Blog #6

Question 1:

Love in L.A.: The theme is that time doesn't stop when one's daydreaming it keeps going. Time keeps running and the unexpected could happen, but there is no telling what the unexpected will bring. At times a situation, which seems unpleasant can bring that, which is pleasant.

Question 2:

The exposition of Love in LA is when Jake is sitting in traffic on the freeway and daydreaming about having a more luxurious car. The rising action and is when Jake stairs off during a green light and is paying attention to the people on the streets rather than what is occurring in front of him and on the road. The climax is when Jake steps on the brakes fast and hits the car in front of him. The falling action would be when Jake feels relief from not damaging his car. The resolution would be when Jake and the girl exchange information and they go on their way. Although this is what the order seems to be, it doesn't make much sense to me where the love story would fit in under one of these "sections" or terms.

Blog Post #6

Question 1:
The thematic statement in the short story "Love in LA," is that every person has this selfishness that they use in order to benefit and help themeselves. Jake uses his ex girlfriends old insurance company name to make it seem like he had insurance when he really didnt. This way he can look out for himself and not have to pay for any of the damage that he ever did to Marianas car. He also tries to take her out of giving away information, and also giving her false information. All this to help himself.

Question 2:
The expostion in the "Love in LA," starts with Jake sitting under the the overpass waiting in trafffic, then it moves onto describe the condition of his car and the features of it. The rising action of the story is when  Jake rear ends Marianas Toyota, which leads into the climax of the story. The climax of the story is when Jake is talking to Mariana, he tries to pick up on her. The conclusion happens when he drives off away from the accident.

Blog Post #6

 1. Thematic statement "Love in LA"

" People fall in love too easily and what feels like love may be insincere. "

Jake loves his freedom, but what he dreams of are the things he could have if he took a regular occupation. Jake has a sexual appetite, and when he finds himself in a fender bender, he is happy to see a pretty, young girl behind the wheel. He begins attempting to charm Mariana, lying and deceiving her about his career, even his name. Mariana is a young, naive, foreigner. "Fondling" the broken tail light, her car is as "soft as a waterbed." It's not love, it's sex. And Jake, a stereotype, is willing to lie and deceive to have it.



2. Freytag Pyramid "Love in LA"

In "Love in LA," the explosition begins with Jake in traffic under the overpass. Luckily he wasn't getting on the 101 this day. Or any day. But he sort of wished he was. He wants a new car, expensive cologne, and a beautiful woman on his arm. But he likes his freedom, so he is only considering it. The accident is the rising action in this story, setting up the meeting. The climax of this love story is when Jake and Mariana converse. He is trying to pick her up and she is beaming. The falling action is when Mariana agrees to give Jake her number, timidly saying "Call me." The story concludes with Jake, proud of his romancing and lies, drives away thankful for his freedom and day dreaming of his dream car, not the girl.

2. Explain where/how you see the dramatic elements (Freytag's pyramid) at work in "Trifles" "Love in L.A.", or "Battle Royale". What do you get (or DO you get) an exposition? Which moment/event signals the rising action? What's the climax? IS there any falling action? What's the resolution? Explain your choices using examples from the text

1. Jake seems to be very superficial or materialistic. The reasson why he gets in a fender bender is because he was daydreaming about agreat life. And when he meets Mariana he lies about himself but at the sametime wants her phone number as if wants to have a future encounter with her, but at the same time he lied about his whole life. Superficial people cheat and lie, it is nice to sugar coat for a moment but when it catches up, you will fall behind.

2. In "Love and L.A" the exposition is not really there, it is short. Nothing really is revealed only names and that it takes place on some kind of highway. The rising action starts when Jake daydreams about changing life styles and his image. He then still dazed out gets into a small accident where he meets Mariana, who he tries to hookj up with trying to get her number. The climax I would say take place where he finds out its not her car and she wants his address and number and car insurance company name. At the same time we find out her gives her wrong information on purpose because he does not have any insurance.The Falling action would be when she starts to take his liscence plates number and it is revealed to the audience that it is fake. He finally gets her number but he "both proud and sad about his proformance". He lied his way to her phone number. There really is no resolution only that he got her phone mumber but most-likely wont be caalling her because he gave her phony imformation. He then drives off.

Blog Post :)

Thematic statement for "Love In L.A.": Superficiality and deception might help for a few moments, but life consists of more than just a few instances. 

"Trifles" 

Throughout the beginning of the play as Mr. Hale is explaining to the the Sheriff and the County Attorney about what had happened when he found out that Mr. Wright was dead seems to be the exposition of the play because basically all that is happening is a description of what he saw and experienced. After Mr. Hale finishes with his description of the occurred, when  the investigation actually starts is when the rising action begins to take place. I don't think that rising action is correlated to the men, due to the fact that we don't see much of what is going on with their investigation. I think that the rising action has more association with the women, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale. They begin discussing the murder when Mrs. Hale asks Mrs. Peters "Do you think she did it?" During this time we seem to get more into detail about the surroundings which in turn might give us an insight on what kind of person Mrs. Wright was. From everything the women discuss we can begin to make decisions of whether Mrs. Wright murdered her husband or not. As they continue discussing Mrs. Wright the climax seems to take place when the women find the box with the dead bird in it. Mrs. Hale: "There's something wrapped in this piece of silk". Mrs. Peters: "It's the bird". Mrs. Hale: "But, Mrs. Peters -- look at it! It's neck! Look at its neck! It's all -- other side to." This might have been incriminating evidence to the Sheriff and the County Attorney. The reader at this point might draw a parallel between the bird and Mr. Wright (cause of death), but as the women talk about the incident they seem to be confused. This might in turn confuse the reader. The falling action seems to take place after the men go up once more to look for more evidence after coming down and asking about the quilt. The women discuss what it's like not having children, absence, stillness, and they seem to think Mr. Wright was the one who killed the bird. In the play there really is no resolution. It really depends on the reader to decide whether Mrs. Wright was the murderer, and if so why she did it. Maybe the closest thing to a resolution is that maybe Mr. Wright killed Mrs. Wright's canary and it hurt her much more than it should have so she killed him. However, since this is not actually stated we can't know for sure. It all just ends in simple talk with the County Attorney saying "Well, Henry, at least we found out that she was not going to quilt it. She was going to -- what is it you call it, ladies? and Mrs Hale responding "We call it -- knot it, Mr. Henderson." 

Michael Hernandez's 6th soliloquy

Number Juan) theme-ify a story!

A theme i see in The Lottery is that "Things can not be judged by their outward appearance". this theme is developed, naturally, from the fact that readers generally view the lottery as a good thing up until the true nature us revealed in the end. what seems to be a nice community with security and strong bonds is actually a society bound to a gross tradition.

Number Too)  Explain the Drama-Bombs in the stories we read

 Exposition for Love in L.A is inferred rather than given. The given setting brings along with it a personality that we assign to Jake- his selfish, materialistic nature. His crappy car also gives insight into what kind of person he is. Mariana can also be assigned traits based on her actions and what she reveals regarding her car.

rising action would be the distracted driving and car crash that resulted in the conversation between the two characters. the climax might be when Jake gives Mariana his information and tells her she is beautiful. the falling action would be Jake revealing that all of the information is fake.  as  denouement, Jake continues on his way, daydreaming about being awesome.

i don't really consifder this very dramatic as far as drama goes. i wouldn't make an ABC or TNT series out of it anyway.

