5/30/07
I have to say that I was a little skeptical to read this story, not knowing what a blind man and a cathedral had in common. I skimmed over it and still didn't think much of it. Finally I sat down with no distractions, and read the short story. The topic was jumping around so much at the beginning, and I was having a hard time following it. I didn't see why this story was so much better than the rest of them in this book, until I read the ending.
I was taken back by this connection between the woman's husband and the blind man. He was clearly uncomfortable around a blind man. I found it strange that the husband kept saying how he had never had a blind man in his house before. I also was taken back by the connection between the wife and the blind man. I think that for two people to have a strong connection is a very rare thing in this world, and for someone with a disability that affected their life so much, this seems even more rare.
My favorite part, to no surprise, was when they were drawing the cathedrals together. I finally understand what Mr. Sexson was talking about when he would say "The cathedral is tall." The world is filled with so many words, and of all languages, English has the most, and that is the work he chooses to describe such a beautiful structure. Or when someone comments on a piece of work saying that it is "interesting". What does that mean anyways? When I think of something I am familiar with that really means something to me, no words come to mind. Sometimes I feel that no word could possible do justice to what I am feeling when I am in the presence of my favorite things. The fact that the husband was so uncomfortable with this blind man being in his house, and being asked on the spot what something as magnificent as a cathedral looks like, I can definitely see where he is coming from.
I loved the end when the man didn't open his eyes right away. He was taken into the blind man's world, and for a second, he saw the beauty of such innocence. He doesn't have to see all of the ugliness in the world today. I am in no way saying this is something I want to experience, but at that moment, I closed my eyes and the feeling was hard to describe. In face, it was interesting, but in such a different way than when I would use the word interesting to describe something else. When the blind man asked him how it looked, the husband said, "It's really something." He didn't want to go back to the world where he can see the lines awkwardly filling the paper, he wanted to see the image in his mind of this beautiful cathedral, that of which would be impossible for him to draw, especially with his eyes closed.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Oedipus
5/25/07
After hearing the story of Oedipus I wanted to look more into it. I was very intrigued by what I heard, and I find it hard to believe that someone could hear the plot of this story and not be the least bit curious as to how exactly this happens.
In the story I was taken back by all the myths that people used to live by. I thought about how someone would react if they were told such a story of their unborn child today. I think that such magic and beliefs are what make this story so interesting in the first place. I was taken back by a poem I read in the book about Oedipus by Edwin Muir, pg. 1107.
I, Oedipus, the club-foot, made to stumble,
Who long in the light have walked the world in darkness,
And once in the darkness did that which the light
Found and disowned-too well I have loved the light,
Too dearly have rued the darkness. I am one
Who is in innocent play sought out his guilt,
And now through guilt seeks other innocence,
Beset by evil thoughts, let by the gods.
There was a room, a bed of darkness, once
Known to me, now to all. Yet in that darkness,
Before the light struck, she and I who lay
There without thought of sin and knew each other
Too well, yet were to each other quite unknown
Through fastened mouth to mouth and breast to breast-
Strangers laid on one bed, as children blend,
Clear-eyed and blind as children-did we sin
Then on that bed before the light came on us,
Desiring good to each other, bringing, we thought,
Great good to each other? But neither guilt nor death.
The poem continues, but this first part is what really stuck out to me. From the very beginning we see Oedipus as this interesting, and in some ways, disgusting, character. He is thrown into guilt before he is even born, and upon his birth, he is automatically judged. He did not ask for the life that he lived, he was dragged into it by those who should have loved him the most. Yes, he did do something so bad, but the fact that he was totally oblivious to it makes the story all that more interesting. This poem shown the sad life that he lived, never knowing where he belonged. I find it interesting that when he finally feels as if he belongs to the new kingdom, he has just done something so bad, by killing his father and marrying his mother.
In the first line he is defined as a club-foot man, instead of just simply a man. He is hated by those who know is story, and he even begins to view himself as the monster that he was made out to be. He speaks so sweetly of finding love and being at peace with himself, and suddenly all that was taken away from him. He was determined to find the beast who killed the king, when all along, it was him. This makes me thing of the demons that are in all of us. We build our lives around fighting these demons and making ourselves whole...but really, once they are gone, what is left of us?
After hearing the story of Oedipus I wanted to look more into it. I was very intrigued by what I heard, and I find it hard to believe that someone could hear the plot of this story and not be the least bit curious as to how exactly this happens.
