In-Class Writing Assignment
The Setting - this classroom, present time.
Upsetting Moment – Slip and fall on the ice, and hurt yourself.
Plot – Surprise quiz over a reading.
(use first-person style)
The air is as ice laid upon my skin. The only moisture within my nose has frozen. Breathing in shallow breaths, I quicken my steps to arrive at the warm and cozy classroom in record time. Looking up to the shining sun in hopes of harnessing some heat from it, my feet slide from beneath me and I am planted on the pavement….spread-eagle and flattened by some ice lying in wait to attack me. I can feel the freezing pavement attempting to liberate me from any warmth I have left. I quickly gather my book bag and carefully rise from the ground so I do not end up in that position again. I am walking a bit slower now, acutely aware of the possibility that I may hit the pavement again if I go too fast. Ah, there it is, the building!
I smile now, even giggle beneath my breath because I can still see myself splattered on the walkway. Into the classroom, still smirking with that smile, I see others who have made it safely. I happily rest my book bag on the table, remove my gloves and jacket, and let the chair draw me in for some comfort.
The comfort of the classroom does not last long. My eyes glance upward as the professor enters the room with the announcement of a “pop” quiz.” I think I should have stayed at home today.
(Use third-person style)
Steven walks through the air like it is working against him and from the looks of it, his runny nose has frozen and a thin layer of ice encases his nostrils. Breathing in shallow breaths, he quickens his steps to arrive at the warm and cozy classroom he seeks to reach in record time. Looking up to the shining sun in hopes of harnessing some heat from it, Steve’s feet slide from beneath him and he is planted on the pavement….spread-eagle and flattened by some ice lying in wait to attack only him. He looks paralyzed there on the pavement, as if he is being held captive by the cold and the concrete itself. He quickly gathers his book bag and carefully rises from the ground as not to end up in that position fallen again. He is walking a bit slower now, seemingly aware of the possibility that he may be sucked to the pavement again if he goes too fast. Ah, there it is, the building he seeks!
He is smiling now, even giggling under his breath because, perhaps, he can still picture himself splattered on the walkway. Into the classroom, still smirking with that smile, he looks upon others who have made it safely. He happily rests his book bag on the table, removes his gloves and jacket, and lets the chair draw him in for some comfort.
His comfort is short-lived. Steve’s eyes follow the professor to the podium and he pricks his ears to attention. “Please prepare yourselves for a quiz students,” announces the professor. Steve slides down in his chair, defeated for the day within only fifteen minutes of beginning it. He knew he should have stayed at home that Monday.
(Use third-person-omniscient)
Steven walks through the air as if it is working against him. His runny nose has frozen and a thin layer of ice encases his nostrils. An oncoming student notices Steve’s nose and pulls up her own face mask to avoid the same fate. Breathing in shallow breaths, he quickens his steps to arrive at the warm and cozy classroom he seeks to reach in record time. Looking up to the shining sun in hopes of harnessing some heat from it, Steve’s feet slide from beneath him and he is planted on the pavement...spread-eagle and laid out by some ice lying in wait to attack only him. He looks paralyzed there on the pavement, as if he is being held captive by the cold and the concrete itself. Moreover, other students do not attempt to rescue him because they fear he will pull them down as well. The successful football star, conquered by a cup of frozen water, pretends not to be bothered in the least. He quickly gathers his book bag and carefully rises from the ground as not to end up in that fallen position again. He is walking a bit slower now, seemingly aware of the possibility that he may be sucked to the pavement again if he goes too fast. Ah, there it is, the building he seeks! The cause of all this discomfort, the class he would have loved to avoid, could have been replaced by planting himself on the couch at home. No one else was home, he could have just stayed there and no one would be the wiser.
