H3M!NGW@Y!!!

Hemingway has a very distinct writing style exemplified in all of his work, but specifically The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway's style is focused on the realm of prose, which means written in an ordinary form without a metrical structure. Hemingway takes a very modern approach to writing, which is seen through the next few specifics found throughout The Sun Also Rises. Initially, he uses limited words in the dictionary of his novels. He speaks about this in the book, when Jake tells us "The English spoken language... must have fewer words than the Eskimo...The English talked with...One phrase to mean everything...I liked the way they talked" (Hemingway 149). This is ironically, how he felt, and Hemingway managed to communicate effectively using very few words. Hemingway also employed very short sentences, such as "It was a fine morning"  (Hemingway 35). The pattern of keeping short sentences continued throughout the book, furthering his radically modern approach to writing, unique during his time. Lastly, his lack of clarity between sentences is something very unique to him. Often, Hemingway would imply the relationship between two sentences, forcing readers to be active: "The wine was good. I drank much of it" (Hemingway 180). Furthermore, Hemingway's detached storytelling represents Jake, Mike, and Brett's world, once meaningful and now disconnected completely full of debauchery and nonsense. All of these style elements Hemingway employed represents his unique and modern style, one of the first of its kind.
______________________
"Happy birthday Jake!" Oh god. I hate birthdays. I don't really like being the center of attention. Robert Cohn on the other hand, he couldn't handle not being talked to or talked about for two seconds. "You know, Jake. This reminds me of the one time I brought a cake to school. Everyone liked it, it was so flavorful..." Robert said a little louder than necessary. Everyone sighed, including Brett, who Cohn loves but Brett can't stand him. Now Cohn gets quiet! I like chocolate birthday cake. I wish my mom wouldn't take so many damn pictures. "Turn off the damn flash...for the love of god..." I yelled. Whatever. It's my party, I can yell if I want to. Having them at my party was nice, along with Bill and Mike. Brett's great. Robert is tolerable. I can't believe i'm eighteen. It feels like just yesterday I was running around, playing with action figures. "Shut up, Robert" I yelled. "What, why?" he responded. I ignored him. The sight of him can really piss me off.

Vengeful Repetition in WH

  Wuthering Heights is essentially a story focused on repetition. On the surface, this recurring theme is clear through things like Catherine and young Catherine, with a simple repetition of names. But as the book continues, repetition in a deeper sense is revealed. Many critics agree that the story essentially repeats itself with regard to conflicts: first with Hindley bothering Catherine and Heathcliff, and then later with Heathcliff bothering Hareton, Linton, and young Catherine. This repetition is obvious and is well supported throughout the text. 

Initially, when Heathcliff joins the Earnshaw family, he is very quickly loved by both Hindley’s father (as the new “baby” of the family) as well as Catherine. Hindley’s jealousy is obvious very quickly as he does not want to give up the privilege of being the young man of the house: “…The young master had learned to regard his father as an oppressor rather than a friend, and Heathcliff as a usurper of his parent's affections and his privileges; and he grew bitter with brooding over these injuries” (Brontë 55). Hindley quickly looks for ways to seek revenge on, essentially, his replacement by Heathcliff. When Hindley returns from college as head of the estate, he swears to seek revenge on Heathcliff for, in his opinion, ruining his childhood. His vengeful attitudes are blatantly spoken in chapter three and prove the beginnings of the vengeful cycle that is Withering Heights: “He [Hindley] has been blaming our father… for treating H. [Heathcliff] too liberally; and swears he will reduce him to his right place” (Brontë 30). When Hindley dies, and Heathcliff eventually becomes the master of Wuthering Heights, his vengeful attitudes to get back at how Hindley treated him soon come to surface.

