Edward Hopper and House by the Railroad

Rhiannon Austgen


After reading Hopper's poem, I was overcome with emotion. At first I felt sorry for the house, I thought about how I would dread the feeling of being alone and abandoned, then as I studied the painting I began to reminisce. The painting reminded me of a time I felt alone and abandoned. What stood out most for me was the emptiness around the house as if there was no one that wanted to be around this poor old house. Everything from the architecture to the color of the paneled walls made this house bring despair to my heart. Like the painting, the poem also gives many descriptive details of despair. For example how the poet used the words desolate and desperate so many times gives you such a descriptive image of how lonely and abandoned the house must feel.

River of Names

Rhiannon Austgen
11 September 2012
Writing and Rhetoric


I really enjoyed the excerpt because it really called to my emotions. The feeling Allison had put into it made you feel as if you were there, as if you could feel what the characters were feeling. I especially liked the flow of the excerpt.

The Uncommon Life of Common Objects

Busch explains how objects get their value based on the experience they go through. For example, I went to Paris over the summer and when I returned I brought back an immaculate pair of black and gold diamond shaped earrings. Those earrings have gone everywhere with me ever since. I love those earrings and I will cherish them forever. These earrings are completely fake so they have no retail value but because I got them in Paris and the experience I had in Paris made me love and cherish them.

I find this point that Busch makes is very relatable because I have made value for something that wouldn't have another value to anyone else unless they went through the same experiences that I did when I went to Paris.

Ordinary objects becoming valuable to the beholder is a great way to appreciate the things you have. It helps people understand that money is not the only thing that can make something valuable. This is a point that Busch does not make but I personally believe.