My least favorite story was "Girl" because it is just one long sentence and just describes how a girl should do things to become a woman, or makes a woman a woman by her tasks. It just describes tasks, it really isn't a story at all, at least in my opinion.
My favorite story this semester was "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses" because it is so relevant. It might have been written a long time ago, but it still has a lot of relevance to today's time and to the future. There will always be that story to tell in any relationship no matter the time or place.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Discussion Questions
"The Man Who Was Almost a Man" Discussion Questions
To Dave owning and shooting a gun is what he considers manhood. He thinks that now that he is 17, he should ask his mom for his own gun so that that he become a man. We only see the view of Dave, we don't really see into anyone else. We don't get into the perspective of anyone else, but the narrator just shows the viewpoint of Dave but doesn't get into his mind and thoughts. The switches between the narrator and all the other characters make this story difficult to read because the narrator speaks "proper" English while the other characters speak broken English and makes it hard to read without having to go back and reread sentences at a time.
In his future, I think that he is just going to take a long journey until he can find something else to do in a town or place that no one knows who he is. He would keep all his money and be on his own instead of being with his family and having to repay for the mule he accidentally killed.
To Dave owning and shooting a gun is what he considers manhood. He thinks that now that he is 17, he should ask his mom for his own gun so that that he become a man. We only see the view of Dave, we don't really see into anyone else. We don't get into the perspective of anyone else, but the narrator just shows the viewpoint of Dave but doesn't get into his mind and thoughts. The switches between the narrator and all the other characters make this story difficult to read because the narrator speaks "proper" English while the other characters speak broken English and makes it hard to read without having to go back and reread sentences at a time.
In his future, I think that he is just going to take a long journey until he can find something else to do in a town or place that no one knows who he is. He would keep all his money and be on his own instead of being with his family and having to repay for the mule he accidentally killed.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Discussion Questions
"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" Discussion Questions
The priest is there at the end of the story to give Granny Weatherall her last rites, which is done in Catholicism right before the death of someone of Catholic faith. The use of first person shows what is going through her mind of her last day and minutes because of her flashbacks and what she is thinking. We are missing a stable part of the story though because with the flashbacks, although they add more depth to the story, also makes it confusing to understand and read.
"A Worn Path" Discussion Questions
Racism wasn't really in my head in any of the story until I read up on the story. When we look back at the characters we realize the way they act to Phoenix makes sense on how someone would act to an older black lady in the time the story was written in. Although they are somewhat nice to her, they do kind of look down at her.
The priest is there at the end of the story to give Granny Weatherall her last rites, which is done in Catholicism right before the death of someone of Catholic faith. The use of first person shows what is going through her mind of her last day and minutes because of her flashbacks and what she is thinking. We are missing a stable part of the story though because with the flashbacks, although they add more depth to the story, also makes it confusing to understand and read.
"A Worn Path" Discussion Questions
Racism wasn't really in my head in any of the story until I read up on the story. When we look back at the characters we realize the way they act to Phoenix makes sense on how someone would act to an older black lady in the time the story was written in. Although they are somewhat nice to her, they do kind of look down at her.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Discussion Questions
A Spinster's Tale Discussion Questions
There are lots of conflicts inside this story, there is man vs. man and man vs. self. Man vs. man is Elizabeth vs her brother and her father. She has a conflict with herself because she is just conflicted on what is going on and what is right in her head. Elizabeth is scared of her brother because of his drinking problem and how he is when he comes home at night after a night drinking.
Her mother's death affects a lot of things in her future and in her flashback story. She misses her mother and remembers the way she use to hold her against her and uses that as an escape from her family. When she enters back to remember her brother and father she seems to have a underlying hate towards them and misunderstanding of why and just doesn't get why she is treated the way she is and why they say the things they do. In her future she ends up single and unmarried, which shows that her father's treatment affected her in the future.
There are lots of conflicts inside this story, there is man vs. man and man vs. self. Man vs. man is Elizabeth vs her brother and her father. She has a conflict with herself because she is just conflicted on what is going on and what is right in her head. Elizabeth is scared of her brother because of his drinking problem and how he is when he comes home at night after a night drinking.
Her mother's death affects a lot of things in her future and in her flashback story. She misses her mother and remembers the way she use to hold her against her and uses that as an escape from her family. When she enters back to remember her brother and father she seems to have a underlying hate towards them and misunderstanding of why and just doesn't get why she is treated the way she is and why they say the things they do. In her future she ends up single and unmarried, which shows that her father's treatment affected her in the future.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Discussion Questions
"The Lady with the Dog" Discussion Questions
From the very beginning, Dmitry was an untrustworthy character. I guess he was set up to be known as a guy who would cheat on his wife but that makes him untrustworthy throughout the entire story. His character doesn't really change at all, besides the fact that he falls in love with Anna, which seems uncharacteristic of him.
At first Anna isn't fine with the affair, she is scared of the results and that he will soon not respect her for who she is. But in the end of the story, she wants a way to be with him and to be "happy" with him in their new life where they would be together and not have to sneak away to see one another.
