The War Prayer

Mikaila Garfinkel
12/26/09
Mark Twain

"I, His messenger, shall have explained it's import-that is to say, it's full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of-except he pauses and thinks."

This quote is from "The War Prayer", and is said from the old man sent to deliver the second part of the prayer. The War Prayer is about a town who is ready for war, and attend a church service to pray for the men that have been called to be soldiers. They are not dreading the idea of war, and the possibility of their beloved men's deaths, but felt it was a "time of great and exalting excitement." The story describes their service, which is interrupted by an old man who claims to be Gods Messenger, and who continues to announce the prayer, which mentions their enemy, and the blood that has been shed. He conveys that many downsides come with victory of a war, such as much blood shed and dead patriots, and describes war as something that can lead to negative outcome, which none of the civilians have been able to see. The story ends with everyone thinking that the man is a lunatic.

This quote in the first read, did not stick out to me as some of the other descriptive ones, that conveyed violence and tears. However, this quote contains something that I have noticed reappearing through most of Mark Twain's pieces that I have read, and it is just one word. "Think". Mark Twain was notorious for opposing many controversial issues that Americans were supposed to support, such as slavery, and well, war. This story shows that Mark Twain is not necessarily anti-war, but "pro-think". In the story he does not mention the town or the reason of the war (though it was written post-Philippine-American War), because in all honesty, it is not important. He wants to show that even if they were going to war "as the good guys", there are still many negative effects that people and families are forced to face with. While this piece does hint that he is against war and violence, I feel he is more challenging people to think. He wants people to think about their actions, and the people they hurt. Even if they still commit wrong acts, he wants people to at least be aware that what they are doing is "immoral", for once awareness comes, so can change. This piece could also be seen as anti-religion, which is one reason it was so controversial at the time of print. It depicts "good Christians" as the ones committing immoral acts, and Mark Twain creates them as fools. For example, "Then came the 'long' prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading", is used to show that many of the "good Christians" don't even really think about what they are believing in, or that they don't even really care about what they appear to stand for. The fact that they ignore the Messengers words, which contain much truth, shows that they are brainwashed by religion, which doesn't allow them to better themselves.

The Adventures oF Huckleberry Finn

Mikaila Garfinkel
English 48B
12/25/09
Mark Twain #1

"We was down south in the warm weather, now, and a mighty long ways from home...it was the first time I ever see [Spanish moss] growing, and it made the woods look solemn and dismal."

This is one of the first lines that opens Chapter 31 in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." It is from the point of view of Huck Finn, a young boy who experiences a journey with a runaway slave, Jim, and how their friendship allows them to help each other. This particular passage is describing when the runaways are in the process of fleeing from their home, and they have been traveling non-stop for many days, and finally they reach a stop at a village, so the frauds could do some work. As they are traveling, Huck describes the nature he is seeing, such as the Spanish moss growing on trees, which is all very new to him. The specific moment of travel appears to be a moment in which Huck realizes that their struggles to get there, might actually lead to a worthy destination. This is one, of several, parts of the Chapter in which Huck seems to be changing from the person he was at home.


This part of the chapter stuck out to me for several reasons. First off, it is the beginning of the chapter, and therefore, sets the mood for the rest of the chapter. The quote itself is rather peaceful, and sets the mood to feel that Huck is genuinely content, despite being a runaway...He describes the Spanish moss hanging from the trees like "long gray beards." Long beards often make me think of an old wise man, or wizard. This could be foreshadowing of Hucks enlightenment of the "I'll go to hell" moment in which he decides to protect Jim. However, I don't think this is the main part of foreshadowing. The main part that stuck out to me the most from this quote is when he thinks "the wood looks solemn and dismal." The vocabulary in this sentence is much different from most of his other words. He is notorious for using improper slang, which was one major controversy of the story, and being highly uneducated. The words "solemn" and "dismal", and accuracy he uses them in this phrase, shows how he is starting to change. It is proof that he is starting to think more, which is what brings him to his later rrealization. The entire portion of the sentence is perfect grammar, which shows that he really is a smart character, who is able to think abstractly. The other part of this quote that stuck out to me, was the first part, when he talks about how their current location had warm weather. The thing I noticed, was that he said it was much warmer than home. Home is a specific word used to describe a location, and often has a positive connotation that conveys the idea of "warmth" or happiness. They are not running from their town, they are running from their home. Mark Twain creates this word with a negative connotation, by making the place the crew ran to warm and beautiful. I thought it was really interesting how he created a negative image about where they are from , by making the place they ran to much better than their "home".

The Other Two

Mikaila Garfinkel
English 48B
12/21/09

"Waythorne felt himself yielding again to the joy of possesorship. They were his, those white hands with their flitting motions, his light the haze of hair, the lips and eyes..."

