Outside Activity 1

This weekend I went to see Cigarette Girl at the Brooks Museum. It definitely was not what I expected. I went expecting it to be somewhat like spiderman or batman because it was previously a comic. I expected her to be some kind of hero and stop people from smoking. Instead, she was more like a monster. If she wasn't smoking then she was killing people because it made her feel better. She just happened to be killing people that were hurting others. I think she would have killed even if it didn't do anyone any good. Now instead of her being a slave to cigarettes, she is a slave to something much worse. In my opinion, this movie had a much bigger underlying meaning. I believe it is a metaphor for society today. For example, the movie shows that cities have a designated smoking area and you can not smoke out of it. In society today we have begun that already by outlawing it in building and restaurants. In the even bigger picture, the government enforced the same idea when segregating Indians into reservations that are only in certain parts of the country. Also, when the US segregated African Americans the same idea applied. I believe that the writer could have been portraying something more than just smoking is smoking. For instance, even when you think you are correct in your actions you could be starting a war that is way bigger than you.

WORD COUNT: 245

Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?

The short story “Where are you Going? Where have you Been?” contains all the characteristics of a piece of literature. The author does a good job of developing the setting and the characters while also using metaphors and hidden meanings.

In this short story, Connie is the protagonist. Her character is fully developed so the reader knows her background, her appearance, and all her actions throughout the story. Knowing the inspiration of this piece of literature, some people might think that Arnold Friend was mean to be the protagonist, but in my opinion he is the antagonist because he is against the main character.

An important metaphor, Connie’s house, is also used in the story to explain the main character. Her house was in desperate need of repairs. As was Connie’s image of herself. Her mom was in the middle of making over the exterior so it looked two different ways, old and new. Connie had a similar appearance. She looked one way around her parents and another when she went out and about.

Another important characteristic of the short story is the use of symbols. One symbol used was the numbers painted on Arnold Friend’s car, 33 19 17. After researching, I believe that the numbers stand for a bible verse. If you count backwards in the Old Testament, the 33rd book is Judges. When you look at the 19th chapter, 17 verse it says, “and the old man said, ‘Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?’” This is the title of the short story, “Where are you Going? Where have you Been?” In my opinion that is not a coincidence.

Finally, the setting was an important element of this piece of literature. Oats choose this setting according to her inspiration. Actual even that occurred in Arizona were very similar and in the same small town. I think if the story took place in another place, like a city, would not have the same effect. Being able to run across a highway to get to the local burger joint gives more of an opportunity to get in a bad situation with strangers. If you were to drive around in a car in the city you would be less likely to meat strange people. The setting provided allows for the reader to put themselves in the small town as well.

WORD COUNT: 390

Working Together

When writers write their stories they usually narrate through a character. Using this method to tell a story is interesting because you not only know what is going on in the story but you know what is going on within the narrator. However as one reads it must be kept in mind that the narrator is providing only one view of the story. All the other characters within the piece have their own story to tell from a different perspective. Although the view point of stories is sometimes different, all the different versions can work together to give the reader a better understanding of the entire story. Different versions allow the reader to better understand different characters. Oats’ Where are You Going? Where have You Been? is one version of a story that was told from a different perspective by many other people as well.

The first story read in class was Where are You Going? Where have You been? by Oats. She wrote the story from the view point of a girl named Connie. Connie saw Arnold Friend as any other girl did; he was appealing with his muscles, clothes, and his voice. However this version of the story also allows the reader to develop their own opinion from the way his character is portrayed. The movie Smooth Talk also tells the piece from Connie’s perspective, however the viewer has the chance to see the character of Arnold Friend and make another opinion from his actions toward Connie as one watches.

Murder in the Desert was written from the perspective of Schmid’s, aka Arnold Friend, lawyer. According to this lawyer, Schmid was different from other kids; however, the words he uses to describe him make the reader think of him as better than others such as: good looking, high school gymnastics champion, polite, and mannered. When reading this article one may assume that because this is Schmid’s lawyer it is his job to make him look good. This piece of literature like the others so far still serves a purpose even if it is biased. It shows another view of Schmid from someone else’s eye. One finds out about Schmid’s murder conviction with the help of his two friends. Lastly, in this version another view is pointed out. At the end of the story, Schmid wants to take back his plea of guilty because he claims he did not murder this girl. He takes drastic measures like uncovering the body to prove that there was no fracture in the skull; however once the body was uncovered there was a fracture. Schmid honestly believed there was no evidence that he killed her. This detail may lead people to think he had a mental illness but it is just another piece of the puzzle.

Two reporters told their stories about Schmid in two different lights. In Crime Secrets in the Sand “Arnold Friend” is portrayed much the same way as his lawyer said. He was well muscled, a gymnast, had cars, money, and girls. He was made out to be the most popular, the best. The reporter of Arizona: Growing up in Tucson describes Schmid as “sick”, blabbermouth, a dropout. In this report Schmid is made to look like the worst of the worst. He was the bad man who killed people’s daughters.

