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- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
I liked the contrast of both of these essay’s topics and although very different they both captured my interest. In “Wolf’s Head Lake” by Joyce Carol Oates the reader is instantly introduced to a dark and heavy atmosphere that surrounds the cottage. There weather is stormy and there is thunder setting the tone for the rest of the essay. One thing I liked was the switch between point of views, as Oates included the second person point of view. Which made me feel even more a part of the chilling experience. The narrator references an unknown man driving his car around the cottage with his headlights off in the sketchiest way possible. Yet the uncle seems to dismiss it saying guys like that always come and go without a trace. The ending was captivating as the same unknown guy mentioned earlier now has his headlights on and is looking for a way in. On the other hand, “Recuerdo” by Guadalupe Valdes was very sad and unfortunately it is something that happens in the real world too. I was immediately intrigued with the title as I know Spanish and knew that it meant a memory. Initially, confused as to what Rosa’s purpose with Don Lorenzo was, I realized she saw him as her daughter’s best option out of poverty. Out of having to struggle with bums and children that she was not going to be able to support like she did her whole life. The sad part was Rosa saw no other way out of their situation than for Maruca to get with someone she viewed as, “…fat, or so ugly…”(169). It is evident Rosa has gone through so much pain as she appears to have never had high standards but wants more for her daughter.
ReplyDelete-Natalia Martinez
In “Wolf’s Head Lake”, I like how Oates describes the imagery she creates by activating the reader’s senses. She makes the reader feel the grit on their fingers, feel it touch our skin and taste the rust of the screen; she also makes the reader hear the "slapping of the waves against the pebbled beach" (164), which is mixed with the taste of the rust to create the ultimate taste of the experience of being at Wolf's Head Lake. This type of writing is beyond superb. At first, I thought this story was just going to be about the description of the lake and a positive moment attached to it, yet the other half of the story creates a mysterious ambience. It was a quick and surprising shift; the story turned a bit eerie and changed my initial expectations. I'm not sure what it means, but it'd be interesting to find out after re-reading it a couple more times. In “Recuerdo”, Valdés starts off her story using incredible descriptions of people, places, and things (165-167), and towards the end of the story (167-169) there happens to be more dialogue. The story itself was heartbreaking, for this actually happens in the real world and mothers are, usually, left to deal with these stresses and situations. Overall, it was a very devastating story that got one to think about these terrible things; yet, Valdés did a fantastic job bringing the settings and characters to life with her use of diction throughout all of the story.
ReplyDelete- Jasmine Hinojosa
The story “Wolf’s Head Lake” by Joyce Carol Oates starts us off with incredible detail about an early dusk at the lake. On page 164, the author says, “it’s an early dusk at the lake because the sky’s marbled with clouds and some of them are dark, heavy, tumescent as skins of flesh ready to burst”, which helps us picture what the author is picturing at the moment. The author then discusses the cottages along Wolf’s Head Lake and everything that she remembers in that moment. She remembers the kids laughing, the people, scenery, etc. Then she begins to describe a woman that she met at the cabin who was with a group of guys. This story was rich in details and descriptive features of the authors surroundings. In “Recuerdo” by Guadalupe Valdes, the author discusses many things in this long short story. However, what hurt me the most was at the very end when Rosa was even contemplating selling her daughter to a man just for money. It’s honestly messed up to think that could even be a possibility, but she thought about the money mostly. Rosa also discusses looks and how she is not exactly comfortable with herself anymore like she used to, so she uses her daughter to sort of fill that void in a way, which is weird to say.
ReplyDelete-Gilbert Sanchez
In “Wolf’s Head Lake” I liked the description that Oates included bringing her experience in Wolf’s Head Lake to life. From describing the sky, weather, and things she touched. I’m not sure exactly the meaning of the story, but Oats did a great job making me feel like I was there. It brought memories of when I visited Jones Creek Ranch Park. So that part was enjoyable. Another reason why it was hard to understand the story, it’s because there was no dialogue. I like to read dialogue between characters. So, when I was reading “Recuerdo” by Guadalupe Valdes, I immediately got me hooked. I love to see communication between characters, it helps me understand what’s going on. It was an interesting story that made me feel a little unsettled as it felt so real and happens to many women in real life. You could feel Rosa’s uncertainty and stress as she wants to get her family out of poverty, and even considers handing over her daughter Maruca to this repugnant man. On page 167, Maruca expresses, “I can’t go back, Mama. He does not want me to help in his work. He touches me, Mother...and smiles...” This touches on the subject of sexual harassment that happens in the workplace. Valdes dwells on the issues of offensive sexual advance and scarcity.