In the story I was taken back by all the myths that people used to live by. I thought about how someone would react if they were told such a story of their unborn child today. I think that such magic and beliefs are what make this story so interesting in the first place. I was taken back by a poem I read in the book about Oedipus by Edwin Muir, pg. 1107.
I, Oedipus, the club-foot, made to stumble,
Who long in the light have walked the world in darkness,
And once in the darkness did that which the light
Found and disowned-too well I have loved the light,
Too dearly have rued the darkness. I am one
Who is in innocent play sought out his guilt,
And now through guilt seeks other innocence,
Beset by evil thoughts, let by the gods.
There was a room, a bed of darkness, once
Known to me, now to all. Yet in that darkness,
Before the light struck, she and I who lay
There without thought of sin and knew each other
Too well, yet were to each other quite unknown
Through fastened mouth to mouth and breast to breast-
Strangers laid on one bed, as children blend,
Clear-eyed and blind as children-did we sin
Then on that bed before the light came on us,
Desiring good to each other, bringing, we thought,
Great good to each other? But neither guilt nor death.
The poem continues, but this first part is what really stuck out to me. From the very beginning we see Oedipus as this interesting, and in some ways, disgusting, character. He is thrown into guilt before he is even born, and upon his birth, he is automatically judged. He did not ask for the life that he lived, he was dragged into it by those who should have loved him the most. Yes, he did do something so bad, but the fact that he was totally oblivious to it makes the story all that more interesting. This poem shown the sad life that he lived, never knowing where he belonged. I find it interesting that when he finally feels as if he belongs to the new kingdom, he has just done something so bad, by killing his father and marrying his mother.
In the first line he is defined as a club-foot man, instead of just simply a man. He is hated by those who know is story, and he even begins to view himself as the monster that he was made out to be. He speaks so sweetly of finding love and being at peace with himself, and suddenly all that was taken away from him. He was determined to find the beast who killed the king, when all along, it was him. This makes me thing of the demons that are in all of us. We build our lives around fighting these demons and making ourselves whole...but really, once they are gone, what is left of us?
In-Class Notes
5/30/07
Vocabulary:
-Foil: to prevent the success of; frustrate; balk
What makes a story interesting?
-We discussed how the theory of happily ever after only works in some cases. When reading the story Happy Endings, by Margarete Atwood, the possibility of multiple endings was brought to our attention.
Read the endings at this site: http://users.ipfw.edu/ruflethe/endings.htm
-The theme of these stories seems to be...
Middle-Class ValuesThe ‘‘happy’’ couple in ‘‘Happy Endings,’’ whether comprised of John and Mary, John and Madge, or Madge and Fred, enjoys the trappings of middle-class values and represents this element of society. The husband and wife hold professional jobs, earn good money, and make sound investments that afford them some of life’s luxuries, such as nice vacations and a relaxing retirement. Even in the more troublesome aspects of these stories, the couples manifest their middle-class values.
-This makes us ask ourselves...If everything goes right, is it boring?
-"The moral of the story is the story."
*Movie, "Smooth Talk"
-To see more about the movie and the actors, check out this site:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090037/
-Different endings in the movie vs. the short story
*The book leaves us with an open ending, making us draw our own conclusion, the movie does the same, but goes further into what the producers want you to assume.
*In the movie Connie found some answers to her questions at the end. She makes one think that everything is going to be okay, and that all her problems, which seem so trivial at this time, will work themselves out.
*Connie reconciles with her mom and says "maybe I didn't go with him." She has to know what happened, but she is choosing to put it behind her and move on with her life.
-What is with the old woman who Connie says is dead?
*Did Connie do something that she doesn't want people to know about?
*Did A.Friend kill her, or if he is death, does he still know her has a person?
-As was pointed out in class, in the picture in the book on pg. 210, the demon is holding and hour glass. A.Friend's car has an hour glass with wings on it...what's the connection?
-In the book Connie said that A.Friend's screams made her weak, while in the movie, his presence is what does it...
Vocabulary:
-Foil: to prevent the success of; frustrate; balk
What makes a story interesting?
-We discussed how the theory of happily ever after only works in some cases. When reading the story Happy Endings, by Margarete Atwood, the possibility of multiple endings was brought to our attention.
Read the endings at this site: http://users.ipfw.edu/ruflethe/endings.htm
-The theme of these stories seems to be...
