1st Graded Response
Doruk Arkis

Sticks

The short story ” Sticks “ ( Tenth of December by George Saunders, pg. 29 ) talks about an old veteran who expresses his feelings by decorating a pole on important or life changing events. His family and people around him finds his acts strange but he doesn’t stop because what he is doing is the meaning of his life. George Saunders’ short story addresses that people can choose symbolic ways to express their feelings.

( How does George Saunders’ short story addresses that people can choose symbolic ways to express their feelings? )

In his short story, George Saunders’ addresses that people can choose symbolic ways to express their feelings by giving real life examples from the story’s main character, veteran father of the family. He sees the pole as his expression of his feelings. He decorates it on veteran days, people’s death, basically, on every important events. The medals he hangs on the pole, shows us that he is a veteran and it is known that veterans are usually have hard time expressing their emotions or feelings. This is why he chooses a “ different “ way of expressing his feelings and emotions. Narrator says, “The pole was Dad’s one concession to glee.” ( pg 29 “ Sticks”, Tenth of December) which tells us the importance of this pole to the Father.

When he died, his children sold the house to a young couple and they threw the pole away. One’s most important or valuable thing might not have any meaning for the others. The pole was his everything, his mirror of his emotions. He chose the pole to talk and explain himself to the world. His way of expression was may be different then other people but it was the best way for