Feed--Part IV: Slumberland

The last section consist of Violet dying out slowly. Her feed is no longer responding correctly and the companies won't pay for a new feed. She is left to fend for herself and tries to hold on to all that she has for as long as possible. She sends memory clips and messages pages long to Titus, but he is so overwhelmed by the whole situation that he just ignores the messages and deletes her memories. Titus uses the fact that Violet isn't able to get out anymore so he can go off his own way. He goes out with another girl and hangs with his friends and doesn't bother to check on Violet.
Violet is still trying to fight the feed till the very end, but even then her feed is still able to say what she likes and doesn't like. She feels like all her struggles and hard work haven't really worked other than for her rejection because her ability to not make up her mind ruined her possibilities of getting help. In the last few episodes, Titus finally goes to her house because she is right at the end. He sees what she has become which is just a pale boney girl that lays on a bed unable to move anymore. Titus even says that when she cries it makes her even uglier. He stays to listen and talk to her for a while, but then leaves back home. Once he arrives at home he is mad at the fact that he had to go through with this happening to Violet. I think he really did like her still, but just didn't know how to cope with the situation. At the very end, Violet is at the last hour of life and just laid in her bed motionless. Titus goes to see her one last time and just sits there crying beside her after telling her stories that he knew. He even mentions that it is the first time ever that he truly cried which could mean that he finally understood what Violet was trying to tell him all along.
The ending to me really sucked because Violet dies and Titus could possibly go on to be with some other random girl!! Violet was just trying to be different and show everyone that things shouldn't be the way that they were. I liked her character, but sometimes she over did the whole "wanting to fight the feed" idea. Titus should have stuck by her side till the end, not just back out because he was scared. I understood most of the concepts that were talked about in the book and really hope that we don't end up getting feeds too!!!

Feed--Part III: Utopia

This third part is when the gang is back at their homes and are starting to get back to their "normal" lives. They forget about the Moon and don't bother to ask what truly happen to the man that attacked them. Titus and Violet seem to become closer.
This is the part when Violet truly tries to tell Titus that she wants to fight against the feed. She takes him to their mall and goes around acting like she doesn't know what she wants and makes her feed go nuts. She keeps trying to tell Titus that the feed is only making them fit one shape in society and she doesn't want to lose her old self. At one point when they are talking to a sales person, they are told about all the cockroaches that are living on the domes. This goes to show how the Earth has been completely trashed and is gone down the drain. Titus just sort of tags along and doesn't really process what Violet is trying to show him.
They later go into a discussion about how many people don't have feeds. Violet goes on to talk about how she was around 7 years old when she got her for the first time. Titus is kind of confused at why and doesn't understand the bigger picture of the feeds in Violets perspective. Also, Violet feels like Titus will never understand her way of being because his family has it "all". Titus' parents buy him a car and he only thinks about what his friends will think about it. Violet tries to fit in with all his friends, but her feed starts to mess up and that brings on more issues between them.
Once Titus finds out about Violets feed not working, he tries to help her by just doing whatever she likes, like going to the country side. He feels like he should experience new things with her and he sort of likes the new and fresh ideas that she comes up with. When Titus and Violet hang-out with the gang, many issues arise because Violet says "weird" things and just doesn't fit in. This puts pressure on the couple especially Violet because she isn't able to control her feed anymore. She goes in to several seizures in this section and Titus' friends start to not want Violet around anymore.

Feed--Part II: Eden

After being on the Moon and being attacked they all get transferred to a hospital where their feeds are temporarily turned off. They experience what it is like to not have a feed, something that is completely new to them but not to Violet. They are all together in the same room and try to make time fly by playing games and talking about the random things that they can remember. Violet and Titus become friends and have a special connection by the end. Titus’ dad goes to see how he is and this seems completely normal to him and wonders why Violets parents haven’t visited her yet.

Violet shows Titus that she is completely different from everyone else, which pulls him even more to her. She can read and write and doesn’t like all the same things that the other girls like. This seems strange to Titus but he doesn’t care because he finally feels like he is experiencing something different.

Violet, Titus and the gang all get sent back home after their feeds are turned back on and Titus speaks of how he just felt all the information of the feed flow in his head unlike before. He felt like he had missed out on so much just in a few days that his fee was off. 

Feed--Part I: The Moon

Having a feed is a typical normal thing that is described throughout the whole book of Feed. A feed is like having a chip of all the Worlds information in your head. It can tell if your mad or having a bad day and is an everyday part of the people’s lives.

