The Shining Houses by Alice Munro

The main character Mary plays the victim of social oppression within the story. One of her neighbour's, Mrs. Fullerton, has one of the last houses on the block that has not been subsidized like all the other homes and made to blend in. She understands and empathizes with Mrs. Fullerton about her decision not to move, babysit, and to raise her own small livestock. Mary sees Mrs. Fullerton as a unique individual who wants nothing to do with change and who has the will to resist modifying her wishes and ideals to those around her.

However when it comes to herself, Mary is caught between a rock and a hard place. She understands and respects Mrs. Fullerton's wishes to keep her house the same, but also realizes and recognizes like all the other young members of the neighbourhood how the her house can be seen as an eye sore to the rest of the community. Her peers believe it will bring the resale value of the neighbouring homes down.

Marxist literary theory is present in this story in the form of ideology. The community wishes to form an ideal, a common model. When Mrs. Fullerton's home stands in the way of their desire to have the neighbourhood looking alike, they petition to the city to tear down her home. Unfortunately for Mary she sees both sides. She empathizes with Mrs. Fullerton but feels the need to conform her opinions and thoughts to those of her social and communal group. Guilt trips, loyalty and trust issues all come into play when those around her try to convince her to change her opinion, and ultimately try to alter her values.

Why does Keats seek out the company of a common bird and record the experience in the form of an "ode"?

Keats chose to write an ode to the Nightingale as a way of escaping into nature and leaving his sorrows behind as well as becoming more at one with nature. He uses the art of poetry as a release and consequently is more calm and relaxed and more able to enjoy his experience with the Nightingale and the beauties of nature. Keats records his experience in the form of an ode because odes typically have a meditative and melodic nature. This quality almost has a trance-like effect on the reader and allows them to become absorbed within the ode.

How is "Ode to a Nightingale" representative of the romantic spirit and how does the content of the two stanzas support your claim?

The Romantic period was about focusing and becoming representative of the beauty that is nature. Romanticists believed that total absorption in nature would heal and would say to themselves "I feel, therefore I am". In Romantic art, it wasn't so much about clear shapes and definition as it was about colour and elegance. Too is the same with "Ode to a Nightingale" where Keats uses metaphors and many other devices to represent his connection with nature. Through their uses, Keats has been able to create such a divine and beautiful experience from a simple representative of nature.

How does the content of the 2 stanzas support your claims in the first 2 questions?

Keats uses rhetorical devices to achieve the purpose of his poem which is to feel more at one with nature. The use of rhetorical questions such as "Was it a vision, or a waking dream? and "do I wake or sleep?" in the final stanza acts as a way of engaging the reader and asking them to critique. It forces the reader to think about the beauties of nature and their effects. The addition of diction in "embalm'd darkness" gives a stimulating visual and forces the reader to take notice of the words and scrutize their meanings within the ode. Keats introduces metaphors such as "Where beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes, or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow", which emphasizes and reflects the beauty of nature that he wishes to impose on the reader and himself as well as demonstrating the brillance of Keat's as an author. Keat's has also effectively created constant fluidity and grace through alliterations as a reflection of how both are ever-present in nature. Phrases such as "Singest of summer"and "many a mused rhyme" are used to demonstrate the movement and organic presence of nature.

The Transition from High School to Post-Secondary

Throughout my life, I have always been a self-driven and goal-oriented individual. The last two years of high school I have focused my sights on my decided career path on which I wish to pursue. I have come to the conclusion that the transition from high school to post-secondary education is a complicated and stressful period in a one’s life. From choosing a program, to applying, to making the grade, it lays a great deal of weight on a student’s shoulders.

As a prospective nursing student, I have certain aspirations I wish to attain. There is no doubt I am a girl with a plan. My mind is like a Blackberry, carefully scheduling and prioritizing my time so I can accomplish my future goals. Unfortunately, the application process sends my precious Blackberry of a mind into a state of confusion, and Tech support is needed to fix it. My thoughts follow a constant circle of steps proceeded by what seems like endless questions. First I have to choose a school. Once that cheque is written, I sit by the computer waiting, and waiting, and waiting for that acceptance. If I don’t get it early thoughts and feelings of worry and anxiousness succumb me. Do they want me? Have I done everything I possibly can? Until I finally see that little arrow saying “offer of acceptance” beside a school of my choosing, my mind remains a cluster of unanswered stresses.

One of the biggest stressors that take a personal enjoyment in my pressured state is grades and averages. Universities hardly see me as an individual with a broad range of talents and extra-curriculars. Yes they help, but to them, I’m basically a number. Certain courses and relatively high averages are a must. Making the grades and maintaining them have on more than one occasion sent me into a nervous and panic-stricken anxiety attack. When those nerve-racking grade twelve exams come around, a giant “Beware” sign pops up and creates a hitch in my well thought-out plan. The thought of falling a couple marks below makes me think “You won’t get in, they aren’t good enough and you aren’t good enough.” It makes me feel like I’m lying on my back, helpless, with a giant weight like an elephant is sitting on me. It’s an obstacle I can’t avoid if I want to go to university. Nonetheless, the only way to get through it is to keep focused on the goal I want to pursue, and endure. After that, the weight of the elephant will eventually lift, bringing the feeling of relief back into my tingling limbs and the prospect of getting into school one step closer.

As an applicant, I am just starting to arrive at the acceptance stage. I have offers, choices and hundreds of plans to be made. This process has taken my clear-cut plan and turned it into an overgrown jungle of stages that I never thought conceivable. I begin thinking about which residence to choose, as well as having to sort out living arrangements and the necessities of being on my own. This brings its own set of worries and anxieties of providing for me and stumbling independently on my own two feet.

Getting into post-secondary institutions is not an easy process. Similar to a kaleidoscope, the sight of my goal is there. The goal is present, but contorted with the stressors and ever-present worries that go along with accomplishing it. It’s a stressful and complicated transition from high school to post-secondary. I really have to focus and stay focused in order to reach and grasp that next step of my life.