Week Three

Reading Two: "We Real Cool"

We real cool. We

Left school. We

Lurk late. We

Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We

Thin grin. We

Jazz June. We

Die soon.

1. Read the first few paragraphs and then stop. What potential for conflict do you see here? What do you expect to happen in the rest of the story?

I guess I see this story as everybody starts out as pure then as humans we grow in a world of sin and choose what muse to live life by and eventually everything comes to an end. 

2. What is the inciting incident or destabilizing event? How and why does this event destabilize the initial situation?

The choices of humans are sinful and looked down on; "We sing sin".

3. How would you describe the conflict that ultimately develops? To what extent is it external, internal, or both? What, if any, complications or secondary conflicts arise?

As humans we have to come to terms in life and find forgiveness and a muse to finish our life in. This story is bother external and internal. The story expresses feelings within the being of a human and the physical choices that humans make.

4. Where, when, how, and why does the story defy your expectations about what will happen next? What in this story--and in your experience of other stories--created these expectations?

The story starts out as a pure baby, a struggling teenager, a learning adult, and a dying elder person. I guess just how the story is told that give this pattern the layout I see the story in. from "We Real cool" to "We Sing sin" to "We Die soon".

5. What is the climax or turning point? Why and how so?

I feel that the sentence "We Sing sin" is the climax, because then the story starts going more in to a reflection of the past story to coming to an end of the stories life.

6. How is the conflict resolved? How and why might this resolution fulfill or defy your expectations? How and why is the situation at the end of the story different from what it was at the beginning?

"We Jazz June"; the story is coming to a resolution of life acceptance of everything that has happened. That the past is the past and the author experienced life with no regret.

7. Looking back at the story as a whole, what seems especially significant and effective about its plot, especially in terms of a sequence and pace of the action?

This goes back to the whole person's life is laid out within the sentences. The story starts out with a pure life, leads into a rebellious life, to a conclusion life.

8. Does this plot follow any common plot pattern? Is there, for example, a quest of any kind? Or does this plot follow a tragic or comedic pattern?

The pattern follows a humans life pattern from growing up from a baby to an elder. The beginning to the world and the ending to the world. The quest within this story is just living life.

Week Three

Reading One: "Sonny's Blues"

1. Read the first few paragraphs and then stop. What potential for conflict do you see here? What do you expect to happen in the rest of the story?

Within the first few paragraphs of the story I see a conflict of wonder and sorrow of a man toward another man that was floating back into his life. The narrator will come into contact with Sonny throughout the story.

2. What is the inciting incident or destabilizing event? How and why does this event destabilize the initial situation?

Sonny went to a rehab for drug users. The two brothers are related by blood but strangers by mind. The two brothers have to learn to understand and read each other through the two different types of languages they communicate with. We can see how the narrator feels anger towards himself of not trying hard enough to understand Sonny and is trying to really find out who Sonny is.

3. How would you describe the conflict that ultimately develops? To what extent is it external, internal, or both? What, if any, complications or secondary conflicts arise?

I feel the ultimate conflict within the story are the two brothers coming together to understand and communicate with each other. They both view life different, lived life different, and communicate themselves different. The issue is both external and internal. The two brothers must discover themselves and their values in life and learn each others communication to learn about each other. Some secondary conflicts that arose would be the death of the narrators daughter, Sonny's old friend who was in drugs with him, the story of his father seeing his fathers brother die, their mother dying, and the narrator's wife's family living with Sonny after their mother past and the narrator went back to serve in the war.

4. Where, when, how, and why does the story defy your expectations about what will happen next? What in this story--and in your experience of other stories--created these expectations?

This story takes place in New York, Harlem and Greenwich Village in 1957. This story is an example of the average day life. People discovering themselves and learning how to communicate with others, because there are so many different communication ways within the human race. The story kept me motivated to read and I could not put the book down; I just had to know what was going to happen next. I feel this story is a great layout to show future teachers the cruelty within life that their students will face, the different ways to communicate with others and to understand them, and to provide a candle at the end of the road; that nothing is just black and white. We must discover and enhance our experience and knowledge and find our own muse to life.