     When Heathcliff ends up taking care of Hareton, he essentially treats him as Hindley and shows that he will truly do anything to inflict pain on the closest person who treated him so poorly: “He had the hypocrisy to represent a mourner: and previous to following with Hareton, he lifted the unfortunate child on to the table and muttered, with peculiar gusto, "Now, my bonny lad, you are mine! And we'll see if one tree won't grow as crooked as another, with the same wind to twist it!” (Brontë 119). Heathcliff soon bothers Linton, his own son, and young Catherine, his deceased love’s daughter, seeking revenge on all three of the children living in his estate. Young Catherine believes that Heathcliff torments Linton and herself because he sees that they are in love, and becomes jealous of what he never had with young Catherine’s mother. Regardless, it’s clear that the tormenting of Linton, young Catherine, and Hareton are part of the repeated storyline that Wuthering Heights is. Although the head of the estate changes, the estate that is Wuthering Heights always is full of vengeful feelings; whether Heathcliff is enduring them or forcing them on others. Whether Heathcliff is truly a spiteful human being or he truly feels threatened by Linton, young Catherine, and Hareton is a psychological journey in itself.

Works Cited

     Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights.  New York: Scholastic, 1961. Print.

Bright Lights Big City Reaction Post

You wake up. 7:40 AM. F**k.
You lift your body out of bed and stumble to the bathroom. You squeeze too much Colgate toothpaste onto your toothbrush. You swirl the toothbrush around in your mouth and spit.
You are going to be late.
Your most important class starts at 8. Biology. You have a big test today: your midterm examination. Cellular respiration, Punnett Squares, and the Calvin Cycle flutter through your already scattered brain.
7:45. As you struggle to put your contacts in, you drop one on the floor. Falling to your knees in rage, you search. With frustration at an all-time high, you decide to compromise and wear your shitty twenty dollar glasses from Walmart Optical. You try to do something with your hair but end up making it worse. You hit the bed frame. Multiple times.
7:47. You look around for whatever clothes that are lying on the ground from yesterday. Theres no time to think of what could look good. You pull yourself together, grab your review sheets, trip over your mini-fridge, wake up your roommate, get a box of Premium saltine crackers thrown at you, and walk out the door. What a sh*tty brand of Saltine crackers he eats. You think it's time to reevaluate your friendship.
7:50. You run through the campus, your review sheets disheveled in your hands. You flip through the pages, reviewing whatever you don't remember. A lot.
7:54.You turn the corner at Mason St. and begin to sprint. You don't realize the huge f**king puddle of water to the left of you, and apparently neither does the car that drives right f**king through it. You are dripping wet.
7:56. As you realize that there is less than no time to worry about how freezing cold and soaking wet you are, you continue sprinting and turn the corner on McInerney Road. You see the Biology building in plain sight. A tear streams down your face. You don't cry.. get your sh*t together.
7:58 You enter the building and stumble through the hallway to the examination room. Your professor is waiting at the door, gives you either a disgusted or pissed look (you think it was a mix), and hands you a test.
8:00. You need to get a f**king car.

Catcher in the Rye Reaction Post

     In todays society, there is a constant push for individuality. "Be yourself" is plastered on walls throughout 

schools, and conformists are often looked down on as "unoriginal" and "typical". The 50's, when The Catcher in 

the Rye was written, was an  immensely different time. With the rise of television, societal norms were broadcast 

widely, with characters showing what the "protocols" were to dress nicely or poorly, act cooly or freakishly, and 

generally be popular or 

"alone". Salinger explores the idea of conformity vs. individuality in his novel The Catcher in the Rye through the 

protagonist, compulsive liar Holden Caulfield.  Throughout the novel, Holden, constantly makes up ridiculous lies 

to, in a way, react to the "phoniness" and conformity of the world around him. One example of Holden's constant 

lies, sometimes even for no reason, is when he meets Mrs. Morrow on the train and they begin to discuss her 

son: 

"'...Perhaps you know my son, then, Ernest Morrow? He goes to Pencey.' 'Yes, I do. He's in my class.' Her son 

was doubtless the biggest bastard that ever went to Pencey, in the whole crumby history of the school. 'I must tell 

Ernest we met,' he said. 'May I ask your name, dear?' 'Rudolf Schmidt,' I told her. I didn't feel like giving her my

 whole life history. Rudolf Schmidt was the name of the janitor of our dorm" (Salinger 87).