He is smiling now, even giggling under his breath because, perhaps, he can still picture himself splattered on the walkway. In addition, he can see himself on the couch, seeing now that this was the choice he should have made. Into the classroom, still smirking with that smile, he looks upon others who have made it safely. A few students smile back and join in his giggles. They just saw him defeated by ice and concrete, and they are happy it was not them. He gently rests his book bag on the table, removes his gloves and jacket, and lets the chair draw him in for some comfort.
The comfort of the chair would not last very long. The students’ eyes follow the professor as she enters the class and writes, “Quiz Today” on the chalkboard. Moans and groans fill the air. Steve rubs his neck and takes a deep breath as if he has suffered a terrible injury.
Meanwhile, Steve’s Mother arrives at home to see if Steven has actually gone to class. She has an uncanny knack for knowing when something other than school is on his mind. To her surprise, the house is empty and warm. Perhaps she could take a short nap. No one else would need to know. What a fine way to begin the week.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Narration and Point of View
Mediation in Fiction
The key element of fictional structure is the way a story is mediated. Focus is the viewing aspect and voice is the verbal aspect. Considered together, these are the point of view. The voice that speaks all of the words is the narrator.
Stories that have several focal characters have a view that is said to be unlimited. When the focus relies on a single individual or that characters views and thoughts is said to be limited. When there are thoughts of more than one character, then perhaps an omniscient view is portrayed.
First-person narrator is common, and can offer false and distorted views since the information comes from just one viewpoint. Many narratives focus upon centered or a central consciousness to filter things, people, and even using an individual character. A rare form of fiction exists when you is used to employ the second-person voice that creates an effect alike conversation.
The persona of a story isn't the actual author, rather the voice/figure that the author creates to narrate the story. We can say write stories, but actually stories are told....aloud or written, events and individuals are brought to life to impart an event or events and gives the reader shape, focus, and voice to particular history and/or stories.
"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allen Poe
This story was written in the first-person. The very first paragraph is the tool used to draw the reader in and seemingly gain the reader's sanction of revenge upon another who had caused great harm to Amontillado over the course of many years. Though Amontillado may have come across to others as passive and more of a victim than a fighter, the injuries to him did not go unmeasured and each occurrence of wrong doing seemed to swell in his very body to the point that Amontillado could no longer store all the negativity brought upon him by Fortunato.
Revenge was near! And, a plan had been put into action to resolve the past injuries in one horrid climax, death to Fortunato!
The story gave clues to me that some dire business was about to occur, and I was drawn to read more and more to simply discover how and when Fortunato would pay for his wrong doings against Amontillado. Fortunato was baited with wine, which I thought at first would be poisoned to exact death upon him. But, the wine was just the bait to get Fortunato into a private and remote place where Amontillado could trap him (while Fortunato was clearly drunk and easily led), chain Fortunato into a small room, and ultimately buried alive within a crypt.
A complete conversation continues as Amontillado guides Fortunato to his death. More drinking...piles of bones from other humans and dark, damp surroundings prove to be the bed fellows of Fortunato's fate. From inside the room he has been chained, Fortunato yells:
"Ha! ha! ha!-he! he! he!-a very good joke, indeed-an excellent jest. We will have many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo-he! he! he!-over our wine-he! he! he!"
After no further retorts from Fortunato, Amontillado forces the last stone into place that completely closes off Fortunato's crypt, he plasters it in place,
"re-erected" the old pile of bones in front of the wall, and it is never disturbed for half a century.
How macabre! Justice? Revenge, surely. Amontillado redresses the wrongs that Fortunato was found guilty of by a one-man jury, Amontillado himself.
What fabulous and descriptive writing, I felt like I could see the whole thing happen. I could almost feel the dampness of the catacomb and the smell of death. I wish I could write like that.
The key element of fictional structure is the way a story is mediated. Focus is the viewing aspect and voice is the verbal aspect. Considered together, these are the point of view. The voice that speaks all of the words is the narrator.
Stories that have several focal characters have a view that is said to be unlimited. When the focus relies on a single individual or that characters views and thoughts is said to be limited. When there are thoughts of more than one character, then perhaps an omniscient view is portrayed.
