The Road, Mini analysis

      The word fire has many different meanings to me. When I think about it I think of camping, warmth, firetrucks, the Holy Spirit, heat, orange and red flames. The Oxford online dictionary defines fire as such, "The natural agency or active principle operative in combustion; popularly conceived as substance visible in the form of flame or ruddy glow or incandescence". In our world we do not need fire as a source to survive.We could live life and never use fire for any reason and we would be just fine, it would not even phase us. That is not the case in the book "The Road", by Cormac McCarthy.  In the "The Road", you find that the father and son, who are never named, use fire every single day for survival reasons. If they do not have fire, they would freeze to death, or they would not be able to make/heat up food. Along with fire, the hemlock trees are often mentioned and described within the book as well. The hemlock trees is the place where the father and son find refuge and a safe haven. They often times use the woods for covering and a hiding place when they are trying to avoid the "bad guys". They use the hemlock trees as a shield and a safety mechanism. They also use the hemlock trees/ woods as a place where they call home. When it begins to get too dark for them that they can no longer continue down the road they head into the woods to make a camp to sleep and make a fire for light, warmth and a source of making or heating up their meals. In the Oxford dictionary, it is defined as, "a poisonous umbelliferous plant, having a stout branched stem with purplish spots, finely divided leaves, and small white flowers; it is used medicinally as a powerful sedative." You may wonder why I am talking about these two elements, fire and the hemlock tree, what is the point right? Well I think that these two elements are key to "The Road", and I believe that it has some symbolic meaning. When I read and pondered on these elements, it hit me that the fire and hemlock were working hand in hand together. I believe that the fire did not only represent light but it also represent trial and that they had to go through fire to refine them and make them into who they should be. The hemlock is known for their poison, but the father and son would use the hemlock tree to make themselves a fire for survival reasons. To sum it up, the son and father went through fire and it refined them but they couldn't make fire unless they had branches which were from the hemlock trees to create the fire. The same branches that had poisonous chemicals in them. In our own lives we go through the trials, "fire", and on top of going through that trial sometimes come poison along with it. One thing after another happens and we question God, isn't it enough to go through fire without adding more to it?  In the father and sons case this seemed to be happening to them, they were traveling through a dangerous and dry world and it seems like on top of everything they had to deal dangerous encounters, lack of food, sickness and even death. Wasn't it enough that they had to travel a road that was dangerous and freezing and a lack of nutrition that they needed in order to survive. The land was dark, full ash, snow and rainstorms. They lacked shelter, clothing, food, and joy. They had no hope, it seemed to them that there wasn't much to live for. The only reason the father lived was for the son, and the son didn't know anything of the old world and how it was full of color and hope. This was all that the son knew. However the father knew that he had to teach his son how to survive. The only color and hope they had was through the fire, which was created from the poisonous leaves of the hemlock trees. I believe that the fire represented the situation that they were walking through and the hemlock trees was the very essence that kept their hope alive.  At the end of the story the father was about to die and the son weeps to his father,
"I want to be with you.
You can't.
Please.
You can't. You have to carry the fire.
I don't know how to.
Yes you do.
Is it real? The Fire?
Yes it is.
Where is it? I don't know where it is.
Yes you do. It's inside of you. It was always there. I can see it."
The fire is what lead them. Even though symbolically it was trials and tribulations its what they looked to for hope, because they knew if they made it through all of that they can survive what ever comes their way. You see the fire was not only a physical thing to them but it was also in their hearts. When we as Christians go through fire, "tribulations", it not only a physical thing but it is also in our hearts. We learn from those trials and later on we learn from them and we treasure it as gold. It is of worth and it was worth going through the fire. But sometimes its not only the fire that we go through but it is the certain elements (hemlock tree) that creates the fire that we later see hope and victory in. Without the branches from the trees they would have never had fire and they would have eventually died. They would have not only died physically but also spiritually. Because as humans we need to go through fire to come out refined and valuable. If we don't go through anything then we are worthless. The boy left his fathers body in the woods but in his heart he will forever know the fire they walked through and how it refined him. It would later serve as hope and encouragement when he faces more trials, and fires.

