"'I'm going out of my mind,' said Zoё to her younger sister, Evan, in Manhattan." (pg. 353)
I used this quote because I thought it described Zoё perfectly. She is a very odd individual who is eccentric, insecure, selfish, and sarcastic. She randomly tells jokes that aren't really funny to most people, but she finds them hilarious. Zoё has a very bad taste in men as the past three men having been very boring. Someone in my small group today talked about how she is dying slowly internally. I thought this was a pretty accurate description because she acts like it and seems really awkward. When she feels uncomfortable, she uses humor as a defense mechanism. The title is something I don't understand. I know it comes from one of her jokes, but I don't find it funny at all. If someone asks for a second opinion, why would you say that they are ugly?
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Drunkard
"I found if I stood on tiptoe I could just reach Father's glass, and the idea occurred to me that it would be interesting to know what the contents were like. He had his back to it and wouldn't notice. I took down the glass and sipped cautiously." (pg. 347)
This short story was very interesting. Humor was definitely found in the story when the drunk child was yelling at the neighbors because they were laughing at him. I think there are undertones of pathos in the story because the father wants people to feel sorry for him. He was the one who had to take the drunk child home and have all the neighbors laugh at him. I saw the father as selfish though because he only cared about his own reputation. I also feel like pathos for the child is felt because his father is an alcoholic who doesn't pay attention to him. One irony in the story is that the father gets angry at the child for becoming drunk when really it is his fault for not watching his drink. The four perspectives of the boy's drunkenness are the people at the bar, his father, the neighbors, and his mother. The people at the bar didn't care about the boy; they just wanted him out of the bar because he wasn't supposed to be there. His father just wanted to get him home. The neighbors found it funny, and the mother thought it was the father's fault. A main point of this story was to show that the boy actually helped the father realize that he drank too much, and he should stop before the habit carries over to his kids.
This short story was very interesting. Humor was definitely found in the story when the drunk child was yelling at the neighbors because they were laughing at him. I think there are undertones of pathos in the story because the father wants people to feel sorry for him. He was the one who had to take the drunk child home and have all the neighbors laugh at him. I saw the father as selfish though because he only cared about his own reputation. I also feel like pathos for the child is felt because his father is an alcoholic who doesn't pay attention to him. One irony in the story is that the father gets angry at the child for becoming drunk when really it is his fault for not watching his drink. The four perspectives of the boy's drunkenness are the people at the bar, his father, the neighbors, and his mother. The people at the bar didn't care about the boy; they just wanted him out of the bar because he wasn't supposed to be there. His father just wanted to get him home. The neighbors found it funny, and the mother thought it was the father's fault. A main point of this story was to show that the boy actually helped the father realize that he drank too much, and he should stop before the habit carries over to his kids.
Popular Mechanics
"In this manner, the issue was decided." (pg. 345, handout)
What is this issue, and how was it decided? I believe the issue was who was going to take the baby. It was decided because the baby died so neither of them would get to keep it. I don't understand the title of the story. What does popular mechanics have to do with anything? Personally, I like the title of "Mine" better because it fits the story well as they are decided who is keeping the baby. I know that the couple is splitting up, but I can't figure out why. The setting is important because it establishes the tone in the beginning. The snow melting into dirty water, cars slushing on the street nearby, and the darkness all create a depressing mood and tone.
What is this issue, and how was it decided? I believe the issue was who was going to take the baby. It was decided because the baby died so neither of them would get to keep it. I don't understand the title of the story. What does popular mechanics have to do with anything? Personally, I like the title of "Mine" better because it fits the story well as they are decided who is keeping the baby. I know that the couple is splitting up, but I can't figure out why. The setting is important because it establishes the tone in the beginning. The snow melting into dirty water, cars slushing on the street nearby, and the darkness all create a depressing mood and tone.
The Lottery
"'Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work any more, live that way for a while.... There's always been a lottery.'" (pg. 268)
This short story has a point of view of third person objective. The narrator does not really describe the characters' emotions, he or she just tells the story. This lottery is very strange because it is a way to determine who is going to be a sacrifice The title threw me off because I was thinking that it would be about someone winning money or a certain prize. The original box has the significant meaning symbolizing the tradition of the people of this society. Traditionally, the people of the society did this to as a way to see who would be made a sacrifice to the sun god so he would grow the corn.. Now, the people just do it because it is a pattern. Participating in Mass is something that seems to have a close relationship to this. Catholics go to Mass every Sunday, but how many of them actually know what they are doing and saying and why? We seem to be like robots and just do and say as we are told without thinking through the true meaning of it.
This short story has a point of view of third person objective. The narrator does not really describe the characters' emotions, he or she just tells the story. This lottery is very strange because it is a way to determine who is going to be a sacrifice The title threw me off because I was thinking that it would be about someone winning money or a certain prize. The original box has the significant meaning symbolizing the tradition of the people of this society. Traditionally, the people of the society did this to as a way to see who would be made a sacrifice to the sun god so he would grow the corn.. Now, the people just do it because it is a pattern. Participating in Mass is something that seems to have a close relationship to this. Catholics go to Mass every Sunday, but how many of them actually know what they are doing and saying and why? We seem to be like robots and just do and say as we are told without thinking through the true meaning of it.
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