The Piano Lesson by August Wilson

The Sutters and the Charles

Who is Sutter? 

•James Sutter, is the son of Robert and Miss Ophelia, whom originally owned the piano.
•The Sutter family are the ex-owners of The Charles.
•Sutter was believed to have been pushed into a well, by Boy Willie. (pg. 14)
•Sutter’s ghost has been seen/heard a total of twelve times throughout the story.  (pg. 14)
•  -ghost represents Sutter’s vengeance
•  -resides in the piano (pg. 15)

The Land

•Who owns it?
•  -The Sutter’s originally owned it
•  -Size of about 100 acres
•Where is it?
•  -Mississippi
•Who wants Sutter’s land? Why? What does the land symbolize?

 -Boy Willie wants to purchase it because he wants money and to be equal as the white man. (pg. 50)

•Potential land deal Boy Willie offered
  - Offered to Boy Willie by Sutter’s brother (pg. 10)

Ghosts and Dead People

The Charles’

  -Boy Charles I

  -Mama Esther

  -Boy Willie I (carved the piano)

  -Berniece I 

  - Doaker's Dad (Name not given)

  - Mama Nellie

  -Mama Ola

  -Boy Charles II

  -Crawley (Berniece II husband)

•The Sutters/•Others

  -Robert Sutter (James’ father)

  -Miss Ophelia (James’ mother)

  -James Sutter (the ghost)

  -Cleotha (Wining Boy’s friend)

•Victims of the ghosts of the Yellow Dog

  -Ed Sanders

  -Howard Peterson

  -Charlie Webb

  -Robert Smith

  -Bob Mallory

  -Three hobos (burned in the boxcar)

Myth of The Yellow Dog

•The Yellow Dog is the train.
•Boy Chares II and the three hobos were burned in the Yellow Dog, thus considered the ghosts.
•The ghosts of the Yellow Dog are after the “white folks” and push them into a well

  -”..a well got a wall around. It’s hard to fall down   a well…the ghosts of the Yellow Dog must have   pushed them..,” page 85.

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Reading Challenges of 'Salem's Lot

        For someone like me, reading a novel is not a common thing. As I have been reading more difficult novels, there have been challenges that also came along with them. When I read the novel 'Salem's Lot, by Stephen King, not only was a whole new world of vampires opened to me, but a few challenges arose that I needed to face. Those challenges were getting used to reading a long novel, learning how to deal with new vocabulary, and reading with meaning. 

        Reading this long novel of approximately 653 pages, it was easy to fall behind in the assigned reading dates. I am not used to reading much so I would brush off any chance i got to read. It left me with a full chapter to red right before class. At times it became a very stressful situation. As the novel went on, I began to get used to the idea of reading. I now began to read during my spare time. I noticed the difference of stress levels right away. I was reading the chapters sooner and was ready for class.

        Reading more advanced novels does not always mean you are smart enough or prepares enough to read them. Reading one Stephen King's books I was really surprised at all the vocabulary I did not know. Almost on every page there was a word that I had no clue what it meant. For instance, words such as rudimentary, jibes, or vivacious were all new to me. I ignored them but soon realized how important it was. I was missing out on important information and effects the author was trying to give me, the reader. So I started to use the dictionary on my phone more often every time I came across a new word. It really made a big difference because I understood the effect much more than before and i became more interested. Even if it took a while to look up the words, I made it work.  

        As I got more into the novel, I began to become defocused from what I was reading. I was not focused because I had a lot on my mind and other personal problems. I usually have a bad habit of doing this and reading the same things over and over a multiple of times. However, I had to understand what I was reading for the discussion in class and to get a good grade. So what I began to do was read with no music, television, or any other noise to distract me. That way I was able to focus more and take in what i was reading better. 

        'Salem's Lot as a whole was a wondrous novel to read. I learned what type of reader I was and found many weaknesses such as problems with reading long novels, learning to look up new vocabulary, and reading with meaning and focus. Even if this was a horror genre, I did not feel very frightened or scared. I was greatly disappointed at the fact that others were experiencing fear or nightmares and I was not. I love to get scared so maybe I am more of a film person than a reading person. I would, however, recommend this book to anybody. It had great adventure and story to it. Stephen King lives up to his name. 

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Analyzing Father Callahan

        In all the novels we read, we encounter numerous amounts of characters. Each and every single character is unique and serves a purpose in the story. An example of a good author who is greatly known for this and does this well is Stephen King. King takes his characters into great consideration and portrays them in a very descriptive manor. An example of such is in his novel, 'Salem's Lot. Father Callahan, a priest and one of the characters, has his own values, goals, and we are even presented with some flaws. 

        Father Callahan expresses multiple values that he cares for deeply. There are two, however, which I have chosen to be the most valued. First, Father Callahan values his "Notes" that he spends so much of his time contemplating and writing about. With those Notes he hopes to one day make a religious book. Now he writes them with no hope or plan that the book will ever be written. Interestingly enough, his drinking problem started the same time he started his craze for writing. For the second value, Father Callahan values the truth. When he is true to himself, it makes him feel like a better person and he despises when he can tell someone is lying to him, such as Sandy McDougall. He explains, "Know the truth and it will set you free. Bully for the truth" (Ch. 6, Scene 9). He values these things highly and thinks about them daily. 