Middle-Class ValuesThe ‘‘happy’’ couple in ‘‘Happy Endings,’’ whether comprised of John and Mary, John and Madge, or Madge and Fred, enjoys the trappings of middle-class values and represents this element of society. The husband and wife hold professional jobs, earn good money, and make sound investments that afford them some of life’s luxuries, such as nice vacations and a relaxing retirement. Even in the more troublesome aspects of these stories, the couples manifest their middle-class values.
-This makes us ask ourselves...If everything goes right, is it boring?
-"The moral of the story is the story."
*Movie, "Smooth Talk"
-To see more about the movie and the actors, check out this site:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090037/
-Different endings in the movie vs. the short story
*The book leaves us with an open ending, making us draw our own conclusion, the movie does the same, but goes further into what the producers want you to assume.
*In the movie Connie found some answers to her questions at the end. She makes one think that everything is going to be okay, and that all her problems, which seem so trivial at this time, will work themselves out.
*Connie reconciles with her mom and says "maybe I didn't go with him." She has to know what happened, but she is choosing to put it behind her and move on with her life.
-What is with the old woman who Connie says is dead?
*Did Connie do something that she doesn't want people to know about?
*Did A.Friend kill her, or if he is death, does he still know her has a person?
-As was pointed out in class, in the picture in the book on pg. 210, the demon is holding and hour glass. A.Friend's car has an hour glass with wings on it...what's the connection?
-In the book Connie said that A.Friend's screams made her weak, while in the movie, his presence is what does it...
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
In-Class Notes
5/25/07
Vocabulary:
Morals: A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event.
Hubris: Hubris or hybris, according to its modern usage, is exaggerated self pride or self-confidence (overbearing pride), often resulting in fatal retribution. In Ancient Greek hubris referred to actions taken in order to shame the victim, thereby making oneself seem superior.
Books vs. Movies:
Check out this site if you want to read up more on the process
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1134742,00.html
*Active vs. Passive attention
- Active attention is when you create your own characters in your mind, the way that you picture them to be. This is where your creative side can come out, deciding on what the characters mean to you.
-Passive attention is when the character is right in front of you, therefore you don't need to create one in your mind. It is a form of sitting back and taking something as it is, rather than making assumptions of your own.
Anthology of books:
-What's an anthology? An anthology is a collection of short stories, poems, and/or essays gathered together with a specific theme in mind.
-How do anthology books work? The person putting the stories together is called a "Compiler" or "Editor." The compiler sends out a request that he or she is looking for certain types of stories and what the specifications are for submitting a story. The compiler will read through them, looking for the best submissions—often ones that are of good writing quality, tell a great—if not unique—story, and really grabs the attention of the reader. Those stories are then sent to the publisher who reviews them for submission and makes the final decision as to which stories are included in the book. The book then gets laid out and ready for printing. This process can take as long as two years. Once the books have been printed, they are sent out to book distributors, bookstores, and online venues.
Cathedral, Raymond Carver
For a copy of this short story, check out this site:
http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=26898
- There is no impact until you read this story...
- This short story shows how literature attracts us, because of how words are put together.
Cluster of Stories:
*Examples of clusters we have used in class:
-Cluster 2- Cinderella
-Cluster 3- Little Red Riding Hood
-Cluster 4- Icarus
-Enchanted Island Cluster- Tempest, and Wizard of OZ (most famous in US)
-Hamlet- Oedipus
*Translation: Club Foot
*Recap: Killed father, Impregnated mother
Freud
*Believed sexual context was behind everything.
*Oedipus was the most important story.
- The biggest problem with Freud is that his theories amount to circular reasoning. He claims that human nature is driven by sex/power/death wishes yet provides no evidence. His evidence relies on the very premise he is trying to prove.
-Check out this essay on the theories behind Freud's work:
http://www.allfreeessays.net/student/Freud_and_Jung.html
Hamlet
*Was a procrastinator
*Uncle murdered his mother
Cinderella
*From rags to riches
*The notion of rags to riches is a dominant theme in American Literature. However, fairy tales demonstrate a different theme. The idea of a character going from rags to riches show characters rising from the low class to high class in society due to hard work and determination. In fairy tales, characters indeed go from rags to riches, but it is due to a magical or chance occurrence-- it is the notion of happily ever after.
