An Ode To The Midwest
Blair Emsick (12)
It is not the forest that haunts me with its impenetrable darkness and its tall horrible trees that climb and climb… It is not the forest, it is the pavement of this city that haunts me. Cracking skulls, looking up all of our skirts, taking us home, and driving us far far away. The grayness is taking over this city, bigger than the green, bigger than the blue. The gray.
It is not the wind that turns me in the right direction, inspires and awakens me. It is the sway of the street lights at night. Like tall old men reminiscing as small children play around them.
It is not the ocean’s breeze that smells as sweet as a lover’s breath; blood boiling from the slaughter of livestock can be just as sweet, sweeter then the belch of the ocean.

Paramore is back! After three long exhausting tours in Europe, Asia, and Australia and a small break in April Paramore is back on tour in the states. This is Paramore’s first tour in the states since late November of this year, and Paramore’s first time back in the heartland since they played at the Mid America Center in 2008. After two years, a new album, a marriage, and a very different venue Paramore is back playing a very anticipated audience.

Sherri: What'd he say? (Immediately interested)
Delilah: Well Mark came over last night(She rolled her eyes and Sherri gave a shiver, which Delilah failed to noitce) and I was hoping you could come over to, because I didn't want to fall asleep alone listening to Mark and Bill get drunk.
Sherri: (Interrupting)Ugh how do you deal with them?
Delilah: I don't know I expected to be more angry, but I just wasn't...
Sherri: Okay, continue the story what happened?
Delilah: Oh! So I wanted you to come over, I was angry in the first place because you know I don't like Mark all that much...
Sherri: (Under her breath) Who does?
Delilah: And Bill and I begin to argue Bill said (in a mocking manly voice) Mark feels uncomfortable around Sherri, Can you believe that? (Sherri's eyes widen)
Sherri: MARK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND ME?! (She's incredulous)
Delilah: (Missing something that Sherri is trying to say) I know! Right, he broke it off with you 3 months ago why should he feel uncomfortable around you! You went on two dates what's there to feel “uncomfortable about” what happened between you too?
Sherri: (Looking suddenly uncomfortable and outraged at the same time) Mark and I don't agree on things...
Delilah: (Narrowing her eyes at Sherri)What happened between you too?
Sherri: (Immediately looking away from Delilah) Nothing happened between us. I don't like him he doesn't like me (Sherri has an unexplainable suppressed terror in her face she stares off into space)
Delilah Attempts to narrow her eyes at Sherri even more unable to figure out her reaction) Why does it matter let's talk about something else.... someone's birthday coming up in two weeks (Sherri suddenly attempts to brighten Delilah obviously giving up goes along with the change of subject)
Delilah: I don't want anything big! Promise me nothing big! We'll just have cake and dinner here okay no presence or anything! Promise me.
Sherri: I promise...
Delilah: What time is it?
Sherri: About 1 o'clock why?
Delilah: Bill said he'd be home for lunch.
Sherri: He's probably busy Delilah
Delilah: (Looking around the room in a sort of panicked way) He said this was a slow season for him, because no one's spending money, he never doesn't come home for lunch (She begins to clear the women's plates and takes them to the sink)
Sherri: Don't worry about it Delilah, he's probably just busy! Trust me
Delilah: (Stares into the sink for a moment) Yeah you're probably right... Listen I'm gonna finish hanging up these curtains want to help.
Sherri: (Looking at the crooked mass of curtains) No... I think I'm gonna go home and try to finish up this test I'm writing for my students. Finals are coming up!
Delilah: Alright... I'll give you a call later, when I see what's up with Bill.
Sherri: Nothing is up with Bill! I promise you, you just got married he's madly in love with you!
Delilah: Alright I'll see you later.
Sherri: I love you okay! Good luck with these hangers

