Ms. Hempel=Every Teachers Initial Attitude?

Throughout the story "Accomplice" the main character Ms. Helpel is extremely self conscious of how every single other person views her and interprets every single one of her actions. At a first glance it seems like she is full of nothing but insecurities, but later on she goes on to explain her father had rubbed off on her that way. This gives away the title because an accomplice is generally someone who helps somebody with their mission, and contributes to ones overall image and self, in which her father did to her. Her father not only contributed, but it seems as if he may have even shaped her whole entire self, because with every action she makes comes an explanation involving her father in one way or another.
Due to the fact that her father pushed her to always be an overachiever and to strive to be different, which comes into play quite a bit. Throughout everyones lifetime people will notice that all the new teachers always have so many high hopes and try so hard, sometimes even too hard. Since her father pushed her so much she has this mindset that forces her to not only get in the zone of "I'm going to be the best teacher ever" from the beginning, but locks her into place so she always has to be the best, do the best and be different while pleasing everyone. This is of course an almost impossible task which backfires on her when she gives the students too much freedom. Overall, this reckless move proves that her desire to be the best and different drives her teachings more than her common sense and her own teachings, which seems to be every other new teachers motives, from my personal experience at least.

"The Very Cup of Trembling"

In Sonny's Blues the author displays a great amount of conflict between Sonny and his brother. Initially they were close at childhood, but the story starts off with his brother mourning Sonny's outcome in the beginning of the story. This is significant because the author uses symbolism to show the gradual and roller coaster like change in Sonny and his brother's relationship. The symbol is extremely unusual being a cup.
This piece of symbolism is of such great significance because it is used in the closing statement and excels in summing up everything that happened in one last short statement. The cup of trembling symbolizes not only the holy aspect of Sonny renewing himself, but also when looked at with its surroundings, can be viewed with something else. This something else is displayed altogether as Sonny's relationship with his brother and how it has changed in the end. In the beginning their relationship was rough and rugged, hence the "shakey" cup. However at the end, even though the cup is still shaking because the brother may not be completely adjusted, it is right above Sonny's head and the cup (symbolizing his brother) shows that they finally have the same view and they both are seeing on the same level now because the cup is so close to Sonny's eye level, and that they even have a real bond besides typical brotherly bonds.

Crazy or Ingenious

In the story the “Accomplice,” at first it was very strange to have this teacher, Ms. Hemple, giving a book with so much profanity in it. This seemed very inappropriate to me. Considering all the other books out there, why did this one have to get picked? So I guess at first glance at Ms. Hemple, one might think that she is crazy.

But when talking to my wife about the story and if she would accept the book like many of the other parents did, ironically, my wife agreed with it. But it depends on the purpose of what the teacher is trying to teach and if this book necessary to teach that. Maybe what the kids need are books like this that grip them of the reality of life. Ms. Hemple seems to want to teach the kids to break traditional ideas that maybe held by their parents from another generation. So in prescribing this book, the kids where very interested in it so maybe she wasn’t crazy but ingenious.

Sometimes liberality leads one to fall

Mrs. Sein was an interesting character to see develop in the story. From a woman who was lonely, terrified of driving and homesick to someone who had a friend to love and who tried to take control of her life. Her story is both inspirational and tragic at the same time.All through the story we see this woman and a young boy growing closer and closer together, and I think that because of this relationship

Mrs. Sein grew the courage to take control of her life and drive the car on the road. This is something that probably wouldn’t have happened if she lived at home, alone with Mr. Sein and never met Elliot. But tragically, she got in the accident which devastated her. This moment of liberality might have been the damaging event of her life that would prevent her from reaching out again. Though the story doesn’t tell us what happened after the ending it was hinted that adjusting to her new life in America might never happen.

