"Hesitation" and "Two Somewhat Different Epigrams"

We see with our eyes and smell with our nose

But when testing the waters, we lead with our toes

Sometimes less truly is more. In the case of epigrams, very much can be said in very few lines. Epigrams are a somewhat free form of writing, a sort of mash of poetry and prose, that enables expression in a clever, witty, or satirical manner. The key characteristic of this unique writing style is a strong ending line, and the author can choose to make any impact he/she wishes with this statement. 

In the first of Langston Hughs' "Two Somewhat Different Epigraphs," Hughs chooses to use a metaphor to discuss life. By using rainbows and dust, he illustrates that the good things in life would not be good if there were not bad things to tip the other end of the scale. His point is eerily similar to Newton's Third Law in physics that speaks of forces of equal magnitude, but in opposite directions. One could not possible without the other, and more importantly, we could not appreciate nor understand one without its counterpart. 

The epigram above also speaks to a certain life lesson, but takes a much different stance. It references the saying of testing the waters along with a description of the senses to illustrate a message of hesitation. People are often scared to blindly jump into a situation, and because of this, they half-heartedly walk on egg shells, afraid that something may go wrong. Now, if people believed what Hughs laid out in his epigram, bad times being necessary for the good, this hesitation would not exist, for there would be an understanding that the bad was inevitable. This is not the case in the epigram listed above however; this epigram embodies the very fear and hesitation that people have for the unpleasantries in life. 

These epigrams represent largely conflicting ideas, and are very thought provoking. Are the bad times truly inevitable? Is it better to hesitate before jumping in? Who's view on life is more accurate? These questions have no answers, and this is the beauty of the epigram. Its short nature allows each reader to fill in the blanks, making it more relatable as well as powerful. 

Plot... Getting to the Point

            Plot is a literary term that describes the events that make up a story. While many confuse this term with a summary, it is much different. The plot not only tells the story, but develops characters and themes as well. It is not simply the chronology of a story, but also the how's and why's behind it.

            Both “Happing Endings” and “A Worn Path” exemplify the significance of plot. In “Happy Endings,” Atwood illustrates that is it the details in a story that matter, for without plot, every story skeleton is the same. Atwood provides a vague skeleton in version A in which two people meet, spend time together, and die. If you remove the detail from every other version Atwood provides, you get the exact same skeleton. By changing from vague descriptions of John and Mary having “jobs which they find stimulating and challenging” and “a stimulating and challenging sex life,” which provide little to nothing as far as character or theme development, to “One day James breezes in on his motorcycle with some top-grade California hybrid and James and Mary got higher than you’d believe possible and they climb into bed,” which presents in-depth descriptions as well as symbolism, Atwood shows that plot is vital to a story in more ways than one (Atwood 143). If plot were strictly defined as what ultimately happens in a story, then all of Atwood’s versions would be the same. Readers can easily recognize the vast differences between versions, however, giving tangible evidence that plot affects characterization and theme as well.

            “A Worn Path” exemplifies the other end of the plot spectrum. Welty uses such powerful imagery that reading it elicits a movie in your mind. Although presented in another way, Welty’s plot serves the same purpose as Atwood’s. The detail in which Welty includes about her characters and their surroundings gives the reader an incredible understanding of these characters. Without the detailed plot given by Welty, we would not understand the incredible strength Phoenix possesses nor the theme of determination presented by this story. 

            In conclusion, the plot is the meat of the story. While it is what we recount to our friends after seeing a new movie, it is not limited to this summary. The plot is also what made us feel a certain way. It is who the characters are, and more importantly why and how they came to be this way.

"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" and Effective Writing Response

Ernest Hemingway has been quoted saying, “the most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof, shit detector. This is the writer's radar and all great writers have had it.” This seemingly humorous quote is actually a serious explanation of how writers must avoid futile phrases, while still making their points clear. Hemingway takes his own advice in his short story, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” showing just how powerful words can be.

           

In the quote mentioned above, the “shit detector” Hemingway refers to is a writer’s ability to avoid nonsensical words and phrases that do nothing to improve his/her writing. When words like “very” and “really” are misused, they simply encumber a piece and distract the reader from the author’s purpose. Hemingway proves his exemplary “radar” when he writes, “What did he fear or dread? It was not fear or dread. It was a nothing that he knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too” (Hemingway 48). Hemingway does not clutter his writing with ineffective language, nor does he substitute his main points with long confusing synonyms. This excerpt is written in an elegant way that is still easy to read and understand. It is clear that this character fears oblivion and emptiness in all aspects of his life, and Hemingway did not need to fluff his writing with insignificant filler to make this point any more clear or eloquent.

           

Hemingway’s ability to easily convey his point is the other skill a writer must possess to be successful. A common motif in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” is an inability to deal with sadness and grief. This idea is brought up time and time again with various characters as the story progresses, but is highlighted at the very end when Hemingway writes, “After all, he said to himself, it is probably only insomnia. Many must have it” (Hemingway 48). This summarizes the motif effectively in an efficient manner. The older waiter is struggling with these feelings of despair, and rather than dealing with them, he simply justifies them by saying he is just tired, and that many think the way he does.

           

These two skills are paramount to the success of a writer. Hemingway not only believes this, but also demonstrates it in his work. This short story shows that concision is superior to verbosity and comprehensibility is more important than flare.

"The Story of an Hour" Response

"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin raises more questions than it answers about love, marriage, and society in just one page. There is no clear-cut answer to any of these questions, for they are a matter of opinion and perception.

Personally, having lost my best friend this past summer, it is hard for me to condone Mrs. Mallard's reaction to the death of her husband. While societal expectations of marriage were different in this time, life and love were not. Life is too short and love is often lost too soon. Mrs. Mallard attempts to rationalize her joy at the death of her husband by thinking, "she had loved him - sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion" (Chopin 149). She asserts that her joy is justified because she only loved him "sometimes," and these infrequent feelings were much less significant than her independence. Her quantified definition of love is invalid, however, for love is infinite.

This is not to say I do no support self-assertion. In fact, I think of myself as a strongly independent woman. It is my belief that everyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or any other classification society throws people into, has the right to pursue whatever it is that brings him/her joy. I do not support, however, using the death of another as an escape from the limitations of your own life. Had Mrs. Mallard truly been oppressed by society and her marriage, she should have done something about it long before the news of her husband's death came. Mrs. Mallard’s reaction becomes all the more inappropriate when juxtaposed with the reactions of others who lost husbands in the accident. These women heard the story “with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance” (Chopin 149). While many other women, subjected to the same societal expectations as Mrs. Mallard, could not even accept the news of their husbands’ deaths, Mrs. Mallard began looking ahead to her new life.

The tragedy of this story, beyond its heart-breaking plot, is that we readers know so little background information. We could construct much better opinions if we knew how Mr. Mallard treated his wife and the dynamics of their relationship, but without that information, I must express my distaste for Mrs. Mallard’s utter disregard for life and for love.