This passage is Waythorne's thoughts about his wife Alice, after having discovered that her ex husband Haskett is coming to visit their ill child. He loves his wife, and adores her sweetness, but when he discoveres about Haskett, one of two ex husbands, his feelings about her begin to shift. He has knows of his wife's previous marriages, and it had never bothered him until he realizes that Haskett is of lower class. That is not the only thing that bothers him. He feels that his wife's actions are only good practice from her previous marriages, and that she is willing to do anything that pleases him. He begins to feel less enjoyment of his wife, but more control. While most men would be thrilled about this discovery, he begins to be bothered by the fact that every action is not sincere, but a mere attempt to make him happy, for he is probably her last chance of a marriage. This quote shows Waythorne's attitude change, by realizing that he controls her. While in this particular sentence it brings him joy, the quote is followed by Alice pouring coffee in not the way the he likes it, but her ex husband Varick, and he become bothered by the possessive notion.

This particular quote stuck out to me for a few reasons. I feel that it shows a different side to Waythorne, not only in his change in feeling towards his wife. Throughout the rest of the story, he tries to gain the readers sympathy by making Alice come off as a horrible beast who is only using and manipulating him. This quote is a brief glimpse as to some of Waythorne's inner thoughts that are not so pleasing to the reader. While he goes into endless detail about how much he loved his wife, he also thinks of her as an object in which he possesses. Their are other brief occurrences as these, such as when Waythorne says "a man would rather think that his wife has been brutalized by her first husband than that the process had been reversed." He make Alice appear guilty of being an "actress", when he doesn't even think of his wife as sweetly as he makes it seem. Like Alice, he is also putting on an act. These acts represent the repression the wealthy lifestyle brings them, for they cannot openly say their true feelings to one another, without being unconventional or inappropriate. Another reason this quote struck out to me, was the punctuation. His thought ends with an ellipse, which shows that his thought is incomplete, that there is more that he is thinking, that he is not telling the reader. The fact that he won't share it, gives off the impression that he does not even find it suitable to be thought, for it is a very low thought about his wife. It can also show that he begins to question whether "those lips and eyes" are really his, or if he feels that she is the one who is possessing him.

Daisy Miller: A Study

Mikaila Garfinke
English 48B
Henry James

"Very likely they have never seen a man with such good manners, such fine clothes, so like a gentleman...He sits with them in the garden, in the evening. I think he smokes."

This quote is a part from the conversation about Daisy Miller, between Winterbourne and his Aunt, Mrs. Costello. They are discussing Daisy and her family, where Mrs. Costello informs Winterbourne that she frowns upon the family, and finds them to be unsophisticated, and thinks they try to be "upperclass Europeans", when they are really just Naive Americans. This excerpt particularly is Winterbourne's and his Aunts conversation about the Miller family's courier, which is a personal assistance usually hired to help with vacations. Mrs. Costello mentions how she heard, and is appalled by the fact that they allow him to eat and "hang out" with them, outside of work related time. She mentions how she imagines that the courier is probably more refined than them, despite him acting like their servant, and that they are probably awe struck by the idea of someone so "refined".

There were several reasons why this passage stuck out to me. The first thing, is that I noticed this reoccurring setting, of "the garden" and it struck some interest as to why this particular location kept popping up in this story. Gardens are usually thought of as a place of solitude, a tranquil place where there is usually beautiful flowers and sun, and a genuinely peaceful place. However, the things that happen in the garden, such as the Miller and Couriers relationship, or even Winterbourne's meeting with Daisy, are actions that usually strike gossip, or would be frowned upon by society. I think that Henry James uses this contrast of setting, and what is going on there, to show that even in the most "refined" places, unsavory acts still occur. Even an act such as a servant sitting with their employers is thought of as horrific. Something else that stood out from this excerpt is when she says "I think he smokes". I find it highly unlikely that they are concerned, or even aware, of the healthy consequences of smoking. When Winterbourne meets Daisy for the first time, it mentions him lighting a cigarette. Since Winterbourne is of high class, and it is apparent in other literary works, smoking is considered a sign of high class, because it is a luxury. Mrs. Costello is appalled by the idea that not only are the Millers striving to appear as if they are higher class than they really are, but so is their servant. On a symbolic level, smoke is also something that disperses, or disappears into the air. While it might be going out on a limb here, but he could be implying that the Millers and the couriers "false high class" is temporary, and that they could soon realize that their fantasy is like smoke, and will soon disappear. However, this could be looking too far into it, although, James is known for his subtlety it is said.

