Miss Moore is trying to teach the children the value of a dollar. In today's society, that is a very tough lesson for our youth. Many teenagers think nothing of spending $175.00 on a pair of shoes. That is, until they have to actually pay for them themselves. Children need to learn from a young age: nothing is for free and one needs to work hard, go to school, and make a good living to survive in today's world. That is all Miss Moore is trying to teach these children. The poem "Golden Retrievals" is written from the point-of-view of man's best friend, a dog. It is a dog's way of seeing the world. Golden retrievers are vey high maintenance dogs, that are very much people-pleasers. In this poem, the dog explains his day when he goes for a walk. He loves running and chasing balls, fetching sticks and sticking his nose to the ground and smelling for any animals he can find. As the master walks with the dog, the master is daydreaming and the dog starts barking as if to say: "Catch up! Pay attention to me."

The golden retriever sees his master's melancholy but does not understand it. He -- the dog -- is always living in the moment; he is incapable of worrying about the future, or dwelling on the past. Not so the human -- the master. The master cannot appreciate all the exciting things that happen in every simple walk because his mind is never present. He is always somewhere tomorrow -- a word the dog does not even understand -- or still catching up from yesterday.

People today lead very complicated lives, and they must always be thinking ahead, planning the next move, just to survive. Still, they can learn from the ever-present simplicity of the dog. Dogs have very little stress in their lives -- they do not die of "perforated ulcers" like Mabel's probably over-stressed husband. And, because they can fully devote their attention to every moment, dogs enjoy their lives a lot more than most people; they do not need expensive video...

People need all these entertainments to distract them from constantly worrying about tomorrow, and from constantly re-living the past. But all a dog needs is a good walk, or a flying stick, or a scared squirrel to have the happiest day of his life, a day he is almost always having.
A golden retriever can grow very close to a person's heart, and become almost like a child. Their love is unconditional, they are always happy to see their owners, and can help one get through any thing that may be bad just by being there and licking one's hand. As if they mean to say: "I love you, and it will be alright." Today's society sometimes forgets the healing power of a dog or any pet. They can help people emotionally get through whatever they need.

In conclusion, all three of these stories can relate to everyday lives. In "Shiloh" the wife is unhappy in her marriage and looking for a way out, as are many unhappy wives nowadays. "The Lesson" is trying to teach about education and money, a lesson that is lost on today's youth, just as it probably has been lost on youth since the dawn of civilization. The poem "Golden Retrievals" is trying to teach us about life and love of a pet, about better living by understanding the happiness which to a dog comes naturally. All three of these points are important to the way people live, love, and raise their children. One should always be true to one's own happiness, teach one's children right from wrong, to work hard and stay in school, to learn the value of a dollar, and never take things for granted. When it comes to pets, they are a commitment as well and are part of the family once they accept that family. What people fail to realize is masters don't pick their pets, pets pick their masters.

Bibliography

1. DiYanni, Robert (2007) Literature: Reading Fiction and Poetry. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Publishing