Role of a Jazz Musician

At the end of "Sonny's Blues" when Creole was talking to Sonny and his brother it brought out many different ideas of what the role of a jazz musician is. When reading the whole passage it made me think that the role of a Jazz Musician is to be a motivator. Creole pointed out to everyone that even though the message was never new it was necessary. The message of how they suffer is in my mind, since this is before the civil rights movement, was from the past slavory, inequality, and segregation. Next, what delights them is the love for each other. Lastly, how they may triumph is delivering the message of things may seem bad right now, but it wont always be this way. Instead, Africans will have equality and all in all this motivates those who listen.
The music could not just be listened to. While Creole was describing the music Sonny's brother didn't just hear the music anymore he could feel it. He used adjectives that showed he could feel with apprehension filling the air. It gave the feeling of nothing moving in my mind but the music around you. Also, Creole pointed out the fact that the music can only slightly be changed before it ruins the whole feeling of the Blues. When Creole's friends were playing he mentioned that they were pushing the limits just so everybody would be paying attention and not lose interest.
Kevin Ostempowski Post 4

Sonny's Blues

The short story Sonny's Blues, by James Baldwin, tells a story of two brothers who throughout the story come to understand each other. As it exhibits the growth of a relationship between the two brothers it also shows through the author even though he has assimilated into "white society" as much as possible how African Americans still deal with the pain racism and and limits placed upon him.

Although Sonny never tries to assimilate, and searches throughout the story for some way out, he doesn't seem like one to follow the beat of a drum, but more the beat of his drum. He finds his outlet through music, especially bebop jazz and blues music. Music that was started by African Americans.

Cali Simmons (post 3)

Mrs.Sen's

The short story Mrs. Sen's, by Jhumpa Lahiri, tells all about the experiences of Mrs. Sen, an indian housewife, who is very unhappy due to the fact she had moved from her home in Calcutta, India to the United States due to her husbands profession as a professor at a University in America. She then decides to become a baby sitter to young Eliot, so she wont be so lonely during the day while her husband is away working, where he spends most of his hours during the day.

Mrs. Sen does seem very lonely, but she seems to enjoy Eliots company. You can tell by the way she talks to Eliot, telling him stories of back home, and asking him questions like if she screams as loud as she can will anyone come to see if she is okay, she then remarks on how when she was home people would come rushing over to her home to share in the news.

Cali Simmons (post 4)

Story to Tell

Music always has a story to tell. If music did not have a story or a point behind the song, it would be pointless. Sonny learned this in the story, "Sonny's Blues". In the story it is believed that musicians are "good-time people." You see it today, every musician does there own thing. They show the society what they think is a good time. The sad part is today many people follow that, even not the smartest decisions.

Musicians sing, or play music to show emotions and to tell a story. If you listen to lyrics there is always a relation not always to yourself but to someone you may know. This is the way for musicians to express feelings, emotions, and to tell a story. Listeners usually make a memory, and/or recall a memory. I know personally some songs I listen to I can relate to. Also depending on the tempo and rhyme of the song can reflect on people. But I believe every song has a story to tell. (Nicole Butzke, Post 4)

Who is Ideal?

In the story, "Accomplice," Mrs. Hempel wants to be the ideal teacher. She brought her teaching ways to a different level. She wanted her students to learn material but in a different manor. The reason why I think she did this was because of her and her father's relationship. I feel as if it was almost like a rebelling act. Her students reactions were just like any student's reaction would be when they receive material with curse words. The ideal teacher would never do that, but Mrs. Hempel wanted to prove a point. Not every teacher has the same methods of teaching.

As a personal outlook when teachers are told they are a good teacher, they quit trying they do the same lesson year after year. The students know this is happening and the notebooks are passed down year after year. The students grades slowly start dropping and no one knows why, but it's because some students are just copying the same homework and not learning the material. I saw this a lot at my high school. I had a math teacher when I was a junior and my father had her as a math teacher, when he was a sophomore. She is still there to this day and my brother now has her as a teacher. She still teaches the same material the same way, and is believed to be the best teacher in the school. Personally I think teachers who make lessons interesting, and not drag to go to class are the better ones. But who is to say who the ideal teacher is?(Nicole Butzke, Post 3)

Dave's Question

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately we ran out of time in class to discuss the excellent question Dave raised in his presentation, so I will post it below if anyone would like to respond to it or use it as a prompt for one of their posts this week.