These stories and few others change the way Schmid, aka Arnold Friend, is viewed. All these stories are also important because they are from different perspectives. After reading all the information one is able to formulate an opinion about this boy. This is how all different iterations can work together.

WORD COUNT: 602

Ingredients, Process, "Made Thing"

To any decision there is a process that precedes it. Whether that decision is an everyday choice or an important decision that may affect one’s future there is a mental process that is gone through to make the final choice. This is also true with literature. The author must first decide what they are going to write about which may be considered the ingredients of the story. Ingredients of a story may include the following: sources, inspiration, setting, plot, theme, grammar, point of view, tone, voice, and word choice. After the ingredients are decided upon, the author must go through the process of putting the story together. This could be in the form of an essay, short story, poem, play, or any visual text. Finally, when the story is put together you have a “made thing” that may consist of an idea or underlying meaning. This is the process that was taken when writing A&P, Rites of Passage, and The One Girl at the Boy’s Party.

When reading A&P, the reader may take away a particular meaning from the story, but when broken down into its different components, A&P has many different meanings. The story takes place in an A&P supermarket in a small town. The customers are described as sheep and Sammy, the protagonist, is the cashier. Some other important ingredients that stood out to me were the three girls in swimsuits, the word Queenie used to describe the leader of the girls, the manager and his words that embarrassed the girls, Sammy’s “I quit”, and the girls ignorance to what happened. The way Updike put all these things together added to the “made thing”. He used the trope of a rich girl/poor guy to appeal to the reader. Also, the use of conversation was very effective toward the meaning of the story because the reader could tell by quotation marks what the characters were making public knowledge by saying aloud and what only the reader knows from the characters thoughts. The description of the girls was a process used as well. When putting all of this back together, you get the “made thing” which may include: don’t start something that you don’t want to finish, sometimes good deeds go unnoticed, or the right thing might not always be the easiest.

As one reads Rites of Passage the same concept may be applied. Some of the ingredients include: men, six and seven, the phrase “kill a 2 year old”, small bankers, turret, the phrase “I could beat you up “, generals, and war. The setting is at the narrator’s son’s birthday party. Similes were used to compare the boys to men, bankers, and generals. As the author used processes to put all of the ingredients together, she made a big impact on how a reader would perceive the poem. As she wrote, she used a pattern of man vs. child vs. man vs. child repetitively. This shows the reader the difference it men and children but simultaneously shows the similarities. Using italics for the conversation of the children was also another intentional process. Differentiating between the children’s conversation and the narrator’s thoughts shows the reader exactly what the boys said and not just an interpretation from the narrator. When all the ingredients and the process by which everything was put together are looked at, the reader can interpret the “made thing”. In this case, the poem shows the relationship between boys and men. Also, this poem shows a parent and son’s relationship and the parents view of growing up from mentioning a 2 year old, them being 6 and 7, to the relationship of men.

A final example of how this procedure works can be shown through The One Girl and the Boy’s Party. This story takes place outside at a swimming party. Other ingredients include: math scores unfolding, curves of their sexes, bathing suit, hamburgers and fries, and prime number. The description of the girl is the best process used in my opinion. She is described as very smart at math, pencil lead hair as she gets out of the pool, and hamburgers and fries on her swimsuit. These images on the swimsuit may or may not be real according to the reader. They may just be a metaphor depending on how one understands the process. Another process used was the starting point and growing up. The author wrote this poem in such a way that it may be interpreted as the girl growing up. He used words such as unfolding that may represent her maturing. In my opinion the made thing in this story is a parent’s perspective of their children growing up.

Although all of the “made things” were different in each story, the stories were similar in that they all went through the same process of being able to be broken down and put back together to make some kind of “made thing”. This procedure can be used on any literature to help the reader better understand a certain piece.

WORD COUNT: 835

Sharon Olds' Hero

As I read the poems "Rites of Passage" and "The One Girl at the Boy's Party" I compared Sharon Olds' heroes to Updike's hero Sammy. Updike's Sammy quit his job in response to how the girls were being treated. This was a brave act of heroism. This like many other actions taken at that time was a start/aid to the feminist movement.

In "Rites of Passage" the son is a hero in his own way according to Olds. He does not aid to a major event or quantity of people like Updike's character, however, he makes a change for a few. He stops the arguing and bickering among his friends and creates peace.

In "The One Girl at he Boy's Party" the girl is also a hero much like the son in "Rites of Passage". She does not make a major jester like Sammy but stands for something similar. The girl is the only girl among many boys, and because this story was written a couple of years after the feminist movement, I believe she stood for women's rights. Also, Olds brought out her knowledge of math which I believe stands for her ability to succeed as much as the boys.

According to these stories, Updike and Olds have different views of a hero but both there heroes make/stand for some kind of change however big or small.

WORD COUNT: 228

Updike's Views

After listening to the interview with Updike, I realized that his intention of the story A&P was different then I perceived it. Updike had intended for Sammy to be a hero. He said Sammy's intentions were noble and he was meant to be the girls hero. His action of quiting his job was related to the feminine protest and wanting to find his own way. I now see Sammy differently than when I read it the first time. Having the knowledge of the author's intent for Sammy helps the reader to see how he was suppose to be a hero even if they did not agree because of the way the story was written.