First-person narrator is common, and can offer false and distorted views since the information comes from just one viewpoint. Many narratives focus upon centered or a central consciousness to filter things, people, and even using an individual character. A rare form of fiction exists when you is used to employ the second-person voice that creates an effect alike conversation.
The persona of a story isn't the actual author, rather the voice/figure that the author creates to narrate the story. We can say write stories, but actually stories are told....aloud or written, events and individuals are brought to life to impart an event or events and gives the reader shape, focus, and voice to particular history and/or stories.
"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allen Poe
This story was written in the first-person. The very first paragraph is the tool used to draw the reader in and seemingly gain the reader's sanction of revenge upon another who had caused great harm to Amontillado over the course of many years. Though Amontillado may have come across to others as passive and more of a victim than a fighter, the injuries to him did not go unmeasured and each occurrence of wrong doing seemed to swell in his very body to the point that Amontillado could no longer store all the negativity brought upon him by Fortunato.
Revenge was near! And, a plan had been put into action to resolve the past injuries in one horrid climax, death to Fortunato!
The story gave clues to me that some dire business was about to occur, and I was drawn to read more and more to simply discover how and when Fortunato would pay for his wrong doings against Amontillado. Fortunato was baited with wine, which I thought at first would be poisoned to exact death upon him. But, the wine was just the bait to get Fortunato into a private and remote place where Amontillado could trap him (while Fortunato was clearly drunk and easily led), chain Fortunato into a small room, and ultimately buried alive within a crypt.
A complete conversation continues as Amontillado guides Fortunato to his death. More drinking...piles of bones from other humans and dark, damp surroundings prove to be the bed fellows of Fortunato's fate. From inside the room he has been chained, Fortunato yells:
"Ha! ha! ha!-he! he! he!-a very good joke, indeed-an excellent jest. We will have many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo-he! he! he!-over our wine-he! he! he!"
After no further retorts from Fortunato, Amontillado forces the last stone into place that completely closes off Fortunato's crypt, he plasters it in place,
"re-erected" the old pile of bones in front of the wall, and it is never disturbed for half a century.
How macabre! Justice? Revenge, surely. Amontillado redresses the wrongs that Fortunato was found guilty of by a one-man jury, Amontillado himself.
What fabulous and descriptive writing, I felt like I could see the whole thing happen. I could almost feel the dampness of the catacomb and the smell of death. I wish I could write like that.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
In-Class discussion of Fiction "Cathedral" & "Sonny's Blues"
"Cathedral"
Who is the main character?
The husband(the narrator) of a woman who has an old friend coming to visit.
What conflicts face this character?
This character seems a bit cranky at first, like he doesn't want to have company and have to entertain someone else during the time he usually gets drunk and stoned. He doesn't like blind people, and the guest coming is blind. He is conflicted in how to behave, what to say...and he had some preconceived notions about blind people already which set the negative stage for himself.
What actions does the character take, or what changes does the character make.
The character offers the guest all of his vices...drinks....pot....seat on the couch, and company with his wife. The character tried to engage in conversation...all the while second guessing if anything he says is OK. The character changes his opinion due to a fine education from the blind house guest about how much seeing people and blind people have in common.
Describe this character. Is he/she kind, cruel, sympathetic, impatient, etc? Use detailed passages from the text to support your view.
The character is kind of like a child. Has his own world, his own views, does what he wants, and relies on his wife for company...he has no friends! He's ignorant perhaps....and only cruel with his opinions and limited ability to accept other people as they are. Stereotypical and prejudiced. i.e. paragraph 10: "You don't have any friends, period, besides goddamn it, his wife's just died! Don't you understand that? The man lost his wife!"
"Sonny's Blues"
Who is the main character?
The narrator. Sonny's older brother.
What conflicts face this character?
