T.S. Eliot said that "April is the cruellest month" while Frost noted that "Spring is the mischief in me." Support both of these claims with events from section one of Boy's Life
Justin C. Period 2
4/3/2014 04:53:16 am
I believe that T.S Eliot said the " April is the cruelest month", because of how much it could rain and how gloomy and gross the weather could make you feel physically and emotionally. In Boy's Life they say, " The rain kept falling... I went to sleep with the rain slamming the roof, and I awoke to the crash of thunder... The house got that rainy smell in it, odor of damp boards and wet dirt wafting up from the basement... The downpour caused the cancellation of the Saturday matinee at the lyric". This is an example of how gross and unpleasant a day in April can be when the weather can make you fell horrible and make you cancel your plans. Frost is saying that spring has ways of making you let your imagination loose. " and I saw the car that was coming up fast behind us... I looked back, the black car was gone, it hadn't passed us it hadn't turned off anywhere it was just gone". In this quote the black car was just an imagine a false picture that was caused my the unpredictable nature of spring.
Nick Wolf (1)
4/6/2014 12:09:37 pm
I really like your more literal take on the April idea. It's really interesting how even the imagery fits the quote and further emphasizes the point Elliot is trying to make. Just how these bad things can happen, one on top of the other, and it seems as if McCammon links these things with weather and conditions you'd expect to find in April.
Emma S. p2
4/6/2014 12:47:27 pm
I agree justin with your comment about the gloomy feeling around them. I never thought of Elliot's quote like that but you brought up a good point. April is a gross and icky month with all the rain and it has an affect on us as people. We become more emotional and irritated from the rain.
Scott A. 5th
4/3/2014 06:42:10 am
The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot proclaimed, "April is the cruelest month" because it offers a little glimpse of Spring but then shifts back to freezing rain and wind. It gets your hopes up for nice weather and Spring but then knocks you down. In Boy's Life by Robert McCammon, "rain fell all through that long gray day" (Ch. 1.4) it cancelled the Easter parade and everyone was feeling down. Frost is portraying that Spring has a way of opening up the emotions held inside from winter, with the change of season, the man tried to explore his neighbors mind and alter his opinion about the wall. I think a good example of this statement is present when Mr. Sears was a changed man after he came home from drinking. He called his wife vulgar names like "fat-assed cow" and insulted his son in a horrific sick way. It goes to show you that things alter your feelings and emotions. The change of seasons can change a man just like being under influence of alcohol.
Matt C 1
4/6/2014 09:40:45 am
I like how you compared changing seasons to changing emotions. Cory's emotions are put under a lot of stress when there are changes in his life. With things like the murder and the flood that he has to deal with, he is put under a lot of stress that makes him look at life a different way. Cory is getting a glimpse of growing up and soon finds out he doesn't like it, just like April gets peoples hopes up, and then lets them down with lots of freezing rain and wind.
Kelsey J. p.1
4/3/2014 07:19:03 am
Frost's quote, "spring is the mischief in me," is, in my opinion, the way Spring is usually used in writing; it is used as a time of curiosity, new, birth or re-birth, and change. All of these are generally happy things and the flowers and bright colors that come with spring contrast nicely with a bright outlook on a new season. However, change is not always necessarily a good thing. Change is something that we, as humans, tend to dislike simply because we usually have no control over it. This is why Eliot would say, "april is the cruelest month." Ben says over and over again to Cory, "'he'll come back changed,'" (McCammon 48). As we read further it is shown that Ben's father does indeed come back changed because of the alcohol he has been drinking. He comes home with a clouded mind and leaves his family, and Cory, with a feeling of uncomfortableness and melancholy. In these ways, Spring can be seen as change, and thus a bad thing, or as a new start and something to look forward to.
Jennifer C. Period 1
4/6/2014 07:05:34 am
I completely agree with you, Kelsey, on how you interpreted both quotes into Boy’s Life. Spring can definitely symbolize rebirth or change, which is something that is many times not seen as a good thing. In Cory’s case, we see his somewhat normal life at the beginning of the novel is changing to show the reality that can be hiding behind his imaginative world. We see Ben’s dad, racism from Mr. Moultry about helping African Americans during the flood, and many situations that I believe will change Cory into who he would be in the future. This is why McCammon wrote April as the cruelest month. I believe that Cory, just like his dad, “believed all people were good” (McCammon 31). However, not all these changes taking places are for the better.
Stephanie Brown; Period 5
4/6/2014 11:55:53 am
I agree with you that spring can symbolize rebirth and change. However, I believe spring is also a season of contrast. Overall, spring is the most dynamic of seasons, because it can either bring snow, or it can bring sunshine and warm temperatures. Frost's perspective of spring is that it is unpredictable, and it has motive. In Boy's Life, spring can be one of the most readable seasons while also being the most hostile of seasons. It is almost fighting itself, like it is trying to find a point of stability and is experimenting with extremes, that eventually settles into a more stable pattern of summer. This reflects Cory's internal battle of wanting to grow up, but also wanting to hold onto his childhood. The experiences he has had so far give him a more adult outlook on the world, but at the same time, he wants to hold onto the "magic" of the world he has known.
Michael M P.8
4/14/2014 11:52:22 pm
After reading your post i agree with you completely. I didnt look at it like that but now that i have it makes alot of sense. I like the connection with corey and the sears family . I feel that scene got to alot of people and could connect to people. Good post i like it.
Emma Slattery P2
4/3/2014 07:59:32 am
According to Eliot, April is cruel. In boys life, April is cruel to them. The flood destroyed their towns and devastated lives. They had to start new, rebuild everything. The flood forced people to go to higher measures, to help those who they usually wouldn't. Rebecca helped a black family, this wasn't something typical in the south during the time period. She was able to set aside her feelings to help the family. This leads to Frosts idea of being up to mischief. The flood happened in the spring, and made everyone work together whether they wanted to or not. Spring is known for cleaning things up and new beginnings, this was a new beginning for the town.
Nick Wolf (1)
4/6/2014 12:18:13 pm
I like your comment about having to rebuild and start new. Spring is consistently referred to as a chance to start a new. It's a new year and a new summer on the horizon. However, what Elliot and McCammon seem to realize is that Spring is not an opportunity to start anew, it is forcing you to restart. The flood is like April's way of whipping the slate clean, whether the characters want it or not.
Hannah Cooper
4/6/2014 01:29:23 pm
I definitely agree with you that April is a hard time which forces people to find a way to fix things. Spring all together is time for rebuilding and rebirth which I think you explained well from the novel.
Caleb Smith, Period 5
4/6/2014 02:02:06 pm
Emma I agree with everything you said. We have very similar points. The point we both made that I like a lot was that after the flood the people had to start helping each other. I think Rebecca helping a black family says a lot about who Robert McCammon is. In some way I feel that he is trying to tell his readers something about helping other people. That at times you have to be mature and help people you probably don't want to or usually wouldn’t.
Andrea B period 2
4/6/2014 11:19:11 pm
I liked this comment, I kind of thought of the whole town helping the others in a new way, and I like how you included the new beginnings. It made me realize there is more to it than what I had initially thought
Hailey A. 2
4/8/2014 03:03:37 am
I liked your comment about the flood washing away everthing and they now have to start new. When I think of spring I think of spring cleaning and how parents begin to throw everything out and start fresh, I believe this is what the flood is doing, whiping everything and forcing them to start over.
Carl A. Period 4
4/3/2014 08:13:16 am
T.S. Eliot remarked "April is the cruellest month" because he knows Spring time is here, which means weather that could be nice for one day and then dreadful the next. For example, in Boy's Life on Easter Sunday, the weather is horrendous on Easter Sunday, "Because of the rain, the windows were shut tight and the air was really getting muggy. The floorboards were wet, the walls leaked..." (McCammon 63) The atmosphere created by the weather is not the typical Spring everyone knows and loves. Frost stated, "Spring is the mischief in me" because spring usually means rebirth, change, or growth. This especially happens when Cory witnesses the true horror of the drunken rage of Mr. Sears. He knows how quickly someone can change into something worse than a monster.
Carl. A, Period 5
4/5/2014 06:08:00 am
Tyler K. Period 1
4/6/2014 09:41:15 am
I agree with you and believe that the scene where wasps attacked the people in the church is great example that spring is the cruelest month. Cory states that "[The wasps] had risen from the dead the of winter ... and emerged reborn in the new spring" (71). An example of spring brings out the mischief in me is when Cory calls his Granddaddy Jaybird, “Judas, a coward, and a half- drowned, scrawny rat” (71). Cory goes on to state, “ I might’ve punched him if I’d been my father’s size” (71).
Jordan Chenoweth
4/6/2014 01:58:14 pm
I agree with your comparison of TS Elliot's remark Carl. However, I do feel as if Robert Frost is trying to convey a different message with his quote of spring. I believe that when he says it is the mischief in him, he isn't necessarily saying "when spring comes around, that is when I change." Rather, I feel he is trying to say that the sudden switches of anything from climate to earth and so on really represent how he feels. He has sudden urges that change like the aspects of spring.
Matt R period 2
4/6/2014 10:45:57 pm
I agree with your comment about change and how spring can truly be unpredictable. The contrast between easter and the bad weather portrays how spring truly is a cruel time of year. Life begins again, but in a harsh way through much rainfall and dreary days. The strange happenings occurring in this reading directly relate to how unpredictable spring can be.
Tyler K. 1
4/3/2014 09:29:34 am
T.S. Eliot once stated that "April is the cruelest month". Spring and April in Boy's Life comes with the sudden change in the mood in Cory's life. He witnesses a murder and the murderer, sees his father cry, and states "We had both seen the face of the invader" (55). Cory starts to see the "true" world and while he becomes wiser, he also loses his magic. Robert Frost's, "Spring is the mischief in me" represents a tone of freedom and nature. Cory states " When I was twelve years old, the world was my magic lantern, and into the future" (2). Cory shows that he, like everyone, has the power and freedom to change the world and create the future.
Carissa C. Period 4
4/4/2014 03:19:44 am
I completely agree with you Tyler. Eliot's quote does represent the mood of the novel. Cory is exposed to a lot during Section One, particularly the murder. He begins to realize that the world is not perfect, especially when his father states, "If it's not safe here, it's not safe anywhere in this world" (McCannon 31). His experiences relate to the introduction when he says that magic is being lost as people age.
Kyra J Per 1
4/3/2014 10:10:19 am
When T.S Elliot states that “April is the cruelest month,” Cory’s experiences in section one can relate to that statement. Elliot is saying that winter is beautiful, but once all of the snow is gone, all that is left is brown grass and dead flowers. When Cory wakes up to his father’s scream, he is introduced to those dead flowers and brown grass. Cory narrates, “That was the night my father’s cry awakened me in the dark.” Cory is literally and figuratively speaking here. His father’s cry actually awakened him to the cruelness of the world, and how anyone, even the people closest to him, could be a murderer. Cory can also relate when Frost says, “Spring is the mischief in me.” This statement, to me, represents the idea of spring cleaning and new attitudes. In this case, Cory witnesses a new attitude within Ben’s father. When Ben says, “He’ll come back changed,” at first Cory thought he was talking about the Martians. Later that night when Cory witnesses a different side to Ben’s father is when he realizes that he is a totally different person, relating him to the whole idea of Frost’s statement.
Jen Moss P1
4/6/2014 10:57:20 am
I agree with you on your interpretation of Eliot's quote, Kyra, but I have to differ with you slightly on how you use Frost's. When he says "Spring is the mischief in me," I believe he's trying to convey a lighthearted emotion, and a sense of curiosity and playfullness. Therefore I don't really feel the more somber tones emulated by the scene with the Sears family agrees with this quote. Cory's more innocent statements, like in the beginning of the section when he describes how "troves of treasure" in his room make him "rich beyond measure," convey the brighter mood I believe Frost thinks is paired with the coming of Spring (McCammon 8). Like many of the conflicting emotions that can be found within one chapter of the book, I think the quotes are supposed to contradict one another. Having them both represent a darkness that is not usually characteristic to spring just doesn't really make sense to me.
Angel A 5
4/3/2014 10:33:43 am
When I think of spring, I think of renewal. Spring is the beginning of hope, everything that was once dead due to winter is now coming back to life. However, there is a period of time when Spring first occurs where everything is dead, the grass is dead, the flowers are dead, the trees are dead, everything looks like it will never be the same. I think that This relates to Corey's life during the early stages of the novel. Nothing is the same, hes beginning to grow up. From seeing the man die and sink into the water, seeing the strange man across the road, seeing what Ben has to go through in his life, seeing his own father cry. Corey is changing, he is no longer an innocent child anymore, hes beginning to cross paths into adulthood. As far as Spring being the mischief in me, Spring can be beautiful and deadly. Spring is a time for natural disasters, tornadoes, flash floods, all those things are overshadowed by the images of nature. Obviously during the novel, a flood occurs and is a problem, it forces people to have to work together and protect their homes.
Corey J 5
4/6/2014 12:01:31 pm
I agree with you. There's that one point in the begining of spring that's like a "no turning back" point for the seasons changing and it's the same for growing up. Cory just reached that point when he witnesses the car go into the lake. Nothing will be the same for him since this is the point he starts to lose his innocence.
shivam P. period 2
4/6/2014 01:22:04 pm
I like you ideas on how nothing will be the same in Cory ' s life. He is realizing that there is a totally different world that lives in the "dark" so to speak. Also, when Cory saw the car plummet into the lake it's that point where nothing will be the same. He is forever going to look at life differently and some of his innocence is lost from that point.
Harshita K. P:1
4/3/2014 10:35:24 am
The season of spring, is a new awakening, a new start and a time for change. As referred to T.S Elliot’s Wasteland,” April is the cruelest month” because of the ever changing weather from sunny one day to gloomy the next. In the town of Zephyr in Boys life the characters have come intact with many traumatic experiences. When Corey’s dad told him, “You never know what’s ahead of you” he meant how one day life is going to hit you and nothing will ever be the same again. This is exactly why spring is the cruelest month, despite the idea of new. Change is scary, because it is beyond unexpected. As mentioned before one event can turn ones whole around in just a blink of an eye. On the other hand Frost notes that “spring is the mischief in me.” He most likely is talking in a literal sense that spring brings out the mischief in people as well as change. Ben’s Dad leaves with a sense of security that nothing will happen to him while he is out for a few min. This frightens Ben into saying over and over again to Cory, "'he'll come back changed,'" (McCammon 48). As we read further it is shown that Ben's father does come back tremendously changed. He insults his wife by saying she is a “fat-assed cow!” and insulted his son horrifically. This here by shows how Spring isn’t all exciting it is scary and eventful, this season is the cruelest month.
Kelsey Jones p.1
4/6/2014 10:00:07 am
I would have to disagree with some of the interpretations that you placed on the quotes Conrad gave us. I don't believe all of the change that is symbolised in these two quotes is all bad. Frost's quote of "spring is the mischief in me," I think is supposed to be more of a happier quote, like a new start rather than Ben's dad "com[ing] back changed" (McCammon 48). This is a sad and somewhat disturbing change rather than a child-like curiosity like that of Cody's with the green feather.
Matt roadhouse period 2
4/3/2014 10:38:29 am
April serves as Frost's belief of the mischief inside me by way of the strange events occurring in Zephyr. The Lady recognizes these happenings of Old Moses refusing food, the wasp attack in the church, and the strange murder of the man in the lake as a " message like a party line on a telephone" (127). All of the mysterious events that are happening go hand and hand in mischief and cruely, as Eliot amd Frost said. Corey stated how "there is something about nature out of control that touches a primal terror" (94). The flood of rain along with the flood of loose ended to the murder mystery relaye to this lack of control. The reader begins to question whether Cory actually does see what he thinks he sees. Mischief and cruelness seem to be present in both senses.
Rose Amodea P4
4/6/2014 12:49:30 pm
I agree with you Matt and how you noticed the relationship between the events throughout the book and the overall cruel ness of spring stated by Robert Frost. I also took 'cruel ness' to mean the not knowing if the many situations regarding Cory, the murder of the man in the lake and the misterious man in the woods. I honestly believe that's as cruel as it gets, not knowing. There is lots to be figured out during the course of this book!
