"Cross-Country Snow" and "Ten Indians"

The contrast between these two stories was quite interesting. These stories were obviously not written in a pair like the last few stories we have read of Ernest Hemingway’s. However, you can still compare them to each other.

            I thought it was interesting to go back and look at the conflict that appears in each story. In “Cross-Country Snow,” there was this unspoken conflict of growing up. It seemed as though both George and Nick were not looking forward to the responsibilities of becoming adults. At one point in the story, George says to Nick, “Gee, Mike, don’t you wish we could just bum together?” This is one of the many keys that let’s us know that George and Nick are just not ready to leave this winter wonderland filled with pubs and skiing for the real world of work and families. Ultimately, the two know that they have to go back. This is the main conflict with these characters in this story.

            In “Ten Indians,” the conflict differs. Little Nick is quite fond of his “girlfriend,” Prudence Mitchell. However, when he returns home from a baseball game with the Garners, his father has some unfortunate news. He quite harshly tells Nick how he heard Prudence and Frank Washburn “threshing around” in the woods. This breaks Nick’s heart. He finally falls asleep that night, and when he wakes up he doesn’t remember that his heart is broken for a long time. Now, obviously this conflict is much different from that in “Cross-Country Snow.” However, I believe that when you read these stories together, you get more out of these two conflicts.

            Both of these conflicts have to do with age. I believe that the conflict in “Ten Indians” emphasizes that in “Cross-Country Snow. For Nick in “Ten Indians,” his problem almost disappears over night whereas the Nick in “Cross-Country Snow” can’t exactly sleep his burden away. These two stories emphasize the difference of life as a child versus life as an adult. When we were all children, we had problems, but for the most part, they tended to disappear over time. As adults, we are handed responsibilities and are expected to take care of them. Even though older Nick wants to run away and be a ski bum with his friend, he knows that he has to go back to Helen and there expected child. He has to move back to the states and get a job. Nick does not want to do any of these things, but he is obligated to because he is an adult. Little Nick didn’t want to see his girlfriend with another guy, and unfortunately he did. The only difference between this and older Nick’s problems is little Nick can move on to something else by the next day. The weight of his problem does not hang on his shoulders.

            Reading each story individually, we see each individual conflict. However, when we read the two together, the two conflicts seem to grow in depth and seem to add meaning to a much bigger conflict of age. 

Second Meeting with Young

As you can see, I wrote this blog a while ago (Thursday 3/10), only I’m just now posting it. My Internet was not working at the moment, and I forgot to post it! Oops!

I met with Young again today, and it was fun, but there were some awkward moments. She is so sweet, and very energetic, but the language barrier certainly makes our conversations rather difficult.

            We started out talking about our weekends and the first part of our weeks. She always talks about this one Korean drama television show that she really enjoys watching. Most days, her brother-in-law drops her off at TCU early in the morning, around 6:00 a.m. or so. She said she mainly hangs out in the library until her classes, and then comes back to the library to do homework until her brother-in-law comes back and picks her up to go back his house. That’s when she usually indulges in her Korean drama.

            We also talked about our spring break plans. I told her my plans to drive to Louisiana with a few of my friends and just have a relaxing break. She said that she was planning to go to Houston with her sister and her brother-in-law to see NASA. This surprised me, only because I have been to Houston multiple times, and not once has it crossed my mind to go see NASA! It’s interesting how, when we get comfortable with where we live, we tend to not take advantage of the things available to us. Just like a mentioned in my Modern blog, I have never been the to Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art, nor have I ever thought about going until recently when I was told to go. However, I have lived in Dallas, TX my entire life! There are so many experiences that I almost miss out on only because I am comfortable with my own routine. It was funny how this small comment about Young’s Spring Break plans sparked this thought.

            After that short conversation came to an end, Young reached into her yellow folder sitting on the table in front of her and pulled out a sheet of paper. After a few failed attempts, she finally explained to me that her teacher had given it to her for conversation ideas.

            On the sheet of paper were about twenty-five questions about money. I thought it was an odd topic for a conversation, but I went along with it. Young sounded out the words in each question and our conversation sluggishly moved along. The questions were along the lines of, “What is your favorite thing to buy?” and “What is the most expensive thing you have ever bought?” … Certainly nothing very exciting.