Sherri exits

1st Lt. Jack F. Meyer

When World War Two broke out in 1939, Germany had invaded Poland. Many countries tried to stay out of the war, including the United States. Because of the surprising attack on the United States military base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, America was forced to face the facts and get involved. America declared war against the Japanese on December 8th, 1941, with the famous speech given by Franklin D. Roosevelt, asking Congress to declare war. Soon the war would become a world-wide conflict, making it the most horrific dispute known to man. Millions and Millions of men enrolled in the armed forces all around the world, sadly over 70 million of those men would be added to the list of war casualties, Jack F. Meyer was among those found dead.
In Omaha, NE, on February 11th, 1918, Jack F. Meyer entered the world, born to Mr. and Mrs. Fred G. Meyer. The Meyer family lived in the heart of Dundee, at 4917 Burt Street. Close by was the neighborhood school, Dundee. As a child, Jack Meyer attended the elementary school until he moved on to high school. At the time of his attendance, Dundee Elementary still went through til grade 8. Jack Meyer spent all of his grade school years at Dundee. Once Jack left Dundee, he moved on to the famous and amazing, Central High. Jack became one of the many proud Central eagles.
While in High School, Jack was a pretty average student, receiving mostly C's, in Military Drill Jack received A's all four years. Jack's teachers gave him mostly good and fair marks on his transcript. Jack was involved in many clubs and actives throughout the school. In the Cadet Officers' Club, C.O.C, Jack was a Captain and Quartermaster his Senior year. Jack was involved in the Motor Club, the Crack Platoon, and Military Drill. But Jack Meyer's high school career wasn't all ROTC, he was also involved in sports and entertainment. He played basketball and Football his freshmen and sophomore years, also in Intramural sports his Senior year. Jack was a member of the Road Show both his Junior and Senior years. Jack became involved with the Register, he became a Register Rep. his sophomore year and was on the Register Staff, as a reporter, his Senior year first semester.
Jack graduated from Central High in June, with the class of 1936. Jack sent his transcript to two colleges in Nebraska, University of Nebraska and Creighton University. I am not sure what college, if he went, he finally decided on. The next few years after high school, up to the war, little was found on Jack's life. My first step was to visit Mrs. Bauer to get Jack's records while in high school. Mrs. Bauer was very helpful with Jack's high school career and how to look up other facts about his life, I went down and visited her a few more times because she was very nice and helpful. My next step was to look what information the Central High Foundation , CHF, might have. Terry Price, and volunteers, were unable to locate any information about Jack Meyer or his family. I did have a chance to look through the foundations old year books, finding his graduating class. The CHF also helped by finding a list men that were involved with ROTC at Central High during the time that Jack attended. I sent out letters and emails to these men hoping that I would maybe obtain some useful information. Two of the men wrote me back by email saying that they went to Central after Jack Meyer's time and could not help me with my research. Research seemed to lead no where, it was as if Jack Meyer didn't even exist. I tried calling the colleges that Jack might have gone to, the colleges kept on giving me different numbers and names to call, no one seemed to know how to get a hold of a students records while in college. I also tried calling Dundee, like before, I had to call all around just to find out that I could not access someones personal records without their approval. Since Jack and the rest of his family are now deceased, there was no way that I could access the records. Looking up his name on war sites didn't help. Many genealogy websites like, Ancestry and Archives, failed to provide the information that I was looking for. Even looking at library in the residential and obituary files, nothing turned up.
Yet there was still hope, when visiting the DCHS at Fort Omaha, Metro Campus, I finally found what I was looking for. After searching through old news paper clippings, I came across Jack Meyer's obituary. This was the gold mine. The tiny article held information about his death and burial. There was a part at the beginning of the article that told the readers Jack Meyer's home base. At first I thought that this is where his family was living, and where he was buried. Though, through research I found that the article was referring to the army base where he was located in Luke Field, Arizona. Luke Air Force Base was where Jack had spent his time during the war. He was a pilot for the United States Air Force. The base was named after a former resident, Lieutenant Frank Luke, who fought in WW1 and became the first U.S. Aviator to receive the Medal of Honor. With help from accident- report and aviation archaeology, I was able to find his accident reports, giving the reason of death and the day he deceased.
On April 21st, 1944, Jack Meyer's life was cut short at the age of 26. He died while fighting for his country; his plane crashed, killing him. He would leave behind his mother, father, and two sisters. He died a noble and honorable way. Jack's memory will live on, along with the many other men lost in the war, as the brave men and women who gave up everything for the safety of their country. Willing to put their own lives on the line so that we would not have to. For their great acts, great or small, America will always be internally grateful for their sacrifice.

