The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I was born an unusual baby.

With a name like Methuselah, I would have sounded crazy.

I became known as Benjamin Button.

But compared to my life yours ain't nothing.

I was about seventy years old when I first saw the light of day,

Which was kind of strange since in a hospital bed I lay.

I tried to fit in,

But no matter what I could not win.

I attended kindergarten at school,

But I would fall asleep, which according to my teacher was not cool.

At age fifty I entered Yale College.

But compared to the rest of the students, I had way more knowledge.

Those students laughed at me,

But they will someday regret that, you’ll see.

At age twenty, I went to work for my father.

He no longer saw me as such a bother.

The day I meet my wife,

It was love at first sight.

She was as beautiful as sin.

And received stares from all types of men.

She loved my age,

Even though my hair was already beige.

Our marriage was fate

And my family business turned out great.

We had a son,

But soon afterwards life started to seem like a bum.

I went to war,

But when I returned home my wife was still an even more bore.

At age twenty I went to Harvard

And won the football game as a starter.

I became shorter and skinner and my brain was not filled with as much knowledge.

The next year I decided I needed to leave college.

After my life left and went to Italy, I went to leave with my son,

Who was still upset about the fact that my supposed charade was not done.

I continued to grow younger over the years,

And so increased my fears.

This that had seemed pointless in the past now made sense

And I started to get very tense.

My mind started to fade.

My life was no longer made.

I was stuck in a bind,

Until one day when everything finally faded from my mind.

And that is the story of me and my wife

And how I lost the love of my life.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Hills Like White Elephants Annotation

In the short story “Hills Like White Elephants”, the author repeatedly has Jig mention the phrase “white elephants.” This phrase serves a very important purpose throughout the story. White elephants are very sacred and pure just like a newborn baby is treasured and pure (Wikipedia). The author does not just refer to the mountains as elephants, but instead as white elephants. The author uses the color white because white represents purity. When a baby is born they are naive and pure in heart. Jig keeps reflecting on the hills like white elephants because she is contemplating the decision that lies before her regarding her unborn baby’s life.

A white elephant is defined as a prized possession, which has no dollar value in the owner’s eyes (Wikipedia). A white elephant can also be broken down into two words. White represents purity and an elephant is majestic and mighty. Jig probably says that the hills look like white elephants because she is alluding to the fact that her unborn baby is pure and breathe taking. She is in awe of the life inside of her and she displays that in the way she expresses her feelings throughout the story. Even though Jig is very descriptive when describing the hills, the man in the story never picks up on the real meaning that Jig is trying to convey through the use of metaphors. A white elephant is the denotation for a certain breed of elephants (Dictionary.com).

The landscape is a symbol of the choices that lie ahead in Jig’s life. There is a railway that runs parallel and divides the landscape into two parts. The railway symbolizes a turning point in the couple’s life. They have to choose to go one way or the other and whichever way they choose to go will define the rest of their lives. One side has fields, a river, and mountains. This side symbolizes growth and is a metaphor for the unborn baby inside of Jig (Gardner). The other side is barren and hot. This side symbolizes infertility and is a metaphor for how Jig views her life is she was to get an abortion (Gardner).

The whole story is full of symbolic meaning all related to the decision the couple faces of whether or not Jig should get an abortion. The man seems in favor of the option of abortion for his own selfish reasons, but Jig seems to really be struggling with the decision. The man’s words and actions do not correlate. The man tells Jig that she wants what is best for the woman and wants her to do what she wants, but the next line makes his words seem very ironic. He then orders her another beer as she requests. When a woman is pregnant, drinking alcohol can be harmful to the unborn baby, therefore either the man was naive about this fact because of the time period or he just did not care because he did not really have Jig’s best interests at heart.

I think that in order for the reader to fully appreciate the story, they have to understand that the story is about a woman and a man dealing with the decision of having an abortion or deciding to have the child. The author never actually tells the reader that the story is about abortion, but he alludes to this fact with his clever use of metaphors and symbolism. The story ends with the couple preparing to board the train. The author never reveals the outcome of the situation. Instead he leaves the outcome of the story up to the reader’s own imagination and intuition based on their observations of the characters.

References:

Gardner, Brian. “Hills Like White Elephants-Literary Analysis.” 2 Oct. 2006. gummyprint. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.gummyprint.com/blog/hills-like-white-elephants-literary-analysis/>

“Hills Like White Elephants.” 19 Jan. 2011. Hypertext.

<http://www.has.vcu.edu/eng/webtext/hills/hills.htm>

“White Elephant.” 14 Jan. 2011. Wikipedia. 19 Jan. 2011.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_elephant>

Dictionary.com. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/denotation>

Dictionary.com 19 Jan. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/connotation>

My Mark On The World

When a person is approaching death, thoughts start to run through their head. They wonder what impact they have made in the world and they wonder what they will leave behind. When I think about my life, I want to know that I have made a difference in other people's lives. When I die, I want people to remember me as a strong Christian woman who knew what she believed in and who stood up for what she believed in. I want to make a difference in other people's lives. I want them to see Christ through me in the way that I conduct myself in everyday life. I do not want to die and only be remembered by my family. I want people to remember me, but not because of the mistakes I have made. I want people to remember all the good I have accomplished in life and how hard I worked to try and make life better for everyone. When people come together at my funeral someday, I want them to remember everything I did in my life and how I affected their lives. I hope that when they reflect on how I lived my life, they will be encouraged and determined to try and live their life the same way. If everyone tried to live Godly, Christian lives and help others in need, then other people would see this attitude and would probably show it to others. It would be a continuous cycle. I want my life to leave a great important mark on the world that will be remembered forever. I want people to carry on what they saw in me and what they saw me do for others, that way people will continue to be affected and feel the love of God displayed through others.