Dave asks:

"What is the significance of the shaking cup on top of the piano in relation to Sonny? Does this somehow relate to the brothers' relationship in any way?"

As a hint, if anyone would like to investigate the significance of the shaking cup, or "the cup of trembling," as Baldwin calls it, further it is actually a reference from the Old Testament.

Best,
--JI

The power of music.

I like this story it shows how art can move a person. Sonny has such talent and such drive to play music that it consumes him, but he strays. It takes music to bring him back though. It also take music to bring his brother to understand as well. One of the most intriguing points of the story to me was when Creole used music to talk to the band. The narrator speaks of how he uses the music to portray the suffering and pain they had all been through. He also uses it to pull Sonny back. He talks to him through sound almost telling him it's okay, telling him we all have problems and bad things in our past but you can make it through this with the help of the music. The music doesn't only affect Sonny in this piece though in the end it also affects the brother. The brother hears his Sonny's pain finally and hears all he has been through. The brother finally receives the answers he had so long wanted from his brother without his brother speaking a word.
Usually I end my blogs with a question this time I leave it with a song. You might be surprised to find out that Robert Downey Jr. made a CD. Some of his songs were written during his time of drug abuse and some after. I found this CD while over seas and while going through a rough time myself it helped me out alot. I'm sharing this song with you guys because if you listen I think you can hear some of that same pain Sonny must have been going through and what his music may have sounded like. As soon as I read this piece I found a direct correlation to Robert and this CD. I hope you enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Hpq1CYg04
with commentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGe66e1ONq0
Thomas Moss (post 4)

Knowing We Aren't Alone

“Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin does an excellent job of explaining what the role of musicians in society really is. Some people, like Sonny’s brother through most of the story, believe that musicians are just “good-time people”, and some of them are. They get involved in all sorts of trouble, like drugs, for a range of different reasons. But all musicians do have an actual role in society. Unlike policemen, plumbers, and other similar people, who help all parts of society everyday, musicians appeal to certain kinds of people. For the people who actually listen to their music, musicians take care of their minds and souls, much like other artists do. People in society turn to artists when they are troubled, overjoyed, looking for a good time, or in need of a coping mechanism. Musicians take care of people in both their good and bad times. People take whatever the musician is expressing, whether it is sorrow or joy, and apply it to their own lives, and receive comfort in the fact that someone else has felt what they are feeling. We see this in “Sonny’s Blues” throughout the story. Sonny’s music at the end was so expressive that his brother followed Sonny’s entire life story in the music, but he also applied Sonny’s suffering in music to his own life, and took comfort in the fact that he was not the only one who has had bad times. Sonny’s brother knew that this was happening for other people in the audience, when he heard other “real” applause.

Music is important in this story, as well as in real life, because it is an escape from whatever is happening in your life. It accentuates whatever feelings you might have at that moment. Society uses music as a celebratory thing at parties, or for sorrowful occasions, like hymns at a funeral. We all take comfort in the musician’s story expressed in the song, and feel relieved that we aren’t the only ones to be feeling the way we are. As Sonny’s brother calls music “the only light we’ve got in all this darkness.” We all take that light provided by the musician and use it to illuminate our own lives and take relief, knowing that we are not alone.

