1/15/2015

The Umbrella Man

The story of this greedy trickster is appealing to me. This is because these type of things happen all the time in real life events. Some people will do anything to make money no matter how much lying, stealing, and caniving they have to do. These type of people are displayed as self-fish because they are stealing from people of their own community. It is never okay to trick someone into giving you money to fulfill your unjust needs whether they have to do with alcoholic substances or drugs. Although I found this story interesting , I believe it should have been more detailed leading up to when the two women found out his addiction. The mother and the daughter were very active characters. They both had the same seldom attitude and their personas both played a good role off of one another's. The mother was extremely correct when she said you cannot trust just anyone who walks up and talks to you. She said "Never rush things, always take your time when summing someone up." This is true , it is the same as saying you can't judge a book by its cover. I think it is ironic that a man with a classy persona like himself would turn out to be a caniving liar that wanted to take advantage of everyone he could to satisfy his alcoholic "needs". I believe the alcohol that he intakes is symbolic of what fuels him to take advantage of kind people, it may even be that he can't control these actions. 

Rating: 3.5/5

1/13/2015

The Hitchhiker

This story displayed a combination of things , it showed me empathy , mischievousness, and also curiousity . The driver showed empathy towards this hitchhiker because he was in the same position before he became extremely successful, so giving this man a ride made him feel good about himself because he was doing a good deed for society. This man was grateful that someone of this stature would take the time out his day to bless him with a ride on his way to London. The man driving this new BMW is just appreciative that he has came a long way to be successful and wants to show his appreciation when possible. The hitchhiker on the other hand, he is a tricky, sneaky and clever old man. His "craft" goes right along with his personality. He is a master at his job like he said, better known as a "fingersmith".

I believe it's foreshadowing that the man driving this new BMW was just a hitchhiker not too long ago and now he is the person picking up new hitchhikers. This is a beneficial way of life for him because he is giving back. 

Rating: 4/5

1/12/2015

The Man From The South 

This story shows me that gambling can be something that can ruin your life. It was said by the woman that the man had already collected 47 fingers in all the bets over the years. And she had lost a few fingers herself and a few cars. The man I believe is greedy due to how often he takes on bets and the results of these bets he takes. It is ironic that the woman who stops the gambling was a victim of his gambling herself . It was good of her to tell others about his ways when she got the chance to. I also think that the lost of This woman's fingers could ask so be metaphorical , it could be due to something she has done in the past that she has had to pay for now in the future. So to keep karma on her good side she is warning all people not to do business with him to protect them . I believe this story was extremely interesting but it did confuse me a little, I still liked it though. 

Rating: 3/5

1/7/2015

Genesis and Catastrophe 

In this story there is an immediate display of sadness due to the insane things that Klara has been through. Losing three children , all at a young age, has had to taken a huge toll on her heart ever since. It is all she can ever think about and it scares her knowing that she has just given birth to another child. Both her husband and her believe that the child will not last long in this world just like the others. But the doctors have reason to think otherwise, they have done multiple test on the child to ensure that he is one hundred percent healthy and fit to live in this world. 

The most interesting character in this story to me has to be Klara's husband. Before being introduce into the story , Klara's talk about him as if he is what you call a "realist". She said that he has said the same thing at the birth of all of the other three children that passed away. He said "The child is small and weak, they won't survive like the others didn't." Although this is a harsh thing to say to his wife but he has been proven right thus far. But now this there is a change in fate, this baby that was just born has been the healthiest of all the other at birth. Yes he is a lottle on the smaller side but the doctors say his body is functioning at a better rate than the others did at birth. I think this is a metaphorical scene in the story because good things do honestly come to those who wait , and they have waited long enough. This new born baby symbolizes a blessing in their life after all the struggle they have gone through in the past. All the deaths they have gone through are horrible tragedies they have faced and I think it was their time to be blessed with a perfectly healthy child. 

