Style

The different use of style in the short stories "Summer" and "Lust" portray the different ways the author treats youthful sexuality. In "Summer"  the story is told through vivid detail and in a traditional story like manner. For a brief time we see the world through the main character's eyes and into how he views the world. In "Lust" the author took a more unique approach giving small excerpts of dozens of girls sexual experiences. Amidst the cluster of stories there is at least that I am sure every reader can relate to, and because it is told by a lot of different women it is presented to the reader at their level. It is relate-able. I preferred "Summer" mainly because I have a weakness for a good old traditional story telling and I also enjoy getting to know and love/hate a  character created by the author. In "Summer" it is literally like you stepped into the boy's world and he feels real. The different approaches towards sexuality allowed the authors to convey they views.

Cultural Identity

"Mines" and "Battle Royal" utilize tone to express their perspective on cultural identity. The speaker in "Mines" uses simple diction and a rough, negative tone which seems to be a result of a harsh life. She has a negative connotation of cultural identity, working in a jail where young people identify with their culture through crimes and tattoos she refers to as "scabs." In "Battle Royal" the speaker's tone is one of revelation and enlightenment having found he first must be an"invisible man" to truly find his identity. Through his diction it is clear he is an intelligent man who can clearly analyze and think, and with him it has been a journey and a process. He comes to understand that with being black he must participate in a game by submitting to the white race, "yessin' em to death" as his grandfather expressed on his deathbed. The difference in tones help's the reader understand how one character has a negative outlook on cultural identity while the other character follows a journey to finding his identity.

Women and growing up

In the short stories "Clothes" and "Girl" there is a common theme of girls crossing over into adulthood. Both stories take place in unique circumstances, not something you would think most American girls could relate to at first glance. "Girl" takes place during precolonial times where women didn't have any rights and were thought of as mere property and "Clothes" concentrates on a woman from India and Indian culture who moves to America. Even though most would consider them a world away there is still something relate-able in these protagonists. They both deal with the awkward transition from childhood to adulthood, something we all must do. They deal with relationships, love and loss, and a world that seems to move to fast around them. In the end one can not help but see a slight reflection of themselves in both leading characters. In these stories can also be found the all too familiar woes of growing up and the pressure of the world that seems to rest on a young person's shoulders.

Improvement

With using the MLA format it helps prevent one from being accused of plagiarism which is something I want to always avoid. Improving my skills in this format can help me avoid any such pleasantries and make writing easier. The first thing I would like to improve is correcting silly mistakes from the get go that often take off points that easily could have been avoided. Its the simple things like using the correct font size and marginal spacing that are sometimes overlooked. My citation could always use more work so that I can properly accredit the ideas I have used in my papers. I believe this is the biggest issue I have and need much improvement on. Bettering my citation skills will also help me avoid mistakenly plagiarizing someone else's ideas.