Literary Analysis

               The story that I will be analyzing is Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”. In this story, there are a few symbols as well as themes. In this blog post, I will be addressing the theme, setting, plot, point of view, characterization, irony, and symbolism of this story.

               One theme in this story would be “Living with a guilty conscience is hard.” This is a theme because the main character’s ultimate doom is a result of his guilty conscience. When the police come to check out the house, the main character thinks that the old man’s heart is still beating. His mind starts running wild and he thinks that the heart beat is getting louder and louder to the point where he thinks that the police can hear it. This is when he snaps and gives himself up to the police. The reason that the main character though he heard the old man’s heart beat is because he had a guilty conscience about killing him.

               The setting of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is a house. More specifically, the old man’s house. This story mainly takes place in the old man’s bedroom on a random night in the year 1843. Every night the main character peeks his head into the old man’s room to watch him sleep and plot his murder. The mood of this story is very dark and creepy. The main reason for this is because of the dark bedroom. The only light that is mentioned in this story is the lantern that the main character is holding when he watches the old man sleep. Poe even describes the room as, “black as pitch with the thick darkness.”

               One minor conflict in this story is that the main character doesn’t like the old man’s eye. This is why he decides that he wants to kill the old man. This leads to the next minor conflict of the main character sneaking into the old man’s bedroom to watch him sleep. This is when the main character is trying to find the perfect time to strike. The second minor conflict leads to the third minor conflict of the main character waking up the old man one night when he sneaks into the old man’s room. This last minor conflict leads to the major conflict of the main character hearing the old man’s heartbeat growing louder and louder. This is the last straw for the main character. This then leads to the climax of the story: the main character snaps and kills the old man out of fear that the neighbors would hear the old man’s heartbeat. The neighbors couldn’t hear the old man’s heartbeat, but they did hear the old man’s scream. After he kills the old man, the main character hides the old man’s body beneath the floor boards. Since the neighbors heard the old man scream, they called the police and they came to the house to investigate. The main character let them in and he chatted with them for a while. While they were chatting, the main character thought that he heard the old man’s heartbeat growing louder and louder again. The main character’s guilty conscience got to the best of him and he thought that the police could hear the old man’s heart. The resolution of this story is that the main character turns himself into the police because he allows his guilty conscience to get the best of him.

               The point of view of this story is first person. This is because the story is being told by the main character. The only thoughts that are revealed are the main character’s. He doesn’t know the old man’s thoughts or anyone else’s, just his own. Also, throughout the entire story, he refers to himself as “I”. For example, “I kept quite still and said nothing”, “I scarcely breathed”, and “No doubt I now grew very pale”. He is telling his own story.

               The main character of this story is a round character. This is because there have been murderers in the world, so it is believable that he was a murderer. Also, one might assume that the main character of this story has some sort of mental illness and today we know that that is a real problem. I would say that the main character is a dynamic character. This is because he seems kind of normal at the beginning of the story, but as the story progresses his insanity becomes more and more apparent. There is no direct characterization of the main character in this story. However, there is a lot of indirect characterization. For example, the things that the main character says and the story he tells makes the readers feel a sense of insanity from him. Poe writes, “Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded—with what caution—with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.” The main character is completely contradicting himself in those quote. First, he is explaining why he isn’t insane, but then proceeds to talk about killing an old man. This insanity is also conveyed in his personal thoughts. Specifically, when the old man’s cloudy eye makes the main character’s “blood [run] cold”. The main thing that proves the main character’s insanity is the fact that he killed an innocent old man. Therefore, his actions are also used as a form of indirect characterization. There is no physical descriptions of the main character given either directly or indirectly.

               There are examples of verbal and situational irony in “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Examples of verbal irony are seen anytime the main character is saying he isn’t mad. This is because he clearly is insane. The main character says, “How, then, am I mad? Hearken! And observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story” right as he is about to explain how and why he murdered the old man. This is a perfect example of verbal irony. There is also situational irony in “The Tell-Tale Heart”. An example of situational irony in this story would be at the end when the main character turns himself in. This is because the police were not suspecting of him so you think he might get away with it. However, the main character’s mind gets to the best of him and he ends up turning himself in. This is not what I expected to happen. Therefore, this is situational irony.