            I answered them as best I could, though, and I tried to ask Young what her responses were. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to answer many of them. She understood the questions, which was good, and she understood my answers. However, when it was her turn to answer, she wasn’t sure of the English words to use in order to convey her thoughts. This seems to be a recurring problem in our meetings.

            As I stated before, Young is so sweet, and when we are having trouble communicating, she is certainly the first one to laugh it off! I don’t mind it either, but if we are going to be meeting at least six more times, I’m not exactly sure how our conversations are going to go!

            Does anyone have any suggestions or advice??

"The End of Something" and "The Three-Day Blow"

            Firstly, I would like to say how much I am enjoying reading Hemingway’s short stories. Before this, I had only read a couple of his stories, which I also enjoyed. There is just something about his writing that is especially enjoyable. I think the fact that they are extremely easy to read helps, but it surprises me how interested I am in them. Usually, I don’t like short stories unless they are packed full with action and plot. However, some of Hemingway’s stories are not, and they still catch my attention.

            The details in his stories are awesome (for lack of a better word). I love the description of the setting in all of his stories. The way he describes the location, weather, and appearance of the situation is one of the main aspects that get me hooked on the story.

I loved how this pair of stories connected with each other.  Although it was sad, “The End of Something” managed to still be calm and rather relaxing to read. The same goes for “The Three-Day Blow.” I think the setting had much to do with that. It’s as if the two stories occurred during consecutive seasons. If I had to guess, I would say that “The End of Something” occurred right at the end of summer whereas “The Three-Day Blow” is set during the beginning of fall (as stated in the story). The seasons also seem to correlate with the tone and plot of the stories. Nick is ending something with Marjorie just as summer is ending. Although Nick is getting over Marjorie in the second story, he is beginning of new time in his life, a new type of freedom, just as fall is beginning.

Another reason I enjoyed this couple of stories is because I love how “The Three-Day Blow” continued the development of the character, Bill, who was introduced at the very end of “The End of Something.” The last minute introduction of Bill left me confused and wondering who he was and what his relationship with Nick was. A lot of authors would leave the reader hanging on this note. However, thanks to the second story, Hemingway continued this relationship between the two. It was quite a humorous relationship as well. I’m not sure if Hemingway intended for it to be, but I certainly enjoyed it. The way it was written, it was as if I was getting drunk with Nick and Bill. Because it was mostly dialogue, we were taken through the process of the two getting drunk by observing their random conversation and emotions.

Hemingway also gave us an idea of their age without blatantly stating it. It was obvious that the two were not young boys because there was talk of Nick and Marjorie being engaged. However, they are not adults either. Bill constantly references his dad, and how he won’t mind if they get drunk. Bill also still lives with his dad, who is an artist.

The one thing that I was unsure about in this story was the ending. Hemingway left me feeling a little uneasy with the two boys wandering off with shoguns after they had been drinking. Guns and drunkenness is not the best combination. All together, I loved this couplet! Hemingway has yet to disappoint me in his stories.

Time Magazine October 23, 1933

            We have all learned about America’s history at some point during our time at school, and one of the most important times in U.S. history occurred during the time when this issue of Time Magazine was written. The Great Depression was just beginning in the U.S., which is interesting to keep in mind while reading this specific issue. Surprisingly, none of the articles in this specific magazine touched on this topic, but some of the ads did.

            One of the first ads I found in this issue was one for Hamilton watches. The caption at the top said, “I’m buying again these days, and FIRST, I’M GETTING A HAMILTION.” At first, I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant by “I’m buying again these days.” As I continued browsing through the magazine though, I noticed all of the car ads and how much every one emphasized the low prices and price cuts they had been making. It then registered to me that this was due to the current economical crisis going on in America. Then I started thinking about our economic crisis today and how it has affected our economy. I know the current crisis isn’t nearly as bad as the Great Depression, but it still is the worst economic crisis we have experienced since then. I wonder what students seventy years from now will be learning about our economy now. Will they look back and talk about the extent of how horrible our economy has reached? Will they be able to go back and look at old magazines and tell a difference in our advertisements? It was an interesting notion that was triggered from this magazine.

            Another advertisement that caught my eye was one that would never be seen today. It was an advertisement for a kind of whitening toothpaste. The main picture was of a beautiful, wealthy looking woman with a bright, white smile on her face. The other, smaller picture was one of a little black boy who had a snarling look with pointed teeth. The caption said, “Contrast the attitude of the savage below (referring to the little boy) who files his teeth with that of the modern young woman who keeps her teeth white and beautiful through daily use of Pepsodent.” This ad shocked me with how racist it was! However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this would not be seen as shocking during this time period. Although racism was not nearly as bad as it used to be, it was still extremely prevalent during this time period. This was the only ad that did reference this issue, however.

