Explain the title. Why is it in the form of a question, and why are there two parts to the question? Who does "you" refer to?
To begin answering this question, I want to start with who the title refers to. In my opinion, it is referring to society’s young adults in general. To be more specific, young adults like Connie and Arnold Friend may easily have this question directed towards them. For the character of Connie, the question explains her rebellious young state of age. She lies to her parents about where she is and who she is with. For Arnold Friend, the question explains his inappropriate actions towards innocent teenage girls like Connie. Then, we can take this title and let it represent the majority of young people’s desires of rebellious actions, like lying to their parents about where they are or sneaking out. When you read the title, it’s like you can hear your own parent’s voice speaking it. It grabs the reader’s attention and instantly allows them to make some type of connection because they can easily identify with the title.
2. Who is Arnold Friend? Do you think he is appropriately named? What is the significance of his car? His clothing? His language?
Arnold Friend, in this story, is a representation of evil. He is a very sly and dangerous man. Many specific characteristics of Arnold, match with those of the devil. For example, Arnold’s foot is slightly disfigured, almost as if he is without a real foot; the devil was known to have hooves instead of feet. When I was researching this story, many people mentioned that if you remove the r’s in Arnold Friend, you see An old fiend. Through time, the devil has been known as the oldest fiend. During the scene between Connie and Arnold, it is described that he wears make up and perhaps a wig. From these descriptions, we can assume that Arnold Friend is a very fake and misleading character. His car is very belittling to women, with the comment about the dent in his car. The audience remains curious about what the three numbers mean. Whether they have sexual reference or they have meaning towards a bible verse.
3. What do you think of the various members of Connie's family? Why has Oates limited their roles in the story?
I believe the main reason that Oates limits Connie’s family members is to draw more focus to Connie. Even when the family members are brought into the scene, they lead all focus and attention to Connie. Her mother is always belittling Connie, but praises her other daughter, June. When we are introduced to June, we learn that Connie is the pretty one of the family. June is older and plain, while Connie is outgoing and beautiful. Her father’s character does not provide much of a character to us. Connie’s father works and comes up, we understand that there is not much of a relationship between Connie and either parent. This can explain a lot of her behavior from lack of parental guidance.
4. How does the setting function in the story? Could this be anywhere? Why did Oates choose the setting(s) that she did?
The setting is very realistic, which is what a story like this needs to have
effect on its audience; the audience relates easier to stories that have practical settings. I cannot really imagine any of the scenes taking place elsewhere. Arnold Friend was placed in perfect settings in the scenes of the story. We meet him at a random diner. Then, he randomly shows up at Connie’s house. This adds such a dramatic point in the story. Having Arnold at Connie’s is house is the best way to portray the stalker character that he is. It provides that chilling effect that you have when you read the scene between Connie and Arnold. All the setting of the story are very practical and realistic; therefore, it is easier for the audience to connect and really understand this story.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
It was very interesting to find the connections between the horrifying story of Charles Schmid and Joyce Oates’ short story “Where Are You going, Where Have You been?”. All three descriptive passages about Charles Schmid and the murders he committed left me with a better understanding of why Oates’ wrote such a chilling short story. After I read the articles about Schmid and reread Oates’ story, I felt more emotion towards the story because of the history I knew behind it. While even watching the movie, my stomach tightened during the scene between Arnold and Connie.
I really took a great interest in reading, watching, and listening about this entire subject. I take this kind of story serious because I believe that it is a very big issue in our society today. Girls take notice of their selves and feel the need to act older than their own age. They believe that they have to have a boy’s attention to “fit in”. It is very easy to understand because I have that age once. It is just “so exciting” to know when a boy notices how cute you look in an outfit or etc. However, these stories express the negativity of girls becoming older and men getting out of hand. First, we can take a look at the articles about Charles Schmid.
It is downright creepy to see how Charles Schmid bragged about how he killed teenage girls. When I read the first article about his trial, I was completely sucked in. I was glad to see that there were still two more postings about his story. Obviously, the character of Arnold was based upon Charles Schmid. It was interesting to find similarities between the two. In the story, it mentions how Connie thought Arnold was wearing a tar like substance on his own eyes and it seem like he was wearing a wig. Charles Schmid wore make up and dyed his hair. Schmid took much consideration into his physical appearance. He was so conscious about his height, that he put all sorts of objects in his boots to make him taller. In the story, Connie took notice of Arnold’s foot because she thought it had an awkward shape. Oates represents Charles Schmid very well as Arnold Friend.
