What did you think about "A Rose for Emily"? We did go through it very fast today, a little too fast, but I really wanted to get to the end. And now that we've gotten to the end, you can see that the whole story really depends on that wonderful shocking ending.
Some of you came up after class and told me that the vocabulary is too difficult. Yes, it is, even for me. For example, at the bottom of page 129, we read about "valance curtains." What is that? I don't know. And I'm not going to find out. Because it's not important for the story! You can understand the story perfectly well without knowing this one word, "valance," and it's a word that you will probably never see again--I never saw it before I read this story--so why bother about it? And the same thing with many other words in this story--when I kept reading without explaining the difficult words, that means that you don't need to know them.
What you do need to know about the story is "the big picture," the main ideas, the things that make this story different and special. One of the really big things in "Emily" and in Faulkner generally is the power of the past. We've talked about this a little today...
I will write more later in the week. For now, do comment here about any difficulties or questions or discoveries about this story.
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Existence of homer is the only one reality which is in accordance for her I think. cause of that bury him means breaking her own real world by herself. I'll write about this thing in detail on my blog. please read and comment it
ReplyDeleteI just got wondering about what we had discussed today. The reason Colonel Sartoris remitted Emily's taxes was that she had killed Yankee. But It is said that the dispensation dated from the death of her father which happend 2 years before the death of Yankee.
ReplyDeleteSo It seemed to me they remitted her taxes because of her father's death. Otherwise, Did they just say like this, pretending it doesn't have anything to do with Yankee's death? pretendig not to know anythng about it? ..
and If it is true why did they pretend in that way? To hide a joyful emotion about the death of Yankee?..
Got so many questions. Hope my bad writngs convey well what I wanted to ask.
I thought long, long time of-why Emily killed H.B? Just he is not a marrynig man? Well, what I thought is because of her honor;kind of prestige of southerner. And she is not a normal person. She loved him, that's really clear. But also she may not want to admit that her lover is northern. Even H.B wants to marry him, is Emily really get married? To me, I cannot sure. She is also one of the southern. After she killed H.B and mayor remitted her taxes, she accept it naturally! Kill the sweetheart,got a reward of it and do not refuse?? What a love..
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought that Emily was remitted from taxes because her father died and they felt sorry for her. But after hearinng that if you kill a Yankee you are tax free. I think that's right. But I keep wondering if that's the reason why Emily killed HB. Maybe she didn't really like him but because she only had a big house left to her, and she didn't have enough money, maybe she's been planning this since she saw HB. Iguess she knew that her taxes would be remitted if she kills any Yankee. So she thought HB was a good chance for her.
ReplyDeleteSo did she buy men's clothing and other stuffs to hide her crime? Pretending that she really love him?
I understand her a little bit as a woman.
ReplyDeleteShe was loving him so much so I think she doesn't accept that he's gone. I guess she was missing him and in some way got resentful about the fact that he left. Eventought he's from North and she knows that people in town hate it saying something bad behind her, she kept loving him. So when he's back in town she made him staying with her forever to not leaeve. I guess her love became the obsession.
Today sort of this incidents happen too..
And she's lucky. Everybody in town didn't say she was a murder because she killed a Yankee. Even she's got benefit from it(tax remitted).
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how Emily felt when she poisoned H.B. She really loved him, but he turned down her. So her pride as a southerner or woman in the respectable family. Maybe I think she had a lot of agony until the event.
ReplyDeleteOr she might be shocked. Because she has never seen the guy who refused her. She has always beheld the situations that her father keep the men away. With this, she could misunderstand like that every one was interested in her. Maybe or Maybe not.
I think Emily's loneliness. after her father's death, she lived alone. she must be lonely. Emily is consigned to a life of loneliness and isolation because of who she is and where she lives.
ReplyDeleteThe townspeople are somewhat ambivalent about Miss Emily, don't you think?
She is all that is left of the "aristocracy" of the town, and that aristocracy was probably respected but feared and disliked in her father's day. I think the towns people cared about Miss Emily, but were not all that sorry to see her decline. nobody really loves her..
Is it really 'love' that Emily poisened HB? I really can't understand. Political background between North and South America influenced those lovers so cruel? But instantly, I think that all love can't go into right way. Just as we sometimes make a mistake. I mean, Emily loved HB and poisened because of love but this way was not right. Maybe she read 'Romeo and Juliet' a lot. If I were Emily, I could ran away with HB.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to compare Emma with everyday life. It's so interesting because same things are actually happenning in our life. People get something when they acheive their goal. Even the goal is against moral issues. They still get something and of course usually they get money. We see this everyday but this story was written so long ago. In this regard It becomes a great guide book for young people somehow. I don't know maybe some people might say It's 100% sinful to get bribe and harm others for your own goods but I felt this is the way we are living our life and It started long time ago and It will continue.
ReplyDelete