ReplyDelete-Bethzaida Ayala
Joyce Carol Oates paints a picture of the perfect summer vacation by the lake in her short story “Wolf’s Head Lake” using heavy imagery to really help the reader feel, see, taste, and fully experience the hot summer evening after a full day of play but the story starts to take a turn in the last few lines. The author goes from describing the sounds of radios turned up high and children shouting as they played around the cabins to an almost sinister description of strangers going from town to town, circling the very same cabins and “looking for a way in.” (165) to me, this abrupt change feels like a shock of reality, reminded the reader of the dangers that lurk just around the corner when you may feel the safest.
ReplyDeleteIn Guadalupe Valdes’ story “Recuerdo” the message of a painful, dangerous reality hidden behind a pretty picture is a lot clearer. As a mother, Rosa is left to make decisions that would seem messed up or even cruel to someone who has never been in her situation, but in reality she is only considering Don Lorenzo’s offer as a way into a better life for her daughter Maruca. I feel as though a story like this is one of those that is easy to turn your nose up at, or one that would leave the reader to think something along the lines of “I’d just work harder to get out of that situation” or “I’d never make such a choice, I’d find any other way,” but in reality no one could really ever know how they’d react to something like this unless they had gone through the exact same experiences leading up to said decision.
-Raven Quintanilla
Both stories were dark and viewed men in a negative way. I had to read “Wolf’s Head Lake,” a couple of times to make something out of it because I thought it was kind of difficult to understand. Joyce Carol Oates uses imagery effectively to describe the setting. When Oates wrote, “In my damp puckered two-piece bathing suit I’m leaning in the doorway of the wood-frame cottage…Alive and you taste the rust, and the slapping of waves against the pebbled beach is mixed with it, that taste” (164). I understood that the character is a victim of abuse as she may taste the blood in the rust and is isolated with her abuser at the beach. The ending is kind of eerie as the question is up in the air if violence will be committed as Oates mentions the knives and how he is near, “circling the cottages, looking for a way in” (165). “Recuerdo” by Guadalupe Valdes puts readers in the shoes of the main character of Rosa and how she is trying to find a man for her eldest daughter, Maruca. It was quite intense reading this story as it was evident that sexual harassment is a factor to this story as Don Lorenzo would harass Maruca at work. Because she is living in poverty, Rosa really thought of handing over Maruca to Don Lorenzo because it seemed that was the only option to get money and other materialistic things.
ReplyDelete-Karen Lamas
The story “Wolf’s Head Lake” by Joyce gives a feeling that something bad is going to happen, when I first read it, I right away thought that someone was going to end up dying. As I was reading it, it seemed to me that the person who is talking is the person who got kidnapped. He describes the things that he is noticing around him and then it hits him that he has been kidnapped. I wonder why the author only wrote with just one paragraph; I didn’t really like that she did that. Although, I believe the author wrote it that way on purpose so that the readers can get that feeling.
ReplyDeleteI think “Recuerdo” has a strong message about history with men and women, marrying off their daughters to wealth people to break the tradition of being poor. In the beginning she enters this land which represents a death of some sort. The death of not having a choice to marry the one you love but to marry for wealth. She doesn’t really agree about it in the beginning, but she then comes to realize that maybe marrying that man is what is the best because she doesn’t want her daughter grow being poor, she wanted to be financially stable. In English the word “recuerdo” means remember or memory and I believe that this story is written to tell us to remember our roots and how women were wed to men for wealth and that it still happens to some women in the world now.
