She had a bottle of Sauterne in one hand and a letter in the other.
This image shows the conflict between Daisy’s public elegance and her private distress. The letter suggests unresolved feelings that threaten her carefully arranged future. The wine in her hand reveals how overwhelmed she is by the choice she is about to make.
Taking a white card from his wallet, he waved it before the man’s eyes.
This moment shows how casually Gatsby uses personal influence to control the situation. It reduces the policeman’s authority to a simple gesture. It also reveals the hidden power Gatsby relies on beneath his glamorous image.
what’s your opinion of me, anyhow?
This question exposes Gatsby’s deep insecurity beneath his confident exterior. He needs validation to support the image he has carefully constructed. It also shows how fragile his persona becomes when he loses control of the narrative about himself.
I began to have a feeling of defiance, of scornful solidarity between Gatsby and me against them all.
This sentence shows how fully Nick aligns himself with Gatsby in death, even more than in life. He feels a moral loyalty that the rest of Gatsby’s world refuses to offer. It also marks Nick’s final separation from the careless society he has been observing.
“I feel far away from her,
This sentence shows Gatsby’s growing fear that his dream cannot survive real contact with Daisy. He realizes that she cannot see the world he has built around her. It also exposes the emotional distance that his fantasy tried to hide.
he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes.
This sentence shows how deeply Gatsby bases his self-worth on Daisy’s approval. His possessions stop being symbols of success and become tools for winning her reaction. It also reveals how unstable his dream is, because it depends entirely on her gaze.
For her, each great book was
This sentence illustrates how Corliss elevates literature to a near-religious status. It reveals her tendency to surrender critical judgment when she admires a writer. It also shows how her passion for reading can blur into blind devotion.
I think you're going to find I'm writing themost authentic Indian poems that have ever been written
This sentence shows how highly Harlan values his own work. It suggests a desire to prove his cultural legitimacy. It also hints that his idea of authenticity may be shaped more by ego than community tradition.
We're still Indian.
This passage is interesting because Corliss feels a deep emotional connection to the poet simply because she has shared the same physical landscape. The moment she calls her mother brings the scene back to everyday reality and contrasts her idealistic excitement with her mother’s practical view of identity.
that I might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labours and sat down upon the bones.
It is troubling that Montresor shows no hesitation or guilt while listening to Fortunato’s cries. His enjoyment of the sound of chains reveals his cruelty and the disturbing pleasure he takes in revenge.
I had scarcely laid the first tier of my masonry when I discovered that the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off. The earliest indication I had of this was a low moaning cry from the depth of the recess. It was not the cry of a drunken man. There was then a long and obstinate silence. I laid the second tier, and the third, and the fourth; and then I heard the furious vibrations of the chain. The noise lasted for several minutes, during which, that I might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labours and sat down upon the bones. When at last the clanking subsided, I resumed the trowel, and finished without interruption the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh tier. The wall was now nearly upon a level with my breast. I again paused, and holding the flambeaux over the mason-work, threw a few feeble rays upon the figure within.
It is surprising that Fortunato suddenly regains his awareness, but it is already too late for him to escape. Montresor’s calm reaction to his desperate struggle is unexpected and chilling.
Nemo me impune lacessit
This motto foreshadows Montresor’s plan for revenge. It warns that anyone who offends him will face punishment.
First having read the book of myths, and loaded the camera,
I see nothing in common at this point, and cannot associate the two lines.
You're pretty goddamnsmart, I bet."Then he looked directly at me, just for a minute. "I ain'tsmart," he said. "If I was smart, I'd have reached for a pistol along time ago."
It’s ironic that Sonny got arrested, while the drifter was fine.
Tm surprised at Sonny, though
It seems like he didn’t know exactly what happened to Sonny.
That's right.
I’m curious about why the man would do that. Was he kicking Sonny when he’s down?
childhood
The narrator’s wife was already at the of marriage, why did the man still called it “childhood”?
In the poem, she recalled his fingers and the waythey had moved around over her face.
Maybe it’s remembering to her to recall every touches from the blind man. I think it’s hard for a person to recall such concrete memory from a trauma.
even her neck!
I’m really concerned about whether his wife felt offended or something else, but he mentioned she even wanted to write a poem for it, so maybe it’s remembering?