Alixia Hoffman

Calvino has a very distinct yet interesting way of introducing all of his chapters. In chapter 3, Calvino begins by talking about how a reader develops interest in a book and becomes very intrigued in the story but soon as he begins to get to the climax, suddenly there are pages missing. This printing mistake leads the main character to go back to the bookstore to return the book. When he meets and eventually sets out to meet Ludmilla at the University, the chapter began to confuse me. The main character gets lost trying to find the right department. The professor was very strange,negative and unclear. He talks about how the Cimmerian language is old and how it has dissappeared. He seems to have some sort of protection over Ludmilla. His attitude suddenly changes when the main character says that he is interested in learning about the Cimmerian language.

                         

Once reading through this chapter, I noticed that the climax was the end of the chapter and I wondered why the author would end on this note. The main character of the story arrives in a rather small town where he has something to take care of hinted by the “suitcase”. The author never explains to us the importance of the suitcase. The main character is also never fully described which also leaves the reader in question of his persona while on the other hand, the author describes the other main characters. Before beginning the main story, the author wants us to feel comfortable in preparation to read the story. A little strange because i have never had a reading experience such as the way Calvino introduces his novel.

                            

 This poem is a memory that was once out-lived by two people. Their “fling” lasted for a short period of time and the author misses those memories. This imposes that to the author it meant more than simply a fling. But to the other significant other, it was nothing more. Once the encounters faded, the author is found reminiscing about the past and wishing that he could revisit those days.

                                                       

This poem I believe compares the author’s experience of a motivational seminar to the life of the poet Lord Byron. Lord Byron was known to have many problems and one of them being depression. The author’s reason for attending this seminar could be to reach a state of happiness by being able to start off at a clean slate and to let go of the past.  The symbolism of the fish nibbling at their feet could represent getting rid of their past and the walking on fire coals represents new beginnings.

                                     

Night Feed by Boland describes the relationship between a loving mother and a new born baby.  The tone of this poem is very gentle and caring. The mother wakes up to feed her daughter. The quote, “The early bird gets the worm” relates to two lines where she says “For the early bird and me, when finder is keeper”. This poem indicates that she is now a housewife and her main importance is to take care of her baby. Soon enough, the morning approaches and the baby falls back asleep. She has accepted the role of being a mother and she is happy.

     

The United States relatively before the 21^st century was an extremely sexist society. This meant that females only belonged in one place; the kitchen. Boland’s main motive for writing this poem is to depict the everyday life a usual woman. A woman’s main/only duties were once to clean, cook and take care of the children. This poem begins by comparing the kitchen to an extremely loud place where cleaning is taking place. The process of cleaning use to be all a woman knew. When the cleaning process begins, the kitchen takes a different form. It is full of life and there are no signs of inactivity. Once everything is cleaned and the kitchen is quiet, the only thing present in silence. Boland compares this silence to death and compares the cleanliness to a mortuary.