Jack F. Meyer's Senior quote: “ Of military trend is Jack, and once started he ne'er turns back.”

William Dennis Pinegar was born October 19, 1940 to the parents of Mr. and Mrs. Pinegar at St. Catherine's hospital in McCook, Nebraska. Pinegar had one brother James who was born in 1938. Growing up Pinegar lived at 828 S. 21st Street with his family. He was raised catholic.
His sister-in-law Barbara Olson, who is the only living relative of Pinegar, recalls him as a very quiet simple person. Pinegar attended St. Peter's grade school throughout k-8th grade and graduated May 29, 1955. According to report cards during his time at St. Peters Pinegar received mediocre grades, and didn't excell especially in academics. After Pinegar's time at St. Peter's Pinegar attended Central High School. Although Pinegar's brother James attended Creighton Prep High School Pinegar chose public school, why the reason is unknown.
Bill Pinegar's life at Central isn't one to boast about. He attended Central from the fall of 1955 to the spring of 1959 and graduated in the class of 1959. There was no report card on file for Pinegar but sccording to Mrs. Barbara Olson in high school Pinegar also received average grades. According to the 1959 yearbook the only activity Pinegar was involved in at school was the JROTC program from 9th-12th grade. He had one esepecially close friend, Lennard Schwenneker who graduated from Central class of 1960, but not further research could be found on Pinegar's high school friend.
Sometime in high school, the exact year is unknown Pinegar and his family relocated from the house on S. 21st Street to 3510 Valley Street, where Pinegar would reside until his death in 1965. After high school Pinegar did not attend any Universities or colleges. He worked at the Pepsi Cola factory on 72nd and L with his brother James and lived with his parents after school and even though Pinegar was involved in the JROTC program in high school Pinegar expressed no real interest in joining the armed forces even as the Vietnam War grew increasingly bloody throughout the 1960's.
According to Mrs. Barbara Olson Pinegar grew up to be a very simple quiet man. He really enjoyed fishing and hunting with his brother James and father Harold. "He could fish for hours," she said. Before his death Pinegar had no girlfriends or had any romantic ties with any women. "He never even had his driver's license," recalls Mrs. Olson.
However on September 19th, 1963 Pinegar's simplistic life of fishing, hunting, and working at Pepsi Cola was abruptly halted when Pinegar received his draft letter, and was to report for induction of the armed forces on October 21st, 1963, three days after Pinegar's 23rd birthday.
Pinegar was enlisted in to the First Calvary Division, 5th Calvary, 2nd Battalion, B company, and was now called Private Pinegar, instead of what his friends and family called him, Billy.
According to Pinegar's record of military service he was at Fort. Leonard Wood, Missouri from October 21st, 1963 to January 9th,1964. At Leonard Wood, a massive traning base that trains thousands of men, Pinegar received basic training. From January 10th, 1964 to July 1st, 1965 Pinegar was located at Fort Carson Colorado base. Although during this time there was a great flood in June and July Pinegar continued his traning here. In a letter to his parents dated from June 1965 Pinegar writes about not doing much and throwing sand bags around at Fort Carson. From July 2, 1965 to August 15th, 1965 Pinegar relocated to Fort Benning Georgia, where Pinegar prepared for his upcoming tour in South Vietnam. From August 15th, 1965 to September 11th, 1965 Pinegar was enroute to Vietnam. Pinegar wrote the letter enclosed on August 19th, 1965 during his time on the ship, a month and a half before his death.
The last line is especially heart wrenching. "Mom don't worry," he simply writes. Pinegar had absolutely no inclination of his very near death. From the 12th of September until his death Pinegar on October 6th, 1965 (almost two weeks before his 25th birthday) was located in a small province in Southern Vietnam. A letter sent shortly after his death to Pinegar's paretns from William A. Davies, the Captain of Infantry Commanding, describes the events surrounding Pinegar's death. Pinegar was located near a first calvary division base near An Khe, South Vietnam. In the early morning Pinegar was manning a defensive position with the rest of his unit. While Pinegar was preparing to go on guard for this postion he was killed immediately by hostile small arms fire.
On October 12th after Pinegar's body had been recovered Pinegar was sent back home to Omaha to John A. Gentlemen Mortuaries. Pinegar was buried at Calvary Cemetary on 80th and center. According to his sister-in-law Pinegar was due for release on his birthday October 19th. Pinegar did come home, but instead of throwing a birthday party for him his parents, friends, family had to bury him.
William Pinegar's life had just began to blossom, death was the furthest thing from his mind. Pinegar was still living at home, he never even had a girlfriend. His life was just beginning when it was taken from him. However, Pinegar did do something extraordinary. After a quiet simple life Pinegar died fighting. In a letter sent to the Pinegar family after William's death Cal Curtis from the United States Senate offers his condolences. He writes, "I can only commend you to Him who was taught us all that death does not end all." The words never seemed more true. Death does not end all, and in some way Pinegar's name lives on.
Pinegar has two memorials one located at Central High School, and another at Memorial Park. After his death Pinegar was awarded the Sharp shooter badge, the Military Merit Medal, the Purple Heart, The Vietnam Service Medal, a Gold Star Citation and Gallantry Cross with Palm.
Although Pinegar's brother and parents all passed away in the 90's Pinegar is still remembered by his sister-in-law. After Pinegar's death in 1965 Barbara and her late husband James named their third soon after William. William Pinegar Jr., and so his name lives on. May William Dennis Pinegar rest in peace.

