Category: Coffeehouse #2 (Page 1 of 2)

After reading the short stories the one I enjoyed the most was young Goodman and your voice was a story told to me by a friend. In the short article a story told to me by a friend it started off sweet and I enjoyed it because one it had talked about two meeting online and it mention two people of the same sex felt a connection the reason I bring this up because I’m college I don’t get articles assigned to me that have to do with people in the same sex who felt a connection with an each other. They have so many things in common that it drew them to each other and they fell in love over text and phone calls. I find it so enjoyable to read because they wanted to meet each other and one flew down to go see the other but the other person wasn’t answering.The final aspect of this short story that I enjoy is the conclusion. I honestly expected a joyful conclusion where the internet buddies were finally able to meet and possibly start a life l together, but one friend drove south simply to meet the person he believed he had so much in common with, but he only met his corpse when he went to the morgue to see him. 

Out of all the stories discussed in class, the one that stood out to me the most was “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe. The title of the story is one that I assumed to be sinister, or mysterious. I made this assumption that the “Black Cat” is a symbol of mysterious and sinister events because I watch a lot of movies and shows which portray scenes with black cats. Most of these scenes turn out to have bad endings, which is exactly what happened in this story.

The story has many events to it which contributes to the plot and ending. Throughout the story, we as the readers are able to see the insanity of the narrator and the reason behind his actions. From killing his black cat, Pluto, to later taking inside another black cat and killing his wife, all these events show the result of the narrator’s state of mind in which alcohol consumption plays a major role. What makes this story very interesting to me is the symbol of the black cat. Throughout the story, we see the resemblance of the black cat as being a sort of karma which comes back around at the narrator for all the insane things he did. The white patched fur on the second black cat symbolizes a form of guilt that is put on the narrator because of how it grows into the shape of the narrator’s hanging of Pluto, a black cat which was the narrator’s favorite pet. Also, the appearance of the black cat around the end of the story which leads to the police finding out about the corpse of the narrator’s wife also implies the black cat as being a symbol of unfortunate events.

Overall, this was a very interesting story to read. Edgar Allan Poe’s use of symbols and plot twists in the story gave the readers to have a point of the view of the narrator, and how he experienced the feeling of guilt at the end which led to his death.

Out of all the stories we’ve read so far, my personal favorite would have to be “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe. The main reason why it’s my favorite is because this is a story I have read before back in high school so I was a bit familiar with it. However I didn’t like the story back then at all because I didn’t understand it. Not only that but reading it was difficult enough considering how Edgar Allan Poe as well as a lot of authors back then used to write. I found it difficult to read so I didn’t bother continuing to care for it. However now it’s a different outcome. Now I understand it much more. It’s a very dark and odd story with an even more sinister narrator who we learn is actually about to die for the crimes he committed against his cats and more. The theme of murder and death as well as the gothic elements is something I found very well written and actually interesting. I rarely read stories like that but I enjoyed this one. I liked the how the narrator was writing as he remembered while trying to manipulate us as the reader into thinking he’s not such a bad guy. However I learned that he’s the only one talking so there’s no other input or outside opinion on him. He slowly realizes how far he’s lost himself and even acknowledges how the alcohol really messed him up even more to the point he can’t tell reality from illusion. This is just a few of the many things I really enjoyed. All the stories are great however I really enjoyed this one the most after coming back to it a few years later.

Out of all the short stories I’ve read I enjoyed “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson the most. The reason why is because at the beginning of the story the author sets up the story as it being a happy and joyful setting but it ends up not being. Shirley Jackson used really expressive and descriptive words to describe the day of the Lottery. “The flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was rich and green”, but eventually the story takes a shocking turn. As soon as you hear lottery you would think its a raffle or some sort of contest. The venue was packed with different families with their kids and everyone rushing to finish their breakfast to be at the Lottery. To myself, I envisioned and a good amount of people being their to hopefully be the lucky ones to win a prize, but it was actually people just wanting to see who gets stoned to death. You wouldn’t expect it to be that with the way some of the people there wanted to speed up the process just to get along with their day. I think just the way the author makes the story from a happy sunny day in the summer, to the reaction of Tessie actually “winning” the Lottery which is getting stoned to death by the remaining families and her own family members really stood out to me.

These first six short stories have been an exciting introduction to the genre. I would not have imagined that such short reads would ever provoke lengthly conversation within my own head. However, that is exactly what has occurred. Each story, intriguing me in so many ways, has made it difficult to choose a favorite. “Young Goodman Brown,” was for me the most exciting and fascinating story as of yet. The use of symbolism and foreshadowing was really cool. Hawthorne’s use of the name “Faith” and innocence of the faithful, was aptly portrayed by the “pink ribbons” in her hair. It was impactful at the end of the story when Brown is coming to the realization of all the evil in this world and claims, “My Faith is gone!” and the pink ribbon fluttering to the ground. There is a true sadness when in life you realize that what you believed to be, or how you thought something was, is suddenly shown to be something else. I know in my own life a time when what I thought was the case was sharply and suddenly shown to be something else. I enjoyed reading this for many reasons. One of the reasons that really stood out to me was how Hawthorne kept me on the edge of my seat as to what Brown will encounter next and how will Brown try and keep his resolve to push on the journey. There is an innocence in him as well that seems to be slowly squeezed out of him with each person he meets along the path. It really spoke to me this story. Hawthorne uses this dream encounter as a way for Brown to see people unlike he had been seeing them before. Showing that there are two sides to everybody, the side they want you and others to see and their true self. Browns innocence is gone at the end and he can no longer find happiness in his faith. This left me very sad. It is rare for a story to catch me and really take hold so emotionally. This is why this one was my favorite.

