Interpreter of Maladies By: Jhumpa Lahari

This story took a bit to lure me in but once I was lured, I was in. This is a finely detailed story on how a interpreter spends a day driving around an American couple with their children. He soon begins to create feelings for the wife who gives him the attention he lacks in his own life. Mrs. Das' curious questions and praise on his other job as a doctor's office translator makes him feel like a proud man, a man he has not felt like in a while. He soon begins to think of all his failures in life; his own wife who he has no spark with anymore, his failed ideal career plans, and his deceased son, who he still feels responsible in some ways for his death. Mrs. Das is Mr. Kapasi's golden ticket for an ego boost for the day until he hears of her not so perfect life. She confesses that one of her sons is not biological to her husband. She has kept this a secret from her husband. Mr.Kapasi then views her as a disgraceful woman. She is not special, her day of enchantment was not real, she is just another broken soul, just like him. His fantasies go down the drain with Mrs.Das and he is left with dealing with his own life all over again, coming to terms with his failures and unbeknownst accomplishments. I believe the message behind this story is that no one lives a perfect life. The millionaire person you hear of may have the saddest heart out there, yet one may never know. Be grateful and accepting of yourself, and maybe, just maybe you will be more at peace. I would totally recommend this eyeopening short story to a friend.

Nothing Gold Can Stay By: Robert Frost

This is honestly one of the most prettiest poems I have ever read. Robert Frost is a genius when it comes to pumping out deep, yet simplistic poems. This whole poem to my interpretation is the power of change, whether it be a person, thing or place. There are a lot of personification and rhyming in this poem that ease you through it ever so gracefully. I think Robert Frost used nature as a buffer to describe life as a whole. Seasons change, as do people, things in our lives (materialistically speaking) and even places that one may cherish."Nothing gold can stay" is such a beautiful way to say that the things we find perfect in our personal worlds will have to leave us in time. Change is inevitable in life. I would definitely recommend this poem to a friend.

The Cuban Swimmer

I really enjoyed this read. I am usually not a playwright reader so this was a nice change. I also have not really dipped my feet in playwright as I probably should. I enjoyed reading a play about my own culture and could relate to a lot of the family dynamics that took place in this play. I really liked the dramatized metaphors and symbolism that the Abuela in the play briefly spoke about. It is a great read that shows how pride takes control over people, we sometimes put it before anything else. This is shown in how the whole family was so prideful and determined to make a name for themselves in America by winning the race. It also dabbles in the whole meaning of self-discovery, as Margarita in the end finds her true self and grows as a person because of her swim. I would highly recommend this play to a friend because I think it was a smooth read with a lot of heavy meaning in it.

Oedipus The King

This is a classic greek play that exemplified many of the ancient peoples beliefs. They heavenly relied on polytheist gods who were thought to watch and judge every move they made, treating them as such. Even before Freud's theory of repressed emotions Oedipus created it, referring to the Oedipus and Electra complexes that he created. There is also questions on how much fate actually rules our lives whether or not we make actions or not. This play also shows how "powerful kings" are not limited to dealing with such treacherous occurrences in life. Everyone at the end of the day must face life's fears. It also goes to show how glory in whatever one may concern themselves with is fleeting. The truth adheres to everything, and this is what happened to the great Oedipus. This was a tricky play to decipher and quite a lengthy one so I don't think I would recommend this to a friend unless they are lovers of greek mythology.

Fire and Ice By: Robert Frost

I enjoyed reading this short poem by Robert Frost. The poem is set up to depict the end of the world, but the author adds a touch of emotional meaning to each line. Fire to me was viewed as passion or desire and perhaps chaos. Fire is the exaggeration of emotions, our vices, and bad deeds. as Ice is viewed as coldness, hatred, or can also be perceived as deep loneliness. Ice is the concrete emotionless end to a whirlwind of events. Both are related to one another in very similar terms (both being the end or final result, and not necessarily in a nice way). This poem could be an end to a relationship, a battle of identity which someone experiences, or just what it intends to come off as, the end of the world. I think Robert Frost is saying that both Fire and Ice (in emotional terms) are destructive, but can be destructive in very different ways to a persons life. I would recommend this poem to a friend because it can have multiple meanings depending on how you read it.

Ask Me By: William Stanford

I enjoyed reading this poem by William Stafford. It had a very soothing and relaxed tone to it. I envisioned a man who had been through life, yet still remained at ease with himself and actions. "Some time when the river is ice ask me mistakes I have made. Ask me whether what I have done is my life." (Line 1) I interpreted that line as saying Once things are said and done, who has time to question mistakes or wrongful doings in life? Everything a person does in his/her life is not subjected to critiquing once its been lived out. Dwelling in the past, whether it be good or bad, has no real purpose for the "now". "What the river says, that is what I say." (Line 14) The poets thoughts are like the river, continuous and ever flowing. I would recommend this poem to anyone because I believe it is not that difficult to understand, and it carries a very thought provoking aspect to it.

The Tell-Tale Heart By: Edgar Allan Poe

I was actually very excited to see an Edgar Allen Poe story as one of our reads. I have always found him to be one of the most iconic and literary talented authors from the 19th century. I've read this short story once before, but reading it again definitely freshened my memory, and I now happen to understand the core of it a bit better. There is nearly always an eery and dark note which Poe has almost stapled in all of his works. Maybe it's because I'm naturally a horror enthusiast, but even 100 years later, he manages to attract readers to his strange tales that exemplify the twisted workings of the human mind. Specifically inThe Tell-Tale Heart, this mystery narrator focuses on the annoyance of an old mans eye, which drives them so mad, that it makes them commit an insidious murder. The disturbing part is the narrators constant reassurance that they aren't crazy, and in such an eloquent manner. This person stalked and preyed on such a helpless old man for no reason at all. In the end, the powerful emotions of guilt and paranoia gets the best of them, and they fess up to the crime. The story really takes the reader through a madmans thoughts and actions. There is no real motive, only the dire need to appease their own warped desires, and that may be the creepiest aspect of this tale. I would recommend this story to a person who likes to delve into psychological thrillers, such as this one, or one who just enjoys a good, short and frightful read.