Hemmingway Rewrites the Beginning of “A Rose for Emily”

John Nguyen
Ryan Gallagher
English 12 CP, Period 7
25 November 2008
Hemmingway Rewrites the Beginning of “A Rose for Emily”

It was a dark, gloomy, and rainy day when everyone went to the funeral. Everyone had left the town to come to the funeral where her street had been loud. Our whole town felt the sympathy for Miss Emily Grierson.
“Miss Emily Grierson died in a common way,” one man said.
“Common?”
“She has died because of old age.”
“How do you know?”
“The town is talking about it.”
The two men stood at the funeral listening about Miss Emily Grierson. The funeral took place on her street where it had been loud. Everybody in town was there. It was a memorable day, not where everybody was gossiping about Miss Emily Grierson. She was the center of the town that made everyone joyous to talk about.
“The death of her father alarmed the town.” said the man.
“What did the town do?”
“Repaved her cement sidewalk, but the mayor, Colonel Sartoris told Miss Emily Grierson that her father had given money to the town. Since he was a bright mayor, he lied about this, and Miss Emily Grierson had believed it, even though she doesn’t take charity.”
“Then what happened?”
“After the next generation, the new town mayor mailed her a tax notice, also telling her to call the sheriff when she can.”
“Did she pay the taxes?”
“Miss Emily Grierson replied in an old fashion way, indicating that she doesn’t go out anymore, which made the new mayor enclosed the tax, without any reason.”
“Why did he close her taxes?”
“I wouldn’t know why, but later on they called a special meeting of the Board for Aldermen for Miss Emily Grierson.”
“But I thought you said she doesn’t go out anymore?”
“She doesn’t. The meeting took place at her house; Miss Emily Grierson didn’t even ask the Board of Aldermen to sit down. She listened quietly during the meeting.
“What was the meeting intentionally for?”
“She said she had no taxes, because of Colonel Sartoris, but that was the old generation where he past away for almost ten years ago.”
“So she never paid her taxes?”
“She clearly stated that she has no taxes in Jefferson because of Colonel Sartoris, who intentionally made up the story of her father giving money to the town.”