Blog Post 6- Kendra Fitzpatrick

Question #1: Trifles: What is considered right and wrong for some people may not always be the same for others. When challenged by a hard choice you will always choose the path that makes the most sense to you and makes you most comfortable.

Question #2: The exposition of Love in LA, is brief, you learn the name of the main character and where the story is set (you learn the name of the other character and her story after the inciting incident). Speaking of which, the inciting incident is when Jake rear-ends Mariana, from there the plot rises through the many scummy layers of Jake's thought process as he weasels out of the crash. Jake get's what he wants as Mariana gives him her phone number at the climax. The falling action is non existent as the resolution arrives with both parties getting into their cars and going on their way, Jake knowing that he has gotten away with the crash with no ramifications. He goes on his way and falls back into his previous musings, as if nothing happened.

#6

thematic statement for Love in L.A.: Freedom can be used unwisely if a person goes through their life with a selfish mentality and doesn't tell the truth. You can say all the right things, but what you do is the proof.

 2. The story starts off with the exposition as it gives a look into where it takes place and a little about Jake. The rising action would be the traffic and leading up to him hitting Mariana's car, as he is side tracked gazing out his window. I think the climax would be when he asks her out on a date to 'reconcile' for  what happened, because it is the point in the story that kind of determines the events that come after it (the falling action). The falling action would be Jake lying to this innocent girl, and then  her giving him her number and telling him to call her. The resolution would maybe be the fact that Jake succeeds in luring in this girl in a sort of manipulative way, but we don't really know what happens to the two of them.

Blanca's Blog #6

1) For "Love in L.A", I believe the theme is superficial. "Love in L.A" sort of gives the reader a stereotypical look into the life of someone who is very superficial and lives in Los Angeles. Jake is shown as someone who has a nice car, thinks he can get any girl that he wants and has all the time in the world, which is shown when he basically laughs at the fools who are in a hurry to work for the "man". 

2) In "Love in L.A." the exposition starts off when Jake is introduced to the audience. We are then given a bit of background information of how he sees the world, i suppose. The climax is when his car crashes into Mariana's car. The audience is then left with a question ending, which is will Mariana ever see Jake again?

blog #6 Andrew S.

1) For "Love in L.A." I believe the theme is that even freedom comes with a price.  In the story the main character Jake believes he has freedom to do whatever he wants because he is not held down by having a constant job.  But unfortunately for Jake, he really does not have complete "freedom," because he is broke and has a barely functioning car.  Jake imagines having a job and be able to afford all the things he needs, but he would rather live a care free life.  Jake's lifestyle comes into full view with the way he deals with his car accident: he tries sweet-talking Mariana, lies about his phone number and insurance, and the license plate on his car is not his.  If Jake did not live the life he lead, he would not have to lie his way out of these types of situations.  The theme of "Love in L.A." is freedom comes with a price and that nothing is really free.

2) There are some dramatic elements present in "Love in L.A." and then there are some that are not used.  The story starts with an exposition giving the reader where the story takes place ("...early morning beneath the overpass of the Hollywood Freeway on Alvarado Street." [Gilb 267]) and gives some insight into how the main character Jake thinks.  Into the second paragraph of the story, the rising action starts when Jake gets into a fender bender; "He pounced the brake pedal and steered the front wheels away from the tiny brakelights but the smack was unavoidable" (Gilb 267).  The story progresses with Jake dealing with the accident and meeting the woman he hit, Marianna.  Jake starts conversating with Mariana and they eventually start exchanging information.  I do not think it is very clear at first but the climax has to be when Jake lies about his information and exposes his true self to the reader; "He made up a last name and addres and wrote down the name of an insurance company an old girlfriend once belonged to" (Gilb 268).  The falling action occurs right after this when Mariana gives her phone number to Jake and the resolution would be that Jake managed to sliver himself out of taking care of the accident.  Because the story is very short, I did not think there was an emotional release for the reader but it does come as a shock when you do realize how much Jake is lying about everything to avoid the consequences.

Blog 6, by Carson

1)   Thematic statement for A&P: Life is full of right and wrong decisions with random occurrences and your actions have a large impact on the outcome of your future.

2)   “Love in LA” drops right into the exposition of the first paragraph. In fact, the whole paragraph is dedicated to informing the reader the whereabouts and thoughts of the main character, Jake.  The rising action abruptly comes into play, as it should to simulate the real life surprising and dreadful moments in a car crash.  “…one second too late.” Is the exact moment the rising action is introduced.  If “Love in LA” has a climax, then it’s a very minuscule one.  The most climatic moment I can see are the last words Mariana says; “Call me”.  Even though she says it timidly, in a way it gives Jake hopes for the future.  The resolution immediately follows in the last paragraph of the story. Jake ponders and reflects about what has just happened and then proceeds on with his average day.  

Blog #6

"Red Riding Hood" thematic statement: A person's virtue is one of the most sacred things a person can possess.

In "Trifles" the exposition starts off with describing the house. It describes the house as being dreary and the house is not well maintained and is warn down. It also mentions Mrs. Wright personality and how she would act and behave before the accident ever happened. The rising action occurs when Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale begin reflect the relationship between Mrs. Wright and her husband and then the County Attorney questions the women. The climax is when the women end up finding the dead bird in the box which is surprisingly the same way that her husband died. The falling action is the realization that Mrs. Wright did indeed kill her husband and she is put into jail. The resolution is when Mrs. Peters and Mrs. hale try to cover up Mrs. Wright's purpose and get rid of the dead bird.  

Sydney Witt

Blog Post #6 Kathryn Boyle

1. "Love in LA" Thematic statement: Superficial or selfish pursuits can trump compassion and genuine love for another person.

2. In "Love in LA," the writer immediately brings us in to Jake's current situation without any previous information on his life. Throughout the exposition we are hearing Jake's thoughts and dreams, that is where we get our information to make a judgement of him. Then there is the minor car collision that starts off the rising action. The events continue to build as Jake meets Mariana and begins his web of lies. He uses flirting to distract this naive girl from noticing his bogus information, he turns the focus onto him trying to get a date out of her. The climactic point happens when Mariana finally gives Jake her phone number seeming to fall into his trap. From this point there is the falling action of the two parting ways and the resolution of Jake getting away scott free.

Blog Post # 6: Alisia

1) Love in L.A.: Men tend to act and say what they think a women wants to hear while women are honest and open from the beginning.

2) There are some dramatic elements in "Love in L.A.". The exposition is when the Jake's car is described and we learn a bit about him. The rising action is when he runs into the back of Mariana's car. The climax is when they are talking and Jake is trying to get her to go out with him. The falling action is when they go back to their own cars and she write's his license plate number down. The resolution is when he pulls back onto the street and is thinking about what he wants for his car.

