Wow, Summer's Finished.

First, allow me to address the comments regarding the less than weekly updates.  The Scottish poet Robert Burns famously pointed out that "the best-laid schemes of o' mice an' men gang aft agley".  That means that the updates were thwarted by a mistake I made with the automatic update setting and ,more happily, my wedding.  That means you benefit by receiving points for less work. 

I want to  take this time to encourage some of you to revisit your comments and see if they truly answer the questions posed.  See if they are actual discussions with weight or if the are merely filler that you posted just to have it done.  I  read with a critical eye and I want substance from you.

Make certain you have read the stories and that you have your papers ready for me.  Some of you have already shared them with me, and I'm appreciative of the effort.

Here's the question of the week.


Choose one of the stories you read and write a personal reaction of no less than 300 words in the comments section. Address the characters, the writing style, the plot and the emotional reaction you had to the piece.  Be very specific in the details you use and EXPLAIN your thoughts. 

For example, don't merely state something is ironic.  Explain the irony and the effect on the character and the story. 

Almost There

I haven't forgotten.  I've been away for a bit, and I decided to wait until I returned to post a new question or two.  I've received a paper over a film from one of your number.  Good job.  Early papers are always welcome.  I hope everyone has enjoyed the summer thus far.  I'll see many of you on August 14th for "Meet the Teacher".


You have a copy of the short stories "A&P" and "A Worn Path".  I would like for you to either defend or refute the following assertion.  Both of these stories are examples of the heroic journey.  Please, no one sentence answers.  Also give five examples from the text to support your answer. 

A hero's journey usually involves overcoming obstacles to reach a goal or even to achieve self-actualization.  Think Frodo Baggins, Luke Skywalker, Katniss Everdeen, or even, Harold and Kumar. 

Back in Black (Font)

I'm back.  I took the week of the Fourth off, and i hope you did as well.
I've read your comments, and I will be responding to them as the summer dwindles. I urge you to encourage those who have signed up for the course and haven't posted to this little thing to do so.

This week is extremely easy.

What have you seen this summer?  Did it have any deeper meanings or was it just something with explosions that kept you in the air conditioning for two hours?  Film is literature, and it possesses some of the same ability to move people..Your reply should be concise and succinct.  Include the title, director, and top billed stars,  Give a one-sentence summary and your thoughts.  Please mark spoilers so that others can have a fair chance.

See.

Easy.

This is a clip from a very important film. Boyhood

 

A fine choice for a Midsummer Eve.

A few thoughts on great literature

AHEM.

May want to tell others.  This is a grade.  No fooling.

Choices, choices, choices...

For this installment I would love for you to read the short story from your packet entitled "The Story of an Hour".  It's quick and, if you lost it, it's all over the internet.  Read it and, without looking up sources to see what others think, give your impression of the protagonist in no less than 150 well chosen, gem-like words.  

 

 Here's a trailer or two relating to the subject at hand

Oops, one is actually the full film.

Stereotypes in Pop Culture

When we discuss pop culture, we are discussing art that was created to be consumed by the masses.  This means e are discussing music, film, television, comics, novels and other texts.  It is a powerful tool, but it  can also be used to demean and belittle people.  Sometimes this happens unintentionally.  For instance in the 1984 film Sixteen Candles, women, save for the protagonist, are almost all portrayed as self-involved, substance abusers.  Many of the female characters are almost psychotically materialistic.  This is an attitude that was echoed in many of the famous films and series of the 1980s seemed to popularize this image of women.  Most significantly a number of male comedians based large pieces of their acts on misogynistic depictions of women.  Eddie Murphy rather famously presented a rage filled screed against women in his hugely popular concert film RAW. 

What hurtful stereotypes have been perpetuated by pop culture in  your opinion?  Give an example for each gender and explain it using a piece of pop culture.  How does this image adversely affect people in real life?

Opening Volley

  Since a portion of your assignment is the investigation of film, this first call and response post will be relatively easy.  I want each of you to tell me what your favorite film is and why exactly you think it's a worthwhile piece of art.  I also want you to apply the Bechdel Test to it.  Explain why it does or does not pass the test. 

Word.

"The Cask of Amontillado"

Though the stories and authors are divided by many years and two very different sensibilities.  The truth is that the protagonists of both "A Cask of Amontillado" and "A & P" are similar in many ways.  How many?  Well, let me count the ways, young waverer. 

Both Sammy and Montresor have inflated senses of their value to the world at large.  Fortunato is a class apart from Montresor and only the promise of a rare vintage lures him into his vault.  "Queenie" is oblivious to the attentions of Sammy.  Sammy for his part is delusional as he quits his job and ruins vanilla ice cream forever. (He may improve it.  Your mileage may vary.)  Montresor also fails because Fortunato is never aware of why he is being killed.  The fact is that Fortunato takes up space, rent-free, in Montresor's head and lives there for at least half a century.

These two figures are archetypical poseurs.  They are late to the party of whatever their aim is.  Sammy could be chivalrous, but his view of women as objects and "types" marks him as a misogynistic loser.  Montresor is a pale imitation of nobility.  In fact, he puts one in mind of the protagonist of Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder. That character always sought respect and plotted the deaths of his betters all for naught.  he was a rightful laughingstock, just like Montresor. 

Attack with impunity, indeed.

PEACE!

"A & P"

This is an interesting story by Updike in that it takes a very mundane, banal event and transforms it into a sort of heroic quest.  Sammy is a bozo.  That's a technical term, I know; however, I feel it is an earned title.

He objectifies women throughout the story.  He doesn't even save that for the women he is attracted to in the course of the story.  If a reader focuses on the language used to describe and to name women, it is clear that, while Sammy is the protagonist, he is not a "good guy".

His "heroic" act is motivated by a mixture of lust and petulance.  He is no more chivalrous than the young knight in "The Wife of Bath's Tale".  He just happens to wear an apron and bow tie instead of mail and a helmet.