*Wolf whistle: A Wolf-whistle is a specific sound commonly made using the above technique to show appreciation for something or someone (originally a person thought to be sexually attractive).
Fairy Tales:
*What are they really about? At the end of fairy tales, the reader is not simply left with nice story, but rather, a moral is hidden within these tales. Many people feel that they center around men and women, usually finding one another and living happily ever after.
*Morals: Little Red Riding Hood: Caution to women of the advances of men.
Charles Dickens:
* Obsessed with Little Red Riding Hood:
* To learn more about his theories, check out this web site:
* http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/Issues/2002/0204/0204view1.htm
Transformation/Return in books:
*Return- learn something
*Separation- being able to separate what is real, and what is not in books
*Initiation- when a book in brought to light and made part of your world.
Vocabulary:
Morals: A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event.
Hubris: Hubris or hybris, according to its modern usage, is exaggerated self pride or self-confidence (overbearing pride), often resulting in fatal retribution. In Ancient Greek hubris referred to actions taken in order to shame the victim, thereby making oneself seem superior.
Books vs. Movies:
Check out this site if you want to read up more on the process
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1134742,00.html
*Active vs. Passive attention
- Active attention is when you create your own characters in your mind, the way that you picture them to be. This is where your creative side can come out, deciding on what the characters mean to you.
-Passive attention is when the character is right in front of you, therefore you don't need to create one in your mind. It is a form of sitting back and taking something as it is, rather than making assumptions of your own.
Anthology of books:
-What's an anthology? An anthology is a collection of short stories, poems, and/or essays gathered together with a specific theme in mind.
-How do anthology books work? The person putting the stories together is called a "Compiler" or "Editor." The compiler sends out a request that he or she is looking for certain types of stories and what the specifications are for submitting a story. The compiler will read through them, looking for the best submissions—often ones that are of good writing quality, tell a great—if not unique—story, and really grabs the attention of the reader. Those stories are then sent to the publisher who reviews them for submission and makes the final decision as to which stories are included in the book. The book then gets laid out and ready for printing. This process can take as long as two years. Once the books have been printed, they are sent out to book distributors, bookstores, and online venues.
Cathedral, Raymond Carver
For a copy of this short story, check out this site:
http://www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=26898
- There is no impact until you read this story...
- This short story shows how literature attracts us, because of how words are put together.
Cluster of Stories:
*Examples of clusters we have used in class:
-Cluster 2- Cinderella
-Cluster 3- Little Red Riding Hood
-Cluster 4- Icarus
-Enchanted Island Cluster- Tempest, and Wizard of OZ (most famous in US)
-Hamlet- Oedipus
*Translation: Club Foot
*Recap: Killed father, Impregnated mother
Freud
*Believed sexual context was behind everything.
*Oedipus was the most important story.
- The biggest problem with Freud is that his theories amount to circular reasoning. He claims that human nature is driven by sex/power/death wishes yet provides no evidence. His evidence relies on the very premise he is trying to prove.
-Check out this essay on the theories behind Freud's work:
http://www.allfreeessays.net/student/Freud_and_Jung.html
Hamlet
*Was a procrastinator
*Uncle murdered his mother
Cinderella
*From rags to riches
*The notion of rags to riches is a dominant theme in American Literature. However, fairy tales demonstrate a different theme. The idea of a character going from rags to riches show characters rising from the low class to high class in society due to hard work and determination. In fairy tales, characters indeed go from rags to riches, but it is due to a magical or chance occurrence-- it is the notion of happily ever after.
*Wolf whistle: A Wolf-whistle is a specific sound commonly made using the above technique to show appreciation for something or someone (originally a person thought to be sexually attractive).
Fairy Tales:
*What are they really about? At the end of fairy tales, the reader is not simply left with nice story, but rather, a moral is hidden within these tales. Many people feel that they center around men and women, usually finding one another and living happily ever after.
*Morals: Little Red Riding Hood: Caution to women of the advances of men.
Charles Dickens:
* Obsessed with Little Red Riding Hood:
* To learn more about his theories, check out this web site:
* http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/Issues/2002/0204/0204view1.htm
Transformation/Return in books:
*Return- learn something
*Separation- being able to separate what is real, and what is not in books
*Initiation- when a book in brought to light and made part of your world.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
e-journal 5/21-5/25
While looking through our book, Retellings, I was trying to find something that "sticks". First off I quickly fanned through the book, stopping to look at the pictures. I was interested to see such a wide variety, and curious to see how each of them pertained to literature.
