The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

In the novel, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, the character Esther is introduced to the reader. Esther is a college student who lives in New York City and she working as an intern for a fashion magazine. I can tell by her personality that she is very worrisome about her surroundings. She thinks something is wrong with her. This catches my eyes because it makes me wonder why she is so worried about the simplest things. She worries about the fact that she cannot enjoy her job, her new clothes, or the parties she attends. You soon find out what Esther doesn't realize- most girls envy her. As the opening unravels, the author exposes Esther as she worries about the electrocution of the Rosenbergs. The Rosenbergs are a husband and wife who were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and are eventually sentenced to death. Another thing that catch my eye was the type of person she tries to be. Her personality is ignorant and she seems to be a follower. She tries so hard to hang out with Doreen because she's beauitful and she ignores Betsey. One thing that surprised me was her rude action when she left Betsey hanging outside her door. I feel as if Esther doesn't care about the wrong she did. I'm curious as to what will happen next and what I will discover about Esther.

Unsettling America Poem Response

In the poem, "Mnemonic" by Li-Young Lee, I found it to be very powerful and heart warming. As the author discusses his relationship with his father, he recalls the memories he had with him. Memory is sweet, no matter what the cause or effect. The title is a great name for the poem because it depicts the whole theme of the poem. The word mnemonic refers to memory which connects to the general theme of the poem. One example would be when he was cold, his father gave him the blue sweater. That one sentence shows the memory of his father's compassion and the fervor with which his father cared for him. Another example is when he remembers when his father spanked him but only because he loved him. The common literary term used in the poem is metaphor. The metaphor about the earth being flat rather than round would express the difficulties he would have in his life if he didn't have his father in it. Because his father was in his life, his earth was round and he sees all things revealed as an adult. His memories were a purpose of his way of life.