Although the Boys track team has yet to take the state championship title in 3 years this year’s track team is hopeful about winning the state championship in track. With a basketball championship under our belt and key athletes on the team such as Ryan Leach (11), Jevaun Brown (11), and Deverell Biggs (12) many feel positive about a prosperous season. “ I think we have a definite chance at winning state this year,” says Junior Ted Lampkin. Lampkin although only a junior hopes to beat the school record, and eventually the state record in the long jump. The current school record is 24 inches and 11 feet, during the last track meet Lampkin jumped 23 feet and 9 inches. “I’m only a foot and 2 inches off, I think I can definitely do it,” says Lampkin. Besides the long jump Lampkin competes in the Triple Jump, 4x100 relay, and the 100 meter dask.
The team began conditioning in January and the track season began in March. With Coach Evans, and Coach Ball in charge of the team the team is

Row 1: Duncan Reed (10), Alex Tran (12), Giselle Tran (10), Alonzo Whitcomb (11), Luke Compton (11), Rio Longoria (12), Josh Albright (12), Eric Jizba (12), Alaina Allen (12), Robin Fey (11), Brianna Rhoten (12), Kaitelin Beebee (11), Amber Mclonis (11), Cierra Tooley (11), Mia Matlock (11), Josh Kain (12), Jordan Christensen (10)
Row 2: Amber Bless-Mixan (12), Amanda Schneiderman (10), Emily Kirkvold (9), Marissa Bower (9), Noah Grossmen (9), Maggie Fey (9), Gabrielle Fields (9), Olivia Bell (10), Bridget Monson (12), Emilio Sotelo (11), Sarah Monaghan (10), Zoe May (12), Emily Epperson (11), Ashley Zisca (12), Chelsey Thomas (12), Lillian Chaparro (11), Bobby Gibbs (9), Abby Mandel (11), Christina Klem (11), Alex Pachman (9), Cassandra Hannah (9)
Row 3: Harold Emas (10), Jordan Stoler (10), Brittany Lammers (12), Danny Pachman (12), Sam Bertino, Deanna Hobbs (10), Leo Bravo (11), (10), Claire Ferguson (11), September Symens (11), Kelsey Magnuson (10), Helen Erickson (10), Isaac Thomas (11), Quanli Wang (12),Emma Demain (10), Latesha Wallace (12), Hannah Grossman (12), Maria Marquez (12), Ashlea Bless-Mixan (9),
Row 4: Wolcott (9), Laureen Gaulette (9), Thomas Grabenschroer (10) Tyler Miles (9), Amber Micklonis (11), Joe McCann (12), Enrique Perdomo (11), Henry Hawbaker (9), Olivia Bishop (12), Michaela Hough (11), Adam Lacroix (10), Anna Brun (9), Marvin Cunningham (11), Alex Kinkead (10), Michael Griffin (9), John Folsom (11),

