Ap English Short Stories

     Most of the big shore places were closed now and there were hardly any lights except the shadowy, moving glow of a ferryboat across the sound. And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes- a fresh, green breast of the new

In the beginning the men see a lighthouse that is supposed to be where the rescue team awaits. “It took an anxious eye to find a lighthouse so tiny” (Crane 249). The men were anxious to be rescued and to have hope of being on land again. As they drifted along, they realized that the life station have appeared to be abandoned (crane 251). Just before then Crane describes the land and the lighthouse as a “…upright shadow on the sky, this land seemed but a long black shadow on the sea” (Crane 250). This gives the reader the impression that the men are not match for the large sea, causing then to lose hope of being rescued. The symbol is carried on throughout the story when the vegetation on page 252 is being described as dark because it is lifeless. In contrast, the light symbolizes hope. Crane describes the light as “the furniture of the world” (Crane 257). This light is just the right amount of hope the men need to stay afloat. In the final stages of the story the men were helped ashore by a naked islander. The correspondent sees this kind helper as a saint that was lit up by a halo above his head (Crane 265). The islander represents light and survival. On the other hand “In the shadows, facedown, lay the oiler” (Crane 265) who had lost his life in the fight of the waves to get ashore. The shadow that was cast about him represented death and loss of hope

     Through despair, Robert forces himself to keep with his ideals, which shows just how strong his resolve is. When Robert was in despair, he took his mind off his problems by keeping himself busy. After losing Rowena, Robert decides to join the army to replace taking care of Rowena, by taking care of the human condition. Later when Robert loses Harris, he busies himself by performing the last rites over his good friend. “This is not a military funeral. This is just a burial at sea. May we all remove our caps? (p107)” Later when Robert is attacked in the bath house, he finds that he is still trying to protect Rowena. He does this by lighting her pictures on fire to remove her from this cruel world. “Robert sat on the mutilated mattress and opened his kit bag. Everything was there – including the picture of Rowena. Robert burned it in the middle of the floor. This was not an act of anger – but an act of charity. (p172)” These show that even through despair, Robert manages to stick to his ideals.

Most of the big shore places were closed now and there were hardly any lights except the shadowy, moving glow of a ferryboat across the Sound. And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch

When Edna returns home later that day, she finds out that Robert is leaving for Mexico. She is rather upset with this news and afterwards leaves to go home. "She went directly to her room. The little cottage was close and stuffy after leaving the outer air. But she did not mind; there appeared to be a hundred different things demanding her attention indoors." (42) She tries to ignore that his leaving and not telling her affects her so much. Yet she declines an invitation from Madame Lebrun to go and sit with them until Robert leaves. When Edna sees him leave it tears her up inside that her companion, the one person that she felt understood her, is leaving: "Edna bit her handkerchief convulsively, striving to hold back and to hide, even from herself as she would have hidden from another, the emotion which was troubling - tearing- her. Her eyes were brimming with tears." (44) Edna's life is not complete when Robert leaves:

The glistening sun scorching my eyes bring me back to consciousness , i have only a few seconds of silence before i am overcome with an unbearable screech next to me .

“There is something strange about this house”, Scarlett murmured to herself. Ten days ago, her mother bought a penthouse which costed a huge amount of money. The penthouse had luxurious amenities, high end appliances, finest furniture and luxurious flooring system, etc. By this Scarlett was exited but at the same time specifically her room was an eccentrics of the luxurious penthouse. Scarlett even knew about the previous owner who was a film producer Sam who had disappeared. Later, after two days the body was found decomposed in a nearby cemetery. This really irked Scarlett. From the following ten day she has been experiencing situations which are hard to describe. For example, feeling like someone is observing, sounds of screaming, doors creaking,

“Compare/contrast Faulkner’s ‘Dry September’ with ‘A rose for Emily’ in terms of writing style and character presentation.”

Ruby realizes her value to Liam in the book when they are close together and learn her place on earth “The most important thing you ever did was learn how to survive. Do not let anyone make you feel like you shouldn't have. Pg 66”

After a long quiet night, the sun slowly peeked up over the horizon announcing the start of a new day. Farmer John lay in his bed eagerly awaiting Rhody’s call to wake up the farm.

While listening to the StoryCorps stories, three of the five that I chose to focus on all have something in common. Each story depicts in some sort of way that hard work goes a long way in life. The stories I listen to were, “Anytime they had a stunt to do with a black actor, they would paint these white guys in blackface.” “The way that I look at my job as a vendor, I am a professional athlete.” and “All of a sudden Dr. King drove down the street.” These three stories showed that when you work hard, good things come to you. The “black actors” story talked about two men who wanted to become stuntmen for real actors. These two men were rejected from many films but continued practicing in parks, and on the streets. They would dive off park bleachers

She overlooked the beach, staring into its marvelous beauty. The sound of the waves filled her ears as she leaned backwards into the sand. She sat with gracefulness, the tips of her feet meeting with the ocean, the grains of the earth rubbing between her fingers. The smell of sea's salt wafted past her nose as she settled into deep thought. There was nothing she could do. This was it, the end of her journey with Rose. Thousands of years coming to halt for the birth of a half human, half gem being; at the sacrifice of the greatest gem she had ever known. She could feel the sting of the tears as they welled near the brim of her icy hues. However, she refused to let them fall. She

It was a cold and starless night, three children and their dog ran away from home. Their names were Tanuki, Susie, and William along with their dog Snake. Their were fairly young for their age but in respectful terms. They ran away from home to go camping together, when they were setting up camp Susie started talking about a legend. "They say when it's a full moon that a wolf with glowing white eyes as bright as the moon, will come to take you to your grave!" Susie spoke in a creepy voice, the others were a little frightened but they didn't show it. "Susie! Stop telling us such ridiculous carrot tales! We know of the legend already but your just trying make it real!"

Minutes after changing into the clothes he found, Shin heard a faint noise coming from somewhere inside the small shed. He turned around abruptly and scanned the room, yet he could not see anyone. All he heard was the howl of the wind beating against the weak frame of the barn like shed. Shin continued rumbling through the items in the shed, looking for anything that might help him on his journey. The shed had barely any food or water left, for Shin had already taken it when he first entered (Harden 120). Shin couldn’t find any other articles of clothing besides the ones he was wearing. With the exception of a few research books, there was nothing on the main table. Shin continued to open boxes and cabinets throughout the house, when

The story portrays rural life in a little Norfolk village, in the 1890s. It describes the visit of a character (maybe spinster) to a woman who has just given birth to a stillborn baby. At first she visits the husband, Mr.Hodd, and she enters his world made up just of poverty: with his eldest boy he’s cutting turnips. The family already has twelve children, and they’re very poor. When the narrator visits Mrs.Hodd’s house, she finds out that the dead baby is not in his little bed, and his little brothers are playing with his corpse, like a doll.