Max Garcia
When I first started Wolf’s Head Lake by Joyce Carol Oates I thought it was going to be about some kind of storm that happened but as I kept reading the story got more violent. It mentions knifes nut it never says if anyone got stabbed or killed. This story kind of confused me I’m not really sure what happened. I did like how the author started this story. I love the diction that she chose. She could have said the same thing in simpler words and I would have known what she was saying but this way I was able to visualize it. In Recuerdo by Guadalupe Valdes I like how the title was in Spanish and there was also Spanish dialogue I noticed that the mom, Rosa, is a single mother that works as a maid and has children that depend on her. This story reminded me of a telenovela where the scene shifts to one of the moms who live in a becindad arguing with her drunk husband. I noticed that this story follows a Hispanic culture and I appreciated that. I had a feeling it was going to be something with the Hispanic culture because the title was in Spanish and the authors name is also a common Hispanic name. I liked this story better because it made more sense to me I could follow along with it.
ReplyDelete-Maria Ramos
As I was reading Wolf’s Head Lake by Joyce Carol Oates I was amazed with the imagery. I could really picture the scenery as I was reading. I thought this story was going to be about having a fun summer by the lake with family, but as I continued to read I realized that I was wrong. I liked how it mentioned the lakes surroundings and that it states that the lake was shaped like a wolfs head. What I found odd about this story was that it keeps on mentioning knives throughout the story and I never understood why. I really enjoyed this story because of its imagery but I didn’t understand the point of it. In Recuerdo by Guadalupe Valdes I liked how it had some spanish dialogue, it was something different compared to all the past readings we have done. This story was about a mother that’s a maid and her children rely on her. I think it talks about poor women marrying men who are wealthy so that they can survive and give their children a better life. It states on page 169, “ No need for her to marry a poor young bum who could not even get a job”. This is why I believe they wanted her to get married for the money.
ReplyDelete-Noe Ramos
In “Wolf’s Head Lake” the author uses imagery to where I feel I am seeing what the character is seeing. I was kind of confused about the story to begin with. She's describing the cottages, but focuses a little on the rust of the screen door. I feel like she’s pointing out that there is a man stalking, driving around watching the kids, but then I get confused because she says “he’s patient, circling the cottages, looking for the way in.” The story “Recuerdo” was longer than “Wolf’s Head Lake,” yet I read through it super quick, it was easy to read and suspenseful as she’s walking through the streets, to when she finally gets into the office, and how she describes “Don Lorenzo.” I could also picture it as if i was walking behind her, and while having a conversation with him, she flashes back to the conversations with her daughter and how she tells her mom that he touches her, but what could she say? I felt bad for her, but the thought that her daughter could have a better life was what she clung to. It’s just a horrible scenario that isn't uncommon especially back in the day.
ReplyDelete- Michelle Rodriguez
For the story “Wolf’s Head Lake” I didn’t feel anything when reading I was reading it. I read it multiple times, but for me it was just not my cup of tea since I found it confusing. Although, I did like the way the author showed us imagery. “It’s an early dusk because there’s been thunder all afternoon, that laughing-rippling sound at the base of the spine.” In the story “Recuerdo” I found this story very interesting because it is very common that happens in the real world. From where little girls get assaulted from adult men and mothers who try to give their daughters away for the chance to get out of poverty. This story interested me more when the mom said she sees disappointment and sadness in her face and we don’t know why, but in the end it is because she has 10 kids and lives in poverty, so she has no idea how she will take care of all of them. You can also see that she is jealous of her daughter Maruca because she is young and beautiful and can get away from the poverty life by marrying someone successful. Overall, this story was sad because you can feel the way the mom feels and can also tell that the mom needs a break.
ReplyDelete-Melissa Garcia
“Recuerdo” is twisted. Rosa is in a predicament where she does not know whether to break a chain reaction. The story takes us through a series of contrasting both Rosa’s and Maruca’s lives. Rosa is a struggling mother who is unhappy with her life decisions and choices. The climax of the story is when Don Lorenzo approaches Rosa with a marriage proposal for Maruca. Rosa wants to deny the thought of Lorenzo marrying her daughter because he has sexually assaulted her. However, at the closing of the story, we see Rosa considering the option of marrying off Maruca off to Lorenzo because of his social class and financial stability. It makes me cringe at the thought of my mother not taking my feelings and well-being into account. Isn’t a mother’s duty to love, protect, and nurture their child?
