The Things They Carried

            In the story The Things they Carried by Flannery O’Conner the central theme of the story is loneliness and regret by Lieutenant Jimmy Cross.  Throughout the war which is taking place in Vietnam Cross received a letter from a junior from Mount Sebastian College as well as two pictures.  He often fantasizes about her and being her lover, but throughout the story we know that she doesn’t really love him, because putting love at the end of the letters was a typically thing out of respect.  He understands she doesn’t want to be involved with the war” She never mentioned the war, except to say, Jimmy, take care of yourself” (pg. 341) rather then that her letters were mostly about the school, and what was going on in the school.  Cross lets his mind think about Martha so obsessively that one of the men in his unit gets killed because of his unawareness.  His name was Ted Lavender.  Killed in action and Cross believes it was his fault for Lavender dying.  When Lavender was shot he was still distracted by the thought of Martha.  Lavender’s death really affects Cross, because “while Kiowa explained how Lavender died, Lieutenant Cross found himself trembling.” (pg. 349) he felt the same and hated himself, because he realized that he loved Martha more than his men and their safety.  Cross realizes that Martha is a distraction to him so he decided he needed to do something so that he can focus on the mission and look after his men.  “On the morning after Ted Lavender died, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters.” (pg.353) he regrets fantasizing about Martha, because of his feelings of loneliness and the need of a lover he puts her first before all else and now he has to pay the consequences of Ted’s death for the rest of the war as well as his life.  He realizes that her letters and the Love Martha at the end of the letters were simply gestures nothing more and nothing less, fter thinking about everything about her Cross tells himself this “No more fantasies, he told himself.” (pg.354) after this he understood that he needed to focus on his mission.   

Mei's search for her twin sisters

Jeffrey Lee

20 September 2010

            The title of this story is called A Pair of Tickets and it was written in 1989 by Amy Tan.  It takes place in China and how being there changes her compare to her life in the United States.  She says she suddenly becomes Chinese once she set foot from Hong Kong to borderland China.  The time period of this story takes place during the 1980’s and it is about a girl named Mei who is in China with her father trying to find her two lost step-twin sisters.  She goes to China, Shanghai in place of her mother since she has since passed away.  She discovers more about her mother and about who she is and her heritage

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The story starts of with Mei and her father going home Hong Kong to China, this is picture is the border of Hong Kong and China. 

The taxi’s were the main transportation that Mei and her father depended on during her trip in China to visit family members. 

A picture of 1944 China, this was the year when Mei’s mother had to abandon her twin babies. 

This was the train ride to Shanghai when Mei was going to finally meet her twin sisters for the first time. 

This is Shanghai after the war and the city where Mei will meet her twin sisters.  

A Pair of Tickets (Pg. 119)

Amy Tan – A Pair of Tickets

                I choose this story because I was curious on reading about a Chinese author, and what I came out was a heartfelt story.  A story of searching for one’s family and a unification of one’s self. 

1.)    Who Is the main character or protagonist of the story?

a.       The Protagonist is Amy herself, because she describes her journey on finding herself and who she is. 

2.)    Make a quick list of the character’s physical, mental, moral, or behavior traits.  Which seem especially significant to the action of the story?

a.       She was quite tall for a Chinese women standing at 5’6, and her mental mindset was that she really did not think she was all that Chinese

b.      Her Moral was the most important part of the story, because the first time she stepped into Chinese land she was changing and though she was nervous on the thought of meeting her twin sisters.  Her strength and courage grew as she got closer to the meeting place. 

3.)    Does the main character have an antagonist in the story?  How do they differ?

a.       The antagonist is actually herself and I come up with this conclusion because throughout the story she is constantly disbelieving herself, and rejecting ideas that her twin sisters will welcome her.  This creates her imagination that they would hate her because they thought she didn’t appreciate her mother enough.   Once her father started talking about how her mother kept on searching for them, she was able to defeat her doubt and look forward to meeting her twin sisters. 

4.)    Does the way the protagonist speaks reveal anything about his or her personality?

a.        Yes you Cleary get an insight of how she is thinking when she learns about the meaning of her name from her mother these are her thoughts. “My mother’s long cherished wish.  Me, the younger sister who was supposed to be the essence of the others.  I feed myself with the old grief, wondering how disappointed my mother must have been.” (pg. 130)

5.)    If the story is told in the first person, what is revealed about how the protagonist views his or her surroundings?

a.       The start of the story begins with her arrival to china.  “The minute our train leaves the Hong Kong border and enters Shen-zhen, China, I feel different.  I can feel the skin on my forehead tingling, my blood rushing through a new course, my bones aching with a familiar old pain.” (pg. 120)

6.)    What is the character’s primary motivation? Does this motivation seem reasonable to you?

a.       Her primary motivation is learning her about herself, and also to find her missing twin sisters for her mother’s sake. 

b.      Her motivation is very reasonable, because what she is aiming to do is discovering who she is. 

7.)    Does the protagonist fully understand his or her motivations?

a.       At first she has difficulty understanding why she is going to China, however as she learns more about her mother and family she is inspired to keep on learning more about her history, and that motivated her to ultimately look forward to meeting her sisters. 

8.)    In what ways is the protagonist changed or tested by the events of the story?

a.       Amy really changed as she actually got closer to her destination.  From the first encounter to her father’s aunt, and seeing her great aunt’s family to hearing about her mother from her father.  How her mother didn’t abandon her children for herself, but she was going to try to search for some food, and even after she was saved she attempted to find them.  Her mother’s compassion for her children led her to see her mother in a new light and changed her to wish to finally meet her twin sisters. 

I would choose Crystal Liu to play the protagonist of this story.

Jeffrey Lee - A Poem to a Love one

I sent a Poem called The Garden of Love by William Blake, and she just was touched by the poem itself.  The emotions that she felt, and how it made her realized the beauty in the little things.  How easily things can change, and that how small life itself can become.

Her response was short but there were many reasons why i sent her that poem and the reason why is that.  Life itself can be wonderful in an instance and yet change in an instance.  Sudden circumstances will rid others of happiness, but in a way can always bring great growth.  She was going through a tough time, and even though I thought this poem was quite bleak and sad, it hit me in a way I could not understand.  Everything has an ending, but it is from there that the growth truly begins.  http://www.lovepoetry.com/poems/random_classic1.asp

Sleep Deprived

Here i am six in the morning and unable to sleep.  For the past couple of months more like years i find myself in stretches where i am unable to get any sleep.  It does frustrate me, however at this point of my life I have rather gotten very use of it.  It is quite interesting that i am fully awake, yet my eyes literally feel like shutting down.

- Jeffrey

My First Blog

My name is Jeffrey Lee and this is my first ever Blog!!!!  I am very excited to start a blog and share my thoughts on what i read through during my daily life that have a interest towards me.  Hopefully this blog will help me become occupy and focus on my school objective and my life objective as well.