Rose Amodea P5
4/6/2014 12:57:12 pm
******TS Elliot not Robert Frost
Ryan Dowler P5
4/3/2014 10:41:12 am
When T.S. Eliot said that "April is the cruellest month" he is saying that it brings old memories back to the surface that might of been covered up in the winter. Frost says that spring brings out the mischief in him and that too is also form the warmer weather and rain that brought out his old self. In the novel "Boy's Life" by Robert McCammon, the spring time brought nasty weather that stirred up a wasp nest on Easter Sunday. The weather seemed to attack everything in the town from peoples moods to their own religions.
Lizzy K P4
4/7/2014 01:48:04 pm
Ryan, I agree with your statement on spring bringing back the memories that were suppressed during the winter, but I think T.S. Eliot could have had a more literal meaning when he said "April is the cruellest month." April is the transition period between winter and summer, bringing around rough mood swings and awkward actions. I think McCammon used the month as an opportunity to showcase the unraveling of the town before a new discovery is made with the death of the person in the car. The wasps invading the church during Easter service could be symbolism for something that is going to put this quaint town in a frenzy.
Rachel H. Period 1
4/3/2014 10:42:21 am
I believe that when T.S. Eliot said that "April is the cruellest month," he meant that the weather is dreary, and when they weather is dreary, it causes us to be generally tired, and that can make it hard for us to focus. On a similar note, Frost stated "Spring is the mischief in me," which I interpreted as spring brings out new things; some generally not so good. Spring is the jump from winter fall, and as the weather is gloomy, it can tend to stir up some trouble, perhaps because there is not much to do when it is gross out. In the novel "Boy's Life," Cory discovers a lot about spring, a lot, in fact, happens to him in the spring. At the beginning of spring, it is Easter, however, the wasps attack during Easter service, and everyone had to evacuate the church to "contain the evil within" (McCammon 71). Then, a flood came, and he had to fight Old Moses, which was a frightening time for Cory, as he "jammed that broom...down its...throat" (106).
Rachel H.
4/5/2014 01:01:13 pm
*I don't know why I put period 1. I am definitely period 4. Sorry!
Giancarlo G. Period 1
4/5/2014 11:19:50 pm
I agree with your point, Rachel. I feel that spring is still cruel, because it can rain and still be cold, but yet it is a sign that summer is just around the corner. I feel that the "hope" between spring and summer gives us an adventurous feeling just like Cory has. Cory is going through many adventures, like visiting the Old Lady's house and has no idea what could possibly happen. It's unpredictable with what could happen to Cory at any point through the novel, just like the weather in April.
Miranda L Period 4
4/6/2014 12:21:16 pm
I agree with Rachel's point as well. I feel like April can be cruel but it signifies that summer is coming soon. I feel like it's a bittersweet month. In April many bad things happen to the town, but Cory seems to get through it.
Rachel VB period 4
4/6/2014 10:56:01 pm
I agree with you, Rachel. I think the wasp attack is a good representation of how April is a cruel month. Although spring can be a happy time of year, there are also many depressing parts of spring. For example, weather can be rainy and gloomy a majority of the time. The flood shows how it can ruin a community but also bring two different communities together.
Taylor D. 4
4/3/2014 10:46:00 am
Spring is a "cruel" month because it can be so unpredictable. It can go from raining to snowing to beautiful sunny skies. It can be seen as a very nasty month because of all the rain. The flood through the town destroys it and makes everything wet & dreary. It makes everything ruined and nobody has any idea of what will happen next. It's unpredictable just like the rest of spring and April.
Alyssa Z. p4
4/4/2014 05:13:41 am
I agree with your comment Taylor and I like the way you saw spring and April as a stage that brings on the unpredictable that plays with a person's mind. This really relates to Cory and the stage he is forced to face between childhood and growing up to seeing the world as it really is.
Rachel H. Period 4
4/5/2014 01:03:25 pm
I did not really think of it this way! I really like what you said about spring; it's a really interesting view on it, and I completely agree. Now that I am thinking about it this way, there are TONS of different things in the novel that can be backed up to what you had said. I completely agree with you, Taylor and how you had said that spring is unpredictable, and how not only the weather is changing, but people's moods and actions, as well.
Imani B. P5
4/6/2014 02:05:12 pm
I agree with your comment because it's how I personally perceived Spring, well April in particular, myself. Especially with the weather in our own spring this year, it is pretty unpredictable and I feel as if it changes moods of people.
Bri D. P 2
4/6/2014 11:27:20 pm
"April is cruel" is a quote that relates to the things that happen in Corey's hometown during the month of April. During this month, many houses were ruined and damaged because of the flooding. The flood ruined many peoples lives, and their families worked to rebuild their town. The month of April is also cruel in a way because during this month, there are days where everything is going great, the sun shines and it feels like summer is right around the corner. Then there are days where it rains and is very cold, and you feel like you're never going to get out of the gloomy winter weather.
Tyler S P4
4/3/2014 10:47:40 am
Spring is a time a change and growth and it is held true with Cory. In regards to spring and April being mischievous and cruel like Elliot and Frost say, that is how Cory does grow, by seeing cruel and mischievous actions. The most obvious action is when Mr. Sears comes home drunk after chasing the comet with Danny. Cory witnesses all of the event and it truly does have an effect on his growth as a character. We understand that Cory hasn't seen this type of action in his life before because his dad is very respectful and caring of his wife. We know that Mr. Sears actions affect Cory because towards the end of chapter 3, Cory is seen sitting on the porch trying to understand the situation and telling Ben that he doesn't hate Mr. Sears for it. Because it's the first time Cory sees something like this he is understanding it and changing like spring due to it. Unfortunately, the action in which Corey does learn his lesson from is very cruel just as Elliot said.
Amber H. p4
4/6/2014 11:43:47 am
Tyler, I completely agree with you. That's how, I believe, most of us grow as people. We see and experience things and situations thatcan be hurtful and hard for a time but looking back on it, we are glad we went through with what we did because it made us who we are and shaped the people we become. And spring helps shape nature which we rely on heavily and as we see in the flood scene, greatly affects Zephyr and Bruton.
Vasudha P. (1)
4/7/2014 11:55:25 am
I agree with you on your analysis of Eliot's quote, but I have to disagree with you slightly on how you use Frost's. When he says "Spring is the mischief in me," I believe he's trying to empathize a lighthearted feeling, and a sense of wonder. Cory's more innocent statements, like in the beginning of the section when he describes how "troves of treasure" in his room make him "rich beyond measure," convey the brighter mood I believe Frost thinks is paired with the coming of Spring (McCammon 8). I think the quotes are supposed to contradict one another. Having them both represent a darkness that is not usually characteristic to spring yet it is the darkness that makes one see the sunshine.
Morganne J period 5
4/3/2014 11:01:28 am
Within the first section of Boy's Life, Cory has been through many events that have become negative memories. He watched his father risk his life in hopes to save another, he witnesses his best friend's dad in a druken state, his one and only bike dies, the entire church congregation is attacked by bees on Easter Sunday and much more. In my opinion, these are some of the worst things that could possibly be happening during the season of change and renewal. Spring is more thought to bring good things to life and earth. For Cory however, this is not the case. At a young age no less, this spring goes on to expose Cory to a new world but not necessarily is it's best way. On the other hand though, spring does also bring a new mischief to the book. The one night when Cory sleeps over at Ben's house and there is something falling from the sky, Ben's father insists that he goes to follow it with Donny. Spring is a season for both new mischiefs and crucial times in life.
Carl A., Period 5
4/5/2014 06:07:27 am
Cory has gone through a lot during these past few events and I think that it showcases Spring. Since Spring is seen as a season of change, he himself is changing. He is finding truths he had previously never thought about. Some more serious than others, but I think it is important to note that we know he's growing up. We see through the way he thinks and acts. Also, I see his life as the weather in Spring. It goes back and forth, from good events to very serious and dark events.
Morganne J period 5
4/6/2014 06:21:46 am
Thank you for bringing that up! I agree that Cory is going through a time of change. I also didn't think about how his life events shadow spring's actions from going dark and rainy to clear and warm. I like this connection a lot.
Lyssa L. Period 4
4/6/2014 07:21:14 am
Morganne, I really liked the connection you made of Cory's experiences to the season of spring and how it brings exposure to new things but for Cory, it's not a positive exposure. But yet, he able to learn a lot about life and himself through his experiences at his young age, and they help him to grow and better himself just like how spring is the season of growth and rebirth.
Dong L. Period 5
4/6/2014 07:39:28 am
I also agree with you Morganne since spring is seen as a season of change, Cory himself is changing. With all the events that happen to Cory they are mosty negative memories to him, however this expose Cory to new experience in reality as a young boy. April being a cruel month relates to the worst thing that can happen due to a change of season.
Justin C Period 2
4/6/2014 01:24:02 pm
Morganne I agree with you and i really like the connection you used about the events in Cory 's life and how the connect to the weather and feelings that come when spring approaches.
Miranda L Period 4
4/3/2014 11:04:59 am
The quote "April is cruel" relates to the events that occur in Cory's hometown during the month of April. During this month, his hometown is flooded and many houses are destroyed. The flood ruins many peoples lives and families must work together to rebuild their community. The month of April is also cruel in a way because during this month, there are days where the sun shines and it feels like spring and then there are days where it rains and is very cold.
Emily F 5
4/4/2014 12:17:00 am
I agree with you that the cruelty of April reflects the storms and floods that Cory’s hometown faces, but I think that the cruelty goes deeper than that. It is not just the weather or the seasons but also the events taking place and the feelings of the characters. A murder took place, there were wasps at Easter, Tom Mackenson is suffering from nightmares and Cory seems to be distracted with ghosts and the murder. Cory’s father’s “cry awakened [him] in the dark” (McCammon 29). The first section, which takes place during the spring, contains many negative and almost dark events in the thought to be safe town.
Taylor D. Period 4
4/6/2014 12:26:48 pm
I like how you pointed out that spring is all lover the place with the weather and how one day it could be sunny and beautiful outside then the next it could be pouring buckets. I think this is extremely relatable to right now and definitely shows the cruelties in the world that Cory has to face.
Riley S Period 2
4/3/2014 11:12:43 am
April, the month where it rains nonstop and makes all the flowers grow. The month where people can once again feel the sun and leave the house without ten layers on. Summer is coming, the solidarity of winter is gone, replaced by robins and soft breezes. Frost says that "Srping is the mischief in me" becasue the snow is finally melted, the gloominess of winter is gone and the happiness of spring takes its place. Unfortunately for the people of Burton, "April is cruel". The river overflows into the town, ruining people's houses. The flood helps Cory grow as person. The even that occur during the spring have changed Cory. The spring has allowed rebirth and growth. The events that have happened to Cory have given him life experiences that come in the forms of aliens, ghosts, a lake monster, a 106 year old queen and wasps.
Ali D p4
4/7/2014 01:09:56 am
I agree with what you said, spring is what brings all the flowers and nice weather. Spring comes with a lot of rain though which brings those flowers but to some it brings horrible floods which destroys everything they own. I agree that it's a great thing for many but horrific for some.
Brandon K 4
4/8/2014 03:12:17 am
I definitely agree with your thought about the flood and its cruelty. As the saying goes April showers bring May flowers. So that comparison to the flood and all the bad stuff that happens in it is very good. I also agree how it became a positive and point of growth especially for Cory. Through both those points i think you did a good job at relating this to the given quotes.
Emily F 5
4/3/2014 11:24:32 am
T.S. Elliot stated that “April is the cruelest month” and this is reflected in Boy’s Life. The first section of the book, which takes place in the spring, is gloomy and even “cruel” to Cory. Cory witnesses a murder, sees his father cry, sees his friend's dad become monster, breaks his bike, and watches a flood almost destroy his whole town. The rain and the flood are examples of spring’s cruelty. The rain was relentless and showed how cruel spring could be. It even canceled the Easter parade. Cory stated that “when your parents get scared, your hear starts pounding ninety miles a minute” (McCammon 87). The flood instilled fear in everyone. Frost stated, “Spring is the mischief in me.” This idea can also be seen in Boy’s Life. There is a murder in a town that was thought to be safe, and Cory’s curiously is sparked because of it.
Emylee F. Period 5
4/6/2014 11:03:55 am
I really love how you mentioned how the murder, although it is apart of the cruelty of spring, is a positive of it as well. I would have never thought to connect Cory's curiosity to the murder, but you completely right.
Kevin H p4
4/7/2014 01:27:53 pm
Elaborating on what you said about how Cory's curiosity is sparked by the murder, at the beginning of section two, Corey says "Wanderlust is part of summer, too; I was feeling it, and wondering if I would ever travel those rads, and if I did where I would be going" (149). This really shows how Corey has begun to think beyond the limits of his town and his immediate surroundings.
Chris Q.
4/3/2014 11:26:21 am
Eliot refers to April as the cruelest month because of the dreary rain that accompanies it. In Boy's Life, the spring is stormy. Like the actual weather, Cory's life is becoming stormy. He is starting to grow up and think about things. Knowing that someone he knows could be a murderer and that there are many different kinds of people causes him to think more. An example of spring bringing out mischief is when Mr. Sears comes home drunk. Spring brings change, and alcohol changed Mr. Sears. It made him abusive.
Ryan Dowler P5
4/4/2014 01:37:37 am
I like how you compared the stormy weather to Cory's life. It seems like his life is becoming more cloudy and confusing. The murder is bringing secrets out like the rain in the spring brings out the things the winter had tried to burry.
Stefan C. Per. 5
4/6/2014 12:19:49 pm
I like the comparison you made with the weather of april to Cory's life Chris. I agree with the idea of Cory's life becoming like the month april figuratively. Cory's life is beginning to change and with that Cory himself is starting to change. he is beginning to loose his innocence as a child and beginning to have to grow up.
Dan Moran 4
4/6/2014 01:41:09 pm
I also like the comparison you have of the stormy weather in relation to Cory's life, however I believe you could elaborate just a little more upon it. I believe what Eliot is trying to say that yes April is cruel because it makes you miserable but it only does so so one can experience joy after. I believe Eliot's point is that one come only be truly happy after experiencing hardship
Dong L. Period 5
4/3/2014 11:35:22 am
Spring is the season of a new beginning, when T.S. Eliot said that "April is the cruellest month" this refer to events that occur to Cory. During Easter at his church, there was an attack of wasp on the people. In addition, when it was raining Cory left his bike in front of someone's house and came back to pick it up it disappear. Later, he found out that it is unusable at the junkyard. While Frost noted that "Spring is the mischief in me" this can relate to the car that plunge into the lake and the murder is still a mystery.
Julia C. p.2
4/3/2014 11:35:57 am
The quote "April is cruel" is shown in Boy's Life through the events that happened in the month of April. In April the rain never stopped and the river flooded and destroyed houses in town. Also, spring giving Cory a hard time and providing him with experiences that may be hard to forget like witnessing a murder, watching his friends dad change when drunk, and the terrible flood that almost took out his whole town. This shows the cruelty that is in April/Spring.
Bailey F p2
4/4/2014 11:09:12 am
I completely agree with you Julia. The quote that "April is the cruelest month" is expressed multiple times throughout "Boys Life." There are around 4 or 5 depressing and cruel things that happen during the month of April, all of which you mentioned. April is one of the first months after winter, and I think that it a stage of transferring from the cold and hardships of the winter season. Overall, I think that the events in the novel that take place in spring are significant, and they greatly relate to the quote stated by T.S. Eliot.
Zak D period 2
4/4/2014 02:25:32 pm
I agree with your comment Julia! The sadness and darkness that comes with April or the spring is something that people can't control. The weather directly affect people's emotions and decided what they do and how they react to certain situations. April brings out the negativity in people and the ony cure is summertime.