Row 5: Mark Winkelbauer (12), Emily Nolan (11), Matthew Koehler (12), Evan Stoler (10), Elijah Skolfield (12), Ayomide Adekunle (12), Jasmine McCallister (12), Elizabeth deLaittre (11), Cody Lahowetz (11), Ryan Opp (11), Alex Bogatz (10), Matthew Bowden (10), Rebecca Smolen (11), Noelle Keely (11), Leo Kazmierczak (9), Peter Bock (12), Jake Reed (9), Delano Aguirre (9), Ross Harding (9)

Yaniv Azriel (10)

Blair Emsick

Mrs. Martinez

AP Literature and Composition

February 7, 2010



Writing About Writing

Writing has been a constant wonderful force in my life since a very young age. Writing, I believe is a way to harness the imagination, into its most productive or even its most destructive form. Writing helps unleash the clausterphobic, choking on hot air, soul inside all of us and gives us a breath of fresh air. Being a writer is a lifestyle choice, it demands constant and careful attention. Writing has shown a different world to me, a whole different way of looking at things and the people around me. Writing has enlarged my mind, and made me who I am today. I feel that many people these days think of writing as a daunting mechanical task, I stronly urge that writing is not so, writing has this captivating livliness that is hard to let go of.
When I was a small child I always said when I wanted to grow up I wanted to be an author, not a writer an author. I wrote short stories that received much praise from my parents and teachers and had a very elementary view on writing. It wasn't until the fifth grade that I really wrote my first poem. I remember reading the book Lizzie At Last by Claudia Mills. The main character Lizzie is this out of the ordinary girl who writes poetry all the time, I wanted to be just like her and so I began writing poetry. From that point on I was constantly writing in my diary, constantly just writing. Writing made me feel important, it made me feel like I had something really important to say, and that even if people wouldn't listen the page would.
In middle school I kept two notebooks one for my diary and one for just writing down mindless thoughts that popped into my head, like doodling for the mind. Writing became a part of who I was, but it really wasn't until my sophomore year in high school when I began to take writing really seriously. I enrolled in Mr. Larson's Creative Writing class and that class really helped me through my sophomore, junior, and even this year. Mr. Larson requires us to write 10 pages a week with various assignments throughout the week. Writing that amount every week really began to change who I was. It is so hard to try to describe it, with each word I wrote I felt like I was growing into a stronger more mature person. Writing made me feel special, it still makes me feel special I have something that I am good at, or that makes me feel good anyways.
Writing has this power, it's indescribable really. I find whenever I am confused about something a situation or a person, when I'm angry, or sad I write and it has this way of calming me down. Taking the edge off of my spirits. One of our assignments for Creative Writing was to read Natalie Goldberg's book Writing Down The Bones. It's basically an extended version of this personal essay. In one chapter Goldberg writes about this exact phenomenon how writing is like a drug, it can make you feel better, but with no bad after effects. She talked about how maybe alcoholics drink because inside there's a writer waiting to be unleashed and the resistance to the inner writer is making them drink. It's an interesting theory true or not.
Writing also has this profound power over a person, because on the page one can be whoever they want to be, say whatever the want to say, and do whatever the want to do. I can be a greek soldier fighting in the trojan war, or I can be Einstein if I want to, all I have to do is find the right words to say. Although it is probably best not to get wrapped up in a fantasy world and lose your grip on reality, I have been there, it is not healthy. Writing I hope will continue to be suge a huge part of me and my life. Writing is my muse, my therapy, my life, me.

