Two Steps From Hell Love & Loss

"The open boat" - Stephen Crane

2. Sum up the personalities of each of the four men in the boat: captain, cook, oiler and correspondent.

The captain- the captain of the drowned ship. When he loses his ship to the sea, he suffers more then the other survivors. He injured and becomes a broken man who has lost the very thing that provided him authority. The captain is calm and quiet, alert and cool-headed, talking for the most part only to give directions and lead the men to shore. He feels responsible for the survivors and tries to get them to safety. 

The cook- He was the cook of the ship. He is a positive even a naive man. He is the first one to suggest the presence of a lifesaving station. The cook is not strong enough to row so he only bail the water and getting silly arguments with the correspondent. In the middle of the story, the cook began to dream about pies and other food, convinced that the will survive.

The Oiler(Billy)- The oiler is a good-working man, strong, obedient, polite, courageous. He is the most realistic of the man, never losing sight of the task at hand or the slim chance they have of surviving and never giving up hopes. From the beginning of the story till the moment he dies, he held everyone together and never complained about rowing, unlike the correspondent.

The correspondent- a reporter and the central character of the story. He functions as the eyes and the voice of the story. During the fourteen hours trying to survive, he wonders 'why he is caught on the ocean, whether he is really meant to drown'. Although the correspondent understands that nature and fate do not act and think as man do, he curses them. He believes that there is a purpose to nature. At the beginning, his heart warms by the brotherhood that he and the other survivors create in the boat. At this point the correspondent takes pleasure in his pain by rowing in the rough sea because he believes that this pain is the reason that nature is trying to teach him but he dismisses ' the brotherhood' when his hopes for survival gets down.

7. Why does the scrap of verse about the soldier dying in Algiers(paragraph 179) suddenly come to mean so much to the correspondent?

When the correspondent was a child, he had heard the history about the soldier dying in Algiers. At that time he hadn't been attracted by it, 'making him perfectly indifferent' as the nature is about his current situation. He had never thought about that story, nor felt sorrow about the soldier but now, being in the same situation, the correspondent  finally understands the tragedy of the died soldier. He realizes what is like to be away from his home, in a big ocean, in the hand of the fate, of the mercy. The correspondents now understands what is to be a human against an indifferent nature. He realizes that he may have the same fate of the soldier, dying in an unknown place and may not return anymore at his land.

8. What theme in "The open boat" seems most important to you? Where is it stated?

The main theme is: The man's eternal struggle against the indifferent nature. This theme is stated in the part VII of the story, in the paragraph 203 when the men at the boat decide to try 'a run through the surf'. At this moment, the correspondent wonders reasoning about the indifference of the nature and the fragility of human beings.

10. How do you define heroism? Who is a hero in "The open boat" ?

The heroism is defined great bravery, a heroic courage when facing danger. For me the hero in "The open boat" is the oiler, Billy, because throughout the story he was the one who was realistic, the one who tried to held the members in the boat together, he never gave up, never losing sight of task at his hand, never arguing, only taking politely the command of the captain, rowing through the rough sea, never complaining about it unlike the correspondent. Billy was brave , courageous and in then end he dies. He fought throughout the story for others and himself to survive but the nature is indifferent from this. 

Miley Cyrus - The Climb

"The Chrysanthemums" - John Steinbeck

7.How do you interpret Elisa's asking for wine with dinner? How do you account for her new interest in prize fights?

a.The moment when Elisa sees her contents of the flower pot dumped on the road, she feels rejected, weak and betrayed. Her hope to be appreciated as a woman, is crushed. She has no desire to try and be strong. Elisa realizes that her life is not going to change. She wants wine at dinner and i think that this wanting of her, is a way to show her acceptance that her life is never going to change, that she will be always confined in her Chrysanthemums, never be able to experience or express the joys and passions that are buried deep inside her. Elisa by wanting to drink wine accepts the life of the typical married woman, aging and dying as only a domestic woman.

b.Elisa, after regaining her confidence, asks her husband if any woman go to prize fights. I think that she wonders if she could enter a man's world of business and other masculine responsibilities but when she responds to her husband that she doesn't want to go, Elisa, now, fully understands that she does not want anymore to gain power in a man's world. She represses even more her feelings and her unrealized dreams and adventures.  

