La biologia en la vida

Hugo Ochoa Aguirre
A01136688
August 17th, 2009
Readings and Videos 1st Assignment
My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--
It gives a lovely light!
What I understand by burning at both ends is that the candle will burn faster than normal, the candle represents human life. The part of the lovely light can be understood as to enjoylife, enjoy every single moment.
A & P
I rate this story as ok, not to good, but ok, because it misses what I like in the stories, a good climax, “A &P” story has its own but misses that great controversy other stories have.
At the end of John Updike’s “A & P,” we see Sammy standing alone in the street of the small Massachusetts town. He watches Queenie and the other two girls drive away, and heis left alone. I believe that Sammy was interested in joining the girls during her trip but, just when he leaves the store, the three teenagers are leaving the street. This leaves Sammy alone in a kind of sad mood for him and makes me think Sammy doesn’t know what to do from now on; he looked A&P like he regretted leaving the job. What Sammy is doing after this should be try and get a new jobabout something he thinks he deserves and like, because as we all read he had been working for years in A&P and it wasn’t something he liked that much.

Romero’s Shirt
Answers to questions in page 236
1. Juan Romero is son of Mexican people; he actually lives in El Paso, Texas. I estimate him an approximate age of 37 years, because as described he still has young sons, they still are kids.Romero has actually no job, as described in the story, he says “no job too small”, and trying to say us, anything which gives money is great. Juan Romero’s home is not his because he rents it, it is a white house in an adobe style, and he lives here with his family which is composed of his wife, his three sons, two boys and one girl. Juan lived most of his childhood in Mexico, with his parents, nowas I said before is in El Paso living a modest life with his family.
2. Romero loved his favorite shirt because it was made of wool; he describes it as a good-looking and functional piece of clothing. I think this shirt isn’t that expensive but it does mean something for Romero, like the story tells us, was bought before his marriage, maybe has something to do, and also it can be a good-lookingshirt as described. Certainly Romero loved this shirt, and this tells us he can do anything for not losing this cloth, pity that he lost that wool shirt.
3. He loved to wash and wax his car every weekend; it reveals that he tries to keep his thing clean. Juan didn’t want to get his wool shirt sleeves wet, so he took it off and left it over the juniper near him; he decided to put it therebecause he wanted to leave the shirt in sight.
4. The old man interacts with Romero with the intention of doing some work for him. He was successful in making Romero agree with hiring him because the old man accepted little payment with the condition of Juan giving him some food because he was starving. With his attitude, the old man convinced Romero on giving him a five dollar bill, two dollarsmore than expected.
5. Because, for Romero it was amazing to see the old man doing this work, as it says in the story, just after Romero went inside his home, the old one started his work and Romero wasn’t doing anything, just staring to the old guy from his front window.
6. He invited Romero to that little ranch in Mexico and drink some aguardiente or tequila. Romero responded to thisinvitation with a no, he explained he was tired.
7. Romero after hearing the old man’s gratitude, started thinking why he hasn’t give much more to his family, and started imagining going on a trip to different parts with his family. I think he wanted to do this because wanted to behave the way the old man do with him.
8. Now he felt all this was a plan from the old guy to obtain the shirt,...