(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 4)

Out of Place

In "Mrs. Sen" everything seems to be out of place including herself and husband. The fact of having to understand that she is from India makes it easier to know why things in her life seem odd. When Eliot and his mother first meet Mr. and Mrs. Sen, Mrs. Sen tries to show off her house as much as possible to make sure Eliot's mother allows her to babysit him. When Mrs. Sen introduces her husband the narrator even makes the remark of, "as if they were only distantly acquainted." This in a way foreshadows a couple things such as the distance between Mrs. Sen and her husband and also the distance between her and India, which are covered up in the first introduction of Mr. and Mrs. Sen.
Throughout the whole story little and big things show up to show how Mrs. Sen is out of place. For instance, at the very beginning of the story Eliot is describing the apartment they live in with mismatched pieces of rug in front of the pieces of furniture. Mrs. Sen also cuts up vegetables for dinners all day long, which normally isn't done in America. She gets a letter from a person in India later in the story and everything seems to unravel. At the beginning and towards the middle everything seems to be going fine in her times spent with Eliot, but after she reads the letter she tells Eliot that the people in India think she lives like a queen. This is what brought out how she misses everyone in India and if she did want to go for a visit she would not be able to go for a long time, and also brings out how distant her and her husband are because of the fact he doesn't seem to care much about India anymore or her feelings.
Kevin Ostempowski post 3

Accomplice

A Rude Awakening

I believe there is a very subtle yet very important lesson in this story. When Ms. Hempels chooses the book for her students to read with all of the swear words in it and the abusive stepfather I feel like is her missing her past and seeing how much things have changed. She speaks of her father always being very loving and caring and how grades almost didn't matter to him. Well the past is the past.
I believe this book was a wake up call to both her and her students. She says at one point in the story how she isn't the type of person that can put a swear word in front of every sentence and make it seem natural like everyone else. To me this is her missing her past when words like glamorously, radiantly, and heralded were the words used to get people's attention not swear words like in today's society.

Anthony DiChristopher
post 3

One of the best

Bynum's short story, "Accomplice" describes the natures of a teachers mind in a way. Ms Hempel is women who's father thought she was and could be the best and now believes that with her help her students can now be best. I believe this is one of the most important reasons the story is titled the way it is. Through Ms. Hempel's actions, words and ideas she assists the students in becoming the best that they can be. In one of the opening passages of the story it discusses the formulas for anecdotes and how much effort and time that she puts into them. Although she doesn't believe in any specific scientific formula she spends hours going over them to make sure they are perfect before she presents them to the children. In the story it states that she does this because there was always those skeptical students that may not believe that she could do all the things that she said she could or expected them to do. I think that really relates back to her childhood where her father was the one that believed in her all the time, but there were those other individuals that didn't have the confidence in trust in what she said she could achieve.

On more of a personal note, she reminds me of one of my teachers back in middle school. This teacher would be at school until 5:15 everyday no matter what even though she was able to leave at 3. She was also a family friend and whenever we went places she would have a notebook and take things down that may be helpful in her lesson plans and new ideas for class. She would spend hours doing lessons plans and rereading them over and over again, and she would always say that she hoped that the kids were learning from her and pondered over if she was doing a good job or not. Although I hate to see a person worry or spend so much of their life on things like that I think that's what makes a good teacher into a great teacher. Teachers like, Ms Hempel and the one I had in middle school are the most effective in my opinion. You can feel the passions that they have for teaching and the kids and it makes you want to work harder not only for yourself, but for them too. (Shawn Parkhurst, 4)

Teacher's Pet

Throughout the story, Ms. Hempel seemed to be very passionate about her job. She took the effort to think of ways to make her class more exciting and interesting. I'm not sure if I agree with all of her methods, but I like the effort that she puts into her job which makes her an effective teacher. I felt like her students really looked up to her and cooperated with her which showed that she earned her students' respect which is a difficult task to accomplish. It is important to know that throughout her life, the only person that really gave her some support was her father. I believe she doesn't want any of her students to go through life without anybodybody supporting them so she does the best that she can to support each of them. Not only does it show that she cares for her students, but it also shows that she is really thoughful and a strong person. When she let her students write their own annecotes, it showed that she had a lot of confidence in them and that her method would be successful.

