For the first topic, I chose to write about the relationships described in the readings. Each story perfectly describes the complex meaning behind the different relationships. No two relationships are the same; so, this is what makes them interesting to decipher. The subsequent relationships described below all had their ups and downs, which made them all relatable, for me, as a reader. Furthermore, there has been a very noticeable dynamic in all relationships over the past five weeks. I'll start with the relationship between Dexter and Judy from the short story Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Their relationship had a dynamic that was nothing short of inimitable. Dexter was definitely smitten with Judy. It was quite evident throughout the story that Harry actually respected his wife Helen; however, his numerous flashbacks with other women proved beyond a doubt that he was not in love with his wife. After all, loving someone and being "in love" with them are two completely different sets of emotions. Harry was a skilled writer and was unfortunately dying from an infected leg. During his final hours on earth, I could undeniably sense the contempt he had for his wife and his wealth. The ironic thing was that she lived a comfortable life and probably never complained, but the moment she realized she was dying, he immediately held her responsible for the fact that she never wrote works again. I couldn't understand why the hell he should blame her for this, other than the fact that he probably didn't write much because he never felt the urgency. They were already rich, thanks to Helen. His wife, however, loved him even if the love was not shared. She remained optimistic throughout the ordeal and treated him extremely well during his last hours on earth. Harry had numerous past relationships and possibly even a few lovers. This excerpt represented to me that he was a very passionate person and that with his past loves he argued with them because he cared, and he did. The story was about a young African American boy named Dave who wanted to buy a gun to earn respect from his peers. The setting is essential because it was based in the South, in the late 1930s. This was important since blacks in that particular era suffered many injustices and prejudices. They had virtually no respect from their white opponents, and when they had no respect from their own race, things became even worse for them. This 17-year-old not only suffered injustice from racists, but also had difficulty gaining the respect of his peers. He worked hard in the field (when not in school) to no avail. He believed that a gun would earn him instant respect from his co-workers. Here we can see an example of Dave thinking to himself...maybe to kill the whites and blacks who hurt him? Simply possessing the gun gave him a sense of power. Even though he never recalled his thoughts in real life, it's still important to note that the gun gave him a false sense of invincibility. Based on the setting depicted, we know that it is most likely a very small town, full of racism and poverty. I believe that being in the South may have made his situation even worse. Life was very different for African Americans when comparing the differential treatment of Northern blacks and others