end up in terms of her sentence. Ahhhhhhhh!!! However, the theme that society makes rules for a reason is very present. When this couple finds out their son is molested they both have rash feelings at first, and they both eventually turn these feelings in to action, an action that is murder. And even though these two believed they were bettering society and protecting their son by getting a pedophile of the streets, actually more like out of the church, the fact is murder is very wrong and they didn’t accomplish squat.

Outside Reading #4

Nina has been released on bail until her hearing and one of her conditions was that she wasn't able to speak to any of her former colleagues. Nathanial, her son, not knowing this calls the name of Peter, her former colleague, in a grocery store and Peter eventually says a quick hello to Nina (Picoult 188). Of course Quentin Brown, the prosecutor trying to convict Nina, happens to be there and when they all go back to court Nina is still out on bail but confined to her house. While reading her newspaper one morning Nina takes out a manila envelope revealing that a DNA match has been confirmed proving that this priest's semen was found in Nathanial's boxers. Nina feels so relieved that she had indeed killed the right man, yet not so relieved because she did get a second opinion on the DNA results. Then, MAJOR TWIST!!!!!!!! This second opinion reveals through Father Glen's medical history that he got a bone marrow transplant, which means his marrow donor's DNA is the one matched with that found on the boxers. Nina recalls Nathanial revealing the man who hurt him as Father Glen, but what he was actually trying to say was Father Gwynne (211). As a four-year-old Nathanial has trouble with his L's, and it was assumed he said Glen, but he didn't have trouble this time. Nina feels extreme guilt for not only killing the wrong man, but killing a cancer survivor and a priest! However, she doesn't tell Caleb, her husband.
Nina, although in and out of jail, and in and out of guilt mostly is concerned for her son. Her true mother persona is coming out. After she finds out that she shot the wrong man she does feel extreme guilt but the thought of "He is still out there" (212). She's thinking about the man who really did it who is running free and possibly creating new victims. Even through he struggles she manages to think of her son. Caleb, who has helped his wife with her bail release, is extremely frustrated with her mindset. She keeps telling him that she had to do it, but he thinks that he would have got what's coming to him if she had waited. I can't blame Caleb for thinking this, I actually agree with him. The theme of going against society to what you think is right is really displaying itself in this novel. Nina shot a supposed child molester because she though she was protecting her son, even though it was murder.Nina shouldn't have taken such rash actions and now she and her family are suffering even more. Moving on to Patrick, his feelings for Nina haven't seemed to changed after the shooting, he might even think what she did was okay. When Nina tells Patrick that she got the wrong guy Patrick wants to help put Father Gwynne in jail. (Notice Nina told Patrick, not Caleb) However, Nina says, " 'I can't let you do something that stupid' " (218) Yet, Patrick thinks, "What makes you think I haven't already." Nina is keeping things from Caleb that she's open with with Patrick, and Patrick seems to be doing more to help Nina than Caleb is. My question is, what will happen between them? Caleb still loves Nina, and Patrick has always secretly loved Nina, but what does Nina think. We haven't really heard her take on this situation. I must find out what happens!

Outside Reading #3

My last post ended with a question about whether the shooting actually happened or if it was just a dream. As I read on I found out that it was no dream, Nina, a lawyer, just decided to shoot the priest in front of the jury and judge. Why would she do this? While as she leads the reader to believe, she thinks she can get away with it!! If she pleads innocent by reason of insanity then she's basically off the hook. To encourage the jury and those around her that she is in fact coo-coo she twitches and keeps repeating the phrase, "I had to do this" (Picoult 153). Although she is pretending to be insane it is my belief she actually is. Caleb, her husband, had to go through this same horrible ordeal of finding out a priest most likely molester his son, and although he had rash emotions in the beginning he cooled off and didn't actually shoot him (152). Nina is in denial. She is insane for taking these rash actions against another human being and she's going to have to deal with the fact she was wrong to shoot him.
Throughout this past section Patrick's feelings for Nina, if changed after the shooting, haven't been revealed. How could they? He's so incredible in shock and confused about what has happened still, and I can't blame him. Caleb's overall feeling haven't changed, however he is still in disbelief about what his wife did. She was fully aware of what she was doing and didn't even talk to him about it before hand. He's starting to get extremely angry. Caleb goes to a bar one night and has a conversation with the bartender, but he's pretending to be somebody else. He just is relieved to get away and not be himself for a short while as the author says, "Caleb doesn't know why he is not telling the businessman the truth-but prevarication comes so easily, and the knowledge that this man will buy anything he says right now is oddly liberating" (171). I'm looking forward to reading the next chapters. Will Nina go to jail, will she tell the truth? How about, will Patrick and Caleb turn their backs to Nina??