Both the movie and the short story dig deeper into a more personal representation of the Charles Schmid murders and gives you more of an understanding of how these events actually happen. I see these literary works as acts of awareness of this subject. Bob Dylan expresses his feelings towards this topic like the story and movie do. All of these works gave me more of an emotional connection towards this original story and its topic. I feel this way because I found out more history and background information of the story, “Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going?”.
I really took a great interest in reading, watching, and listening about this entire subject. I take this kind of story serious because I believe that it is a very big issue in our society today. Girls take notice of their selves and feel the need to act older than their own age. They believe that they have to have a boy’s attention to “fit in”. It is very easy to understand because I have that age once. It is just “so exciting” to know when a boy notices how cute you look in an outfit or etc. However, these stories express the negativity of girls becoming older and men getting out of hand. First, we can take a look at the articles about Charles Schmid.
It is downright creepy to see how Charles Schmid bragged about how he killed teenage girls. When I read the first article about his trial, I was completely sucked in. I was glad to see that there were still two more postings about his story. Obviously, the character of Arnold was based upon Charles Schmid. It was interesting to find similarities between the two. In the story, it mentions how Connie thought Arnold was wearing a tar like substance on his own eyes and it seem like he was wearing a wig. Charles Schmid wore make up and dyed his hair. Schmid took much consideration into his physical appearance. He was so conscious about his height, that he put all sorts of objects in his boots to make him taller. In the story, Connie took notice of Arnold’s foot because she thought it had an awkward shape. Oates represents Charles Schmid very well as Arnold Friend.
Both the movie and the short story dig deeper into a more personal representation of the Charles Schmid murders and gives you more of an understanding of how these events actually happen. I see these literary works as acts of awareness of this subject. Bob Dylan expresses his feelings towards this topic like the story and movie do. All of these works gave me more of an emotional connection towards this original story and its topic. I feel this way because I found out more history and background information of the story, “Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going?”.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Updike Interview and Comparisons between two poems by Sharon Olds
When veiwing the interview of John Updike, author of "A & P", my opinion of the story and its characters remain the same. Meaning, I still see the character, Sammy the cashier, craving the attention of three rebelious girls who enter the store in bathing suits. Sammy believes he is some type of hero when he defends the girls from his boss, who shares how he thinks the girls are inappropriate. I found it interesting that Updike based some parts of the story off personal experience. He had once entered a store and noticed a woman in nothing but a bathing suit. He felt that it was shocking and expressed his experience through the character of Mr. Lingsdnf, which was actually the same name as his mother’s manager and boss’s name.
Digging deeper into the character of Sammy, my opinion is the same of Updike’s. We can see that Sammy is a blue collared worker who desires to be noticed by a wealthy beauty. He thinks that because he sticks up for these girls, they will recognize him as some type of hero. Unfortunately, they do not even notice him and immediately take off when they exit the store. This makes Sammy realize that life will be hard and that he will go through life doing things for others and receiving no credit. I think it’s fair to say that Sammy is an oddball of the town. He wants more than the life offered in the A & P. We can see that he does not want to get caught up in the sheep like routine of the store, where he spends many hours in.
“Rites of Passage”, by Sharon Olds, is a very ironic poem that describes a mother’s child and his friends like older men. They are seen acting as children who are very aggressive and almost vicious, which perhaps foreshadows their life as grown men. This is similar to the future of Sammy in “A & P”. If Sammy were to stay in the store, he would become just like his boss. We can also find similarity between Sharon Old’s poem “The One Girl at the Boy’s Party” and “A & P”. The girl in this poem is somewhat like Queenie of “A & P”. She is described in almost every detail by her mother. Like in “Rites of Passage”, it seems that these mothers who describe their children are very protective and can be somewhat like a hero to their own children. This differs from Updike’s view of a hero in his story because these mothers have more to be recognized for. Unlike Sammy, they give a sense of protection to their children, knowing them so well. The two poems express the heroism of motherhood.
Digging deeper into the character of Sammy, my opinion is the same of Updike’s. We can see that Sammy is a blue collared worker who desires to be noticed by a wealthy beauty. He thinks that because he sticks up for these girls, they will recognize him as some type of hero. Unfortunately, they do not even notice him and immediately take off when they exit the store. This makes Sammy realize that life will be hard and that he will go through life doing things for others and receiving no credit. I think it’s fair to say that Sammy is an oddball of the town. He wants more than the life offered in the A & P. We can see that he does not want to get caught up in the sheep like routine of the store, where he spends many hours in.