               The symbol in this story is a heart. The heart represents the main character’s guilty conscience. For example, the main character first hears the heart when the old man wakes up while he’s in the room. The main character thinks that it is the old man’s heart, but I think that it is the main character’s heart when he’s feeling nervous and guilty about plotting the old man’s murder. He feels so guilty about it that he thinks it’s the old man’s heart and he thinks the neighbors will hear it so he kills the old man. Now, the heart stops. The main character disposes of the old man’s body and then the police come to the door. While he’s talking with the police, he thinks he hears the old man’s heart again and it starts getting louder and louder. I think that it was actually his own heart because he had a guilty conscience and he was getting nervous about getting caught. Once again the heart leads to the main character’s doom as he turns himself into the police after hearing the heart this time. Every time the main character starts to feel guilty or nervous again, he hears the heart.

               Overall, this is an interesting story. People who like creepy stories or crime stories would enjoy this story since it’s about a murder. People who would not like this story are people who like happy stories or get easily creeped out. There is some ambiguity in this story. It is left up to you to decide whether or not the heartbeat that the main character was hearing was his own or if it was the old man’s in his head. I would recommend this story to other readers.

Restaurant Review

On Thursday March 10th, 2016, I and a few of my friends had dinner at an IHOP in Ypsilanti, Michigan. This restaurant serves mostly breakfast. There was plenty of available parking located in the front of the building and also in the back. From the outside, the restaurant looked nice. When we walked in there was a register and a sign that said “Please wait to be seated”. There were also some benches around the lobby for when customers had to wait before being seated. However, we were greeted almost immediately and were seated right away and we did not have reservations. The dining area was one room that consisted of both booths and tables with chairs. We were seated at a booth. The space between the booths was a decent size, but I think some of the tables were a little too close. The atmosphere felt very family friendly. The room had a warm color scheme and the décor on the walls were paintings of food. There was some subtle music playing. It wasn’t too loud and it wasn’t too quiet. They played a variety of music and none of it had any inappropriate lyrics. Overall, the atmosphere was family friendly.

When we sat at our table, our server came to our table almost right away. Our server’s name was Raul. He was very friendly, quick, and polite. He got all of our orders and drinks correct on the first try, too. First, Raul took our drink order. While he went to get our drinks, we looked over the menu to see what we wanted. 

The menu was colorful and easy to read and there were pictures of most of the items. The prices were affordable, considering my friends and I are broke college students and were able to afford to eat here. The prices were reasonable, as well, because I was able to get two meals out of my dish. There was a range of options, including omelets, pancakes, waffles, crepes, and more. There was also an adult menu as well as a children’s menu.

 When Raul brought us our drinks, we were all ready to order. I ordered the breakfast crepes. In about 15 minutes, Raul came back with our food. My food looked delicious. The crepe looked moist and the bacon was cooked well. The serving size was enough to feed me at the restaurant and also later back home. The only thing that I would have changed about my meal was that I wish it would have had more sauce on it. That’s my favorite part. Throughout our visit, Raul visited our table a few times, but not so much that it was annoying or disruptive. All of the waiters and waitresses were dressed in white, button-up shirts and black pants. The girls had their hair tied back. The dress code was clean and professional.

The clientele of the restaurant was diverse. There were people of all ages around. At our table, there were college-aged people, behind us was an elderly couple, and a few tables over there was a family with young children. The clientele all seemed to be of the middle class and there seemed to be an even amount of people from each gender present. Of the people who were in the restaurant, a majority of them were Caucasian and there were also some African Americans, as well.

IHOP’s website is very user friendly. At the home page, you are greeted with a giant picture of their featured dish. Right now, that dish is their new Double Dipped French Toast. There are two kinds of this new dish and there are pictures of both of those options. As you scroll down the homepage, there is a spot to search for a nearby IHOP, a spot to sign-up for their birthday club, and also links to their social media pages. At the top of the page, there is a toolbar that includes links to IHOP’s menu, their story, and their contact information.