The narrator is conflicted because he promised his Mom that he would take care of his little brother should anything happen to her. But, when his Mom did die, he came home from the Vietnam War just for the funeral...and he couldn't be available to care for his brother. So, his little brother moved in with the narrators intended bride...for a short time. The narrator is conflicted by the fact that his younger brother is a drug addict....and he thinks it's because he has a "death wish"....but in actuality, the younger brother is just escaping the pain in his life.....self-medicating. The narrator loves his brother, but hates the addiction and the way the drugs change his little brother from sweet and innocent to slouchy and dirty.
What actions does the character take, what changes does the character make?
The character finds there is a place to love his addict-brother and appreciate his gift of music, without contributing to his habit. The music he hears reminds him of his loss...and reminds him of his pain....and he appreciates that in the end. The character can remember his pain, and truly feel it...without wanting to escape it like his younger brother does. Just a difference of how we all deal differently with pain and emotion.
Describe this character. Is she/he kind, cruel, sympathetic, impatient, etc? Use detailed passages from the text to support your view.
The character is sad, and confused, and concerned. He really tried to avoid the realization that his younger brother was a drug addict, but finally it stared him in the face. The character feels like the perpetual big brother...always knowing his little brother may never become a responsible adult. He is kind, though....and seems to always cut some slack for his drug-addicted bro, hoping for rehabilitation in the future. Sonny has a connection to his pain and feels deeply for others. The narrator has been a little hardened and has become less able to accept his pain or even acknowledge it.
"And it brought something else back to me, and carried me past it, I saw my little girl again and felt Isabel's tears again, and I felt my own tears start to rise."
Background data on James Baldwin and "Sonny's Blues"....
and a reminder to know that we can't truly know how it felt/feel to be African-American and poor, but we gain so much insight by the sharing of this story and the parallels drawn between suffering, religion, racism, commitment.
http://cai.ucdavis.edu/uccp/sblecture.html#harlem
Who is the main character?
The husband(the narrator) of a woman who has an old friend coming to visit.
What conflicts face this character?
This character seems a bit cranky at first, like he doesn't want to have company and have to entertain someone else during the time he usually gets drunk and stoned. He doesn't like blind people, and the guest coming is blind. He is conflicted in how to behave, what to say...and he had some preconceived notions about blind people already which set the negative stage for himself.
What actions does the character take, or what changes does the character make.
The character offers the guest all of his vices...drinks....pot....seat on the couch, and company with his wife. The character tried to engage in conversation...all the while second guessing if anything he says is OK. The character changes his opinion due to a fine education from the blind house guest about how much seeing people and blind people have in common.
Describe this character. Is he/she kind, cruel, sympathetic, impatient, etc? Use detailed passages from the text to support your view.
The character is kind of like a child. Has his own world, his own views, does what he wants, and relies on his wife for company...he has no friends! He's ignorant perhaps....and only cruel with his opinions and limited ability to accept other people as they are. Stereotypical and prejudiced. i.e. paragraph 10: "You don't have any friends, period, besides goddamn it, his wife's just died! Don't you understand that? The man lost his wife!"
"Sonny's Blues"
Who is the main character?
The narrator. Sonny's older brother.
What conflicts face this character?
The narrator is conflicted because he promised his Mom that he would take care of his little brother should anything happen to her. But, when his Mom did die, he came home from the Vietnam War just for the funeral...and he couldn't be available to care for his brother. So, his little brother moved in with the narrators intended bride...for a short time. The narrator is conflicted by the fact that his younger brother is a drug addict....and he thinks it's because he has a "death wish"....but in actuality, the younger brother is just escaping the pain in his life.....self-medicating. The narrator loves his brother, but hates the addiction and the way the drugs change his little brother from sweet and innocent to slouchy and dirty.
What actions does the character take, what changes does the character make?
