Hannah Staley
Mr. Salsich
English 9
07 October 2008
Life’s Situations
An essay on the gains in losses in “Winter Dreams” and Sonny’s Blues”
There are many gains and losses in “Winter Dreams” and “Sonny’s Blues” that are clearly visible. Some of the losses and gains are similar and some are completely opposite. Both Sonny and Dexter seem to struggle through life but they wait out the storms and come out in good shape. There are also many differences in these stories which may change your perspective on how you look at the situations the protagonists go through.
TS: Sonny, the main character in the short story “Sonny’s Blues,” gains and loses many things dear to him throughout the story. SD:One thing Sonny gains is perspective. CM:Looking at his situations at different angles makes him realize that the people around him really do care.CM: Also, he realizes that his brother not only cares about him, but really wants him to get better so they can form a new relationship. SD:Additionally, Sonny gains the ability to understand.CM: He soon comes to realize that communication is key in any relationship wheather it is with a family member or not. CM: Also, he comes to understand that what he puts himself and his family through could change all of their lives significantly, especially his. SD: On a sad note, something Sonny loses is his father. CM: Some of what Sonny does results in releasing the tension and stress that he feels burdening him about his predicament. CM: At the end of the book, Sonny realizes that he is going to get better and plays the music that he loves while his dad watches over him and smiles. Sonny has a lot of ups and downs through the story. CS: Anyone who has problems like he has and turns out as well as he did, should be proud.
“Winter Dreams” addresses gains and losses in a different way. Dexter, the protagonist, loses love. Judy Jones, who he is in love with from day oneand is hoping to one day marry, cheats on him. Their relationship falls apart because she is unstable and unable to stay committed to Dexter. Dexter is also unable to comprehend the “nature of what he lost” (Burhans 31) which makes him contemplate the situation even more. But, Dexter's story is not all about losses. He gains money by the end of the story, which is an interesting twist since he grew up poor. Even though money isn’t everything, it seems like it is to Dexter who has worked so hard to be on top. The last thing Dexter gains is a "reality check." He realizes that while it would be nice to be with Judy, it's not possible to have everything in life. He also realizes that when you are younger you need to earn your way up to the top. Success just won't be handed to you.
In both of these short stories, the main characters learn a lesson that helps them become better people. They aren’t perfect and they realize that. They learn from their mistakes, which only helps them become better people. These two characters have a lot in common but in different contexts. If they met, I think it would be quite an event.
Works Cited:
1.Burhan, Clinton S.,Jr., ‘‘‘Magnificently Attune to Life’’’: The Value of ‘‘Winter Dreams,’’’ in Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. 6, No. 4, Summer 2000, pp. 401-12.
[databaseon-line];http://www.enotes.com/winter-dreams/magnificently-attune-life-value-winter-dreams (accessed 6 October 2008).
Key:
light blue- Purposeful Repetition
Red- F.A.S.T Words
3 comments:
Hannah,
Your paragraph is very well organized and has a nice flow. I think though you could check it over because there are some mechanically error's. In the last paragraph I think you could connect it better to the body and the opening paragraphs.
~Olivia
Hannah!!
I thought your essay as very well thought-out, and had some good FAST words in it. However in the first paragraph I thought your chunk connections were a little vague, perhaps they could have been a little more accurte. Also, like Olivia, I did see a few mechanical errors through the essay. Overall a great essay!
~Eleanor~
Hannah,
In my opinion (whatever that's worth) this essay is nearly perfect. Everything flows well, the stucture works, the quotes are good, it all works. I would question though the topic sentence to the second body paragraph, "'Winter Dreams' is the other short story that with gains and losses." This sentence, while correct, doesn't go anywhere, the paragraph has no direction at that point. We already know that the paragraph will be about losses and gains so see if you can narrow in on something like Dexter's life. The last chunck of that paragraph also seems to go in two directions. You start talking about Judy and then switch over to success which state the difference between earlier. That was really it, keep writing like this. Maybe a book even.
Zack
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