Ms. Hempel had a strong relationship between her and her students. She would ask them for advice and she would listen to them with her full attention. I wouldn't ask the students for advice all the time because that is like someone else doing your work for you. It is important however to have an open mind and is open for discussion so you get to know the students better and keep them on good terms. This not only was good for the teacher, but also good for the students. This is because it helps students to interact with one another and increases their social skills and creativity like writing their own annecotes with are good teaching methods to have. In the end, I think Ms. Hempel was an effecticve teacher because she got her point across in her own way and it shows that every teacher has their own method of teaching that not one teacher is the same. (Mason Roessler Post 4)

Blog Prompts For Lahiri, Bynum, and Baldwin

Hi everyone,

Below are three blog prompts (one for each story we read this week) to use if you wish when formulating your posts for this week.

1. In relation to "Mrs. Sen's" by Jhumpa Lahiri meditate on the significance of food in the story. How does food function as a metaphor for culture and human emotions? What does food allow us to see about the characters that we otherwise would not?

2. In relation to "Accomplice" by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum, in your opinion is Ms. Hempel an effective or an ineffective instructor? According to Bynum, are the best instructors those who seek to be their students' "accomplices" as opposed to working against their students or feeling as though they are superior to them? Support your opinions with specific examples from the story.

3. Using James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" to guide your response, discuss what the role of the artist in society is. Does the blues musician fulfill a social function? According to the story, why is music important? How does it help Sonny--or people in general--to survive?

Also, make sure that your blog posts center on analyzing and giving your personal opinions and interpretations of the text as opposed to summarizing the plot. Summaries are unnecessary as you should compose your posts from the standpoint that everyone has already read the text in question and will understand whatever aspect of it you choose to blog about.

Happy blogging!
--JI

What teachers are real people to?

I think "Accomplice" was a great incite into what many of today's teachers go through. Here you have a teacher with self-esteem issues and fear of being the best teacher she can. She wants to teach these children all she can, the best she can but she's afraid that that won't be enough or that she can't. She talks about how her father pushed her and everyone around her to be great but it took her along time to realize it. That's what I think she's trying to do to with the children. She gives them a book with swear words and adult themes I think to shock them and make the children want to learn more and read more. I mean think about all the books we read in grade school how boring and blah they were. They were all the same there was no shock there was no real drive to make you go "Mom can I stay up a little longer to finish this chapter?" I never asked that that's for sure. I imagine I would've though if I had been given a story like this.

Ms. Hempel also has her students write their own anecdote. I think here she is trying to boost the children's self-esteem so that they wouldn't be scared like she is. She wants the children to stick up for themselves and tell their parents what they feel about their work and themselves through their own words. A parent can argue with a teacher about their child but how do you argue with the child about himself? You can't you can only talk with them, help them be an "accomplice" to their lives.

I'm a parent and I am a child education major. I'm already a teacher of my own child but someday I will hopefully be teaching other children. I hope that when I get in front of my class and I have that fear I recall this story and find a way to teach the children in a way that causes shock and interest. How would you have dealt with your child coming home and hearing that they're reading a book with those swear words? Let me tell you before reading this I would've freaked but now I think I would just ask more questions to try and get an understanding of why my child was reading this. I realized that maybe some teachers are real people that have real ideas and aren't just scary people who hate me. Thanks MS. Hempel.

Thomas Moss (post 3)

A Great Kind of Teacher

I really enjoyed the story “Accomplice”. In my view, I think that Ms. Hempel was a good teacher. She cared about what her students were reading in class. I know that some of my English teachers probably didn’t put that much thought into what we were reading, but instead just following what they had taught for years. Ms. Hempel actually wanted her students to like what they were reading, and to identify with the story’s characters. It makes reading for class much more enjoyable when you identify with a specific character. It makes you want to participate in class, and class discussion is a very big part of English. I also think that the assignment for her students to write their own anecdotals was a very intriguing one. She had her own accomplice; someone who was looking out for her, and the fact that she assigned this project makes me think that she wanted to be her students’ accomplice. She wanted to know what her students thought about themselves, which really is an important part of supporting someone. I think that a big part of Ms. Hempel assigning this was the idea that she would have wanted one of her own teachers to know what was going on with her, and what she thought of herself before passing judgment on her assignments. I think that because she possibly identifies with her students makes her the best kind of teacher that you can have.