Shelby D 5
4/3/2014 11:41:23 am
T.S. Elliot’s idea that “April is the cruelest month” is very well supported in section one of Boy’s Life. April is a mainly stormy month. And these storms are comparable to what Cory is experiencing in his life. He witnesses many occurrences that cause him to realize that “it’s not safe anywhere in this world” (McCammon 31). Frost states that “Spring is the mischief in me.” This relates most directly to the change in Mr. Sears. Mr. Sears assures both his wife and Ben that he will be back shortly; however, he does not come back for hours. And when Mr. Sears returns he “come[s] back changed” (McCammon 47). This is because he is intoxicated. This mischief within Mr. Sears scares Ben to the point of crying. And through this Cory comes to the realization that there are people he’s known all his life that appear nothing as they truly are.
James J
4/5/2014 07:30:20 am
I agree with you on the fact that April is a stormy month, not a month with clear blue skies, budding flowers, and a mild climate(that's May). The fact that April showers brings main flowers applies to more than just rain. April showers include melted snow, molded leaves, wind, and cold. I stated in my comment that in "Boy's Life" Corey is going through an "April" of his own, as he is being exposed to new things and is facing trials that will change him (such as the murder and his adventures throughout the town). I predict that by the end of the novel, Corey will leave his "April" and enter a "May" in which he knows more about himself and those around him.
Eric F Period 2
4/3/2014 11:45:03 am
April is the cruelest month due to Cory's loss of innocence that occurs over it and the entire spring season. From seeing the whorehouse, realizing Ben's dad's true colors, and having a murder happen in the town, cruelty and unfairness abounds. Yet spring is still the mischief in him because despite this, he makes sly comments and still has a childish way of describing things (not in a bad way). His loss of innocence hasn't made him pessimistic.
Yousuf A period 5
4/6/2014 12:49:39 pm
I completely agree with you Eric. Cory is exposed to a lot during Section One, particularly the murder. He begins to realize that the world is not perfect, especially when his father states, "If it's not safe here, it's not safe anywhere in this world" (McCannon 31). His experiences relate to the introduction when he says that magic is being lost as people age.
Mark M Period 5
4/6/2014 01:12:43 pm
In response to both Eric and Yousuf, Spring could be considered a magical time. Flowers are blooming, and the weather becomes warmer which I believe is what Frost was trying to say. He saw the good in Spring, as Cory did when he was younger. However Elliot began to see the pessimist side of spring. It often comes with terrible storms which is used to create mood and tone in the story to accompany the issues Cory is facing.
Trevor K 4
4/6/2014 01:11:16 pm
I think that you have a made a really good point on the loss of innocence in Cory. The circumstances brought upon Cory has forced him to forget the joys of childhood and grow up. From his multiple wasp stings, to the "death" of his bike, to his encounter Old Moses, Cory is growing up rapidly. For example, after losing his bike Cory learns a valuable lesson and says, "whatever it is that gives a soul to an object made by the hands of man, it had cracked open and flown down the watery heavens" (73). Cory is also introduced to a morals dilemma about Burton that most children do not encounter. However I disagree with how Cory shows his mischief. He is constantly making trouble and is very curious. An example is during the flood. Cory leaves his mom briefly to chase after his dad. Once again Cory is showing his curiosity.
Mahia P - Per. 1
4/3/2014 11:55:11 am
Section 1, Chapter 3 of Boy's Life begins with, "Things settled down, as things will. On the first Saturday afternoon in April, with the trees budding and flowers pushing up from the warming earth, I sat between Ben Sears and Johnny Wilson..." (McCammon 32). The narrator (Cory) goes on to talk about watching Tarzan with his friends. I think that in this case, the mentioning of April refers to a transitional point in the story. Before this chapter begins, Cory's father is going through a difficult time. He is not able to let go of the vision he is repeatedly having of the dead man in the car. This sight disturbs him, and is continuously bothering him. At the beginning of this chapter, it seems as though things may calm down a little for Cory and his father, as well as the rest of the town. That is not the case, however, considering the incident that occurs with Mr. Sears later in the chapter. April is a transitional month, between winter and spring. Sometimes that transition is rough, and sometimes it is easier. In this case, it appears as though things are settling down, even when they are not. I think that T. S. Eliot's quote, "April is the cruelest month" refers to the fact that April is supposed to signify the ending of a harsh winter and the beginning of a fresh spring. However, many times, winter returns and the cold lasts a little bit longer. I think that McCammon makes this same point through this quote in the novel. Robert Frost's quote, "Spring is the mischief in me" could refer to new beginnings in general - the turning of a new leaf. The beginning of this chapter sends this same message, but then the theme quickly changes as events turn later on in the story.
Harshita K P:1
4/4/2014 01:51:31 pm
I completely agree with you in the fact that April is a transitional period of time between summer and winter. It also means rebirth of a new, as you put it turning over the leaf and starting new. I believe that Frost is referring to change when he says "spring is the mischief in me"This relates to all the sudden changes ans new beginnings in Cory's life. Everything is okay at first and then he starts to lose his innocence as the story continues to heighten. He wonders about what goes on in the whore house in chapter 1, and is also seen in his desire to know who the killer is. In the book the part about the sleepover and Ben's dad and how "'he'll come back changed,'" (McCammon 48). Corey starts to realize that all the people he thought he knew aren't as friendly as he makes them out to be.
Stephanie Brown; Period 5
4/3/2014 11:55:17 am
In Boy's Life, spring for Cory has been a sequence of memorable events. From the brutal murder of an unknown man, to the wasps at Easters, to the great flood, the happenings in Zephyr have been quite unusual, or "not right", as the Lady says. In the novel, the spring, especially the month of April, has been the worst, and there has always been one significant event after the other. Even the seemingly small events, such as Cory's broken bike, have had a significant impact on Cory and others in the town. Cory's broken bike led to Tom and Cory discovering the fang from Old Moses that was kept by Mr. Sculley. The act of Cory saving Gavin from the flood led to a visit from the Lady, which revealed that she has been having dreams of the murder victim. One event leads to another. And with each new event that occurs, Cory gains more experience and insight into what the world is like through an adult's eyes. Like his father, Cory keeps having visions, such as the vision of the car following him and his dad, or of the man with the green-feathered fedora and knife in his hand. The visions seem to disappear shortly after Cory sees them, which causes him to believe that his mind is playing tricks on him. I feel that this is a perfect example of Frost's comment, "Spring in the mischief in me," because whatever is responsible for Cory's visions and/or Cory's visions disappearing, it is almost as if it is purposefully playing tricks on him. In general, the whole town appears to be the victim of some cruel game the spring has brought on, with all the events that have happened so far. No one exactly knows what is causing the strange events to happen. At this point, as far as the audience can speculate, the spirit of the murder victim is responsible for the strange happenings, as noted by the Lady.
Jennifer C. Period 1
4/3/2014 11:58:39 am
In the beginning of the novel, Cory’s life is described as average for a young boy who lives in the real and imaginative world, just as Robert Frost noted, “spring is the mischief in me.” Like any other boy his age, Cory, not that he is unhappy with his ‘real’ life, changes the world around him into something that he pleases, like his shelves or his clothes. He expresses this as “righting the circumstances, the shaping of the world the way it should have been, had God not had crossed eyes and buck teeth. In the real world I had no power; in my world I was Hercules unchained” (9). I believe that Cory’s imaginative world serves many purposes, one of them being a way to make things simple in his life by changing them to what he wants them to be. As a child, you don’t have to worry about anything, however in Cory’s case that soon is proven wrong after the unknown man crashes into the lake. “April is the cruelest month,” can be very true as rain can be very symbolic in describing the emotion of sadness or gloom. April is one of the months that almost separate the cold winter from the warmer weather that comes with spring. In Boy’s Life, Cory’s description of the events occurring in April satisfies T.S. Eliot’s quote. The situation with Ben’s dad was significant, as Cory never experienced anything like it in his family. Cory now realizes that his even his imaginative world cannot help him overlook the bad things occurring in the town.
Riley S Period 2
4/6/2014 04:05:53 am
I like how you talked about the rain, and its relation to Cory's life. The rain can signify the bad that is occurring in Zephyr or the bad that may be coming. Spring, however, is a time of renewal, of rebirth. The rain I feel represents the bad that has happened and it is also washing away Cory's innocence, opening his eyes to how people can truly be.
Mahia P - Per. 1
4/6/2014 08:29:25 am
I agree with you, Jen, and I like how you connected the two quotes using Cory's experiences. I hadn't really thought about Cory's rearranging of everything around him, and how that can relate to Robert Frost's quote, "Spring is the mischief in me." I definitely agree with you that the events that occur in April in the book reflect T.S. Eliot's quote exactly. Rain is one very prominent symbol that comes to mind when thinking about April and Spring, so I like how you made that connection as well.
Corey J 5
4/3/2014 12:01:15 pm
TS Elliot says "April is the cruelest month". This relates to all the sudden changes in Cory's life. Everything is okay at first and then he starts to lose his innocence a bit. He goes the the whore house with his father and witnesses the "bad girls" there. He also witnesses the incident with Ben and his father. He hears his dad's pains late at night. It's not the same for him. Frost says "Spring is the mischief in me". This represents the new beginnings for Cory. His innocence is going away, he's starting to grow up, and he's going to become a new person.
Josh S. 5
4/6/2014 01:48:50 pm
I completely agree with you Corey, escpecially with the "mischief" being a loss of childhood innocence that Cory had in the beginning of the story. The selection with the brothel is a really good example of Cory's, as you said, new beginnings. He is growing up, and he is becoming a new person with each of these experiences, which lower the amount of "magic' in Cory.
Tyler S Period 4
4/8/2014 12:24:37 am
Corey, I agree with you. But, regarding Frost's quote, "Spring is the mischief in me" I think there is a better example. When Cory and his mother talk to the old lady it is a very mischievous event. She looks deep into Cory's eyes and tells him that she knows of the tattoo. This is an event that represent Frost's quote.
s. patel period 2
4/3/2014 12:02:12 pm
T.S. Elliot said that "april is the cruelest month." This could refer to the weather that usually associates itself with the month. It rains more then usual, and the clouds cover the sun more than usual, causing the people of zephyr to fell down when the easter parade gets canceled. Frost, on the other hand is talking about spring. Spring is the time where flowers start to grow after the long winter where nature seems to die. This could be speaking about how Cory is growing up and realizing that not everything in life is in good nature. That there are evils in this world.
Costas (PERIOD 2)
4/6/2014 12:33:08 pm
I view this point the same, specifically that Spring brings out the realization in Cory and his coming of age with the real world. I think Frost relates well with this idea in the sense that spring means sprouting up and Cory is sprouting his head into a world he is unfamiliar with.
Scott A. 5th
4/6/2014 12:34:16 pm
I agree with you, Shivam, I like how you compared a growing flower to how Cory is growing up as the book progresses. Cory is coming to the realization that the world is not a perfect place and that people are flawed. He has found that even his father has fears and worries about things. The murder incident has scarred Tom for life and is effecting his everyday life.
Chandler Stich Period 5
4/3/2014 12:03:15 pm
I think Frost couldn't have said it better. There is something about Spring that gives everyone a mischievous feeling. And what's more mischievous about spring than baseball. The weather starts turning nicer and people love to watch baseball. Corey himself says it about his dad. He says "If my father was watching a baseball game, he would be agreeable to flossing his teeth with barbed wire"(39). Doesn't that say something about the murder in the town? Will people have their minds set on something else and just pass it off like it's not that big of a deal. People naturally try to have their minds on something more positive. April is the cruelest month too. You know the weather is changing for the better but all you get is rain and then you have to deal with the wasps of spring which you can't avoid. April acts as a gateway to the nicest part of the year which is summer. This makes April and Spring in general just a tease to the hopes of people.
Gilton C Period 4
4/3/2014 12:03:51 pm
April is often seen as a joyful month during spring when the snow begins to melt and the temperature rises, so T.S Eliot's phrase "April is the Cruelest Month"completely contradicts the common idea that Spring or April invokes. Spring inspires mischief, and youth with the return of warm weather and greenery. The words April is the cruelest month
point towards an event rather than weather or events common in the season suggesting that the things that take
place during Spring are unbecoming of such a beautiful time of year. As complex as that sounds, the idea of wrong or cruel events
to take place in a time period which should be filled with joy is the foundation of "Boy's Life" by Robert McCammon.
Although the story wishes to cling to the bliss of childhood innocence at times where the boys conduct sleep overs and
Saturday night movies the horrific incidents of the Saxon lake murder, and Ben Sears' Dad's Alcoholic episode
will surely be more remembered then the beauty of spring. This quote stretches outside of the physical time period of spring,
for Cory's youth in a sense is a cheerful time similar to Spring or April and the foul events that take place
could have it looked back on as "the cruelest month".
Giancarlo G. Period 1
4/3/2014 12:04:25 pm
T.S. Eliot said that "April is the cruellest month," and I believe that he means that the weather can be unpredictable, as it really is right now. With the weather toying with our emotions, it causes us to feel sadness in the air. With everyone being distracted by the gloominess in the air, our intentions are disheveled at the moment; not thinking with a clear mind. As Frost states "Spring is the mischief in me," I believe that spring is still unpredictable; could bring out good things or it could bring out bad things. Spring is the time where the weather gets warmer, people are outside more, and the sun stays out longer, calling people to come outside. With the weather changing, people tend to act differently, as they suddenly become more adventurous. In "Boy's Life," Cory discovers a lot about the changes in season. April is known for its storms, and recently, Cory would agree that it rains too much in April, as it is flooding in his hometown. Cory and Gavin are trying to fight off Old Moses, and Cory eventually “[jammed] the broom right down its gasping, dog-swallowing throat” (McCammon 106). Cory was being adventurous and protected Gavin and himself from the monster. As it later turns out, the adventure of showing a broom down the monster’s throat causes the Mackenson family to recveice a letter from the Old Lady asking them to come visit.
Ambreen M.( Period 1)
4/6/2014 11:10:39 am
I agree with you, Giancarlo. Winter lasts for a long period of time and after a couple of months mostly everyone is sick of it and awaiting for spring. However, Spring gives us a slight tease of nice weather and then gives us the cold weather again. This has relation to the way Cory is perceiving and learning about life right now with the ups and downs of it along the way.
Andrea Birtles period 2
4/3/2014 12:08:49 pm
In my opinion, I do see how spring time can be considered both cruel and bring out mischief. That is the time people start falling off the deep end and go crazy; people are anticipating the warm weather and it's the end of the year, and everyone starts getting anxious. There are all sorts of weird events that start occurring in the story around this time. The obvious one that Cory and the dad witness the car plunge into the lake, the crazy bee attack in church on Easter Sunday, and not to mention all the weather and rain the town has been experiencing. I think of spring time as dreary, with all the terrible weather, which may be what is going on in the story. All the terrible weather and the anxiousness for it to be over and the nervousness over the murder in the town is taking a toll on the town as a whole.
Chandler S Period 5
4/6/2014 12:36:48 pm
I definitely agree with you Andrea. The fact that this sequence of horrible encounters happening with Corey is very mischievous. The question that comes to mind when reading about his experience is "why him?" There's got to be a reason for all this bad. When he is talking about what he did Old Moses to his friends and they flat out don't believe him it makes me start to wonder is it because he saw the dead body that nobody else saw? How is anybody going to believe that he made the great Old Moses vomit when they don't even know for sure if he saw a real murder scene? It's hard to tell if these events actually happened or if he is just going crazy, but I do believe that Corey is just running into these things accidentally but for a reason.
Gillian C P2
4/3/2014 12:09:11 pm
The month of April can be considered "cruel" because it isn't necessarily one of the most reliable months in terms of warm, cloudless weather. Rain, thunderstorms, and even snow sometimes continue to fall in April, considering spring to be "mischievous." Although it starts towards the beginning of spring and the flowers are starting to bloom again, it only lasts for a split second, and then we are once again surrounded by dead trees and frozen lakes. I believe this is what Eliot wanted to express. In reference to Boy's Life, instead of leaves making their return, bicycle riding, and garden preparation, as should be done in spring, Zephyr is targeted with excessive rainfall and a major and life-threatening flood. It's pretty obvious that April isn't being too 'kind" here.