Anna's house seems to represent her prison that she is living in. Her fence is described, to me, as a prison bar, where there are spikes on top of the poles and just surrounding the entire house. My imagination leads me to believe that it is meant to place Anna as a prisoner inside her own house. The house also seems to be gloomy, where everything thing else described is almost happy and/or quiet, her house is just something you wouldn't want to look at besides the fact that it is apparently in a very nice neighborhood.
From the very beginning, Dmitry was an untrustworthy character. I guess he was set up to be known as a guy who would cheat on his wife but that makes him untrustworthy throughout the entire story. His character doesn't really change at all, besides the fact that he falls in love with Anna, which seems uncharacteristic of him.
At first Anna isn't fine with the affair, she is scared of the results and that he will soon not respect her for who she is. But in the end of the story, she wants a way to be with him and to be "happy" with him in their new life where they would be together and not have to sneak away to see one another.
Anna's house seems to represent her prison that she is living in. Her fence is described, to me, as a prison bar, where there are spikes on top of the poles and just surrounding the entire house. My imagination leads me to believe that it is meant to place Anna as a prisoner inside her own house. The house also seems to be gloomy, where everything thing else described is almost happy and/or quiet, her house is just something you wouldn't want to look at besides the fact that it is apparently in a very nice neighborhood.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Discussion Questions
"The Girls in Their Summer Dresses" Discussion Questions
At the very end of the story, the author uses dramatic irony to show that he, Michael, does look at his wife and thinks about her as he does the other girls that he sees walking down the street.
Having this story set in NYC lets everyone imagine how New York is, and how busy the streets are and how they are filled with people just walking up and down the street. By having that visual you can imagine how Michael is just looking at different types of women and just checking them out as they walk by. If the author were to change cities to something not as busy or not known, it wouldn't really make sense to the reader, but having it in a major well known city makes it recognizable.
"The Chrysanthemums" Discussion Questions
I think that the fixer character can't really be trusted because the entire time when he was talking to Elisa I got the feeling that he wasn't really paying attention but just agreeing with her so that she would give him the pot of flowers and then some pots and pans to fix for money. Maybe he wasn't in need of the money but made it seem like he was, or maybe he really did need the money, but at times it just seemed like he was playing her to see what he could get out of her.
Elisa seems to see something different in him, not necessarily flirting with him, but just see's a different type of guy that she's not use to being around. She also see's a different type of lifestyle in him, instead of living on the ranch, he moves around from place to place all year. So its not that she's flirting, its just nice to see a different point of view of life.
At the very end of the story, the author uses dramatic irony to show that he, Michael, does look at his wife and thinks about her as he does the other girls that he sees walking down the street.
Having this story set in NYC lets everyone imagine how New York is, and how busy the streets are and how they are filled with people just walking up and down the street. By having that visual you can imagine how Michael is just looking at different types of women and just checking them out as they walk by. If the author were to change cities to something not as busy or not known, it wouldn't really make sense to the reader, but having it in a major well known city makes it recognizable.
"The Chrysanthemums" Discussion Questions
I think that the fixer character can't really be trusted because the entire time when he was talking to Elisa I got the feeling that he wasn't really paying attention but just agreeing with her so that she would give him the pot of flowers and then some pots and pans to fix for money. Maybe he wasn't in need of the money but made it seem like he was, or maybe he really did need the money, but at times it just seemed like he was playing her to see what he could get out of her.
Elisa seems to see something different in him, not necessarily flirting with him, but just see's a different type of guy that she's not use to being around. She also see's a different type of lifestyle in him, instead of living on the ranch, he moves around from place to place all year. So its not that she's flirting, its just nice to see a different point of view of life.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Discussion Questions
"Everything that Rises Must Converge" Discussion Questions
I feel like the title has to do with several factors of the story, generally I think it deals with the times that are changing. Julian mentions that his mother needs to change because it isn't the good life she was use to anymore, they were poor and didn't have the wealth she use to have. She also wasn't use to the fact that there were no more slaves, that had been the rise in her life because her family was very well off when they had slaves. I think for Julian's perspective, the title means that even though he doesn't show his love for his mother, he does at the end but by then he was too mean to her and felt extremely bad for it all.
I felt sympathetic for both Julian and his mothers characters, but at different times of the story. In the beginning I felt sympathetic for Julian because he seems to be trying to do so much for his mother, even though some of it is forced, he is still there for her and helps her through her life. But when he begins to get an attitude with her, the sympathy goes away and shifts to his mother. His mother seems to be old and doesn't really care for changing into the new times but seems that she cares very much for her son and just wants the best for him even though she knows he deserves better than what she can offer him.
I feel like the title has to do with several factors of the story, generally I think it deals with the times that are changing. Julian mentions that his mother needs to change because it isn't the good life she was use to anymore, they were poor and didn't have the wealth she use to have. She also wasn't use to the fact that there were no more slaves, that had been the rise in her life because her family was very well off when they had slaves. I think for Julian's perspective, the title means that even though he doesn't show his love for his mother, he does at the end but by then he was too mean to her and felt extremely bad for it all.
