Literature with Lexy

Frenemies Reading the short story “recitatif” I found a couple quotes that show how the relationship between Twyla and Roberta is frenemy-like. As kids, Roberta and Twyla got along because they were the outcasts- the only ones in the orphanage whose parents hadn’t died, but just didn’t want their kids. Sharing this same experience and the feelings that come along with it, they bonded and became friends. But as they grew up, they grew apart and began to have more problems. On one occurrence when they met, there was a lot of hostility between them that led to confrontation. During this, Roberta said, “Maybe I am different now, Twyla. But you’re not. You’re the same little state kid who kicked a poor black lady when she was down on the ground. You kicked a black lady and have the nerve to call me a bigot.” This quote shows how their friendship is unstable and how there is still some resentment built up after many years. On another occasion that they met, it was a much more positive expe

The short story “There will come soft rains” and the current global crisis are comparable and seem to have a lot of similarities. With COVID-19, it feels like life has stopped. Daily activities have come to a halt and people are forced to stay inside. Simply going to the grocery store almost feels like a war-zone, filled with panic and fear as people are trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. However, since people are staying inside, the world and nature outside is changing. This is similar to what happens in “There will come soft rains”. In this story, even though mankind has been wiped out because of nuclear warfare, nature continues to presume. For example, China saw blue skies for the first time in many years, after they shut down their factories because of the virus. Even though the world seems to be shut down- nature continues. Even though COVID has made us feel like the world has stopped, it hasn’t. That is similar to how in this story, despite the fact that the owners

“The Messenger” If I was able to change the title of one of the stories that we’ve read so far, I would change the title of “The Comet” By W.e.b DuBois. The name is not specific to this story at all. I feel as though short stories are better when you first start reading the story, it’s not completely clear why that is the title. An example of this is one of the short stories we read in class, “The Semplica-Girl Diaries” by George Saunders. At first, the reader may be slightly confused as to why this is the title of the short story. It is obvious that it is a series of diary entries because of the dates and how it is written, but the title becomes more clear later in the story when you find out what a Semplica-Girl is. When you first start reading this story, it’s obvious that it is going to be about a comet. I would change the title of the story to something a little less obvious such as “The Messenger”. Throughout the story, especially in the beginning, Jim is referred to as “Th