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My favorite story of the semester was probably "The Veldt" The story kept my attention the entire time and had a twist in the end that I wasn't suspecting. The children were somewhat creepy in the fact that they invisioned there parents dieing and were smiling at the psychiatrist after there parents were murdered but it was enough for me to handle. Many of the other stories we read like "Yellow Wallpaper" and "A Rose for Emily" were too creepy for me actually enjoy. This story was easy to read and I was never confused by the sequencing unlike many of the other stories we read. It was one that really kept my interest.

My least favorite story of the semester was probably "Angel Levine" I read this story when I was really tired and I remember not understanding anything about it when I was done reading. I thought it was really boring and didn't make a whole lot of sense. There was really no action involved to keep my attention. It seemed really long and was pointless. What I got out of it was that there are black Jewish people and not to judge a book by its cover.. but it took WAY too long to tell me that. I probably missed the entire concept though, I wasnt a fan of this story.

"The Conscience of the Court"

I think Laura Lee should have taken the chance to leave one of the times she could. Laura Lee obviously has a lot of love for Celestine and places Celestine’s wishes before her own. However, it doesn’t seem that Celestine feels the same way about Laura Lee in return. Celestine never answered Laura Lee’s letters about being in prison and wasn’t at the trial to help defend Laura Lee against the prosecutor. It seems like Celestine was using Laura Lee’s love for her own convenience and didn’t really care about her all that much. I think Laura Lee definitely should have left one of the many times but especially the last chance that was given to her when Celestine no longer had any money. Laura Lee had to leave her own family and friends to follow Celestine to an unknown area. I think Laura Lee made the move without truly thinking about the consequences for her husband and lifestyle.

I think the verdict in Laura Lee’s trial is unrealistic. I think at the time, Laura Lee wouldn’t be taken seriously as she was black and uneducated. Laura Lee had no witnesses or evidence to back up her story while the prosecutor had many witnesses and a lawyer to represent him. I don’t think the legal system would have been so accepting of this older black woman. I doubt that a judge would immediately believe her and just let her off without any consequences.

I think the most difficult conflict Laura Lee faces is the one with Celestine. It was most hard for Laura Lee to verbalize Celestine’s reaction to her being in jail. I think Laura Lee feels betrayed by Celestine’s silence but won’t truly accept the idea that Celestine would not come to her rescue. I think this is most difficult for her to face because she loves Celestine so much and cant understand why this same amount of love isn’t given to her in return. In her time of need Celestine bailed on her.

“A Worn Path”

Phoenix’s conversations with herself allow readers to understand her state of mind. Readers know how difficult it is for her to make the journey because of how hard she has to try to walk up and down hills and how tired she is because of them. Without her conversations to herself readers might not understand how truly difficult this journey is for her. It also helps readers understand that her mind is not completely stable. At one point Old Phoenix dreams that a young boy is handing her cake out in the woods, but when she goes to reach for the cake the boy isn’t there. This scene is significant in allowing readers to understand that her mind is not sharp and her thoughts are not completely stable.

I think if the characters were round it would help to develop Phoenix’s character more indepth. If we were able to see the thoughts the other characters had about Phoenix, while they were interacting with her, it would help readers to understand her place within the community and give an outside point of view. Since we are only able to see Phoenix through her own eyes and interactions it skews one’s perspective on how she acts and fits into the town she lives in.

I am most sympathetic towards Phoenix’s character. I feel bad for her that she is such an old lady, who is clearly in no condition to make such a long journey, but is offered no help in reaching her destination. I am not even sure if her grandson is alive in the story so her journey could be completely pointless. It almost seems like the doctors know her grandson isn’t alive but they continue to enable Phoenix to believe that he is so they can have a charity case on file for their medical practice. Phoenix’s character is easily stopped by hills, prickly bushes, and dogs to the point where she falls down on her back and is still offered no help in completely her journey. I am extremely sympathetic forwards her fragile physical and mental states.