I felt sympathetic for both Julian and his mothers characters, but at different times of the story. In the beginning I felt sympathetic for Julian because he seems to be trying to do so much for his mother, even though some of it is forced, he is still there for her and helps her through her life. But when he begins to get an attitude with her, the sympathy goes away and shifts to his mother. His mother seems to be old and doesn't really care for changing into the new times but seems that she cares very much for her son and just wants the best for him even though she knows he deserves better than what she can offer him.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Discussion Questions
"Good Country People" Discussion Questions
There are several instances of conflict throughout the story, for example: Man vs. man by Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell, Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter Hulga, and at the very end it was a physical conflict example between Hulga and Pointer. There were also instances of man vs. self with Hulga throughout the entire story, which starts of just by her changing her name and ending with her trusting Pointer even though she had never done such a thing before and she ends up regretting that she had done that. And there was also man vs. society because Mrs. Hopewell always says that everyone is "good country people", which in the end isn't true at all, but she wants everyone to fit into a mold that can't be.
The only name I feel that I can explain is the change from Joy to Hulga. It was an expression of herself and what she thought of herself. She didn't want to be happy and she wasn't happy since her leg was blown off, so she changed her name to something that represented how she really felt about herself. Hulga is not a normal name and usually when someone says Hulga, you don't think pretty, you think the opposite. So for her to change her name just shows some part of her character.
There are several instances of conflict throughout the story, for example: Man vs. man by Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell, Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter Hulga, and at the very end it was a physical conflict example between Hulga and Pointer. There were also instances of man vs. self with Hulga throughout the entire story, which starts of just by her changing her name and ending with her trusting Pointer even though she had never done such a thing before and she ends up regretting that she had done that. And there was also man vs. society because Mrs. Hopewell always says that everyone is "good country people", which in the end isn't true at all, but she wants everyone to fit into a mold that can't be.
The only name I feel that I can explain is the change from Joy to Hulga. It was an expression of herself and what she thought of herself. She didn't want to be happy and she wasn't happy since her leg was blown off, so she changed her name to something that represented how she really felt about herself. Hulga is not a normal name and usually when someone says Hulga, you don't think pretty, you think the opposite. So for her to change her name just shows some part of her character.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Group Work
A Worn Path
Our group chose "A Worn Path" because out of the two stories for the day, it was more simple to do our group project on. "A Worn Path" has a lot more of action going on in the story, while in the other short story, it was a lot of back and forth on dialogue and really confusing on what was going on. In "A Worn Path", there is a lot more room for different possibilities of what could be going on with the story and how people read it, leaves room for discussion on every ones viewpoint of certain parts of the story.
What appeals to me from this story was the fact that it was an easier story to read and understand, but it has several parts that can be interpreted differently by whoever is reading it.
Our group chose "A Worn Path" because out of the two stories for the day, it was more simple to do our group project on. "A Worn Path" has a lot more of action going on in the story, while in the other short story, it was a lot of back and forth on dialogue and really confusing on what was going on. In "A Worn Path", there is a lot more room for different possibilities of what could be going on with the story and how people read it, leaves room for discussion on every ones viewpoint of certain parts of the story.
What appeals to me from this story was the fact that it was an easier story to read and understand, but it has several parts that can be interpreted differently by whoever is reading it.
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions for "Angel Levine" and "The Conversion of Jews"
Mr. Manischevitz is one of the characters that you can sympathize with because he is just trying to do what is best for him and his wife while trying to relate to what is really happening. Sometimes help comes in ways that not all of us can understand at the time, but when it is necessary, we believe and go to that source of help. With Mr. Manischevitz, it was Angel Levine that was his help that he didn't understand and wanted to know more about him before he was trusted. In the end, Mr. Manischevitz did what he thought was right for him and his wife before it was too late even though he didn't fully believe until he saw Levine leave with his wings.
In "The Conversion of Jews", Ozzie is a character anyone can sympathize with because he is simply a child looking for answers. Although they might not be the answers his religion believes in, it is something he believes in and wants everyone else to know. He does it in a very selfish way at the end, but all he wanted the whole time was for someone to agree with him and tell him he's right.
I don't think that in either story, either characters were out of line in asking the questions because they simply wanted to know the answers to something they didn't fully understand. And when someone doesn't understand, or completely believe, they want to know everything they can before they believe.
Mr. Manischevitz is one of the characters that you can sympathize with because he is just trying to do what is best for him and his wife while trying to relate to what is really happening. Sometimes help comes in ways that not all of us can understand at the time, but when it is necessary, we believe and go to that source of help. With Mr. Manischevitz, it was Angel Levine that was his help that he didn't understand and wanted to know more about him before he was trusted. In the end, Mr. Manischevitz did what he thought was right for him and his wife before it was too late even though he didn't fully believe until he saw Levine leave with his wings.
In "The Conversion of Jews", Ozzie is a character anyone can sympathize with because he is simply a child looking for answers. Although they might not be the answers his religion believes in, it is something he believes in and wants everyone else to know. He does it in a very selfish way at the end, but all he wanted the whole time was for someone to agree with him and tell him he's right.
