In the short story"A&P", John Updike's character, Sammy, descriptively introduces the characters. I loved the time spent detailing, even how "Queenie" walked unnaturally in her bare feet. It set the scene well, and helped demonstrate Sammy's background. I interpreted his situation to be kind of desperate. I felt that working at a grocery store at the age of nineteen, college is probably not high on his agenda. I understood that he is still living at home, so he will not be on the streets without a paycheck, but may not have many other job opportunities, (especially since his parents helped him land this one). The details in describing the bodies of the girls intensely shows his interest in them, which makes it more plausible for him to give up his livelihood to impress them at the end.
Sammy's diction is very informal, almost coarse, leading me to the conclusion that he is not highly educated. This in turn, implies that his best prospects for the future may be at the A&P, like his friend, Stokesie.

I think that Sammy's motivation for quitting his job is to impress the girls, especially,"Queenie". I think that he did feel right about the moral decision of standing up for the girls, but ultimately, it is always on the minds of nineteen year old boys, impress the girl.

unit 2, option a " The Story of an Hour"

In the fifth paragraph of "The Story of an Hour",Chopin clearly paints a picture of life. To me, it feels like outside this window is the picture of joy, happiness, general well-being. This seems to be completely conflicting with the feelings that Mrs. Mallard is experiencing, but maybe hints at hope?

I think what Chopin meant by: "...suspension of intelligent thought"(193) is that Mrs. Mallard is incapable of composing a thought of any magnitude at that particular moment.

Initially while reading this, I was drawn to the passage:"There would be no powerful will bending her in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature"(194). I think this sentence powerfully expresses intelligent thought, of what Mrs. Mallard was so recently incapable of doing.

Not to be lazy, because I have read, and re-read this without any success in finding a more significant sentence than the one used in the above paragraph. I find this so powerful because it is Mrs. Mallard's first idea of the freedom Mr. Mallard's death would allow her. Her mind is just starting to grasp the concept of how her life will be affected after his death. This demonstrates the powerful hold that people can impose on their fellow humans, and being released from that hold results in a joy not known before.

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