Blog #6 A. Leader

1. Compose a thematic statement for any of the stories/plays we've read thus far. Keep in mind that a thematic statement must contain a complete idea (i.e., "love" or "revenge" aren't themes -- they're simply the subject of a theme. You may want to look at the lecture on theme in Content to help you, especially as a) this isn't an unlikely question for the final exam and b) theme is a popular element to pursue in the final paper. The lecture also contains a number of thematic statements.
      Theme Statement from "Love in L.A.": Being dishonest only sets you back in life, and you won't get anywhere if you continue this deception. 

2. Explain where/how you see the dramatic elements (Freytag's pyramid) at work in "Trifles" "Love in L.A.", or "Battle Royale". What do you get (or DO you get) an exposition? Which moment/event signals the rising action? What's the climax? IS there any falling action? What's the resolution? Explain your choices using examples from the text.
     In the play "Trifles" written by Susan Glaspell begins with an exposition of the scene to help describe the setting and introduce the characters. It starts off describing the kitchen as "gloomy...and left without having been put in order." In the house the county attorney (Henderson), the sheriff (Peters), and a neighboring farmer (Hale) are looking for any evidence they can find for the murder of John Wright. All the men seem to believe that the murderer is his wife, Mrs. Wright; however, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hales are trying to prove otherwise as they gather a few items for Mrs. Wright to have while she is locked up. When the three men go upstairs to look for further evidence in the bedroom where he was murdered, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hales begin speaking about whether or not they think Mrs. Wright committed the murder,
MRS. HALE: Do you think she did it?
MRS. PETERS (in a frightened voice): Oh, I don't know.
MRS. HALE: Well, I don't think she did. Asking for an apron and her little shawl. Worrying about her fruit.
This is the signal of the rising action because from here the two women start finding more and more clues of evidence. After looking around the room, they find an empty, beat up bird cage. Both of the women did not know Mrs. Wright very well, so they never really went to visit her but neither of them could recall her having a bird or a cat that could have eaten the bird. Continuing with suspense, the story leads to the climax when they find a box and they open it. Inside was the bird that had been strangled. The falling action is when the women try to hide the dead bird with all the other items they're bringing Mrs. Wright, and they get away with it by hiding under quilt pieces. As the reader, we can conclude that the evidence of the strangled bird proves that Mrs. Wright is the one that killed her husband; however, without the men knowing about this evidence, she cannot be further convicted. This leaves the audience wondering if she will get away with this murder. 

Blog #6: Colton Quick

1. “To Build a Fire” – Jack London uses setting to show fear, struggle, and ignorance to convey that experience does not beget unpredicted events; you cannot be prepared for everything.

2. Upon reading “Love in L.A.” I was able to notice different dramatic elements at work. The exposition starts off right at the beginning of the story, as Jake is introduced sitting in traffic. At this point his background information starts to come out and it can be inferred that he is not very well off as he does not have a steady job, it can also be figured that he is a local in L.A. as he seems used to being in the traffic. The rising action happens when, “Jake was thinking about this freedom of his so much that when he glimpsed its green light he just went ahead.” The line just referenced from the story creates a sense that something important, or surprising is about to happen in the story. The story then leads into the climax, where his car makes what “seemed like only a harmless smack” into the car in front of him. The story then goes into a reversal as he walks up to the driver of the car and begins to flirt with her. The falling action then proceeds as he tries to get the lady he hit, Mariana, to give him her number. At this point he does not even seem to care about the damage of the car. The story finally concludes with Jake achieving his goal of getting Mariana’s number, he is not worried that he may have to pay for the damage because the plates on his car belong to a different vehicle and he gave her the wrong information. At this conclusion the character is seen as getting what he wanted, but the audience is left wondering as to what will happen next, will they go out on a date, will Jake have to pay for the damage, will they see each other again? 

blog post #6

1. Little Red Riding Hood thematic statement: Beware of your surroundings and of those who present themselves deceptively.

2. In the story "Trifles" the exposition is the house, it is described as "gloomy" and left without having been put in order, Mrs. Hale also says the house was never ver cheerful. The rising action occurs when County Attorney starts questioning the women, then the men go upstairs and Ms. Hale and Mrs. Peters look around and start finding clues, which leads to the climax, the women find the dead bird in the box with its neck rung, just like the husband died. The falling action is when the ladies hide the dead bird so the men won't see it and the resolution is since the women kept that from the men, they do no have that evidence that she killed her husband.

Blog Post #6 Valeria

Question #1: Thematic Statement for "Trifles": There is no equality for women due to the fact that men are considered the "dominant" gender. Men constantly underestimate women because men believe they have nothing to offer.
Question #2: In "Trifles" there is an exposition when the house is described as well as when the women begin to describe Mrs. Wright's personality and behavior before the incident happened. The rising action happens when Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale begin to look back on the relationship between Mrs. Wright and her husband and how much she and her life had changed after she got married. The climax is when they find Mrs. Wright's dead bird and see that it had been strangled which is the exact same way Mr. Wright was murdered. They begin to realize that it was in fact Mrs. Wright who killed him. The falling action is when the women get her things together to take to her in jail and the resolution is when the women decide not to tell the men what they have found.

Blog #6: Sydney Thiessa

Question 1:
Thematic statement for "Trifles": Men and women have established roles in society, where their gender differences become apparent and significant. Men are aggressive and impatient; women are calm and intuitive.

Question 2:
In "Trifles", the exposition is set up in the scene description, which is an element of all plays. The exposition establishes the aesthetic and mood of the scene, in which the scene is described as "gloomy" and unkempt. The moment that signals the rising action is when Mrs. Peters is concerned with Mrs. Wright's frozen fruit, "worrying over trifles". From this point, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale continue to find clues that point to Mrs. Wright's motive for murder, where the climax is finding the dead bird. After this incident, it becomes clear to the two women that Mrs. Wright was unhappy in her marriage, motivating her to kill her husband. There is no noticeable falling action after the climax. The resolution occurs with Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale covering up Mrs. Wright's motive (shown through the dead bird).

Blog #5

In the society from "Girl," it is much different from ours today. For instance, back then, women didn't have careers or make money by themselves. The men were the ones who went to work during the day and "brought home the bacon" so to speak. It was completely normal for women to stay at home and cook and clean and be stay at home mothers. With that kind of society, it molded women to have habits of cleaning, taking care of the house and not really having a voice. Their husbands were head of the house and always has the final and sometimes the only say in big decisions. In the story, it shows how crucial their culture relied on this type of behavior by showing the conversation between the mother and her daughter. The mother kept saying things like if she were to lose her virginity, she would become a slut and it would make her life so much harder. Women must be pure when they are married and then must take care of her husband and her family and the house.


Sydney Witt

Blog Post #6

1. "To Build a Fire" thematic statement: When struggling to survive, human nature will be your greatest downfall.

2. In "Love in L.A.", the dramatic elements seem quite simple. The exposition, or background information, come when the author describes Jake's car. This shows what he wishes he could have and how he views himself. The rising action comes when he first hits Mariana's car. The climax is, of course, their conversation, where Jake comes off as somewhat of a jerk. The falling action is when he tries to hit on her and she continually denies him. The denouement, in my opinion, comes when he drives off because he feels a sense of freedom and she feels as though she's done the right thing by getting his information for the crash and denying his offer to go to breakfast with him.