     Holden's random and often ridiculous lies can be seen as a reaction to the "phoniness" of other people. When 

Holden decides a person he is talking to is phony (a conformist), he lies to cope with their phoniness and, in a 

way, match what they exude. Holden also lies to cope with his own personal phoniness, which he attempts to 

break throughout his push for non-comformity throughout the novel. 

     Holden's move to New York, stay in a sketchy hotel, and constant conversing with strangers show his urge to 

be independent. Through this, it can be 

seen that Holden is trying to find his authentic self. By dropping out of school and warping usual social rules, 

Salinger attempts to exemplify the importance of finding yourself through Holden's move from normality. Salinger, 

who pushes the idea of conformity equalling phoniness throughout the novel, presents an odd ending to the story.

At the end of the novel, Holden is unhappy with his new life, formed through his independence, and decides to 

"conform" and go back to school. Through this, Salinger shows that although Holden might be "conforming", his 

authenticity could sprout from moving with the crowd. Salinger shows that, whether it's "conforming" or "being 

independent", it's important to find your authentic self and possible to in either instances. Some people are 

leaders, and some followers, and Salinger mirrors this dichotomy through Holden's inner conflict, showing its true

 importance in society both in the 50's and today. 

Postmodernism in WHALITC

Jake Nusynowitz

AP Language & Composition

Ms. Howard

13 February 2014

Daniel Green explains postmodernist literature as “…challenging established literary

convention” (Green 1). Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived In the Castle, in many ways, can be 

seen as a postmodernist work as it employs a trait many postmodernist works employ: an unreliable 

narrator. We Have Always Lived In the Castle twists the truth, offering readers an undependable 

narrator: the criminally insane Merricat. At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to Mary 

Katherine as a relatively regular character with slightly odd tendencies. Her remaining family is 

introduced shortly after, which includes Constance, whom she pins the death of her entire family on: 

“My niece, after all, was acquitted of murder” (Jackson 66). Throughout the entire novel, we are lead 

to believe that Merricat is a reliable narrator: why wouldn’t she be? From her eyes, we see her as the 

only sane character in the story for a long time as Merricat's narration highlights the insanity of her 

family. Firstly, her sister, Constance, is seen as the murderer 

who killed her entire family and got off scot-free. Uncle Julian is portrayed as the insane paralyzed 

elder who, in Merricat’s “motherly” eyes, cannot take care of himself (he believes she is dead) and 

constantly needs guidance. Lastly, Charles is seen as the enemy by Merricat, causing us to assume he 

is without a doubt an enemy to the reader and automatically labeled as “antagonist”. But when the 

unreliability of Merricat, our narrator, is revealed after the climactic fire, all of the previous 

assumptions we have made of characters must be questioned: “I am going to put death in all their 

food and watch them die…the way I did before” (Jackson 187). This plot-twist not only alters the

readers opinion towards Merricat, but the opinions on other characters formed throughout the novel 

as well. Is Constance truly mentally insane? Is Uncle Julian truly

 paralyzed? Should Charles truly be seen as the enemy? Jackson’s portrayal of Merricat as a innocent 

protagonist throughout the novel, only to steal the comfort the readers have gained in the novel by 

revealing her as the true antagonistic character exemplifies postmodernism. But somehow, readers

 still side with Merricat, seeing innocence in her. Why is this? Many times in postmodernist works, 

every question can not be answered, but Jackson’s We Have Always Lived In the Castle is a chilling 

read that, without a doubt, fulfills horror and mystery cravings around the world.