In this first part of the book, the speaker, Titus talks about how he goes on an “adventure” with all his friends to the Moon. He seems to be tired of his “normal” days and wants to experience something different. Once they arrive at the Moon, they see things that they wouldn’t have expected like all the ugly destroyed streets. They roam around and try to get alcohol, getting into a college part and just to have some fun. They finally go into a bar where they think that they are going to have fun. They dance around, throw a few things around and just talk among themselves.  In this place they also meet a girl named Violet. She seems very quiet and unlike any other girl. Titus is really intrigued by this girl and wants to make a good impression on her, but he and his friends get attacked by a man screaming weird things like “We enter a time of calamity!” They all are confused about what is going on and they have no control over what this man has done to them. They all get “shut-off” by the police and they fall asleep.

EB White excerpt from Charlotte's Web

In this small excerpt from Charlotte's Web the characters have much to say about the people of today's society. They each have their own style and way of being. Charlotte is seen as the spider that is the nice person of the whole story. She also is the one that helps everyone else, like Wilbur. At this point of the story she is very sick and at the point of death, which worries her because her children are at the risk of dying along with her. Wilbur is with her in a barn house and is pleading to not leave him. He says that she is the only friend that he has and doesn't want to lose her. He makes the choice of saving her children since he can't save her. In order for him to save the children, he runs to plead to the rat, Templeton, for help.
Templeton does not seem to want to cooperate because he feels like no one really appreciates him and tells Wilbur he will not help him save Charlottes' children. Wilbur full of despair, pleads for Templeton's help and makes the decision of offering his food to the rat in exchange for his help. With this offer, Templeton runs to help the two friends. He makes it just in time before the people come to pick-up Wilbur. As Wilbur is being taken, he turns back to see his old friend one last time and then feels like it will all be okay because he at least has her children with him. Back at home, things seem to be just like before when Charlotte was still around, and Wilbur is at peace with it all.
Wilbur in this story is sort of like a contradiction in itself because he "helps" his friend, but is also helping himself along in the process. He seems to want to not be alone again so he chooses to save Charlottes' children instead. He also knows that Charlotte won't be around anymore, but conforms to having her children instead. Also, Wilbur sacrificed his own food in order to get the eggs to safety which wasn't too selfish on his part.
Templeton on the other hand doesn't think about anyone else but himself in this situation. He uses the situation to his own advantage as well. He could be seen as the typical person today that will only give if he is given something in exchange. He could have been moved by the emotional part behind this task, but instead he forgets about everyone else and centers it all on himself. I didn't really like Templeton in this section because he showed no compassion for what Charlotte was going through.

"The Red Convertible"--Louise Erdrich

Erdrich starts this story in a very unexpected manner. He starts with the speaker talking in third person which makes it more interesting. The speaker is a young boy named Lyman that lives in a reservation for Indians. He speaks of how he becomes the owner of a local cafe after long hours of working as a waiter, manager and cook. He then talks about when his business was destroyed and had to sell it. The money that he gets out of his business, he uses it for a car that he liked. The car was a red convertible that was bought between himself and his brother, Henry. They both love to be together and have fun so one day they decide to go off on a never ending trip.
They head out to different states and make it all the way to Alaska after meeting a young girl on the side of the road. She welcomes them to her family's home and they all become good friends. Once the two brothers decide to go back home, Henry is drafted into the war. This puts on a big stress for Lyman because he isn't used to living without his brother.
Once Henry comes back from the war, Lyman notices many changes in him and is worried for his brother. Henry at this point seems very distant and uneasy. His mind is filled with many thoughts that he doesn't share anymore with his brother. His whole family notices the drastic change in him, but is too scared to confront him, except for Lyman. Lyman had already finished fixing the convertible, but decided to trash it completely in order for his brother to have some type of motivation to do something.
Henry see's the broken down convertible and decides to fix it up. He takes days to fix it and then the confrontation between the two brothers finally occurs. They both finally go for a ride in the convertible. Then drive up to the river and have a good time while drinking. They finally talk about what happened while Henry was off at war and Henry admits that he is not well. They fight about who is to keep the car and with this Henry makes a decision that changes the whole story. He jumps in the water and seems to just be having fun, but he never comes back out. Lyman then also drives the convertible into the river and walks away from the whole thing.
This story makes it all seem like the typical life that a soldier goes through because many people that go off to war don't come back home the same way as they left. Much stress is put on them and their family. Henry was just a boy that was at the wrong place at the wrong time and didn't have the same luck as his brother. I think that Lyman blamed himself for not being able to help his brother, but he knew that nothing could really be done anymore.