Blog Post 6 -Andrea Morrison

1.       Compose a thematic statement for any of the stories/plays we've read thus far. Keep in mind that a thematic statement must contain a complete idea (i.e., "love" or "revenge" aren't themes -- they're simply the subject of a theme. You may want to look at the lecture on theme in Content to help you, especially as a) this isn't an unlikely question for the final exam and b) theme is a popular element to pursue in the final paper. The lecture also contains a number of thematic statements.

Answer:  “To Build A Fire” thematic statement: The power of mankind will always fall to the power of nature.

2.       Explain where/how you see the dramatic elements (Freytag's pyramid) at work in "Trifles" "Love in L.A.", or "Battle Royale". What do you get (or DO you get) an exposition? Which moment/event signals the rising action? What's the climax? IS there any falling action? What's the resolution? Explain your choices using examples from the text.

Answer: In “Trifles” we, the reader, get a little exposition when we are described the physical characteristics of the house. Also, when the Sheriff begins questioning everyone about the scenario we learn a little about the wife and husbands life style. The rising action starts when the women, Mrs.Hale and Mrs.Peters begin to get question. They try to justify the odd actions of their friend and scurry around the kitchen. The climax is when Mrs.Hale and Mrs.Peters find the dead bird in the sewing box with a rung neck. The falling action is when the women start packing up some of the wife’s “harmless” household items as they talk about how they might have helped her.  The resolution is when the ladies leave the house with the suspicious murder clues leaving the men to arise at their own conclusion.

Zach's 6th

1.  "Love in L.A." thematic statement:  When in a big city people's lives are chaotic, and there are many whom look out only for themselves while take advantage of others.



2.   There are many dramatic elements found "Love in L.A.," for example, Jake's constant inner thoughts and things like when he critiques his own pickup lines are examples of monologue, dialogue and the conflict are shown in his interactions with Mariana, and much is learned about his character through these.  A good exposition is the description of Jake's car, how clean and neat it is, and how it is one of the few things in his life like that.  When Jake hits the back of Mariana's car signals the moment the rising action begins, the climax, I'd say, is when Jake get's the girls phone number, and the little falling that takes place is shown when they each get back into their vehicles and Jake feels pride and accomplishment in getting the girl's number.  The story is resolved when the two exchange insurance and contact information and go their separate ways, though Jake's information only made up.

BLOG 6, THEME AND DRAMATIC ELEMENTS

Answer both of the questions below, 
and comment on two peer posts.


1. Compose a thematic statement for any of the stories/plays we've read thus far. Keep in mind that a thematic statement must contain a complete idea (i.e., "love" or "revenge" aren't themes -- they're simply the subject of a theme. You may want to look at the lecture on theme in Content to help you, especially as a) this isn't an unlikely question for the final exam and b) theme is a popular element to pursue in the final paper. The lecture also contains a number of thematic statements.

2. Explain where/how you see the dramatic elements (Freytag's pyramid) at work in "Trifles" "Love in L.A.", or "Battle Royale". What do you get (or DO you get) an exposition? Which moment/event signals the rising action? What's the climax? IS there any falling action? What's the resolution? Explain your choices using examples from the text.

Blog 5

3. Would you respond to “Girl” differently if we reversed sex and you imagine the narrator is male, a father advising a young woman on how to become the proper kind? Ultimately, what’s at stake in a woman, a mother, advising a young girl in this manner versus a man, a father, doing so? What are the implications?

I definitely would have responded to "Girl" differently if the narrator was a man, father figure advising the young woman on how to become proper. When the mother figure is advising the young girl, the tone of the story is more a sense of the mother telling her daughter all the knowledge she has learned throughout the years. This is to help her daughter become the perfect wife she needs to be for her future husband. If the story was told as a father's perspective it would have been more of a racist sense, since the male figure would be telling the daughter what he thinks the daughter should do to prepare herself of being the perfect wife. In the story it says how she should sew clothes, iron her dad's clothes, how to act like a lady, etc., so it would seem as if the dad was taking the responsibility in teaching his daughter how to act proper rather than leaving it up to the mother implying to the mother that she wasn't proper enough.

Blog Post #5 Anthony Valle

The story would definitely be different if the narrator was a male. First the time period has to be taken into account and what womens roles in society were at the time. It seems like this story is taking place back in the days, so the father would probably tell his daughter that she needs to cook, clean, and to get married. His instruction would probably be the same throughout their entire society, based on the time it takes place. I really do not think the father would call his daughter a slut however.

Blog Post 5

On “A&P”

1. “A & P” is often described as a “coming of age” story, in which we watch a boy change significantly – perhaps not becoming a man, exactly, but making a decision that has implications beyond the literal and will mature him in various ways. This decision is influenced, possibly caused by his sense of masculinity and burgeoning sexuality. Explain how you see these things related: how does his gender identity/sexuality influence his decision? (Hint: consider his observations of other men). 

Sammy, a young man working as a clerk in a neighborhood grocery, becomes especially interested in three women who enter to store on a summer afternoon. He consider them, thinking to himself, "do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?" At the time this was written, women were supposed to fill roles society had set for them. Mother, wife, caregiver, come to mind. Modesty was almost certainly one of them. 

The manager, however, enforcing the rules of the store reminds the girls they can't come in dressed in bathing suits. 
 
Stokesie, also a young clerk, mutters, "oh daddy, I feel so faint." They are entranced by this woman's beauty. The old meat man couldn't get his eyes off them.

Sammy is absolutely entranced by these women, and attempts to do something on principle, quitting his job, because the way these girls were treated. Now he faces  realities of life, with no job, and no girl to comfort him.





 

Blog 5 by Carson

Question 2 from 'Girl'

When a mother speaks to her daughter in the tone used in the narrative “Girl”, it means the mother is mentoring and tutoring the girl into becoming a woman. The daughter is at the age where she is going to begin doing things on her own, have an interest in men, and have a sense of responsibilities. This is the right time for her mother to start teaching her how to behave like a woman.  The daughter’s mother has the urge to teach all she knows about being a woman, because, if she does not the daughter will learn on her own in the streets. The mother is putting pressure into all these rules and duties so that her daughter is accepted into society and it could be seen that the tone of the mother is strict but also worried, worried for her daughter to turn out right in the eyes of society. It is also the mother’s responsibility to teach her daughter how to act accordingly, if the mother fails at this society looks down on her too.  

Post #5 Girl J.C

The dialogue of "Girl" is that of a mother telling her daughter all the things she must be in order to be a successful woman. There is no love behind these words. The mother is not watching out for her or making a good woman, rather she is making her become an uncertain and questionable girl. Her mother is confusing her.  Since it is the mother who is telling her these things, we as the reader assume that she is speaking to her daughter from bad past experiences. Although the mother is giving her advice, the words she speaks are harsh and bitter; we can assume that she has experienced many bad things in her life since she speaks with such passion about not falling and becoming an exemplary woman in life.  Now, if the narrator had been the father, our way of viewing the story if it would be her dad to talk the same exact words and the same tone and put a man as the narrator then it would come across as extremely abusive and manipulative. For a mother to say that to a daughter it’s okay, but for a father it is unacceptable. If the father would call his daughter a "slut" it would be almost the same as him slapping her in the face. If a man calls any lady “whore” or “slut” then it is immediately abusive language and he is viewed as oppressive. Men have to be so much more careful with the choice of words when speaking, unlike woman.