I don't think that in either story, either characters were out of line in asking the questions because they simply wanted to know the answers to something they didn't fully understand. And when someone doesn't understand, or completely believe, they want to know everything they can before they believe.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Author's Note and Discussion Questions
Author's Note
I am on my first draft of the paper, about to start the revisions and seeing what needs to be added or taken out for it to make sense to the reader. I like this piece because it has a different view on writing an essay, instead of just having to summarize a story, we have to make it our own and make it into something everyone would want to possibly talk about by making it into a film version. But I didn't really like this piece because it is hard in some to make references to who characters could be. Because I chose the lottery, there wasn't much background to all the characters that I wanted to portray, so it made the casting part of the essay a little harder and had to go on just what I thought would be best for the movie instead of putting people in who fit descriptions. I'm not feeling so well on the character part of my essay, or of my conclusion. I have never been one for writing the best papers but hopefully I did well on this paper.
The Conscience of the Court Discussion Questions
I believe that Laura Lee had a right to be loyal to Celestine for all the help she had done. It doesn't seem right that it almost looks like slavery, but had it not been the race difference, it would just be two friends looking out for one another. She could have taken the money and had her own place with her husband on the third chance, but she didn't feel it was right in her eyes because she was so loyal to Celestine. But I don't think that Laura Lee not leaving was a wrong decision, I just feel that Laura Lee thought it was what was the right thing to do at the moment.
Her side does clarify everything that happened, and does ring true to a court wanting to hear both sides even if she didn't have a lawyer to talk her through it. Her rambling through the testimony got a bit excessive and could have been stopped a long time before it did, but it just helps tell the story of how Laura Lee is true to everyone and how she got to be who she is. But if the story would have been told in someone elses eyes, it would not have been the same.
I think the verdict was hopeful because it shows that even though at that time, the nation was barely changing its views, it did bring hope to Laura Lee because she was allowed to tell her side of the story and because she ended up being innocent of her charges. At the time it might have been a bit unrealistic, especially if it took place in the south, but it could have been a possibility of showing how the tide was changing to view all sides instead of one side.
I am on my first draft of the paper, about to start the revisions and seeing what needs to be added or taken out for it to make sense to the reader. I like this piece because it has a different view on writing an essay, instead of just having to summarize a story, we have to make it our own and make it into something everyone would want to possibly talk about by making it into a film version. But I didn't really like this piece because it is hard in some to make references to who characters could be. Because I chose the lottery, there wasn't much background to all the characters that I wanted to portray, so it made the casting part of the essay a little harder and had to go on just what I thought would be best for the movie instead of putting people in who fit descriptions. I'm not feeling so well on the character part of my essay, or of my conclusion. I have never been one for writing the best papers but hopefully I did well on this paper.
The Conscience of the Court Discussion Questions
I believe that Laura Lee had a right to be loyal to Celestine for all the help she had done. It doesn't seem right that it almost looks like slavery, but had it not been the race difference, it would just be two friends looking out for one another. She could have taken the money and had her own place with her husband on the third chance, but she didn't feel it was right in her eyes because she was so loyal to Celestine. But I don't think that Laura Lee not leaving was a wrong decision, I just feel that Laura Lee thought it was what was the right thing to do at the moment.
Her side does clarify everything that happened, and does ring true to a court wanting to hear both sides even if she didn't have a lawyer to talk her through it. Her rambling through the testimony got a bit excessive and could have been stopped a long time before it did, but it just helps tell the story of how Laura Lee is true to everyone and how she got to be who she is. But if the story would have been told in someone elses eyes, it would not have been the same.
I think the verdict was hopeful because it shows that even though at that time, the nation was barely changing its views, it did bring hope to Laura Lee because she was allowed to tell her side of the story and because she ended up being innocent of her charges. At the time it might have been a bit unrealistic, especially if it took place in the south, but it could have been a possibility of showing how the tide was changing to view all sides instead of one side.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Paul's Case
Paul's Case Discussion Questions
He feels at Carnegie Hall like he belongs there, he feels as if it is a great escape for him. Instead of being stuck in a classroom where he doesn't want to learn anything because he feels like he doesn't need it, he feels safe and alive at Carnegie Hall. When he is there, it makes him feel important and like people care about him, he isn't just another student, he feels as though he really is someone important there. As it says in the story, when he is there listening to a symphony or looking at a sculpture/painting, he tends to lose himself in whatever he is listening to or looking at. It also says in a passage that he feels alive when he is there and that he just feels connected to everything there unlike when he is in a classroom having to pretend to learn and to grasp everything that is happening at school.
After his interview, the teachers feel like there is something wrong with him. Something about his smile and the way he presents himself makes the teachers think that he is not normal and that something is just wrong with him, especially knowing that his mother died shortly after he was born. As for Paul, he couldn't care what happened at the interview because he knew that later that day he would be at Carnegie Hall working and doing what he loved most.
