Response to "Just Lather, That's All"

EQ - How does what I know about the world shape the way we view ourselves?

         In the short story, "Just Lather, That's All," the barber is faced with a dilemma. He is faced with the decision to kill a soldier, or spare his life. What he knows about the world shapes how he views himself. This also affects his decision making. The barber has to take into consideration how his identity will be effected with his decisions. If he chooses to kill the soldier, the world will know about the secret group of rebels that he is apart of. The barber would then suffer consequences. If he chooses to spare his life, then the secret group remains unknown to the public, and the barber keeps his identity as an honest barber. In the end, the barber takes into consideration what he knows about the world to come up with a solution. He chooses to spare the soldier's life, and keep his identity as an honest barber.

Just Lather, That's All

                I chose this picture to connect to “Just Lather, That’s All” because it is a good representation of the dilemma that the barber is faced with. The barber is secretly a rebel, and a leader that he is against comes into his shop to get a shave. The barber quickly realizes who the customer is, and is presented with a dilemma. Should he kill him, or spare his life? There are two different paths that the barber can take. This dilemma connects with the picture, as there is a fork in the road. The road splits two different ways, representing the two different outcomes that the barber could choose.  One path can take the barber a totally different way than the other. This is true as the dilemma that he faces is one of big consequences. If he chooses to kill him, he would be viewed as a hero from the rebel’s point of view. However he would suffer severe consequences. If the barber were to spare his life, he would be considered a coward. In conclusion, the picture is a great representation of the short story as it represents the barber’s epic dilemma.

Sharlene’s Identity

In the short story, Brother Dear, Sharlene’s identity is represented by her personality and her decisions. In the beginning of the short story, it seems as if her father decides Sharlene’s future. It is not until near the end of the story Sharlene comes to the conclusion that she is in control of her own future, and decides to break free from her father’s decisions. From that point on, Sharlene begins to realize that it is necessary to make decisions on your own in order to create her own identity.

I feel that I relate to Sharlene in the short story Brother Dear quite a lot. Sharlene is in grade 11, and she has to think about what she will do in her future. I am in that exact same position. I’m starting the 11^th grade, and I have yet to know what lies ahead of me. Sharlene’s father has his own perspective of what lies ahead for her. He believes without a doubt that Sharlene should go to university. However, Sharlene truly wants to travel to Europe instead, and study languages. My father wants me to go to university as well. However I’m not too sure what I want to do yet. Towards the end of the short story, Sharlene is highly influenced by her older brother’s actions. When she sees that Greg goes against his father, she realizes that it is okay to stay true to herself. She comes to the conclusion that she will go on her own way, instead of doing what her father intends her to do. I as well look up to my older brother. His actions influence me in many ways. If he does something one way, I feel that it is okay if I do it as well. In conclusion, I connect with Sharlene in many different ways.