I knew that our assignment was to look through the entire book, but I also knew that we were supposed to read a few short stories. I got a little caught up in reading those stories, rather than actually looking at each page in the book. The Brothers Grimm stories in this book are different from any fairytale I have ever heard, I was shocked to read parts of them, to say the least. I can see where someone would take one look at this book, know that it is for a literature class, and write it off completely. I think that when reading any piece of literature, it is important to keep and open mind, especially when your grade depends on it. I see such a wide variety of pieces in this book, many of which I plan on reading, and also some that I would rather not.
To be more specific, there was one thing that really stood out to me, and that was the poem that went along with the picture, The Starry Night, I knew that there was a poem that went along with this painting, but I had never read it before.
"That does not keep me from having a terrible need of-shall I say the word-religion. Then I go out at night to paint the stars." -Vincent van Gogh in a letter to his brother.
The town does not exist
except where on black-haired tree slips
up like a drowned woman into the hot sky.
The town is silent. The night boils with eleven stars
Oh starry starry night! This is how
I want to die.
It moves. They are all alive.
Even the moon bulges in its orange irons
to push children, like a god, from its eye.
The old unseen serpent swallows up the stars.
Oh starry starry night! This is how
I want to die:
into that rushing beast of the night,
sucked up by that great dragon, to split
from my life with no flag,
no belly,
no cry.
-Anne Sexton (1928-1974)
I have always loved this painting! I think that this poem is a good way of putting this painting into words. When I first read this poem I thought it was sad, when she wrote "This is how I want to die." I read that as depressing, but the more I looked into it, the more I realized that it was meant to express what tranquility he was feeling. He was not expressing that he wanted to die, just that he was at such peace with everything, that he would be content in dying. I have always had a hard time translating poetry, but this was something that came pretty easily to me.
I knew that our assignment was to look through the entire book, but I also knew that we were supposed to read a few short stories. I got a little caught up in reading those stories, rather than actually looking at each page in the book. The Brothers Grimm stories in this book are different from any fairytale I have ever heard, I was shocked to read parts of them, to say the least. I can see where someone would take one look at this book, know that it is for a literature class, and write it off completely. I think that when reading any piece of literature, it is important to keep and open mind, especially when your grade depends on it. I see such a wide variety of pieces in this book, many of which I plan on reading, and also some that I would rather not.
To be more specific, there was one thing that really stood out to me, and that was the poem that went along with the picture, The Starry Night, I knew that there was a poem that went along with this painting, but I had never read it before.
"That does not keep me from having a terrible need of-shall I say the word-religion. Then I go out at night to paint the stars." -Vincent van Gogh in a letter to his brother.
The town does not exist
except where on black-haired tree slips
up like a drowned woman into the hot sky.
The town is silent. The night boils with eleven stars
Oh starry starry night! This is how
I want to die.
It moves. They are all alive.
Even the moon bulges in its orange irons
to push children, like a god, from its eye.
The old unseen serpent swallows up the stars.
Oh starry starry night! This is how
I want to die:
into that rushing beast of the night,
sucked up by that great dragon, to split
from my life with no flag,
no belly,
no cry.
-Anne Sexton (1928-1974)
I have always loved this painting! I think that this poem is a good way of putting this painting into words. When I first read this poem I thought it was sad, when she wrote "This is how I want to die." I read that as depressing, but the more I looked into it, the more I realized that it was meant to express what tranquility he was feeling. He was not expressing that he wanted to die, just that he was at such peace with everything, that he would be content in dying. I have always had a hard time translating poetry, but this was something that came pretty easily to me.
Class Notes
5/21/07
Vocabulary:
1) Ironic: Containing or exemplifying irony: an ironic novel; an ironic remark.
2) Allusion: A passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication: an allusion to Shakespeare.
3) Frame: A structure for admitting or enclosing something
4) Symbol: Something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.
5) Raconteur: A person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly.
*Two sisters who couldn't tell a story to save their lives.
*We started class by saying our names and finding out a little bit about what they say about us. Visit this site if you are interested to finding the orgin of your last name.
http://genealogy.about.com/od/surnames/a/surname_meaning.htm
*All stories are a retelling of another
- No matter what the story is, chances are that is has already been told. When you look at a story as simple as Cinderella in our text, you will see that there are many different versions. Who is to say what the original version is, or is theses are even all of the versions available.