“Rites of Passage”, by Sharon Olds, is a very ironic poem that describes a mother’s child and his friends like older men. They are seen acting as children who are very aggressive and almost vicious, which perhaps foreshadows their life as grown men. This is similar to the future of Sammy in “A & P”. If Sammy were to stay in the store, he would become just like his boss. We can also find similarity between Sharon Old’s poem “The One Girl at the Boy’s Party” and “A & P”. The girl in this poem is somewhat like Queenie of “A & P”. She is described in almost every detail by her mother. Like in “Rites of Passage”, it seems that these mothers who describe their children are very protective and can be somewhat like a hero to their own children. This differs from Updike’s view of a hero in his story because these mothers have more to be recognized for. Unlike Sammy, they give a sense of protection to their children, knowing them so well. The two poems express the heroism of motherhood.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
What is a hero?
When mentioning the word hero, most people associate it with someone who “saved” or “rescued” another person, or perhaps helped them out in a time of need. Usually, a hero provides a positive connotation when being described. We recognize heroes for outstanding acts of service towards. In the end, I believe everyone can share their own meaning and personal story of a hero.
One person who I think of as a hero is Danny Thomas, the founder of St. Jude Research Hospital. Danny Thomas is a hero in my eyes because of his attempts to better the lives of ill and innocent children. He expressed heroism because he wanted to provide children with a hope that they could live a normal life. Without a doubt, you could say that Danny “saved” and “rescued” the lives of many sick kids and even their parents. Danny Thomas wanted to save the lives of others because Christ saved his child’s life, when diagnosed with cancer. After realizing what Christ had done and provided for him, he decided to give back to his Savior by helping children. Only a few believed in Danny, but that did not stop him because he took a stand for and carried on his promise to God. Therefore, to me, Danny Thomas expressed many admirable qualities of a hero by rescuing children and providing salvation towards a healthy and prosperous life.
In Updike’s story “A &P”, we are left questioning whether the character of Sammy is a hero or not. Sammy is a teenage cashier who decides to stand up to his manager and defend three girls, who dressed inappropriately in a super market. He also decides to quit his job after he sticks up for the girls. In my eyes, I do not believe that Sammy has expressed any acts of bravery or courage for a respectable cause. I feel like he only quit his job to try to impress the girls and he only stuck up for them just so he would be noticed. A true hero does not serve for attention and credit. A genuine hero intentionally tries to help others, and only does it to make the lives of others finer.
There are various acts of heroism that can be expressed. Small and simple acts of heroism can mean just as much as saving the life of another. You don’t have to create a research hospital to be a hero or rescues someone from a burning building. Yes, these are commendable acts that heroes have been known for, but a hero can be anyone who has provided some act of service or support towards another. Maybe an encouraging parent that helped you through a rough time, or a caring teacher who provided extra time out of their days to assist you with your education, or any of these kinds of stories. A hero provides a light out of darkness, strength when you are weak, and encouragement when you feel like you cannot go on.
One person who I think of as a hero is Danny Thomas, the founder of St. Jude Research Hospital. Danny Thomas is a hero in my eyes because of his attempts to better the lives of ill and innocent children. He expressed heroism because he wanted to provide children with a hope that they could live a normal life. Without a doubt, you could say that Danny “saved” and “rescued” the lives of many sick kids and even their parents. Danny Thomas wanted to save the lives of others because Christ saved his child’s life, when diagnosed with cancer. After realizing what Christ had done and provided for him, he decided to give back to his Savior by helping children. Only a few believed in Danny, but that did not stop him because he took a stand for and carried on his promise to God. Therefore, to me, Danny Thomas expressed many admirable qualities of a hero by rescuing children and providing salvation towards a healthy and prosperous life.
In Updike’s story “A &P”, we are left questioning whether the character of Sammy is a hero or not. Sammy is a teenage cashier who decides to stand up to his manager and defend three girls, who dressed inappropriately in a super market. He also decides to quit his job after he sticks up for the girls. In my eyes, I do not believe that Sammy has expressed any acts of bravery or courage for a respectable cause. I feel like he only quit his job to try to impress the girls and he only stuck up for them just so he would be noticed. A true hero does not serve for attention and credit. A genuine hero intentionally tries to help others, and only does it to make the lives of others finer.
