Questions for As I Lay Dying

1. Why does Addie have such a severe reaction to Jewel buying the horse?

2.  What is Faulkner trying to explain in having the pastor be the man that Addie was cheating with?

Why is Anse so Transfixed on Bringing Addie Back To Jefferson?

The only clear goal a hundred pages into As I Lay Dying  is for Addie to be buried in Jefferson. Anse is disregarding everybody's advice and going to extreme lengths to find a way to transport Addie to Jefferson. Characters such as Tull comment how Anse has never been this motivated in his life and something has changed. I believe that Anse is so motivated because he did something terrible to Addie in her past. This comes from a comment Tull made,"Wherever she went, she has her reward in being free of Anse Bundren."(Faulkner, 59) Addie made the wrong decision. She regretted marrying Anse and I believe tried to get out of the marriage or she cheated. I believe this because she wants to be buried no where near Anse, but with her parents. Anse did not allow Addie to leave so she was stuck in some sort of hell where she had nowhere to go. After Addie's death, Anse is filled with regret for his actions and believes that bringing Addie back to Jefferson is a way to atone for his sins. I think the kids have some idea of this because Jewel rides on a horse alone when attempting to make it back to Jefferson. This would also explain why Jewel was Addie's favorite; Jewel knew what hell Addie was going through. In conclusion, Anse is so intent on bringing Addie back to Jefferson as a way to atone for his actions that he committed during their marriage.

Single Word From "As I Lay Dying"

Bevel

Two Questions About "As I Lay Dying"

1. How does the language used by Faulkner affect the readers understanding of the text and their first impression of Dewey Dell?

2. What is Faulkner trying to convey about Anse's character when Anse explains God's reasoning for using roads to travel?

Public Opinion vs. Personal Belief

In the fourth chapter of The Things They Carried O'Brien tells the story of his struggle of whether to draft dodge or not. O'Brien does not agree with the war and has no drive to go to Vietnam, but the main reason he does not leave for Canada is his towns opinion of him. O'Brien can not imagine the embarrassment that comes with dodging. He fears that he would be ostracized, and even imagines the conversations townsfolk would have once he was gone. However, like most teenagers in the country he personally does not agree with the war. He does not want to lay his life down in some foreign land. O'Brien's conflict of public opinion vs personal belief took  hold of the many of the young men drafted. The conflict is epitomized when O'Brien is 20 yards from Canada's shore. He of course could swim to the shore, get away and never step foot in Vietnam. However, getting to the shore would be cold and uncomfortable for him. O'Brien does not go to Canada because he can not bear to live the rest of his life with a chip on his shoulder. He wants the approval of the people around him, so he has to go to war. His personal beliefs are pushed down by a fear of not being loved. While today people might call O'Brien cowardly for going against his beliefs, few wanted to go against public onion during the draft.

Symbolism in the Arrangers of Marriage

In the novel The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie the short story called The Arrangers of Marriage contains multiple symbols including the American cookbook. After their neighbor comments on the smell of foreign food in the complex Dave immediately goes and buys an American cookbook for Agatha to learn. This American cookbook represents Dave's wanting to blend in to America. From the very beginning of the story Dave attempts to erase everything that has to do with his Nigerian heritage. While Dave does appear to enjoy the traditional Nigerian meal," even smacking his lips like Uncle Ike sometimes did to show Aunty Ada how pleased he was withher cooking," (Adiche, 179),  he does not want her to cook like a Nigerian again because people took notice. He does not want to be known as "those foreigners" but a part of a uniform machine. The American cookbook is a way to become part of the machine.  The American cookbook also represents Agatha's disappointment in the marriage. As she attempts to cook American food she complains how she did not expect life to be like this, " Another thing the arrangers of marriage did not tell you- the struggle of brown beef in oil." (Adiche, 179) Agatha was told she won the lottery in marrying a American doctor. It was every Nigerian girl's dream. However the marriage has only been filled with disappointment as her Nigerian ways are being pushed away for a shallower American culture.