5/23/07
Vocabulary:
1) Myth: A traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, esp. one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
2) Displacement: The state of being displaced or the amount or degree to which something is displaced. To move or put out of the usual or proper place.
3) Archetype: The original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.
* Retelling a modern day Fairytale - Retelling a story in one's own words (rather than reciting a text from memory) provides oral fluency practice. Story-telling is a common human activity which can be enjoyable, especially if the material is interesting. If you need some ideas on how to get started, check out this website, it offers examples of such stories:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale
* In-class activity:
We looked at the tale of Cinderella, and had the chance to see the many retellings of this tale, looking closer at these tales helps us see how disney's version fits into the mold of "typical"
- typical: "Once upon a time...": "Long before books were made, people told stories. They told them to one another and to the children as they sat before the fire. Many of these stories were about interesting people, but most of them were about the ways of fairies and giants. In those days, if people did not know why strange things happened, they said it was because of fairies. Even then, they could imagine such wonderful things that fairies might do. Of course, the people who told the stories in that long ago time, and the people who listened to the stories, really believed in fairies. At the same time, these are about people, too. The people in the stories are often so real that you imagine you might be in their place, or that we might know them in real life. Most of the fairy stories also have some lesson that we might learn and thus be a wiser person".
To read up more on where it all began, check out this website:
http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/01781/myweb5/
* "All literature is a displacement of myth" N. Frye
- Starts with a story and work backwards. Eventually, this will end with a myth.
* "Everything is infinitly interesting" Ballard
http://excalibur.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1142536&member
* The Demon Lover:
http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/demon.html
* Reviews:
http://www.jstor.org/view/01496611/dm981060/98p0553o/0
*Song: House Carpenter, by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics: http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/carpenter.html
Vocabulary:
1) Ironic: Containing or exemplifying irony: an ironic novel; an ironic remark.
2) Allusion: A passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication: an allusion to Shakespeare.
3) Frame: A structure for admitting or enclosing something
4) Symbol: Something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.
5) Raconteur: A person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly.
*Two sisters who couldn't tell a story to save their lives.
*We started class by saying our names and finding out a little bit about what they say about us. Visit this site if you are interested to finding the orgin of your last name.
http://genealogy.about.com/od/surnames/a/surname_meaning.htm
*All stories are a retelling of another
- No matter what the story is, chances are that is has already been told. When you look at a story as simple as Cinderella in our text, you will see that there are many different versions. Who is to say what the original version is, or is theses are even all of the versions available.
5/23/07
Vocabulary:
1) Myth: A traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, esp. one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
2) Displacement: The state of being displaced or the amount or degree to which something is displaced. To move or put out of the usual or proper place.
3) Archetype: The original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.
* Retelling a modern day Fairytale - Retelling a story in one's own words (rather than reciting a text from memory) provides oral fluency practice. Story-telling is a common human activity which can be enjoyable, especially if the material is interesting. If you need some ideas on how to get started, check out this website, it offers examples of such stories:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale
* In-class activity:
We looked at the tale of Cinderella, and had the chance to see the many retellings of this tale, looking closer at these tales helps us see how disney's version fits into the mold of "typical"
- typical: "Once upon a time...": "Long before books were made, people told stories. They told them to one another and to the children as they sat before the fire. Many of these stories were about interesting people, but most of them were about the ways of fairies and giants. In those days, if people did not know why strange things happened, they said it was because of fairies. Even then, they could imagine such wonderful things that fairies might do. Of course, the people who told the stories in that long ago time, and the people who listened to the stories, really believed in fairies. At the same time, these are about people, too. The people in the stories are often so real that you imagine you might be in their place, or that we might know them in real life. Most of the fairy stories also have some lesson that we might learn and thus be a wiser person".
To read up more on where it all began, check out this website:
http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/01781/myweb5/
* "All literature is a displacement of myth" N. Frye
- Starts with a story and work backwards. Eventually, this will end with a myth.
* "Everything is infinitly interesting" Ballard
http://excalibur.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1142536&member
* The Demon Lover:
http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/demon.html
* Reviews:
http://www.jstor.org/view/01496611/dm981060/98p0553o/0
*Song: House Carpenter, by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics: http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/carpenter.html
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