"A Spinster's Tale"

I think a driving conflict in the story is Elizabeth’s fear of Mr. Speed in both man vs. man and man vs. self. Elizabeth is afraid of Mr. Speed himself and what she would ever do if he came to her door, which he eventually does. Elizabeth reacts to his presence by calling the cops and getting him arrested for entering their house. Her fear drives her to react in a harsh manor. Elizabeth also has inner conflict about her fears with Mr. Speed. Both her father and brother tell her not to be afraid of him, “you mustn’t seek things to fear in this world.” Her fears of Mr. Speed are somewhat irrational but despite her fear she continues to seek him out. Elizabeth watches Mr. Speed pass her house every day from her parlor and creates inner turmoil for herself from his presence. Elizabeth is afraid of those who are drunk and often refers to her mother’s statement that she would rather see her brother in his grave than drunk. The fact that she only sees Mr. Speed intoxicated adds to his mystery and frightening appeal.

Mr. Speed is one of the most sympathetic characters in the story to me. He is an old drunk man who wonders around town everyday making a fool out of himself. I feel really bad for him and just want someone to go help him and check him into rehab or something. His existence is pitiful, and I feel like he could be helped if given the proper tools to do so. I also sympathize with Elizabeth who is left alone most of the day. She seems to be bored a lot of the time and feel lonely. She also has certain irrational fears that shouldn’t be present in someone of her age. I feel like she is maturing very slowly in the novel, and because of her child like tendencies I sympathize with her as well.

The title the Spinster’s Tale alludes to Elizabeth being an old, unmarried women. This title is a little unfitting because during the plot of the story Elizabeth is only thirteen and fourteen but it references her future. The fact that the story is a flashback helps readers to understand that now Elizabeth is grown up and is a spinster, who is reflecting upon her childhood.

“The Lady with the Dog”

In the beginning of the story Dmitry saw Anna as a fling and someone that he would have a quick relationship with. Anna was just another affair to Dmitry and he never saw anything long term with her. At the end of the story, Dmitry comes to realize that he has true feelings for Anna. Dmitry is in love with Anna and feels like he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Dmitry is contemplating breaking his family apart to be with the one he truly loves, who ironically was only supposed to be a fling.

I also think the fence surrounding Anna’s house can represent her feeling trapped in her marriage with no way out. Anna is clearly unsatisfied with her home life but feels like she must remain unhappy with her husband to be accepted in society. Since Dmitry walks on the outside of the fence and Anna is in the house the fence could symbolize their separation and the obstacles, like their families, which keep them apart.

If I could extend the story I would just want to know what the final decision was between Dmitry and Anna. Did they decide the keep their relationship a secret, or will they act upon it and break away from their families to be together?

“Chrysanthemums and The Girls in their Summer Dresses”

Chrysanthemums:
-I think the pot fixer throws away the flowers after he leaves because he had no intention of ever giving them to anyone. I think he was a salesman who saw Elisa’s passion for chrysanthemums and used them as a tool to make a sale for himself. He made Elisa comfortable with him by asking her about her own interests and then played up his upset emotions after he had her trust. When Elisa saw the man upset she decided to give him pans to fix even though she knew how to do the work herself just to please him. The salesman character is not trustworthy in this story. He is using Elisa’s interests and exaggerating his own emotions to make a sale. All he is interested in is making money.

The Girls in their Summer Dresses:
-I think that Frances is a dynamic character who is fed up with her husband’s actions. I think she knows the truth about her husband’s intentions but continues to push the subject to make him admit it. She refers to their relationship as being good when they are alone but when they are around other people they never truly connect. I think the only time Frances feels fully appreciated is when she is in bed with Michael. Whenever they are out in public Michael can’t help but look at other women which causes Frances to be insecure and upset. Frances feels that Michael’s looks of passion should be saved for her only, and Michael’s visions will eventually lead him astray. During this story, I most sympathize with Frances. She just wants to be respected and given the attention she deserves as a wife. Michael seems to make no apologies for him actions and even alludes to himself eventually wanting to be free from her to pursue other women. I think Michael comes off as extremely arrogant and unsympathetic. If he doesn’t want to be with Frances he should do something about it.

“Desiree’s Baby”

I really enjoyed reading “Desiree’s Baby” and was definitely surprised by the ending. It made sense that Desiree would be of African American decent since her heritage was unknown, while Armand’s parents were well established in the community and were both white. The twist in the end, where Armand is actually the one to blame, was shocking but felt like Armand was getting a taste of his own medicine, and he deserved to know.

