June 30, The Man who was Almost a Man ??

1. What does manhood seem to mean to Dave? How does he define being a man? it means that he could feel strong and have self-esteem. He defines it as being or feeling powerful.
2. What are the effect of dialogue, limited point of view, dialect, and setting? What about the switches between dialect throughout (especially in the contrast between an external narrator and Dave's perspective)? It's difficult to read, but it feels authentic. it puts you in the right time and place. The narrator switch, added a feeling of depth into the mind of the charachter, and insight into the scene. It also gave some relief in the difficult reading of the southern dialect.
3. Re-read the final section of the story, starting at the break on page 1617. What do you notice in Wright's diction and syntax here? Based on the final few paragraphs, what do you expect in his future? i don't notice anything about his diction and syntax that stands out. I expect that the boy is going to get himself into a lot of trouble.
4. What conflicts does Dave face in the story? How does he handle the conflicts? Inner conflict, conflict with both his parents, and with Mr. Hawkins.
5. How does the tradition of gun ownership factor into the story? What about Dave's situation seems to support his desire for a gun? Why do you think Dave wants a gun so much? Well, it wasn't out of the question for a man to eventually buy a gun. he wanted the gun because it woudl make him feel powerful. In his situation, as young black southern male, he was naturally in a powerless situation.

June 26, A Spinster's Tale

Discussion Questions for "A Spinster's Tale"

• The story is a flashback to the past for the narrator. Explain why the author may have chosen to present the story in this manner. What is the significance of the title? It shows the psycho-social foundations of what the narrator has become.
  
• What conflicts appear in the story? Which conflict do you think drives the story? What other conflicts do you see? Man v. self drives the story. The little girl is at conflict with herself, as she matures in the absence of a mother., Man v. man in the her conflict with the men in the story. man v. society in her conflict with the acceptance of what she deems to be inappropriate behavior.
  
• What impact do you think this setting has on the plot of the story? It is set in the south in the early 1900s. Considering the time period, what themes emerge from the story? Would the story be different if it was in a different setting? It would e very different. she woldn't have all of the servants she has if the story was in the future. The Mother may have been able to receive medical care. The father may have even re-married. It's definitely a period piece.
  
• Which character is most sympathetic to you? Explain why. Elizabeth.. It shows that her thinking is based in a deep wounding
  
• Do you think Elizabeth has changed from the beginning to the end? If so, what causes her to develop and mature? She grew older and took more responsibility for her home. She changed, but not as much as you would like to think.
  
• How do you think her mother's death affect Elizabeth? What else does Elizabeth suffer from and how does it affect her youth and even her future adult life? It leaves her with no role model. Nothing to guide and even distract her thoughts from her day-dreaming.
  
• There is a sense that sexual abuse may be to blame for Elizabeth’s slow upbringing. Did you sense this? Could it be true? I didn't get this at all. I thought that that was where the story was going, but I never saw any justification for it in the story.
  
• Considering the character development of Elizabeth, do you think there is any significance to the existence of Mr. Speed’s character? What do you notice about his characteristics? What do you think if at all, was Taylor’s purpose in naming his character Mr. Speed? What overall role does he play in the story? He's a scapegoat for all of her mixed up emotions. He shows the state of mind of all of the character in how they all relate to him, how sympathetic they are or are not to him.
  
• Do you see a connection between the weather and Mr. Speed in the story? What other symbolism do you see in the story? No, accept that he's out in it.
  
• Towards the end of the story, Elizabeth’s fear of Mr. Speed coming to her house becomes a reality. Thinking back in the story, does Taylor use any foreshadowing regarding Mr. Speed’s arrival? Yes.. The whole story foreshadows his arrival in the home.
  
• What do you think is the main theme of this story? This is how a young girl becomes an old spinster.
  

June 25, The Lady with the Dog

Discussion Questions for "The Lady with the Dog"

• What do you think of Dmitry when he is first introduced? Do you see any conflicts arising from his character? Yes, he has issues with the female gender
  
• How does Anna's emotions and view point on the affair change from the beginning of the story to the end? Why do you think this is? Passion, sex, excitement, meaning, all the things she didn't have in her life she found in her lover, Dmitry.
  
