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 She was timid, quiet, and withdrawn, nearly silent for the first part of her visit.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

The Sorrow of War

In The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh, Kien is forced to go to war and leave his life behind. Through this, Kien had to leave his childhood sweetheart, Phuong, behind, ending their relationship. Kien fought and survived the Vietnam war while most of his platoons did not survive. When he returned to his hometown, Hanoi, he discovered that Phuong had went into prostitution, yet wanted to go back to him. After officially breaking their relationship, Kien pours all of his memories and sufferings into writing, like his father did well before him. A mute girl that lived nearby spent time with him and saved his manuscripts from being burned. Through this, she gave us this book and Kien left.

Kien brought to realization as the how the Vietnam war really was. Movies and books never actually go into detail as to what people went through during and after the war. Kien had suffered through the war, wanting to be killed and accepting his fate. Despite this, when he survived, he did not feel any better about escaping. He actually felt worse, survivor's guilt making his life less meaningful to him. Kien worked the horror out of his mind by writing, sharing his memories and pain with his readers. He shows us that Kien's postwar life was worse than his actual war life, and that he wants no more than to go back to living his prewar life.

Embrace (Poem)

Cool air raising goosebumps
Cold nose breathing in
Sunlight-dappled leaves swaying
Silent whispers beyond what's seen
Reaching out to embrace the peace
Instead feeling smooth, cold glass

Classroom Responsibility

In the classroom, students must know how they should carry themselves. For one, they should remove any and all distractions. They should have the capabilities to recognize friends or acquaintances that can cause them to disrupt the class in any form. Therefore, they should inquire moving away from them to focus on the lesson. Secondly, students should know that using a phone during a lesson is also a strong distraction. Deciding that checking something unrelated to the teacher and the lesson is not only irresponsible, but a poor decision. Students should recognize and avoid any and all distractions.

Interrupting a teacher's lesson is extremely disrespectful towards ones peers and towards the instructor. By laughing at another person's distraction, one is disrupting those who want to learn and the instructor. By speaking without permission, one is also disrupting the classroom environment. Students should improve this by removing the distraction. Being mature about the situation and moving past the issue, further disruption is avoided. By this, the student avoids consequences of incorrect behavior and can absorb the lesson to its fullest. This also allows the student to hear any instructions given by the teacher without needing repetition. Being mature during an interruption can not only further the lesson, but earn respect from the instructor and others.