                                                                Works Cited

Green, Daniel. "Postmodern American Fiction." The Antioch Review Sept. 2003. QuestiaSchool. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

Jackson, Shirley. We Have Always Lived in the Castle. New York: Penguin Books, 2006. Print.

Metafiction Piece

     "It's a very exciting day when the land of the free, none other than the United States of America is the first country to land humans (and sponge) on the moon. This monumental day, July 24, 1969, three brave men have successfully landed on the moon: Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Spongebob Squarepants. In our previous interviews, we spoke in depth about Armstrong and Collins, but did not get to really touch base and dig deep into Mr. Squarepants's past and interest in spaceflight.
     Spongebob Squarepants was born in the small town of Bikini Bottom, raised very traditionally. Starting in elementary school, his love for space developed, growing into something that interested him more than just a hobby, but a career. Working hard in high school, Squarepants worked at town favorite place to dine Krusty Krab where he earned high honor throughout the town for his friendly demeanor and flamboyant personality. Recruited by Nichelle Nicols, NASA Recruiter, Squarepants made his way to NASA for extensive training to eventually make it onto the first successful human/sponge mission to the moon. Squarepants is very proud to be supporting his family, his parents Harold and Margaret Squarepants. 'Some people might think,' Squarepants explains, '...that a sponge going to space is odd, perhaps the readers of this very article in an advanced English class in in Florida circa 2014, but i'd just like to set an example for all of the sponges out there who want to make a life for themselves and really make a change, besides being used as a kitchen supply.'
     Mr. Squarepants sets an example for all sponges and humans out there in the world who want to make a change: 'with hard work and determination, you can do anything,' he coins. We at the HSA, Human Sponge Alliance cant wait to see the future that not only Squarepants holds for us in space travel, but Armstrong and Collins in all of their near and far endeavors."
--- HSA

Satire in Persuasion

Jane Austen's Persuasion revolves around Anne Elliot, reserved daughter of fatuous and snobbish Sir Walter, and the trials and tribulations in both her family and love lives. Jane Austen focuses on satire in many of her great works, from Pride & Prejudice to Sense & Sensibility to her latest work Persuasion, where she pokes fun at the social extravagance and absurdity of her time. Many characters in Austen's Persuasion encompass the satirical ideas that she was looking to shed light on. Firstly, Anne's father, Sir Walter could most likely be the most satirical character in the entire novel for a few reasons. Firstly, Sir Walter is extremely vain and has multitudes of mirrors set up in his house, showing Austen's mocking of her society's complete arrogance and conceitedness. Sir Walter is also a satirical character due to his constant obsession with class and/or rank. This obsession is exemplified in a few of Walter's actions throughout Persuasion: initially, Sir Walter's favorite book is the Baronetcy (a book of all of the class and ranking of people in his society). Also, Walter refuses to associate with a man of the navy due to both their low class and ugly, worn out features. These both show satirical elements as he was so obsessed with rank, yet he frivolously spent money to the point of him moving out of his own home to control spending: clear irony (as well as showing his obsession with the superficial through his hatred of Navy men, Austen's way of satirizing the vanity of her time). Sir Walter's vanity (in both physicality and ranking), a purposely satirized element in his character is obvious throughout the text, very directly characterized by Austen: "Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot's character; vanity of person and of situation. He considered the blessing of beauty as inferior only to the blessing of a baronetcy; and the Sir Walter Elliot, who united these gifts, was the constant object of his warmest respect and devotion" (Austen 6). 
Other satirical characters include Elizabeth Elliot, much like her father, vain and arrogant, who although is so full of herself and obsessed with her "beauty", as well as being the older sister, is still single and quite lonely. This ironic element Elizabeth exemplified shows Austen's twisting of a usual family's values and practices back in her day. Overall, it's clear that Austen uses satire to poke fun at her society's slightly twisted and self-absorbed ways in Persuasion. By bringing out characters' flaws such as vanity and class-hunger, Austen successfully portrayed these foibles as crucial elements of her satirical games she so greatly demonstrates so very often.