• Although Chekhov uses a third person narration, how does he seem more involved with Dmitry’s character? He follows Dmitry around as the focal point of the story.
  
• How would you describe Anna’s Character in the story? How would you describe Dmitry’s? This is a weird question. I would describe them the way the author described them.
  
• How has Dmitry changed from the beginning of the story to the end? He has fallen in love, had a change of heart.
  
• What are the character’s past disappointments? And what are their future hopes? No luck in love, finally finding true love, and hoping to be able to live together
  
• Do you think the fact that Dmitry’s return to Moscow was at the start of winter has any significance? Why? A return to dark days, deppression, coldness of heart, etc..
  
• Why is Dmitry so infuriated when the official says, “the sturgeon was just a leetle off?” (2nd to last paragraph pg. 291) Because he had attempted to reveal the contents of his heart. He was in dire need of a friend that could enter this place inside with him, but everyone was living very superficially.
  
• The fence surrounding Anna’s house is mentioned a couple of times in the third section of the short story, do you think it holds any symbolism or has any additional meanings? It symbolized that she was trapped in that life. She was like a caged lioness.
  
• There is a lot of conflict in the story as a whole. Would you say that the man vs man conflict is more prevalent or the man vs self conflict? Man vs. self
  
• The ending of this story almost leaves you wanting to know more about what happens in their relationship. If you had to add to the story and come up with an extended version, what would you add? The fallout
  
• In the author’s bio, there is information about him being a “people watcher”. Do you think that The Lady with the Dog stems from some of the people he had observed?of course
  

June 24, Chrysanthemums

Discussion Questions for "Chrysanthemums"

• Why does the pot fixer man throw away the flower after he leaves, and is his character trustworthy? because he only wanted the containers that she put them in. No
• Is Elisa flirting with the strange man, and if so why? It seems she is. I think she just wants to be sen as pretty. She wants to be understood deeply. I don't know.
• In certain parts of the world chrysanthemums are a symbol of death and mourning, but usually in our country they are cheerful and positive, relate this to the story. she was growing her own happiness with the skill of her intuitive fingers and hands.
• Why does Elisa bring up the fights again at the end of the story? I think she's angry and wants to express her rage.
  
• The description of the setting at the beginning foreshadows the stranger’s visit, what else do you notice about it? The detail. The author puts a lot into the detail, which brings the geography into the stroy almost as a charachter itself.
• Henry is a quiet character, but still significant. What is he representative of? I'm not really sure.
• Why is Elisa so enthralled with the flowers, what are they symbolic/representative of? I think I already answered that in the question about the flowers, above.
• How and why does the man use Elisa’s vulnerability to his advantage? because he could. that's really his racket..
  
• What was the impact of finding the seeds on the road to Elisa? She felt weak, as if she had been takenadvantage of because fo her kindness. She imediately wanted to wash away her weakness, maybe even go to a fight. She wants to be strong.
  
• What is the universal message in The Chrysanthemums? A woman may be as strong and able as a man, if only alowed to express herself freely, but still she has the sensitive heart of a woman.
• At the beginning of the short story Elisa was a portrayed as strong, what can you draw from the end of the story when she was “crying weakly”? That's the irony, the paradox of a woman. They are strong, and ther are sensetive all at the same time.
• What are the major conflicts in the story? Elise with the pot fixer, her husband, herself, and society.