Rating: 3.5/5

1/6/2015

"Lamb to the Slaughter"

In this short story , there was a series of mysterious events that took place within a short period of time. Mrs. Maloney seemed to be upset by the news she was given by her husband so I believe that it what motivates her to commit this crime. Personally I believe that her husband was admitting to her that he needed a divorce which may have gotten her quite upset. After reading this I can describe Mr. Maloney as a rather hardworking man that can be nonchalant at times, when giving her the bad news it seemed as if he didn't care much. That is also a possibly of something that set off his wife's attitude. I found it interesting that after committing the crime she went to the full extent to cover up the horrible thing she has done. I thought it was a little ironic that she committed the crime then tried to cover it up by calling the cops herself and sobbing as if she know nothing about the situation, it was clever in her part. I can imagine that this took place in a small and quiet neighborhood where things usually don't get too exciting at all. This event probably shocked the whole town they lived in , I made this assumption because it is said that she know pretty much all the people that work at the police station in here town. I think the death of her husband symbolized to her the measures that she would take to protect her family and anything else she cares about and loves.

Rating: 5/5

January 5, 2015

Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916, in Llandaff, South Wales. In 1953, he published the best-selling story collection Someone Like You and married actress Patricia Neil. He published the popular book James and the Giant Peach in 1961. In 1964, he released another highly successfuly work,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was later adapted for two films. Over his decades-long writing career, Dahl wrote 19 children's books. He died on November 23, 1990, in Oxford, England.

Famed children's author Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, South Wales, on September 13, 1916. Dahl's parents were Norwegian. As a child, he spent his summer vacations visiting with his grandparents in Oslo. When Dahl was 4 years old, his father died.

The young Dahl received his earliest education at Llandaff Cathedral School. When the principal gave him a harsh beating for playing a practical joke, Dahl's mother decided to enroll her rambunctious and mischievous child at St. Peter's, a British boarding school, as had been her husband's wish. Dahl later transferred to Repton, a private school with a reputation for academic excellence. He resented the rules at Repton; while there, the lively and imaginative youngster was restless and ached for adventure. While Dahl hardly excelled as a student, his mother offered to pay for his tuition at Oxford or Cambridge University when he graduated. Dahl's response, as quoted from his autobiography, Boy: Tales of Childhood, was, "No thank you. I want to go straight from school to work for a company that will send me to wonderful faraway places like Africa or China."

And that he did. After Dahl graduated from Repton in 1932, he went on an expedition to Newfoundland. Afterward, he took a job with the Shell Oil Company in Tanzania, Africa, where he remained until 1939.

Lusting for yet more adventure, in 1939, Dahl joined the Royal Air Force. After training in Nairobi, Kenya, he became a World War II fighter pilot. While serving in the Mediterranean, Dahl crash-landed in Alexandria, Egypt. The plane crash left him with serious injuries to his skull, spine and hip. Following a recovery that included a hip replacement and two spinal surgeries, Dahl was transferred to Washington, D.C., where he became an assistant air attaché.

Roald Dahl was born on September 13, 1916, in Llandaff, South Wales. In 1953, he published the best-selling story collection Someone Like You and married actress Patricia Neil. He published the popular book James and the Giant Peach in 1961. In 1964, he released another highly successfuly work,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was later adapted for two films. Over his decades-long writing career, Dahl wrote 19 children's books. He died on November 23, 1990, in Oxford, England.

Famed children's author Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, South Wales, on September 13, 1916. Dahl's parents were Norwegian. As a child, he spent his summer vacations visiting with his grandparents in Oslo. When Dahl was 4 years old, his father died.

The young Dahl received his earliest education at Llandaff Cathedral School. When the principal gave him a harsh beating for playing a practical joke, Dahl's mother decided to enroll her rambunctious and mischievous child at St. Peter's, a British boarding school, as had been her husband's wish. Dahl later transferred to Repton, a private school with a reputation for academic excellence. He resented the rules at Repton; while there, the lively and imaginative youngster was restless and ached for adventure. While Dahl hardly excelled as a student, his mother offered to pay for his tuition at Oxford or Cambridge University when he graduated. Dahl's response, as quoted from his autobiography, Boy: Tales of Childhood, was, "No thank you. I want to go straight from school to work for a company that will send me to wonderful faraway places like Africa or China."

And that he did. After Dahl graduated from Repton in 1932, he went on an expedition to Newfoundland. Afterward, he took a job with the Shell Oil Company in Tanzania, Africa, where he remained until 1939.

Lusting for yet more adventure, in 1939, Dahl joined the Royal Air Force. After training in Nairobi, Kenya, he became a World War II fighter pilot. While serving in the Mediterranean, Dahl crash-landed in Alexandria, Egypt. The plane crash left him with serious injuries to his skull, spine and hip. Following a recovery that included a hip replacement and two spinal surgeries, Dahl was transferred to Washington, D.C., where he became an assistant air attaché.