Blog Post 5 Girl Question 2 Kendra

In Girl, Jamaica Kincaid uses heavily loaded language to tell the story of a (shocker) girl that is being instructed how to become a good woman. The fact that the girl's mother is the one spouting off the harsh words is particularly shocking, though I'm not sure it was meant to be so literal. I believe that Kincaid uses the repetitive quote of "...slut you are so bent on becoming" to illustrate the girl's frustration at her mother for inundating her with all the "rules" necessary to become a lady, I don't believe that it is supposed to be a direct quote from the mother. 

To speak to another human being with such disregard for their feelings is awful, I'm not saying it doesn't happen but to allude that a mother would speak that way to her daughter is either a very large cultural gap or a vast exaggeration. Usually this kind of exchange is reserved for two teenage girls who have some kind of problem with each other, not for a mother and a daughter.

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As I mentioned in class, Kincaid has had an over note of bitterness to most of her essay's (stemming from what I believe is a general distaste of her upbringing in an English colony) so the acerbic words don't feel out of place at all in her writing. I usually try to keep my writing as neutral as possible, but in this case I feel put out. I suppose the essay "On Seeing England For The First Time" colored my view of her in a dark and rather unpleasant light. And I am sorry if anything I've said has insulted anyone.

2. Think about girl from a linguistic model: analyze the language used, keeping in mind that the narrator is a female, echoing her mother’s advice. What does it mean for a woman to speak to another woman in this tone, with these words?           
                                                                                                                                             
 The way the mother speaks makes me think that they are in the early 1900 or even 1800 when women were to act like ladies. The advise that she gives her daughter is the way she should act like to attract a man. If a woman were to speak like this to another woman now-a-days it would be considered or taken as an insult. Why would another woman care how another is to behave or do. Now-a-days women talk behind ones back in nasty maners. Probably using nasty language. Back in the day I think that a woman talking to another woman, the way the narrators mother speaks to her, would be considered advise. Good old advice to not seem like a "slut". She is guiding her daughter, teaching her. Her mother is only being blunt to help her get a good husband/man. At the end the mother questions her daughter that after all her advise is she still going to be a woman that a man wont let near his "bread." I think that bread here represents money, security. She shall not act or be a slut because at the end of the day man will only stay with a woman because she is a lady.   



 

                                                                               

Blog #5

On “A&P”

1. “A & P” is often described as a “coming of age” story, in which we watch a boy change significantly – perhaps not becoming a man, exactly, but making a decision that has implications beyond the literal and will mature him in various ways. This decision is influenced, possibly caused by his sense of masculinity and burgeoning sexuality. Explain how you see these things related: how does his gender identity/sexuality influence his decision? (Hint: consider his observations of other men). 

Answer: In A & P, this 19 year old boy watches these three girls wearing only bikinis walk around the store he works at, he notices the other guys in the store looking at the women and checking them out as he is. The way he checks out the girl is probably how every guy would. After his manager embarrassed the three girls and told them not to come back in the store without being covered up, the boy decides to quit. He tries to say it loud enough for them to hear but they don't because they are rushing out the door. He wanted to show his masculinity by trying to be their "unsuspected hero". He wanted to show the girls that he is a man standing up for them, which makes him feel like he is a man for standing up to his manager sticking up for the girls. 

Blog Post # 5 Alisia

2. A lot of focus on the girls in the store: take on the veil of a feminist critic and analyze any of the models: the biological, cultural, and linguistic models of feminist criticism I introduced you to briefly in class.  This is just dipping a toe in – play with it and see what you come up with. Try to come up with a number of ideas given the three possibilities here.

Sammy focuses on the three girls in bathing suits the whole time they are in the store. He notices a lot of little details about the girls as they go around the store. He notices what kinds of suits they have on and what they look like. It is also brought up that normally people would put on some piece of clothing before going into a store. The other people in the store, like the woman he is ringing up, are also physically described. He also notices the way the “Queen” walks, like she doesn’t care what other people think of her. All the other women in the store are also described a little. The other women aren’t even called women, they are sheep or houseslaves. I think that it is pretty important that the girls are described in this way because it shows more about who Sammy is and who he wants to be.

This was written in a time where it wasn’t appropriate to wear such little clothing in a public place. You could tell how the other people in the store felt about the way they were dressed by the looks they were giving them. You could also tell because they were surprised and had to double check to make sure that they weren’t seeing things.  

#5

2. Think about girl from a linguistic model: analyze the language used, keeping in mind that the narrator is a female, echoing her mother’s advice. What does it mean for a woman to speak to another woman in this tone, with these words?

  The language used in Girl is a very demanding and informative tone. The mother is very straight forward and is telling her daughter how to behave and do things a woman should do them. The language the mother uses is very degrading it seems like when she reminds her daughter to not become this slut she has warned her about. The way she talks to her daughter is in a way that she already knows she is going to become a slut. The fact that this woman (the mother) is talking to her daughter like this can be seen as a lecture of advice for this young girl so she knows how to face daily chores and encounters, also the tone used could mean that sheis showing her how to act in the culture and time in order to not be seen as a weak woman. She wants her daughter to be strong and independent, but not one who is getting unwanted attention from men, "This is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming." Women are very honest, and as a mother her language is very straight forward and instructive. Her repetetive words about her daighter being this slut is evident that this is the way she views her daughter and i think she is trying to give her as much instruction as possible because she has already lost some hope for her becuase she knows she will become this slut.

Blog #5 Kathryn Boyle

The dialogue of "Girl" is that of a mother telling her daughter all the things she must be in order to actually be a woman. Since it is the mother who is telling her these things, we as the reader assume that she is speaking to her daughter from experience and there is some love behind it. Even though the mother's words are seem rather harsh and laced with a kind of bitterness, we can assume she is telling her daughter these things because she has a certain image that she feels would benefit her daughters life. Now while we can brush off the mom as either bitter or worrisome, if the narrator had been the father, our perception would have changed drastically. If we were to talk the same exact words and the same tone and put a man as a narrator, it would come across as if he were being verbally abusive. Mothers and daughters can get away with saying things like this to each other, but for example if a father were to call his daughter a "slut" it would be almost the same as him slapping her in the face. When men give these comments to women it suddenly becomes sexist and oppressive, even if they are just the same words that came from a woman's mouth.

