“There was such speed in her little body,   

And such lightness in her footfall,   

It is no wonder her brown study

Astonishes us all.

Her wars were bruited in our high window.   

We looked among orchard trees and beyond   

Where she took arms against her shadow,   

Or harried unto the pond

The lazy geese, like a snow cloud

Dripping their snow on the green grass,   

Tricking and stopping, sleepy and proud,   

Who cried in goose, Alas,

For the tireless heart within the little   

Lady with rod that made them rise

From their noon apple-dreams and scuttle   

Goose-fashion under the skies!

But now go the bells, and we are ready,   

In one house we are sternly stopped

To say we are vexed at her brown study,   

Lying so primly propped.”

“Bells for John Whiteside’s Daughter” by John Crow Ransom, is actually one of the better poems I’ve read in a while. In the beginning it starts with AN ABAB rhyme, which really sounds wonderful in my ears. It holds that same beat with CDCD, EFEF, etc.  In the first stanza, it also introduces the main character very quickly and jumps into the piece. The second stanza,  the speaker puts her against a more naturalistic feel to show her flaws/horrors. In the second stanza the speaker even takes a moment to add in “orchard trees” which can easily be connected to the Garden of Eden, and how she “took her arms against her shadow”, as if she was fighting the devil inside of herself and that she was the human who denied the “snake”. It’s really interesting how in the third stanza the speaker decides to describe poop as snow in “the green grass”, creating an ironic device within it. It conflicts the seasonal differences, and shows how the beauty is starting to be hidden. The fourth stanza gives the character a sense of leadership and power, by saying she can “make them rise”. And than from their “noon apple-dreams”, whereas if apple is sin, than that means she can make them pure. She can be interpreted as a savior. In the last stanza, bells are commonly known as “time” in older times because of the bells on clocks. They stop at one house, separating her as someone difference. It is realized in the last line though when the speaker says “to say we are vexed at her brown study/lying so primly propped” that she is actually dead. If she is interpreted as innocent, this can also be an ironic factor because she is dead. Though she is dead, she still holds an imprint on life and is obviously still remembered.

Snow Falling On Cedars is probably one of my favorite books read in AP Lit, even though I did have some issues with it. When I tried understanding why I liked it so much I realized it was because it still, in some way, resonated with our generation. Despite the fact nobody has any prejudice (at least in this country) over the Japanese, we all have constantly heard about it since freshman year and instead of just facts from history class, I can now see a realistic situation and how people would react with these prejudices. One of the few things though that I wish we talked about in our lit circles but sadly did not have much research about, was names. Miyamoto, for instance, is a really popular name in Japan and means “one who lives at the shrine” and has a lot to do with Samurais. Shrines are interesting because they are linked between life and death. Obviously, shrines are connected to death and the spiritual world, but it physically rests in the normal world. The author could have chosen this name because I can see how it be the name of someone who was connected to a murder case, but also the lively hood of that character.  Hatsue’s first name means “beginning”. Obviously, if the reader counts Ishmael as the protagonist, it would make sense since Hatsue was introduced in the beginning and was significant in his life simply because she has always been there. Ishmael means “God will hear” and is known to be the first son of Abraham. Ishmael is one of the jurors that is able to step back and see the whole picture because he is less connected to the case as a whole (excluding his relationship with Hatsue). In a way, he does see it all and he does find crucial evidence that claims Kabou innocent. Ironically, Kabou’s name means “hope”. Many names, like the ones above, have connections to the story at least a little bit, and hold a powerful string to them. Other than names, the only thing I wish we were able to talk about was the lighthouses. In literature lighthouses commonly symbolize hazard, danger, and warning. Especially if rocks are settled around the lighthouse, as the one in the book, it is supposed to be symbolize a dangerous caution. And saying that nobody noticed this dangerous caution that night, and the lighthouse was the place Kabou’s innocence was discovered, it is easy to say that the lighthouse in the book holds the same symbolism. Also, I had really come to find attachment to Alexander Van Ness. Despite the fact that he only had one part, he probably carried one of my significant shifts in the novel. He is, in a way, the one who truly saved Kabou because he held off the finale decision.

Snow Falling for Cedars Impression

               I decided to sign up for the lit circle for Snow Falling For Cedars, and so far I am terribly wound up on too many characters at once. I thought the main character would be the guy on trial: Kabuo Miyamoto. Kabuo Miyamoto, clearly someone with Japanese origin,  supposedly is on trial, and is connected to Carl Heine's death. He supposedly fell off a boat, but even though I'm only into the first four chapters, it's obvious that Kabuo Miyamoto is being accused of killing him. The first thing I really noticed about these two names is that the origin is drastically different. One name is fully Japanese, the other is fully white/European/etc-descent. There has to be (despite the fact that I haven't read anything based upon the Japanese/White discrimination) some sort of reason the author made the names so different. I'm guessing theres going to be some sort've racial theme in the book, and it's interesting that the Japanese character is being on trial for killing the guy. It would be interesting to read a book about a minority (Japanese minority) being unfairly held on trial for a white guy's death, and showing the discrimination against the group of people.

               Another character that I am automatically in love with is Ishmael Chambers. There is something about him: the way he analyzes things before he speaks, the way he likes to stay in the background before having a reason otherwise, how he is (despite the fact it's a little condescending) always has more knowledge than everybody else. He appears detached from the rest of the town, despite the fact that he plays a role in the community. He isn't the typical protagonist (if he is the protagonist). He seems more of a secondary character when he is first introduced. But when he comes up to Miyamoto's wife, he appears less detached and more of a central character. At the end of chapter one, not only does he approach Miyamoto's wife without any caution, but she seems especially cold towards him. Not really blaming him for her husband's trial, but possibly because he is close enough to her to ask personal questions, and she would rather him not. It kinda shows how if it was someone else in town, she may just brush them off, but she clearly tells Ishmael to go away. This could be just me, but when I heard there's a love story in it, I'm kind of thinking the love story is between them (or at least hoping).  Not only that, but he sees details that most people wouldn't notice ("He would remember how rigorously her hair had been woven into a black knot against the nape of her neck") And if there is, what is this guy's role? He states that he was relatively close Miyamoto during high school, and almost seems to be on his side during the ordeal. Is this "love story" a love story of the past, or a love story of the future? And how does it play in to Miyamoto's fate?a