Outside Reading #2

A lot has happened in the the book since my last post. Nina's little boy, Nathaniel, stopped talking one day and was taken to a therapist. He gave signs that he had been molested, but since he couldn't talk he wasn't able to give the name of the person who did it. Thus, he learned some basics in sign language and when asked who hurt you he answered father (Picoult 67). Immediately Nina Frost got a restraining order against her husband, only to soon realize her son was trying to accuse Father Glen, a priest at the family's church. The family and Father Glen appeared in court where suddenly Nina pulls out a gun and shoots the priest 4 times in the head!!! At first I thought this was some kind of hallucination or dream going through Nina's head since it was so completely bazaar. I read a little farther and found out it wasn't. Patrick, who I previously suspected to have a crush on Nina, actually does and he was dumbfounded by this event.
Before the shooting I did feel that something weird was about to happen. I wasn't through half the book and the trial for the molesting was taken place, I felt that something big must happen in order to keep my attention through the rest of the novel. I wasn't surprised to find out that Patrick wishes he were the one who was married to Nina instead of Caleb (93). I'm curious to see how his feelings change after the shooting, and what Caleb does in response as well. I'm also wandering what came over Nina to shoot this priest. Although he was the most likely suspect who molested her son, he was still a priest who had been nothing but nice to her in every other way. Yet, all she cared about was the fact that he was dead as we see when she says, " 'Is he dead?' Nina asks. 'I just need you to tell me, Patrick. I killed him, right? How many shots did I get off? I had to do it, you know I had to. He's dead, isn't he? The paramedics can't revive him, can they?' " (128). There's such an urgency in her voice, she doesn't care that she's going to jail, about all the witnesses are now traumatized, or that all the media caught everything on film. She just wants to know that this man won't be alive to ever hurt her son again. Throughout this section of the book the reader sees a different side to Caleb who cares for his son maybe more that his wife, Patrick who shows his true feelings for Nina, and Nina who shows such strong hate for this priest who might have hurt her son that she murders him!! This might be bringing out the theme that traumatizing events can bring out new sides of people. I must keep reading (I hope the murder is a dream).

Outside Reading Post 1

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult has definitely kept me interested so far. The book centers around a woman, Nina Frost, who is a district attorney. She loves her son and husband, but is so career-driven that she makes decisions putting her work in front of her family. She has a hearing for an important case one day, and in order to get there she sends her sick son to school as she shows us when she thinks, "Two Tylenol will buy me time; I could be finished with the rape case before getting a call from Miss Lydia to come get my son" (8). Nina cares for her son but is willing to put him through school so she can finish a part of her job. Caleb is Nina's husband who is also, a builder, very deliberate, and wishes his wife was home more. I think that this scenario is very interesting because one usually hears about the husband being too committed to his career.
The "rape case" that Nina is dealing with currently deals with a young girl who tells her mother that her father was molesting her. However, since the judge says the victim is not competent because the action occurred when she was 3, the case is dropped until the victim is older. That's when me meet Patrick. Patrick, a cop, and Nina have been best friends since they were little and lived in the same neighborhood, and currently they are meeting for lunch. It is my personal suspicion that Patrick has a thing for Nina because of the way the author says, "All Patrick knows is that his back can be to the door, and when Nina comes in, he can feel it-a tickle of energy on the nape of his neck, a snap to attention as every eye in the place turns toward her" (25).
I believe that not only will Nina have to make a difficult decision in the future concerning her family and work, but also have to deal with Patrick who might want to be more that just friends. The already intriguing plot has captured my attention within the first 30 pages of Perfect Match.

memoir question

Memoirs are not written because people want to make some money off their life story, or because they want to be famous. People put their souls into these books because they want to tell their story and want others to learn from their experiences.
Many memoirs are written to express feelings and show hard times, like in Richard Wright's book Black Boy. When I read this book and many other memoirs you really are able to get into the person's head and feel what they feel. The reader also gets a better understanding of the author's opinions about different things, and gets a point of view from somebody that you will never have to be in the same position as. And it takes some guts to show the entire public your weaknesses, embarrassments, and the bad choices that you've made in your past. By reading these stories the reader is able to come up with a better understanding of a time period, certain hardships, and learn a few lessons from the author.

Hunger; positive and negative effects

Richard Wright shows hunger for many things in different ways throughout his memoir. He mainly hungers for education and independence.

Richard desires a good education for numerous reasons. It helps him escape from his home life and gives him hopes for a successful future. This hunger has a positive effect on Richard. Although it forces him to take a job despite his grandmother's wishes, the fact that he is expanding his mind and abilities now will help him in the long run (144). The only negative Richard's desire for education produces is that his home life becomes more tense with disagreements.

The hunger for independence also hangs over Richard. He wishes to explore the North, get a job, and move out on his own. However the reader sees there are things holding Richard back when he says, "Vague hopes of going north. But what would become of my mother if I left her in this queer house? And how would I fare in a strange city? Doubt. Fear" (161). Although Richard longs for independence he doesn't want to leave his mother and he has fears of being somewhere new. Overall, he still hopes of being on his own.

Although Richard's hunger can be taken as literal because he lives in poverty and has little to eat, it is more prominently shown throughout the memoir as desire for other things such as education and independence.

Is Richard a "bad" boy? When should behavior be blamed on the person and when should it be blamed on the environment?

As one reads through the first two chapters we see Richard demonstrating some mischievous behavior. However there is speculation concerning why he behaves this way. I believe his biggest influence is the environment. Richard's environment consists of a mother who shows harsh discipline, a father who barely cares, and the slummy neighborhood in which he lives.
Richard's mother tells him to fight and gives him a stick to do so, and thus Richard hurts a group of boys and threatens them and their parents (18). This is not the right way to deal with the situation, but Richard knows no better because of his mother. This boy's father is such a poor parental figure, that Richard has a deep hate for him. Richard's resentment urges him to kill a kitten, just to anger his father (11). If this boy had a better father he wouldn't have killed a kitten. Unfortunately, Richard and his family have another problem. They are very poor, forcing his mother to work most of the day. Richard is thus free to wander about the town unsupervised. he finds a way to earn money and drink by going to a saloon (21). However, muttering obscenities and getting drunk is really not proper behavior for a six year old. Through these and many other examples displayed in the first chapters it is clearly shows Richard's "bad" behavior comes from his environment consisting of his troublesome parents and slummy town.

I'm just checking to see if my blog works.