F451 Assignment #1

-What is revealed about the world of the novel by the things that Clarisse says about why people think she is strange?

The fact that Clarisse admits that other people view her differently and think she is strange because of how she takes the time out of her life to stop and look at nature and the things around her shows a lot about how people live in this story. She explained that many people rush through their lives and rather than stopping to see the beautiful flower beds and natural wonders of the world, they let everything simply pass by them as blurs. This makes it clear that in the world they live in, very few people acknowledge the everyday beauty around them and do not focus on examining and learning about things.

-What do we learn about Mildred and Guy's relationship by Mildred's suicide attempt?

If at any point in someone's life they attempt to commit suicide, it should become extremely clear that they are unhappy with some aspect of their life. In Mildred's case, it could very well prove that her and Guy do not have a very healthy relationship and that she is uncomfortable with his job and how it was affecting her and may other people's lives.

Native Son #14

"Mr. Max, I know the folks who sent me here to die hated me; I know that. B-b-but you reckon th-they was like m-me, trying to g-get something like I was, and when I'm dead and gone they'll be saying like I'm saying now that they didn't mean to hurt nobody...th-that they was t-trying to get something too...?" (Wright 425). This quote sums up why I disagree with how Wright ended this story. I believe if he made it so that Bigger was allowed to live, even if he was forced to spend life in prison, the ending would have had more meaning. It would have been the first time Bigger was given a chance at something from the white world, even though it was only to spend his life in prison, it would have been better than them simply killing him proving that his life had no meaning. This is true because although he had finally stuck up for himself,no one besides Max would ever hear his side of the story because he were to be put to death immediately after. Therefore, Bigger did not succeed in changing anyone's views of the black world and by them sentencing him to death, the white world only proved yet again to be all powerful.