"From Blossoms" by Li-Young Lee

Lee starts out this poem by talking about some peaches that were bought on the side of the road. He goes on to say that these peaches mean more than just the skin and dirt that are on them. He also speaks of how they are picked and delivered to his hands. They seem to bring back memories of his summer days, which he then goes on to talk about.
The way that he starts makes it seem like a memory because of the paper bag and the kid that is selling the peaches. It seems like a summer day that he spent with his wife/lover that got interrupted by the sign saying peaches. When he just says that they turn towards the sign that he saw, it also seems like it wasn't expected in his day to go and buy peaches. Then he starts to talk about those hands that have brought the succulent peaches to his mouth and how they aren't just peaches, but peaches that are real with all that is life to him.
Lee also starts to talk about how he appreciates every bit of the peach that he is eating because it is all good to him. He seems to be taking every part of the "peach" very seriously because he speaks of the shade, the days, and the hands that have all been part of the growing of this great fruit.
At the end, Lee speaks of "all the days that we live as if death were nowhere", and makes it seem as if even the moment of eating a peach can mean so much to his life. He also makes it seem like he wants to enjoy every possible moment in his life because he wants no impossible.
I think that the whole poem was a memory of his youth because he makes it seem like he is enjoying this day of "peach eating" with the women that he loves. Also, the wording that he uses implies that he could be a young man. Living as if death were nowhere near seems like a line from a teen that wants to live his life to the fullest and stops to think of nothing. This poem could have just been a reflection of one of the speakers summer evenings.

Contemporary Poetry

This poem seemed like a run on about everything, but it seemed alright. Hope you enjoy!:)

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Flash Fiction

http://www.flashfiction.in/

This story was about a guy having a prosthetic arm and how he does all this silly things with it. It was sort of funny and so I thought you guys might like it!!

Donald Barthelme--"The School"

This short story starts out by talking about how a class of children are planting their orange trees at school. The teacher states that he feels like the children really aren't gonna learn anything because the trees are going to die and that will be it for that story. He also goes on to talk more about all the projects that he has for his class. For example, he talks of all the animals that have died like the fish, snake and even a puppy. He doesn't seem to be faced with all that has died and doesn't seem very worried about what the children might think. When they get the puppy, which was by total accident, he allows the children to keep it, but he knows deep down inside that the puppy will die too. When the puppy does pass away, he just tries to push that whole dilemma to the side and doesn't let the kids worry about his death.
When the children so start to ask about all the deaths that have gone on, the teacher has no reply. This is where I thought that maybe the teacher wanted the kids to wonder about what it means to live, but at the same time he was maybe sheltering them from the reality. The children come up with an awesome answer about death, but the teacher just doesn't want to say "yes! This is how things work out in life." This could be the typical story of infant sheltering.

"Harrison Bergeron"--by Kert Vonnegut Jr.

This story is about George and Hazel living in a Utopian type world. They are set in a setting where they are sitting in their living room just trying to enjoy the tv, when all of a sudden something happens.
The speaker describes what it is like for this couple to live with all the rules and regulations such as the weights that are on George's neck. They are meant to slow him down and to make him just like everyone else. Also, the high pitch sounds coming from the ear piece in George's ear make him forget and not want to think. I think that the noise's are meant to stop them from actually thinking about what is going on in their lives and so they won't have "evil" thoughts about the government.
When they are watching TV, they hear an announcement about a man that has fled from prison, and he just happens to be their son. This man is described as a violent, horrible monster that needs to be imprisoned again. George and Hazel just sit and watch without any type of emotion, except for feeling sorry for the anchor man that couldn't read the message!
The man, Harrison, then appears in the TV set covered in metal pieces demanding for everyone to obey him. He says that he no longer wants to see the dancers dance a horrible dance and that he will demonstrate what is true dance. He also makes the people present to take off their ear piece so they can play "true" music. He seems to be having a good time enjoying the dance, but then the Handicapper General arrives and shoots the dancer and Harrison down. Meanwhile Hazel has witnessed the whole event and is crying at home, but can't ever remember why.
This to me seems like a fixed world in where people are not meant to have a mind of their own and they all have to be in the same category. Also, being smart is seen as bad and not acceptable. I would NOT like to see society fall into this type of scenario, but people now look at others that are not at their same level as if they are less and unimportant, which is NOT GOOD!!