AP Government Blair Emsick
9th hour February 3rd, 2010
Supreme Court

John G. Roberts is the current Chief Justice of the United States. He was born January 27, 1955 in Buffola, New York and was appointed by George W. Bush after the death of William Rehnquist. Originally Roberts was appointed to take the place of Sandra Day O’Connor who had resigned but then Chief Justice William Rehnquist died and George W. Bush decided to appoint Roberts for that position instead.

blehhhh

Sarah Emsick
Mrs. martinez
AP English Literature and Composition
January 2010


Reflecting O'Connor's Writing

When one is getting ready to go on a family road trip or to the doctors they don't think about they danger that they will find there, they only think about how long the car ride is going to be or how much the visit to the doctor is going to cost them. In Flannery O'Connor's novels and short stories she puts a spin on an average day, on an average family, or what people would like to believe average is. She forces her readers to see the different sides of her characters and people, that not everyone is perfectly happy, some people are lost without direction. O'Connor uses three themes in her novels that one would think never fit together to ask the questions of moral values and faith, her Catholic values and tragic side are all pulled together with a comic relief.
For a writer with such brilliant stories, and such a different approach, one would think that the writer would have a very exciting life themselves, but in truth looking back on her life, O'Connor kept to herself. She was all about her writing and her religion. She really valued her Roman Catholic roots and became one of the first writers to us her religion in her novels in an interesting way, one might say that she was writing religious fiction. O'Connor was quoted saying “ Faith is what someone knows to be true, whether they believe it or not.”, weather her critics believe in her faith or like her style of writing, she really doesn't care because she is not changing her views. O'Connor was from the South and religion was an important factor. Raised a Roman Catholic, O'Connor was Born on March 25, 1925 in Savannah, Georgia. Mary O'Connor was an only child and often had to find her own fun around the family farm, Her Father was diagnosed with the rare blood disease lupus, the disease was hereditary in the family and her father soon died from the disease. The family moved back to Milledgeville, where her mother had grown up and O'Connor attended schooling there. After O'Connor graduated in 1942, she started up at Georgia State College For Women, after graduating in 1945, she moved on to a Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa, she began to study journalism while there. O'Connor rarely left the Bible belt south, she didn't travel much, her life and works were focused on the religious south. O'Connor's life was cut short when she, like her father, had inherited the disease lupus. When she was diagnosed she returned home to live out her years with her closest friend and family, her mother.
O'Connor uses fiction and spiritual life to show her characters in a bright light, to show the reader all of their conflicts and flaws within themselves. The reader can in some weird way relate to the characters that O'Connor creates throughout her stories, even though while one is reading, the situation seems crazy. Even though O'Connor's own life was quite uneventful, her stories bring out a side of her that no one knew she had in her, she shocks the crowd with the intense and thrilling tales. O'Connor lived such a regular and normal life, but when she wrote her stories and novels, she came to life... the life that she saw around her maybe, or maybe she wrote just to inform people of their wrong ways. O'Connor wrote, “I am a writer because writing is the thing I do best.”,she believed that writing was her greatest strength and it really is true, sure she lived on the farm and was good at feeding the chickens and such, but when it came to writing there is nothing that she could do wrong. Everything just seems to come together in the end in her novels, it's like a big climax and the reader will never truly know the ending until they have seen it for themselves. Her dark comedy, often called; grotesque, cold, and bizarre, are her way of showing the world her thoughts on the moral values that stand. Using her characterss, like the grandmother, she gives the aduiance someone they can followthroughoutt the story and attach themselves to, relate to and understand. The characters in Flannery O'Connor's stories are not weird scary characters, or made up characters with weird lives, they are regular families, or what they think is normal. In a way it gives hope to the reader that not every family, other than theirs, is perfect, that everyone has their flaws and problems, some people are just better at hiding their flaws than others. In O'Connor's stories, she doesn't let her characters hide in the dark anymore, it's almost as if she is shinning a light on them from above, forcing them to spill their guts. Almost all of the characters enjoy hiding behind religion and its safe cover, but when the characters are brought into the bright light of O'Connor's stories the reader finds that most only fall back on religion as a safety belt, as a an accessory in their lives. In O'Connor's short stories she makes a point of her characters who judge one another, that is all the characters seem to do, as if to say, this is what the world is like today judging someone before you even know them. In “Good Country People”, “A Good man is Hard to Find”, and “Revelation”, the characters are put in uncomfortable situations and so they begin to judge the situation and the surrounding. The Grandmother, in “A Good man is Hard to Find”, just knows that she is a good lady, a good southern lady, why would anyone ever want to hurt her, but when she finally realizes who the misfit is she starts judging herself, her upbringing, “Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children!”, and the Misfit just shots her because he knows that she would never be a good southern lady, and neither would he... but he is the one with the gun.
Flannel O'Connor is pretty much the craziest writer that I have encounter so far in my short lifetime. Her style of blending her strong faith and her passion for writing just blows my mind. Most writers have two separate lives, their family and faith, and their writing. But O'Connor took all elements of her life and she took it and wrote about it. She didn't want to hind from the world like her characters, she wanted to deliver a message to her readers and all of her stories come out pretty loud. Yes, the world is not perfect, but why hide, why lie and cheat, why judge. O'Connor may have a cold way of looking at the world, but at least her way is true and real, and not some made up fairy tale. When O'Connor ends her stories, it's like a slap in the face, the statement and facts are all right in front of you and O'Connor just wants show the reader the light.