Mikael's Blog #5

On A&P, First Question:
In this story, we see Sammy making a clear and concise decision by the end of the story.  After seeing the way that Lengel reacts to the girls wearing swimsuits and his decision to kick them out, Sammy quits on the spot.  While it can be said that he was quitting for the injustice of the situation, his body language suggests that he has an ulterior motive.  He makes a point of attempting to quit while they can still see him, so that they can see their "unsuspected hero".  Throughout the story, it is the physical traits of the people, both men and women, that stand out to young Sammy.  He comments on the weight of one girl, the gait of the "queen", and even the mannerisms of Lengel,  the boss.  While he does quit by the end, the reader is shown the social expectations and norms that are evident in the time period.  When referring to Stokesie, he mentions that he's married and has two kids.  In the next sentence, the same Stokesie is referred to as "the responsible married man", pointing out that the two adjectives go hand-in-hand.  All three of the men's reactions to the girls are indicative of what was expected of them as males.  While he thought the queens actions were cute, Stokesie reacted uncomfortably and Lengel ended up kicking the girls out of the store.  In the end, all of their actions were decided by the responsibilities set forth by the society and the time period.  Once Sammy had quit, he came to the realization that his headstrong decision provided no positive outcome.  He was fairly easily replaced, and didn't receive so much as a thank you from the girls.

Blog #5 question 3 by Valeria Gallegos

I would definitely respond differently to Girl if it was her father instead of her mother telling her to do these things. It would sound much harsher if it was a man because he would not know how to be a woman and the things that they go through on an everyday basis. Due to this it would sound as if he doesn't want to understand her and how she really feels and just wants her to do all these things because he THINKS it is what she needs to do to become a better woman. Since it is the mother saying all of these things its more likely that the daughter will listen and obey because she knows that her mother has had firsthand experience in becoming a woman so the daughter would trust that what she was saying was crucial information that she needs to adhere to. Of course, whether it be her father or mother telling her to do these things I am still shocked that a parent, no matter the gender, would talk to their daughter in this way. I would be bothered by it a bit more if it was her father, however since they are typically seen as the protector of the household and talking to his daughter like this is not protecting her but hurting her and ultimately damaging her self-esteem. Yes, it is a mother giving her daughter advice and warning her about the dangers of the outside world but, there are a lot of parents who give advice and help their child in a more kinder and loving way which is what I would have liked to have seen in this story, however, that is not the case here and in many other families as well. One would think that the mother would at least be kinder to her daughter since they are both women but, during this time period all of these things were expected from every woman and those that did not do these things were seen in a negative light so I can somewhat see where the mother is coming from; she doesn't want her daughter to become a "slut'" but to become a responsible and respectable woman.

Blog Post #5: Sydney Thiessa

A&P, Question 2

Feminist cultural model:
Given the time period that A&P was written in, the early 1960s still had the traditional and conservative values from the 1950s, where it wasn't until later in the decade that social change would begin to occur. That being said, women had very specific and expected social roles, like the housewife. Women would do the chores and the shopping, but in "decent" clothing. They were expected to look decent everywhere they went, which is why the girls in A&P were forced to leave because of their indecent bathing suits. The age of the girls is particularly important. Teenagers during this time period wanted to break free from traditional values, hence the obsession with rock and roll music and drive-in theaters. The younger generation was the one to inspire and go about social change, a sort of rebellion against the older generation, which is why the manager of A&P, Lengel, tells the girls "they need to come in here with your shoulders covered". Lengel is a part of the older generation. Sammy doesn't object to the girls wearing their bathing suits because he is a part of the younger generation.

5$ footlong for michael hernandez

A&P question  2

2. A lot of focus on the girls in the store: take on the veil of a feminist critic and analyze any of the models: the biological, cultural, and linguistic models of feminist criticism I introduced you to briefly in class.  This is just dipping a toe in – play with it and see what you come up with. Try to come up with a number of ideas given the three possibilities here.

    In general, a feminist struggle can clearly be seen through character interactions regarding wearing bathing suits. In a society ruled by oppressive gender roles, the trio of girls stood up for the right to be accepted and be respected  after being  reprimanded by the bourgeois-like store manager who sees their garb as shameful and disrespectful. What i found intriguing was the contrast between Sam's actions and thoughts. through his thoughts: "You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glassjar?) ",  we see that he doesnt understand the females and assumes them to be unintelligent. throughout the story, Sam views the girls simply as sexual objects, finding it acceptable for them to wear bathing suits, while desiring older women with vericose veins and children to be decently dressed. 

Sam, though overall depicted as a stereotypical male, also displays a feminist viewpoint as certain points; at the very least, he respects their viewpoint. he notes that the "queen" walks straight and slowly without shame or concern with what others thought of them. here, Sam seems to respect the girls stand for independence and freedom. he admires how the girls walk through the store, which is filled with "house-slaves"-women who have submitted to the enslaving gender roles- with no concern about how they are viewed. the girls stand in stark contrast to the sheep who simply follow tradition. even when Lengel, a figurative slave-master, proceeds to reprimand them, Queenie argues that "we are decent". 

  
   it is at this point in the story that i believe Sam makes a feminist(?) stand. when Lengel tells the girls that covered shoulders are "our policy", Sam defines policy as "what the kings want", while what everyone else desires is juvenile delinquency; the delinquency is indeed juvenile when compared to old, long-standing tradition. Sam challenges this tradition after Lengel tells him that upsetting it would fair badly for him. i guess you could say that he rebels against his role by quitting, not so much for the girls and their cause, but for himself.

that's my idea anyway, im just stabbing in the dark.Sam could just be following the whole heterosexist idea that a woman always needs a man to rescue her. in which case, the fact that the girls leave and ignore him could be another feminist action on their part.

Post #5: Colton Quick

A&P: Question #2

In A&P Sammy, the narrator, is observing these girls who come into the store the he works in who are only wearing bathing suits. Throughout the story he is thoroughly examining every detail about them in a way most guys would do. The only thing about the scene he is describing is that it is unusual for these girls to be in bathing suits because it is in the middle of the city a ways from the beach in Boston, he states that “women generally put on a shirt or shorts or something before they get out of the car into the street.” So, this surprise, I think, makes Sammy analyze these girls all the more, just as any guy deprived girls in bathing suits would do. He definitely has a masculine gender identity and strong male sexuality. His male sexuality is seen in his analysis of the girls, and his masculinity is seen in how he tries to quit in front of the girls to show that he is standing up for them after his boss embarrassed them. Sammy just shows the stereotypical manly impulse to do anything we can to impress a girl even if it may turn out bad for us. In his case he ends up losing his job and the girls do not even stick around to talk to him after the act; I can identify with this as I have tried to impress girls and not gotten feedback from them. This is what I think this short story is trying to do. I think too that as society changes and man reach different ages men try and do different things to impress girls, for instance a lot of the time in high school I would try and impress girls with my athletic ability. I think in this story too that because Sammy is feeling that he is growing older now that he has just turned 19 that he must impress girls by being seen as a man rather than a boy. So he quits his job, symbolizing that jobs carry with them a meaning of maturity or coming of age.

