Oates and Mason

Both stories we read for this week - Bobbie Ann Mason's "Shiloh" and Joyce Carol Oates' "Where are You Going, Where Have You Been"- deal with romantic relationships and desire in very different ways. Both stories also share the trait of ambiguous endings. The audience is left wondering if Mason's Norma Jeane kills herself, and if Oates' Connie was raped at the end of the stories. Using evidence from the story, do you folks agree with these endings, or do you think something different happened to these women? I have my own opinions, and they don't necessarily mesh with the above endings. I'd like to know what you guys think. Make sure to use textual support in your answers!

Dave's Dilemna

After reading Richard Wright's "The Man Who Was Almost a Ma," what do you folks think of Dave's decision to buy the gun and how it affected his life? Do you think it was a good idea or a bad idea? Tell me why - prove it with examples from the story. Think carefully about Dave's life before the gun, and how he acted after. Was he turning into a man, or was it forcing him to make poor decisions? Either way ( and I can agree with both sides), tell me why.

Mob Mentality

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," one of the short stories we read for this week's classes, the reader is faced with a troubling scenario. I read this story years ago, and forgot how disturbing it was until I reread it in preparation for class. If one of the definitions of great literature is that it is timeless, how is "The Lottery" still relevant today, especially when applied with the idea of mob mentality? Use examples from contemporary issues or situations you are familiar with, from personal experience or from current situations you may have heard about/read about/seen on the news or internet. Try to match details from Jackson's story to details from the example you choose.

Colors

In Toomer's "Blood-Burning Moon," the author uses various colors to create the image he wants the audience to see. Read over the story closely to find colors besides the more obvioius, "black and white." Why do you think Toomer used these particular colors? What do these colors represent for you? Use evidence from the story and personal experience if you care to in order to illustrate your point.

Comparisons

In Jean Toomer's "Blood-Burning Moon," we see rage unfiltered through main characters Tom Burwell and Bob Stone. In this story, is Louisa important to both men? Either of the men? What is the role Louisa is playing in this story? Yes, she is the love object, but how else does the author use her to create tension between the black man and the white man? How does the author use her to display prejudices and viewpoints of blacks by white in the context of this story? Use textual support for your answers - the song lyric at the end of each section, the dialogue between Louisa and Tom in section two, the full moon, the mob scene at the end of the story when Tom is killed.

Something to Think About

Hi folks! Sorry the blog is late...because I'm late in posting, I will be checking the responses on Monday morning. This gives you plenty of time to think about the question before responding.

I'm going to use this blog as a place to discuss irony in literature. We'll also touch upon it in class, but I figured I'd use this space for you all to explore the definition and apply it to our reading so we can have a discussion instead of a lecture.

The definition of irony when used in literature - a technique used by a writer to show truth or a message in a story. This is done by using a situation or character to convey one idea, in order to convey the truth of another idea to the audience. Example: If my friend woke up with two black eyes, and I told her, "You look nice this morning." What I said to her is false, and brings out the truth of the situation: that she looks awful with her face beat up.

Using this definition of irony, let's apply it to Dee/Wangero, one of the main characters in "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker (you know, the second story you all read so carefully this week for class). What is the irony of Dee's reverting to traditional African culture, while shunning her family's roots? What is Dee actually doing to her family's history by doing this? Use quotes to back up your opinion...how do the mother and Maggie play into this irony? How do they showcase the true history of the family?

To Make Matters Less Complicated...

Thanks for those of you who participated in the last blog. I really appreciate the largest turn-out of respsonses since I started this beast in the beginning of the semester.

Onto "Sonny's Blues." Page-wise, this is the longest story we will be reading all semester. Dr. Pruss mentioned several times that this is a difficult story, as did some of you after you read it. So, let's talk about it. What is "Sonny's Blues" actually about? Is it about characters? The ghetto? Drugs? Family? Music? What do you think the larger issues are behind the plot of this story? Take this blog as a place to ponder, to risk your opinion. As our class continues, I've noticed how people are beginning to voice their opinions from personal experiences. Let's keep it going here.