Works Cited
  Brainy Ouotes. BrainyMedia.com, 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2010
Galloway, Patrick. "The Dark Side of the Cross: Flannery O'Connor's Short Fiction." PatWeb. Patrick Galloway, 1996. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.
Liukkonen, Petri. "Flannery O'Connor." 2008. Web. 29 Jan. 2010

Blair Emsick
Mrs. Martinez
AP Literature and Composition
February 1, 2010



The writings of Flannery O'Connor have an odd effect on the reader. She has a decisive and an almost strict narrative. The writing seems almost cold as she introduces characters and settings, but as O'Connor let's the story unfold the reader finds her stories practically impossible to put down. A common theme of O'Connor seems to be putting seemingly average and occasionally very out of the ordinary characters in completely outlandish situations. At first O'Connor's writing seems straight forward but taking a deeper look one finds themselves entrenched in imagery, symbolism, and hidden meanings. The most fascinating aspect of O'Connor's short stories is her characterization and her development of characters, Main and minor ones. In taking a deeper look at O'Connor's characters O'Connor seems to subtly reveal her desires, inhibitions, fears, beliefs, and even her flaws.
To really analyze O'Connor's writing and how it reflected her one must first take a look at her own life. Mary Flannery O'Connor was born on March 25th in Savannah, Georgia. O'Connor was raised a devout Catholic practiced this faith until her death. She lived in the south most of her life. What is so fascinating about Flannery O'Connor is her average lifestyle, and yet she had the ability to create such imaginative stories with such a depth and genius to them. O'Connor did not attend any superior universities either. She attended Georgia State College for Women and State University of Iowa. In 1951 she was a diagnosed with the rare blood disease Lupus, the same disease her father died of in 1938. She then returned to her families farm in Andalusia, Georgia and raised all kinds of birds especially peacocks. Burdened by the knowledge of her eminent death she spent the rest of her life on the farm writing a total of 32 short stories and 2 novels before her death in 1964 when she was only forty years old. O'Connor seems to be such a complex character, she lived such an ordinary life and yet had the ability to illustrate such out of the ordinary tales of life and death.
In O'Connor's short stories one aspect that is constantly present is her strange yet familiar characters. Characterization is always an interesting aspect in short stories, mainly because it is practically impossible for full development of character. There is something absent in character development in short stories compared to full length novels. What isn't said about a particular character is left for the reader to infer, which almost entices the reader even more. For instance in Flannery O'Connor's short story “Good Country People” one of the main characters Hulga is left alone legless in the attic of a barn. Many times O'Connor leaves her characters lives and the paths there on open ended inviting the reader to think just a little bit deeper. Although in the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the main characters the grandmother, Bailey, the mother and children are all shot the villain in the story “The Misfit” he is called is left with his two wing-men to continue on down the road in the deep south. Why does O'Connor seem to do leave the end open with her characters time and time again in her short stories, did she feel her life was left open ended? She spent a good portion of her life with the knowledge of her own death, in O'Connor's short stories strange outlandish things happen quickly and unexpectedly to surface characters. Is this a reflection of O'Connor's own life? She was on a great literary path with a great literary legacy to be made, and yet it was cut short because of her disease. Although she did leave quite a literary legacy many aspects regarding O'Connor's beliefs and life are left open ended.