            There were many other advertisements for things like cigarettes and beer, and surprisingly, there were plenty of shaving cream/razor ads. Besides the ads, one other thing caught my eye. In the International News articles, many had to do with Hitler. Although WWII doesn’t being for another six years, it is obvious that Hitler is already making a name for himself in 1933. Even in the few things these articles addressed, they still mention how he is already discriminating against Jews. Hitler created a Winter Relief Fund of 500,000,000 marks to prevent starvation in the winter, only, Jews do not receive any of the aid. It is interesting to see the foreshadowing evident in even American magazines in the early 1930s. Having the opportunity to go through these magazines from a different time period was like stepping into a time machine. It is one thing to learn about American history through classes, but looking at these magazines was more like experiencing it for myself!

Trip to the Modern

            So, I visited the Modern Art Museum last Wednesday, February 23, with Sara and Steven. It was an adventure to say the least. Although I don’t do it often, I thoroughly enjoy visiting museums. The sad thing is, I usually only visit museums on special occasions or vacations. It never really occurs to me to go to the museums that are ten minutes away from where I’m living. Although the Modern might not have been my first choice, it was nice being able to take advantage of having this artwork right here in Fort Worth.

            Now, you might think that posting this blog so long after I actually visited the museum would be detrimental. On the contrary, I believe that it has actually expanded my view on modern art.  This entire past week I have seen random things in a different light- a modern light, if you will. I have studied Modernism, and modern art, but it is entirely different actually see Modernism in action! The artwork in this museum was interesting, confusing, weird, cool, trippy, simple, and complicated (to put it into a few words). I don’t necessarily have a better notion of why these artists specifically do what they do, but I do believe I have a better understanding of the general concept of Modern Art.

            There were a few specific pieces that especially stood out to me (for better or for worse). It was interesting to see first two prominent pieces at the beginning, Book with Wings and Ashenblume. However, Ashenblume caught my eye. Seeing it from a distance, it appeared to be an extremely large canvas with tree bark covering it. As I moved closer though, it became clearer that it was more of a dirt-like substance. It was amazing to see how the artist, Kiefer, used ash in a way that made it look like a completely different substance. Once I read the background of Kiefer and a little bit of information on the piece, it was easier to understand where he was coming from. However, with the combination of the ash and the giant, dead sunflower descending in the center, I was initially filled with a sense of sadness and remorse. When I learned that one of Kiefer’s main focuses in his artwork was the Holocaust, it seemed somehow make sense. This was one of the only pieces that drew a strong emotion from me, though. Many others were more along the lines of confusing.

            For instance, in one room, there was a long, fluorescent light bulb that was lit and hanging diagonally on the wall. It was done by Dan Flavin, and called Diagonal of May. Now maybe it’s just me, but what is it about this that qualifies it as art? I mean, can I hang a light bulb vertical on the wall and name it Vertical of December and call it art? Additionally, on the second floor, there was a glass box on a stand named Glass Box. What?! This one didn’t even have an original name! I thought something was missing from it. The only emotion I had resulting from these two pieces of art was confusion.

            Then there were paintings done by the one and only Andy Warhol. I don’t know what it is about his works, possibly the bright colors, but I really enjoy them. His self-portrait was one I had never seen before, and that was certainly fun to look at. It was a little creepy, but if it weren’t, it wouldn’t be the work of Warhol.

            Last but not least, my favorite piece was not one of great meaning, but rather humor. There was not much background on this artist, so maybe this piece did have deep meaning to him that I am unaware of. Ultimately, I enjoyed this piece because I saw it and laughed out loud. It was called No Man’s land. The painting was completely blank except for the outline of the state of Oklahoma in the top left corner and a giant question mark that looped around the rest of canvas. The fact that this type of art had made it into a museum was awesome.

            This trip to the Modern was actually more entertaining than I thought. The variety of artwork really surprised me. It also showed me how not all modern art is completely random stuff. Some of it has meaning, whether it is intending to or not. It was certainly interesting to see what sorts of emotions were drawn from each individual piece. Who knows, one of these days I might even return to the Modern when it is not a class assignment!