I chose to do my poem collage on "The Race" by Sharon Olds. When I first read this poem, I found it to be very dark. However, the way that Olds presents her struggle to reach her father creates a sense of desperation and anguish. The narrator wishes for nothing more than to be able to see her father "breathe" one last time before he passes away. It seems that no matter what she does, she cannot get there fast enough...however, in the end, she does reach him to sit with him in his dying moments. To portray this in my collage, I placed a plane in the center of the collage...the narrator's mode of transportation as well as her only way to reach her father in time. A weeping woman is in bottom left-hand corner, representing the narrator's grief. A hospital bed is in the bottom right-hand corner, representing the father's last moments. As a focal point, I placed a reaching hand that seems to be stretching out through the plane toward what appears to be the sun...which really represents the father's attempt to hang on to life for a while longer while his daughter tries to reach him.

I chose to do my character collage on Julian of Norwich, an anchoress born in 1342. An anchoress is a woman who makes the commitment to seclude herself for religious purposes. Julian experiences sixteen spiritual visions while she is an anchoress in a cell near the church of St. Julian. Julian's visions vividly portray Christ's suffering as she herself physically experiences his pain. In her narrative, Julian seems to revolutionize the typical view of a relationship with the Lord. She presents the ideas that sin is necessary, "creation as a hazelnet", Christ as being "homely" and the curious portrayal of Christ as a motherly figure. Julian's dedication to the Lord truly moves me. She was willing to sacrifice her reputation to portray an ideal relationship with the Lord. Julian defines a type of feminine spirituality that before had never been clarified or, much less, accepted. The fact that Julian believes that she physically experiences Christ's suffering is quite powerful. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of one's relationship with Christ that is presented in this narrative is the fact that "...sin is behovely(fitting), but all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." This spiritual optimism is continuous throughout Julian's narrative. Julian goes on to suggest that without pain and sin, we would not go to the Lord and ask for His mercy and love. Julian's consistent reassurance that "all manner of thing shall be well" definitely stayed with me after I read her narrative. She presents herself and her visions in a passive, loving, and tranquil way.

What intrigues me about this poem is the fact that Sharon Olds began to compose her works on a whim...because we are prefaced with this fact, it makes this work seem that much more touching and personal. It seems as if Olds is truly emotional about this subject...the poem flows rather smoothly and includes imagery, dialogue, and close attention to detail (Gate 17, people's hair was shining, second Pan Am terminal). The poem has a poignant ending. As readers, we can feel the sense of urgency and panic that the speaker experiences throughout the poem. This feeling contrasts with her final state

It is intriguing to me the process we each go through to discover what it is we want to do with the rest of our lives. We have inevitably experienced that “moment of suspension” when we float aimlessly in a bubble of ambitious panic. What is it that I am here to do? What if what I choose is all wrong for me? These questions are, after all, only rhetorical and may last a minute or a span of years depending on the person. It has recently occurred to me that this universal quest does not truly hold the fearful stigma that we so heavily place upon it. This “moment of suspension” is actually a pulse of self-discovery. It is not actually a moment at all…the discovery of our desires and passions in life course steadily through us as we constantly alter our views and disentangle our complex personalities. This narrative focuses on a person’s transformation from a naïve and confused adolescent to a self-assured and settled adult. This character is named Paul. Paul is never truly self-assured because he is forever finding himself wedged in a corner of confusion.

After reading Ron Wallace's "Blessings" in Chp. 10, I was wondering what everyone thought about the use of cliches...when do you think they are acceptable to use in writing? Are they simply used because they are widely known? Or do we use them because we do not put forth the effort to provide original insights? Personally, I know that I use them in my speech, but not so much in my writing...even though I did find Wallace's twist on using cliches pretty entertaining.

When reading "Cathedral", I am drawn in by the narrator's dry sense of humor. His opinions are painfully harsh at times, but this quality makes the incident with the blind man that much more intriguing. I first chose Wilco's "Box Full of Letters" to help me describe my reaction to the story.

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I feel that this song represents the narrator's inabilty to express himself to others in any sort of compassionate way. ("I just can't find the time, to write my mind, the way I want it read).

This story definitely intrigued me. I love the use of dialogue... it has a realistic and almost "jerky" feel. Jig's character does change in the story. The American's nonchalant mannerisms contrast with Jig's subtle discovery that she does want to be a mother. Her comment, "the hills are like white elephants", represents the desire to break out of idle "conversation" and experience her world in a whole new light. Jig has tired of a life of travel and "fun" and she yearns for the raw beauty that life has to offer.