"The Short Happy Life of Francis MaComber"

Francis MaComber is supposed to be a man with high riches and much power from England. He and his wife decide to take a trip to the wild side of Africa. They are set in a location that is meant for travelers that want to experience the hunting styles of the traditional Africans. At the very beginning, the story starts out with a feel of guilt and agony. The wife and her husband sit with Wilson, which is the man that is in charge of the couple, and they are talking about the hunt of the day and how it went terribly wrong for Francis.

Francis from the beginning seems intimidated by Wilson and he seems to not like letting his wife down. As the night goes through, Francis continues to think about how he didn't do well in his first hunting trip and lets the bad get to him. He has dreams and starts to hear a lions cry from a distance. The next day when they all get ready for their new adventure, Francis is nervous and can't control himself. They head out and he still feels that what happened on the first day will repeat itself. When they arrive at their hunting spot, Francis takes his shot, but misses a direct blow. With this, he puts himself down again and feels even more embarrassed. His wife after seeing his failure makes a decision of cheating on her husband with Wilson. Francis doesn't really take this well and is furious at the fact that he isn't being treated with respect.
The next day after their last hunting failure, they head out again to hunt buffalo. Francis is determined to do his best and hopes for the best. Once they get to their location, Francis can't control himself and shoots from his car. Wilson see's this as being bad for him and stops the car to warn Francis that he shouldn't shoot from the car. So they get down, and walk towards the buffalo so they can complete their hunt, but the buffalo attacks them instead. With this going on, Francis' wife shoots him in the head, supposedly trying to only help.
I honestly don't think that the wife was trying to help her husband because she was always trying to put him down. Also, Francis had started to feel more secure of himself and this made the wife very uneasy because she knew that he could leave her whenever he wanted to. This was just the perfect moment for her to kill him and be able to get away with it.

"A Good Man is Hard to Find"--Flannery O'Connor

This short story is based on a trip that a "typical" American family is about to make. The family consists of a grandmother, her son and her son's wife and three children. They all live in the same home and have decided to take a trip to Florida. From the beginning, the grandmother does not agree with the location that they have chosen, but she still sticks along with her son. They start out the trip perfectly fine and try to keep a good timing of all their events. Along the way the grandmother chats away about all her past adventures and seems to be super happy. The family then decided to stop at a local barbecue/ gas station for lunch. They keep their visit short and head on to their destination. Once they were on the road again, the grandmother tells the two older kids about a secret compartment in a home that she once knew about and causes the kids to go crazy of the excitement. All the commotion and crying of the kids forces the dad to agree to their demands; so he took the dirt road that lead to the mystery house. Once they were on their way to the mystery home, the grandmother's cat awakes and jumps onto Bailey, the son, and causes the car to flip over. Once they recover from the accident, they see a car off at a distance and the grandmother calls for help.

The car heads their way and makes it to them just in time, but the grandmother becomes uneasy about who she sees getting out of the car. There were three men in the car and they were all run away's. The grandmother confronts the criminals by saying that she knows who they are. The criminals seem to not even be faced by the old ladies comments and proceed to "help" the family. They take the family one by one to the woods and are shot to death, except the grandmother that is left alone to talk to the head criminal called Misfit. She begs for her life, but Misfit has no mercy and ends up shooting her as well.
The whole time, this story seemed very typical because of the mommy's boy and the wife that never spoke up. Also, the sad thing about it is that there really are families like the one described in today's society. The mother could have just kept to herself and maybe things could have been different. Also, the children were the biggest BRATS that I could imagine! They were disrespectful and didn't mind to themselves. The children were also a big cause of the whole murder scene because the pushed their father to his breaking point. The wife in the story could represent all the typical daughter-in-laws that would rather stay quite then to hear their husbands mother fuss at them for stupid reasons, but she too didn't even speak up to her children when they misbehaved. The whole family didn't have communication which ended with their lives. 