Blog Post #5

Question #3 on Girl

Reading "Girl" would be much different if it were from a man's perspective. I think when contemplating what it would be like from that perspective, it is important to look at the time this was written, 1978. The things this woman is advising or telling her daughter, are things that were assumed to be a woman's job. Most of them still are considered this way. A father would not necessarily know these type of things to advise a young woman on. A mother knows how to become a woman because she has been there, she has grown up from a young woman into an adult woman and she is just giving her daughter what she feels is important advice on how to become a proper woman. If her father had been advising her of these things, he would come off very controlling and almost abusive towards women because he would be demanding things such as having an abortion or cleaning and cooking correctly, or deeming her a slut. These would seem very judgmental coming from her father, whereas coming from her mother they are strictly words of advice and trying to help her avoid certain situations as she grows up. This is why the gender of the narrator is almost crucial to this piece of literature and something that must be considered while reading it.

Blanca's Blog # 5

Girl Question # 3:
        If I were to read the version of "Girl" in which a father were giving his daughter advice on how to be a well respected young-woman, I definitely would've been a bit disappointed  giving the fact that this father has not been in the shoes of a woman and does not know what a woman's does or how she behave. Asking a man to act like a woman might give more of a stereotypical outcome of what a woman's role is. The man might start acting a little bit more delicately and feminine, trying his hardest not to get his hands dirty. He'd believe that being a woman meant staying at home, cooking, and taking care of the kids and the home, but when you look at what being a woman really is through a woman's eyes, you can see the hard work that must be put into making sure that her family is in good hands. It makes me think of how people stereotype gays and lesbians too. All in all, it wouldn't seem right to have a father giving advice to a daughter given that he himself does not know what being a woman consist of.

Blog #5

"A&P" Question #1

As a male the narrator felt as though he must stand up for the girls in order to be their "unsuspected hero." In society and throughout history males have usually been the providers of their families. They are there in movies to save the day and make woman believe as though they need a man in their life. The narrator wanted to be the man to stand up for the girls. He wanted to show them that he was a "macho" man and could be there for them. He tried to prove that he was not just some kid, but that he was worthy enough to stand up for a girl. In the 1960s when this piece was written it was a society that saw the man of the house as the dominant figure in ones family, as we see today, but not as prominent as in the 1960s. Men were supposed to be the ones that girls looked to for affection and to stand up for them. For example, in movies the "damsels in distress" are those woman who need to be rescued and the hero is the one that comes in and sweeps her off her feet. In this story the narrator sees a moment where he could be a hero to them by quitting his job to prove to them that he thinks his manager was in the wrong. Society and pop culture shape who we are, and as we see in "A&P" it shapes who the narrator becomes. He believes as though to show his masculinity he must quit his job to be a man and hero to the girls.

Blog #5 "Girl" Andrea Morrison

3. Would you respond to “Girl” differently if we reversed sex and you imagine the narrator is male, a father advising a young woman on how to become the proper kind? Ultimately, what’s at stake in a woman, a mother, advising a young girl in this manner versus a man, a father, doing so? What are the implications?

If "Girl" had a male narrator the dynamics of the story would drastically change. "Girl" is the teachings, of a mother to her child, on how to become a woman. It is a play by play on how to cook, clean, act in public, and of course how to "throw away a child". The narrator repeatedly refers to her daughter as the "slut she is so bent on becoming". This hostilely greatly shapes the nature of both these characters. The mother is obviously trying to teach her daughter the rules of the world but her harsh life experiences have left her scared as she now views the world, and her daughter, in a negative light. However, if the narrator was her father instead of her mother he would come across as rude, arrogant, protective, and almost sinister. We would question her mother’s existence since her father would be teaching his daughter more traditional feminine roles. Nevertheless, the term "slut" and talk about a self induced abortion would almost make the father seem abusive, in one way or another. He would come across as power hungry and dramatically change the relationship present between these two characters. The time that this book was written almost seems to work against the role of the father. In the late 1940's and early 1950's women we still chained to their household name. They had little authority within the home as the man was deemed "master" of the house. In the original story tension is present between the mother and her daughter but we almost sympathize with these characters as we know the mother is trying to teach her daughter the harsh realities associated with women and society. If we switch roles and read this same story from the perspective of the father an overpowering sense of belittlement dictates the role of the "girl".

Blog #4 Anthony Valle

I know this is kind of late, but at least i still responded to the the question.

Group 1: Question 1
The Lottery is written in the third person point of view, which allows the reader to hear all the dialogue from all the characters. This gives us a sense of what every character is saying throughout the entire story, which also helps understand the plots. The setting of the story doesn't really change throughout it is mainly in the town square, i thought the setting was rather boring. The plot is very simple it is mainly about the drawing and  the dialogue that makes up most of the story.

Group 2: Question 1
The short story The Lottery have generally the same plot but rather different setttings. The plots are similar because they both are rather happy towns. However, both of these towns seem to isolate a person from the town and leaver them or stone them to death. Though people know this is wrong they do not seem to object it because it is part of their own society.

Blog 4 A. Leader

Group 1

Question 1: The short story version of “The Lottery” is written in third person. This let’s the reader to see all that is happening through the dialogue and everyone’s actions, and there aren’t any revealed thoughts from any of the characters. I believe this story was written in third person so the reader can decide what they think of the situation without any or little bias. When I read the story, I noticed that Tesse Hutchinson (whom arrived late) had a careless attitude about this lottery as if the odds are in her favor; however, when her family is chosen, she seems to be in denial and making up excuses when she says that her husband did not have a fair chance to choose the slip that he wanted. She also tries to say that she has many other children they can take. I was really surprised by her reactions because usually a mother would want her children to live and they would be willing to sacrifice their lives for their children, but this town does not seem to have the correct psychological mind set as someone “normal”. After her family is chosen, soon after it is revealed that Tesse is chosen to sacrifice her life for her town. When this is revealed, Tesse is trying every way to get herself out of this situation by saying it was not fair and it is not right. At the last moment of her life, she finally thinks it’s not right for them to hold this lottery but I really don’t think she believes that it is not right since she didn’t fight this reasoning before. She was just saying it wasn’t fair or right since she was the one being sacrificed.

Group 2

Question 5: The short story “The One’s Who Walk Away From Omelas” starts off with describing this dream place of a town that seems to be the best place that has ever existed. It talks about how everyone is always overjoyed and there isn’t any crime or troubles in this town; however, there is this one child that is starved and isolated in a dark room who is suffering that they show to the people of the town. Most of the people feel bad but go on their way through their daily lives but the few people who know this isn’t right leave the town without a fight and just walk away with no real direction in mind. The people who do walk away is very few and cannot really do anything about this. Their reasoning of keeping this child in a room is to show the harsh suffering possibilities so the other people of the town won’t take their lives for granted while in The Lottery has a similar mind set where they sacrifice a person per year to show suffering to the townspeople so they won’t take their lives or town for granted. And Felice continues to assure Jason that her town is better than his because they do not have any crime or troubles with anyone who lives there. Everyone gets along.