He feels at Carnegie Hall like he belongs there, he feels as if it is a great escape for him. Instead of being stuck in a classroom where he doesn't want to learn anything because he feels like he doesn't need it, he feels safe and alive at Carnegie Hall. When he is there, it makes him feel important and like people care about him, he isn't just another student, he feels as though he really is someone important there. As it says in the story, when he is there listening to a symphony or looking at a sculpture/painting, he tends to lose himself in whatever he is listening to or looking at. It also says in a passage that he feels alive when he is there and that he just feels connected to everything there unlike when he is in a classroom having to pretend to learn and to grasp everything that is happening at school.
After his interview, the teachers feel like there is something wrong with him. Something about his smile and the way he presents himself makes the teachers think that he is not normal and that something is just wrong with him, especially knowing that his mother died shortly after he was born. As for Paul, he couldn't care what happened at the interview because he knew that later that day he would be at Carnegie Hall working and doing what he loved most.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Intervention
Intervention Discussion Questions
Instead of having the complications of two generations having fights with each other and not seeing eye to eye on everything, we have one generation trying to figure out what is going on in their lives and fighting about that. In "Intervention", there isn't much of a fight going on between Marilyn and Sid except for the fact that she hides that she doesn't like his drinking habit anymore. Sid keeps calm the entire time when he is confronted by his children and wife about his problem, but he never has a problem with his wife. Instead of fighting about differences of two different generations, we have in this story the different views of the two people in the same generation. Marilyn use to drink when she was younger but stopped after she realized she had a problem, Sid doesn't stop drinking because he seems to think he doesn't have a problem and although Marilyn thinks he does, she never says anything because of how he has treated her their whole lives.
In "Intervention", we also have the problem of the same generation problems within the children when at first Tom disagreed with his sister Sally about Sid having a drinking problem. Tom soon realizes that his dad does have a problem and agrees with Sally and her husband Rusty to try to take care of it and fix it. They don't see the problem the same way their mom sees it and so they try to fix it in a way that they know how to instead of a way of how their parents might go about fixing it. This problem then clashes with what Marilyn wants and causes a problem of what she should have done instead of what she did do.
The word enabler is used in this story in a negative aspect because Rusty believes that Marilyn is only helping Sid keep his problem of drinking instead of trying to do something about it. Marilyn never tries to help Sid with his problem and keeps letting him drink no matter how drunk he gets or how bad of a driver he is, she will always let him drive, and she won't fix the matter because she wants to think that there isn't a problem with him.
Instead of having the complications of two generations having fights with each other and not seeing eye to eye on everything, we have one generation trying to figure out what is going on in their lives and fighting about that. In "Intervention", there isn't much of a fight going on between Marilyn and Sid except for the fact that she hides that she doesn't like his drinking habit anymore. Sid keeps calm the entire time when he is confronted by his children and wife about his problem, but he never has a problem with his wife. Instead of fighting about differences of two different generations, we have in this story the different views of the two people in the same generation. Marilyn use to drink when she was younger but stopped after she realized she had a problem, Sid doesn't stop drinking because he seems to think he doesn't have a problem and although Marilyn thinks he does, she never says anything because of how he has treated her their whole lives.
In "Intervention", we also have the problem of the same generation problems within the children when at first Tom disagreed with his sister Sally about Sid having a drinking problem. Tom soon realizes that his dad does have a problem and agrees with Sally and her husband Rusty to try to take care of it and fix it. They don't see the problem the same way their mom sees it and so they try to fix it in a way that they know how to instead of a way of how their parents might go about fixing it. This problem then clashes with what Marilyn wants and causes a problem of what she should have done instead of what she did do.
The word enabler is used in this story in a negative aspect because Rusty believes that Marilyn is only helping Sid keep his problem of drinking instead of trying to do something about it. Marilyn never tries to help Sid with his problem and keeps letting him drink no matter how drunk he gets or how bad of a driver he is, she will always let him drive, and she won't fix the matter because she wants to think that there isn't a problem with him.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Film Adaptation Proposal
So for "The Lottery", I haven't made a lot of changes but have put some thought into how it could be made into a longer film.
Title:
Title:
I'm going to keep the original title because it gives the illusion of having a happy moment sooner or later in the movie instead of the true spin at the end. The title also doesn't give away any clues as to the story or to the end of it. The title is very ominous of the story.
Characters:
Although I don't know exactly who is going to play who yet, I do know who needs to be a major character and who needs to just be a minor character from the story. The major characters will have a short story of how their day of the lottery happens.
The major roles, I believe, are -
- Joe Summers
- Old Man Warner
- Tessie Hutchinson
- Mrs. Delacroix
- Bill Hutchinson
- Bill Jr., Nancy, and Davie Hutchinson
Setting:
The setting isn't mentioned in the story so that choice is up to me but it will still be placed in a small village where everyone knows everyone and isn't in a big city or around big cities. It will be set in the earlier 1900's simply because this wouldn't happen in the end half of the century. I don't want to specify a specific year but do want to end up choosing a specific decade or time period that will be identifiable through the clothes worn.