5. What is the climax or turning point? Why and how so?

The climax of this story would be when  the narrator and Sonny met up in New York when Sonny got out of rehab. Sonny went to go live with his brother, the narrator, and they began to regret their distance and really tried to understand each other. They had to go into each others worlds just to communicate with each other even though they are blood related brothers.

6. How is the conflict resolved? How and why might this resolution fulfill or defy your expectations? How and why is the situation at the end of the story different from what it was at the beginning?

The conflict is resolved, because the narrator agreed to go with Sonny to the nightclub and hear him play in the band. The narrator finally put every knowledge and feel to the side and really listened to Sonny playing the piano; this then helped the narrator to enter Sonny's world and to understand who Sonny is and his life. There is always a conclusion to everything, you just have to be brave enough and optimistic enough to put all guard down and just listen for the truth to spring up. The difference between the beginning and the end of the story is the understanding of the narrator is to Sonny. The narrator had no idea who Sonny really was or what happened to him. At the end of the story the narrator was able to understand Sonny's communication and really listened to Sonny play is whole life through a piano. Every little moment, detail, and emotion.

7. Looking back at the story as a whole, what seems especially significant and effective about its plot, especially in terms of a sequence and pace of the action?

I think the narrators daughter dying was a significant and effective sequence and pace of the action to the plot of the story. The two brother were strangers and then after the narrators daughter dyed the two brothers came together to get into each others worlds and understanding.

8. Does this plot follow any common plot pattern? Is there, for example, a quest of any kind? Or does this plot follow a tragic or comedic pattern?

I believe this plot has a quest within the story; however, there are many tragic events within the pattern of the story. There are stories of people dying and drug abuse; therefore, the narrator and Sonny had barriers to climb to get to the end of a quest of building their family/relationship.

1. We hear the story from the older brother’s point of view. How do his values and experiences affect his view of the story?

The older brother's point of view gives the audience only a brief insight to the struggle of Sonny's life. As the narrator (older brother) is confused in the story the readers are confused, when the brother discovers something out the audience are right with him in the discovery. I feel as the audience we were in the mist of Sonny's life, for that is were the brother stood most of the time within the story.

2. Compare the older brother’s profession with Sonny’s profession. What do those professions suggest about how the characters’ personalities differ?

The older brother's profession was an algebra teacher and Sonny's was a musician. These two professions come from very different but yet very similar worlds. The older brother only could see and know life through knowledge and what people said. Sonny's profession was the communication aspect of life to talk to others, through his music. Sonny's knowledge of the world and himself was through experience where as the older brothers knowledge of the world and himself was through books or what was taught. However, these to professions are similar for they both tell a human beings life story.

3. What does the narrator’s mother ask him to do for Sonny? Does the older brother keep this promise?

The mother of the narrator ask the narrator to promise to keep Sonny safe in life; even though he made this promise he did not follow through with keeping the promise. The two brothers lived life and communicated in different ways, so they drove each other out of their lives till time came to bring them back together as a family and to really understand and know each other.

4. The story begins in medias res. How does this affect the reading of the story?

I feel that this story would not have been the same or struck the audience in the same way if the story did not being as a medias res. The story began with arousing the audience attention to keep reading and to figure out what the struggle was with Sonny. 

5. Read Gwendolyn Brooks poem, “We Real Cool” (page 720). Is Sonny’s behavior similar to the 7 pool players?

Sonny's behavior is similar to the 7 pool players. Sonny and the 7 pool players are rebellious and adventures. They make mistakes, they live life, and they enjoy what was given in front of them to discover who they are in this world.

6.Using Freytag’s Pyramid, identify the five parts of the plot. 

Exposition to Rising Action to Climax to Falling Action to Resolution

Week Two

Reading Two: "Why I Live at the P.O."

1. How much of what Sister reports can we believe?
I suppose while reading this I can believe the reports. One aspect that may make the audience to think otherwise would be how cruel the family was to Sister. However, there are families such as these in the world. You can not always believe everything you see, hear, or read; however, you believe what you choose to believe.

2. Does she appear to have good reasons to resent Stella-Rondo? Why does Sister insist that Stella-Rondo's daughter is not adopted?
Sister resents Stella-Rondo, because she was spoiled and got Mr. Whitaker to leave Sister and married Stella-Rondo instead. As average human beings we make others suffer in our benefit and there is resentment and anger from the victims.