June 22, The Birthmark

• Hawthorne's short story exhibits both internal and external conflict. Focusing on the conflict Man vs. Nature, expand on Aylmer’s quest to rid Georgiana of her imperfection. What are your feelings on man tampering with Mother Nature? His quest was presented as a loftiness of spirit, when in fact it was an expression of self rejection. Man has no choice but to contend with nature for his own survival, but not for vanity's sake.
• In the text Georgiana becomes exceedingly more and more tortured by her birthmark: "Danger? There is but one danger—that this horrible stigma shall be left upon my cheek!” cried Georgiana. ‘Remove it, remove it, whatever the cost, or we shall both go mad” (657). What first appeared a “charm” in her eyes has become a curse. Explain Georgiana’s conflict, and why you think her attitude has changed from the beginning of the story. It is conflict within herself. her identity is tied up in how she's viewd by her husband rather than how she feels on her own.
• In the opening paragraph Hawthorne describes the character of Aylmer as “a man of science.” Reread this paragraph and explain how Aylmer’s unrivaled passion for science sets the tone for the story (think in terms of Aylmer’s internal conflict with his science vs. his wife). it showed that his compulsion towards science whould overshadow or overpower his love for his wife if he could not find the perfect integral balance between the two. It foreshadowed the conflict to come.
• Georgiana’s birthmark seems to have a metaphorical function. What do you see as the significance of the “crimson hand”? blood, life, the hand of nature, of God
• Aminadab is a name that represents an early figure in the Book of Genesis. Why do you think Hawthorne gave this character this name? How is Aminadab portrayed in the story? Why do you think he laughs at the end? He represnets the earthbound human, more connected with nature and the natural, worldy human fate. He laughed at the end, because in a way nature, what he represented had won. it could not be conquered.
• Some scholars have found a connection between Aylmer’s character, and Mary Shelley’s character of Victor in Frankenstein. If you are familiar with Shelley’s novel, what similarities, if any, do you notice? man's compulsion with overcoming nature, and the moral questions brought on by his attempt.
  
• The characters of Aylmer and Georgiana are not very complex, despite Hawthorne’s drawn out descriptions of them. Do you think Hawthorne meant to use them as vehicles to communicate his message? What do you think his message was and how can this be applied to the contemporary world we live in? I tihnk he only needed to use certain aspecs of their personality to convey the message. He had the moral stance that to tamper with nature is wrong, and he didn't need to bring in too many complexities of charachter to show that.
• Do a close reading of the first two paragraphs on page 651: “The mind is in a sad state..”
  Thinking back on what happened to Georgiana at the end of the story, do you find any irony in the removal of her birthmark? If so, what type of irony and why? Situational irony. We don't expect that her birthmark is what allowed her her earthly life.
• Within the story are many indicative signs. Are there any clues or hints throughout the story that allow you to foreshadow the ending? If so, what are they? She kept talking about dying.

June 19, ....Must Converge

1. What do you make of the title of this story? What is the “everything that rises”? And what things “must converge”? What rose was the status of whites between slavery and the civil rights movement. It was now converging with the status of blacks.
   

1. Like Joy/Hulga from “Good Country People,” Julian is college educated but living with his mother. What similarities do you detect between the Joy/Hulga and Julian? Between their mothers? What about differences? They both seem to be disenchanted with the common people among them, even within their own social class. They feel that the people around them are idiots, and their views of the world are a bit debilitating for them. The mothers are the same inthat they have an undying love for their children, though a limited understanding of how their children really feel and who they really are inside. They both are charachters attached to another time in history, and suffering a bit with the transition, and with age. They both seem to need their more needy child as much as the child needs them.
   

• Which characters out of the story are most sympathetic to you? What about the character(s) makes him/her sympathetic? Julian. At least he's trying to live in the reality in which he lives. His meaness was more out of looking out for the underdog, than baseless prejudice.
  

1. Based on O’Connor’s remarks on the profession of writing in “The Nature and Aim of Fiction,” consider Julian’s college education and intention of becoming a writer. Where in O’Connor’s theories does Julian seem to fit? He probabaly doesn't really have the talent to really write, nor the drive, else he coldn't just sit around waiting to write.
   

