All the Pretty Horses -- Fourth Response

To my ATPH readers,

I am finally starting to enjoy ATPH much more now that the plot is really thickening.  First, the romance between John Grady and Alejandra deepened.  With that of course came conflict also.  Alfonsa, Alejandra's aunt, warns John Grady that he should not be seen with Alejandra when she says "I want you to be considerate of a young girl's reputation."  In her snobby way she infers that she and her niece are much better than John Grady socially.  I personally hope that the two of them end up together in the end just to prove Alfonsa wrong.  The next very interesting part of this section was the capture of John Grady and Rawlins.  They are finally reunited with Blevins, but not for long.  When Rawlins and John Grady are each interrogated, we really see who they are.  Rawlins, who I though always acted like the tough guy, cracked under the pressure and the fear during the interrogation.  He seemed much weaker than John Grady did in his interrogation.  John Grady acted more composed and stuck to the truth.  Unfortunately, Blevins was still killed because he appeared as a monster in the eyes of the Mexicans.  My final observation about this section of reading is on page 161.  When the three of them are in confinement, John Grady dreams about horses.  The horses he dreams about are in the open "Field on the high plain."  The horses here seem to be a symbol for freedom and the open frontier that John Grady could be experiencing at that moment.

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"Hope" is the Thing With Feathers

To the other Poetry out Loud Participants,

In the poem “Hope is the Thing With Feathers,” Emily Dickinson incorporates diction to express her view of hope.  Emily Dickinson begins by relating “hope” to a “thing with feathers” because of its ability to take a person anywhere or out of any poor situation.  Next, Dickinson uses imagery in stanza two to help create a visual and auditory scene where the bird is continually singing while outlasting the storm.  The storm is described as “sore” because of the hard work it would take to stop the bird of hope from singing.  In the third stanza, strong adjectives are utilized.  Dickinson writes that even in the “chillest land” and the “strangest sea” hope can still be found.  Not only does Dickinson make the point that hope can be found anywhere, but she also remarks that hope is always a free gift.  This is seen in the last two lines “Yet – never – in extremity, it asked a crumb – of me.”  In addition to diction, Dickinson also creates a character for hope.  She communicates hope as a bird because of its capabilities to fly and never stop singing.  The bird in this poem is extremely determined as nothing could “abash the little bird.”  This characteristic bird of hope lives inside all of us, in our “souls,” as Dickinson explains in the very first lines of the poem.

All the Pretty Horses -- Third Response

To my fellow readers of ATPH,

Suddenly, there is a setting change in the novel.  John Grady and Rawlins now are living on a Mexican ranch working there for money.  Together they began breaking horses and teaching them to be ridden.  The novel's title is starting to make more and more sense too.  John Grady's true horse obsession and knowledge is starting to show.  He shows his knowledge when the hacendado quizzes him.  After this little quiz, John Grady is suddenly higher in status than Rawlins on the ranch.  John Grady does not think of himself as more than Rawlins though as he even says "we don't have no leaders.  We're just buddies."  Next, I thought it was funny how many people came to watch John Grady and Rawlins while they were breaking the horses.  It doesn't seem like an event you go to watch but hundred showed up.  The two of them also felt revered at dinner.  Finally, I am excited to see where the relationship between Alejandra and John Grady goes.  They seem like opposite types of people but maybe these opposites will attract.  I also think that Rawlins may end up getting jealous if his best friend gets the girl and he does not.

Here's a few words that I had to look up on Google
quarterhourses- a breed of horse that excels in short sprints
vaqueros- Mexican cowboy

All the Pretty Horses Questions Part 1

Dear readers of All the Pretty Horses,

Here are just a few questions to think about...

Why does McCarthy incorporate Spanish into the dialogue with no translations?
What if John Grady would have sold Blevins?
If it was Rawlin's decision would he have sold Blevins?
How are John Grady and Rawlins so close but such different acting people? 
Are any of these characters foils of each other? If so which ones?
Why did John Grady decide to take Blevins instead of leave him with nothing?
What value did Blevins even have to the group when he lost everything?
What is the reason for Rawlins hostility towards Blevins?
Was getting the horse back really worth all of the trouble it caused?
What would happen if Blevins got caught or if the other two go caught?
If they were caught, what would the Mexicans do to them?
Why does McCarthy's format change suddenly between lengthy sentences and paragraphs to quick dialogue?
Do you think that John Grady and Rawlins will split at some point down the road because of their often times conflicting ideas?
How does the religious talk between John Grady and Rawlins characterize the two of them?
Do their beliefs help characterize them at all?
Although Blevins is strong willed, is he made to look younger than the other two in this section of reading?
What is the most prominent theme thus far in the book?
What does the title mean to the story so far?
What is the role of humor in the book? Comic relief like in Macbeth or something else?
What senses does McCarthy appeal to with his words and imagery?

My New Addiction

Dear GMAD,
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All the Pretty Horses -- Second Response

Dear classmates reading All the Pretty Horses,

After finishing the next thirty pages of All the Pretty Horses, I can certainly say it is growing on me!  The novel is beginning to show a little more excitement.  I would characterize the first thirty pages of the novel as dull, but that is not the case for the next thirty.  John Grady and Rawlins began their adventure south together.  As a team I find the two of them to be quite funny.  My favorite part of the section has to be when the two of them banter to decide whether or not they should kill Blevins.  I laughed out loud when one of them said "I aint diggin no grave like we done that last one."  Besides the humor, I think both John Grady and Rawlins matured a little more when they left their home.  Grady even says to Rawlins that he does "look like some kind of desperado."  When I picture a desperado, I picture a grown and untidy man, capable of many fetes.  I believe McCarthy wants us to look past that the kids are only sixteen years old, as they take on more responsibility that any sixteen year old does today.  Every once in a while though they do act like children.  Rawlins worries about what "they're saying at home about now?"  Finally, I like the way that Blevins becomes"accepted" by John Grady and Rawlins.  After he shoots a hole straight through the pocket book, John Grady and Rawlins do not question Blevins following them any more.  It seems like it is the equivalent of kicking a 50 yard field goal in football.  You may not like the guy, but its a respectable shot and worth your approval!

Dear 2010,

It may be a little late to decide what my favorite song of 2010 was, but i have finally decided. Congrats Chiddy Bang.



To the readers of All the Pretty Horses,

This is the view from outside the cabin I stayed in while out west!  It may not be Texas, but this is still how I visualize that whole region.



All the Pretty Horses -- First Impressions

To others reading All the Pretty Horses,

I just finished the first 30 pages of All the Pretty Horses.  The first things I noticed in the novel were the vivid descriptions Cormac McCarthy uses for the exposition.  The novel takes place around San Antonio, Texas in 1949 where cowboys, ranchers, and city folk all come together.  I can hardly imagine what it would look like there, but from my own experiences out west a few summers ago, I can still feel the heat and smell the cattle that inhabit the land.  Furthermore, McCarthy describes Texas with a very unique style.  I have never seen any other writing quite like his.  First of all, he never uses quotation marks, which makes it very difficult to tell when it is dialogue.  Second, he uses long sentences in the narration, though, they are full of great images and characterization.  Finally, McCarthy really confuses me when he continually uses pronouns instead of characters names.  It becomes difficult to tell what each person is saying, especially when there are multiple "he" and "she" characters.  The narration is not done in a straight forward way.  The reader is kept guessing, which may turn out to be positive as the reader will stay actively involved.