Langston Hughes--"Harlem"

     Harlem, or also known as A Dream Deferred, is short and to the point, but the statements made in it are as bold as can be. Hughes starts out by asking a question of "What happens to a dream deferred?". I think that the line spacing that Hughes leaves after his first question is sort of like a gap for people to think about it before going on to read the next lines. Also, this question seems to have endless amount of answers so Hughes doesn't answer it, but instead puts out thoughts of his own onto the poem. 
     The lines that say," Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?' seem to me like he is saying, is the dream that we dream vanished away just like when a raisin sits in the sun to shrivel up? Maybe it could be that that dream no longer can be maintained because of certain other reasons. 
     The next lines "Or fester like a sore— /And then run?" seem very vivid and gross! A festered sore is not something that anyone would like and maybe Hughes connection with this is to say that we might have that dream that sometimes gets very overbearing and in the end we would rather drop it before it gets even worse. 
     Towards the end he says," Does it stink like rotten meat?/ Or crust and sugar over—/like a syrupy sweet?", which to me is just the same or even worse than a festered sore! As he finishes up with his question, Hughes gets very vivid and imaginative with his response and maybe that has to do with the fact that when is anything sweet and perfect when it comes to dreams??? Hughes could be trying to just look at a reality that many others try to avoid just like when they avoid rotten meat or crusted sweets. 
     Lastly, Hughes says,"Maybe it just sags /like a heavy load./Or does it explode?" The heavy load that he is talking about maybe just means all the struggles that we have to go through in order to achieve what we want and sometimes things may not go right so that could be the explosion that Hughes speaks of. The whole poem from beginning to end seems very pessimistic and as if Hughes had no higher hopes or something went terribly wrong for him.  
     

Langston Hughes--"Theme for English B"

The story starts out by talking about an assignment that the speaker has to do for his class. He then goes on to describe himself and where he lives. He even goes in to detail about where exactly he lives which seems to be in a rural type area. Once he arrives to his home, he starts to think about what he is going to write about. He deliberates on what is true about him. For example, he questions what is an American??
With this question, he goes on to say that his teacher wants for his students to speak the truth about themselves, but he finds it hard to do because he would like to identify himself with his classmates or teachers, but sort of feels a restraint. He makes a list of things that he likes, but he then says that the "true American" also likes the same things, but they don't like to relate themselves with him or people like him.
I think that this story was trying to say that we all sometimes try to alienate each other , but that we are all somewhat alike in some points. Also, when Hughes says," You are white---/yet a part of me, as I am a part of you." , I get the feeling that he was trying to speak out and say that everyone is EQUAL! Maybe he was also saying that whether the typical American liked it or not, they were always going to have some type of tie with the "colored" race.

"Yet do I Marvel"--Countee Cullen

I think that this poem is kind of a contradiction because Cullen starts out by saying that he doesn't doubt God is good, but then he makes a list of certain events that say otherwise. He brings up  events like that of Tantalus and Sisyphus which were Greek characters that got eternal punishments. With these, he maybe was trying to say that how did God allow the punishment of these people and why didn't he do anything to stop it? In the third to the last line, he says "What awful brain compels His awful hand." and with this said he kind of makes the statement that how could God have the mind that he has and also the power that lies in his hands.
Cullen also mentions at the end that God made him both black and a poet which to him where bad things. This could be seen as him saying that he still felt that being colored was bad and that it was even worse because people didn't like when they spoke their mind in poetry. This really shows how alienation was very big during this time period, which must have been really tough for many rising poets.

"Heritage"--Countee Cullen

This poem started out by describing an Africa that seemed perfect, such as the copper sun or scarlet sea, but once Cullen starts describing it further on, his true vision of Africa comes out. I think that he wants to describe Africa as a good humble place, but at the same time he can't because he hasn't ever been there. Like in the third section, he says that Africa is only a book that he looks through, which to me seemed like he only would read about this country, but since he was torn from it he never truly found out what it was like.
Also, throughout the poem he makes himself seem like he has been "Americanized" because he names things like birds being barbaric. Also,he doesn't feel like he can identify himself with Africa because he doesn't have an emotional tie to it. Like in the third stanza towards the end he says, "What is last years snow to me,/ Last years anything?" With these lines, he tries to say that he doesn't belong to Africa, but he doesn't belong to America either. He is sort of caught dead in the middle of the two countries he knows.
Cullen also mentions that he wishes that God could have been of his color so that He could have related to him easier. This could also show that even in religion, colored people didn't really have  a choice in what they believed in because everything was already set down in rules and customs. He also dares to question whether God has done right with all the things of the world and he also doubts himself towards God. To me he seems very segregated from everyone even when slavery had been done away with already. 