1. You have now read two of O’Connor’s short stories. How do you react to the theories about writing (and especially about short fiction) in relation to her fiction? What do you think is the “vision” (last paragraph of the excerpt) she believes is necessary? Do you think she has it? Do you think Julian has it? I thn ability to see without seeing, or to see beyond what you've seen and beyond your ability to see. It is to become possessed by genius, if only for a moment. The writer has to understand what types of situations can provoke such vision in them, and they have to do the ground work in order to become an open conduit for it, but ultimately, no matter how many experiences you've had, or how much you may think you're a writer or you like to write, this vision either strikes you or it doesn't. Julian doesn't seem to have this vision, yet.
   

June 16, Roth & Malumud

1. Both of these stories deal with faith, doubt, and questioning.How do you feel about the way the adults handled Ozzie's questions in "Conversion"? Was he out of line to ask so many questions? What do you think about Manischevitz and his questions in "Angel"? Ozzies questions reflect the importance of keeping an open and rational mind in the face of the religious certainty of others. The adults were faced with the limitations of their own view, and it made them uncomfortable, for those limitations have to be swept under the rug if one is to remain faithful. or, so they believed. I think his questions were the genuine questions a man would have in the face of such suffereing.
2. Roth has been widely criticized for the negative image he paints of his Jewish characters. Do you think the Jewish characters in "Conversion" are presented negatively? If so, what might be Roth's purpose in this portrayal? I think he wants people to be able to see themselves clearly. Human beings are funny in their unique and individual ways. Why shoudl jews or any other group of people not be able to appreciate the humor in life? I think he knows that people take themselves too seriously, and he wants to show how he feels about it.
3. Malamud's "Angel" has often been connected with the Biblical story of Job. If you're unfamiliar with the story, the Jewish Encyclopedia offers a summary of the book of Job, and Bible Gateway offers the full text. From what you know if the story, what are the connections between the situations of Job and Manischevitz? What do you think Malamud's purpose is in making the link between the two stories? There are many.. Because stories from the bible make for great drama.
4. "Angel" and "Conversion" were originally published shortly after the end of World War II (only 5 years and 14 years, respectively). How do the stories relate to the historical situation? What effect do you think the recent Holocaust has on each story? on its characters? on its themes? How do other cultural situations impact each story (race, class, location, age, etc.)? The stories are greatly affected by historical time. there seesm to be in both stories a reflection of an acute awareness of race and religion, very self-conscious. It is expressed differently among the different generations. There is almost a type of paranoia felt in the stories, though understandably so.
5. Are any characters in the stories sympathetic to you? If so, which characters in the stories are most sympathetic? I like Ozzie. He's just a mischevious kid with an open mind. I like all of the charachters in the Angle story.
6. What message do you think each author is trying to convey in his story? How does he convey it? How can we apply his message/theme beyond the situation of the characters in the story? One was trying to show how the constricted views of religion and culture can actually damage the soul. The other is showing the value of faith.

June 15, The Man Who was Almsot a Man

1. What does manhood seem to mean to Dave? How does he define being a man? it means that he could feel strong and have self-esteem. He defines it as being or feeling powerful.
2. What are the effect of dialogue, limited point of view, dialect, and setting? What about the switches between dialect throughout (especially in the contrast between an external narrator and Dave's perspective)? It's difficult to read, but it feels authentic. it puts you in the right time and place. The narrator switch, added a feeling of depth into the mind of the charachter, and insight into the scene. It also gave some relief in the difficult reading of the southern dialect.
3. Re-read the final section of the story, starting at the break on page 1617. What do you notice in Wright's diction and syntax here? Based on the final few paragraphs, what do you expect in his future? i don't notice anything about his diction and syntax that stands out. I expect that the boy is going to get himself into a lot of trouble.
4. What conflicts does Dave face in the story? How does he handle the conflicts? Inner conflict, conflict with both his parents, and with Mr. Hawkins.
5. How does the tradition of gun ownership factor into the story? What about Dave's situation seems to support his desire for a gun? Why do you think Dave wants a gun so much? Well, it wasn't out of the question for a man to eventually buy a gun. he wanted the gun because it woudl make him feel powerful. In his situation, as young black southern male, he was naturally in a powerless situation.

