Edwidge Danticat "A Wall of Fire Rising"

“A Wall of Fire Rising” is a story about change, from beginning to end.

The pacing of this piece is an interesting part of it. From the beginning, we know that something has changed for Guy, but Little Guy has also had something big happen to him, so the reader must wait to find out what Guy’s news is. This automatically sets up some tension within the first scene until Guy and Lili are able to talk about his day. At first the pacing of the story felt like it was at a snail’s pace to get to his information and whether or not he would be able to get into the balloon, but then the ending snuck up on me as a reader. I was shocked by Guy’s actions at the end of the story, not so much that he was finally in the hot air balloon, but that he was leaving his family in more ways than one. When he was in the balloon and Lili and Little Guy were watching along with everyone else, I was nervous for them as a family. I was hoping that he wouldn’t leave them, that somehow he would understand how to bring the hot air balloon back to land, but the ending was a shock and happened quickly. However, that’s not a bad thing for this piece, in my opinion. Life is shocking, things in life happen quickly, and the pacing of this piece works really well for that ending.

Guy and Lili as characters interact well together, but Little Guy’s language and mannerisms seem a bit too mature for a seven-year-old. Of course, every child is different, but my initial reading of the story made me feel like Little Guy was either wise for his age or just grew up faster than other children I’m used to reading about. After reading the short information about Edwidge Danticat, I was under the impression that her experience with children may be that they are smarter than people give them credit for, and that some families simply encourage that sort of maturity and adult behavior out of children. During my second reading of the story, I really liked that this child, a child portraying Boukman throughout the piece, was so mature. The characters in the piece all sound different. Even if Little Guy does seem a bit mature, he does not necessarily sound like his parents. They are all separate characters and their interactions as a family were wonderful.

The style of this piece is beautiful, and I found myself rereading certain lines and descriptions multiple times. Little Guy’s mannerisms, from mature to simply a child, were obvious in the ways they were written, his “of-course-I-remember look” to his pain when his father punished him. I also enjoyed the use of Boukman quotes weaved into the narrative. Even the moment of Guy’s death and Lili’s reaction afterward are stunningly written. One of my favorite descriptions in the piece, however, though there are many to choose from, is when Guy, Lili and Little Guy were first on their way to the sugar mill. “Their feet sounded as though they were playing a wet wind instrument as they slipped in and out of puddles.” I have never in my life imagined walking through puddles to be so melodic. Danticat’s style is just beautiful.  

“Nativity, Caucasian” by Allan Gurganus

I found this story by Allan Gurganus to be extremely unique. The point of view, setting, character, and many other elements of it take the reader on a very entertaining and interesting journey.

Point of view: The story is told in the point of view of an unnamed narrator who only knows the details of the situation through other people. It is the story of his birth at a bridge party. From the first few lines, the reader is already told that this story has an interesting point of view. Little of the story is actually about the narrator, and rather about the situation. That in and of itself gives a new take on the idea of third person point of view, because he really knows these women (his mother, grandmother, and the other woman who are part of their community), but he is not completely involved in the situation. Not only does this type of point of view give an interesting take on a story about a birth at a bridge party, but the use of characterization is also unique.

Character: Other than the narrator himself and a dog named Mikado, the characters in this piece are all women. They are also Southern women and they all fit certain stereotypes of country club types. There are several women in the story, which offers a wide range of character types. While one woman simply goes to work to help deliver the baby, another woman leaves as soon as possible, and one who attempts to take charge of calling for help but forgets to actually request an ambulance. Something I liked about this piece is that, while it’s obvious to some people that these woman are supposed to be Southern just from the way they talk and their characterizations when put together, they can fit into other settings as well.

Setting: This story includes a lot of detail when it comes to the women, the house they are in, Mikado the dog, and the situation itself. For example, there are a variety of details regarding the house: “One yard above the carpets and Persian rugs, temporary tabletops paved a whole new level. Surfaces nestled along halls and on the second-story landing. Women huddled from four edges toward each other. That season’s mandatory pastel, shoulder pads. Handbags propped along every level ledge. Mantels, banisters. Cloisonne ashtrays glutted with half-smoked cigarettes.” This is one paragraph in many that details the situation. It was so easy for me to see the house and these women and Mikado the dog while reading this story.       

Chekhov's "The Lady with the Dog"

There are several things in this short story by Anton Chekhov that jumped out to me within the first two pages: conflict, character and structure.

The conflict in this story seems to focus more on Anna Sergeyevna than Gurov. While Gurov is already accustomed to affairs, Anna is more distraught over the idea that she is being unfaithful to her husband. She also cares about what Gurov thinks of her near the beginning of their affair and whether or not he will ever respect her again. Her entire marriage is at stake because of this affair and Gurov, but she cares if he, a stranger when they first begin their affair, will look down on her. She decides to leave him when her husband requests that she come home, however. She reveals that she’s unhappy in her life with her husband once Gurov travels to see her and begins to lie to him about trips out of town to meet with Gurov. In the end, they both have to make a sacrifice to be together, and although they disucuss how they can finally be together in the open, it’s clear that the conflict in their being together is not resolved.

As far as characterization goes in this piece, from the beginning I was under the impression that I would not care for Gurov. He thinks of women as the “lower race,” yet he finds them necessary to live and feels more comfortable around them than men. Eventually, through his struggle of being apart from Anna, I did start to feel some empathy for him. Although he isn’t in the right in this situation, he is after all having an affair and can’t bear to be at home with his wife, for once he is showing true human emotions: love and longing. Parts III and IV, especially IV, of this piece changed my feelings on this character immensely.   

The structure of this piece paces the story in such a way that the reader can naturally begin to feel for the characters, even if their first impressions are that they are just completely wrong in their thoughts and actions. Reading as Gurov, for example, goes from a man simply wanting to get away from his family because he doesn’t like being at home and is used to affairs that never lasted, to a man who falls in love and feels that fate has led him to someone. The way that the story is set up, in four different sections, leads the reader on a journey with Gurov, and Anna Sergeyevna, as they go from strangers to people who feel that they belong with one another and will do anything to stay together.

"Letter to a Young Writer" Richard Bausch

Every morning I wake up with one goal: write. Whether it be one page, one paragraph or simply notes for a piece, the only thing I set out to accomplish is to write, even if there are several other things that I should be focusing on that day. For the most part, the ‘Ten Commandments’ presented by Richard Bausch are extremely close to the rules I live by when it comes to writing. I’ve learned that everything I write is not going to be a masterpiece, and a lot of things will never been read by anyone other than myself. In the past that was frustrating - Why can’t everything I write be worth reading? - but it’s something I’ve come to accept and even understand. Most of what Bausch lays out in “Letter to a Young Writer” are things that have become a part of my writing and everyday life. On top of those “commandments,” these words are completely true to my life: “We are habit-forming creatures, and this work is very habit-forming if one has any talent at all. Of course, you don’t know when you begin if you really have any talent. You hope you do; perhaps you even suspect that you do. Sometimes you go back and forth, believing on some days, and disbelieving on others.” There are plenty of times when I’m not sure if writing is something I’m good at, but then I have difficulties getting something out on paper, those days when words just aren’t working the way I feel they should. Those are the days, I believe, when my talent in writing shows the most. I may not be creating those days, but the habit of writing and wanting to write, and feeling absolutely horrified when I’m unable to, show the important role that writing has in my life. As Bausch says, even if you fail in writing sometimes, at least you’re working on it and you don’t have to ask yourself if you missed valuable writing time.