The character finds there is a place to love his addict-brother and appreciate his gift of music, without contributing to his habit. The music he hears reminds him of his loss...and reminds him of his pain....and he appreciates that in the end. The character can remember his pain, and truly feel it...without wanting to escape it like his younger brother does. Just a difference of how we all deal differently with pain and emotion.
Describe this character. Is she/he kind, cruel, sympathetic, impatient, etc? Use detailed passages from the text to support your view.
The character is sad, and confused, and concerned. He really tried to avoid the realization that his younger brother was a drug addict, but finally it stared him in the face. The character feels like the perpetual big brother...always knowing his little brother may never become a responsible adult. He is kind, though....and seems to always cut some slack for his drug-addicted bro, hoping for rehabilitation in the future. Sonny has a connection to his pain and feels deeply for others. The narrator has been a little hardened and has become less able to accept his pain or even acknowledge it.
"And it brought something else back to me, and carried me past it, I saw my little girl again and felt Isabel's tears again, and I felt my own tears start to rise."
Background data on James Baldwin and "Sonny's Blues"....
and a reminder to know that we can't truly know how it felt/feel to be African-American and poor, but we gain so much insight by the sharing of this story and the parallels drawn between suffering, religion, racism, commitment.
http://cai.ucdavis.edu/uccp/sblecture.html#harlem
Plot
"What happened?"
Subtle thoughts and/or violent crisis can help a reader discover the plot. The plot structure usually consists of a the placement of an exposition that introduces the characters, time/place, and their "situation."
This exposition can reveal a conflict and works to set the rising action into motion.
There may be a discriminating occasion, an occurrence that expresses a distinct "rising action" of one incident or a series of intensifying incidents thereof.
The climax of this action converges on a decisive action, realization, or moment.
Often, a falling action and conclusion support the situation and stabilize a conflict or replace it with a new, stable situation.
As a reader, I may construct expectations and/or predictions about how things might develop in the story and ask questions like "how will this end?" or "what's gonna happen next?" Suspense is created and the plot structure causes a response from the reader.A writer can construct a story in a chronological pattern, or alter the order of events to engage the reader and keep the reader enmeshed in what's to come. A plot should never be a straight forward review of all that has happened, rather an improbable outcome that could be a derivation from what the reader expects.
"The Country Husband" by John Cheever
"Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin
Ah, "Sonny's Blues!" "It, it it, it....." Repetition completely contributed to my interest in what had happened....what was "it?" "It" causes the narrator to become agitated and upset...so I was, too. I felt that when "it" happened, that was the conclusion. Then, the story wove a series of events, often jumping from one time frame into another, often backwards in time. I was captivated by how the teacher, Sonny's older brother, had known his brother would always be a drug addict and that he somehow put those realizations far back in his head where he didn't have to deal with the daily thoughts of wondering where his brother was and was his brother safe? Also, how everyone around Sonny seemed to blame themselves, in part, for Sonny's addiction. The fact is, it's not about them. It's about Sonny's pain and his desire to avoid strife. Sonny thinks everyone avoids their pain in some fashion...and his choice was "horse." The older brother thought Sonny just wanted to die, but Sonny actually felt more alive and connected to life when he was high. That's hard for a clean person to swallow. A drug addict simply loves the drug, the high, the altered sense of reality when under the influence of the drug...unaware of the ravages on the body and spiritual torment it lays down as a foundation.
I LOVED "And when light fills the room, the child is filled with darkness." Like, a child is pure, not knowing of the world's pain...and the adults are in the darkness...the pain. As if the darkness moves closer to the children as they age and become more worldly. So sad...
The realization of the older brother that his father had suffered, and that his father cried quite privately...and that he wasn't the strong, brutish man he so outwardly expressed, rather a broken spirit....filled with pain from a loss suffered early in his life.
But, the most wonderful part of the story was the experience the older brother had when he got to see his brother perform, way before "it" happened. The club scene was described so beautifully....so dark...so much pain...people playing into each other and opening themselves up for others to see. "The Blues", maybe not what they used to be, but certainly alive and well in society. The music stirred memories of death, beauty, the "burning" lament within us all...each capable of sharing.