Matt C 1
4/3/2014 12:12:55 pm
T.S. Eliot once said that, "April is the cruelest month," meaning that April is the start of what is suppose to be spring time and good weather, but in fact it is usually dark, gloomy, and rainy weather. This relates to Boy's Life when the flood happens. Not only is everyone in the town dealing with a thought of a murderer living among them, but their town is destroyed by a flood. McCammon shows how dark and gloomy of a time it is for Cory when Cory is watching a dog struggle for it's life during the flood. McCammon says, "the dog made a little whining sound. That's all. But its paws twitched and its eyes were on me, and the agony I saw in them will last in my mind forever" (McCammon 104). McCammon is showing just how dark and gloomy April is for everyone in the town.
Renick W. 1
4/3/2014 12:20:08 pm
For the "April is the cruelest month" quote, I think it means that April is the month where the death of winter is still evident and new life is not yet apparent. This relates to Boys Life because it was during April that Cory and his dad witnessed the murder victim plung into the lake (McCammon 14-17). The death shook his world, an since there has been no resolve, there has been no rebirth. The quote about spring being the mischief, I think it is about the changes due to spring. The major change in the story so far is Cory's dad's realization that, "if it's not safe here, it's not safe anywhere in this world" (31). It has changed his perception of the whole world. Now his dad is locking all the doors and having nightmares.
Jelani P period 2
4/6/2014 01:35:15 pm
I agree with your points about change. Spring has historically been seen as a good change and as a transitional period between winter and summer. However, the month of April is a time of rain and storms which goes with some of the horrible events in the book. April showers do bring May showers so McCammon could be foreshadowing a positive change in events for Cory and the other characters.
Jen Moss P1
4/3/2014 12:24:39 pm
Both the "cruelty" and the "mischief" that Eliot and Frost say accompany spring can be found within the small, interconnecting stories of the first section. Cory is a curious, energetic young boy, and relates to all of the circumstances that play out in the town of Zypher in some way. His narration allows the readers to "[concoct] spider webs where there are no spiders" and see the cruel instances from the mischievious and innocent view of a child (McCammon 119). One prime example can be found our first encounter with Old Moses. The monster's refraining from smacking the bridge with his tail troubles the Lady, and causes Cory to question what "such a lack of table manners [could mean]" (McCammon 84). It is an instance of foreshadowing that is both ominous and almost off-putting, in a sense that we readers know something bad is coming. Later on, when we meet actually Old Moses, some of the curiousity and mischeif is quelled, but we are definitely left with a sort of bitter and vicious backlash after the death of the innocent dog and the near drowning of Gavin and Cory. Each chapter of The Shades of Spring has a childish aspect and an equally dark counterpart, but I do believe that Chapter 6 highlights the connection between Frost's, Eliot's and McCammon's works the best.
Monica E P1
4/6/2014 12:13:36 pm
I agree with you Jen. Cory is shown as a curious young boy that is shown to do mischief because of his curiosity. McCammon has placed the novel up until this point in spring to show the mischief and cruelty is represents. Eliot and Frost's quotes show that spring is not only a fresh start, but also an end.
Tyler Kol. period 5
4/6/2014 01:19:11 pm
Monica I think you create a great point about the authors decision to make Cory the narrator of the novel. With Cory as the narrator, readers can see the true mischief behind spring. Fast forwarding to the reading from this weekend, we see spring create mischief between Cory and his friends, as they pretend to fly together through the town. This not only proves how spring is the mischief in us all, but also says something about the narrator, and how his innocence is still prevalent at this point in the novel.
Alayna D. Period 1
4/3/2014 12:39:40 pm
Spring is a wonderful season filled with joy and curiosity. April is such a cruel month because it is just coming off of winter and is still gloomy, you have these high hopes for April since it is spring yet it still has the awful weather of winter. You can relate T.S. Eliot's "April is the cruelest month" to Cory's loss of innocence and the awful things that happened to him in the beginning of the novel. He witnesses a murder and is in complete shock that someone in his town could be a murderer. Frost's "Spring is the mischief in me" can be seen through Cory's constant curiosity. He wonders about the whore house in chapter 1, and is also seen in his desire to know who the killer is.
Megan J. P4
4/5/2014 08:29:08 am
I agree with you that spring is a cruel time. Some days are still gloomy and cold, yet there are days that remind you that summer is near. Despite the tragic events in Zephyr, Cory's child-like innocence and mischief give spring in Boy's Life a sense of optimism as well.
Hannah B P1
4/6/2014 02:58:05 pm
I agree with you Alayna, your examples really relate to both the positive and negative aspects to spring. I like how you brought up Cory's loss of innocence because it seems to be a reoccurring idea throughout the book, such as when we see his bike "Die"; it is time for him to grow up in a sense.
Andrea C. p2
4/3/2014 12:42:52 pm
T.S. Eliot and Robert Frost both shared similar viewpoints on spring. They both viewed springtime as "cruel" and mischievous. In Boy's Life, the particular spring has many events and transitions that makeup the story plot. Cory's eyes are opened and his mind and thoughts are broadened. The events with Mr. Sears as well as the great flood and the encounter with Old Moses prove Cory's maturity levels. Spring brings flowers as well as powerful transitions.
Zak D period 2
4/3/2014 12:51:50 pm
When I think of spring I think of the inconsistency that it brings. The rain and darkness is followed by sunshine and happiness. The cruel part of April is when all of the negative things happen in Zephyr such as the flood or the wasps in the church. April is a tease to people because the weather changes constantly and that directly affects the mood's of people. The mischief in April is the people getting excited for what is to come. They begin playing outside and enjoy what weather they get. They take advantage of the sunshine in April because no matter how old someone is, people still enjoy warm weather. The warm weather brings out a positive outlook on life from anyone.
Alexis B. Period 1
4/6/2014 01:30:37 pm
I agree, and really like when you said that weather in the spring is inconstant because Spring, and especially April, is one of those months where the weather is at its most inconsistent. I also like that you connected the ideas of weather to peoples mood because the mood can be a direct cause of peoples attitude. I think the way you connected the quotes to the novel was good and you have strong points.
Caitlin Collins Period 2
4/3/2014 12:52:37 pm
I think that Eliot wrote that "April is the cruelest month" because when April rolls around, the weather is very decieving, every year we expect flowers in bloom and singing birds, but are swiftly dissapointed by the lousy weather. Cory is dissapointed too as he says, "We walked through the sloppy mist ... all the polish getting soaked off our shoes... this year the rain had defeated... weeds were winning in the front yard." (McCammon 60) And yet, spring has a way of impacting people positively, like those who get spring fever which would explain why Frost wrote that "Spring is the mischief in [him]"
Kyra J. Per 1
4/6/2014 07:09:40 am
I agree with you Caitlin, and I can totally see the deceiving weather relating to the events in the story. For instance when Cory went to the movies and was having a great time with his friends, then all of a sudden, invaders from space changed his whole mood. It was totally unexpected just like the spring weather can be.
hannah cooper p1
4/3/2014 12:56:23 pm
T.S. Eliot said that, "April is the cruelest month," which I believe means that April is full of small hopes of better weather and new beginnings, but it can turn around and be cold and dreary in a matter of a day. April is a time when the "death" of winter is hoped to end, and there is thoughts of brighter days to come. In reality, the sadness and dreariness does not simply end which can be related to the witness of murder in Boy's Life. This was a cruel tragedy which was a reminder of the hardships that still existed. The quote about spring and mischief is definitely relevant in Boy's life with all the crazy things that happen in spring. People often want to move too fast into summer and fun and jump into things too fast and cause commotion. Cory has horrifying experiences including the flood and witnessing murder.
Daniella Aguilar p4
4/6/2014 01:07:52 pm
I agree with you Hannah. I think the point you made about April being the month of "death" was really accurate. Cory experienced many bad and horrifying things, and it makes sense why he'd believe April is the cruelest month. I like how you said that April is when the "death" of winter is hoped to end, and bring on brighter and better things, but all that is left is false hope.
Daisy O. Period 4
4/3/2014 12:57:46 pm
T.S. Eliot said that "April is the cruelest month" while Frost noted that "Spring is the mischief in me." I believe both are shown by McCammon in Boy’s Life. The entire first book of Boy’s Life is about spring; all the events happened during this season. Spring can be, as Eliot stated, “cruel” to Cory in the novel because he witnessed many life changing experiences. One experience was seeing a man fall into a three hundred feet deep lake who has “his eyes sealed shut with black bruises, his swollen and malformed from the pressures of a savage beating” (18). Children only every see the good in the world, but when Cory sees this murder, it is a life-changing experience. Cory also experienced the huge flood in his town along with seeing his friend’s dad come home drunk. Frost thinks that Spring brings out mischief, which is playful misbehavior; nothing that would ever cause harm. I think this is shown when Cory and his friends see the scary movie without telling their parents. They are simply children having fun, and watching movies they know that their parents wouldn’t approve because they need to break the rules every now and then. The children in the book are so behaved in front of adults by saying “please” and “sir” so they need time to loosen up.
Alayna D. Period 1
4/6/2014 09:46:12 am
I agree with you Daisy how Cory sees all the cruelties that are occurring during April, with the murder, wasps, and flood. I also think that Cory shows optimism and joy knowing that summer is coming. Summer is the most exciting and memorable time for a child, there are fun things to do in the summer and no school. Cory shows his optimism on page 128 saying, "Summer was close upon us, its scent of honeysuckle and violets perfuming the land." He is excited for the great things to come in summer even though spring is not over yet.
Bailey F p2
4/3/2014 01:03:19 pm
T.S. Elliot's point that "April is the cruelest month" is reflected in "Boys life" by Robert McCammon. The month of April in the town of Zypher could easily be described as cruel. There is a mysterious murder, an encounter with Old Moses, the great flood, and also the wasps at Easter. April is also an early month of spring, so the dismal winter can still be seen at this time. Frost's point that "Spring is the mischief in me" is also expressed through "Boys life." It can be seen through the first chapter about the mysterious murder, and also through the curiosity that Cory obtains. He is constantly wondering about something such as who the murderer could be.
Joe S. Period 1
4/3/2014 01:04:19 pm
T.S. Eliot states that "April is the cruelest month", emphasizing rain fall and flowers blooming at there finest. April is also a time to rejoice and revive the year for new comings. As winter is stored away, Spring blossoms out of it's shell and brings fresh new beginnings. Frost says that "Spring is the mischief in me", in my opinion signifying a time for chance and troubled opportunity.In the Spring, as the weather changes in phases, peoples' attitudes change as well. Warmer breezes, longer days, and sunshine slowly roll in, while the winter rolls out. A lot of mischievous events begin to occur in the town of Zephyr. These event consist of a comet, a strange murder, a flood, a horrific Easter Sunday, a lake monster, and ghosts. The events that occur allow Cory to become more aware and also allow him to grow. Growth can be related to Spring because just like flowers grow in the Spring, Cory does too in his own way. As "[It was] a flood for sure (McCammon 86), the town gathers in efforts. Cory keeps growing as he becomes aware of these events. He awakens and connects it to his life, as Spring awakens in April.
Bri D. P. 2
4/3/2014 01:07:28 pm
"April is cruel" is a quote that relates to the things that happen in Corey's hometown during the month of April. During this month, many houses were ruined and damaged because of the flooding. The flood ruined many peoples lives, and their families worked to rebuild their town. The month of April is also cruel in a way because during this month, there are days where everything is going great, the sun shines and it feels like summer is right around the corner. Then there are days where it rains and is very cold, and you feel like you're never going to get out of the gloomy winter weather.
Rachel vb period 4
4/3/2014 01:11:30 pm
T.S. Eliot said that "April is the cruellest month" because it is a time period where it is usually rainy and cloudy. April is also the time before flowers bloom and everything comes to life. Frost says that "Spring is the mischief in me." The beginning of Boy's Life takes place in April. During this month, Cory witnessed his dad try to rescue somebody that had been murdered. (McCammon 14-17). This tragic event led to an unclear world for Cory and his dad.
Haley M Period 4
4/6/2014 02:43:58 am
Rachel, I agree with your points because April is very cloudy but then it always has the growth and new life. I like the point that you made with the murder that it had unclear answers. After the spring they had found possible suspects but the answers are not clear yet.
Haley M period 4
4/3/2014 01:11:56 pm
Spring is an unpredictable month. It starts off cold and eventually ends up with new warmth and growth. In "Boy's Life" Cory experiences many problems in the spring. The murder that him and his father come across has yet to be solved. The flood causes a mysterious event followed by a meeting with the mysterious Lady. In spring it is cloudy and unclear like the events that take place in the novel up to this point. At the end of spring the new development of the Lady and Tom having the same dreams about the murder, is beginning to lead to something more. The spring is opening up this opportunity and in the summer the murder might finally be solved.
Mackenzie K. Period 1
4/6/2014 03:44:23 am
I agree with what you said about April being and unpredictable month, Haley. When April comes, the weather is constantly changing and nobody knows what is going to happen. Just like in the book, many things happen to Cory during the spring time and he has no control over it or any clue that the horrible things are going to happen.
Paulette D. 5th
4/3/2014 01:14:54 pm
T.S Elliot stated that “April is the cruelest month”, because the weather in spring is chaotic and unpredictable. Frost agrees with it by saying “Spring is the mischief in me” meaning that as a human being, he is uncertain of the choices he will make, as well as the consequences it will bring. In “Boy’s Life” by Robert McCammon, he states, “We are used to believing that we’re the masters of our domain, and that God has given us this earth to rule over” (McCammon 94). Referring back to the quote by Elliott, spring is when the earth comes back to life without the help of the people because mother nature can handle it by herself and we are the ones in the way. Spring is a reminder that we don’t have control over everything.
Brenda N. 4th
4/6/2014 01:04:53 pm
I find it very interesting how you are saying that spring is a reminder that we do not have control over the things that happen around us, but I find your quote confusing. How does it prove your idea? I interpret the quote to be that people are used to controlling their surroundings and they take advantage of what is given to them. I agree with your ideas about spring, but I am just confused about your quote.
Katelyn B period 2
4/3/2014 01:18:28 pm
Both T.S. Eliot and Frost through select pieces of their writing acknowledge their interpretation on Spring, being cruel and mischievous. April tends to be the anticipated start of spring with blossoming flowers and awakening birds with their melodious songs. However, disappointment settles in as April consists of lousy weather ranging anywhere from rain to snowy, creating a dirty canvas on the environment, to then be swept by May and summer as a new beginning starts when the weather perks up. These similar concepts are reflected upon in Boy’s Life, as spring in Zephyr brings unanticipated disappointment to the once happy town. April has brought the town nothing but rain, leading to a huge flood that ignites a sense of fear within the citizens showing that they are not in control of everything and showing the hardships life has to offer in order to succeed in life. Protagonist, Cory, suggests this idea as the town works together to build a dam to protect the town: “…you hear people shouting against the darkness and see their figures struggling to hold back the currents that will not be denied, you realize the truth of it: we will not win, but we cannot give up” (McCammon 94-95). The rain and flooding brings the people of Zephyr and Bruton together to remind each other of the inevitable outcomes of life that cannot always be predicted, but with each other they can start over and create a new beginning to renew the damage created in the past (spring to summer transition). This helps create the stories plot after mischief has spread across the town from the murder, possibly foreshadowing at characters working together to reveal the hidden truth of Zephyr and restore the town and create a better future.
Gilton C P4
4/6/2014 12:30:05 pm
Your outlook on the two extremes of April weather ranging from a taste of summer to storms
really expanded how I view the saying "April is the Cruelest Month". I agree that
the cruelty can be uniting in a sense as it was during the flood, but nonetheless cruel and tramatic.
Richard W. Period 1
4/3/2014 01:23:52 pm
T.S. Elliot's statement on how "April is the cruelest month" can be seen as a direct correlation to Robert McCammon's "Boy's Life." Although spring has arrived, the towns people of Zephyr have experienced a lot of unpleasant weather conditions as well as unfavorable events. The wasp attack during church on Easter Sunday was a prime example of the cruel events that the start spring sometimes brings. Frost's note that states "Spring is the mischief in me," specifically relates to Cory. Cory begins have many realizations and starts to lose the magic in his life. As he was narrating, he stated, "I realized that as I said this I was letting go of something, and it felt both painful and good at the same time" (47). The mischief of spring, resulted in Cory's loss of innocence.