I decided to take a look at IHOP’s history and I found that they became a restaurant in 1958. They cater to people of all ages and ethnicities and offer affordable food “with warm and friendly service”. IHOP’s philosophy offers a few suggestions on how to enjoy your time at IHOP. These suggestions are come as you are, savor every minute, go with the flow, be good to yourself, and get it anytime. IHOP’s values include integrity, excellence, innovation, accountability, inclusion, trust, and community. As of 2015, there are 1,650 different IHOP locations throughout the United States, Bahrain, Canada, Dubai, Guatemala, Kuwait, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, The Philippines, and the Virgin Islands. One thing that I found out about IHOP while exploring their website is that they changed their logo to incorporate a smile under the “O” and the “P” because they have seen so many smiles in their restaurant since they’ve been open!

Overall, my visit to IHOP was very enjoable! I had a good time with great friends and food. I would definitely  recommend coming to this establishment!

Influential People

As cliché as this is, one person who has impacted me is my boyfriend, Seth. We started “dating” when we were 12, although our first date wasn’t until we were 16. Throughout the past six years we’ve gone through a lot together and have grown together. Seth’s family would probably say that I’m his better half, but I beg to differ. He’s definitely mine. Seth makes me want to be a better person. One reason for this is because he is so good at seeing the good in people and that is something I’m not good with at all. When I don’t like someone or when someone has done me wrong, it’s hard for me to see past that. I tend to dwell on the little things and hold grudges. This is something that I’m not proud of, but it is a part of me. For example, a friend of ours crossed a line recently and it has been hard for me to forgive her. I actually got angry at Seth for forgiving her so easily. When I asked him how it was so easy for him to forgive and forget he said, “I like to look for the good in people.” This is one trait that Seth has that I admire and I wish I could be more like him in that way. Another thing is that Seth is one of the hardest working people I know. His summers are spent working at least 40 hours a week and most weeks it’s more than that. The one problem with that is sometimes I have to remind him that it’s ok to take a day off to have some fun. However, I would much rather be with someone who is hardworking than be with someone who is too lazy to even lift a finger. Seth’s work ethic is another reason that I admire him.

A person I know who has impacted many people is my high school classmate, Stefan. During our junior year of high school, Stefan was diagnosed with brain cancer. In the beginning months of our senior year, there were many fundraisers put on by the students to raise money for Stefan’s medical bills. One fundraiser was put on by the Theater Department. Together they put on a haunted house and students were charged $1 to go through it. At one of our football games, a group of Stefan’s closest friends went around the stands asking people if they’d like to sign a card for Stefan and they were also collecting change. Another one of Stefan’s good friends made a Crowd Rise page to raise money for his medical expenses and altogether that page raised over $10,000. Lastly, there was the homecoming football game and the entire restaurant was filled with sobbing high school students. Stefan’s last wish was to meet the actor Terry Crews. Through the power of social media, our school was able to band together and get Terry Crews to come visit Stefan. Unfortunately, Stefan passed away on December 14, 2014. Even though Stefan is no longer here, he has impacted so many people with his strength through tough times. Our senior class voted him Most Memorable because even though he wasn’t able to accept the award himself, the class of 2015 will never forget Stefan.

A person who has left a mark on history is Jesus. Whether you believe that he is the son of God or not, he was still a real person and he is definitely an influential person. In 2011, there were 2.2 billion Christians on earth. That’s 31.5% of the world’s population, making Christianity the world’s most followed religion. I picked Jesus as a person who has left a mark on history because Jesus is a huge part of my religion, being a Christian. I was raised in a Christian household so I’ve heard about Jesus all of my life. Critics of Christianity would say that I was forced by my parents to be a Christian, but that’s not true. My parents exposed me to Christianity, but it was my choice to make this religion my own. The past year has been pretty hard for me and the one comfort that I found was in my relationship with God and Jesus. I find peace of mind knowing that He has a plan for me, even though I may not know what it is yet. Even during the times in the Bible, Jesus was a very influential man. He was known to make the blind see, heal the lepers, turn water into wine, walk on water, and raise from the dead. These are all very impressive things. Now, people who are not Christians may not believe that he actually did these things, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t an influential human being. Jesus is also important in the religions of Islam and Judaism. In Islam, Jesus is an important prophet. In Judaism, Jesus is a false messiah, meaning they do not believe that he was the son of God. According to Google, there have been about 130 million books written throughout the entire world’s history. It is said that around 40% of these books were written about Jesus.

