King Lear Scenes 1 and 2

In Scene 2, Edmund plots against Edgar and his father for inheritance. He tricks his father into thinking that Edgar was plotting to kill him, then tricks Edgar into thinking that his father was planning to hurt him in a rage. It's easy to deduct that Edmund plans on turning the two against each other and coming out in the end on top.

In Scene 3, Cordelia's evil sisters plot against their father and mock him without his knowledge. Because of this, one can infer that something may happen to King Lear in return for his judgment of Cordelia and his false loving daughters. The daughters plot to drag the king down until they have all the power and title without obligation to their father.

Wish

They screamed, they shouted, they argued out loud
They shouted with blind eyes, heard not with ears
The world could hear them; they drew in a crowd
The crowd heard all the words, watched with their sneers.

A girl and her mother, center of all
Hatred and love, two hard faces, they clash
In the distance through pain, a crow, a call
The words she spits, across a face, a slash.

The girl wishes for her mother's demise
The mother lets out a sick chocking sound
Crowd of crows take their leave, unit they rise
Feathers and mother both collapse to ground.

Daughter stumbles back, startled by the sight
Not wanting her chest to feel quite so tight.

Infant Joy and Sorrow

Infant Joy and Infant Sorrow are poems written by William Blake. Infant Joy is about the gentleness and serenity of a two year old infant. It characterizes Joy as an infant to symbolize youth and innocence. It also depicts Joy as something with a future and a desire to keep, by being named. Infant Sorrow is about the negative aspects of childbirth and the conditions of being born. It characterizes Sorrow as a newly born infant that is afraid and disoriented. Sorrow is also depicted as something that takes from what creates it or what keeps the sorrow strong.

Both poems are about the birth of something and how the surroundings contribute to it. Both can also be thought of as a story. Infant Sorrow is how there is pain and helplessness in the beginning, as well as a need for dependency. It also depicts the infant as newly born and disoriented, surrounded by what the infant immediately deems dangerous and must have comfort from its mother. Infant Joy could be what occurs to Sorrow later after two days. After the initial fear, Sorrow became more accustomed to life and became much more docile. Sorrow, or now Joy, was claimed and named by its parents and brought hope for a joyful future after the sorrow.

Reader Profile

My strengths in literature are in writing and reading, in which I do with swiftly and as best as I possibly can. My weaknesses come from the need of directions, for if I don't have practice on a subject, I will do my best to push through and try, but likely I will not be correct.

Reading is a stress reliever for me. Usually, I mostly prefer to read on my own time and I prefer to read books of my own choosing, not assigned books. Reading is more relaxing to me than taking naps when one is tired. I always learn something from books and I can divulge into multiple worlds and see from the point of view of many different people.

My passion is writing. I love to read and write, but my hobby is writing, because I can make anything happen, no matter what. I can create things my own way, express who I am through what I write, and release pent up emotions through writing about them or making my characters have the same issues and work through them, therefore helping me work through them.

A Worn Path

Phoenix is an aged woman with a strong determination. Her grandson is ill and unable to fend for himself, so Phoenix takes it upon herself to care for him. The question that bothers me is as to where her grandson's parents are. The only inclination given is that they are not there. But it makes one wonder what happened to them. Another question would be as to what occurred in Phoenix's past for her to memorize that path so perfectly. Her memories merge into her everyday actions, but they don't point out what happened in her past.

On the way to get her grandson's medication, Phoenix encounters a hunter. He points a gun at her after helping her up, two very different actions. The time period and the action with the gun sadly makes sense. But him helping her up and speaking in a polite/semi-polite manner made me wonder if the hunter and Phoenix have history together at some point. Another thing was her situation with the pharmacy. As soon as she stepped in, she became a completely different person. She was timid, quiet, and withdrawn, nearly silent for the first part of her visit. That situation made me wonder what caused that behavior, which goes with the overall question: what happend in Phoenix's past?

The Rockpile

The Rockpile is a story that leaves readers with an ending open for interpretation. Readers don't recieve clear background about Elizabeth, but the fact that she gave birth out of wedlock is clear. I believe that Elizabeth changed her ways because she knew she was a mother. Despite her change of way, it's obvious to readers that she does not regret having John as her son. Her love for John seems to be stronger than her love for Roy. Maybe it is due to the fact that she has to protect him from Gabriel. It is also likely that she loves John more because he is her first born son.

With Gabriel, things are much more muddled. The reason he does not like John are, though unfair, logical. But in the story, Gabriel seems to hold some strong hostility for Elizabeth, his own wife. If he holds hatred for her, why did he marry her? If he is so religious, that birth out of wedlock is a sin, why did he marry Elizabeth? The ending to the story also held such high levels of tension that I was instantly on high alert. When John bent down near Gabriel's shoe, the arrangement of the words and John's position made it seem as if John would get kicked or maybe even killed by Gabriel. The story ends before an answer is discovered, leaving readers only with guesses as to what happened next.

A Lesson Before Dying Reflection

In A Lesson Before Dying, the ending moved me to tears. Despite what us readers expected, Jefferson could not be saved from his death, but he was changed for the better. I found it admirable how a "hog" became such an idol of strength. I also enjoyed how Jefferson was not changed through religion, but through a mutual understanding between him and Grant. Grant didn't push Jefferson into doing anything. He encouraged Jefferson and made him see the error of his ways and of the ways of others. Jefferson walked himself to the chair and shocked the people around him.

The part that moved me the most was the part when Grant revealed his emotions. In the book, Grant is known to normally hide his emotions, except for the fight at the bar. After Grant held himself together for so long, then showed his students that he was crying, I could not help but be overwhelmed also. His breakdown showed not only that he had emotions too, but that he was nothing like his old teacher. He had emotions, cared for others, and was not afraid to do what he felt like doing. Grant's display of grief greatly countered his words, that he did not care for what happened to Jefferson. He felt the impact like everyone else and his walls crumbled, displaying the sadness within, which is admirable to me.

Advice Columnist

Hello, Grant!

We understand your predicament of reluctantly agreeing to aid a man on death row. A person with a set, unrelenting mindset is something difficult to modify, so understand that there will not be a simple answer to banishing the negative thoughts from the godson's mind. Our first recommendation is to place yourself into the godson's shoes. Once you're on his level, you can relate to him, leading to the formation of a connection. From that, you can urge him to speak more of what thoughts made him become the way he is, along with expelling those thoughts for good. Despite this simple plan, we advise you to also know that changing the mindset of a death row man is very difficult and undoubtedly will require time and sympathy.

We wish you the best of luck!

Without Wax,
The Advice Columnist