Angel A 5
4/6/2014 02:41:56 am
I agree with you. Spring does relate to Cory. During that season, Cory realizes that he is no longer a child anymore. The magic is beginning to fade and he is beginning to wake up from his fantasies. All these events that are happening to Cory in such a short amount of time contribute to this change.
Jake S
4/3/2014 01:25:11 pm
Both ideas that “April is the cruelest month” and “Spring is the mischief inside of me” are ultimately dependent on one’s experiences in the month. Spring is generally recognized as a happy time because of the warmer weather and wildlife coming back after the winter. These conditions may positively influence one’s experiences during the time period, but personal problems, such as the problems seen endured by Corey. For Corey, spring included tragic events for a 12-year old boy such as going to a whore-house and the abuse that he gets from his father. So ultimately, either of these claims could be correct for any individual person, because that individual’s own experiences determine their perception of the season.
Chris Q p1
4/6/2014 06:24:54 am
I agree with your statement that the season depends on your perception of it, but Cory's dad is not the abusive father. Cory sees how other people live from this his experience at the sleepover.
Elizabeth Z Period 2
4/3/2014 01:25:24 pm
Elliot's comment on April being the worst month sits well with what goes on in Cory's life in that time period. Symbolically, Elliot was speaking to the difficulties that come in relation to the changing seasons. Winter is a beautiful season, when everything is white and people are brought together by the holidays. Summer is also well looked forward to as students are released from school, and it is warm enough to spend time outside. Spring is difficult because it is right in between these two loved seasons. In Boy's Life, Cory's spring relates because he first sees the dead man, then he sees a terrible side of his best friend's dad, then he loses his bike. Not exactly ideal.
With Frost's statement, "Spring is the mischief in me," comes the relation of the chaos of the changing seasons. In spring, the weather tends to go back and forth a lot. It is usually not really warm or cold. This fits with the way that Cory's life is relatively chaotic in the spring. He goes through a lot, and it seems pretty hectic.
Dan Moran 4
4/3/2014 01:25:29 pm
The month if April does of course bring on a terrible storm that damages much if the town if zephyr. However looking at the month of April in a more wordly perspective, it is the month that will nurse the earth back to health after winter and allow the vegetation to grow bigger and better. Frosts quote saying that spring is the mischief in him demonstrates the somewhat devious ways needed for a boy like Cory to grow and to understand the world around him. His best friends dad appears so incredibly nice when we first meet him, no doubt what the rest of the community see'a as well. However upon the return we see his true nature and this is Eliot's reasoning for April being cruel. The heavy rains needed for the earth to grow again are represented as the hard lessons Cory learns while growing up that not all these men he can look up to are who they appear to be to his childish mind.
Renick W. 1
4/6/2014 11:51:31 am
I agree with you Dan, but you completely skipped over the mischief quote. I think that you missed that the mischief of spring, is Cory's couriosity. He wonders about the whore house, and holds onto the green feather he found at the murder scene. His wonder never stops and I believe that is the mischief of spring.
Eric F Period 2
4/6/2014 12:36:03 pm
I agree with what you're saying, but I wouldn't call Cory's mind childish- he recognizes there's a gray area within a lot of people, such as Ben's dad. I like your comment about nursing the vegetation a lot.
Dan Moran 4
4/6/2014 01:33:40 pm
I say he has a childish mind in the sense that it is developing now. Like I said, he's is realizing that the men he could look up have major flaws he didn't see before and he understands that to have these is only human.
Mackenzie K. period 1
4/3/2014 01:28:38 pm
I think was T.S. Eliot meant by "April is the cruelest month," is that it brings rain and darkness. From the saying "April showers bring May flowers" In section one of the book, April comes and so does a lot of rain. The town starts to flood as a dam breaks in the town and Cory says "the water was up to the pickup's wheel rim," (87). After that the town goes into a meeting and the whole place is in an up roar. The April rain has brought gloom and darkness to the town. When Frost says "spring is the mischief in me" I think he is saying that during the spring, people are more likely to do crazy things. During the meeting about the flood, Vernon Thaxter walked up on stage "stark naked," (91). Since it was getting warmer out, Vernon thought that it was okay to walk around the town in his birthday suit. Cory says that the town doesn't usually see him during autumn and winter but once spring comes around, he was almost always naked.
Daisy Oce Period 4
4/6/2014 12:10:53 pm
I totally agree with you, Kenzie! April brought a lot of rain to the village of Zephyr, which caused a flood. This was a very cruel event in Boy’s Life because it was a life changing experience for Cory because “this year the rain had [won]...” (McCammon 60). I also like how you interpreted Frost’s quote of “spring is the mischief in me” to mean that people do crazy things during the spring. I think that spring symbolizes new life and change so people might be more likely to change as well.
James J
4/3/2014 01:40:52 pm
In "Boy's Life" April is the cruelest month because tragic events take place in Corey's life that begin to destroy the world he thought he knew: the murder and the sight of the mysterious man showed him that no place is safe, not even his home town; seeing Ben's father drunk taught him that not everyone is who they seem to be; and seeing his grandfather flee the church and his own father start break down after the murder revealed to Corey that the manly figures in his life are not superheroes (a fact that always shocks and sometimes hurts growing children). April is known for being the month of spring and rebirth. In McCammon's novel, it's not a coincidence that the "April" in Corey's life takes place during the month of April. It is during this period that Corey learns some of the cruelest lessons of his life. That is why April (also a symbol for life and rebirth) is the cruelest month, for it teaches lessons that, while good, can be cruel. As for Frost, his quotation "Spring brings out the mischief in me" can be seen everywhere. During spring schoolchildren become restless, animals reproduce, and even flowers sneakily and mercilessly compete for sun, water, and life. In the novel spring brings a breaking of boundaries, as Old Moses leaves his borders, Corey experiences things that a 12 year old really should not experience, and even the river literally breaks its boundary during the flood. The Lady even said it: that, "Things are tore up" (McCammon 126).
James J
4/3/2014 01:41:23 pm
Period 2
Hannah B. P1
4/3/2014 01:41:23 pm
Springtime is the time of the year when the environment is constantly changing in order to adapt to the Earth’s needs. It can easily go from a beautiful, sunny morning to a gloomy day full of rain in an instant, without any real warning. The same idea is apparent in Boy’s Life because Cory’s life was pretty normal and he had a daily routine in which he followed. However, similar to April’s weather, small yet negative events changes his life and outlook completely. It seems that Frost's comment, "Spring in the mischief in me," is apparent in section one because it is like all the events in Zephyr, from the flood to the wasps; are responsible for Cory's strange visions. The month of April is unpredictable, as is the current events in the novel and the effect each event has on Cory finding out about the murderer. As he experiences the occurrences, Cory starts to become less innocent and starts learning about reality and wisdom, which his father ironically addresses before the discovery of the car in the lake.
Mary K.
4/3/2014 01:43:25 pm
To Eliot, April is the most cruelest month of the year. In the novel, Boys Life, April is the worst month.On the month of April, floods struck, leaving people without shelter. They had to start from the bottom up. Because of the flood, some people had to take measures that they weren't necessarily take such as Rebecca. Because in both of the novels, April, (spring), is the start of anew, the flood hitting basically set the "beginning" to how the rest of the year would be. It was basically a "are we going to work together and rebuild" or a "let everything crumble right in front of our lives"
Tyler Kol. period 5
4/3/2014 01:45:21 pm
I believe that when T.S. Eliot saying, "April is the cruelest month," refers to the weather patterns of nature during the spring, as well as the memories accompanied by these months for Cory. The dark, damp weather not only causes us to be generally tired, but the hardships of April seem to only continue. The weather not only causes a flood, forcing Cory to fight Old Moses, as he "jammed that broom...down its...throat," but spring most likely reminds Cory of the murder mystery (MCcammon 106). This traumatic experience may be exactly what takes his magic away, forcing him to view the world for what it is.
Casey D period 4
4/6/2014 03:14:07 pm
I think that although the weather was very harsh during this time, the weather it self does not explain why April is the cruelest month. April is the cruelest month not only because it has periods of very bad weather, but it also has periods of very nice weather. These differences exemplify the differences between being a carefree kid, and coming into adulthood. April is a month of transition, and transition and change can be very hard, as it is for a boy just starting to adjust to being a man.
Costas (PERIOD 2)
4/3/2014 01:45:55 pm
"April is the cruelest month" indeed, Cory is affected by April's devastating-mind blowing circumstances; First he was served a murder RIGHT IN FRONT of him and had to bare the pain of watching his dad fall apart. Cory indirectly stated he was weary about there being a murder in town, among the people he trusted. As if this wasn't bad enough, Cory has to bare the verbal beating from Ben's dad and soak in the direct attacks on his father. To top it off, lets add that Cory gets his bike broken and suffers a flood. "Spring is the mischief in me" can be supported by the fact that Cory experiences the idea of murder and that he witnesses a hooker in person. The mischief in him is in the sense that Cory dreams of capitalizing on the hooker experience and becoming a celebrity at school.
Megan J. P4
4/3/2014 01:49:44 pm
Spring is regarded as a time of new beginnings and this is no different in Boy’s Life. As winter came to an end, spring brought both cruelty and mischief to Zephyr and its inhabitants. T.S. Eliot said that “April is the cruelest month”. Coincidentally, April brings a massive flood to Zephyr and the surrounding towns. The power went out as “a frothy wave had just swamped over the highest part of the earthen dam and the water churned and foamed and men suddenly found themselves up to their elbows in trouble as the river burst through. A flashlight’s beam caught a glimpse of… snakes” (McCammon 99). This natural disaster, Old Moses’s attack, the reluctance of some of Zephyr’s citizens to help Bruton due to racism, and more prove how April was an extremely challenging and cruel month in Boy’s Life. Frost once said that “Spring is the mischief in me”. Even though Spring brought a lot of trauma in the form of murder, nightmares, alcoholics, bullies, and natural disaster, it awakened curiosity in Cory. After the murder, Cory tries to track down the figure he believes he saw in the woods. He mischievously “wandered over to where [he] thought [he’d] seen that person… [and] walked back and forth along the line of trees” (24). Cory’s curiosity only increases from here as he begins to question the world around him. His mischievous side leads him to trouble for he almost drowned after he left his mother during the flood to chase after the figure he believed he saw back at the murder scene. Overall, with spring came multiple tragic events for the characters in the novel but spring also stirred the curiosity inside of Cory which will drive the novel forward as he continues his mischief.
Amanna V (4)
4/4/2014 04:28:54 am
Megan, I completely agree with everything you stated. I especially agree with what you said regarding his curiosity. This season tends to bring out the curiosity in Corey in terms of his vivid imagination which I agree can cause trouble, hence why it is mischievous. I also agree that although the season is gruesome, it is balanced out with his mischievousness.
Kevin H p. 4
4/3/2014 01:51:44 pm
I think that the mischief in Corey is shown when he is waiting outside the white house after the murder. Instead of having been affected by the murder he'd just witnessed he was instead plotting on how he was going to be "one heck of a celebrity" (22). I think that April being the cruelest month is shown in chapter three ways to Bens dad coming home drunk. "he had known that when the screen door slammed, long after midnight, the invader who wore his father's flesh would be in the house" (55). The use of the word invader to describe Bens dad just shows how awful that situation is for Ben, even though " he had learned to live with this" (55).
Elainie K Per. 1
4/3/2014 01:53:09 pm
April is a month of transition between winter and spring, which brings change in the weather through rain and darkness at first, then later evolving into warmth and light. T.S. Eliot's saying, "April is the cruelest month," applies directly to what is going on in Zephyr during section one of Boy's Life. All the mysterious and dark occurrences in Zephyr such as the murder, the wasps, Old Moses and the Lady, the constant rain and storms, etc., represent the idea of a cruel April/spring in Zephyr. Not only is April a transitional and harsh time for weather, but for young Cory, it brings changes as well. At the start of the novel, before Cory's imagined perfect world is tainted, he possesses and radiates innocence. As these dark times approach in Zephyr, Cory's youth is slowly fading away in exchange for knowledge about the real world. Seeing the effects of the murder on his father, watching his friend's father nearly become abusive... He is forced to face the flaws of society and change his view on the world. Spring is most definitely a time of change in Zephyr.
Julia C. Period 2
4/6/2014 05:36:44 am
Elainie I completely agree with you. I also think that his innocence is fading away because of all of the adult things that he has had to deal with. Corey began to see the flaws in people who he before had thought were perfect people, like his father and Ben's dad. These events are what is striping him of his childhood because he no longer has that innocence to him, and he has seen many terrible things in a short period of time.
Jelani P
4/3/2014 02:00:18 pm
The events that take place in the month of April in McCammon's boys life can be linked back to T.S. Elliott quote that "April is the cruelest month". Throughout most of the month, in the novel, it rains, which sets an overall gloomy mood for this section of the book. The tone of the story also shifts towards a more serious one when Bens father comes home drunk and angry. Corey witnesses the verbal abuse and says, "[he and ben] had both seen the face of the invader". Cory begins to see the unwanted truth in people and begins to change some of his perspective on Ben and his family.
Period 2
4/3/2014 02:05:47 pm
Imani B. P5
4/3/2014 02:04:28 pm
T.S. Eliot said that "April is the cruelest month." I interpreted this as saying that people anticipate Spring to be a beautiful month with warm weather and liveliness outdoors, but instead there are continuous thunderstorms and showers of rain which makes everyone's mood go down. In Boy's Life, by Robert McCammon, I thought T.S. Eliot's statement related to how the events happening in Cory's life in April were terrible with him witnessing a nurder and it raining enough to start flooding his town. Frost stated "Spring brings out the mischief in me," however, and I think that fits perfectly with Cory's life because his journey is beginning in the springtime and that is when he really starts to grow and think about things, and figure things out on his own.
Yousuf A. Period 5
4/3/2014 02:05:35 pm
Eliot refers to April as the cruelest month because of the gloomy rain that accompanies it. In the story the weather is dreary and lifeless just like Cory's life is starting to become. The rain was relentless and showed how cruel spring could be. It even canceled the Easter parade. Cory stated that “when your parents get scared, your hear starts pounding ninety miles a minute.” The flood caused fear in everyone. Frost stated, “Spring is the mischief in me.” This idea can also be seen in Boy’s Life, as there is a murder in a town that was thought to be safe.
Corey K. (period 5)
4/6/2014 11:40:34 am
I totally agree that the Aprils cruelties can translate to the weather within the book but I also believe that it works on much deeper levels. Cory, throughout the month of April, is exposed to life altering events. He witnesses a murder, his dad become less than "perfect" as kids often believe, and Ben's fathers alcohol outbreak to name a few. Throughout all these experiences, He begins to grasp the idea that the world is not perfect and how cruel the people in his town can be. This is the cruelty of April. As for the mischief in spring, the better brings on the end of summer and the possibilities with his fiends. It brings on positivity and ideas like the town working together to fix the flood.
Noelle Sather- Period 4
4/3/2014 02:06:40 pm
T.S. Eliot states that "April is the cruelest month" because of the inconsistent weather patterns. One might think that the weather is finally clearing up one day and then the next day there might be a huge storm. The weather takes a toll in the novel Boy's Life, in the town of Zephyr, on Easter Sunday "Because of the rain, the windows were shut tight and the air was really getting muggy. The floorboards were wet, the walls leaked..." (McCammon 63). The cruel April weather obviously does not lighten up, even on a holiday.
Mary K.
4/4/2014 06:16:55 am
I definitely agree with you Noelle. April is a month where you can't have any normality. It could be sunny one day, and then terribly rainy the next. In Boy's Life, that quote, "Because of the rain, the windows were shut tight and the air was really getting muggy. The floorboards were wet, the walls leaked.. (McCammon 63), is a perfect example of just how cruel the weather, and April itself can be.
Nadim K. Period 2
4/3/2014 02:08:20 pm
When t.s Eliot states, "April is the cruelest month", I would have to agree because when in April, we are leaving all of the bad cold whether and it gives us hope of a brighter warmer day, but we are showered by rain and thunderstorms. In the book, the town Zephyr is going through the same thing. They are experiencing a darker gloomier time of the year with all that is happening in their lives. When frost says, "spring is the mischief in me", we are able to connect this to the book because at this time in the year, we see all the kids going outside because all of the cold temperatures are gone. This results in children causing trouble and causing mischief and people doing things they wouldn't have done if it were winter.
