A Cold Coming

The poem combines the images of war with the idea of death because death is a consequence of war, and is what the "charred" soldier is experiencing in the poem. The images of war and birth are combined because the American soldiers save their sperm in sperm banks so that in the case they should die at war, their wives might still be able to conceive their child.
The author focuses on the idea of procreation and sperm banks as they portray the atrocities and ghastly aspects of war. The soldiers use these sperm banks in the case they should no trutrn from the war. Is it right or wrong to still have the child of a deceased husband? The child would not have a father and might be a constant reminder to the wife of her husband.
It is important that the Iraqui solder is talking to a poet instead of a journalist because the poet can change the words to less gruesome and possibly less vivid, whereas a journalist writes facts, quote for quote. Speaking to a poet would probably be more beneficial to the readers, so they don't have to know all the details of what the soldier is experiencing in the war.

Lion- a large, wild animal that belongs in the cat family, carnivore, symbol of strength and leader. The males have a mane around their faces. They live in groups, usually with one "leader".

Lioness- a female lion usually takes care of the cubs while her mate is out hunting for food, stays in the group of lions, does not have a mane

Annotated Bibliography

Rachel F. Moran, Interracial Intimacy: The Regulation of Race and Romance (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press 2001), pp. xii, 271.

This source provides information about the way Americans of each race live separate daily lives, and for this reason, people of the same race are more likely to marry each other. Also, employment, education, and housing are all taken into consideration why the interaction among races is limited. This source expands on the topic of racial classification of mixed races, much like the Becky's sons.

Williamson, Joel. New People: Miscegenation and Mulattoes in the United States. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995.

This source provides information about the difficulty of establishing the official status of black/white and biracial people. An important topic discussed is the potential new visions of social change and how "rigid racist infrastructures might be undermined."

Hutchinson, George. "Jean Toomer and American Racial Discourses." Texas Studies in Literature and Language 35, no. 2 (summer 1993): 226-50.

This source provides more insight into the writing and studies of Jean Toomer. He focused on a newly created ethnicity, "American", which would include multiple ethnicities and heritages.

Ellinghaus, Katherine. "Reading the Personal as Political: The Assimilationist Views of a White Woman Married to a Native American Man, 1880s-1940s," Australasian Journal of American Studies 18, no. 2 (1999): 23-41

This source is beneficial to my understanding of the work in that it focuses much on other well-known literature pieces that also focus on interracial marriages and the American social attitudes toward these relationships. Also, this source includes information on court cases that were made to change those laws.

Fowler, Northern Attitudes Toward Inter-Marriage, 273-81; and Steven Selden, Inheriting Shame: The Story of Eugenics and Racism in America (New York: Teachers College Press, 1999)

This source provides information about how the people in these relationships could be truly happy in their relationship, but still had to face the condescending community. They had to justify themselves and their relationship decision to the intolerable public.

Ellinghaus, Katherine. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, Vol. 23, No. 3 (2002), pp. 55-75

This source is one of the more important pieces I found because it focuses on how the interracial relationship affects the woman figure in terms of the "worthy, prospective wife and mother" status that women should be in the society. It elaborates on multiple ways the social status of a white woman within a society would be changed by marrying a man of a different ethnicity, which is exactly like the case of Becky.

Topic Proposal #3

I have decided to write about Becky by Jean Toomer because it revolves around a topic that has played an important role in the growth and unity around the world, including our own country. I have found the historical and cultural connections to the work to be the issue of interracial relations. Seeing as how the story was written in the 1920s, interracial relationships were not tolerated in the American culture. As a matter of fact, this took place even before integration acts were being forced within some states. The connection made between past issues in my own culture and the issue covered in the story help me to better understand it. In the story, both whites and blacks disagreed with Becky's actions, and both races had something to say about it. The theme revolves around the issue that is being faced in the community, and how the culture affects it. I am going to research more about both blacks and whites living in the same community during this time, as well as how prevalent interracial relationships were in the society.
Thesis: The community reacts to an issue in a way that reflects the beliefs and norms of the culture. We see how this done through the central theme of the story, which is the cultural denouncement of interracial relationships, and how the society responds to this issue.

"Trifles" vs "A Jury of Her Peers"

Although "Trifles" and "A Jury of Her Peers" follow the same plot, I found "A Jury of Her Peers" easier to read because of its short story format. The description of the scenes and actions were easier to understand than the side notes in the play. The story, as well as the play, clearly states the speaker of what is said. In the story, however, the conversations, along with the actions of the characters flows more smoothly, whereas the play seems to jump around a lot. An advantage of the story is how the reader is informed of the characters thoughts, not just what they are saying. The detail provided in the story is another advantage I found while reading it.
The short story, I found, allowed for an easier cultural/historical analysis. The detail in the setting and different points of view on a certain topic made it easier to analyze. The time period is easy to determine from the farm-like layout and the sewing/quilting. Also, we can see from Minnie Wright's working status, taht most women did not work during this time. The play provides the setting (in the introduction) and Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters' conversation, but not as clearly as in the short story. Finally, it was easier to follow the intentions of the women when they took the dead canary towards the end of the plot, which ultimately determined Minnie's fate because that bird was the evidence the men needed to prove the murder. This goes to show that at this time men often underestimated women. In conclusion, I think the short story format of the plot, in comparison to the play format, has more advantages, not only in understanding, but in the cultural/historical analysis as well.

Essay # 3

I find "Becky" to be a story filled with cultural and historical allusions. The time in history in which this story takes place, as well as the cultural beliefs and norms of the time play a major role in the way the society accepts (or in this case, does not accept) Becky and her behavior/morals. The story was written in the 1920s. At this time interracial relationships were unaccepted and denounced within the community, mainly because they were not very common in those years.
The cultural/historical clues are presented in the way the public shuns and isolates Becky and her family. Clearly they disassociate themselves out of fear of what is different. These clues prove to be significant in that the culture's acceptance greatly influences the acceptance within a society. I am aware of the past racial issues. I know interracial relationships and marriages were accepted [by some] much later than integration, and that they are still unaccepted by many people today.

"How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie"

The main theme of "How to date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie" is stereotyping. The whole attitude of the story is prejudiced, along with the comments and assumptions made by the narrator concerning the way the girls of different backgrounds/races would act. All comments that were made were purely stereotypes of girls of different races. The setting is important in this story because it allows the reader to imagine the environment of where he lives, as well as his lower social economic status.