T.S. Eliot--The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock

The poem starts out by the narrators imagination of how things could be with his lover. I think that he is in love, but the woman doesn't respond with the same feelings. Also, I get the impression that the man doesn't have the courage to confess his love because he doubts himself in many instances. For example, in lines 38 and 39 he says

To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,

. Also I think that he holds himself back because he doesn't feel worthy of his love, as described in lines 40-45. I also think that he describes his past "loves" and compares them to the one he has present and finds no comparison because his present love is like no other.
I don't really understand the lines in between 100-110, maybe they are more background details??? 
Towards the end again he brings up the fact that he is getting older and may never have the chance to be with his love. The lines that I found saddening were line 124 and 125 where he says: 

I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me.

Eliot's poems seem very depressing and full of mixed emotions and they are pretty tough to understand!

T.S. Eliot--The Waste Land

The Burial of the Dead--
At the beginning, it starts out by talking of the memories that Marie has as a child. She describes that she goes off to have coffee with her cousin. In the lines 20-30, it talks about a shadow under a red rock. This could be a temptation that has come across her and she takes decides to take it because in line 40, she says "living nor dead and i knew nothing" which I think she was maybe depressed and didn't want to live anymore.
The paragraph after, speaks of a woman that is the best at fortune telling and of how she reads Marie's future. I think that she probably tells her that she must be careful because she see's her death coming. Then in the last paragraph, I think they find Marie dead and they have her funeral. Everyone morns her death, but she still speaks as if she was there. Maybe her spirit is still roaming because she tries to speak to her brother about a corpse he planted.

A Game of Chess--
In the second part, the scene is described as a woman sitting by a window that is rich and in a room full of strange synthetic perfumes. She seems to be thinking of her past and starts to speak to herself. She says that her nerves are bad and this could probably be that she's going nuts or something!
Afterwords, he starts speaking about a woman that is waiting for her husbands return. She is scared and doesn't know how he will take the fact that she didn't buy her teeth like she had promised, but instead she used it for drugs. Also, I think that she had an affair and doesn't know how he will take her disloyalty.

The Fire Sermon--
This part sort of got me to think that Eliot was describing the narrator as being in a solitaire graveyard. Also, he says that he speaks not loud or long but still hears the rattle of bones and chuckles, which could just be his conscience getting the best of him.
Around line 215, he starts talking about the encounter of two lovers. The woman awaits in her hotel room for this man, which makes it seem like they are having an affair of some kind. In line 240-243, he says "exploring hands encounter no defense; His vanity requires no response, And makes a welcome of indifference; with these lines, it seems to me that the woman is no longer in love and feels like its just an obligation to have this encounter with the man.

Death By Water--
This part describes the death of Phlebas. Phlebas finds his death at sea, but is described as having lived his life. The whirlpool could signify the way that life is and of how it brings good and bad to one's life.

What the Thunder Said--
I didn't really understand this last part because it speaks of rocks and water, but isn't very clear. The rocks could signify life and the water could be the good things of life. He says that if there were rock and water then there could be  a pool among the rock which could mean tranquility. Also, when he talks about the third person walking, does he try to say its death? The conversation at the end is also very confusing and not clear at ALL!!

The War Prayer by Mark Twain

Mark Twain start out The War Prayer by setting the towns people in a church where they are praying for the protection of their soldiers. Everyone is wishing the best for all the soldiers and they hope to win the war against their enemies. The emotions of everyone seem to be flying everywhere and they are just full of excitement because they all want to experience the war with a positive outlook.
The sermon was being given to the people when all of a sudden a man interrupts the whole church. He is a man that claims to a messenger from God, and the says to have a message for everyone. His message starts out by saying that everyone should be happy for their husbands and sons that are going to be at was because they are fighting for a freedom that they have. Also, he says that their nations glory and happiness will only come at the expense of another nations misery and pain. He also mentions that why should they worry of children are left parent less or if a mother is left to suffer for herself and her family.
He also says that God is only answering their prayers because that is what they ask for and that is what they shall receive from Him. Their prayers are asking for a blessing for themselves, but at the same time they are asking for a curse for their fellow neighbors. To me, this makes a lot of sense because why should we all ask for what is only best for us? Shouldn't the people stop and think that maybe they are helping themselves, but at the same time they are hurting many others? Like in any war, the people will want victory for themselves, but they never see the other side of the coin.