"... If women might stop at home and look after their children themselves!"
The Drunkard, pg. 348
This story is loaded with instance after instance of irony. The father seems to blame everyone but himself for the actions that lead him to negative things. For instance, when he complains that his wife should look after the children, he forgets that the son is sent along because the mother had to go into work. The mother only had to go into work because the father refused. Also, the son is ironically sent along to watch over his father, which doesn't happen exactly. As the ending shows, though, he does end up preventing his father from getting drunk or wasting all of the family's money. In another instance of irony, his intentions weren't even to prevent his father from drinking- they were simply out of curiousity. I also found it ironic that the reason the son was able to drink his father's drink was because his father was being cocky, as he "deliberately turned his back on the pint, leaned one elbow on the counter in the attitude of a man who did not know there was a pint behind him". I guess, as they say, what comes around goes around.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Give it Up!
"I'm not hurting the baby, he said."
Popular Mechanics
The style of the author of this story is extremely distinct; I noticed right away that no quotation marks were used, even though the story is consumed with dialogue. After reading the story once, I went back to read it again, wondering why the quotation marks were absent. I think the author used this particular style of writing to make the story flow, or be read more quickly. It helps the reader picture the actions happening quickly, hastily. I think it also shows that the words themselves aren't very important- it's the actions. The words that the mother and father speak are empty- they are really just fighting with one another- they don't want the baby. The lack of quotations helps illustrate this.
There is a story in the Bible that reminded me of this story- when two women both say that a particular baby is theirs, the king says that to be fair, he will cut the baby in half and both women can have half. However, the true mother is revealed when she obviously doesn't want her baby to die and offers to give it up to save it. If only the mother or father in this story had loved their baby enough to do the same.
Popular Mechanics
The style of the author of this story is extremely distinct; I noticed right away that no quotation marks were used, even though the story is consumed with dialogue. After reading the story once, I went back to read it again, wondering why the quotation marks were absent. I think the author used this particular style of writing to make the story flow, or be read more quickly. It helps the reader picture the actions happening quickly, hastily. I think it also shows that the words themselves aren't very important- it's the actions. The words that the mother and father speak are empty- they are really just fighting with one another- they don't want the baby. The lack of quotations helps illustrate this.
There is a story in the Bible that reminded me of this story- when two women both say that a particular baby is theirs, the king says that to be fair, he will cut the baby in half and both women can have half. However, the true mother is revealed when she obviously doesn't want her baby to die and offers to give it up to save it. If only the mother or father in this story had loved their baby enough to do the same.
Hunger Games... backwards?
"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon"
The Lottery, pg. 268
I'm sure you've heard it before, but this story reminded me incredibly of the book series The Hunger Games. Except, of course, for a few key differences. In The Hunger Games, the tradition of sending children into the wilderness to fight to the death is hated, despised by every person in the country except for those who ran it, and who lived in the central city and used it for entertainment. However, the people in The Lottery didn't seem to have a hate for the tradition. They seemed incredibly nonchalant about the practice- in fact, they supported it and criticized those who no longer performed it! One thing that bothered me about the lottery was that the purpose was never explained- why was the horrible practice continued? Was it simply superstition? In The Hunger Games, at leasts they explained the (incredibly unfair) reason that the games were performed. It was also shocking to me to see how relieved all of Mrs. Hutchinson's family members were when her name had the marking, not theirs. Didn't they care that their mother/wife was dying? In The Hunger Games, Katniss steps up to save her sister. What about in The Lottery? Where is the humanity of the villagers??
As sad as this story was, there is a bright side- the Hunger Games movie trailer is out!
The Lottery, pg. 268
I'm sure you've heard it before, but this story reminded me incredibly of the book series The Hunger Games. Except, of course, for a few key differences. In The Hunger Games, the tradition of sending children into the wilderness to fight to the death is hated, despised by every person in the country except for those who ran it, and who lived in the central city and used it for entertainment. However, the people in The Lottery didn't seem to have a hate for the tradition. They seemed incredibly nonchalant about the practice- in fact, they supported it and criticized those who no longer performed it! One thing that bothered me about the lottery was that the purpose was never explained- why was the horrible practice continued? Was it simply superstition? In The Hunger Games, at leasts they explained the (incredibly unfair) reason that the games were performed. It was also shocking to me to see how relieved all of Mrs. Hutchinson's family members were when her name had the marking, not theirs. Didn't they care that their mother/wife was dying? In The Hunger Games, Katniss steps up to save her sister. What about in The Lottery? Where is the humanity of the villagers??
As sad as this story was, there is a bright side- the Hunger Games movie trailer is out!
Tomato Tomaato... same difference
"It was like getting her mother's pornography, that box, inheriting her drooled-upon fantasies, the endless wish and tease that had been her life."
You're Ugly, Too pg. 357
You're Ugly, Too is a hopeless story that uses similies and metaphors to accurately get its point across. The comparisons help more deeply explain things in many different contexts. One such is when the housing magazines are compared to porn- it shows how personal the magazines are. It also shows how the magazines filled the mother with longing and fantasies, which explains why Zoe may feel as if receiving the magazines was slightly embarrasing. Later, the metaphor of comparing Zoe's fear of men with a fear of bugs explains how the fear is consuming and cannot be changed- it is rooted deep in her, even if she doesn't know exactly why. Another metaphor in which Earl compares the population situation in America to that of bugs is useful as well. It helps the reader understand that Earl sees the population as insane, performing obscure sexual actions that only bugs on horomones would otherwise perform. The metaphors and in You're Ugly, Too may seem explicit, but actually help the reader understand the characters in the story.
You're Ugly, Too pg. 357
You're Ugly, Too is a hopeless story that uses similies and metaphors to accurately get its point across. The comparisons help more deeply explain things in many different contexts. One such is when the housing magazines are compared to porn- it shows how personal the magazines are. It also shows how the magazines filled the mother with longing and fantasies, which explains why Zoe may feel as if receiving the magazines was slightly embarrasing. Later, the metaphor of comparing Zoe's fear of men with a fear of bugs explains how the fear is consuming and cannot be changed- it is rooted deep in her, even if she doesn't know exactly why. Another metaphor in which Earl compares the population situation in America to that of bugs is useful as well. It helps the reader understand that Earl sees the population as insane, performing obscure sexual actions that only bugs on horomones would otherwise perform. The metaphors and in You're Ugly, Too may seem explicit, but actually help the reader understand the characters in the story.
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