(Facts about Jesus were retrieved from http://listverse.com/2013/03/22/top-10-most-famous-people/) 

Top Ten Meaningful Songs to Me

Music is really important to me. It helps me get through tough times, brings back good memories, and makes a good time even better. These are some of my favorite songs and the reasoning behind it.

Cinderella- Steven Curtis Chapman

This song is written by a father about his daughter. The first verse talks about how when she was little she would just dance to any song that was playing and she would ask to practice her dancing. In the second verse, the daughter has grown up a bit and is now a teenager. In this verse, the daughter is telling her father about her prom date and once again asks if he will help her practice her dancing. In the last verse, the daughter comes home and shows her parents an engagement ring and asks her dad to practice dancing with her again. All of these verses are important parts to understand the message behind the song, but the most vital part is the chorus. It says:

“So I will dance with Cinderella

While she is here in my arms

‘Cause I know something the prince never knew

Oh I will dance with Cinderella

I don’t want to miss even one song

‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight

And she’ll be gone”

The message behind this song is that you need to grab all the time with your kids that you can because before you know it, they won’t be kids anymore. I really appreciate this song because I didn’t have this close of a relationship with my father, but I know he still feels this way about me. My dad has never been one to show a lot of affection because of how he was raised but I know that he still loves me and feels the same way as the father in this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrWMBC6yoME

See You Again- Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

This song was written by Wiz Khalifa in honor of Paul Walker after he was killed in a car crash. This song has meaning to me for a very similar reason. As I mentioned in my first blog post, one of my classmates was killed in a car crash last year. I wasn’t super close with him, but my boyfriend was pretty good friends with him when they were in junior high. This song makes us think of him and every time it plays on the radio we have to listen to it. Something about it is comforting. The one part of the song that is coincidentally relatable to the situation with our friend Mike is in the first verse. It says:

“Those were the days

Hard work forever pays

Now I see you in a better place”

This part of the song reminds me of Mike because of a Bible verse that he lived by. This verse was Galatians 6:9. It reads, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Mike was an athlete and believed that hard work would pay off, and that is the message of Galatians 6:9 and also in that verse of See You Again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgKAFK5djSk

Smoke Break- Carrie Underwood

This song is on Carrie Underwood’s new album, Storyteller. Throughout the entire song, she sings about a few hardworking people who just need to relieve some stress sometimes, or take a smoke break. The first person in the song is a single mom who works three jobs to feed her four kids. The second person is a man who is just trying to move up the ladder at work after being the first member of his family to go to college. I can relate to this song because I feel like I’m always on the go and doing something whether it be going to class or going to work. One specific time that I can really relate to this song is one day after work. My boss had been driving me crazy that day and when I got back to my dorm, I sat down with my roommates and said, “I don’t drink, but after that day I could really use one.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ealNayCkaU

Riser- Dierks Bentley                                                                                                                                

This song is sung by Dierks Bentley. The main message behind it is that he doesn’t let life push him around. The chorus says:

“I’m a riser

I’m a get off of the ground, don’t run and hider

Pushin’ comes to shove

Hey I’m a fighter

When darkness comes to town, I’m a lighter

A get out aliver, of the fire

Survivor”

This song is meaningful to me because it reminds me of the rough year that my senior year was and how I got through it. In December of my senior year, a boy in my grade passed away from brain cancer. As mentioned in my last blog, another one of my classmates was killed in a car accident and then the following day my boyfriend’s foster brother were killed. Now, whenever life is going good I just expect something tragic to happen in my life. However, I know that since I’ve made it through that hard year I can make it through anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQDbjIh3_Ts

