Othello 1

"I have told thee often, and I retell thee again and again, I hate the Moor." pg. 1381

In most Shakespearean plays, the story is told from the protagonist point of view. However, the point of view in Othello is unique. It is told from the antagonist point of view. Iago, the antagonist, is a very manipulative man. He has plotted a scheme that will get him revenge. Because the story is told from Iago's point of view, the reader knows and understands why Iago is seeking revenge. Through asides and soliloquies, the readers learn Iago's deep personal thoughts. These are thoughts that are only known by Iago and the audience. This generates suspense because it is as if the audience is taking part in the manipulation. The rest of the characters are unaware of the events to come, and the audience is unaware of when Iago's plan will be executed fully.

Plot 4. Interpreter of Maladies

"The slip of paper with Mr. Kapasi's address on it fluttered away in the wind." pg. 166

I think there were two central conflicts in this story. Both of which were internal. One was Mrs. Das's struggle to deal with her guilt of cheating on her husband and having an illegitimate child. The other is Mr. Kapasi's fantasy like desire towards Mrs. Das. I sympathize with Mrs. Das because she has no one to confide in. She has to live with her guilt and has no one to help her deal with it. I don't sympathize with Mr. Kapasi on the other hand though. I find him to be pathetic. He becomes overwhelmingly infatuated with Mrs. Das when she is simply gives him a little attention. I feel like he made every encounter they had more significant than it really was. I'm glad that Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi never got involved. I felt like that was what the suspense of the story was leading to, but I'm glad it wasn't. I think once Mrs. Das learns to deal with her guilt, she will begin to love her children and husband again. I also hope Mr. Kapasi finds something more meaningful in his life.

Plot 2. How I Met My Husband

"So I said yes, and I went out with him for two years and he asked me to marry him, and we were engaged a year more while I got my things together, and then we did marry." pg. 146

I was very surprised by the way the story ended. I found it very ironic that the title is "How I Met My Husband," yet she describes him and their encounter in two paragraphs. I know that Edie's desire to receive a letter from her former lover, Chris Watters, was the reason she met her husband, but I thought the excessive detail of their meaningless fling was irrelevant to her meeting her husband.  The structure of the story provided suspense for the reader. I didn't know what was going to happen. I certainly didn't predict that she would meet and marry her husband within the last page. If we had known that Edie wouldn't end up with Chris, I wouldn't have been as engaged in the story. Because the story is told retrospectively, it makes sense that she wouldn't end up with Chris. As a young girl, she  fantasized about her dream husband, Chris. Now, based on Edie's tone, looking back at herself, she sees how foolish and naive she was. She realizes that logically she needs to be with a normal, nice guy, like Carmichael.

Plot 1. A Rose for Emily

"One of us lifted something from it, and leaned forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair." pg. 289

The purpose of the structure of this story is to create suspense. If this had simply been told in chronological order, the suspense wouldn't have been as effective. To begin the story, Emily is depicted as a victim. She was hassled by the police and imprisoned by her father. So as a reader, I am thinking to myself, poor Emily, as do the people of her town. But, in the end we discover Emily isn't really so helpless. She is in fact crazy. Ironically, Emily turns out to be the so called villain. She has been storing a dead body in her house and laying with it night after night. I think that Emily's change in physical appearance, from thin and pretty to fat and ugly, alludes to the change in how the reader sees her. When Emily is young and beautiful, no one suspects she could be crazy or harmful, but as she begins to age and let herself go, the suspense of what she did begins to build. It is not until she loses all her beauty and youth that we see the true, insane Emily.

Never Let Me Go 18

"We'd been thinking about the deferrals, the theory about the Gallery, all of it, for so long--and now, suddenly, here we were. It was definitely a bit scary." pg. 244

I'm really glad that Tommy and Kathy finally get together. I just hope it isn't too late. I understand how they are feeling though. Its like waiting for something you've talked about, dreamed about, and desperately wanted your entire life, then it is right in front of you. I would think that this feeling would be overwhelmingly intimidating rather than "a bit scary." It's almost like your first day of high school. While your in grade school all you want to do is go to Roncalli, and the closer you get to your first day, the more anxious you become. Then, once the day finally arrives, your completely filled with nerves. Once Tommy and Kathy finally track down Madame, its up to them to take control of their lives. They're no longer fantasizing about what could be. The opportunity is right in front of them. Thankfully, they take it. The chapters leading up to meeting Madame are so incredibly suspenseful. I really don't think I've ever read as fast as I did! I can't wait to see what happens to Kathy and Tommy and what Miss Emily's new role in the story will be.