"Of course I noticed at once she looks like Mr. Whitaker's side too. That frown. She looks like a cross between Mr. Whitaker and papa-daddy" (p. 660).

3. Why does Mama accept Stella-Rondo's story that Shirley-T. is adopted?
Stella-Rondo's is the spoiled child and the parents give Stella-Rondo whatever she wants. Stella-Rondo got papa-daddy to turn against Sister. Since everybody turned against Sister then Mama has to. Mama states within the text that she believe what her child tells her. Mama is another factor of spoiling Stella-Rondo to the core.

4. How would you characterize the other members of Sister's family? Stella-Rondo? Mama? Papa-Daddy? Uncle Rondo?
Sister-Has her own mind, but her family does not give her much credit or attention.
Stella-Rondo- Sister's younger sister--spoiled, stuck up, secretive, observant
Mama- she is more of in the back of the scene; she has to agree with her husband most the time and worries about every bodies health, caring
Papa-Daddy- stubborn, leader, angry, unwilling, mind set on his own beliefs, not optimistic
Uncle Rondo- "...Mama's only brother and is a good case of a one-track mind" (p.662). Gets drunk every fourth of July, quick temper, aggressive

5. Is there a realistic way to account for the melodrama of Sister's family life, or is Welty merely exaggerating for comic effect? What do you make of Sister's revelation at the end of the story that she has been living at the P.O. "for five solid days and nights"?
There is some realistic to Sister's story regarding family affairs, I mean we are human! However as the audience we were not there seeing this all happen, so Welty could be exaggerating for comic effect. I suppose it all comes down to, what do you believe as the reader? 

Honestly, I am proud of Sister for what she did. I would have done the same exact thing as she did. If she lived with a family that is cruel and only puts you down, why stay? Clearly the family does not show any compassion or love for Sister according to the story. I give props to Sister for walking out of life destroying stress with her family. Families are not perfect; therefore, sometimes the best thing for kids is to just cut off from the family that does not act like family.

Week Two

Reading One: "The Cask of Amontillado"

1. Why has the narrator waited fifty years to tell what he has done?

Maybe the narrator wanted his execution of Fortunate to be a secret for a long time?

Maybe the narrator went crazy from an unstable set of mind and just told the story?

Maybe the narrator became more clear with his state of mind and wanted to look back on why he did what he did?

2. Under what circumstances is he reporting his deed?

"...but when he ventured upon insult i vowed revenge" (p. 165).

Montresor believes that if a person is caught doing wrong then they should be punished. 

3. Why is Montresor angry with Fortunate? Does he have a valid reason to seek revenge?

Within this story, the narrator, Montresor, never clarifies to his audience what Fortunate did wrong to be vengeance against.

4. How would you assess the mental stability of the narrator? Of Fortunate?

Montresor seems unstable within the mind according to the text; however, there is evidence within the pages of the story that Montresor was clearly stable in his mind set (reference to number 6). He is set and determined to execute the wrong doing from Fortunate, even though Montresor is unclear off Fortunate's wrong doing.

Fortunate was intoxicated and has a horrible cough, with this being said Fortunate has no idea what is going on."He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication" (p. 166).

5. Poe is the founder of "ratiocination", which we can think of as early forensics and crime scene investigation. Where do you see evidence of forensic clues provided in the story?

Montresor clearly states the place that they are located; "We came at length to the foot of the descent, and stood together upon the damp ground of the catacombs of the Montresor's" (p. 166).

Also in the ending, Montresor states: "I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them" (p. 170).

6. Imagine a scenario in which you are a jury member or judge listening to the prosecution and defense in Montresor's court case. describe the evidence that could be presented from both sides (is Montresor criminally insane, for example)? With which side are you most likely to agree? Why?
As a jury member I would say that Montresor was not in criminally insane; "I hastened to make an end of my labour" (p.170). Clearly if he HESITATED in his job then he must have had the ability to function his mind of what was going on.