The Road

"Are you there? he whispered. Will I see you at last? Have you a neck by which to throttle you? Have you a heart? Damn you eternally have you a soul? Oh God, he whispered. Oh God."(pg.10). As I read these lines I could not help but to think that the man was talking to God. Maybe I am wrong, but it sounded like he was so frustrated and bitter in his situation that he was cursing at God. Because of the horrible living conditions and the battles that his son and him had to face every single day, it seems as though (even though it is not really mentioned in the rest of the book whether or not he believes in God) he has no one else to blame for the dark world that they lived in but on God. He had no one to turn to, to get answers from. So why not, right? Who else could hold the world in the palm of their hands? The world around them has been burnt down to ashes, hardly any surviving life around them.
     Even though I would not dare to curse at God as he did, I still act in a similar way. Whenever I feel far from God or as if he has abounded me in unfortunate situations, I too question God. God, where are you? Do you see what I am going through, do you even hear me?  Do you not see the pain I am in? Often I fail to trust in God and to remember that he has never left me nor forsaken me. And that I serve a Mighty God, with unlimited power. This made me think about my relationship with God. Even though time and time again God has always been faithful to me. Whenever its not going the way I want them to or how I see fit, I too question God and let the current situation that I am in overwhelm me, when I need to realize that God is right there with me.
     It seems to me that the boy has more faith and more of a giving heart than his father. Throughout the book you will find the son pleading and weeping before his father to help the people that they run into on their journey down the road. If it was not for the son showing compassion and a caring heart the father would not have fed that old man that was all alone. And the boy even showed compassion for the man that stole all of their belongings on the beach, the boy still pleaded with his father to give back the thief's clothing, so he would not die. The boy never blamed anyone for the battles that they had to face every single day, in contrast he was loving and compassionate for the people who were trying to survive, just like they were.
     This challenged my faith and how I saw things. We waste so much time and effort complaining about our situations and trying to question God for the storms in our life that we don't realize the needs of people around us and how we can with a simple action meet their needs and help them in their situations. I speak for myself when I say that I can become selfish, asking God "what about me", "where were you when I need you". When really God has always been by my side and I must wait on him and in the mean time reach out to those who are in worse crisis then myself and help them with what I have and what I can give. I need to be more like the son and have a compassionate heart for those around me and not waste time with "me" questions and start asking "what about them, Father". We shouldn't worry so much because if God is for us who can be against us? God will never take us where His Grace can not sustain us. Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future."

Hills like white Elephants Annotation

     According to the Oxford English Dictionary, curtain is defined as to cover, conceal, veil, protect, shut off, as with a curtain. Throughout this short story, the word curtains consistently popped up in the story. It may have been very subtle but I think it really symbolize a great meaning within the story. A Curtains purpose is to be hung up somewhere for decor or dividing spaces. I want to focus on not so much the decoration aspect but more of the division. A curtain could divide a wall/window from the rest of the room. It could be dividing a room from a room, could be placed at the door way separating a room from a completely different environment. A curtain can close off two different groups of people or two individuals from one another.
     Now in the story, the couple is obviously arguing about something dramatic that is happening in their relationship. A decision that has to be made, is being tossed around whether they are going to go through with their decision or not. They seem both to have two different opinions on the situation. The woman seems to completely shut her self away from the gentlemen. She obviously is thinking the opposite of him. Its seems as though they are not understanding one another, their communication is not as open and flowing as maybe it usually would be. I think that the author kept bringing up the word curtain to subtly make a hint to how this couple is at this point. They are cut off from each other. It is almost as if the "curtain" is hung up between them. She sees the situation in a different light then he does. Their opinions and view points is like the curtain and they can not see eye to eye.

The Road

Nameless man with a nameless boy in a nameless land.
On a journey of survival to an unknown destination.
No place to call home, just each other to keep warm.
Days filled with ash and darkness, no hope to cling to
but only the value of the life of the nameless mans son
to keep pushing, keep fighting.
His love runs so deep for the nameless son,
he would do anything to keep him alive.
His life is the only reason that he keeps living.
There is no tell what the road may lead them to.
They blindingly follow the dark burnt dirty road with no implication whether
there is a place they can finally be safe and call home.
Nameless. hopeless. The only thing that are certain of is danger and death.
Their stomaches are full with nothing but fear.
So nameless. hopeless. They continue into the darkness down the road together to the unknown.

I was never and still is not really good at doing poems and such that's why it has taken me so long to do one. For some reason I this book has inspired me to right a poem. I kind of just reviewed what we have read and tried to put it in a poem. When I think of this story I cannot help but wonder how they survived this long. Not just physically but mentally. They live in fear every single day, not knowing what they will eat every single day. This is such a draining processes not just physically but it has to take a tremendous toll on them within them. I do not know if I would be able to live with such stress in my life and living in a world with no hope and always worrying about dying everyday. It seems like they are so close to death and it seems as though every time they are at the end of its course they always seem to find a way to survive. They live in a dark world, where most people have died or people killing each other and coming in contact with cannibals. As a child I would be scared out of my mind and it seems as though the boy is able to keep it together and on top of that care for others that they come in contact with, he wants to help them too. It just amazes me that his heart is not hardened and is still wanting to care for those who are in need. They live in a dog eat dog world and he still seems to have a pure heart, still so innocent when he has been exposed to things that most kids never come into contact with. Also the father, he is incredibly strong for his son. The only reason he lives is to take care of his son. He hasn't let death and darkness around him overcome him, its as if it is his son that keeps him sane and still alive. It must be heart wrenching to see your own son starve and freeze in the cold all the time, when you know that this is not the norm. But to his son this is the norm, this is all that he knows. His father is able to keep his son safe and he manages to always find a way to feed him and put him first whenever he has the chance. It seems in a world of darkness, the only light to be found is the love that the father has for his son.

