A Good Man is Hard To Find - Flannery O’Connor

1.       What is the role of chance or fate in the story? 

The role of chance or fate in this story is that the grandmother was so worried about the misfit, and then later in the story he saw them. Another moment of chance or fate is that the grandmothers making up the story is what led to their crash and the misfit finding them.  Another effect that chance or fate in the story is that when the misfit's car drove up she had a feeling that she knew him, but couldn't quite remember it and later she learned that the misfit was her son. 

2.      Discuss the grandmother’s definition of a “good man” using specific examples from the text.

Her definition of a good man is that he comes from good people and that he doesn't have any "common blood" in him.  "Two fellers come in here last week," Red Sammy said, "driving a Chrysler. It was a old beat-up car but it was a good one and these boys looked all right to me. Said they worked at the mill and you know I let them fellers charge the gas they bought?" After this statement the grandmother implies that a good man should be nice and trustworthy. Also in the beginning of the story she says that she would have done well to marry Mr.Teagarden Because he bought coca-cola stock when it first came out and died a very wealth man. So she almost explicitly says that a good man is one who dies wealthy and makes good investments.

I thought that the story very confusing in general so to make sense of it I had to read it multiple times. The story had lots of foreshadowing in it and when I read it for the third time I really realized this. One of the things that was confusing was when the grandmother called the misfit her own child. But over all I thought that the story was very interesting. 

The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail

1)·         Many of the conversations in this book contain examples of irony.  List a few and explain why each is ironic.

An example of iron in act one : Henry says "Thank god we can't fly. We'd pollute the sky. Now we have planes and our sky is very polluted." This shows irony because Henry says that we are lucky that we can't pollute the sky. Then proceeds later on to say that we are polluting the sky. 

Another example is when Henry feels more free in Jail then on the outside, because in jail he isn't restricted to a schedule. It is ironic because in jail people are locked up and almost everyone thinks of jail as restricted freedoms. 

One final example of irony is when Henry teaches Bailey how to spell his name but later tells him not to write it. This shows irony because Henry teaches him something than tells Bailey not to use it. 

2)·         List the three most important characters.  Choose a present day actor/actress to take the role of each.  Explain why you would make these casting decisions and base your answers on the words and actions of each of the characters from the play.

The most important characters are Henry, John and Bailey. 

 I would have Jim Parsons play Henry because in his role in "The Big Bang Theory" his character displayed a very high level of thinking, like Thoreau. They look a little but alike aswell with their bone structures.

For John I would cast Jim Carrey for the role because John brings more fun and happy lighter feelings to Henry, and Jim Carrey is exactly that. 

For the part of Bailey I would have Chris Hemsworth play the part. I chose him because he looks like an honest man and I can see him as a friendly face like Bailey. 

3)·         Does Henry’s protest prove successful in the end?  Explain.

Henry is successful in his protest of not paying his taxes. It is successful because in the play he never pays his taxes. But he wasn't as successful as he would have been if his Aunt hadn't paid his taxes.

Transcendentalism Quote

"Our own school, John! No buildings. Break out of the classroom prison. All we need is the sky!" 

Leaving the classroom "prison" allows the teacher to give the students more personalized help. He had no set curriculum and allowed people to express their own feelings without punishment (an example being Potter in the class). These all express the self dependency that is lacking in the classroom and it allows students to reach a level of higher thinking that they don't need to be spoofed answers. That is the kind of education that Transcendentalism is all about.

MDG and Odyssey Compare & Contrast

1) In the Odyssey we see how desire + danger = drama when Odysses was away from home for 20 years and Penelope's hand was wanted by many suitors.  He must go through many hardships to return home and defeat the suitors. It causes drama because the suitors family and friends are enraged.  We see this in a different way in MDG because it is not over love it is about passion for something. The General wants to kill Rainsford to make the hunt more desirable and internisting and of course there is the element of danger because Rainsford is trying to survive for his life. But it does still lead to drama but a different kind. it causes drama because the General is mad that Rainsford won.