This short story was set before the Civil War which made slavery a large part of the setting. Also, racism was extremely prominent in the story’s society creating cultural conflicts between whites and blacks. This setting creates a venue for racism and gives readers the knowledge that black people were considered inferior at that time. It is not surprising when Desiree’s baby is not fully white, her husband sees the child as a disgrace to his family and legacy. The child is such an embarrassment that he exiles his wife and child from his property to save face in the community. In another setting or time, his actions would be completely irrational and the issue of race would be handled completely differently.

Situational irony appears in the last paragraph when readers find out Armand is the one with African American ancestors instead of Desiree. It creates a twist in the plot and puts Armand in the opposite position of what was expected. Armand is now the one who is not pure and should be banned from society instead of Desiree. This twist creates sympathy of Desiree and makes readers question Armand’s character as how he will react to this new found information about his own identity.

"Everything that Rises"

The Story’s title “everything that rises” refers to the social inequality between black and white citizens. In the story, slavery had been abolished and blacks were starting to be integrated into white society. Many people, including Julian’s mother, were unable to accept this transition as they thought they were superior. Whites and blacks were starting to share the same amenities, which refers to how they, “must converge.” Blacks were now being viewed as equals in society and rising to the same social status as white people. In the story, the fact that white and black people were sitting next to each other on the bus was a big deal. I think the title of this story is fitting for the social context of the time, and shows that in the future blacks will be considered of equal status.

Hulga and Julian’s characters have some similar characteristics. Both characters have animosity towards their parents and are highly educated. Both characters feel as though they are too intelligent to relate to their mother’s views on society because they are too simple. Also, both characters end up learning a lesson about themselves and their levels of intelligence. Hulga thought she could easily manipulate Pointer and have control of the relationship.. until he stole her leg. While Julian was trying to teach his mother a lesson about racism and how she needed to treat people equally, but ended up risking his mother’s life in the process. Both character’s pompous attitude ended up hurting them in the end.

"Good Country People"

In the story “Good Country People” there are all types of conflict including man vs. man, man vs. self, and even man vs. society. Hulga is in conflict with almost every character in the story. Hulga purposely tries to irritate her mom by wearing the same old clothes and walking more loudly with her fake leg than necessary. Hulga is also rude to Mrs. Freemen and they make remarks at one another. Hulga also is in conflict with Pointer when he takes her fake leg and leaves her stranded in the barn. Hulga experiences conflict with herself as well. She tries to shut herself off to Pointer but eventually lets him have control by showing him how to take her fake leg on and off. Hulga is also self conscious about her leg and has become extremely educated to compensate for her physical deformity. Lastly, Hulga argues that if her leg hadn’t been taken off in a hunting accident she woke be a professor but because of her physical limitations she was then limited from society. I think Hulga’s conflict with her mother drives the story the most. I feel like Hulga talks to Pointer almost to spite her mother, as she lies to him about her age and meets up with him secretly.

The phrase “good country people” is used multiple times in the story to refer to less educated people with good intentions. Mrs. Freemen and Pointer are both mentioned as, “good country people.” Mrs. Hopewell states that these people, “are the salt of the earth” meaning that they are humble and unpretentious and the rest of the world needs them to function. This phrase becomes ironic because Pointer is clearly a con man, who wanted to come off as a poor country boy who had good intentions as he was selling bibles. However, in the barn, Pointer reveals that he doesn’t believe in the bible at all, and that he drinks and often takes advantage of women especially ones with physical deformities that he likes to steal. Pointer has no good intentions what so ever.

"The Lady with the Dog"

Our group decided to do our project on “The Lady with the Dog.” We didn’t get our first choice in which day we wanted to present but out of the two stories for Thursday, we decided that this one was the most interesting. Our group has decided to use blogging as our media and do a Gossip Girl theme, where posts are made about the main characters in the story and their actions. It will almost be like a people magazine but in a blog version and about the story. “The Lady with the Dog” deals with romance and affairs which are familiar topics to those portrayed in the Gossip Girl series. Hopefully we will be able to add pictures to make the blog more interesting, and will tell the story in an interesting way.