TJ Ayodele Period 2
4/7/2014 02:30:33 pm
I agree on your insight on the reason why these quotes connect to the story so well in the first section. Just to add on to that some of the mischief that Frost may be talking about could also be just the overall random events that occur because it is summer and life is being brought back into town. Things like the wasps in the church are not only symbolic and important for character development, their also just examples of silly, random events that spring can bring.
maddy b 2
4/3/2014 02:13:09 pm
In the wasteland "April is the cruelest month. " Was showing how it was brutal and that there wasn't much hope that spring would be coming around. Was sitting readers how the thought of sitting got perks up only for the bad weather yo knock then back down. In Boy's LifeIn Boy's Life by Robert McCammon, "rain fell all through that long gray day" (Ch. 1.4) The Easter day parse got cancelled and everyone was feeling down and i think that that is what both authors were thing to convey in the moment.
TJ Ayodele
4/3/2014 02:19:26 pm
Frost's comment that "spring is the mischief in me" can be seen by the innocent, childlike nature Corey has in section one. Seeing Corey just being a kid, learning life lessons but all the while experiencing his childhood at its peak, through mischief such as breaking his bicycle accidentally or, "fall[ing] down, because never in [his] life had [he] heard a female us a word that dirty"(McCammon 20), it is these misadventures that Frost sees as the essence of spring. Then, when T.S Eliot says "April is the cruelest month", it can be represented by the hard facts spring brought for Corey. Things such as learning the monster that is alcohol are things that are hard to swallow for a child, things that, "get [the magic] ... washed out, combed out"(McCammon 2), leaving only the cruel matron of summer to face.
Alyssa Z. period 4
4/3/2014 02:21:03 pm
When T.S Eliot states that "April is the cruelest month" I see spring as the middle between winter and summer which represents the stage between childhood and growing up. I think that April is harsh on the characters as exploited in the way that Cory is forced to go through this stage early on as the conflicts in the novel are forcing him to grow up
Paula R. Period 5
4/3/2014 02:22:05 pm
Boy's Life can support T.S. Eliot's statement that "April is the cruelest month" by the weather the citizens of Zephyr and Bruton. In April, the towns experienced a week long thunderstorm where "the air was heavy with water… yards became ponds, and streets turned into streams" (McCammon 73). Due to all that rain, "a blue-black cloud of [wasps], over a hundred stingers strong" wrecked havoc on Cory's church on Easter Sunday (68). If that wasn't bad enough the non stop rain caused "the [dam to] burst at Lake Holman" threatening the lives and homes of the people living in Bruton (86). After all the rain had passed over, spring had arrived at Zephyr, supporting Frost's "Spring is the mischief in me". Similar to what Frost is saying, Spring brought happiness to the town, "Zephyr blazed with color… lawns were deep emerald, honeysuckle grew like mad passion" and the town had "exploded [with] flowers" (109). Spring time rewarded Zephyr with the beauty and color that had suddenly disappeared with all the pain and gloominess of April.
Paulette D 5th period
4/6/2014 05:48:06 am
I like the way you connected the two quotes with the storm and the tragic events from "Boy's Life". I agree that April is the cruelest month since it put the town through so much in such a short period of time. Then at the end of all the terrible weather, spring brings life back to the plants and trees after they have been dead for a couple of months. It's like natures way of saying sorry.
Stefan C. Per. 5
4/3/2014 02:26:47 pm
I think with Elliot saying that april is a cruel month he is referring to the changing of winter to spring, because to many the winter can be a time of beauty and with the tradition to spring all of that beauty can go away. I believe this relates to Boy's Life in the way that Cory is beginning to change, and how he is starting to loose his innocents with all of the things that are beginning to happen. Like him pretty much witnessing a murder all the way to witnessing his father cry. This idea also relates to Frost's idea of spring bringing out mischief. These things that are taking away Cory's innocents are not good things by any means.
Richard W. Period 5
4/6/2014 07:49:25 am
Stefan I agree with you. The mischief of spring, has caused Cory to lose some of his innocence. As he continues to come to more realizations about life, the abundance of magic in his life will also inevitably decrease. I'm curious as to how much Cory's personality will change throughout the rest of the novel.
Josh S 5
4/3/2014 02:30:20 pm
TS Eliot's quote "April is the cruelest month" is pretty relevant in the novel Boy's Life. Eliot says this because of the uncertainty of the weather in April. This spring month can be nice one day or pouring rain and cold the next, or in Illinois's case, snowing. In the novel the weather is really bad Easter Sunday "Because of the rain, the windows were shut tight and the air was really getting muggy. The floorboards were wet, the walls leaked..." Also, the idea that Frost puts out is relevant in the book as well. He states "spring brings out the mischief in me." Spring is associated with a rebirth, renewal, or growth. In the story's circumstance, Cory undergoes a growth in character and a rebirth from his innocent self in the novel in the most cruel and mischievous ways. For example, he was exposed to several harsh learning experiences like listening to Ben's dad yell at Ben. He lost some of his innocence in learning how cruel people can be, going through a rebirth of his old character.
Caleb Smith, Period 5
4/3/2014 02:38:15 pm
Eliot said, “April is the cruelest month” In Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon April is cruel to them. The that occurred destroyed their towns and their lives. Everything they had built was taken from them. They had to start fresh. The flood caused the people to do things that they normally wouldn’t do like to help those they normally wouldn’t. Rebecca helped black family. And in the south that wasn’t something that usually happens during that time period. She set aside her feelings and looked over whatever one else said and did to help this family. Rebecca helping with this family leads right into Frosts idea of being up to mischief. The flood happened in the spring and then made everyone work together whether they wanted to or not. Spring is known for cleaning things up and new beginnings, this was a new beginning for the town. The flood gave the town the opportunity for change, for there to be an uprising of something new.
Trevor K 4
4/3/2014 02:44:24 pm
The claim that "April is the cruelest month" is supported through various events in section one. April is seen to be a cruel month because of the gloomy weather that it comes with. An example in the novel is Easter. Easter, a time which is supposed to be happy was "cloaked with gloom" (59). The wasps attacking is accompanied with, "thunder [that] crashed outside and rain beat on the roof. It sounded like Judgement day out there..." (68). These occurrences in April support that it is a cruel month. Frost's quote is supported with by the visions and dreams that Cory's father is having, as well as Mr. Sears drunk rampage. Cory's father is a "changed man" from the murder the lake and he realizes "it's not safe anywhere in this world" (31). Mr. Sears rampage is obviously mischievous as he says, "you can go tell that goddamned milkman daddy of yours to go straight to hell" (51). Boy's life supports Elliot's and Frost's quotes.
Becca K Per. 4
4/5/2014 04:30:56 am
I really like how you used the example of Easter to relate to T.S. Eliot's claim. I think that is a perfect example of how there is such a great hope for happiness and summer during April, but then the weather, in this case the never ending rain, just ruins it. I think the novel portrays this since "for day upon day no ray of sunshine fell... only the incessant rain came down (McCammon 71).
Jordan C 5
4/3/2014 02:45:10 pm
I feel as though T.S. Elliot was simply explaining that April is the cruelest because it's truly the beginning of Spring. During Spring, things grow anew, and some things change into something else. By cruel, Elliot is describing the drastic, and sometimes harsh changes. For instance, weather can go from sunny and beautiful to cloudy and bring a downpour of rain along with thunder and lightening. Things are just yanked one way or the other. Allergies come along, stronger than before, mutated, changed into something else. However Frost's claim of mischief is also accurate. Spring is the first time it'll actually be nice enough to be outside, and especially for young kids, the possibilities are endless, causing them to do fun, crazy, and sometimes dangerous things. Both these quotes are related to "Boy's Life" in two specific ways. One of which is that sometimes, the once calm and magical place you could call home is now a site of murder and darkness. It is a cruel and drastic change that Cory could my see coming, but now has to deal with it. Additionally, coming of age comes along with growing out of the childish things he once called fun. He now is making more of his own choices, and so, being given a longer leash of freedom could result in a more mischievous, adult Cory.
Ryan C
4/7/2014 12:34:45 pm
Jordan, I completely agree. April is really the beginning of spring and it often brings change that is sometimes not what we had expected, for example, Cory finds out about the murder in April and it forever changes how he sees the world and other people as a result.
I also agree with your statement about Frost's quote. I believe that spring is also a time where everyone is starting to wind down (from school and winter) and wants to do more spontaneous and fun things, especially outdoors as the weather warms.
Jordan C 2
4/3/2014 02:48:19 pm
Elliot's quote that "April is the cruelest month" does relate to Boy's Life due to the fact that the month of April is cruel to the town and it's people. During that month, everything was destroyed, forcing the entire town to start over again like from scratch. Do to this it created a change that would affect everyone to do things out of one's comfort such as help those who most would not, a black family. That quote also helps relate to the quote by Frost that April shows mischief. Yes based on what not only occurred within the town showed mischief but the way people acted could be represented in that time to be mischievous. Almost like it created change and then possibly created too much at one time.
Kathryn P P2
4/6/2014 02:06:04 pm
Jordan, I like how you tied both quotes into each other, focusing on both as one. April's cruelness, such as destruction of the town, does lead the entire spring to have a mischievous tone about it. I believe that spring is the time when everyone is trying to get those winter gitters out and sometimes they are not the best. Spring is also a time for people to start new, now that the weather is not dreary and cold every day, but that it has a promising start to it. However, I do agree with you that sometimes too much change is created.
Ambreen Mahdi
4/3/2014 02:51:59 pm
April is the month where spring is finally blossoming, however it gives us a taste of nice weather then gives us the cold, rainy days the rest of the month. It is described as cruel because the weather is an example on how it can make you feel physically and emotionally. All the mishaps which are occurring in Cory's life is also making hime experience life and help him grow as a person.
Kathryn P P2
4/3/2014 03:00:21 pm
I believe both Eliot and Frost's quotes about the terribleness of Spring pertain to the events in Cory's life. Eliot's quote talks of the cruelness of April, most likely referring to the storms, and not all the Easter bunnies getting run over, Mr. Conrad. The storms last most of April, causing the town to have a bad Easter, filled with wasp attacks and ungrateful river monsters that distribute fear through many souls. The April showers also cause Cory to lose his bike. Although April is the "cruelest month", spring in general is filled with mischief, because it allows the secrets that the winter has covered up to rise to the surface. Such as the murder that is ravaging the town, Cory is realizing that the world is not as kind and innocent as it seems to be. Along with that, Cory is realizing that there is more to the adult, especially when he sleeps over at Ben's house. Cory encounters Ben's father and all the suffering his friend has to deal with. Eliot and Frost's quotes about the cruelness of spring do indeed pertain to Cory's life.
Jordan C 2
4/6/2014 07:40:36 am
I agree with you Kathryn. Yes, both Eliot's and Frost's quote both relate to the events that occur in Cory's life especially those that happen in the Spring months. Definitely, the flood that occurs does bring the cruelness like that in April. And that the mischief of the novel is proven based on all the realizations occurring during the spring.
Trevor B.
4/3/2014 03:02:30 pm
When Elliot states that "April is the cruelest month" I believe he is referring to how April is a time that is supposed to be the end of Winter and all that it represents. Here it's representing sadness and death. April and spring in general is a time where the cold and dreary times are over and the hopes of better weather and new beginnings begin to pop up. The truth is though that the sadness of winter does not just go away. This can be related to the witness of the murder in Boy's Life. This tragic event was a strong reminder of reality and it's troubles.
Jake S Period 4
4/6/2014 02:27:33 pm
I do agree with you about April being the time that winter ends and that generally spring can represents the end to the cold time of year. However, for Boy's Life, I don't think that the physical change of cold to warm is the symbol. Instead, I think, Elliot is trying to make the new season represent a fresh outlook on the world because of these more "real" experiences, such as the witnessing of the murder.
Anna W. 1st
4/3/2014 04:25:38 pm
I believe T.S. Eliot one reason wrote that "April is the cruelest month" could be because of the weather changing and all that it brings, allergies and sickness, or, of course, he could have been reflecting on his life, and something personal that could have happened during the month April. In Boy's Life, the cruelty of April can be shown in the obvious darkness of the weather as it storms on Easter Sunday, "There is something about nature out of control that touches a primal terror," (94). The weather on that day symbolized all of the grayness in the town, and in Cory. People were afraid and the weather was horrific, which added on the the fear that people most likely already had. Cory then saw a man in a trench coat, with a knife, and feared that this man could murder his father. He had the fear of not knowing who this man was, losing his dad, and the thought that he would be that close to death again. As to the quote by Frost, April is basically the beginning of Spring. Even on Easter, while Cory still had all of this fear he was still willing to yell out to this man that may or may not be a murderer. It's not necessarily mischievous it's not a completely normal reaction for a child.
Monica E. 1st
4/4/2014 12:55:19 am
When McCammon says "April is the cruelest month", he is saying that spring is not only a fresh start, but an end. For example, in "Boy's Life", Corey explains how his bike is dead. His bike keeps reappearing time and again. "... But it was dead" (McCammon 81). McCammon used such a strong word for a broken bike to show how "April is the cruelest month". When Frost says "Spring is the mischief in time", he is showing that spring has flaws behind it. Doe example, Corey never means to look for mischief, but ends up finding it because of his curiousity.
Anna W. 1st
4/6/2014 01:25:18 pm
I really like your idea that spring is a start, but an end at the same time. It's clear in the part with his bike that the author is hinting at that idea, but I also think that the idea that McCammon also means it's the beginning of the end of Cory's childhood innocence. In these chapters he goes through so much emotionally, and he starts to see the world around him in a different way, a way that is more adult like and realistic.
Andrea C. 2
4/7/2014 12:38:05 pm
I like how you took springtime as the time Cory finds mischief. Since it is right before summer, the spring can bring mischief upon anybody. With the death of Cory's bike, it does mark the beginning of a new journey and an end to a piece of Cory's childhood.
Corey K. (Period 5)
4/4/2014 03:01:09 am
Eliot writes "April is the cruelest if months" because of the harsh realities the month brings to people. Cory's experiences are great examples of how April brings cruelty. It begins with the murder he witnessed while on the milkman run with his father (McCammon 15). It then continues when he experiences the White House in the same chapter followed by Ben's dad's actions in chapter 3. All of these events happen in a short amount of time within spring. He starts to realize how the world is much different than what his "magical mind" thinks. The world is more real, with brutal events and deception. Along with this, he becomes more innocent and is faced with ideas and events not built for adolescent minds. On the opposite end, Frost writes that "Spring is the mischief in me". Throughout the beginning section of the novel, Cory is more spirited. He wakes up early one morning to help his father at work and is excited to have nicer weather. On top of this, the town itself has more buzz because of possibilities and positivity spring holds. In both instances, Cory's senses are awakened in either a better or worse way. The cruelties of spring cause him to become more aware were as the mischief in spring brining upon new possibilities and encounters.
Amanna v (4)
4/4/2014 04:21:11 am
The quote "April is the cruelest month" is strongly supported in the text. During this whole season, Corey learns how to grow up in a hard way. After witnessing a murder before his eyes, hearing his father cry for the first time, going to a whorehouse, and witnessing the destruction of his home due to a flood, for Corey the spring season is anything but pleasant. For example, after witnessing Ben's reaction to his drunk dad, he stated, "Ben had known that. What courage it must have taken for him to lie in that bed, pretending to sleep." (McCammon 52). However there is some mischief in this season as well. Corey's vivid imagination (regarding the murder suspects, Old Moses, and the Demon) shows that he still has a curious and highly spirited side which comes out this season.
Joe S. Period 1
4/5/2014 01:54:12 am
I agree with your point Amanna. Cory is faced with unpleasant occurrences that alter his ability to be aware. It's like he has two sides growing out of him, the curious and growing up sides. He has gone through a lot of vivid situations right before school gets out. The flood, like rain being part of Spring in April, represents a cruel event in Cory's journey. In my opinion, Cory also seems shocked throughout some points in the book due to them being new findings for him he had never seen before. He encounters new possibilities and his senses come out to be much more aware at a young age. His senses allow him to realize the truth in his town and also allow him to stem away from the "magic".