Four for Zach

1.  One of the first things I noticed while reading the short story version of "The Lottery" you mentioned in the question itself; it reads like a fairy tale.  This randomly brings to mind the novel "Slaughterhouse 5" by Kurt Vonnegut,  and as I recall, the original version was called "Slaughterhouse 5:  A Fairy Tale, but unlike the fairy tales we read, there is no moral at the end of the story, no real lesson being learned.  Instead, it is told by an objective third person who, in my mind, told the story with a matter-of-factness about it, and rather than going in depth to describe the town, people, or reason for actually conducting the lottery, Shirley Jackson chooses focuses on the event itself.  We have no idea where the setting actually is, but I find it interesting that they talk about neighboring towns conducting, or not conducting the lottery, unlike the film version where their own town is a special case.  It is clearly a patriarchal society in which the men are the ones doing the drawing and when one of the husbands is absent, they say to the perfectly capable woman that it's a shame she doesn't have a full grown man to draw for her, as if she somehow isn't capable of simply removing a slip of paper from an old box.  It's hard to tell at the end of the story, but it seems as if Mrs. Dunbar seems opposed to the stoning, choosing to stay behind the wild mob.  It seems as if women of the town aren't really favor of the lottery at all, complaining that time seems to go too fast and that it feels like the previous lottery wasn't long ago, where the men are in total favor, saying the towns who abandoned it were total fools, and saying that it would bring them more corn in their harvest.

6.  In the movie version of "The Lottery," self interest vs greater good is more self evident and realized because the main character is at an almost constant battle with the town of New Hope, and even his simple interest of placing his father's ashes next to his mother's grave is against the greater good for the townspeople.  The text version does a better job at analyzing the relationship between self interest and greater good though.  While Mrs. Hutchinson at the beginning of the story may not have been completely in agreement with the lottery, she, at the time, certainly wasn't opposed to it, and you can bet if another name had been chosen she could have been the one with the giant stone requiring two hands to hold.  As soon as her family was chosen, however, self interest kicked in, and she continually said it wasn't fair until the time she was stoned to death.  In the movie version, it was shameful to not meet the death with honor, and I think it would be interesting to be able to see a second lottery in the text to see if all whose names are chosen suddenly place their self over interest for the greater good of the society.

Blog numero 4!!

Group 1
Question 4 

"Behind every great fortune there is a crime" -Honore de Balzac. This man made a good point. Whether we are aware of it or not. In the town of Omelas everyone was aware of it though. Did they consider it a crime? Probably not. Marxism revolves around the concept of greater good versus individual self. It's about the "WE" not about the "I". In the "Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" there is this widespread ideology that is basically dictating that one single child must be sacrificed in order to have this wonderful peaceful town. Omelas's successful society depends on this single child's horrible misfortunes. The narrator stresses that this child's sufferings and the prosperity of Omelas and its people is clear and understood by everyone in the town. Everyone understands the correlation between the two but never does the narrator actually give a rational connection as to why. All we know is that the sacrifice of the child yields to happiness and prosperity. It is obvious that no one in the town can fathom the idea of giving up the towns happiness to help this single child "to throw away the happiness of thousands for the chance of one..." again, there is the ideology of the "greater good". In my opinion every citizen of Omelas plays the role of the bourgeoisie, but then again they all play the role of the proletariat. They all have to submit to this sick ideology of allowing the child to live in these inhumane conditions. They can't really do anything about it because they know that if they did that happy life they have enjoyed for so long will be shattered. Of course there are those that simply leave Omelas, they can perhaps be seen as the ones who are "revolting" against their ideology. But simply walking away seems just as bad as living in the town. They walk away, they are not a part of it, yet it continues. So are they really revolting against it? Perhaps if those who do not agree with it were to come together as a whole and DO something other than walk away, maybe.

Group 2
Question 7

While I watched "The Lottery" I automatically thought about "The Hunger Games. In "The Lottery" however, everyone gets to participate in the drawing to see who gets stoned. Men and women, young and old. In "The Hunger Games" only children from the ages of 12 to 18 are allowed to participate. Although in "The Lottery" the reasons for why they hold this annual tradition is so they can have good fortune and peace I think it is also to maintain some sense of control and submission. Which is exactly what happens in "The Hunger Games". The reason for why they have these deadly games is to keep the districts under control to avoid an uprising from the districts (like district 13). The bourgeoisie (the gamemakers,Snow, people from The Capitol) want to keep the districts and the residents (proletariat) under control.   

Blog 4 ~ Kendra Fitzpatrick

Group 1 ~

Question 1: In the short story version of "The Lottery"the plot is simple, the lottery is happening and someone is going to get picked for the stoning and in the end the tradition is going to continue ; the characterization is more in depth, you see Tessie and she's joking around, she knows whats going to happen but she doesn't care until it's happening to her, then she kicks up a fuss and complains to everyone that it wasn't fair, and trying to up the numbers so she is less likely to be picked by offering her older children up to be in the drawing as well, even though they've already been cleared for the year. Tessie, feels normal heading into the drawing and is all for it, but as soon as the tables turn she hates it and feels its unfair, she's hypocritical.

Group 2 ~

Question 5: "Omelas" and "The Lottery" are both Dystopian/Utopian in nature (they can swing both ways depending on which way you look at them), they are Utopian because both civilizations are prosperous, nothing bad really happens in either town, everyone is perfectly chipper and happy, but they both ride on the destruction of another human being, thats the Dystopian element and also where they differ slightly. In "The Lottery" the "tithe" is paid directly, the town gathers and kills one of their own every year for the prosperity of the town, the good of the many. However, in "Omelas" the "tithe" is paid in a more indirect way, no one physically hurts the child by way of violence they simply neglect the child into destruction; which I suppose it could be argued that neglect is a form of violence, albeit a passive form. It's a simple question of what are you willing to do for the good of the many, meaning the good of you more often than not, versus the good of the few, or the one in these cases. The answer of most is to sit idly by and allow it to happen because you think it cannot be stopped, the other path is to fight it (which in the case of "Omelas" means to walk away from everything into the unknown because anything is better than that) the latter path is the more lonely one without a doubt.

Blog Post #4 Kathryn Boyle

Group 1:

1. The plot, characterization, point of view, and setting are very simple in the short story "The Lottery". The stories plot is composed of only the current lottery. There is brief mentioning of previous lotteries, but there is no in depth anecdote just simply an explanation of how it was conducted in previous years. The story begins with the gathering of the towns people, with a brief explanation of a few of the families, to the killing of the town's sacrifice. There is little characterization in this story. There is no real individual protagonist or antagonist, more is known about some families but that is simply to show this town is made of real people. The omniscient point of view is what gives us the information about what several people are thinking or doing during the lottery event. It also is what allows us to know how the lottery has changed over the years. Finally with the simple setting of being in the town square limits us as the reader to this single event. The simplicity of the story allows for a non-emotional evaluation of the story, because we do not have any attachments to the characters and their personal lives.

Group 2:

7. When viewing the film of "The Lottery" I kept thinking of how similar it was to The Hunger Games.  Both have the plot of a sacrifice for the greater good of the community and both are conducted by chance and result in violence, however there are some large differences. In "The Lottery" the towns people have the attitude that this is just something that must be done and prefer to get it over with as quickly as possible ,but in The Hunger Games the actual sacrifice - or the games - are conducted almost for entertainment and prolonged for some time. In The Hunger Games there is a definite presence of a bourgeoisie (upper class) in the game makers and residents of the capital, and a proletariate (lower class) in all the other districts. We see the unfairness in not only the fact that children from the capital do not have to participate in the games but also in the way that they have a much higher standard of living.