"'My brave little man!' she said with her eyes shining. 'It was God did it you were there. You were his guardian angel."
p. 351
This along with "You're Ugly Too" have probably been my favorite stories we've read this year. I love the irony in this story. The Drunkard, as the title implies, makes the reader think that it will end up being the dad getting drunk like usual during funeral times. However, it ends up being the son. The actions of the 10 year old boy really were quite funny. I especially liked the irony at the end. As in the quote above, the boy's mother praises him calling him a "guardian angel." What kind of parent praises their child for such an action! I just thought it was hilarious how she was so happy her husband didn't get drunk that she thought it was okay for her son. Oh the Irony!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
You're Ugly Too: Personal Reflection
"Zoe came up, slow, from behind and gave him a shove. His arms slipped forward, off the railing, out over the street." p. 370
The title ties in with the central part of the story. Zoe always has a habit of taking jokes too far or using sarcasm that comes across as strange or rude. The joke about the doctor is Zoe's favorite and conveys her character. Just as she takes jokes too far, she also did her actions. In the quote, Zoe actually goes as far as shoving Earl, pretending to push him off the balcony. Instead of a playful shove, she pushes him firmly to the point where he even almost slipped over the railing. Was this just one of Zoe's sick jokes that she took too far, or was it something more? I am interested to see what other people's opinions of this event are in class tomorrow.
The title ties in with the central part of the story. Zoe always has a habit of taking jokes too far or using sarcasm that comes across as strange or rude. The joke about the doctor is Zoe's favorite and conveys her character. Just as she takes jokes too far, she also did her actions. In the quote, Zoe actually goes as far as shoving Earl, pretending to push him off the balcony. Instead of a playful shove, she pushes him firmly to the point where he even almost slipped over the railing. Was this just one of Zoe's sick jokes that she took too far, or was it something more? I am interested to see what other people's opinions of this event are in class tomorrow.
The Lottery: Foreshadowing
"They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed."
p. 264
This is really messed up. Reading this my first time, I just glanced over the detail that there was a pile of stones there. O yeah, I guess it was for the human sacrifice later. Reading this a second time, I picked up on many details foreshadowing the cult-like event to come that I gazed over in my first innocent reading. I got the ominous feeling that the lottery wasn't good to win, but the story's foreshadowings really can't be fully interpereted until the story is over. It was very interesting to go back and read all the little details hinting towards the stoning. In the quote, it shows the subtle changes in the peoples' character that foreshadows the lottery's meaning. However, why were they even there? From what I understood, they believed it would bring crops. Is it really worth killing one of their friends or maybe themselves over a dumb superstition? I just thought this story was pretty creepy in the way the characters' reacted to and handled the events.
p. 264
This is really messed up. Reading this my first time, I just glanced over the detail that there was a pile of stones there. O yeah, I guess it was for the human sacrifice later. Reading this a second time, I picked up on many details foreshadowing the cult-like event to come that I gazed over in my first innocent reading. I got the ominous feeling that the lottery wasn't good to win, but the story's foreshadowings really can't be fully interpereted until the story is over. It was very interesting to go back and read all the little details hinting towards the stoning. In the quote, it shows the subtle changes in the peoples' character that foreshadows the lottery's meaning. However, why were they even there? From what I understood, they believed it would bring crops. Is it really worth killing one of their friends or maybe themselves over a dumb superstition? I just thought this story was pretty creepy in the way the characters' reacted to and handled the events.
Popular Mechanics: Metaphor
"He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard. In this manner, the issue was decided."
Please don't be literal. I think this story as a whole is a metaphor for divorce. This is revealed in the very last line where the author includes "the issue was decided." This hints at a bigger picture than parents actually fighting over a baby and pulling it apart. What sick people would actually do that? What this short story is about though is the manner in which couples fight over things in divorce. Whether it is their time in seeing their children or materal things, divorces typically result in both parties fighting for everything they can get. It's a sad part of modern society but is commonplace as is hinted in the titles "popular mechanics."
Please don't be literal. I think this story as a whole is a metaphor for divorce. This is revealed in the very last line where the author includes "the issue was decided." This hints at a bigger picture than parents actually fighting over a baby and pulling it apart. What sick people would actually do that? What this short story is about though is the manner in which couples fight over things in divorce. Whether it is their time in seeing their children or materal things, divorces typically result in both parties fighting for everything they can get. It's a sad part of modern society but is commonplace as is hinted in the titles "popular mechanics."
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