WORD COUNT: 114

Definition of Hero

There is a fine line between hero and role model, but the difference is very important. Not everyone who is a role model can be considered a hero, yet every hero can be considered a role model. Dictionary.com defines hero as, “A [person] of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” The key phrase in this definition is “noble qualities” because it is very often over looked. When defining someone as a hero, that person must meet all the characteristics outlined in the definition: distinguished courage or ability, brave deeds, and noble qualities.

Think about the police officer brought up in class. A person joins the police force for a living, yet his motive for doing so is to become the news on the front page of the paper. He goes to his job day in and day out. Then one day there is a robbery at a neighborhood house while the residents were there. As the police officer makes his way to the scene, he thinks that this is his chance to get in the news. He arrives at the house and apprehends the robber simultaneously saving the family form harm. In this scenario, many people would call this police officer a hero for saving the family and taking the robber in to custody. However, according to Dictionary.com he would not be considered a hero, because this officer did not meet all the expectations. His motive for doing what he did was not noble at all. He saved the family purely to benefit himself. This situation would be completely different, however, if his intentions were not known. If this police officer had joined the force and saved that family but no one knew he did it for fame then his intentions would be considered noble to everyone around him. In this new scenario the police officer would be considered a hero according to the definition because he not only exhibited courage and brave deeds but also nobility as far as the eye could see.

In the story A&P, the reader knows that Sammy is quitting his job in order to get the attention of the girls. In this perspective he would not be considered a hero. From the perspective of a character in the book, Sammy may have been viewed as a hero. His friend at the other checkout counter watched as Sammy stood up for the girls when the manager embarrassed them. However, he had the courage to quit anyways. To his friend at the other checkout counter and to the other customers watching he could have seemed like a hero because no one knew his intentions were not noble.

Heroism can be a very touchy subject. What one person defines a hero as might not be the same as others. According to the definition on Dictionary.com, there are certain expectations to meet to be considered a hero. Nobility is one characteristic that is debatable because no one truly knows what someone else is thinking or their motives.

WORD COUNT: 505

Fiction Literature pg. 19

The Details in the story are true to life in many ways. For example, the girls in swim suits being gawked at by the men, and also the head of the pack. These details and more help the reader to relate to the situation.

The character of Sammy is not portrayed particularly well. The audience gets the idea that he is only interested in material thing by the way he talks about the girls and stares a lot. Although he wanted the girls to notice the hero in him I don't necessarily think that makes him any less a hero because he knew that he would have trouble after he quits.

The exposition of the story is given in the first paragraph. It sets the story in a grocery story it portrays it to be about the three girls in swim suits. "Queenie" is carefully portrayed in the story in order to capture the attention of the audience and make them feel the way Sammy does.

As the story progresses, Sammy seems to feel the same way toward the girls throughout.

The dramatic conflict in the story becomes apparent when the manager walks in. The crisis arrives when he tells the girls they can not be dressed like that while in the store. The climax takes place when Sammy says he quits.

Sammy quits his job because he believes that the manager treated the girls unfairly and should not have embarrassed them.

I didn't see anything in the story earlier that would have foreshadowed Sammy's actions. I was surprised when he quit.

After Sammy quits his job he says that the world is going to be hard. Maybe this is said because it is hard to get a job at this time. The object the girls bought did not cost much. Maybe this story took place a long time ago and money and jobs were hard to come by.

Updike, through Sammy, make the comment that society at the supermarket are like sheep. They do what they always do and don't mind anyone else's business.

WORD COUNT: 345

Fiction Literature pg. 8

The exposition of the story takes place in the first two sentences of the story. The Prince of Ch'u sends is two officials to interview Chuang Tzu who is fishing to work for his government. Chuang Tzu uses only two sentences to set up the dramatic scene for the rest of the story.

Chuang Tzu uses the example of the tortoise in order to provide an example that the officials can relate to. Although he already knows the answer to the question he asks, he asks it anyways relating himself to the tortoise and making the officials realize why he wouldn't want to assist in his government.

Chuang Tzu seems peaceful and wise.

WORD COUNT: 113

Fiction Literature pg. 6

The North Wind and the Sun have different personalities. The North Wind is aggressive and uses all his might at one time. The Sun is patient as he entices the traveler.

The North Wind was ineffective in his method because he was using force. He used all his strength to blow his wind but it made the traveler cold so he bundled up tighter.

The Sun's method was effective because he was appealing to the traveler. He made the traveler comfortable wearing his cloak then shined his hardest and the man got so hot he wanted to take it off.

The traveler serves the purpose of the judge. Unknowingly he is deciding who is the strongest by taking off his cloak.

The moral is persuasion is better than force. This pertains to the story in that the North Wind uses force and is unsuccessful in getting the man to take off his cloak. However, the Sun persuades the man by appealing to his senses. He gets hot enough that he has to take off his cloak to stay comfortable.

WORD COUNT: 179