Authors Note

This may seem strange, but I really didn't have more than one draft. I dreamed up the idea the night before the first blog was due. Saturday night, after work, I sat down and typed it up. I fell asleep and finished typing it on Sunday. The story came out straight, as it is. Sunday, I had questions about how much I needed to blatenatly say, "this part right here... this is irony, and this part here..." I decided to insert some of that, but left some of it to be understood, especially in parts that were just obviously the stylistic devices that they were.

I didn't have much to offer as far as drafts go. I only wrote one draft. I went in this morning and added the meanings of the Nigerian names of each charachter, and touched up some grammatical errors. That's it..

I'm worried that I may not have made enough reference to the original story. I feel that I used and discussed the elements that are important to my film, but I wonder if April wanted to see more of the original in the new.

June 12, Paul's Case

1. After you have finished reading, consider the opening two paragraphs of the story (on p. 235) in the same close reading manner we have used in class this week. What words does Cather use to describe Paul, the setting, the situation, etc? What is significant about that word choice? Paul was suave and smiling, his clothes, slightly outgrown, tan velvet overcoat collar, frayed and warn. He was somewhat of a dandy. This description pretty much characterizes Paul. A boy of meager means who still makes a show of it. The red carnations in his buttonhole, foreshadow the final scene of the story. The second paragraph describes his physical characteristics. Her description of him as abnormally tall and thin with high cramped shoulders, and a narrow chest. This alludes to his trait of insecurity. His abnormally large pupils and hysterically brilliant, glassy eyes give the image of a boy somewhat intoxicated with life. You definitely want to know more about who this boy is.
   

1. After his hearing at the school, Paul's feelings greatly differ from those of his teachers. Contrast Paul's attitude with that of his teachers after the interview is over. How do they feel? How does he feel? They felt haunted by their extreme distaste for the boy, they really felt that there was something just not right about him. They were genuinely concerned for him, I thought. Paul seemed almost indifferent to the whole matter. He was ready to get on with his night. He really only had the theater in mind.
   

1. What do you think it is about Paul's job at Carnegie Hall that completely changes his attitude about life? That he sees a world that seems to float above worldly concern. Without a mother, he has never felt that he belonged to his normal life, as it was. I think that in the soloist he sees the ideal of his mother.
   

1. Consider the description of Paul's bedroom (on p. 239) through a close reading. What here is significant about the room? about Paul? That it was such a normal room, and a part of that normal room was an embroidering done by his mother. I think the absence of his mother in his life made him feel disconnected from all things normal.

1. Why do you think Paul decides to steal the money and flee town? What is the final cause in this situation? He had a since of desperation. They had taken away the one thing he loved, and he was basically dead to himself without it. The intoxication of that world had replaced his mother, and his life, as he felt it, was there. A world without that was not worth living.
   

1. What is different for Paul in New York City? Why do you think he likes it so much there? He didn't have to pretend and lie to anyone about who he was. He didn't have to try and stand out to be different, to not be normal. He could put on his dandy garb and fall in with his people. It was, to him, the ultimate place for human fulfillment.
   

1. After what he learned from the newspaper, Paul made a decision about what to do. Why do you think he chose this? Instead of being arrested, what was going to happen to Paul if he were taken back to Pittsburgh? Why did he consider this "worse than jail"? He was going to become a special case for all of the do-gooders who wanted to help him to acclimate to beinga normal boy. They were basically going to take his "self" away.
   

• Vassar College professor and author Paul Russell has written:
  

  "Paul's Case" [is] a story often taught in American...schools as the tale of a sensitive, artistic young man who flees the constrictions of provincial life in order to experience in New York city all his pent-up aesthetic longings for art, beauty, and the artificial world of the theatre. But closer inspection reveals Paul to be steeped in the coded signs of the homosexual, from his red carnation to his apparent fling with a wild boy from San Francisco. … Cather herself would define as one of the principal qualities of her fiction "the inexplicable presence of the thing not named."