"The Conversin of the Jews"

I feel that the adults in “Conversion” handled Ozzie’s questions extremely poorly. Ozzie is just a curious kid who has unanswered questions about his faith. Instead of acting like his questions were valid and trying to explain their understanding of the Jewish faith to him, many of the adults were offended by Ozzie. The adults often blew him off and thought his questions were offensive so they refused to deal with him. I don’t think Ozzie was out of line to ask these questions because if you don’t understand something I think the logical thing to do is ask someone with more knowledge than yourself. If the adults in Ozzie’s life would have taken him seriously and tried to address his curiosity in a positive manor, Ozzie may have never misbehaved in such a rebellious manor. Being hit across the face for being curious is extremely unnecessary.

In this story I definitely sympathize with Ozzie’s character. I feel bad for Ozzie because he is unable to understand his religion and those who should be able to explain it to him get annoyed and treat blow him off. Ozzie also gets hit by his mother and teacher for asking questions, which is a drastic over-reaction and will only enforce Ozzie’s rebellious behavior. If Ozzie was able to express his feelings about his faith openly, I feel like many of his questions could have been answered in a calm manor and he would have developed an understanding for religion instead of creating more confusion.

Author's Note: Management of Grief

This paper has been in development since we last had to blog about it on June 10th. I always knew that I wanted to expand on the plane crash, since the story starts after the fact, and deals with everyone’s reaction instead of the actual crash itself. I also knew that I wanted to add more physical action to the story because a lot of it is Shaila’s inner thoughts dealing with her grief. If I didn’t add more conflict or action into the plot audiences would become bored extremely quickly. I thought expanding the plot was pretty easy and casting the characters was actually fun to do. However, finding symbolism was harder than I thought it would be because I don’t remember any extremely significant symbols in the short story. I had to take matters into my own hands and create symbolism through wardrobe decisions and expanding situations in the plot line. Overall I am happy with the way the piece turned out and I would go watch this movie if it ever came out in theaters. I don’t want feedback on any specific section just the entire paper in general. This is the first time I have ever had to think about adapting a story into film or expanding plots and I usually feel like practice makes perfect so my paper might be a little rough. But I did enjoy this more than a traditional assignment.

"Paul's Case"

When Paul works at Carnegie Hall he is exposed to the rich and elite members of society. He sees the way they dress and act carefree and decides that wants to lead a lifestyle similar to them. Paul feels like his life is boring and familiar, “It was worse than jail, even… Sabbath school, Young people’s Meeting, the yellow-papered room, the damp dish-towels; it all rushed back upon him with a sickening vividness.” Paul feels out of place in his own life and like he deserves something better. The normalcy of his life drives him to take drastic actions in an attempt to be better than average and truly fit in.

In New York City Paul gets to live out the fantasy life he had always envisioned for himself in Carnegie Hall. He uses stolen money to buy expensive suits accessorized with Tiffany’s jewelry, stayed in the extremely expensive Waldorf hotel, and had box seats at the Metropolitan Opera. “This is what all the world was fighting for, he reflected. This was what all the struggle was about. He doubted the reality of his past. Had he ever known a place called Cordelia Street..” Paul feels as though he is living a high class, almost royal, lifestyle. By having these nice things no one can question him or humiliate him and he truly feels special. Paul likes it so much because he feels like he fits into that society and nobody can question him.

"Intervention"

The Intervention has both generational conflict as well as conflict between two people who are married. In this story the plot is definitely affected by the additional conflict of married individuals because it gives background information on their marriage. The story focuses on the good times in their marriage, including vacations and the birth of their first son, as well as the bad times like when Marilyn had an affair and developed a drinking problem because of it. This background information helps develop Marilyn and Sid’s relationship to the reader and creates an understanding for their current actions. Marilyn is not completely involved in the intervention even though she knows Sid has in an alcoholic because she feels the need to protect him similar to the way he helped her overcome her alcoholism. Without this additional conflict it might be confusing to readers why Marilyn was so resistant to her husband’s intervention.

In this story the word enabler refers to Marilyn, and her limited actions, that allows Sid to continue to drink. In this story the word enabler is used in a negative context to convey that Marilyn is allowing Sid to drink himself to destruction without any consequences. When Marilyn hides Sid’s keys so he will not drive drunk, or when she lets him pass out on the armchair because he is too drunk to move, or when she fixes the mailbox he has knocked over from driving drunk she is not confronting the problem but allowing it to continue without repercussions. While her actions are done out of love they are perpetuating Sid’s destructive behavior.