Crazy Over Me- Dylan Scott

This song is sung by Dylan Scott. I think of myself as a crazy girlfriend. I kind of have trust issues and get paranoid when I have no reason to be paranoid so I can let my mind wander to the worst conclusions. I always ask my boyfriend if he thinks I’m crazy and he says yes but in a good way, whatever that means. When I first heard this song it made me laugh because of the many conversations I’ve had with my boyfriend. The comforting thing is that he said the chorus is exactly like us. It says:

“You’re crazy

There ain’t a girl in this whole wide world that could ever make me

Feel the way I do about you, baby
Yeah, you’re crazy

But you can be as crazy as you wanna be

As long as you’re crazy over me”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tghmK218P5E

I Don’t Wanna Be- Gavin DeGraw

This song is sung by Gavin DeGraw. The reason that I like this song is kind of silly, but I love it. The reason that I like this song is because it is the theme song of my favorite TV show: One Tree Hill. Whenever I hear this song it automatically brightens my mood because I associate it with One Tree Hill. My roommates and I are obsessed with that show. Our weekends are mostly spent watching One Tree Hill until four in the morning. It’s pretty great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gFCW3PHBws

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)- Hillsong United

This song is sung by the Christian group, Hillsong United. I was raised in a Christian home and my religion is important to me. It hasn’t always been important to me, but as I got older I realized what it meant to me. I’m especially thankful that I found this relationship with God because it helped me get through one of the most difficult experiences of my life. When my boyfriend’s foster brother were killed, it was very hard on all of us, but our church was so supportive. The boys were killed on a Saturday and we went to church the next morning and the entire church cried with us. It was such a good feeling knowing that all of those people were there for us. The one thing that really helped my boyfriend’s family and I get through this difficult time was saying that taking the boys home was God’s way of protecting them from something worse. The boys had a rough home life and at the young ages of two and three, they had already been through so many terrible experiences. That was the one thought that gave us comfort, knowing that the boys wouldn’t be suffering anymore. Throughout this entire song, they’re singing about trusting in God. The chorus says:

“So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine”

The chorus talks about trusting in God when things get tough. The bridge is also one of my favorite parts. It says:

“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior”

This part of the song talks about trusting in God when you don’t know what to do or where to turn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw

Don’t Blink- Kenny Chesney

This song is sung by Kenny Chesney. The message behind this song is that life passes faster than you think so you need to enjoy it while you can. The story in this song is a man turning 102 years old is sharing the secret to life with someone. The message behind this song is well represented in the chorus. It says:

“Don’t blink

Just like that you’re six years old and you take a nap and you

Wake up and you’re twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife

Don’t blink

You just might miss your babies growing like mine did

Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your better half

Of fifty years is there in bed

And you’re praying God takes you instead

Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think

So don’t blink”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f0p5KqdU9U


Whiskey Lullaby- Brad Paisley

This song is sung by Brad Paisley. I like this song because of the story behind it. It’s a sad story, but it’s a beautiful song. In the music video, it starts out with a soldier returning from war to his wife cheating on him. This caused the soldier to drown his sorrows and eventually he killed himself. This then lead the wife to drown her guilt in alcohol. She also ended up killing herself and they were buried beneath a willow tree together. The husband’s pain is shown in the first course:

“He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger

And finally drank away her memory

Life is short but this time it was bigger

Than the strength he had to get up off his knees

We found him with his face down in the pillow

With a not that said I’ll love her till I die

And when we buried him beneath the willow

The angels sang a whiskey lullaby”

Even though the story behind this song is sad, the song itself is, in my opinion, beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZbN_nmxAGk

Sweetie Little Jean- Cage the Elephant

This song is sung by Cage the Elephant. This song is about a girl named Jean who went missing and now everyone is looking for her. The song is sang from the point of view of her love interest, but this song relates to my life in a way. My best friend, Jessica, had a foster sister named Jeannie. Unfortunately, Jeannie had to be suddenly taken away and this was hard on my friend. I sympathized with her because of the fact that my boyfriend’s foster brothers were suddenly taken from us. The weirdest thing about this song is that the girl who is missing is named Jean and my best friend’s foster sister’s name is Jeannie. I feel that the second verse of the song could be sung from my best friend’s point of view in response to Jeannie having to leave. It reads:

My best friend and I

“Has melancholy taken you for good?

