"Getting Out" by Cleopatra Mathis: Tone

       In the poem "Getting Out" by Cleopatra Mathis,  the tone is set immediately in the first line.  The speaker describes the husband and wife as "inmates," (Mathis, 896).  Most readers do not perceive married couples as unhappy prisoners that "beat the walls" (Mathis, 896).  These phrases set a dark, unhappy, and unpleasant tone for the rest of the poem.  There is a dramatic change in tone between lines 14 and 15.  For the first two stanzas the speaker is angry and talking about how bad the relationship was, but at line 15 the speaker says, "still I'm startled by men who look like you," (Mathis, 896).  This line shows that the speaker is not angry with the husband but still has fond feelings for him.  The narrator also shows that they still have feelings for each other is at the end when she says that on the last day "...We held on tight, and let go," (Mathis, 896).  This also shows that the speaker still loves him.  The tone becomes lighter and one of sorrow after line 14.

"Popular Mechanics" by Raymond Carver: Puntuation

       In Raymond Carver's short story "Popular Mechanics,"  he uses very little punctuation throughout the short story.  This moves the story along.  It also is less formal and less personal.  When the husband and wife are fighting, between there dialogue there are no quotation marks. "Bring that back, he said.  Just get your things and get out, she said," (Carver, 1).  By leaving out quotation marks the story is more fluid and there is no stop and go motion in the dialogue.  This creates a fast pace story and enables the reader to read Carver's story more quickly.  The lack of quotations also creates a more dramatic and intense tone.  There is no stopping between speakers.  This also creates a chaotic atmosphere because the reader is not always sure who is speaking.

"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin: Irony

       In "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin,  Mrs. Mallard's personality is described through irony and the tone for the short story is also set.  The first irony of the story is when Mrs. Mallard is described as to having "heart trouble" (Chopin, 1).  She not only has physical heart trouble but she also has heart trouble with her husband.  She does not love him but she states that " '...she had loved him--sometimes,' " (Chopin, 2).  But, she is not completely upset that he is dead; she is also happy to be free.  At the end of the short story another irony is her own death at the sight of her alive husband.  Her untimely demise is not expected, but does not evoke pity for Mrs. Mallard, from the reader.  This also ties in the irony from the beginning about her heart trouble.  The irony of her death was that, " 'When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of joy that kills,' " (Chopin, 2).  The doctors thought that she was so happy she died but in reality the reader knows that she may have felt guilty or been very upset by his appearance.  The irony of their belief that it was joy contrasts with the truth that she was not happy.

"You're Ugly Too" by Lorrie Moore: Zoe's Humor

       In the short story, "You're Ugly Too" by Lorrie Moore, Zoe's humor drives her personality.  Her humor is very sarcastic and cynical.  As the speaker and main character, she narrates the story.  Zoe's student evaluations describe that she does not care and this is shown through her humor.  When talking to a student, the student says, " 'I just want my history major to mean something,' " Zoe retorts, " 'Well there's your problem,' " (Moore, 355).  Her sarcastic humor relates to her feeling towards love.  Zoe pushing Earl also shows her sarcastic, cynical humor.  Earl does not find this funny, but on the contrary Zoe does.  Zoe finds humor in herself especially her current relationship status, when she says sarcastically, " 'I'm seeing my house,' "  (Moore, 357) and " 'I'm not married? Oh, my God... I forgot to get married,' " (Moore, 355).  In these instances Zoe is portrayed as sarcastic and cynical, through her humor.

"Delight in Disorder" by Robert Herrick: Oxymorons

       In Robert Herrick's "Delight in Disorder", the speaker talks of the type of love and relationship he wants.  The dress symbolizes this.  Herrick uses several oxymorons to characterize the speaker's "dress."  One of them can be found in line 1, "A sweet disorder in the dress," (Herrick, 979).  "Sweet disorder" is the oxymoron used here.  The adjective sweet is usually seen as nice, desirable, attention grasping, and organized or wonderful.  Disorder is described as chaotic, stressful, and a distraction.  Herrick puts these two words together to describe the speaker's ideal love and relationship or maybe his current relationship.  It is described as not the usual romantic relationship but more spontaneous and not structured.  Another one is in line 12, "I see a wild civility;" (Herrick, 979).  This combines chaotic and unorganized with civil and the structure of society.  Possibly the speaker is describing how love should be: without all of the courting rules.

"Bright Star" by John Keats: Question 1

       In John Keats' "Bright Star", the speaker is describing how he wants to be and how he wants to live the whole of his life.  In the first line he says that he does not want to change.  He wants to be a constant figure in his life.  But the following lines 2-8 express how he does not want to be like the star.  The star could be the moon, but is more likely the northern star because it never changes.  The speaker says that he does not want to change and move like the waters and the seas that move along earth's shores.  Line four says, "Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite," (Keats, 792).  This line is expressing that the speaker does not want to remain without human contact like a hermit.  He also wants to be himself and not just apart of how the world works.  The first line of the poem introduces what he admires and wants to emulate and the next seven lines express how he does not want to be.

"Eveline" by James Joyce: Characterization

       In "Eveline" by James Joyce, the characterization of Eveline's father and supervisor help feed her desire to leave Dublin.  They are chiefly characterized at the beginning of the short story.  Her father is characterized by what she says in the second paragraph about him.  The speaker says, "Her father used often to hunt them in out of the field with his blackthorn stick..." (Joyce, 218).  Miss Gavan her supervisor is characterized on the very next page.  The speaker says that Miss Gavan would be glad if Eveline left and that she was always nagging Eveline to take care of the waiting ladies.  Eveline wants to leave with her fiance.  She is reassured of her choice by the actions of her father such as his rudeness.  She is also pushed to do this by Miss Gavan because Eveline is always nagged on.  Both Miss Gavan and Eveline's father help fuel her want to leave Dublin.

"How I Met My Husband" by Alice Munro: Sympathetic Character

       In Alice Munro's "How I Met My Husband", Edie is described and shown as a sympathetic character.  She is the hired girl for the Peebles' family and this creates some sympathy from the reader.  This is because she is not treated as the Peebles' complete equal.  One distinct scene that shows Edie as a sympathetic character is when Edie waits at the mail box everyday for a letter from Chris.  The speaker, Edie, says, "I was always smiling when the mailman got there, and I continued smiling even after he gave me the mail and I saw today wasn't the day," (Munro, 145).  The reader knows that the letter from Chris is never coming.  This scene distinctly shows Edie's naivety and evokes sympathy for her from the reader.  Another scene where sympathy is evoked for Edie is when she thinks that being intimate can just be kissing.  Loretta Bird and Alice Kelling do not believe her but Mrs. Peebles stands up for her and this evokes sympathy from the reader.  Edie is scene as a sympathetic character by the her naivety.