Film Adaptation Proposal Outline

Title: I am not exactly sure what I want to call my movie but I do know that I want to change the title. Management of Grief is too formal and not catchy at all. Most of my favorite movies are two words, “Fight Club, Old School, The Notebook..” and I think a shorter title could still convey the message that a woman is dealing with grief but in a more appealing way.

Character: I want to change the setting of my short story to England so I want to cast actors who have accents and would fit the roles of the main characters. Also, because I am changing the culture of the characters, they will probably have to have different names in the film version since: Bhave, Vinod, and Mithun are so culturally specific. I don’t have a final cast in mind but I was thinking about Kate Winslet for Shaila, and maybe Christian Bale for her husband and for the kids maybe Freddie Highmore who was the little boy in the movie Neverland or Jamie Campbell Bower. All of these actors are British and would be able to fit the roles extremely easily.

Setting: My setting will change from the short story. It will still be in modern times but I want it to take place in England. Since I am writing this movie for American audiences I still want there to be the cultural differences that were evident in the short story but I want viewers to feel like they can easily relate to the characters. If the characters were from a completely different cultural lifestyle I feel like many Americans would be less sympathetic to their situation because it was so different from their own life experiences.

Plot: I will be using a series of dream sequences and flash backs to lengthen the film. The whole short story takes place after the plane crash had already happened and I definitely want to go back to when all the family members were alive and describe their lifestyles. I also want to depict the actual plane crash happening and what events led up to it since they later found out it was a bomb on the plane. I will try to focus more on man vs. man conflicts rather than man vs. self unlike the short story. I think if I focused the entire story completely on Shaila’s inner struggle audiences would become bored because she handles the deaths of her family members in such a calm way. By creating more action I with man vs. man conflict I would still be able to depict Shaila’s feelings without losing audience interest.

Irony: I think most of the irony I will use will be situational since this is the story of a tragedy. There will also be levels of understatement when Shaila describes her grief but the plane crash will be unexpected and create situational irony for audiences.

Symbolism: in the short story Shaila encounters things that are symbolic of her family which I will use in my film as well as using foreshadowing to predict the plane crash and other events in the story. I don’t remember a whole lot of symbolism in the short story but I need to re-read it to get a real feel for how I would want to expand on this point for my film.

"Gorilla, My Love" "Everyday Use" and "Girl"

All of these stories represent different generations and their ideals. In Gorilla, My Love you can see the younger generations views through Hazel who starts trouble in the movie theaters and sees the story of Jesus very literally as she compares his sacrifice to her own family. Then Hazel’s Aunts/Uncles/Parents generation are represented through the stories of her mother going to her school and being standoffish to the teachers. Also, her grandfather’s generation is represented in his portrayal of being very relaxed and letting each individual live their own life. In Everyday Use the younger generations are represented by Dee and her modern way of living as she is concerned with fashion and is extremely proud of her heritage. The older generation is represented by Dee’s mother who is uneducated and lives in a poor rural area.

In all of these stories I think the messages could apply to multiple situations. In Everyday Use, the messages of intimidation and jealousy can be applied to many other situations. There have been many times when I have been intimidated by someone who was extremely confident. In this story I side with Maggie and feel bad for her because she is so shy and feels inadequate in comparison to her sister. She is embarrassed of her scars and limited education but doesn’t deserve to be walked all over. Her sister is very judgmental and thinks she is entitled to her families possessions. In reading this story I want Maggie to stand up for herself and am extremely happy when her mother stands up for her and gives her the quilts. I think this message of standing up for yourself can be applied to many other situations and makes the characters extremely relatable.

I will be doing The Management of Grief for my film adaptation proposal. I think this story has enough depth to be made into a movie and there are lots of details that are left out that I think I can add my own ideas to including depicting the actual plane crash and flashbacks to Shaila's life before her family members passed away.

