Great literature transcends time because of its inherent qualities: the author has a clear purpose, the author achieves that purpose, and the purpose is a worthwhile one.
Tuesday
Discussion Topic #4
Please discuss one aspect of any of the short stories read which reflects an interesting connection to a human condition issue. (How does the author convey an understanding of a relevant aspect of life?)
Alex Goodfriend had a great comment about how "A&P" by John Updike "challenges us to examine our own streams of consciousness". Many of us guys would feel guilty if we didn't admit that we've had unquestionably absurd ideas and fantasies, not necessarily sexual, involving tempting girls with which we never actually exchange any significant dialogue. Then they leave us forever and live on in our memories as enticing shadows that slip through our fingers like sand, only to reappear in some strange yet simple minute which mimics the circumstances by which we first came across them. Or perhaps we never run into them in our thoughts again. With regard to the actual encounter itself in the story, poor Sammy decides to act on his bad judgement and overanalyzation and his attempt to be a "hero" is a failure. In the context of his desperate fantasy, the plan seemed foolproof...yet the whip of reality snaps him straight, just as it has done to so many men, "I look around for my girls, but they're gone, of course." ...And I almost thought that he would get their numbers.
Yea, I liked too early spring. The human condition thing that the author was trying to get across was sorta going with that thing people say "I wish I knew then what I know now." What that means is that if I would of been the person I am now in some past experiance then everything would of been good since right now I'm great and before I wasn't really that great. The problem is that this continues to happen as we grow older and we are always smarter then who we were. We were an idiot and now we're a genious, which isn't true. Sure, we learn some new things but whenever people are talking about this it usually relates to a social issue and there isn't really a right and wrong way to handle social issues. The thing that changes is perspective and values and blah blah blah. Anyway the way that the author conveyed it threw the piece was having this teenage kid talk about the most important experiance ever. The thing that he will never forget and is so important but in reality he is just a kid and in ten years we all know he will forget this whole story.
2 comments:
Alex Goodfriend had a great comment about how "A&P" by John Updike "challenges us to examine our own streams of consciousness". Many of us guys would feel guilty if we didn't admit that we've had unquestionably absurd ideas and fantasies, not necessarily sexual, involving tempting girls with which we never actually exchange any significant dialogue. Then they leave us forever and live on in our memories as enticing shadows that slip through our fingers like sand, only to reappear in some strange yet simple minute which mimics the circumstances by which we first came across them. Or perhaps we never run into them in our thoughts again. With regard to the actual encounter itself in the story, poor Sammy decides to act on his bad judgement and overanalyzation and his attempt to be a "hero" is a failure. In the context of his desperate fantasy, the plan seemed foolproof...yet the whip of reality snaps him straight, just as it has done to so many men, "I look around for my girls, but they're gone, of course." ...And I almost thought that he would get their numbers.
Yea, I liked too early spring. The human condition thing that the author was trying to get across was sorta going with that thing people say "I wish I knew then what I know now." What that means is that if I would of been the person I am now in some past experiance then everything would of been good since right now I'm great and before I wasn't really that great. The problem is that this continues to happen as we grow older and we are always smarter then who we were. We were an idiot and now we're a genious, which isn't true. Sure, we learn some new things but whenever people are talking about this it usually relates to a social issue and there isn't really a right and wrong way to handle social issues. The thing that changes is perspective and values and blah blah blah. Anyway the way that the author conveyed it threw the piece was having this teenage kid talk about the most important experiance ever. The thing that he will never forget and is so important but in reality he is just a kid and in ten years we all know he will forget this whole story.
Post a Comment