"trouble stretched above us, longer than the sky"....a foreboding of something negative coming.
Perhaps the older brother realizes that Sonny had his own truth, his own reality...and Sonny liked it that way even if he didn't realize how much he hurt the people who loved him. Sonny had a new "family"...drug-induced musicians intent on expressing their pain in and from the world...that they were somehow more attached to the world because they were so attached to their pain. Like they were better for their suffering. Sonny made his choices, the older brother chose to be an educator...to offer hope and support to the future generations he taught. No foul on any one's part, just an extreme separation of lifestyle....one above the law, one below.
Subtle thoughts and/or violent crisis can help a reader discover the plot. The plot structure usually consists of a the placement of an exposition that introduces the characters, time/place, and their "situation."
This exposition can reveal a conflict and works to set the rising action into motion.
There may be a discriminating occasion, an occurrence that expresses a distinct "rising action" of one incident or a series of intensifying incidents thereof.
The climax of this action converges on a decisive action, realization, or moment.
Often, a falling action and conclusion support the situation and stabilize a conflict or replace it with a new, stable situation.
As a reader, I may construct expectations and/or predictions about how things might develop in the story and ask questions like "how will this end?" or "what's gonna happen next?" Suspense is created and the plot structure causes a response from the reader.A writer can construct a story in a chronological pattern, or alter the order of events to engage the reader and keep the reader enmeshed in what's to come. A plot should never be a straight forward review of all that has happened, rather an improbable outcome that could be a derivation from what the reader expects.
"The Country Husband" by John Cheever
"Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin
Ah, "Sonny's Blues!" "It, it it, it....." Repetition completely contributed to my interest in what had happened....what was "it?" "It" causes the narrator to become agitated and upset...so I was, too. I felt that when "it" happened, that was the conclusion. Then, the story wove a series of events, often jumping from one time frame into another, often backwards in time. I was captivated by how the teacher, Sonny's older brother, had known his brother would always be a drug addict and that he somehow put those realizations far back in his head where he didn't have to deal with the daily thoughts of wondering where his brother was and was his brother safe? Also, how everyone around Sonny seemed to blame themselves, in part, for Sonny's addiction. The fact is, it's not about them. It's about Sonny's pain and his desire to avoid strife. Sonny thinks everyone avoids their pain in some fashion...and his choice was "horse." The older brother thought Sonny just wanted to die, but Sonny actually felt more alive and connected to life when he was high. That's hard for a clean person to swallow. A drug addict simply loves the drug, the high, the altered sense of reality when under the influence of the drug...unaware of the ravages on the body and spiritual torment it lays down as a foundation.
I LOVED "And when light fills the room, the child is filled with darkness." Like, a child is pure, not knowing of the world's pain...and the adults are in the darkness...the pain. As if the darkness moves closer to the children as they age and become more worldly. So sad...
The realization of the older brother that his father had suffered, and that his father cried quite privately...and that he wasn't the strong, brutish man he so outwardly expressed, rather a broken spirit....filled with pain from a loss suffered early in his life.
But, the most wonderful part of the story was the experience the older brother had when he got to see his brother perform, way before "it" happened. The club scene was described so beautifully....so dark...so much pain...people playing into each other and opening themselves up for others to see. "The Blues", maybe not what they used to be, but certainly alive and well in society. The music stirred memories of death, beauty, the "burning" lament within us all...each capable of sharing.
"trouble stretched above us, longer than the sky"....a foreboding of something negative coming.
Perhaps the older brother realizes that Sonny had his own truth, his own reality...and Sonny liked it that way even if he didn't realize how much he hurt the people who loved him. Sonny had a new "family"...drug-induced musicians intent on expressing their pain in and from the world...that they were somehow more attached to the world because they were so attached to their pain. Like they were better for their suffering. Sonny made his choices, the older brother chose to be an educator...to offer hope and support to the future generations he taught. No foul on any one's part, just an extreme separation of lifestyle....one above the law, one below.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Fiction
Reading, Responding, and Writing
Do I remember the first story I ever heard? Of course. "This little piggy went to market....."