Peace Like a River, Reflective

Peace Like a River is a book of faith and miracles. Jeremiah was a man of faith, in the lows and highs. He taught his children how to trust in God and walk in faith. There is always something peaceful about a river whenever we just stare and ponder by it. I think it was the perfect way that Reuben Saw his father in his vision, slipping away into a river at peace and joy in his heart. It was almost as if Jeremiah took the place of his son, his death, and gave him life and healed him also from his breathing problems. Dr. Nokes even told Reuben that he should have died and his father should have lived. Reubens conditions were more severe than his fathers, but it was his father that died instead. It was Jeremiah that kept his family together, he was the glue that mended them together. It is as though Jeremiah passed the torched to Reuben to take care of the family and keep everything running. It was purely a miracle what had happened that day and it is hard for people to make sense of it, at the end of the story Reuben says, "All I can say is, here's how it went. here's what I saw. I've been there and am going back. Make of it what you will". Reubens wounds were fatal, his lungs were in "shreds" and yet lived to tell the story to his brother and others. He lived through it "make of it what you will", but he speaks as though he is confident knowing that it was truly a miracle that he experienced. As Christians we hear of miracles all the time and sometimes we do not expect them to happen to us because we live normal lives and a few of us have only seen a few miracles ourselves so when we actually encounter it for ourselves we are left in awe. When we are face to face with a miracle, the only thing we could do is praise God and give him all the glory and honor because we realize that the "miracle" could have only happened because of God, himself.

The Windhover, Reflective Post

The Windhover is a beautiful poem that just reminds me how great our God is. Many readings that we have read is about stories and poems about life and how our culture is shaped, but this poem shows and describes in beautiful way the glory of God. In class, we spoke how the writer is describing the beauty of God through a falcon. The title of this article means a small hawk like bird that has a habit of sustaining itself in place in the air with its head facing the wind, and I think the title really captures the main description of the poem, "in his riding of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding high there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing". The narrator is captivated by the beauty of the nature and the ability of the bird and how through the beauty he sees God. He describes how his "heart in hiding" is now stirred and moved with admiration for the this bird that he has spotted in the morning glory. I like how he mentions this because as humans we all have different characteristics and some may be really emotional and it may be more difficult for others to show emotions. However, it really shows that no matter who it is, God has the power to move every heart and to melt the coldest of hearts. He is taken completely beside himself and he cant help but to be in awe of God and he begins to speak of the greatness of God. This morning has begun to burn again in his heart, just like the blue-bleak embers, you may think its not on fire anymore, but little do you know that there is fire still burning inside of it and its just waiting for someone to bring it out of them. I really enjoyed this poem and it just reminded me to not take advantage of the beauty that surrounds me and that it is a constant reminder of Gods love and how awesome he is.

I ask My Mother to Sing, Annotation blog

I want to focus on the word overturn from the line, "But I love to hear it sung; how the waterlilies fill with rain until they over turn, spilling water into water, then rock back and fill with more". This part of the poem I felt it really described the entire tone of the poem. In the etymology dictionary, over turn means, "to rotate, roll over; to throw over violently, to ruin, to destroy, to reverse." The narrators mom and grandmother has been displaced moving away from their homeland. The boy is in a way imagining this wonderful place that his grandmother and mom loved so much. This is what they knew and loved. I think that when they moved away from their beloved homeland their lives in a sense was overturned. All that they had left was memories which made them cry. I think when the writer talks about rain filling the waterlilies it symbolizes their emotions, that they cried in reminisce of what they once knew. The overturning can also, in my opinion, symbolize that transitions in their lives when they moved and everything began to change. In the definition from etymology dictionary online, part of the definition was to rotate or roll over. As their lives transition it was as if they were rotating and rolling over to a knew chapter in their lives, only to be filled again with the change of rain. It seems as though they find freedom from past pains and loss and they can escape to find joy through their song. They have a sense of pride of the place that they sing about. Though it may bring back some sad memories, they sing to remember and to share with the narrator what they loved and experienced in their homeland. I think that they may also be crying because they miss their son and husband. The narrator in the beginning shares with us that if his father was still alive he would be there playing his accordion along with the ladies singing and reminiscence. So it was clear that his father too loved to sing their song that brought so many memories of the land that they loved, he too loved the land where their from. I do think that waterlily stanza was really important because it sets the tone of the entire poem and it symbolizes, one why they were singing for the narrator and two why they were crying. I really enjoyed this poem and I think it was well written and it conveyed the tone of voice very well.

Citations:
Harper, Douglas. "Etymology." 2001-2010. Web. <http://www.etymonline.com/index.php>.