Ms. Hempel reads more like a person than a teacher for me. I still have the idea that many people have in high school, which was that the teachers didn’t have real lives, never left the school, and slept in their offices. I still have this idea, even though my mother is a teacher. I see Ms. Hempel as a person first, not as a teacher. Ms. Hempel has real feelings. She is stressed out by these anecdotals that she has to write, she loved her father, and she was nervous in front of a room full of parents. It made her a very real character for me. The fact that she has to take medication also makes her real to me. She has to have a little help to get through her day, but the medications don’t always help. They dull her mind and twist her ideas into something that she didn’t recognize. That makes her very real to me.

(Sarah Jaworowicz, Post 3)

Typical Teacher or Not?

In class we talked about whether we think that Ms. Hempel was a typical teacher or not. I still am not 100% sure what I think even after reading it and discussing the story in class. She strikes me in the beginning as a teacher that wants to prove something to everyone. She wants to prove to her class that she does know how to apply the lessons she teaches in class, which is why she makes each anecdotal special to the student. She also seemed very needy for attention. She wants all the students to think of how smart she is and same with the parents. Also, when she makes the comment about everyone doing bad things in their lifetime and the students ask her what she did when she was a child, she mentions "In truth, she loved talking about herself." I am not sure if this is a typical teacher or not. Personally, I am studying to become a teacher and I am pretty sure that I am not always looking for attention and need to have that, but some teachers are like that and that is why they love being in the front of the room.

I think that it wasn't a "typical teacher" assignment to have the students write their own anecdotals. It was one of those assignments that could be viewed as a good idea and also as a bad idea. It was a good idea in the sense that it gives the parents an understanding as to how the students feels about themselves as long as they took it seriously. I believe that the students should be able to critic themselves once and awhile to really give parents and the teacher their insight. It could be a bad idea, in the fact that the parents in grades 8th and under actually do really care about how their student is doing in class and the fact that this anecdotal didn't even come from the teacher takes the meaning away from it. They want the teacher to see what they see in their child. The parents' pride in their child is so strong but they need that boost from a teacher saying they see the intelligence, also. This wasn't a typical teacher action but I think that once and awhile this is an assignment that should be handed out. (Kelcey Summers, 1)

Conflict in the home

The story "Mrs. Sen's" by Jhumpa Lahiri is a very sad tale indeed. Mrs. Sen is unfortunately unhappy with her new life and home in the United States and misses India dearly. It appears that she is saddened not only by her homesickness, but the inability for her husband to show the compassion that she desires. It appears by the way that Mr. and Mrs. Sen's presented is that it is more of a required relationship then a loving. This would lead one to believe that their marriage could of been earlier arranged and they had no choice. Although some arranged marriage's work and the two people become loving to one another it seems that this as yet to happen, which is one of the many reasons I believe Mrs. Sen wants to begin babysitting so she is able to have someone to talk to and possibly relate with. I think that Eliot is very similar to Mrs. Sen in that he doesn't always receive the tender loving care that he both desires and needs.

One passage in the story gives off a very awkward vibe and I think describes Mr. and Mrs. Sen's relationship. When the author describes the Sen's apartment when they finally received company it appears that they are trying to promote an ideal image of a family and home. However, it is my belief that this is all just a cover up to hide what the real emotions and conflicts are in their relationship. One particular sentence I believe is a good metaphor to describe what is really going on in their home, "White drum-shaped lampshades flanking the sofa..." The author's word choice is very important here, the drums could be a symbol for the drums of war and she uses the word flanking, which is another description of a war tactic. I think this relation to war is trying to describe the awkwardness of their relationship and marital conflicts that are taking place. (Shawn Parkhurst, 1)

Reliving the Past

"Accomplice" was relatively confusing in some parts of the short story. Ms. Hempel is a seventh-grade English teacher who is portrayed as being frustrated with her position in the faculty. She is having difficulty writing the anecdotals about her students. It's as if she has a slight OCD problem in that she can't just write a simple gesture about a student, but rather it has to be an elaborate essay describing the child in adequate detail. She frequently analyzes each child by describing them with a simple adjective each time they reply with a remark about books or writing that comes across her attention. It's as if she needs to categorize her students as she sees fit. What made this interesting however, is that when she introduces a new book to the class she desperatley seeks the approval of her class after she has already so easily judged each one of them. It was the same with the parents as well, she sought approval from the parents with her book selection, and became esctatic with their compliments. She displayed characterics of a child in a way in that she craved the attention of others even that of children.