Week One

Reading Two: "The Shabbat"

1. The short story comic, "The Shabbat", was written by Nasreddine Shah. The time period of this story is during the bombing in Iran. The main character, Marji, is an average girl and living the average day life in Iran. Marji heard there was a bombing on her street. Marji ran home to see if her family was dead or not. Once Marji found out that her family was all safe, she found out that her neighbors house was hit and that Jews normally stay home on the Sabbath (Saturday). After Marji found the neighbor girls bracelet, Marji came to a conclusion that the neighbors were home and died from the bomb that hit their house.

2. At the beginning of the story I was a little confused. The beginning of the story was more like information and then the middle of the story was more like the beginning of the story. During the middle and end part of the story I felt happiness and sadness. I felt happy when I found out that Marji's family was fine. Then suddenly after the relief of finding out that Marji's family is ok, the audience discovers that Marji's neighbor friend died from the bomb.

3. The relationship of the characters are between Marji, the main character, and the neighbor girl Neda. The girls have a building friendship which then gives each character the emotions of caring. The characters roles within the story are relating to past history events, bombing in Iran.

4. My main focus reading this short story was on the language. At the beginning of the story, I was beginning to get confused. I then had to reread out loud the beginning of the story and listen to the words to understand the meaning of the information of the story.

5. Comic layouts of short stories give a story a whole new meaning and audience interpretation. I think that my view of the story may differ from other students by the way I comprehend the language and images within the comic short story.

6. This story makes me rethink of the knowledge I learned within my Children Literature class of fall 2013. In Children Literature class we read and dissected the use and meaning behind the literature within Comic's.

7. "The Shabbat" is a short story that was created as a comic layout. Within my McCloud book that was required for Children Literature, the book spoke of how spacing the boxes gives a sense of time. The images and literature help give the audience emotion.

To speculate about the meaning and importance of "The Shabbat" text, the audience must pay attention to the language of the the author and the images portrayed within the boxes and space between the boxes.

Week One

Reading One: "The Elephant in the Village of the Blind"

1. This story talks about a stranger coming into a village with an elephant. The village is only made up of blind people. The People of the village use all their senses, except sight, to figure out what a elephant is, since the village people have never heard of an elephant before.

2. While reading this short story, I felt a sense of sorrow. I was filled with sorrow for the village people; the villagers were in the dark of knowing what an elephant really is. Growing up I always saw pictures and heard the name 'elephant' by having the sense of sight. I felt as if I should appreciate my senses more.

3. The characters in the story were blind villagers in a mountain. The villagers have only lived in the land of the hill sides of the mountain. The villagers had a role as wonders and learners within the story. The villagers used what senses and knowledge the villagers had to discover a mystery in the villagers home land.

4. The main focus while reading this short story was the descriptions and analysis of the villagers impression of what the elephant felt like and the elephants movements. For example: "An elephant is a rough, hairy pillar" (Norton, pg. 14).

5. My view of the story compared to other students may differ from what emotions each student experiences while reading the short story. 

6. This short story can easily be related to all blind individuals. The story gives individuals with the sense of sight to understand the life of blind individuals. The short story gives individuals with the sense of sight to appreciate the sense of sight.

7. The villagers mystery to what an elephant is reminded me of the book "The Great Gatsby". At the being of the story, Gatsby is a mystery to all the people that attended his nightly parties. All the guest that attended Gatsby's party had no idea who Gatsby was or any information on the man. The guest used swarming rumors to describe what the guest believed that Gatsby was like. The connection between these two pieces of literature is the mystery from the villagers and the guest. Also, the villagers and guest used what they knew already (knowledge and rumors) to explain what the mystery object was.

I believe, the speculate about the meaning and importance of the text "The Elephant in the Village of the Blind" was to express the importance of imagery literature. The short story consist of how the villagers came together to make a definition of an elephant through what the villagers heard, smelt, and felt. The villagers used knowledge of what the villagers already knew to explain what the elephant was like, for example: "An elephant is a water pipe" (Norton, pg. 14).

There could be many ways to interrupt the literature of the short shorty "The Elephant in the Village of the Blind". As the Norton book states, "The different versions of such a tale, like the different descriptions of the elephant, alter its meaning" (pg. 14). There can be minor alters of the story which then can alter the whole meaning and understanding of the story. The importance with this short story is how the literature was laid out and said to tell the story "The Elephant in the Village of the Blind".