I can still feel the tickle on my toes as mom told me the story of the piggies. I remember smiling with pleasure and also waiting in anticipation and fear of that last little piggy that would go "wee, wee, wee, all the way home" and how she would twist my little toe back and forth. I also remember the stories Grandpa would tell about his life before children, his experiences in the war, and amazing adventures he realized. I only truly came to appreciating those stories when he was gone from our lives and how I wish I could hear him tell those long stories again.
"The Elephant in the Village of the Blind", a Buddhist story over two thousand years old.
"20/20", by Linda Brewer
"Cathedral", by Raymond Carver
"A Conversation with my Father" by Grace Pauley
These were all part of our assigned reading for class by Jan. 23, 2007. I truly enjoyed the micro-stories and the richness of the characters along with the stealth of the story-telling and development of conflict and plot. But, my favorite was Cathedral.
I had such vivid visions of the characters as they were introduced into the story. The rich description of a relationship between a man and his wife, though it wasn't overt. Rather, the details of the events and the small quick exchanges of conversation between them....almost as if they were barely putting up with each other until they had one of the many "drinks" that flowed throughout an evening of interaction. I noticed the repetition of the drinks. I felt the narrators fear of meeting someone new (conflict) and actually having him in his home. Like company is just too much of a hassle. Especially since it was a friend of his wife...an old friend. They shared pleasantries, the narrator had sheepish thoughts. Robert, the blind house guest, was warm and unassuming. And, Robert even smoked some marijuana with his hosts, which undoubtedly made the husband feel more at ease....share my drug, share my home. And, the wife kept suggesting to their house guest that it was bedtime, but Robert just wanted to hang out. So, she was clearly a bit drunk and then with the added smoke, became quite tired and napped right in the living room between the men. That's when a miracle happened. The blind man taught the host/husband about blindness, seeing, and "vision." They drew a Cathedral together...and touched the form of it on the paper.....the host keeping his eyes closed per the house guests request, so they could share in sightless vision. Humanity, art, commonality, and separateness...each has something to contribute to this charming tale of a night at home with an unlikely house guest.
Do I remember the first story I ever heard? Of course. "This little piggy went to market....."
I can still feel the tickle on my toes as mom told me the story of the piggies. I remember smiling with pleasure and also waiting in anticipation and fear of that last little piggy that would go "wee, wee, wee, all the way home" and how she would twist my little toe back and forth. I also remember the stories Grandpa would tell about his life before children, his experiences in the war, and amazing adventures he realized. I only truly came to appreciating those stories when he was gone from our lives and how I wish I could hear him tell those long stories again.
"The Elephant in the Village of the Blind", a Buddhist story over two thousand years old.
"20/20", by Linda Brewer
"Cathedral", by Raymond Carver
"A Conversation with my Father" by Grace Pauley
These were all part of our assigned reading for class by Jan. 23, 2007. I truly enjoyed the micro-stories and the richness of the characters along with the stealth of the story-telling and development of conflict and plot. But, my favorite was Cathedral.
I had such vivid visions of the characters as they were introduced into the story. The rich description of a relationship between a man and his wife, though it wasn't overt. Rather, the details of the events and the small quick exchanges of conversation between them....almost as if they were barely putting up with each other until they had one of the many "drinks" that flowed throughout an evening of interaction. I noticed the repetition of the drinks. I felt the narrators fear of meeting someone new (conflict) and actually having him in his home. Like company is just too much of a hassle. Especially since it was a friend of his wife...an old friend. They shared pleasantries, the narrator had sheepish thoughts. Robert, the blind house guest, was warm and unassuming. And, Robert even smoked some marijuana with his hosts, which undoubtedly made the husband feel more at ease....share my drug, share my home. And, the wife kept suggesting to their house guest that it was bedtime, but Robert just wanted to hang out. So, she was clearly a bit drunk and then with the added smoke, became quite tired and napped right in the living room between the men. That's when a miracle happened. The blind man taught the host/husband about blindness, seeing, and "vision." They drew a Cathedral together...and touched the form of it on the paper.....the host keeping his eyes closed per the house guests request, so they could share in sightless vision. Humanity, art, commonality, and separateness...each has something to contribute to this charming tale of a night at home with an unlikely house guest.
