Shirley Jacksons' "The Lottery"

As I have mentioned previously, I enjoy reading dark stories. However, I did not really like this one. It was too sad to me, and made my stomach turn at the very end when Tessie was pleading to the townspeople. :( At the beginning of the story, the stones were mentioned, but it never really came to me until towards the very end of the story that the stones were going to be used in a stoning. I would have been terrified if I took place in the lottery drawing. It is strange to me why stoning is a tradition in this town.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown"

I have never read this short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I was somewhat confused during the story, but at the ending when Hawthorne stated that it was an "omen dream", much more of the story made sense. I enjoyed the story a lot, being that it kept my interest the entire time because I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened at the communion. The main character Goodman Brown seemed naive and scared of his surroundings (I would be too though if I was Goodman). It is strange that Goodman had such an incredibly satanic and devil-related dream. Overall, I greatly enjoyed the story!

Charlotte Perkin's "The Yellow Wallpaper"

I have actually never read this short story before, although the name sounded familiar.  I think the story starts out somewhat slow, but then picks up in the middle, and especially during the end.  The paragraph was definetly the climax of the story in my point of view.  However, the climax and the events leading up to it were very confusing.  It confused me how Jennie left the narrator in the room, and then the next thing I know she was in the wall paper herself, and became a "creeper" among the other women "creepers" from the wallpaper.  It also confused me how John fainted and is now under her and in the way of her path, so she has to "creep" over him now?  I will most likely need an explanation to this story being that I have read it twice now already today.  Overall, the story was good, and I think the narrator becomes more ill and sick throughout the story mentally.

Edgar Allen Poe's "A Tell-Tale Heart"

After reading Edgar Allen Poe's "A Tell-Tale Heart", I am some what disturbed.  The hatred of the killer in the book towards the old man is intense.  The way he plans out how he is going to kill the old man, and talks about how he was incredibly nice to the man the entire week he planned to kill him is shocking.  This man, the one that killed the older man, resembles evil.  His thoughts are unneccessary.  Overall, I did however enjoy this story.  Just like "A Rose for Emily", this short story is full of darkness, and I enjoy reading dark stories.  They keep me thinking and are entertaining. 

William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"

Although I read the short story "A Rose for Emily" in English 101, it was actually very interesting to read it again.  For English 101, I actually wrote an essay about the short story because it interested me so incredibly.  I really like how the overall mood in the story is dark, and Emily is perceived as being felt sad for by the townspeople, but yet very mysterious.  Emily is in fact an extremely mysterious character, being that many of her actions are kept hidden from the townspeople (ex: the body of Homer Barron was kept inside Emily's house until she later fell ill and died).  Throughout the story, it became apparent to me that the phrase "Poor Emily" was repeated numerous times.  I highlighted them all and noted that "pitying Emily is a popular hobby for the townspeople."  I really had no questions about the story, being that, again, I read the story last semester so I am quite familiar with it.