2) In both the Odyssey and MDG background for all of the main characters is neceissary. You need to know who Odyssus is in order to understand how he defeats the suitors. And you need to know about Penelope to know what her had was wanted and how she tried to elude marrying for so long. You needed to know background on the General to really understand who he is, and understand his desire to hunt. You need to know background on Rainsford to know that he was a hunter to understand how he eludes the General for 3 days and makes the traps. 

3) In both stories the main character or characters, in the case of the Odyssey are facing external conflicts. Odyssus and Telemachus are trying to kill all of the suitors and Rainsford is trying to escape from the General. 

4) In both stories there are many complications keeping the characters from their intended goals. In the Odyssey Posiedon is keeping Odyssus from returning home along with many others. Especially when he is sent on mini journeys by the Gods and people like Circe. The General and the island are keeping Rainsford form his goal of leaving the island alive.

5) In MDG there is no flash back before the story begins. The Odyssey there is from book 9-12 it is Odyssus flashback. 

6) In MDG the conflict is resolved when Rainsford comes out of the curtains and kills the General. In the Odyssey the conflict is resolved when Odyssus returns home. Also when Odyssus and Telemachus kill the suitors. In both stories the protagonist prevails and kills his enemy(s). 

Odyssey Final Thoughts and Reactions

I felt that I didn't really get anything out of the book. I felt like Minerva was just playing with the people as toys for her own fun, and as the result people died. I felt like the "climax" wasn't even very climatic. Homer just wrote about how the suitors died, and how he plotted revenge, in a very slow boring way. Something that really bothered me about the story is that often Ulysses would say I will tell you the truth then lie to peoples faces when he was pretending to be someone else. Though the end was supposed to be the most exciting part, I enjoyed reading about Ulysses adventures when he was trying to get home more. Then the book just ends with all of the people becoming friends, I just didn't understand the point of the book. 

Odyssey Books 5-12

At the beginning of Book 5 Ulysses is being held capitive on Clypso's island. The gods (execpt Neptune) had convened and decreed that he (Ulysses) was to return to his friends, family and home country. So Mercury was sent to Calypso's island to inform Calypso that she was to release Ulysses or she would be punnished by Jove. Calypso told Ulysses to build a small ship and gave him the necessary food and water to survive a journey home, then sent Ulysses on his way. On his 18th day of sailing he saw the dim outlines of the mountians on the Phaeacian coast. Yet at the same time King Neptune was returning from the Ethopians said that "He shall have plenty of harship yet before he has done with it." So Neptune caused a great storm making Ulysses go overboard. Alas with Minerva's help he floated two days and two nights until he saw land and trees and with the rest of his remaining strength he swam to shore and decided the safest place ot spend the night would be in the woods.

Then Minerva influenced the daughter of the King Alcinnous to go the the water near where Ulysses was in the morning to wash some clothes. When Nausicaa arrived with her maid servants they made enought noise to awake Ulysses and to bring him back to town with them. The gave him clothes for he was without clothing and food and wine which he ate heartily, for he had not eaten in days. When he entered the land of the Phaeacians, Minerva used the mist to shroud him from the eyes of the towns folk for they were very unwelcoming people. When he arrive at the House of the King he was welcomed in and given food and drink, and was also given a place to rest and spend the night. Afterwards Ulysses was asked who he was, where he had come from and where he had gotten thoes clothes. Ulysses then explained his situation and how he had recived the clothes. 

Ulysses told them how he had come to end up on their lone island and more. Ulysses explained to the King how he and his crew were leaving after having sacked a town, they took many goods and moved on to the land of the cyclops. They entered Polyphemus's cave and waited for him to return expecting gifts from him. But in turn he killed some of Ulysses men and finally Ulysses divided a plan to escape. They got the large cyclops drunk ans when he passed out they blinded him. Every day he would let out his heard to graze in the fields, and when he let them out he felt the tops of them to make sure none of the men were trying to escape. So Ulysses told his men to hang on to the sides of the sheep and to just be carried out.