The Open Boat

Mikaila Garfinkel
English 48B
2/12/09
Stephen Crane

"...It was tragic. This fact was somehow so mixed and confused with his opinion of his own situation that it seemed almost a proper reason for tears. The water was cold."

This passage from The Open Boat is from the inner thoughts of the correspondent, who in actuality, is Stephen Crane's story. It is describing the scene where the men are knocked out of the boat, and into the freezing water of Florida. While it is happening to all the men, it is told from the correspondents perspective, so he is isolating himself from the crew, and while they probably all feel the same thing, he is making it appear as if the world is against him, him alone. This is the only time throughout the story that a character is on the verge of tears, and it is interesting the time that this occurs. It is not when the men are stewing alone, contemplating their own deaths, or are nearly starving to death. It is only when he is knocked off the boat, into January water, that he is overwhelmed. There are several reasons I believe that Stephen Crane chose to use this particular scene to convey such frustration and emotion, some of which we brushed over in class. However, I have a couple of my own thoughts on it as well.

As we discussed in class, the emotion being stirred from the correspondent is the idea that the "cold water" was the last straw that puts him over the edge. Not only is the crew lost at sea, dying, and all around miserable, but when thrown into the water, it is ice cold. Not only is it cold, but it is in Florida, where they dreamed the water would be anything but. Florida is thought of as a oasis, "paradise" place, and when the correspondents depiction of this is tarnished, it is enough to throw him off the edge. Not only can the idea of cold water be looked at on a literal sense, but it can also be viewed from a metaphorical sense, which is a common occurrence I have noticed among Crane. While of course there is water, because they are lost at sea, "cold" water can represent something else. The ocean is there only chance of survival, if it steers them in direction towards safety, and is also there chance of death. The water is cold, in that it is forcing their journey to be a struggle. Crane uses nature as "not regarding him as important" and this quote coincides with this idea. Nature has so much control over their lives, in fact, is the only control at this point in their lives, and "she" is cold by causing such an experience. Crane often also refers to the "seven gods" of the sea, and he is implying that the gods that are controlling their fate are monstrous in a sense. The ocean, or the cold water, is also extremely vast, and Crane uses the ocean to emphasize how insignificant all the characters, or in his mind, people in general, are in comparison to the world. He wants to show that an individual does not matter when looking at the perspective of the entire universe.

Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

Mikaila Garfinkel
English 48B
2/10/09
Stephen Crane

"His mother's great chest was heaving painfully. Jimmie paused and looked down at her. Her face was inflamed and swollen from drinking...Her mouth was set in the same lines of vindictive hatred that it had, perhaps, borne during the fight."

This quote is, rather obviously, describing Maggie's mother, Mary, after getting into a drunken fight with her husband, what appears to not be an uncommon occurrence. The scene is told, though from third person, implied through the eyes of Jimmie, and depicts Mary for what she really is, and how she is really seen. She is illustrated as not only a "stereotypical" poor Irish woman, with the poor home, unhealthy children and heavy drinking problem, but also as a woman that is in a lot of pain. Her eyes are described as "grown blue" and she has "tangled hair tossed in waves over her forehead". All these descriptions depict Mary as someone that is not only, "evil", but as a generally unhappy person, that doesn't even try to take care of herself. The pain in the chest can be "seen" by the narrator, so it is intended to convey that she is holding a lot of resentment and hatred (hence the mouth) inside of her. Mary's hatred, usually geared towards Maggie, could be thought of as jealousy, for Maggie is pretty and kind, unlike most "Rum Alley" kids (although by the end of the story, Maggie has completely changed). It is ironic that Mary finds Maggie evil, when Mary herself embodies most of the demonic qualities.


The quote stuck out to me, because it brought my attention to the fact that Mary was a raging alcoholic. While it is well-known that this was not uncommon for Irish immigrants, and the thus the birth of the stereotype, it was the first story I can recall that depicts a woman as an alcoholic. Many Irish authors, such as Frank McCourt, include male, or father figure, alcoholics (although in McCourt's case, it was factual since it was a memoir). While I was always aware that there were woman alcoholics, I think Crane chose a female figure for this role with great intention. I think he wanted to show the reader that the slums he was trying to depict included all sorts of people, including mothers. With a female antagonist, he is showing that all immigrants are effected by the downsides of the Irish immigration that occured, and flooded the streets with poverty and hard liquor. This is not the only time he chooses to defy the steretype, for he also make Jimmie very anti-relgious. While it is apparent, that many of these Catholics have sinned, they are still shown as "believers", such as Mary being against premarital sex. Jimmie being against religion is Crane's way of showing the reader that there are deviations from the "normal" or Irish stereotypes. Even if these deviations are negative, it is still a step towards going against the norm, perhaps a hint of optimism from Crane coming through.