Ms. Hempel comes across as being quite judgemental and nervous. When she is explaining her book selection to the parents of her students, she went back and forth about what to say and what not to say in her head. She desperatley wanted to say the right response in hopes of feeling accepted amongst her peers. Then when the parents shower her with compliments, it really alters her mood creating for an easier atmosphere. I found it interesting that this helped to create her flashbacks to her father and how he could "always be counted on." She is sort of self-absorbed and likes to relive her past memories, but with the attention of her father. This is where her desperate need for attention would fall into place.
(David Roberts, Post 4)

Alone

The story of "Mrs. Sen's" is actually quite sad. Mrs. Sen is seen as being home sick, and upset with her new life away from India. She appears troubled by the fact that her husband is always busy and that her only real communication with the outside world is Eliot. She longs to be back in India with her family and be happy instead of putting on a false image, and pretending that being the wife of a professor is fullfilling. Each day appears to be the same as the last with Mrs. Sen cutting up vegetables and cooking for an absent husband, which is almost sad to imagine. Her home can speak for itself with its perfect presentation, but bland effect. There is an empty feeling in the home which is symbolic of Mrs. Sen herself. She tries to fill the void in her life by using elements that remind her of India such as the cassette tape, and the cooking of fish. It is as if towards the end of the story that she tries to break free from her simple life by driving the car on the main road, but unfortunatley she crashes into a telephone poll. It's like her triumph into this new life was only pushed back, and that the life she had in India is the only true life she will ever have.

Eliot in the story is on the opposite end of the spectrum when compared to Mrs. Sen. Like Mrs. Sen, he is alone for most of the day with his mother off working. However, it seems like this does not bother Eliot the least bit. Even when his mother is present, he is neglected most of the time, while his mother drinks wine. In retrospect, he has essentially been taking care of himeself this whole time, which might be why he is not concerned about his mother's where whereabouts. In the end, he is described as actually being left alone at the house with no babysitter. The life that Eliot is so accustomed to is a dark shadow upon Mrs. Sen's new life.
(David Roberts, Post 3)

The Road Not Taken

It was interesting to see how much time Elliot had spent with Mrs. Sens throughout the entire story. It was almost like Mrs. Sens became Elliot's mother. She took care of him by making sure he was fed and watching out for his safety. She would take him everywhere such as to the fish market and even when she would drive. Getting more into the story, Elliot began to know more about Mrs. Sens and how different she became since the story began. She seemed like she had it all together when she signed up for the job. She would have dinner ready for Mr. Sens and Elliot every night and she would be the kind of person that you would want to rely on. As the story continued however, you began to see some flaws in Mrs. Sens. She became very emotional at times such as when her family thinks that she lives in a palace and has everything when really she lives in an apartment. Another flaw is that she is terrified of driving which became an important plot point in the story.

We knew in the beginning of the story that Mrs. Sen couldn't drive. She didn't even have her license. She practiced with Mr. Sen from time to time but after a while she just wanted to give up or would always say "another time." The one day she did want to drive could't have come at a worse time. This is the fact that she got into an accident when Elliot was in the car and Mr. Sen wasn't there. She could have seriously injured herself and Elliot which became crucial to the story. I think when Elliot's mom found out what happened, she realized something. It doesn't matter how safe you think someone is anything can happen at anytime. This is when she decided Elliot didn't need a baby sitter that he was fine on his own. (Mason Roessler Post 3)