Plot/Conflict:
I want to set up the movie to be similar to the movie Crash where there are lots of several little stories and plots that lead up to the big picture in the end. As I said before, most of the major characters will have their own preview of the day and their daily activities of what happens on June 27. Could also include a flashback to the very first lottery and how exactly it came to be instead of just jumping into it. And instead of abruptly ending with Tessie getting stoned, we could add a little at the end of how the village goes on the next day and what happens then but just as a little recap and nothing big.
Irony:
Points of the story that portray irony which I want to include and hopefully convey very well are:
- Tessie Hutchinson being late to the lottery
- Old Man Warner bragging about making it through 77 lotteries
- And in general of how the people communicate with each other and how they look at one another with a kind of fear in their eyes.
Symbolism:
Some points of symbolism I hope to convey are:
- The little boys picking up tiny rocks/pebbles at the beginning of the short story.
- The description and vision of the black box where the names are pulled from every year since the very first lottery.
- The way the date is the same every year for the lottery.
- And how the rituals have changed in the past couple of years from when the lottery first started and how it seems to be more lenient from the past.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Gorilla, My Love; Everyday Use; Girl Disscussion Questions
Gorilla, My Love
In this story, I can sort of side with Hazel. She is just like a little kid causing trouble, wanting to do what she wants, and also argues with anyone and goes until she "wins" the argument. At the very end, she is also like a little child when she gets mad at her Uncle for saying that he was going to marry that other lady instead of her like he had promised her when she was younger. Even though I don't agree with her wanting to marry an uncle, it is like a child to want everything that was promised to them at a later time.
Everyday Use
Even though this story was written over thirty years ago, it still makes a lot of sense to today. Whenever someone in the family goes off to school or college for a long time and they don't really keep in touch, when they do come back they seem to be a different person. This happened with Dee's return, for example she went by a different name, she was more educated, wanted everything for herself, and she had been married to someone. When she did go visit her family, she still wanted everything for herself and didn't really care for what her mother and sister cared about. In this story, I side with the older generation simply because the daughter had no right coming back to the house and invading it and wanting everything simply because she thought she was better off than her own mother and sister.
Girl
In this story it seems taht a movie is just being very descriptive to her daughter about how to be a girl and woman eventually. All the things she mentions are all the habits that her daughter needs to do either now or learn to do in the future for when she becomes a woman. A lot of those things women still do and still learn to do from their mothers and learn from examples. There isn't much said by the girl herself which makes it impossible to like her character. But the mother doesn't say much either except for what her daughter needs to know for her future. I think in every generation, a mother wants the best for her daughter and wants her to learn everything she has so to become a better woman.
In this story, I can sort of side with Hazel. She is just like a little kid causing trouble, wanting to do what she wants, and also argues with anyone and goes until she "wins" the argument. At the very end, she is also like a little child when she gets mad at her Uncle for saying that he was going to marry that other lady instead of her like he had promised her when she was younger. Even though I don't agree with her wanting to marry an uncle, it is like a child to want everything that was promised to them at a later time.
Everyday Use
Even though this story was written over thirty years ago, it still makes a lot of sense to today. Whenever someone in the family goes off to school or college for a long time and they don't really keep in touch, when they do come back they seem to be a different person. This happened with Dee's return, for example she went by a different name, she was more educated, wanted everything for herself, and she had been married to someone. When she did go visit her family, she still wanted everything for herself and didn't really care for what her mother and sister cared about. In this story, I side with the older generation simply because the daughter had no right coming back to the house and invading it and wanting everything simply because she thought she was better off than her own mother and sister.
Girl
In this story it seems taht a movie is just being very descriptive to her daughter about how to be a girl and woman eventually. All the things she mentions are all the habits that her daughter needs to do either now or learn to do in the future for when she becomes a woman. A lot of those things women still do and still learn to do from their mothers and learn from examples. There isn't much said by the girl herself which makes it impossible to like her character. But the mother doesn't say much either except for what her daughter needs to know for her future. I think in every generation, a mother wants the best for her daughter and wants her to learn everything she has so to become a better woman.
Short Story Choice
For the film adaptation, I am going to the the story of "The Lottery". I think that there is a lot that can be done with that story even though it is one of the shorter stories that we have read so far.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Minority Report
I have never watched the movie before so here is what my suggestions would be to add some time to the movie by taking some small things mentioned in the book.
Have more background information on Anderton and how the organization was brought up and how it started. Also there could be more information about Leopold Kaplan.
The narrator goes into detail of how Anderton feels after he finds his name on a card but those thoughts and actions would be hard to be put into a film and would either need to be expressed more in his actions or somehow he needs to be able to voice those feelings and opinions.
Also, maybe when they are changing scenes or scenarios, they could add more detail to them and stretch them out by just adding more possibilites of what could be happening instead of being straight forward with some of the actions happening.
The story mentions a previous war that was going on that destroyed parts of New York and other towns near by, maybe that could be added to the plot line or even used as flashbacks for possible links to the setting or characters.
Another easy way to add more time to a movie from a short story could be to add more depth just to the action scenes and the discussions between people.