  1. Where are some of the other signs in the story, besides the ones Russell has written above, that Paul's "case" is that of having a minority sexual orientation, or at least exhibiting gender non-conformity? Think about the words Cather uses to describe Paul's actions, thoughts and personality. I had that exact thought! That helps explain why the traditional ideal of manly success did not appeal to him at all. It could explain his unusal artisic aethetic. His love of flowers. I'm sure there's more..

June 11, Intervention

1. So far in our discussion of families, we've focused on the conflict between different generations, between parents and children. These two stories focus on the relationships within the generations (siblings, married parents, etc.). How does this additional focus complicate the stories? How does it impact the plot and the conflict? It makes the plot more complicated, multi-dimensional.
   

1. Why did you choose the story you chose? What about it appealed to you as a reader? I like McCorkle's down to earth voice. I can relate to her easy approach to life. I also can relate to the story in many ways.

1. In "Intervention," the word enabler is used several times and is a word we hear used in different but powerful ways in our culture. What are the meanings of enabler in the story? Or who/what are enablers? Is it a negative or positive thing in the story? It's considered a negative thing in this story. An enabler, in this story, is someone who makes it easier, either wittingly or unwittingly, for an alcoholic to drink, hide, and justify their addiction. Marylin was Sid's enabler.
   

June 10, Movie Plans

I plan to use the story, Everyday Use. I'm thinking of keeping the name, but that might change as the story develops in my mind.

The setting will be a mid to early 20th century Nigerian village. We will get to know the way of life of the village, and many of its characters. I will also develop the setting of "Dee's" school, which will be a British run boarding school for bright negro children in the area. The school will serve as a prep. school for possible further education in Britain. At this school she will meet her boyfriend, who is from a wealthy Nigerian family from the city. His father works in government. I will use the city, government buildings, and his home as well.

The plot has various types of conflict. The Dee grows to find her mother, sister and father to be backward after living at the boarding school and learning the modern ways of the British. Her Boyfriend is a bright and promising student who wants to study theology and philosophy at Oxford. He's a devout Christian, and Dee becomes a convert. There's conflict between Dee and her family about her judgment of their religious views. Dee's father is part of a village revolt against the British oil companies that are taking property, violently handling the locals, and not paying the people for the oil they take from their lands. The government is helping the oil companies, and the boyfrined's father is a culprit. A relationship develops between Dee's father and the boyfriend. There is conflict over the traditional way to handle conflict, and the boyfriend's ideas of peaceful resistance, but ultimately they're on the same side of this conflict creating conflict between the bf and his rich father.

The society is dealing with the idea of educating their children in the only schools available, knowing that the British run schools are brainwashing their children and turning them away from their traditional ways, even spiritual. The villagers are dealing with oppression from the gov. and the oil industry in the region. They are left with no choice but to fight back.

Dee and her boyfriend, both have to deal with issues of self identity. They both struggle with the uncertainty of where they belong in the world, and what exactly that world is.

The irony in the story is that even though the bf's message is accepted and the villagers attempt a peaceful revolt, the government, with orders from the oil company respond with brute force. many are killed, including Dee's father. The bf is wouded severely. Dee's mother uses her knowledge of traditional shamanic healing practices to nurse him to a complete recovery. During this healing process, he gets to know and understand that this quiet and "backward" mother, in all her simplicity, was actually a very spiritually evolved human being. He ends up marrying Dee, and they take in the mother and sister. They move to his large estate where the mother grows crops in a field and raises a herd of goats with the sister. The bf, challenges his father for his seat in gov. and wins. Though he espouses non-violence, it is his involvement and injury during the earlier revolts that makes him a warrior-like hero in the eyes of the people.

There will also be irony in that they will be forced to use the products of modernisation, while simultaneously recognising their exploitation. The bf, drives a car to go and protest the oil company. etc..

For symbolism, Dee and the boyfriend will pray every day before a large poster of a blonde, blue-eyed Jesus. Jesus will be holding a white lamb. I'll have to to think more about this area. I don't want to be too overt.