        Father Callahan's goal is very compelling that it can relate to so many of us. It is the obsession with fighting "EVIL" for the Lord. He has seen everyone around him fighting some type of evil and wants to take part but has no idea what evil to fight against. He has gotten himself so far into the idea and he does not even have a basis for reasoning about it anymore. He had pushed himself to the conclusion there was not just one "EVIL" but just evil that is a part of life. Only an evil that should not be taken seriously but to just accept at every moment it shows its face. "At moments like this he suspected that Hitler had been nothing but a harried bureaucrat and Satan himself a mental defective with a rudimentary sense of humor..." (Ch.6, Scene 9). This thinking brings us to his character flaw: that Father Callahan does not have the confidence to accomplish anything. There are so many things in his head and has already decided none of them will ever get done. 

        Father Callahan overall is a character that has really great intentions. He was a great example of how in only once scene, we are able to get all this information about him. We were able to grasp his values, goals, and even flaws. This character could not have been more real in such a few pages of writing. It is amazing how such a character can come alive in our minds and is relatable in many ways to us.

Knowledge for English

        Every single person sets an academic goal for themselves. It can be anything from a certain subject or just passing overall and moving on with life. For me, it was just to pass and not think of school in any other way. In college it is much different. You need to want to learn and gain all the knowledge you can because the present defines your future. Now I want to gain knowledge in every single course that I have this semester. I do set more meaningful goals now with my new view on this. One of them is specifically for English and I have to try my best to achieve it. My goal for English 1A this semester is to improve my reading  comprehension as much as I can. 
        I have so many past challenges in reading  comprehension that it has cost me so many decent grades. One of the greatest challenges I have ever faced in English was understanding Literature. For instance, reading "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare was a great struggle and at the time I did not care much. However, when the test came along, I almost failed miserably. The exact same thing occurred while reading a piece from "The Odyssey" by Homer. Therefore, reading novels was equally as difficult. For example, "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie and "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare. I want to grow in my understanding now by looking up words and phrases I do not understand. 
        I believe English 1A is going to help me to begin this prices of deeper understanding. Everything I gain from this I will take with me for the rest of my life and use this understanding for other goals as well. I know by the end of this semester my goal will be accomplished. Working at it is going to get me there, whatever it takes. It takes. Setting a goal for myself and accomplishing it is a great feeling I need to experience. It keeps us moving forward. So set a new goal for yourself as well today, and work in accomplishing it. I guarantee you will be much more content in your life. 

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Chapters 1-3

        The story sets in 1975 on a town called Jerusalem's Lot in Maine. The point of view the novel is written from are various characters throughout the chapters. For instance, chapter one is Ben Mears, chapter two is Susan Norton, and chapter three is most of the town in different scenes. The protagonist of the story is Ben Mears, a novelist who once lived there about 25 years before. When we are first introduced to Ben, he has trouble accomplishing to even enter the town, Jerusalem's Lot. When Ben does gather the confidence to enter town, he notices the Marsten house and instantly fear infiltrates him. The challenge he faces is overcoming that fear that has haunted him for years. Throughout the explicit detail of the setting, there is a symbol. I believe that symbol is the Marsten house itself. The characteristics of the Marsten house, with it's ominous aroma, symbolizes everyone's feelings of how they view the town. 

        In chapter three we meet a variety of characters. All of which are strange in their own way. There is, however, a character I found the strangest. Of all the characters, I disliked Richard Straker the most. Although he may be a major character following the story, in this chapter, he is hiding so many secrets. Every nerve in me is full of tension and worry of what part he will take for the duration of the novel. I detest the feeling of anxiety, therefore hating him for making me feel it. Nonetheless, there wouldn't be interest if it weren't for him.  

Woman in Front of the Sun: On Becoming a Writer by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Essay: "A Prayer, a Candle, and a Notebook"
Memoir Question 4 A,B,C 

A. In this essay, Cofer recalled the issues between her parents. Cofer explains how her memories of her parents have impacted her, whether for the good, or for the bad. This whole essay was mainly about people, her parents.

B. Cofer had two different relationships between her father and mother. Cofer's father dies and she feels like there were things left undone that both had wished to do. This motivated her to finish what he never got to even start. Cofer's mother was a woman of many rituals and habits that even Cofer picked up now and then. Such as, lighting colored candles before falling asleep.

C. The relationship between Cofer and her father had a very solid relationship throughout the text. For example, "His only luxury was our education, my brother's and mine. He invested in us. He bought us books and paid our tuition at private Catholic schools when we could not afford to buy a house. All her father wanted was to give them the opportunities he never got as a child. Also, her father wanted to give her a future to look forward to, instead of doing the same customs back in their country. He explains, "Our life is here [United States]. Our family has a future here. There [Puerto Rico] our daughter would just be another girl waiting to get married. She would just end up a slave to some ignorant man." Cofer knew her father made the right decisions.
The relationship between Cofer and her mother was revealed through many instances. Cofer knew her mother was a housewife so their relationship was based off habits. For example, "At least twice a week, she walked the five blocks to the nearest Catholic Church to attend mas. I accompanied her only on Sunday's." This was something that she and her mother liked doing together. Not only was their relationship based off habits, but on hobbies as well. She exlplains, "She [her mother] read one Corin Tellado (the Spanish-language Danielle Steele of her time) romance novel a week....My mother liked to discuss these cuentos de amor with me, and we sometimes dramatized the characters, reading aloud to each other as if we were acting in a soap opera." Even if her mother was away, she kept these memories deep down in her mind for whenever she wanted.