Those are just a couple of ideas that popped into my head while I was reading along with the short story that could happen or could be put into the movie to make it as long as it needs to be.
Have more background information on Anderton and how the organization was brought up and how it started. Also there could be more information about Leopold Kaplan.
The narrator goes into detail of how Anderton feels after he finds his name on a card but those thoughts and actions would be hard to be put into a film and would either need to be expressed more in his actions or somehow he needs to be able to voice those feelings and opinions.
Also, maybe when they are changing scenes or scenarios, they could add more detail to them and stretch them out by just adding more possibilites of what could be happening instead of being straight forward with some of the actions happening.
The story mentions a previous war that was going on that destroyed parts of New York and other towns near by, maybe that could be added to the plot line or even used as flashbacks for possible links to the setting or characters.
Another easy way to add more time to a movie from a short story could be to add more depth just to the action scenes and the discussions between people.
Those are just a couple of ideas that popped into my head while I was reading along with the short story that could happen or could be put into the movie to make it as long as it needs to be.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
"The Story of an Hour" and "The Yellow Wallpaper"
“The Story of an Hour” Disscussion Question
In “The Management of Grief”, Shaila is calm and collected on the outside when she was grieving for her husband but on the inside she is truly sad and misses her husband and children. In “The Story of an Hour”, Louise is sad by the news but when she goes into her room to be alone, she realizes that she is free from her husband and that she didn’t always love him and was happy that he would be gone because now she could live a long happy single life without the strings of a husband attached. The point of view impacts our observation because with Shaila, we knew that inside she was truly saddened by her loss even though she did not show it to the others but with Louise, she is the opposite and acts sad in front of her family and friends while she was actually happy about being a widow now. Had we not been able to know exactly what either character was really thinking, it would have been easy to just think the exact opposite of both characters and think that Shaila did not care and that Louise was deeply saddened and lost by the each of their losses.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” Discussion Questions
The biggest symbol throughout the book that I noticed was the wallpaper itself. It represented insanity becoming more aware throughout the character as each day passed. Every day that the narrator spends in the room actually causes her insanity to become worse instead of becoming better and each day the narrator stares at the wallpaper more and more and finds new things to call her attention so that she has to stare it all the time and figure out who that other woman is behind the design of the wallpaper.
I think Gillman’s motives are that she herself was once insane and depressed and was told to be put on bed rest by a doctor until her “hysteria’ subsided, but instead of helping her, the treatment actually made her worse. She said that the only thing that helped was by writing and she makes the narrator exactly the same, told to be on bed rest but instead makes her more insane and also that she, the narrator, was not allowed to write because that would make it worse. If she knew that the methods that she herself went through didn’t work, she knew that this story would speak to others who went through the same thing and could relate to the main character just by that one trait.
In “The Management of Grief”, Shaila is calm and collected on the outside when she was grieving for her husband but on the inside she is truly sad and misses her husband and children. In “The Story of an Hour”, Louise is sad by the news but when she goes into her room to be alone, she realizes that she is free from her husband and that she didn’t always love him and was happy that he would be gone because now she could live a long happy single life without the strings of a husband attached. The point of view impacts our observation because with Shaila, we knew that inside she was truly saddened by her loss even though she did not show it to the others but with Louise, she is the opposite and acts sad in front of her family and friends while she was actually happy about being a widow now. Had we not been able to know exactly what either character was really thinking, it would have been easy to just think the exact opposite of both characters and think that Shaila did not care and that Louise was deeply saddened and lost by the each of their losses.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” Discussion Questions
The biggest symbol throughout the book that I noticed was the wallpaper itself. It represented insanity becoming more aware throughout the character as each day passed. Every day that the narrator spends in the room actually causes her insanity to become worse instead of becoming better and each day the narrator stares at the wallpaper more and more and finds new things to call her attention so that she has to stare it all the time and figure out who that other woman is behind the design of the wallpaper.
I think Gillman’s motives are that she herself was once insane and depressed and was told to be put on bed rest by a doctor until her “hysteria’ subsided, but instead of helping her, the treatment actually made her worse. She said that the only thing that helped was by writing and she makes the narrator exactly the same, told to be on bed rest but instead makes her more insane and also that she, the narrator, was not allowed to write because that would make it worse. If she knew that the methods that she herself went through didn’t work, she knew that this story would speak to others who went through the same thing and could relate to the main character just by that one trait.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
"Hills Like White Elephants" and "A Rose for Emily"
"Hills Like White Elephants" Discussion Question
When reading the story, I didn't get that they were talking about an abortion until the point of where they start talking about having a simple operation done and that he, Jig, knows that it is something simple and that he has known lots of people who have gone through with it. Jig makes the operation seem as though it really isn't much of anything though, making it seem simple and just something every women could go through or has gone through instead of making it seem as a big deal as it is with almost anyone. The girl in the story knows that it isn't going to be easy and that is going to have a great deal of emotion attached to the actions, should she go through with it in the end.
