The curious incident of the dog in the night-time

This was a real curious story to read. In the begginig the main character was introduced as a person who gave the idea of a character hard to read, but when the story advances as a reader you are able to know him better and realize that he is such a plain character that that is what makes him interesting. Everything in life for him is just so simple and has such an easy solution than even the biggest problems he confronts during the story are solved in a very logical and simple way. For example, when he realizes living with his father is no longer a safe option his solution is just leave him and go find his mother to live with her. This book made me realize that maybe there are many things in life that have such a simple solution and are just in front of our eyes and we are just unable to see it.

A shocking accident by Graham Greene

I consider this is a brilliant story, not only because how it uses the different types of irony, but also the idea of someone being killed by a pig. I found it hilarious. The development of the story is quite interesting because despite what many would think, the main character, Jerome, takes the dead of his father in a very particular way. I believe saying things with just a pinch of humor can the best way to accept them, and I think this is just what Jerome does. But when he falls in love, everything changes, and I think it is because it is not the same thing that someone laughs for the reason your father died, than the person who you love is the one laughing. Still, everything works out for Jerome after he could release his tragic anecdote to Sally.

The Battle with Grendel from Bewolf

This small piece of the original text talks about an epic story which is leaded by two main chacters: Beowulf and Grendel. Grendel is a monster who terrifies the reign of King Hrothgar by coming to his kingdom at nights and killing his men. However, the second main character, Beowulf, is introduced to the story when he hears about the incidents this reign has been having and he decides to go with some of his best infantry to battle him. When he and his army arrive to the great hall of King Hrothgar, they celebrate a big feast and then they all go to sleep, except for Beowulf who fools the monster by making him believe that everyone is sleep and that he will be able to get away with it again, but Beowulf is awake all the time waiting for Grendel to come, and when he does, he tricks him and kills him.
I think I could be able to consider this text as an epic poem because of the way it is written. For example, it is anonymous, and there is a hero who has a kind of unnatural or uncommon powers and who selflessly comes to help and save people.

In the shadow of war by Ben Okri

This is a story that talks about the period people were living in Africa while the Nigerian civil war was on. This period was pretty hard for this people, not only by the war situation they were living in, but also because of the daily situation they lived in, like children starving to death.
Something interesting about this lecture is that story is told by an external narrator in third person. This helps us to understand how things are happening from outside the story, but still it leaves us the chance to predict what will happen and also how the characters deep emotions and feelings are.
There is a part in the story when a person announces by radio that there is going to happen an eclipse. Most of the times, when an eclipse occurs everything goes dark, but as soon as it is over, the light comes back and everything returns back to normality. After listening to this new, Omovo's father says that it does not matter because it won't change his actual situation. I compare this fragment with one at the end of the story when Omovo wakes up in the middle of his room in the darkness, and he desesperatly runs to the balcony of his house, but as soon as he reaches the light, he realizes nothing comes back to normality, like in an eclipse should occur, and that his reality is his own nightmare, because normality seems pretty far.

The Victorian Period

This period was characterized by two contrasting elements: the thought people had about they becoming a part of a huge progress and development, and by the other way, famine, poverty and human misery were some elements that were current. Also, gobernment used to have people under their control. They didn't allow people to talk about some "explicit" topics, like sexual themes or topics that could make people feel unconformtable. Women didn't have any rights, except for sue and own a property, and women that never married were the ones that suffered the most, being rejected by their own families and society.

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

Dover Beach is a poem that talks about the point of view of Matthew Arnold, which is the author, about the Victorian Period. This stage of England was characterized by poverty, famine and human misery. There was hard to live in that time, so this author thought is could be a good idea to translate his fellings disguising some concepts in the poem. For example, Dover Beach is actually a natural kind of fortress and has been the witness of many kind of wars and struggles. I consider that maybe the author decided to write about this place because of the meaning it has a fortress. At the end of the poem he declares that almost the only thing it is worth to live is the love he and her beloved have, so maybe in order to protect himself and his love from the world they were living in, he decided to choose Dover Beach as the context of the poem.

The Lady of Shalott

This is a poea written by Alfre, Lord Tennyson. It speaks about a young lady who is locked in what it seems to be a kind of chamber of a castle; a curse is upon her, so she must not look directly down to what Camelot otherwhise, she will die. A mirror helps her to look what is outside her prison, and then she sews what she sees in a big loom. This is how she lives her life, until a knight appears and make her look down. In that moment she decides to run to a boat that she finds near and write her name, so people can know who she is. In the end, this lady dies.
I find this poem quite interesting because it seems very similar to what maybe we consider a princess, because she is locked in the top of a castle or tower, maybe waiting for love to come rescue her. When this lady says: "I am half-sick of shadows", she is refering to the feeling she has towards her life, she is tired of not being able to enjoy the life it is outside of her chamber. This sentence also makes reference to Plathon's dual world thinking, which makes this phrase a lot more meaningful than it is.
Another thing it is curious is how the rhyme suddenly changes when sir Lancelot appears.
If we compare the lesson this poem gives to us of what can happen if we challenge real world, maybe it would be to better not to try it, because bad things can happen, in this case, the curse on the lady was accomplished, and she died.