8.In a sentence, try to state this short story's theme.

In my opinion, the theme of this story is: The repression of women and the desire for equality between man and women.

Throughout the story, i see that Elisa is confined from world, which is symbolized in the story through the fence, she desires to pass that fence, to live her adventures. Also, i see that Elisa wants to be appreciated by her husband and by the tinker as a woman. Even though her husband tries to makes her happy, by taking her at dinners, she requires for more. Her husband fails to understand the interest she takes in business and the potential she has for doing much more with her life. Elisa longs for the romance and excitement, to have her needs as woman fulfilled. Her relationship with her husband is like the relationship between two good friends, they even have no children, and only with the appearance of tinker, Elisa's repressed needs show and make her to hope for her life, to be appreciated.

When Elisa talks with the tinker, she shows that she likes the life of the salesman 'It must be nice'. She likes to do a life of a man. While reading the story, i understand that women weren't supposed to do other jobs except domestic one. Also this inequality between women and man, is also showed when Henry speaks to her wife but doesn't pass the fence, as to symbolize that it is the field of women, doing domestic works like gardening and Henry is the man, the patriarchal, whose only job is to do business not domestic works and this is why i think that the main theme of the story is the repression of women and desire for equality. Elisa is repressed and not equal with the male gender.

9.Why are Elisa Allen's chrysanthemums so important in this story? Sum up what you understand them to mean.

The chrysanthemums garden is what motivates Elisa's life.  Her gardening area could be described as a “cage” to protect herself from anything harmful. They are like the children that she hasn't, she handles the chrysanthemums with love and care, just as she would handle her own children. Elisa is very protective of her flowers and places a wire fence around them. She makes sure no bugs or worms are there, "Her terrier fingers destroy such pests before they can get started". 

Also, the chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa's femininity and sexuality, her soft and delicate character. Like Elisa the chrysanthemums are lovely and strong. When the tinker notices the chrysanthemums, Elisa brightens, just as if he had noticed her instead. She offers the chrysanthemums to him at the same time she offers herself, both of which he ignores and tosses aside. His rejection of the flowers also mimics the way society has rejected women as nothing more than mothers and housekeepers. Just like her, the flowers are unimportant, both are decorative and add little value to the world. In the end, the chrysanthemums represent the repressed feelings and desires of Elisa. 

"Revelation"- Flannery O'Connor

 4.Sketch the plot of the story. What moment or event do you take to be the crisis, or turning point? What is the climax? What is the conclusion?

a.The plot is the structure of the story, it is how the author arranges events to develop his/her basic idea having a beginning, a middle and an end. The plot of "Revelation" is:

 Ruby Turpin,a Southern woman, enters and dominates by her large size, a crowded waiting room at a doctor's office accompanied by her husband Claude. Mrs. Turpin begins surveying the room and assessing the others seated around her. In her head, she labels each person, judging them. 

Mrs. Turpin begins a conversation with the pleasant woman about the importance of being refined and having a good disposition. They also talk about being grateful and how it is important to be thankful for the good things you have been given in life. The entire time they are conversing, the white trash woman repeatedly interjects comments that show her ignorance and lack of intelligence. The pleasant woman's daughter, Mary Grace, a fat ugly college girl with bad acne, scowls at Mrs. Turpin and seems to grow angry during the course of the conversation. She becomes angrier when Mrs. Turpin says how grateful she is by thanking Jesus.

Outraged, Mary Grace hurls the book she is reading at Mrs. Turpin and lunges at her throat. The book, significantly titled Human Development, gets Mrs. Turpin above her eye. The girl is hold down by the doctor and nurse who call an ambulance to come and take the girl away. Before she leaves, she whispers a powerful message to Mrs.Turpin. Just loud enough for her to hear, Mary Grace says: "Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog." Mrs. Turpin  wonders if it may have been a message from God. She, still upset,  returns home. She tells to the black farm workers what happened to her. They flatter her, telling her that Jesus loves her, as they have always done in the past. But blacks' flattery  no longer satisfies Mrs.Turpin. She is now beginning to realize the shallow foolishness that has characterized her life.