"The Norton Introduction to Literature", text
Introduction of text, Why Literature Matters
"Wonderfully, instruction and delight often go hand in hand in our experience of literature: we learn from what delights us or what leads us to appreciate new kinds of delight."(pp 2)
The introduction of the text offers many suggestions at what literature is how the opinions vary from what may actually be hailed as literature. The Canon, the revered list of literary "greats" which continues to grow and is the platform of much debate and discussion about literature itself.
The OED defines literature as "writing which has claim to consideration on the ground of beauty of form or emotional effect." But, the text raises the question, what would this actually include? Plus, who gets to decide what is literature? Of course, since I am a woman living in 2007, I feel all members of society in every socionomic and economic segment of every society should choose for themselves what literature is. No one person or body of "the powers that be" need to instruct others on what one finds pleasure in reading. There are so many genres, and so many readers. Surely, to debate what we each feel literature is would be a terrific battle of words. Would that conversation and debate become literature itself? It's a stretch, but we need to stretch our minds and remind ourselves that we have free will and we should exercise it.
We need to think critically about literature, detect the mode, the manner, and the aim of the text which commands us to read actively.
We can actually write around the literature we read! Wow, I almost feel like I'm committing a sin by writing in the book....bad Amy. But, we can catalog elements of the story and actually read better and participate while we read. Identifying the characters, highlight new vocabulary, circle names and details of when/where, write notes around phrases that cause certain emotions/reactions, retell the action, identify meter and rhyme, and use terms such as stanza, narrator, protagonist, antagonist, plot, conflict, speaker, heroic couplets, implied author, and metaphor. I need to read actively, so I will make note of the authors and consider their own personal/professional history as well as consider the audience.
"Wonderfully, instruction and delight often go hand in hand in our experience of literature: we learn from what delights us or what leads us to appreciate new kinds of delight."(pp 2)
The introduction of the text offers many suggestions at what literature is how the opinions vary from what may actually be hailed as literature. The Canon, the revered list of literary "greats" which continues to grow and is the platform of much debate and discussion about literature itself.
The OED defines literature as "writing which has claim to consideration on the ground of beauty of form or emotional effect." But, the text raises the question, what would this actually include? Plus, who gets to decide what is literature? Of course, since I am a woman living in 2007, I feel all members of society in every socionomic and economic segment of every society should choose for themselves what literature is. No one person or body of "the powers that be" need to instruct others on what one finds pleasure in reading. There are so many genres, and so many readers. Surely, to debate what we each feel literature is would be a terrific battle of words. Would that conversation and debate become literature itself? It's a stretch, but we need to stretch our minds and remind ourselves that we have free will and we should exercise it.
We need to think critically about literature, detect the mode, the manner, and the aim of the text which commands us to read actively.
We can actually write around the literature we read! Wow, I almost feel like I'm committing a sin by writing in the book....bad Amy. But, we can catalog elements of the story and actually read better and participate while we read. Identifying the characters, highlight new vocabulary, circle names and details of when/where, write notes around phrases that cause certain emotions/reactions, retell the action, identify meter and rhyme, and use terms such as stanza, narrator, protagonist, antagonist, plot, conflict, speaker, heroic couplets, implied author, and metaphor. I need to read actively, so I will make note of the authors and consider their own personal/professional history as well as consider the audience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