There are various acts of heroism that can be expressed. Small and simple acts of heroism can mean just as much as saving the life of another. You don’t have to create a research hospital to be a hero or rescues someone from a burning building. Yes, these are commendable acts that heroes have been known for, but a hero can be anyone who has provided some act of service or support towards another. Maybe an encouraging parent that helped you through a rough time, or a caring teacher who provided extra time out of their days to assist you with your education, or any of these kinds of stories. A hero provides a light out of darkness, strength when you are weak, and encouragement when you feel like you cannot go on.
Monday, September 7, 2009
"Reading a Story"
Answers to Questions from Chapter 1, "Reading a Story"
P.6
1. The North Wind is a very thoughtless and impatient character. When attempting to strip the travler of his coat, he was quick to act and did not think his idea or plan through very well. Obviously, the Sun is the complete opposite. The Sun's personality is very wise and patient. These traits are expressed through his actions upon the traveler.
2. The North Wind's attempt was ineffective because he let all his strength and force out in one instant attack. The attack happened very fast and ended very fast; therefore, the traveler was not afflicted by it.
3. The sun was successful becuase his attempt was thought well through. He was very patient and calm towards his attempt. The Sun was very sly in actions. He gently crept upon the traveler with his heat and it ever so slowly distressed the traveler. Unlike the North Wind, the Sun did not use all his force at once. He balanced it out and it affected the traveler more versus strainig out all force at one time and becoming weak quicker.
4. The human serves as the example for how society is affected by persuasoin and force.
5. Persuasion is better than force. This statement claims that it is better to be patient and steady with someone versus pressuring them on the spot so quickly.
p. 8
1. The very first sentence, becuase we learn what the main character is doing and who is coming to visit him. He uses two sentences to set the tone for his humorous and bold answer.
2. Chuang Tzu shows more of his spirited character when he explains the story of the tortoise. It adds more humor and dramatic effect to the story when he does not answer immediately and already knows the answer to the question he asked the officials.
3. We learn the he has a sarcatic and humurous personality. Also, he is very wise to think of such a clever way to deliver his answer. We see that he does not care for high positions, but cares about the small natures of life.
p. 19
1. Updike's details in the story paint a clear and vivid picture of the A&P. We all can relate to, "flourecent lights", "checkerboard green-and-cream rubber -tile floor", and how he describes characters going up and down the aisles.
2. We have a very detailed description of the emotional and mental side of Sammy. After all, the story is in his point of view, so we read the story in his eyes and thoughts. Sammy's actions are admirable to some extent. Him quiting his job shows a lot of bravery and courgae; however, the reason for quiting his job is quite juevenille. Especially, when he immediately thinks about what the girl's opinion is of him for quitting his job. Unfortunately, they do not even know and probably do not even notice Sammy. However, Sammy puts a lot of thought into their physical appearance and so, we learn how "teenage" Sammy is. We know more about Sammy than the doctor in "Godfather Death" becuase we know every thought and feeling that goes through Sammy's mind during this entire scene. Again, this story is in Sammy's point of view, unlike the "Godfather Death" story.
3. I believe the exposition is the first two paragraphs, because the scene is set and we learn a about Sammy's character, we begin to meet the three girls with bathing suits and begin to learn why they are in the store. The plot begins to unfold from here. Queenie's description is very valued becuase it shows how Sammy thinks of her. At first, he judges her by her looks and then is suprised by her defending herself to the manager. The way Sammy describes her and how he notices her shows his boy immaturities. I think it is important to understand that Sammy is immature because of what he does at the end of the story.
4. Yes, he become very surprised to see that Queenie defends herself. He was intimidated by her physical appearance.
5. The dramatic conflict becomes visible when the manager begins to question the girls appearance. The crisis pops up when Queenie defends herself. The climax is when Sammy decides to quit and walk out.
6. I honestly believe that Sammy quits his job to impress the girls. He seems very immature and just want attention for the attractive opposite sex.
7. Probably, the way he thinks about them physically. He was obviously attracted to Queenie. I would say it is foreshadowed through how Sammy takes notice of the girls and how he almost obssesses over them in the scene.