I'm also still shopping for actors. I would like to do an all african cast, but that would not sell well globally the way an Americn cast would. I think i might mix it up, introduce some new blood while paying the bills with the familiar faces.

June 9, GML, EU, Girl

1. As examples of generational conflict, how do these three stories present the different generations? the struggles within a family? In Gorilla, My Love, I saw the conflict as a matter of maturity. "Scout" was just a feisty little girl who didn't really understand the ways of adults the way she thought she did. In Everyday Use the conflict was between Wangero (Dee), who was more educated and exposed to the new social ideas of her time, and her mother and sister, Maggie, who still lived a simple country life. Girl expressed the struggle of a girl to assimilate the wisdom and the expectations of her mother. Do the points and messages of each story seem like ones that could apply to many families? Or do they seem too specific to apply to other experiences? I really feel that these stories all have a universal theme, even though they are based on a specific cultural experience. Every family could potentially deal with a precocious daughter, or an educated, liberated, pseudo-enlightned daughter. The theme in Girl feels especially universal. It's very common for a mother to attempt to pass down her wisdom to her daughter.
   

1. In each story, who do you side with? the older generation? the younger generation? a specific character? Why do you take the side of that person or group? In Gorilla, My Love I side with noone. I don't see that there's any side to take here. All of the charachters are just there to be understood. If I have to choose, I'll say Hunca Bubba. In Everyday use, I side with the mama. I lived in that world that Ms. Walker writes about, and I have, in my own way, been Wangero. As I matured, I grew to understand the selfish, self-righteous, insensitive arrogance that disguised itself as social evolution for what it really was. In Girl, I side with the mama, again. It's her duty to pass on the best of her wisdom to her daughter. Although, I get the feeling that the daughter feels over-whelmed by the onslaught of information, life itself has way more power to overwhelm you if you are not prepared by the wisdom of those who love you and have lived before you.
   

June 8, Minority Report

Blog Prompt

1. Share your choice of short story for the Film Adaptation Proposal essay from weeks 1, 2, and 3. Briefly explain your rationale for selecting that story. A Rose for Emily. I chose this one because the story is so tied to the cultural environment that any change in environment changes the story. I plan to experiment with time and location to see what twists i can throw into the story while still leaving the main theme intact.
   

Discussion Questions

1. What similarities and differences do you notice between the story and the film versions of "The Minority Report"?What is the effect of those differences for readers/viewers? Anderton was a young man, not old. this created room to make this a believable action movie. There was more background on the pre-cogs, and they were given more of a role in the story. This rounded out their characters more and gave the story more demension for the reader. Witwer's charachter had more initial authority. He also seemed more sinister, to me. I found it more believable that he would have set Anderton up. The old man was not General Kaplan, but the founder of Pre-crime.There was no civil war, and the world did not seem to be a wasteland. They were able to use more technological effects that would only belong in a well developed future.
   

June 4, Minority Report

1. If you haven't seen it, try to imagine how the story would look as a film. How would it need to be embellished to make a feature-length film? I would embellish most in the areas of character building dialogue. I would round out the characters more, develop the relationships. There are several back-stories within this story that can be embellished, Kaplan and his organization, the army, police, govt., the war and it's aftermath. I would follow Anderton around as a fugitive; there is much excitement to be had there. I would develop the romantic relationships, and accentuate the tension there, for effect.
2. Thinking about the six elements from the Film Adaptation assignment (title, character, setting, plot/conflict, irony, symbolism), how do you think you might represent some of those things in a film version? The title is intriguing, but when i first heard it, I decided I didn't want to see the movie. Movies about racial tensions stress me out. (smile) I think i might change the title. The plot and the charachters are great, they would just have to be developed more. I would leave the irony and symbolism already present in place, and I would add more and embellish what's already there.

June 4, The Story of an Hour

1. What do you think is the larger meaning or message of this story? That women are not always truely happy to live the life of traditional wives, serving their men, etc.. 
   