While hosing down hogs, there on the pig pen of her farm, Mrs. Turpin rages at God. As she contemplates the "message" he has sent her. She has a vision of redeemed souls wending their way to Heaven as if on a highway. She repents for her mistakes and understands the 'message'. 

b.The crisis or turning point is where the trend for all future events is set. The crisis in the story, i think, it is when Mary Grace hurls the book she was reading at Mrs.Turpin's face and lunges at her throat. Is this moment of tension that will change the development of the events in story. In this moment, Mary Grace tells her the words, "Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog", that will make Mrs.Turpin to doubt herself, to question herself, to get revelation and to change her in the end.

c.Climax is the highest moment of tension which makes the reader wonders what will happen next, will the conflict be resolved or not. In "Revelation", i think that the climax is when Mrs.Turpin is at her farm, hosing down hogs, when she contemplates at the meaning of words of Mary Grace and when she has the confrontation with God. At this moment we know how the story it will end.

d.Conclusion is how the story end, usually summing up all the story or giving  an idea or suggestion. The conclusion in "Revelation" is that Mrs.Turpin finally understands the truth, the 'message'. She realizes her mistakes and repents. After the confrontation with God, she now know the she is no one to judge the others and understands that all people , either black or white, poor or rich, are equal before God, even the most judged, those she referred 'white trash' and blacks are near God then the people like her who have goods in life. Also, the conclusion of the story, reveals that God is merciful, he forgives Mrs.Turpin when she repented, when he showed her the heaven. 




5.What do you infer from Mrs.Turpin's conversation with the black farm workers? Is she their friend? Why does she now find their flattery unacceptable(Jesus satisfied with her)?

a.Mrs.Turpin appears as a religious woman who doesn't judge the blacks. Through the conversation with the well dressed woman, she says that she welcomes the black farm workers, serving them ice water and talking with them. Only when black farm workers arrive at the farm of Mrs.Turpin, i see that she only respects them to save her soul that by respecting them she would have a good soul and afterlife she can go in heaven. I see this when she refers them as 'idiots', people who don't know nothing.


b.I don't think that Mrs.Turpin is friend of black farm workers. She see respecting them as a duty for a religious woman like her who want to go in heaven after death. Mrs.Turpin refers to them as 'idiots', incapable of thinking.


c.Mrs.Turpin after hearing the 'message', she begins to question herself and to realize the shallow foolishness that has characterized her life. Now, she only wants to know the truth, the meaning of the 'message', to know either she is right or wrong. Now Mrs.Turpin knows that Jesus may not be satisfied with her and she understands that the responds that the black farm workers give to her are only flattery.


6.When, near the end of the story, Mrs.Turpin roars "who do you think you are?" an echo "returned to her clearly like an answer from beyond the wood". Explain.


When Mrs.Turpin is at her farm, while hosing down hogs in pig pen, she recalls the words of Mary Grace and  becomes furious. She rages at God and wants answers from him. When Mrs.Turpin roars "who do you think you are", i read that the color of everything changes with a transparent intensity as to indicate thats something supernatural is going to occur. When an echo returns to her like an answer from beyond the wood, i think, is the presence of God, as to answer rather then respond to Mrs.Turpin, to say her 'who do you think you are to judge people', 'who do you think you are to play tho role of God'. I think that is the confrontation between Mrs.Turpin and God himself.


7.What is the final revelation given to Mrs.Turpin? (to state it is to state the theme of the story). What new attitude does the revelation impart? (how is Mrs.Turpin left with a new vision of humanity?). 


a.Mrs.Turpin sees a number of people in various degrees of social classes, going to heaven and she finally realizes that her judgments were prejudiced and distorted when compared to God's vision of mankind. 


b.We no one to judge the others. We shouldn't play the role of God because exist the one to make it. All people, either white or black, poor or rich, healthy or unhealthy, are equal before God.

Massive Attack - Teardrop

When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.