You know that I would save you if I could

Watched your laughter turn to tears

Then you vanished in thin air

Well we pinned your missing persons picture up

On every mother-loving post

How’s it feel to be a ghost?

You’re the one I love the most”

All of these songs have some sort of meaning to me whether it be a big reason or a small reason. These are some of my favorite songs.

Me By the Numbers

   The first number that is important to me is 586. 586 is the area code of my hometown, Sterling Heights, MI. Sterling Heights is located on the southeast side of Michigan and is part of Metro Detroit. I have lived in Sterling Heights for my entire life, that is 18 years, five months, and 12 days, and it is my home. Sterling Heights has a population of roughly 131, 745 people and is currently the sixth safest city in Michigan. There have also been some well known people who have lived in Sterling Heights. Eminem used to live less than a mile from my house around the year 2000. Mario Impemba, the announcer for the Detroit Tigers, is also from Sterling Heights and went to high school with my dad at Adlai E. Stevenson High School. Another famous former resident of Sterling Heights is Bob Seger. Last but not least, NFL football player Nick McDonald is also from Sterling Heights. He actually graduated from my high school, Henry Ford II High School.

   The second number that has importance to me is the number four. This is because I come from a family of four. I live with my mom, dad, and sister. My mom's name is Kris. She is a secretary at Insight Eye Care. My dad's name is Mike. He is an engineer at General Motors. My sister's name is Megan. She is 14 years old and is currently a freshman at Henry Ford II High School. I love and appreciate my family and sometimes I don't do a very good job of showing that. I have a tendency to take my family for granted and that's something I need to work on. I don't have a very strong relationship with my sister, but oddly enough are relationship has gotten better since I left for school last fall. Regardless of whether I show it or not, my family is very important to me.

Junior (red) and Keyon (blue)

Mike

The third number that is important to me is the number 15, as in 2015. This is the year that I graduated high school and it is also the year that a lot of things happened to me. In 2015, I turned 18, left home and started college, and also experienced the hardest weekend of my life. May eighth started out like any other Friday. I went to school, came home, and went to work. While at work I overheard a customer talking to my coworker about a bad accident at Stony Creek, the local beach. When I got home around midnight I had a text from one of my best friend's asking if I had heard about the accident. I said yes and she asked me if I had heard who died in the accident. I hadn't. Immediately I went on Twitter and saw everyone tweeting "RIP Mike" and "You'll be missed, Mike". One of the three boys killed in this accident was an old friend of mine, Mike. We had German class together during my sophomore year of high school, attended the same church, and were also in the same drivers training class. Other than that, we hadn't spoken in a while. However, his death still affected me. After this, I would not have expected my weekend to get any worse. The following day I worked at my second job and was going to swing by the last half of my boyfriend's baseball game. When I got off work I had a text from my mom telling me to just go straight to his house. I was confused but I went anyways. When I arrived at my boyfriend's house my mom walked up to me, grabbed me by my shoulders and said "We just got a call about the boys...they're dead." The boys that my mom was referring to was my boyfriend's foster brothers, Junior and Keyon. Junior was three years old and I can honestly say I have never met a more curious little boy. Keyon was his 2-year-old brother and was the sneakiest little boy. Both of these boys held a special place in my heart and their "father" selfishly took them from us. I'm glad I can say that these boys were so loved during their short time on earth and not a day goes by that I don't think about them.

The last, and definitely not least, number that is important to me is the number six. This number is important to me because I have been with my boyfriend for almost six years now. During those six years we have grown up together and closer to each other. He is my best friend and we've been through a lot from petty fights over stupid things to the deaths of loved ones. We've been there for each other through everything and I really hope that he's there for the rest of my life.

My boyfriend and parents