ReplyDelete“Wolf’s Lake Head” is very descriptive with literary devices such as imagery. It gives a scenery of dark and musty woodsy area, like a cottage. This except was such a difficult read to get through because it wasn’t engaging with its word selection. However, both excerpts share a common theme of tragedy awaiting to happen.
-Antoinette Villanueva
Reading Post 10
ReplyDeleteIn the story “Recuerdos” I enjoyed the plot of the story. I liked how it was a straightforward easy read, however, I also liked the problem presented between the main character and her daughter. The author presented us with a conflict within the main character that was very relatable. Many of us have been in a position where we want better for the person but we aren't sure if what is in front of them will actually be better. For example, the daughter in the story was being violated by the attorney and the attorney had been attracted to her and wanted to marry her but the mom did contemplate how that would go. On one hand the lawyer was financially stable and would give her daughter the financial freedom needed to be comfortable but we later see in the story that she realized that the financial freedom could come at the expense of a stable relationship because she then compared his to the man that she is with. Although that man does not have money he is a decent person. I feel the author did a great job engaging the reader with this plot and unfortunately I did not understand “Wolf's Head Lake” I felt for a second that the lady was just on a vacation but in the end i felt that the car she was talking about in the end may have been some kind of criminal? Not too sure about that story I definitely have some questions about it.
-Alex Rodriguez
After reading "Wolf's Head Lake" by Joyce Carol Oates, I enjoyed how the imagery was integrated especially how in every sentence it made me want to know more and more about the story itself. Towards the end of the story, it started to give me "Freddy VS Jason" sort of vibes because of how the lake was being described in (Pg 164),"the slapping of waves against the pebbled beach in mixed with it, that taste along Wolf's Head Lake." I am not sure who she seems to be describing at the end of the story but it started to feel like a serial killer type of story due to how dark and descriptive it was getting. As for "Recuerdo" by Guadalupe Valdes, although it was a devastating story to read, I began to feel more and more angry as I continued to read more of the story because of how Don Lorenzo would speak of Murica and how he had given the impression of wanting to be tempted to even sexually harassing her as he had done before. I completely understood how Rosa felt when she thought of Murica and how she wanted to only help her due to her struggling with her children and needing to live financially stable. The story definitely showed a lot of moral values that many people still manage to follow today which happens to be to "marry wealthy and live happy" which in Murica's case I would of felt like she would have not wanted that to begin with. As it is stated on page 169, “ No need for her to marry a poor young bum who could not even get a job”. This is why I believe that her family would have wanted her to get married for the money and for the benefit of living wealthy instead of poorly. in another sense to me it was a "Survival of the fittest" type of essay that gave a lot of dialogue that reminded me of even watching how soap operas are made. -Ana Silvia Mears
ReplyDeleteIn "Wolf's Head Lake", I like how Oates utilizes the readers faculties to portray the setting. She causes the reader to hear the "slapping of the waves against the pebbled beach" (164), she makes you taste the rust, feel the soil on your fingers. This style of composing is mind boggling. From the outset, I thought this story was simply going to be about the portrayal of the lake and a positive minute connected to it, yet the other portion of the story makes a baffling mood. It was a brisk and astonishing movement; the story turned somewhat shocking and changed my underlying desires. I don't know what it implies, yet it'd be fascinating to discover after re-perusing it a couple more occasions. In Guadalupe Valdes' story "Recuerdo" the message of an agonizing, perilous reality taken cover behind a pretty picture is a great deal clearer. As a mother, Rosa is left to settle on choices that would appear failed or even savage to somebody who has never been in her circumstance, however in all actuality she is just considering Don Lorenzo's idea as a path into a superior life for her little girl Maruca. I feel as if a story like this is one of those that is anything but difficult to disapprove of, or one that would leave the reader to think something along the lines of "I'd simply work more enthusiastically to escape that circumstance" or "I'd never settle on such a decision, I'd locate some other way," yet as a general rule nobody could actually ever realize how they'd respond to something like this except if they had experienced precisely the same encounters.
ReplyDelete-Julian Marroquin