 Soon after He and his crew arrived at the island of the enchantress Circe. All but one of the first group that went there were poisoned and turned into animals. So Ulysses went out to save his men. On his way king Mercury came down from Olympus and instructed Ulysses how to save his men from Circe. After following Mercury's directions he was able to save his men. After he had saved his men Circe instructed him to go to the House of Hades and sacrifice a ram And a black ewe To spill the blood and only let Teiresias drink out of it first. Once Teiresias told him the prophecy he talked with his mother asking her how his family wtas. He also spoke with the many wives and daughters of Jove and with many of. His dead comrades. From there he and his crew sailed through the whirlpool of Chariblus and Scylla. Then his men ate the sun gods cattle though they had been forbidden and only Ulysses survived.

Odyssey Books 2-4

I was very surprised at the level of hatred displayed by Penelope's suitors. I was curious why they would wish to kill him, that part of the story confused me a lot. I was also very excited for Telemachus though because he learned the whereabouts of his father. The books became more confusing as I read farther because you learned the life story of each person and it was very difficult for me to keep track of the characters.The pictures all related to the class quote a lot because in the picture of the fire-fighters they were probably really scared but overcame their fear to do something for the greater good. I also thought that Telemachus did something for his mother that was beneficial to him but helped her as well. I think the fact that it helped his mother was a very important factor.

Odyssey First Impression

I was originally very surprised at the amount of impact that the Gods had on the hero's fate. I hadn't expected them to be so involved with the world below. It became difficult to follow who they were talking about because many of the names are very a like and the story speaks of many people. The active reading helped me because it made me put the pieces together instead of just reading the words not understanding the content.

Ron Koertge's Geeks Bearing Gifts

In his writing Ron makes his characters easy to relate to, for almost everybody. When someone is reading it they can relate to at least one of the characters in one way or another. He also knows his audience and knows that many high school students have to read short stories. I could use this in my writing to make it more familiar.

When he writes he tells it like it is. He puts himself in his characters shoes and tells it how he sees it from their perspective. He does not add "fluff" to the short story to make it easier to face the truth. He writes it how it is and adds nothing to cution the "blow."

Discussion Questions about Eudora Weltys's "A Worn Path"

Discussion Questions about Eudora Weltys's A Worn Path

 

a.) What is the significance of the title?

          It is an intriguing title, it is vague yet descriptive. The title gives just a hint of what happens in the story, because Phoenix's journey is literally a worn path. She makes the journey "as regular as clockwork" due to her grandsons swollen throat.

 

b.) Why is the name Phoenix an appropriate name for the protagonist?

          It is an appropriate name for the protagonist because the mythical bird was said to live 500-600 years. The protagonist is also very elderly and faced ridicule while on her journey due to her age.Also in the beginning of the short story is says that "Her eyes were blue with age."

c.) Note where the Author refers to birds. Considering the symbolic meaning of birds, how does the bird motif contribute to the development of meaning?

          If there are good and alive birds, then good things happen to her soon or immediately after. If there are negatively thought of  birds or dead birds they symbolize bad things that happened or will soon happen.

d.) Note at least one other motif you discover.

          One other motif are the detailed descriptions of nature and her surroundings.

e.) What is symbolic about her journey back?

          It shows that even though she is elderly, she is willing to make a hard journey for someone that she loves and cares deeply for.

Compared and Contrast Essay (Chapter 20 Of On Writing Well and Finding Your Voice)

Both pieces are based on the topic of finding your voice in writing. About making it your own and giving your voice a distinct sound and style. They both discuss that it is natural for new writers to take on another writer's style and use it as a "prop." The works speak of how you should keep your writing new, by removing clichés and overused phrases. The goal is to be able to write two books about completely different topics and when readers read them both they can tell that you wrote them.

The big difference between the two is that "Finding Your Voice" makes you think about using your own style instead of another writer's, because by doing that you loose more and more of the message that you wish to convey.  Because when you try to capture the truth of what you are saying in someone else's style you are removing yourself one step further. "On Writing Well" is a lot more blunt and outright when telling you that you shouldn't use another writer's style. It explains that you shouldn't use clichés and that when trying to convey an effortless style you still need to have proper grammar (you don't want to be "just pals" with the reader.)