Love's Allure and Life's Arrogance

In Chelsea Crow’s “Roses and Wooden Legs” (ENGL 1101/1102 pg. 149), she explores how symbolism can enhance the reader’s connection to the character(s) and the story, it self. She compares, side by side, two short stories by Flannery O’Conner, author of “Good Country People” and William Faulkner, author of “A Rose for Emily”.

Crow offers her interpretation of the different symbols which the authors have used in their stories, like O’Conner’s use of symbolism focuses on ailments of the body. Crow poses that   “Hulga’s poor eyesight and heart problems are symbols of her narrow-mindedness and spiritual struggle” (Crow). I can see and understand her thoughts on those symbols, but the wooden leg really stands out to me. How Hulga uses her wooded leg to keep space between her and people “she considers intellectually inferior” (Crow).

The other story that Crow compares for its symbolism, is William Faulkner’s story “A Rose for Emily”. I understand her interpretation of this story’s symbols, like the relation between the deterioration of Emily’s home and Emily’s own sanity over the years. Crow defines how Faulkner also incorporates Emily’s small southern town and the relationship between Emily’s house and her sanity. The house without care and repairs, through the years, has fallen into disrepair. Emily’s life without love and affection, other than that of her father, has caused the decay of her sanity.

Most of us have a part of our life which we could portray with symbols. Hulga hides her “miserable, wretched soul…..” (Crow), behind her wooden leg.  While Emily, in her youth, is denied her rose by her father. “When one is unable to overcome misfortune, the world becomes a cruel place” (Crow). This is such a powerful and true statement. Sometimes life does bring misfortune and if you don’t find your inner strength to overcome, through your eyes your world will seem cruel.           

       

                     

                     

                      

"Mending the Fence"

Robert Frost comes off in this poem as telling a story to his readers of two neighbors having a difference of opinion about a fence between them.
The differences between these two neighbors are, one a free thinker and the other closed-minded. These two will show their differences throughout the poem.

On this spring day a time for mending fences, the writer is able to engage Frost and his neighbor in a conversation about the sense of the fence. Frost is not open to having a fence at all because he kept querying, “why should there be a fence seeing there are no cows to be contained,” All they had was apples and pine trees between them. We know that roaming animals, like the cows Frost spoke about could cause destruction or damage to ones property. But seeing there was no such threat of animals, Frost kept reasoning and trying hopefully to convince his neighbor that the fence between good neighbors was point-less.
The neighbor does not have an open mind and holds on to an old saying which the writer states came from his father. The neighbor stubbornly states, “Good fences make good neighbor. Frost tries all different tactics in his conversation with the neighbor. He tried the humorous, logical and reasoning approach. He couldn’t change the thinking of the stubborn, close minded neighbor. Frost turn to us the readers to let us know what he thought about his neighbors’ saying. He repeated the line ,” Good fences make good neighbors.” To show us the readers that a fence between good neighbors doesn’t make any sense. Either of them had no animals. The fence is doing nothing but fending off what? Harmless trees between them. The writer shows the neighbor as someone who is stuck in the past, didn’t want change and old wives saying handed down to him from his father.
This poem does not have a rhyming scheme, it comes off as a conversation piece. After reading this poem I liked Frost views and agree with him that his neighbor is close-minded and stubborn. He refused to accept Frosts’ explanation and to consider his views. Frost logic on the other hand was, there were no animals to damage each other property, they were already good neighbors. Why have a fence? He didn’t like it, didn’t want it and deem it useless.