The Squatter and the Don

Mikaila Garfinkel
English 48B
Maria Ampara Ruiz de Burton

"They are gentlemen, no doubt...Evidently he admired and liked them."


This quote is from the part of the story, in which the "Anglos", or the squatters, are conversing to one another. As they are talking, Senor Alamar and Mr. Mechlin ride up in a buggy, a sign of wealth, and the squatters find themselves in awe of their presence. Despite them being robbed of their rights by the US, these wealthy Spanish men still present themselves in a more than elegant fashion. They ride up in a buggy, another sign of their wealth, and attempt to propose a business plan with the poor squatters, whom are settling on their land. Don Mariano is the leader of the group, and is being robbed of his land, and of his cattle. Due to the legal situation at hand, for the US now owns his land, he cannot speak up about the thieves. Instead, he proposes a way for them all to make money, but the squatters are resistant to his idea, perhaps due to the intimidation of his "gentleman" way of carrying himself.

The reason that the story was so interesting to me, which is especially supported by the above quote, is that there is such a switch of roles, compared to the present times. In the set story, the Mexicans are the wealthy people, who are also depicted as intelligent, graceful and smart businessmen. The white people, or "Anglos", are the ones that are described as squatters. The word "squatter" has a negative connotation to it, as if they are homeless, and are obviously very poor. The Anglos are also poor at yielding a crop, they are not as smart when it comes to business, and are also thieves, as they are stealing Don's cattle (as well as his land). The reason it struck out to me, is because it appears completely reversed to the stereotypes nowadays. Now, it seems that the Mexicans that live in the US are thought of as very poor, working minimum wage jobs. They are also notorious for being involved in criminal acts, such as stealing and gang banging in the "ghetto". While this is purely based on stereotype, it is interesting to see such a drastic switch, in such a short time period. It is likely that "The Land Act" is a major part of why the roles traded. With the Californios not in control of their land, it is inevitable that it will be taken over, and the only place Mexicans will be able to go, is to the poorer parts of the area, much like the Jews, Chinese and other minorities throughout history. We no longer think of Mexican Americans as stereotyped such as Don Mariano, but that are what the "squatters" in the story, or Whites today, are though as. Reading the story, as both a Mexican, and a White, hit me on a personal note. It made me feel as if my White side is responsible for much of the discrimination Mexican people are forced to endure here in the United States, especially in California and other places close to the border.

Sarah Orne Jewett

Mikaila Garfinkel
English 48B
The White Heron


"The guest did not notice this hint of family sorrows in his eager interest in something else."

Sylvie's grandmother is telling her and Sylvie's family history to their guest, the stranger, but he is barely listening as he is distracted by something else. He has taken an unusual interest in Sylvie, despite him being a full grown man, and her being a nine year old girl. The girl becomes unthreatened by the stranger, and he soon becomes a friend whom the grandmother and Sylvie accept into their home. Sylvie and the hunter take an unusual close connection to each other,one that is almost too close for comfort when thinking about the age difference between the two. It is unusual that the Grandmother and hunter do not become as close to one another as the child and the hunter. While it is possible that he is interested in Sylvie because her grandmother mentions that she is friends with every bird and squirrel in the forest, and he is trying to to find the White Heron, the bird he has been after for many days, there are other underlying themes that can reside in this quote.

I chose this quote because, honestly, I found it to be incredibly creepy. One way of viewing the way the hunter is looking at Sylvie, is that he sees her as the girl that has the answer to his problems. She knows of the White Heron, and he is aware of this, so he could be playing up his interest in her, to gain her trust and get her to reveal where the White Heron lives. I also see the possibility that the hunter is looking at her in a fatherly way. The description does not depict him as creepy, or having immoral intentions at heart, and he could be interested in her due to her hospitality. While it is plausible, I do not believe that was the writers intention in the meaning behind his look. I think Jewett included it to come off as explicitly sexual. The fact that the little girl and her grandmother are alone in the woods plays a large role in this reasoning. They are far from civilization, and too willingly accept a stranger into their home, as if they too are eager for some company. But the fact that he is a full grown man, allows the boundary of acceptable to be crossed when he befriends Sylvie. The words "eager interest" subtly show the true meaning behind the look. Like them, he has traveled alone, and it would not be surprising if he would take interest in a girl, even so young. I also feel like the "White" Heron is symbolic as well. White is often used to represent virginity, and the Sylvie has the answers to the White Heron, as if she is holding on to her virginity. When she finds the bird, and chooses not to share the information with the hunter, despite her liking to him, it is as if she is choosing to hold on to her virginity, and not giving her morals aways. Although, the morals in the story are keeping her secrets with the animals she befriends, this as well could represent her choice in protecting her purity.