I have not seen the movie Minority Report but I think that this story could be easily made into a feature film. As I read the story I envisioned a futuristic setting much like Star Wars or the Matrix. I think that the story wouldn’t need much adapting but should probably include more physical conflict to keep audiences interested in the story. When Anderton first gets captured by Kaplan’s men while he is packing there should be more resistance and struggle against these men instead of immediate compliance to add action. Also, when Anderton escapes with his wife to the ship there should be more of an elaborate chase scene, maybe with a near death escape including physical fighting and weaponry. The ship ride itself should be more intense maybe with a high speed chase. I think adding more action into the movie will keep audience attention and help lengthen the plot.

"The Story of an Hour"

I think this story is a tale of personal freedom. Louise Mallard was extremely unhappy and felt trapped in her life and marriage. She felt suppressed by her husband and his demands, “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose..” Her husband’s death was a relief and allowed her to dream of her future without regard for anyone else.

When Louise looks out the window she describes a vivid outdoor scene of springtime with blue skies and blooming trees. I think this is symbolic of the rebirth she feels by her husband’s death. Spring is a time for growth and a rebirth in nature which parallels Louise’s personal feelings of starting a new life. “She saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely,” she feels like she can start a new life of freedom with endless possibilities.

Mrs. Mallard handles the grief of her husband’s death completely different that Shaila Bhave. Shaila is very unemotional at first and is very hesitant to accept the thought of her loved ones deaths. She is almost paralyzed by her grief and even tells herself that her boys were good swimmers and that there is a possibility of their survival, never giving up hope. Shaila also feels that her life is incomplete without her family. On the other hand Mrs. Mallard has an immediate emotional response to the death of her husband and an instant acceptance of his death. She immediately cries and doesn’t question anyone as to whether her husband could have potentially survived. Also, instead of feeling as though she lost something in her life Mrs. Mallard feels like she gained freedom which was so much more important to her. Mrs. Mallard’s story was told in third person perspective while Shaila’s was told in first and that impacted the emotional range each story had. Mrs. Mallard’s story was more limited in her personal thoughts and gave us more of a brief overview rather than descriptive tale of coming to terms with grief.

"Hills Like White Elephants"

When I was first reading this story I was confused as to what kind of operation the main characters were discussing, but when he said it was ultimately Jig’s decision and referred to a third party, “But I don’t want anybody but you. I don’t want anyone else. And I know it’s perfectly simple,” it dawned on me that they were discussing an abortion. I don’t think these characters understand the severity of the operation and how it will affect their relationship. Currently, the man is trying to convince the girl that an abortion is the logical decision and is extremely simple. He keeps blaming all of their unhappiness with one another on her pregnancy and convinces her that having an abortion will fix their relationship issues. The girl is hesitant towards the operation and obviously wants to keep the child. However, she is willing to have the abortion to please him and keep him in her life. I think she feels there are only two options: to have the child and potentially lose her partner, or to have the abortion and keep the man around. I don’t think the characters considered the possible resentment of having the abortion. The operation has been pushed by the man and could cause regret and backlash after its completion if the woman does not fully support the operation. This operation could actually create more unhappiness in their relationship than be the cure for their current grief.

When reading this short story I wish I could have had more information into the character’s personal thoughts. I think this would have created a more dynamic understanding of the argument and helped me, as a reader, to fully understand both of the characters motives. I think the man wants to have an abortion because he isn’t ready to change his lifestyle and she is willing to have the operation just to please him, but there are probably other contributing factors which would have been nice to understand.

Hey Everyone,

I am going to be a junior this fall and I am an interior design major here at TCU. I am currently from Richmond, Virginia but am staying in Fort Worth for the summer.

I am in this intro to fiction course because it is a core requirement but I am hoping to be exposed to new works of fiction that I can enjoy. For me reading is fun as long as the book can keep my interest. At TCU I have taken the Harry Potter freshman seminar course and sophomore comp. as well as a British lit. course, all of which I benefited from. The British literature course was harder to get through, because I could not relate to a lot of the stories, but I am glad that I now have an understanding about many classic pieces of literature. In this course I want to gain a broader knowledge of fiction and hopefully read a lot of material I would never come across otherwise. I am a visual learner and usually like to see things written down to help me remember them. Also, I am generally pretty quiet so I am not sure how well I will do in a discussion course but I will try my best to participate.

An interesting fact about me is that I have moved eight times and have never lived in the same place for more than 3 years. (Dad's job)

I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus.

-Randi