Jesse S. Period 4
4/6/2014 11:10:39 am
I like what you said, how Corey is forced to grow up quite quickly just from what he has experienced. After all he is a kid, and shouldn't be opposed to situations like these, where even his Dad is finding it quite difficult to deal with. It's unimaginable, the thoughts that must fill Corey's head at night, he's definately curious, but it that curioisty natural, or is he drawn in by fear.
Nick Wolf
4/4/2014 09:39:16 am
Section one of Boy's Life has multiple aspects and areas that support the idea that "April is the cruelest month." Throughout the section, Cory is forced to experience one tragedy after another. First you have almost crashing into a car with a murdered body locked inside, seeing his father so emotionally and mentally compromised, seeing “bad girls,” or whores in the flesh (foul language and all), having his church overrun with angry wasps, and seeing a dog, a living, innocent creature, get cut in half by a crocodile. With the addition of his old, rusty bike breaks in the middle of the road from hitting a pothole, the month of April just doesn’t give Cory a break. However, Spring proves to be the mischief in Cory because of his still innocent curiosity. From taking the green feather from a crime scene, to drinking a seemingly crazy old lady’s “potion” without hesitation.
Katelyn B period 2
4/6/2014 03:16:34 am
Nick, I like how you summed up Frost's idea about the mischief of Spring. I also agree that the mischief can be connected to the innocence of Cory as well, especially drinking Potion #10 to do well on a math test, not knowing that what would get him the grade would be the second part of what the Lady told him to do which was to study.Bringing up the idea of T.S. Eliot in "Boy's Life", I would also have to agree with you that this can be represented through the traumatic events Cory has underwent in section one. However, to go further into this idea; I feel as if the cruelty comes from the constrictions of his innocence causing him to mature grow up in some aspects. Cory emotionally ages as he sees his dad falling apart after witnessing the aftermath of the murder causing him to be aware that the nice/friendly town he lives in now contains a criminal. A less drastic loss of innocence is when he truly realizes the aliens in the movie he saw do not really exist: "I realized...I was letting go of something, and it felt both painful and good at the same time" (McCammon 47).This just vaguely shows his understanding of what is real and not real and it saddens him as he realizes slowly but surely that he is growing up and developing the mind of an adult.
Lyssa L. Period 4
4/4/2014 11:19:16 am
Spring is a season of not only cruelty but of mischief, as properly portrayed in "Boy's Life." The event of Cory, a boy of young age, witnessing his dad attempting to save a life instead to have discovered a murder, sitting through a drunken outbreak of his best friend'a dad, being apart of a mass-stinging of wasps in the Easter Sunday service, and enduring the dam breaking to bring the worse flood the town has ever seen. Spring is cruel because of the harsh rain that it brings to the town, and how it destroys many homes. But it is mischievous in the way that spring is supposed to be a season of new beginnings and a positive rebirth from the harsh winter. For Cory in "Boy's Life," he faces many unfortunate events for a boy his age in only one month, which is quite the contradictory for the happiness the season is supposed to bring, but yet brings much unhappiness in that it is cruel and mischievous.
Brittany D period 1
4/4/2014 12:27:45 pm
Correct me if I am wrong, and I could be completely misreading this whole thing but I see April, or, spring as associated with newness. And to me newness is linked to anything young, as is Cory young, or, new. And although spring is thought of as a time for new beginnings and new growth, the harsh reality is the first few months of spring, March and April, suck. It's cold, wet, and rainy and these harsh realities can represent or be represented by the month of horrible events Cory had to face, from discovering a murder to sitting through a drunken out burst made by his best friend's dad. And while Cory is just an innocent, young, child, although he wants to grow up, life's harsh realities make him do so in the most negative of manners, restraining his innocence. Just like the harsh realities of April's winter prevents the newness of spring from arriving. If that makes any sense.
Paula R. Period 5
4/6/2014 12:27:44 pm
I agree with you that Spring is associated with this feeling of freshness, it's a new change from the dark and sad gloom of winter and offers the first glimpse of warmth with summer. In reality though, Spring is that moody gateway between the cold winter and hot summer, the weather is unexpected and quite possibly one of the more harsher seasons. As an innocent child, Cory might have looked at spring as an opportunity to get out of school but the progressing loss of innocence into adulthood, or reality shows Cory that Spring is more than just his countdown to escape from school.
Blackmon, Alexis. P 1
4/4/2014 12:33:26 pm
When T.S. Eliot says that "April is the cruelest month" I believe he is talking about the weather, and its unpredictable moments. It can be sunny one day, and gloomy and cold the next morning. This can be applied to part one on Easter Sunday. Corey says, "Easter morning arrived, cloaked in its gloom"(McCammon 59). Descriptions of the rain beating down on the roof, and the attack of the wasp show the unpredictable moments of spring. When Robert Frost says, "spring is the mischief in me", it directly relates to Corey in part one through his use of imagination and exploration. For many, spring can be considered a mischief because after being cooped inside the house for winter, many feel the need to venture out, and find fresh air. This however can put many in difficult situations depending on their level of exploration. Corey and his father experience this at the beginning of the novel with the murder of a man. The car would not have plunged into the river if the lake was frozen over. Corey would have never seen the black shadow in the woods if he wasn't looking. Events such as these show the mischief involved with spring, and all it can bring,
Elizabeth Z Period 2
4/6/2014 08:42:00 am
I really like how you spoke more of the unpredictability of the weather affecting the way that people act. I always like when I read something that so closely represents how life really is, especially in relation to the things that we do not often think about, such as the weather. Nobody really ever considers how something so common as the weather can be something so influential, but Frost, Eliot, and McCammon are able to accurately depict this.
Kevin T, Period 1
4/4/2014 01:31:39 pm
When T.S. Elliot wrote “April is the cruelest month” in the poem The Wasteland, he wanted to express how the weather can be great, and full of sunshine one moment, and become a gloomy thunderstorm in the next. In Boy's Life by Robert McCammon, the novel say “The rain kept falling... The downpour caused the canceling of the Saturday matinee”. Many of the residents were looking forward to it, but it was ruined by the rain. April also represents change, and firsts, whether that be new life or experiences. In Boy's Life, Corey witnesses first the murder of a man, and for the first time his father crying. This proves to him that the world isn't as simple as he originally thought and that there is a greater depth to society. From one of Robert Frost's poems, comes the line, “Spring is the mischief in me”. The message Frost is trying to convey is or at least as it appears to me, is that frost is making the comparison of spring to our mischievous nature. It plays with lives, much like how the town was holding the Matinee that was then canceled due to the rain.
Kelly B (1)
4/4/2014 02:21:42 pm
The belief that "April is the cruelest month" is supported through multiple events in Boy's life. April is seen to be a cruel month because of the depressing weather that it brings. An example in the novel is Easter. Easter, a time which is supposed to be happy was "cloaked with gloom" (59). The wasps attacking is accompanied with, "thunder [that] crashed outside and rain beat on the roof. It sounded like Judgement day out there..." (68). These happenings in April exemplify how it is a cruel month. Frost's quote is strengthened by the visions and dreams that Cory's father is having, as well as Mr. Sears drunk rampage. Cory's father is a "changed man" from the murder the lake and he realizes "it's not safe anywhere in this world" (31). Mr. Sears rampage is obviously mischievous as he says, "you can go tell that goddamned milkman daddy of yours to go straight to hell" (51). Boy's life supports Elliot's and Frost's quotes.
Vasudha P. (1)
4/4/2014 02:31:09 pm
T.S. Eliot expressed that "April is the cruellest month," and it is to my belief that he means that the weather is unpredictable, as it really is right now. With the weather toying with our emotions, it causes us to feel sadness in the air. With everyone being distracted by the gloominess in the air, our intentions are not confirmed at the moment; not thinking with a clear mind. It also is easier to cover up sins because in rainy days mostly bad things and people venture out. As Frost states "Spring is the mischief in me," Spring is the time where the weather gets warmer, people are outside more, and the sun stays out longer, calling people to come outside on realize what's going on. With the weather changing, people tend to act differently, as they suddenly become more adventurous. In "Boy's Life," Cory discovers a lot about the changes in season. April is known for its storms, and recently, Cory would agree that it rains too much in April, as it is flooding in his hometown. Cory and Gavin are trying to fight off Old Moses, and Cory eventually “[jammed] the broom right down its gasping, dog-swallowing throat” (McCammon 106). Cory was being adventurous and protected Gavin and himself from the monster. As it later turns out, the adventure of showing a broom down the monster’s throat causes the Mackenson family to recveice a letter from the Old Lady asking them to come visit. Also the quote April showers brings May flowers in my perspective also defines this book. April is the month of killings and murders where they aren't seen, hence, the showers as a cover up. May flowers are like funeral flowers, a person is only then seen and that is when the questions bloom.
Becca K Period 4
4/5/2014 04:21:31 am
T.S. Eliot stated that "April is the cruellest month" because it brings with it a hope for something better, but then constantly let's us down. It's a transitional month that gets us excited for summer, but then disappoints us with the bipolar and gloomy weather. In A Boys Life this is represented when "for day upon day no ray of sunshine fell upon my hometown; only the incessant rain came down" (McCammon 71). This is matched with the overall mood of the section since the rain brings with hardships and destruction. The destruction of homes and lives, as well as Cory's bike and childhood innocence. Frost's claim, "Spring is the mischief in me," represents how around this time everyone is getting anxious for summer and begin to act differently. This is represented in the novel because around this time a lot of weird and crazy events start to happen. First the murder occurs, then the bizarre meteor, followed with the wasp invasion and an unbearable amount of rain.
Elainie K Period 1
4/6/2014 03:35:54 pm
Becca, our arguments were very similar! I agree with the way you relate the gloomy weather of April- the transitional month- to all the unexpected things happening in Zephyr right now. It represents the image of the old, friendly town of Zephyr dissolving into a dark, mysterious place.
Jesse S Period 4
4/6/2014 05:35:29 am
"April is the cruelest month", with the coming season of Spring we accociate it with change or rebirth. The shift between seasons where we ease into the much warmer climate. In Boy's Life, we can view this change quite similarly. In the nove, Corey is faced with the haunting memory of his dad's attempt to rescue a mysterious man who had already been murdered. Corey himself , is rather young. Hes making the small change from a young boy to early adulthood, and with this change comes experience. In the introduction for Boy's life he states that in the end, he is still going to be okay. Thus, I feel that this situation with the murder is only the begining, easing the readers in order to reveal something in the novel more towards the end, something much worse.
Emylee F. Period 5
4/6/2014 11:00:58 am
With T.S. Elliot's quote "April is the cruelest month", there are many instances in the first section of Boys Life where we see Cory's faith in magic diminishes. Such as, when he is staying the night with Ben, he has to tell Ben not to worry about monsters since it was fake. He even mentions to the readers that he was a little shock to be saying that. However, once he finds out who Ben's monster is, there is something inside of Cory that starts to change. Which, it could bring the cruelty that could fit into T.S. Elliot's quote; the cruelty being the reality of life.
Yet, spring still always magic to foster inside Cory. Such as when his bike "dies". He believed that everyone is meant for their only individual bike, and even though they may get rid of it to someone else; that bike will always belong to him. He also believes that things died, they did not have to be only living. When he mentions to his dad that the bike has died, his dad doesn't not believe it. When they go to the junk yard, the owner thinks the same way Cory does. Still allowing the magic to foster, since an adult thinks the same way.
Rose Amodea
4/6/2014 01:31:24 pm
While TS Elliot stated "April is the cruelest month" and Frost noteing "spring is the mischief in me" I believe have a similar yet distant meaning about spring. All thought section one of Boy's Life, there's mysteries to be solved, people to find, clues to put together, sights to be developed, and etc. It brings out Frost's true meaning of the word 'mischief'. While Cory was helping out fixing the dam in the river he reckons he saw the man he once saw in the forest while his dad was trying to save the man in the lake. Cory "pulled his hand free from his mothers, and [he] went after him." (Mccammon96). This is just a glimpse of the curiosity within him! And this also relates to TS Elliot's quote saying "April is the cruelest month" because while all these different adventures and mysteries are happening is storming like no other in the town of Zaphyr, nearly flooding the whole town as a result of all the rain and broken dam. Cruel ness is not only identified in the awful weather but in the not knowing of the many mysteries Corey has yet to solve.
Rachel V Period 5
4/7/2014 01:19:58 am
Cory's experiences in section 1 can experess the statement that “April is the cruelest month." Elliot is saying that winter is beautiful, but once all of the snow is gone, everything is dead and it takes a while until everything grows back pretty again. When Cory wakes up to his father’s scream, he is introduced to those dead flowers and brown grass. Cory narrates, “That was the night my father’s cry awakened me in the dark.” Cory is literally and figuratively speaking here. His father’s cry actually awakened him to the cruelness of the world, and how anyone, even the people closest to him, are somewhat broken and sad. Cory can also relate when Frost says, “Spring is the mischief in me.” In this case, Ben’s father presents a new attitude that cory hasnt seen before. When Ben says, “He’ll come back changed,” at first Cory thought he was talking about the Martians. Later that night when Cory witnesses a different side to Ben’s father is when he realizes that he is a totally different person, relating him to the whole idea of Frost’s statement.
Lizzy K P4
4/7/2014 01:32:12 pm
When T.S. Eliot says that “April is the cruelest month,” I think he is referencing the horrible weather conditions that spring summons. In Boy’s Life, spring brings a flood that almost kills young Cory. The flood introduced Cory to Old Moses with the utmost unpleasantness. The horribleness of the flood also brought Cory to his first encounter with death when he witnesses the dog die in his hands. The water that surrounded Cory and Old Moses “thrashed around the half of the carcass [of the dog], the entrails streaming behind it like a hideous tail…” (McCammon 104). Although this repulsive event came with the spring, the new season also brings a happy time around. The people of Zephyr take the holiday seriously, planning a parade in which “Mr. Vandercamp Junior… [dresses] up as the Easter bunny and [rides] in the parade’s car…” (59). Easter is usually a mischievously happy time, like Frost notes, that allows people to bring out the energy and happiness that has been kept away during winter.
Hailey A. 2
4/8/2014 03:00:32 am
T.S. Eliot stated, "April is the cruelest month" because it shows a little glimpse of Spring but it can also shift back and forth from a warm weather to freezing rain and then the next day back to a sunny day with a cool breeze. When Frost says, “Spring is the mischief in me.” In relation to "Boys Life", Cory sees Ben’s father with a new attitude that he hasnt seen before, I believe this connection is the the beliefe that springs fluctuating weather can bring out the worst/mischief in people.
Brandon K 4
4/8/2014 03:07:40 am
Cory’s experiences in section one can definitely relate to T.S Elliot’s statement that “April is the cruelest month”. From what I understand Elliot is saying that April is the time where nature is dead from winter without the beauty of the snow and cold. This can be compared to Cory’s experiences with seeing his father go through the changes because of the event with the car and the dead man. When Cory wakes up to his father’s scream, this is continuing that thought. Cory goes on to say, “That was the night my father’s cry awakened me in the dark.” The important part of this is the word awakened. Although it physically woke him up, it is referring to how Cory is seeing the world in a different way by beginning to see its cruelty. Additionally, Cory can also relate to Frost’s statement, “Spring is the mischief in me.” To me, this is related to how people take on a new attitude to the year as things begin to refresh after the cold denseness of winter. It is very revealing and open which can be compared with the experience with Ben’s father. When Ben says, “He’ll come back changed,” it appears as though it is a statement relating to the movie but it actually is a much deeper sense of how him drunk is like a new horrible person. That new discovery and reveal is what relates it to Frost’s statement.