8. From the conclusion of the story, we understand that Sammy is an immature teenage boy who wants to be noticed by an attractive girl. So, he decides to take a risk, but it is jus way over the top and unnecessary. The statement Sammy makes at the end of the story shows how in the world, you will make brave actions for whatever it is you believe in, but you will not always be recognized for them.
9. Updike mentions the word "sheep" a lot. I think he believes that the supermaket is like herding sheep through the aisles or the check out lines. Its very boring and grim. It is even worth quitting your job when to impress a girl.
P.6
1. The North Wind is a very thoughtless and impatient character. When attempting to strip the travler of his coat, he was quick to act and did not think his idea or plan through very well. Obviously, the Sun is the complete opposite. The Sun's personality is very wise and patient. These traits are expressed through his actions upon the traveler.
2. The North Wind's attempt was ineffective because he let all his strength and force out in one instant attack. The attack happened very fast and ended very fast; therefore, the traveler was not afflicted by it.
3. The sun was successful becuase his attempt was thought well through. He was very patient and calm towards his attempt. The Sun was very sly in actions. He gently crept upon the traveler with his heat and it ever so slowly distressed the traveler. Unlike the North Wind, the Sun did not use all his force at once. He balanced it out and it affected the traveler more versus strainig out all force at one time and becoming weak quicker.
4. The human serves as the example for how society is affected by persuasoin and force.
5. Persuasion is better than force. This statement claims that it is better to be patient and steady with someone versus pressuring them on the spot so quickly.
p. 8
1. The very first sentence, becuase we learn what the main character is doing and who is coming to visit him. He uses two sentences to set the tone for his humorous and bold answer.
2. Chuang Tzu shows more of his spirited character when he explains the story of the tortoise. It adds more humor and dramatic effect to the story when he does not answer immediately and already knows the answer to the question he asked the officials.
3. We learn the he has a sarcatic and humurous personality. Also, he is very wise to think of such a clever way to deliver his answer. We see that he does not care for high positions, but cares about the small natures of life.
p. 19
1. Updike's details in the story paint a clear and vivid picture of the A&P. We all can relate to, "flourecent lights", "checkerboard green-and-cream rubber -tile floor", and how he describes characters going up and down the aisles.
2. We have a very detailed description of the emotional and mental side of Sammy. After all, the story is in his point of view, so we read the story in his eyes and thoughts. Sammy's actions are admirable to some extent. Him quiting his job shows a lot of bravery and courgae; however, the reason for quiting his job is quite juevenille. Especially, when he immediately thinks about what the girl's opinion is of him for quitting his job. Unfortunately, they do not even know and probably do not even notice Sammy. However, Sammy puts a lot of thought into their physical appearance and so, we learn how "teenage" Sammy is. We know more about Sammy than the doctor in "Godfather Death" becuase we know every thought and feeling that goes through Sammy's mind during this entire scene. Again, this story is in Sammy's point of view, unlike the "Godfather Death" story.
3. I believe the exposition is the first two paragraphs, because the scene is set and we learn a about Sammy's character, we begin to meet the three girls with bathing suits and begin to learn why they are in the store. The plot begins to unfold from here. Queenie's description is very valued becuase it shows how Sammy thinks of her. At first, he judges her by her looks and then is suprised by her defending herself to the manager. The way Sammy describes her and how he notices her shows his boy immaturities. I think it is important to understand that Sammy is immature because of what he does at the end of the story.
4. Yes, he become very surprised to see that Queenie defends herself. He was intimidated by her physical appearance.
5. The dramatic conflict becomes visible when the manager begins to question the girls appearance. The crisis pops up when Queenie defends herself. The climax is when Sammy decides to quit and walk out.
6. I honestly believe that Sammy quits his job to impress the girls. He seems very immature and just want attention for the attractive opposite sex.
7. Probably, the way he thinks about them physically. He was obviously attracted to Queenie. I would say it is foreshadowed through how Sammy takes notice of the girls and how he almost obssesses over them in the scene.
8. From the conclusion of the story, we understand that Sammy is an immature teenage boy who wants to be noticed by an attractive girl. So, he decides to take a risk, but it is jus way over the top and unnecessary. The statement Sammy makes at the end of the story shows how in the world, you will make brave actions for whatever it is you believe in, but you will not always be recognized for them.
9. Updike mentions the word "sheep" a lot. I think he believes that the supermaket is like herding sheep through the aisles or the check out lines. Its very boring and grim. It is even worth quitting your job when to impress a girl.
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