"Let go of him, he said.-Get away, get away! she cried."
Originally, I read the story literally thinking that they were literally fighting over their child. Then I began to think of the baby as symbolizing general posessions the husband and wife fought over. With the divorce, they are forced to decide who gets what. I was thinking of all the petty fights they had over what each one gets. I think the baby could also symbolize control. Towards the end of the story, I felt like a feeling, or sense of control, could be what they were fighting over. Each one obviously wants to control what happens after the divorce. The baby seemed more of a background character to me. I do not think the fight was literally with the baby, but rather the fight symbolizes their disconcern for the child. The two adults act like children without regard for the effects of their actions on the child. They seem not to care about what happens to the baby as long as he or she wins the fight. This makes it seem like neither of them deserve to have the baby because they are not concerned with the baby's safety. This is like the bible story about the women fighting over the baby. One will not let them split the baby in half because she loves it too much. That is how they know who the real mother is.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
You're Ugly Too- Lorrie Moore (insecurity)
"Professor Hendricks has said critical things about Fawn Hall, the Catholic religion, and the whole state of Illinois. It is unbelievable." PAGE 355
Throughout the story, the speaker's insecurity is evident. She is constantly thinking about the negatives of her physical appearance. She also consistently remembers the comments her students have said about her. Another insecurity is her interaction with men. She does not know what to say. She tries different things to try to get Earl's approval. She lies to him about her previous boyfriends. She tries to make jokes, but they are not funny, only awkward. When she talks, she doesn't know what to talk about. She ends up rambling on about herself. In her head, she compares situations to literature and history which closes her off from reality. She tries to make these connections so she has some guidance in how to react, but the situations are not really the same. She does not keep an open mind in all situations because she thinks she knows how things will end. I think a major part of this story is about Zoe's social awkwardness. I found myself questioning if she is just scared to fall in love because it seemed like whenever she was close to falling in love, she ruined it. I think she is afraid of getting hurt so she won't let herself open up to a man.
Throughout the story, the speaker's insecurity is evident. She is constantly thinking about the negatives of her physical appearance. She also consistently remembers the comments her students have said about her. Another insecurity is her interaction with men. She does not know what to say. She tries different things to try to get Earl's approval. She lies to him about her previous boyfriends. She tries to make jokes, but they are not funny, only awkward. When she talks, she doesn't know what to talk about. She ends up rambling on about herself. In her head, she compares situations to literature and history which closes her off from reality. She tries to make these connections so she has some guidance in how to react, but the situations are not really the same. She does not keep an open mind in all situations because she thinks she knows how things will end. I think a major part of this story is about Zoe's social awkwardness. I found myself questioning if she is just scared to fall in love because it seemed like whenever she was close to falling in love, she ruined it. I think she is afraid of getting hurt so she won't let herself open up to a man.
The Lottery- Shirley Jackson #1
"Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones." PAGE 271
This quote was the first explicit mention of what the lottery was. The negativity of it had been revealed earlier as Mrs. Hutchinson complained and whined about being chosen. The lottery determines who will be stoned to death. I assume this stoning was some kind of sacrificial tradition. The title led me to believe that "the lottery" was a good thing. Usually when someone thinks of a lotter they want to win. They want their name to be drawn. I interpreted the title of the lottery to mean that someone would win money or a major prize. The fact that everyone was present- men, women, and kids-also led me to believe that the lottery was an exciting time. Irrelevant to the question, but I also noticed that this story must have taken place before the views of men and women were equalized because Mr. Summers did not want Mrs. Dunbar to be able to draw for her injured husband. I also noticed that people were alright with the idea of sacrificing people. Even when the kids knew it was not them, they were not sad that it was one of their parents. They were happy that it was not them as if it was part of the game.
This quote was the first explicit mention of what the lottery was. The negativity of it had been revealed earlier as Mrs. Hutchinson complained and whined about being chosen. The lottery determines who will be stoned to death. I assume this stoning was some kind of sacrificial tradition. The title led me to believe that "the lottery" was a good thing. Usually when someone thinks of a lotter they want to win. They want their name to be drawn. I interpreted the title of the lottery to mean that someone would win money or a major prize. The fact that everyone was present- men, women, and kids-also led me to believe that the lottery was an exciting time. Irrelevant to the question, but I also noticed that this story must have taken place before the views of men and women were equalized because Mr. Summers did not want Mrs. Dunbar to be able to draw for her injured husband. I also noticed that people were alright with the idea of sacrificing people. Even when the kids knew it was not them, they were not sad that it was one of their parents. They were happy that it was not them as if it was part of the game.
The Drunkard- Frank O'Connor (irony)
"My brave little man!" she said with her eyes shining. "It was God did it you were there. You were his guardian angel." PAGE 351
This quote provides an example of the irony used in this short story. The young boy was drunk so he should have been scolded. Originally, he was reprimanded, but then his mother began praising him. Although he was drunk, he was able to prevent his father from drinking anything. This is also ironic because the father was the one who was supposed to get drunk and the son was going to watch out for him. The opposite happened. There is also irony in their leaving the bar. The son kept asking the father to leave so he would not drink anything. They finally left when the son was drunk. I think this was ironic because the father would not let him leave when he asked. It took him risking his own safety to get his father to leave without drinking.
This quote provides an example of the irony used in this short story. The young boy was drunk so he should have been scolded. Originally, he was reprimanded, but then his mother began praising him. Although he was drunk, he was able to prevent his father from drinking anything. This is also ironic because the father was the one who was supposed to get drunk and the son was going to watch out for him. The opposite happened. There is also irony in their leaving the bar. The son kept asking the father to leave so he would not drink anything. They finally left when the son was drunk. I think this was ironic because the father would not let him leave when he asked. It took him risking his own safety to get his father to leave without drinking.
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