Mahfouz's Half a Day

The short story Half a Day got me thinking about several topics and points. I started to think weather the author was trying to say life goes by fast or if he was making the point that what he did in his childhood deeply affected the rest of his life. Also by it deeply affecting the rest of his life he was better off than if he had not gone to school evan though he did not like school. The ending of the short story was very interesting and slightly confusing, but it got me thinking and wondering.

Dating advice of my own

When going on date, make sure to choose a place that you like. You want there to be other people around, so it is not too awkward, but also somewhere you can talk and have good food.  When spending time on a date, you should try to be yourself and have fun.  You should also keep an eye on your date's personality to make sure that you like the personality.  Make subtle gestures like smiling and laughing so that he knows you are having fun.  If there is a lull in the conversations, it is always a good idea to ask your date questions about himself.  After the date is over, don't text or call him.  Wait at least a day so he knows that you are hard to get. Hopefully, he will text or call you first.  Have fun on the date, good luck!!!

Diaz's How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, and Halfie

In the short story, How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, and Halfie, the main character has several moves he plans before he goes on a date. His plans are different and so are his predicted actions of each girl depending on the neighborhood the girl is from and her skin color. The narrator speaks in a racist tone. He is embarrassed for people to know how poor he is if they don't live in his neighborhood.

The teenage boy in the story feels most comfortable  with girls from his own neighborhood, and would take them to a local latin restaurant.  But with a white girl he takes them to a fast food restaurant and then sleeps with them. With a halfie he thinks that the girl will pull away a lot and be self conscious . This character seems like he would be most respectable with girls from his neighborhood. Probably because everyone would find out if he was not.

I can understand acting differently with different people. When I am with my school friends I act different than when I am with my skating friends, based on what we have in common. I tend to talk about skating gossip when I am with skating friends, but don't talk about it at school because my friends at school would not understand. Even though the boy in the story is describing a different situation, I can still relate to him.

G.

G.

John and Mary's wedding is in Niagara Falls. John is 28, and Mary is 25. They are well-established in their careers, and they can afford to live in a nice condo. They appear to have everything going for them and are ready to start a family. This is where the honeymoon ends. Mary has trouble getting pregnant and after many doctor appointments, they discover that the reason why is she has cancer. Their lives are shattered. There will be a dramatic change in their lifestyle. Their journey together through her treatment lasts many years. John stays by her side, helping her, consoling her when certain medicines do not work, reading to her, and keeping a blog to keep their friends updated on her progress. Mary gets sicker, but John's love does not change.

They move through their thirties and the treatments continue. Mary's hair falls out, grows back, and falls out again. John shaves his head in support and tells her she is beautiful. Their love grows.

Mary begins to lose hope and fears that John will leave her. She begins to actually encourage him to do so and find a woman who can give him a "normal" life. John does not leave.

Miraculously, Mary recovers. Many people say it is because of John's devotion to her. They do not live "happily ever after" because that does not happen in real life. They do live peacefully and contentedly. They travel and eventually get a dog since they never had children. Even though there were ups and very low downs, they survive and grow old together.

Atwood's Happy Endings

Certainly, stories -- whether real or fiction -- can have "Happy Endings." These are the scenarios in which the character all live happily ever after, just like in a fairy tale. However, happy endings do not make the most interesting stories. They do not provide much to write about or for the reader to comprehend. As I read through Atwood's short story, I get caught up in how John, Mary, Madge, Fred and James' lives all turn out, but her last paragraphs change my perspective on endings. She is right -- everybody's end is the same. They die. It is really the journey of how they get to the end that is the most interesting. Although the destination is always the same, the paths to get there are as the individuals. The structure of this store is very different from anything I have ever read; it really is just an elaborate list of how these people's lives all end, but there is little character development or interesting language or story development. The fact that it is intentionally repetitive and boring really helps Atwood make her point about the adventure being in the journey.

Allende'd And of Clay Are We Created

The short story was very emotional throughout.  The entire situation of the volcano erupting was very sad.  The girl's situation of being stuck and thinking that her siblings were below her was awful.  It was interesting how the reporter not only helped her get through the situation but also became emotionally attached and began reflecting on his own life as though he was also dying.  The relationship between the girl and the reporter was touching and intense.  The short story made me feel sad and also allowed me to really understand the awful situation they were going through in the mud.

Inspirational Story

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/31/2-year-old-calls-999-riley-ward_n_5065504.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news&ir=Good%20News

The story that I chose is about a two year old child who saves his mom's life. It inspires me because it is amazing that a little boy was able to save his mother.