Lauren S p8
4/14/2014 11:30:43 am
I think that T.S Eliot said that “April is the cruelest month because it is the season right after winter has come to an end. In April it rains a lot and is always gloomy and dull outside. Rain also has a very sad or depressing tone or feel to the weather. In Boy’s Life: The Shades of Spring they say “The rain kept falling. Gray clouds hung over Zephyr…I went to sleep with rain slamming the roof, and awoke to the crash of thunder…but for day upon day no ray of sunshine fell upon my hometown…when I wasn’t doing homework I sat in my room…” (McCammon 72). This is an example of how the long rainy days in Zephyr make a person feel physically and emotionally miserable as they have to cancel plans that they had or not be able to enjoy going outside. Frost stated that “Spring is the mischief in me” because spring usually means a new start, a change in things or growth. An example of this would be when Cory witnesses the scene of Mr. Sears when he comes home drunk (Ch. 3). Cory realizes how one person can change quickly in to something even worse than a monster as seen in the movie the boys saw that day.
Skyler S p8
4/14/2014 12:15:47 pm
I definitely agree with you Lauren on why April is the cruelest month. In my opinion the weather is always awful in April, especially if it's constantly raining and flooding the roads and, as read from the book, can flood towns easily. The town Bruton was brutally flooded and so many people were trying to help stop it. The rest of the people living around Bruton were out helping by putting out sacks to create a barricade. April is the cruelest month because it has no heart.
Sergio N Period 8
4/15/2014 03:20:44 am
I definetly agree with Lauren, it brings about much distortion in mood, having it rain constently in April. Also the miserablness since April is typically associated with warm weahter, it brings by a new perspective.
Aaron B. Period 8
4/14/2014 11:34:41 am
Throughout the first section of Mccammons Boy’s Life, many things support both of these claims. Although the statement “April is the cruelest month” was meant to mean something different in his terms it can be taken very literally in Boy’s Life. There are many things throughout this section that happen which are “cruel.” One being the flood which threatens to take out all of Bruton. This flood being a seasonal thing points to the claim that April is the cruelest month. On the other hand we have Roberts Frost’s “spring is the mischief in me.” Boy’s life has a lot of mischief going around in and out of the town Zephyr. With the murder of a man, Vernon Thaxter’s forcibly accepted nudity, and the mysterious Lady, there is an awful lot of mischief or at best mysteriousness going on. The people in Zephyr and Bruton seem strangely okay with all of this. That or maybe it is the limited view of our narrator, Cory. Either way the spring time is cruel and mysterious in Cory’s small town.
Lauren S p8
4/14/2014 11:48:54 am
I defiantly agree with you Aaron. The quote “April is the cruelest month” is taken very literally throughout the first section of Boy’s Life. The flood that occurs in the novel does bring out the cruelness within the month of April. I also agree with you when you talk about all of the mysterious tings that happen in Zephyr and Bruton. However, in my opinion I do not think that the people are okay with all of the strange mysterious things going on but more of they don’t know how to react and cope with all of these strange things happening all around the same time. But overall I do agree with you that the spring time is cruel and mysterious in the town of Zephyr and Bruton.
Skyler S p8
4/14/2014 12:07:29 pm
T.S. Elliot said April is the cruelest month because after all the snow melts, all that is left is dead grass. April brings harsh weather like rain and in this case, snow. In Boy’s life, the flood is brought on by torrential down pouring. The dam is broken because it can’t handle all of the water. People’s houses are covered head to toe by the rushing waters of the broken dam while the people scramble to keep more from pouring in. Frost said spring is the mischief in me. Spring is also the time when the temperature starts to change. It becomes warm enough to throw away those giant winter coats and throw on a light jacket. April brings the season of spring, which brings beauty and peace. While Cory’s dad goes on drives to make his deliveries in the mornings, Cory describes it as a whole new world. He’s experiencing new things just by waking up a little earlier than he would and so many things are different.
Justin S period 8
4/14/2014 01:34:50 pm
I agree with skyler about the weather but I would also argue about how April is also the month where all the bugs come back or come out of hibernation. Remember when Corey and everybody else in the city went to church on Easter Sunday and got destroyed by hundreds of wasps. That would never happen in the winter because all the bugs and animals are hibernating. I also agree on how sklyer talks about how the story boy's life relates to the Frost quote. She is right on how spring is the season is where everybody gets rid of all those heavy jackets and starts wearing shorts and short sleeve shirts. Also stuff begins to grow again during the spring time.
Maira A p8
4/15/2014 04:27:23 am
I agree with Skyler when she is talking about how April is the cruelest month. Because all the rain coming that causes the flood, which is very dangerous. But you also forgot how spring rain brings all the bugs in town. For example when Cory and his family went to Church on Easter Sunday they were basically attacked by wasps, because after the rain bugs always come. But I also agree how spring can be a beautiful thing. All the flowers and trees and grass grow and they go from dead to new. This is a beautiful sight for all.
Aaron B. Period 8
4/15/2014 12:24:32 pm
I find it interesting that you Interpret the mischief as more of a free spiritedness. With Cory being a young boy and getting in his own type of mischief I find that to be fitting. But because I think of mischief as more of an evil concept I interpreted it differently. I thought that it was fitting this way because of all the odd things going on around the area where Cory lives.
Justin S period 8
4/14/2014 01:23:53 pm
When T.S. Eliot said "that April was the cruelest month", he is talking about how the all the bugs starting coming back and you start to get bugs bites on you again. In the story boy's life, Cory goes to Easter Sunday mass with his family and everybody else in the town, but as soon as the mass goes under way the wasps start attacking everybody in the church and everybody is left with a lot of bugs bites all over their body. During winter none of the bugs are here there are hibernating but when April comes all the bugs start coming back and biting everyone in any place. Also when Frost says that "spring is the mischief in me", he talking about how spring is the time where people go out more and cause chaos to themselves and others. When Corey talks about how he encountered the old Moses. Nobody in their mind agreed with him and it caused people in Corey class to stop believing in Corey and his story about the old Moses.
Tyler Atkinson period 8
4/14/2014 11:56:07 pm
I do agree with your connection to T.S. Eliot and who the bugs can be a reason in which that April is so cruel but I will have to say that your comment about old Moses and Cory's encounter isn't really showing mischief in anyone maybe if Cory hadn't really had his experience then he would have been causing a turmoil and unrest in the people he told just to get them riled up.
Adriana R. P8
4/14/2014 01:56:53 pm
I believe that T.S. Elliot meant "April was the cruelest," because how the weather is changing and how the "season of giving" is gone and how everything looks dead nd gloomy. When I think of gloomy I think of rain and as the last couple chapters take place, Cory describes the setting as raining and gloomy, and all the terrible things occur while it was raining. It started off slowly with just the Cory loosing his bike to wasp attacking the church but became more extreme at the end with the town flooding. Frost's statement "Spring is the mischief in me," I think means that in "Boys Lifetices things he didn't really realize until now like when was at Mr. Sculley's junk yard and Cory notice how young Mr. Sculley was and that a young mind can be stuck in an body. Not to mention what Aaron said with all the weird things that are happening like the dead man, the monster in the sea, and the naked guy whose dad practically owns the land of Zephyr.
Michael M P.8
4/14/2014 11:45:48 pm
I feel that when T.S. Elliot said "April is the cruelest month of the year " he said it because in april it os getting warmer and thats good but ur stuck imaide because of the raining and constant thinder storms. Also it is capable of still getting cold like what has happened with us now, it was 75 out last saturday now it is 25 and snow on the ground. I know alot of people have used this quote but its a good one. “The rain kept falling. Gray clouds hung over Zephyr…I went to sleep with rain slamming the roof, and awoke to the crash of thunder…but for day upon day no ray of sunshine fell upon my hometown…when I wasn’t doing homework I sat in my room…” that to me is a great example of it. He shares that april has alot of rain and thunderstorms and with that quote the rain and thundering really gives it a negative tone to it, it makes u feel like something bad just has heppened and that is what i feel he was doing.
Michael M p.8
4/14/2014 11:48:42 pm
Inside*
Thunder*
Your*
You*
Sorry i was doing this on my phone and i was in a rush
Tyler Atkinson period 8
4/14/2014 11:49:58 pm
T.S. Eliot stated that “April is the cruelest month” and I think that really shows through Cory’s experience at the church, through his encounter with the demon girl and the Branlin brothers with their small torturous acts on Cory such as the girl picking her nose to having the olive pits being shot at the back of his head but then the wasps descended onto the church service causing more pain that day. The weather took the bit of fun they would have had at the Merchants Street Easter parade was canceled due to the heavy rains, “Easter morning arrived, cloaked in gloom” and through that April took the celebration and half ruined it for Cory on that day. With Robert Frosts words “spring brings out the mischief in me can be seen by Cory’s innocence by him pretending that he’s being chased through the woods on his way home from school.
An event in Boys Life that shows, “April is the cruellest month” would the continuous rain in the beginning of chapter five. Winter is finally over but Cory is trapped in the house because outside it will not stop raining, “Gray clouds hung over Zephyr, and from their swollen bellies came the deluge…Rebel shivered and moaned in his doghouse. I knew how he felt… for day upon day no ray of sunshine fell upon my hometown…and when I wasn’t doing my homework I sat in my room rereading old Famous Monsters magazines and my stock of comic books” (McCammon 72). Although the bike accident later in the chapter supports the other quote that spring brings mischief or trouble. When Cory’s bike breaks in his way home from school Wednesday Corry just leaves the bike where it broke. When Cory’s dad wants to fix the bike, they go to retrieve it and meet Mr. and Mrs. Scully. A very interesting encounter, showing the adventures spring can bring.
Marissa S. (P8)
4/15/2014 02:37:21 am
The quote by T.S. Elliot says that “April is the cruelest month” might relate to the weather changes and the fact that it storms more in the spring and month of April than it does in other seasons. This relates to Cory’s hometown because if the heavy rain and the houses that get destroyed by the floods. Robert Frost is talking about spring specifically and that Spring is the time when flowers start to bloom and the winter starts to come to an end. Spring is when Cory changes and grows just as the flowers do.
T.S. Elliot States that “April is the cruelest month”, and I think this is exemplified in numerous ways through the first section. So many bad things happen to Cory, he experiences three deaths, in that of the main murder victim, Little Stevie, and the dog. The thing that seems to stand out to me is that these are all very brutal deaths, nobody dies in peace. So I think that plays a huge role in putting these two pieces together. I also think the wasp nest is another great example of how April can truly be the cruelest month. Frost likes to take an opposing standpoint, writing “spring is the mischief in me.” Cory learns so much through this section, and most of it being by his own curiosity. For example when he is chasing down the mysterious man during the flood, his curiosity takes control of him and he is at the whim of his own imagination.
Sergio N.
4/15/2014 03:13:51 am
T.S. Eliot stated that "April is the cruellest month" because it brings with it a hope for something better, but then constantly let's us down. It's a transitional month that gets us excited for summer. In A Boys Life this is represented when "for day upon day no ray of sunshine fell upon my hometown; only the incessant rain came down" (McCammon 71). This is matched with the overall mood of the section since the rain brings with hardships and destruction. The destruction of homes and lives especially, as well as Cory's bike and childhood innocence. Frost's claims, "Spring is the mischief in me," is represented in how around this time everyone is getting anxious for summer and begin to act differently. This is represented in the novel because around this time a lot of weird and crazy events start to happen. First the murder occurs, followed by a bizarre meteor, then the wasp invasion and an unbearable amount of rain.
Sergio N (Period 8)
4/15/2014 03:15:39 am
T.S. Eliot stated that "April is the cruellest month" because it brings with it a hope for something better, but then constantly let's us down. It's a transitional month that gets us excited for summer. In A Boys Life this is represented when "for day upon day no ray of sunshine fell upon my hometown; only the incessant rain came down" (McCammon 71). This is matched with the overall mood of the section since the rain brings with hardships and destruction. The destruction of homes and lives especially, as well as Cory's bike and childhood innocence. Frost's claims, "Spring is the mischief in me," is represented in how around this time everyone is getting anxious for summer and begin to act differently. This is represented in the novel because around this time a lot of weird and crazy events start to happen. First the murder occurs, followed by a bizarre meteor, then the wasp invasion and an unbearable amount of rain.
I really like this idea. I never would have thought of spring being a huge let down. That was a really interesting idea. I think tying the rain back into this idea really makes it all that more evident. I also think that the second half of your reply is spot on, considering that the book throws all these crazy things at corey, and they all seem to happen at once.
Adriana Rodriguez Period 8
4/15/2014 03:30:47 am
To Sergio: I can see your point about how “April Brings the Mischief in me,” but I do not believe it’s because people are acting different, I think it’s because in the winter people are in their own homes shelter with their family. And in the spring time everyone is ready to get out of their houses and that is when they start noticing other peoples action, I do not believe they start new habits, like you say. I believe the mischief is the realization of the things that occur during this change of season, actual anxiety of winter and wanting spring to come. But I do see your point.
Danny R p8
4/15/2014 04:16:47 am
I agree with Sergio when he says that people begin to act differently. I think people are sick of winter and just can't wait for summer to come. In agreement with Sergio, the constant reminder of winter and the continual let down in April can have a negative emotional and physiological effect on most people. I think people want to get outside and enjoy the weather but are kept in their homes because of the weather that is outside. As Adriana said, people are locked up in their homes and are beginning to realize the new actions of people when they finally begin to leave their homes and connect with the world again.
Danny R p8
4/15/2014 04:06:08 am
I agree with Eliot when he says "April is the cruelest month". With all the weather changes like we are experiencing now it can give people a false sense if hope and then take it way from them. Just a couple of days ago we had warm weather, were able to enjoy the outside and were looking forward to the warmth and enjoyment that summer will bring. But now there is snow on the ground and we are cruelly reminded once again of the terribly cold winter that we just went through. In Boy's Life, an example that shows cruelty of April is when McCammon writes, "The rain kept falling... I went to sleep with the rain slamming the roof, and I awoke to the crash of thunder". This shows the ambiance that April can bring with it. Dark gloomy days, full of rain and full of sleep.
Noah A p8
4/15/2014 10:01:28 am
I totally 100% agree with you sir! I wonder if your quote that you used is foreshadowing what may happen later on in the story. Could the murder, like the light rain, turn into something more devastating like a humungo thunderstorm?
Conrad
4/17/2014 04:28:59 am
That is a great quote. "Boy's Life" uses sleep to mean many different things.
Maira A p8
4/15/2014 04:21:00 am
Frost’s quote “ Spring is the mischief in me, “ in my opinion is the way spring is interpreted in ones writing. For example an author may be writing about all the beautiful things you see outside, and how everyone is in a happy place. But on the other hand an author may talk about how terrible life is and how sad it is, just based on the weather. An example from the book is, when Ben’s dad went out drinking, that scene was upsetting because the clouds was gloomy and it just wasn’t a good night. On the other hand, that would be a reason why T.S. Eliot would say that “April is the cruelest month”. Both ways are true, just depending on how the author would be using spring in his writing. Spring is a season where the weather can be amazing one day but then terrible the other day.
Christina Origel Period 8
4/15/2014 04:24:23 am
I think that T.S. Eliot said that "APril is the cruelest month" because of how drastic the weather can be at times. But also how our emotions and tones tend to change with the weather as well. In the first section of Boy's Life: The Shades of Spring, one can infer that when the flood was threatening the towns of Bruton and Zephyr this is an example of T.S Eliot's statement "April is the cruelest month" because the flood ended up ruining multiple homes for families. Then there's Robert Froost who stated that "Spring is the mischief in me". In Boy's Life, while we are reading the book, there are a lot of examples of mischief that end up occurring throughout the chapters. Like for instance, when Ben's father comes home drunk, the murder of a man, and when Corey and Gavin encounter Old Moses. Overall in section 1, Corey begins to realize that this spring time is going to be the cruelest one yet for him and his father.
Noah A p8
4/15/2014 09:56:16 am
I agree with TS Elliot's quote “ April is the curliest month” do to its unpredictable weather patterns. people generally relate April to a new beginning because nature is awakened from its hibernation, but in the midst of this new beginning we sometimes are reminded that April can be cruel. Winter storms still accumulate just as we had this week. This relates to the novel Boy’s Life and how the murder still haunts the family. As the family tries to move on with there lives, they are unexpectedly reminded of the horrors of the murder. Just like how a snow storm can runin this week’s baseball games.
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