There seems to be a few main themes in Flannery O'Connor's short stories that are illustrated in her characters. There is obviously the huge theme of religion in her short stories, and the traditional southern values that comes from living in the south for a person's whole life. Then there seems to be the common device of O'Connor to create very average simple very southern and often Catholic characters.
In the end these characters seemed to be flawed, deceived by the people around them and their own disillusion and undergo an intense experience. O'Connor's characters seem to reflect many of her values and beliefs. She almost satirizes the Catholic faith in many of her stories. One would think she was criticizing the religion with her characters especially Mrs. Turpin from the short story “Revelation” but in fact she was a very devout Catholic. Unlike the characters in her stories it seems Flannery O'Connor had a very deep understanding of her faith, it was something very dear to her, and she was able to look at it from an outside perspective and criticize the flaws in it. Mrs. Turpin was a person very quick to judge. Judging the white trash people around her, the African American boy, and the demon like adolescent girl Mary Grace. In looking at Mrs. Turpin and O'Connor's characters from other stories such as Mrs. Hopewell, Mrs. Freeman from “Good Country People”, and even the grandmother from “A Good Man is Hard to Find. I believe that O'Connor really resented this aspect of her religion, the quickness to judge those who seem beneath others. She wasn't criticizing Catholicism itself but rather the misconstrued beliefs and disillusioned norms tied together with it.
Another major common theme found in O'Connor's stories is her attitudes toward men We know very little about O'Connor's attitude towards men. O'Connor never married and in analyzing her writing it seems she showed little desire to be married. Although it seems a minor aspect of her writing, her attitude towards men, it is apparent especially in her characterization of her male characters. First of all it seems the majority of her male characters are either very minor and boring or completely demented and deranged. We can see this in her characters such as the Misfit, the demented and deranged man, and Bailey, the average family man with no interesting qualities what so ever in the short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. In the short story “Good Country People” there is the at first very agreeable bible selling nice young man, Sharp Shooter, in the end he turns out to be almost as demented and deranged as the Misfit. Seducing the main character Hulga and stealing her leg! The only other man mentioned in the story is Mrs. Freeman's husband, like Bailey very average and boring. In “Revelation” the only man we see is Mrs. Turpin's husband. Who seems to fit in the same vein as Mr. Freeman and Bailey, a man with a dry sense of humor with no interesting qualities what so ever. In many of her short stories there seems to be no men with any kind of redeeming agreeable quality, although it seems to be very much the same with the women in her stories. The reader has to ask why? She was never married did she have some inner resentment towards men? Her father died when she was 15 did that scar her that she felt no desire to find a companion, or maybe she had such a close relationship with God that she did not need a man in her life. One will never know, one can only speculate.
In the end looking back at many of O'Connor's short stories she paints a very bleak portrait of humanity through her characterization. O'Connor reveals her beliefs and ideas on faith, traditional southern mentalities, and attitudes toward men. There is so much more to be analyzed in O'Connor's short stories and the characters she creates but on a very broad scope we can see that she lived a very simple life and clung to the only extraordinary aspect of it, her spiritual life, illustrated though her brilliance in literature and manipulation and creation of her characters. She left a wonderful literary legacy and may she forever rest in peace.




Works Cited
Galloway, Patric. "Flannery O'Connor." Books and Blog by Patrick Galloway. Patweb, 1996. Web. 01 Feb. 2010. .

Gooch, Brad. Flannery a life of Flannery O'Connor. New York: Little, Brown and, 2008. Print.