It isn't very surprising that it was written by a man because it seems to have that one dimension to it and that everything will be alright after the fact and that there is nothing to worry about. If it would have been written by a woman, or been in a woman's perspective, we would have had more of an emotional attachment to the child instead of seeing it as something that needed to be done in order to bring their lives to what it use to be.
"A Rose for Emily" Discussion Question
The time that this story is set in is very important because it shows the differences of what has changed throughout time since it was written. It also makes everything in the story a little more relevant since we know that the time period is way back in the early 1900's instead of present time. The wording alone in shows what a different time and place that the story was written in. If it would have been written in a different place, it would change everything because of the fact that Emily lives in a small tight knit community where everyone knows everyone and practically everything going on but had she lived in a city or somewhere were that wasn't the case, we wouldn't know what exactly has happened to her in her life and the perspectives of the others in the town. If it was set in a different time, for example closer to our time period right now, she probably wouldn't be living alone or have everyone of her neighbors know what is going on and she might not even have a guy who would do her shopping and chores for her.
When reading the story, I didn't get that they were talking about an abortion until the point of where they start talking about having a simple operation done and that he, Jig, knows that it is something simple and that he has known lots of people who have gone through with it. Jig makes the operation seem as though it really isn't much of anything though, making it seem simple and just something every women could go through or has gone through instead of making it seem as a big deal as it is with almost anyone. The girl in the story knows that it isn't going to be easy and that is going to have a great deal of emotion attached to the actions, should she go through with it in the end.
It isn't very surprising that it was written by a man because it seems to have that one dimension to it and that everything will be alright after the fact and that there is nothing to worry about. If it would have been written by a woman, or been in a woman's perspective, we would have had more of an emotional attachment to the child instead of seeing it as something that needed to be done in order to bring their lives to what it use to be.
"A Rose for Emily" Discussion Question
The time that this story is set in is very important because it shows the differences of what has changed throughout time since it was written. It also makes everything in the story a little more relevant since we know that the time period is way back in the early 1900's instead of present time. The wording alone in shows what a different time and place that the story was written in. If it would have been written in a different place, it would change everything because of the fact that Emily lives in a small tight knit community where everyone knows everyone and practically everything going on but had she lived in a city or somewhere were that wasn't the case, we wouldn't know what exactly has happened to her in her life and the perspectives of the others in the town. If it was set in a different time, for example closer to our time period right now, she probably wouldn't be living alone or have everyone of her neighbors know what is going on and she might not even have a guy who would do her shopping and chores for her.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Introduction
Hello, my name is Teresa Cardenas and I am a junior here at TCU. I’m from Irving, TX and actually commute every day to and from school instead of living on campus. My major will be finance with a concentration in real estate with, hopefully, a minor in accounting.
I’m taking this course because it is one of the core requirements but also because it seems like this would be the one I would have the most interest in. I hope at the end of this class I will be able to interpret and understand short stories and books with a more in-depth perspective rather than just getting the top layer of a book.
I don’t normally read all too much, or haven’t had the time to, but when I use to I loved reading short stories and/or fiction books. The most recent books I have read would be the Harry Potter series, up to the most recent so I’m excited for the movie to come out next month. I haven’t taken an English class or literature class since high school and so I am a little rusty on all the book elements and stuff. Back in high school, I usually hated reading the books unless they were short or had a lot of things going on within the book that made them interesting.
I learn differently depending on how each class is set up, I don’t have just one way of learning; I can usually adapt myself to the style being taught in the class. I do like to have class discussions over readings and I also like to be able to take notes and go back and look at those, and this class seems to that it will have both.
A little bit of an interesting fact is that I have played tennis for about 12 years now and still play but don’t really get out on the court as much as I would like to because of shoulder “injury”. But back in high school, I was on a mixed doubles team that was placed 2nd in the district and had the chance to go to regionals and represent our school which was a pretty awesome experience even though my partner and I didn’t go all too far into the draw.
Finally, I have read, understood, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.
I’m taking this course because it is one of the core requirements but also because it seems like this would be the one I would have the most interest in. I hope at the end of this class I will be able to interpret and understand short stories and books with a more in-depth perspective rather than just getting the top layer of a book.
I don’t normally read all too much, or haven’t had the time to, but when I use to I loved reading short stories and/or fiction books. The most recent books I have read would be the Harry Potter series, up to the most recent so I’m excited for the movie to come out next month. I haven’t taken an English class or literature class since high school and so I am a little rusty on all the book elements and stuff. Back in high school, I usually hated reading the books unless they were short or had a lot of things going on within the book that made them interesting.
I learn differently depending on how each class is set up, I don’t have just one way of learning; I can usually adapt myself to the style being taught in the class. I do like to have class discussions over readings and I also like to be able to take notes and go back and look at those, and this class seems to that it will have both.
A little bit of an interesting fact is that I have played tennis for about 12 years now and still play but don’t really get out on the court as much as I would like to because of shoulder “injury”. But back in high school, I was on a mixed doubles team that was placed 2nd in the district and had the chance to go to regionals and represent our school which was a pretty awesome experience even though my partner and I didn’t go all too far into the draw.
Finally, I have read, understood, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.
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