2. What are some of the symbols you notice in "The Story of an Hour"? What do these things represent? She could see the signs of Spring outside of her window; the breath of rain was in the air. This symbolized her new life after the winter of her relationship, and the flash strom of the news of his death. 
   
3. In both of the stories for today, the female characters end up isolated in a room. How do these two rooms and situations differ? One is isolated in the room to take a breif moment to heal, to feel into the return of her autonomy and power. The other was in a type of forced confinement that became isolation within her own madness.  What does the room represent for each woman? For one it represents a safe place to heal, for the other it represents confinement and her own inner madness. 
   
4. How does the grief of Mrs. Mallard compare with that of Shaila Bhave in "The Management of Grief"? I haven't read TMOG. How does the point of view impact our observation and understanding of the grieving process? How do the settings of the two stories impact their handling of the information? 
   

June 3 "A Rose for Emily"

1. How does the physical setting (time and place) impact the story "A Rose for Emily"? It helps to give the charachter's personality their validity and their vitality. It helps to round out the flat charachters without the use of personal descriptions. It provides the overall mood of the story. 
   
2. While time and location are important, consider also the way cultural environment is linked to setting. Think about how the story might be different if set in a different time, place/region, and culture. The story would neccessarily be different if set in a defferent time and place. Time and place were actually charachters in te story. He spoke of the change in the attitude toward Ms. Emily as the town changed guard with time. Yet, they still showed a type of respect and familiarity that is the custom of their region. The debate about the taxes would not be the saem in New York City, and a New York nigger and a Mississippi nigger are two totally different niggers.. ;-)
   

June 3, Hills Like White Elephants

1. Looking back on the story, list the evidence that tells what kind of operation Jig is confronting. How risky is it physically and emotionally? He tells her, he doesn't want anyone but her, meaning that without the operation there would be a child. He keeps trying to convince her that he loves her and that she doesn't have to do it if she feels bad about it. He couldn't say that ifthe procedure wasn't optional. The fact that an optional surgical procedure would have so much impact on the nature of their relationship alludes to an abortion.   
2. Are you surprised that this story was written by a man? Why or why not? How might it be different if written by a woman? I'm not surprised at all. A man is as capable as a woman at recognizing complicated, conflicting and nuanced psycho-emotional situations. I honestly don't see it as how different would the story be if written by a woman, but how different the story would be if we looked at it from person to person. I think that everyone would have subtly different outlook on the situation. i also don't think that there's a wholesale feminine and masculine response to anything.
3. Hemingway once suggested that his purpose in such a story is to tell the reader as little as possible directly yet to reveal characters' motives and their conflict. How does this principle operate in this story? Where would you like to have more information (besides "he said" and "she said")? It applies throughout the story, and is shown through the very simple interactions of the couple. it is in a way shown who is in charge, and how is power is used to manipulate his partner. She is shown to be neglegent of her own needs, because it seems that she feels she needs this man's love and approval more than her own.   
4. What is the importance of the setting to the plot of the story?  The setting is important because it shows that they are actually on their way to do this deed. It is impending. There is the feeling that the decision is already made, yet the dialogue gives the impression that the decision could change. For it to change, the setting would then become an even stronger charachter. It would take on a different meaning. It would be denied, resisted, discarded, in a way. Or, its pressure and anxiety  would be immediately transformed into a slap to the cheek that clears ones head. 
   

Introduction

My name is Quincy Miller. I was born and raised in a very rural part of Arkansas. I originally went to college long ago, but had zero interest and dropped out to live, work, and explore the world in a less structured way. After a couple af years of blissful chaos, I joined the Navy, on a whim. 

I'm a General Studies major (I major in myself) and Social Work minor. This is my last class!

I'm a father, and devoted family-man.. 

I read a lot. mysticism of all varieties, philosophy, psychology, socio-political writings, poetry, an occasional novel) 

I work at a home for behaviorally challenged children who have suffered from abuse, neglect, mental illness, etc.. 

I've had such a broad array of colorful life experiences that it would be easier to not go into it. Suffice it to say, the bulk of my education didn't take place in a classroom. ;-)