The Piano Lesson 7

I found this exchange between Berniece and Lymon to be very interesting because we hear and see how a lot of men treat women and how they talk about them. Most men you meet at a saloon or bar are just looking for a good time. But Lymon is looking for a woman that will love him and treat him well. Seeing Boy Willie in the first part of the scene and then Lymon and how they treat and talk about women really shows the differences between them. Boy Willie is the guy who is looking for a good time and Lymon is the one looking for love. I really feel for Lymon and his struggle to find someone to care for and to care for him. Something tells me that Lymon might give Avery a run for his money when it comes to Berniece later in the story.

Comment: I also noticed the characters changes when they spoke to each other. Berniece seemed to be a lot calmer and Lymon seemed to come out of his shell a bit. I definitely noticed some foreshadowing when it came to Lymons feelings towards Berniece.

The Piano Lesson 6

During Act Two, scene 2 while Berniece was speaking to Avery I totally agreed with her point of view on women. When she said, "You trying to tell me a women can't be nothing without a man. But you alright, [...] Everybody telling me I can't be a women unless I got a man"(67). I completely agree with everything Berniece was saying. Why is it okay for a man to go without a women but it's not okay for a women to go without a man? I know it doesn't happen so much today but I feel like there is still this sense that women are looked down on if they don't have a man by there side. But it always seems to be okay if the man doesn't have a women. After reading the scene I think those issues will come up again.

Comment: The whole thing with Berniece bringing her past with her reminds me of the silent discussion we had in English One point I brought up then was learning from your past and moving on which is what Berniece needs to do now.

The Piano Lesson 5

When Wining Boy brings the silk suit to Lymon and starts telling him how nice it is and how anywhere else the suit would cost a lot of money but that he was willing to give it to Lymon for three dollars, I started getting really suspicious of Wining Boy. He may have seriously just being nice to Lymon but I got the feeling that he was kind of taking advantage of Lymon. I felt like he was using some of Lymon's ignorance against him so he could earn some money. So as the play continues I will be looking to see if Wining Boy tries to take advantage of anyone else.

Comment:I also found that part interesting. The two times Sutter's ghost was seen he seemed to be concerned with two different things, the piano and Boy Willie. I also wrote about the way Wining Boy treated Lymon concerning the suit, the way he acted didn't really seem like the Wining Boy we have been reading about.

The Piano Lesson 4

Close to the end of Act one, Scene 2, Berniece says: "You killed Crawley just as sure as if you pulled the trigger" (52). Now reading Berniece's reasoning for the accusation at Boy Willie I understand her feelings and why she might think that. I also feel for her, she lost her husband and she feels as if her brother had killed him, I would be just as upset as her if that happened to me. But after reading Boy Willie's side of the story I totally understand why he doesn't feel responsible for Crawleys death. The why Boy Willie explains it, it sounds like Crawley was asking for some one to kill him. These two different points of view make me very interested to see what else Boy Willie and Berniece disagree on besides Crawleys death and the piano.

Comment: I definatly think you are right about the connection with the piano and the ghosts. When Boy Willie and Lymom were moving it the heard the ghost of Sutter, who I think is connected witht he other ghosts.

The Piano Lesson 3

Something that caught my attention while reading was when Boy Willie is talking about Berniece he said: " She believe in anything if it's convenient for her to believe. But when the convenience run out then she ain't got nothing to stand on" (35). I found this interesting because it seems to me that Boy Willie is always saying negative things about Berniece and always undermining her feelings and acting as if what she feels or says doesn't matter. Another example is when he tells the other boys that he is going to go ahead and sell the piano even though Berniece said that she wasn't going to sell it.

Comment:I think you have a very interesting point there. There could possibly be a real ghost but the thought that everyone is covering up acts of a murderer actually makes sense. If people just say it's a ghost there really isn't anyone to blame for the deaths.

The Piano Lesson 2

Something I found interesting was when Doaker was talking about the railroads, at first he was simpling talking about railroads but then he he uses the railroads as a sort of metaphor for life. He talks about how there is always a train going in your direction, even if you miss it there will be another one. With the "trains going every whichaway", it shows how people and their lives are constantly moving and changing and paths are crossing and everyone is just going everywhere. Then Doakers feelings towards his own metaphor changes, he doesn't want people going everywhere, he thinks it would be best if everyone just staid where they were. This interested me because it almost seems as if Doaker set up this great metaphor to show us our flaws and things that we shouldn't be doing.

Comment:
I also think it's interesting that they all fight but that is also what siblings do. Me and my siblings fight all the time but not like the characters in the story. I am interested to find out if your prediction that their family had a previous problem before now comes true.

The Piano Lesson 1

In the begginning of the play on the first page I was suprised to see the word nigger used. I've always known it to be offensive to black people and didn't expect to see it in a book we read in class. I was also thrown a little off guard when I started reading by the way the charecters talked I wasn't expecting to read that kind of dialouge.

Comment: I also found the differences in the characters to be compelling because they were related. Other than the characters telling us that they are related I didn't see a connection between them.

Cry, the Beloved Country Chp. 32 Tabs

Three pages into chapter 32 the narrator says that the drought will break today with no doubt. I tabbed this because I thought it was interesting how this is such a good thing for the people living in the valley yet with the way it is worded it seems like it is just an quotidian thing.

Later in the chapter I tabbed the part where the land is being described again, "... all red with the blood of the earth". I did this because it reminded me of the first chapter in the first book when the earth is being described as torn away flesh. I see this description of the earth as a motif accruing through out the entire story.