After reading all of these short stories I feel like I enjoyed “The Lottery” the most. I felt as though It was the most enjoyable because at first, you think It’s one thing when in the end It’s the complete opposite. There are so many things in the beginning that you think are sweet and cute but in the end, you find out the true horrifying reason that those things were done. In the beginning, I thought that It was going to be just a nice community lottery where maybe someone wins a prize or something. Everyone seemed so happy to be there the way they were interacting with their neighbors as if it was just another day. They even wanted to just speed things up so they can get back to their day. But in the end, you figure out that the lottery is just to see who in their town gets stoned to death. This story threw me through so many emotions from start to end. At the start, you feel happy and even calm at the descriptions of the day and how everyone is gathering in the town. But as the story comes closer to the end you start to realize that this is not what it seems. When Bill Hutchinson “wins” and his wife Tessie starts to argue that he wasn’t given enough time or it wasn’t fair this made me realize that this is not something good nor sweet. My emotions switched from happiness to confusion. I wonder if It’s not what I thought It was then what can it be? As I move on I finally get an answer to the question when they mention that pile of stones that the boys had made at the very beginning of the story and I now know that the was just a lottery to pick who gets stoned to death. This is when I feel sad and even horrified that a town that seemed so sweet could have a tradition so grim. This story throws you through so many twists and turns throughout and leaves you with so many questions as you’re reading and that’s why I liked It the best.

After Reading all of the readings so far my most favorite text to read which was very interesting was “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allen Poe. I enjoyed reading this because as I was reading the author kept me engaged firstly by using a first person narrative, and secondly by making the narrators actions very blunt, it makes the reader want to know what takes place next. In the text the narrator explains that a black cat that was once his pet scratched him and in return he cut the cats eye out and hung the cat. From these details that the author provides throughout the text for some it might be too graphic but on the other hand for people like me who gets uninterested quickly when it comes to readings it immediately grabs my attention and makes me eager to want to continue to read. The story continues to tell us that the narrator found a black cat with a white mark and when he tried to kill it his wife stopped him and he went on to murder his wife. Poe makes it that the narrator is committing more crucial crimes now and as I mentioned grabs more attention from a reader. The narrator then went on to hide his wife’s body. This may bring a question to the readers mind on whether or not this man has ever murdered someone else, or did he feel guilt after killing his wife. So overall one of my favorite things from reading the text is the authors ability to continuously attract the reader to his story and not only that the reader is actively thinking throughout the read and in a way thinking ahead to what’s coming next.

From my point of view, “A Story Told to Me by a Friend” is the story I liked the most because it was relatable and realistic. It was a story about a person meeting someone online and getting to know each other. The two men were very compatible with each other and had similar interests. They were in love and it seem like the perfect relationship. After a while, they decided to meet each other but unfortunately one of the men had died of a heart attack before they had the chance to. The story was relatable to me because it shows life can be unpredictable and once a lifetime opportunity can be gone in an instant. I would be devastated if I wasn’t able to meet the person who I really liked and spend a lot of time getting to know. I can also see this happening in my life and it can be terrifying to think about. The story also showed me not to take things for granted because they could be gone before you know it. This story was also most realistic to me because it made sense and I can see how the events in the story can possibly happen. Some stories I didn’t like because they seem pointless after the reveal or ending. – Russell Zeng

   In my opinion the story that’s the best out of the six stories read is Young Goodman Brown by Hawthorne. I made my decision based on my interpretation of the message in the story. The main character believes that evil and good is a simple concept because of how he was raised. In Goodman’s mind a particular type of person is evil and a particular type of person represents goodness. He later spots in the woods  all of the people that he believed to be good, doing many things that only an evil person would perform and this broke who he was as a person. Goodman comprehends for the first time that many people wear masks, showing most people the version of themselves that will allow them to properly fit into society, but also revealing who they really are to the people that will accept them. Goodman can also represent a child that for example is taught not to cross the street until the walk sign is shown, then they later see the same parent do the opposite of what they said. When the child becomes an adult it does the same thing realizing that the type of decisions made are based on personality, choices thought to best solve a situation and more.Goodman realizes there is no such thing as a flawless person or a person that will perfectly execute a set of values. In reality goodness has no face, a good person is truly determined by his or her constant acts of kindness as well as their ability to forgive, understanding that no human is perfect. I believe that many people encounter the experience of realizing this concept in many ways like trusting someone for years only to be betrayed by that same person. The message in the story is something that mankind will continue to face. 

In my perspective “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman was the most interesting and enjoyable because after the first read-through I was left with so many unanswered questions that I had to go back through and read again, for example, I wondered what could drive a person so insane that they would think to burn down an entire house to get rid of a smell that only existed in their brain, or even sees full-blown people creeping back in forth on a plain wallpaper, to almost turning barbaric using her teeth to rip pieces of the wall off. In this story, it’s almost as if we’re seeing how insane a person can really go when they believe in a truth that is unreal/unworldly. You can even connect it to the world we live in today a lot of people believe different lies we see on social media and that leads to overthinking until it slowly consumes our thoughts and our everyday activities and when it gets to that point sadly it’ll be too late like the lady in “The Yellow Wallpaper”. We can learn from these stories and not over crowd our minds that can cause us to overthink to the point of self-sabotage.