1. "The trucks thumped heavily past, one by one, with slow inevitable movement, as she stood insignificantly trapped between the jolting black waggons and the hedge; then they curved away towards the coppice where the withered oak leaves dropped noiselessly, while the birds, pulling at the scarlet hips beside the track made off into the dusk that had already crept into the spinney." (par. 1)Make an observation or two about this sentence (that no one else has yet made). Remember to make an observation about the sentence, not about yourself experiencing the sentence.
2. "The pit-bank loomed up beyond the pond, flames like red sores licking its ashy sides, in the afternoon's stagnant light." (par. 1) Comment on the diction or imagery (same thing really) of this sentence.
3. The woman introduced in par. 3 has hair "parted exactly" (par. 4). She also puts some flowers to her face and then tucks them into the waist of her apron (par. 15). After reading the entire assignment, say what you think these details indicate about her character.
4. The woman talks to her father (par. 17-34). In par. 17-26, he asks for a cup of tea and they discuss his taking up with a woman (evidently his wife has passed away recently). What does their conversation tell us about the woman?
5. Are the children presented sympathetically, or not? Explain.
6. Comment on a sentence or a phrase.
17 comments:
In response to the question about the children.
I believe that the children are indeed portrayed in a sympathetic way. I found myself throughout the reading feeling quite bad for the poor children. THe author immediately has us on their side as she describes them and gives them specific characterizations. For example when the boy is first introduced he is described as defiant, yet quiet and still. His mother is immediately scolding him for something that he was not even doing. He calmly shows that he was actually not doing anything wrong, but he does it in a way that doesn't involve putting up a fuss or being obnoxious. He is reserved and I get the idea that he puts up with a lot and it makes me sympathize with him. When the young girl is introduced she is definitely described in an affectionate way. The way her curls are described and the way she energy that she brings into the room all help the reader to sympathize with her. Also later, when she discovers the flowers in her mother's pocket she becomes so excited and happy at this small sign of beauty within hr mother's dark and sad mood. It thrills her that her Mom may love the flowers just as much as she does. The way the mother calls her silly and shoots her down immediately made me as a reader sympathize with the children. The whole atmosphere is quite tense and they have to put up with the angry mood that their mother is in, which is not their fault. It must be hard for them to have to see their mother going through hardship and no child should have to do that. It is one of the most painful things in the world. It is obvious by the atmosphere that this is what they are dealing with and I sympathize for them.
Hi everyone,
I am going to answer question 1:
Paying attention to the detail and the noise can trap people in an insignificant world that can not help them grow. The woman is paying attenion to the small details instead of the big picture. The trucks coming toward her and everything surrounding her, seem to not matter. This brings up an interesting ideal however. What if the details the woman is paying attenion to, is the big picture. What if my world has blinders on it, and that's why I'm judging. However, vis versa what would give her the right to judge me? I don't know if she is in the wrong for only caring about the small details. Things happen in our lives to make us appriciate different things at different times. Maybe she has gone through a tragic loss and finally notices that in this world of big, the small things are what really matter. Maybe she was raised with the mentality, that big things can be taken away in an instant, but small things are here forever. Whatever her reasoning is, I support this woman. I look forward to reading and learning more. I also look forward to reading what my fellow classmates have to say. As for what Maggie said, I am not sure I completely agree with her claim, however, I support the fact that she is voicing her opinion.
Thank you!
2. "The pit-bank loomed up beyond the pond, flames like red sores licking its ashy sides, in the afternoon's stagnant light."
I think the imagery displays a contrast of light and dark or hot and cold. A pond is something cool while flames, especially the color red, are hot. Stagnant means inactive or dull and then the pit-bank comes looming into view so I thought that showed the contrast of something big coming into the dull atomosphere. I also wanted to comment on the "flames like red soars licking its ashy sides" I think of an open cut and how licking it would sting. The flames must be harsh on the sides. This diction/imagery makes me imagine a bitter and dull taste in my mouth. Something stale and I feel like the air isn't fresh.
Hey Everyone,
I am going to try and answer question number 4. The woman seems kind of unhelpful or almost bitter about the idea. Her father has come to receive her opinion on the idea of him marry another woman and it seems as though she hardly has an opinion at all. The only thing she says is "I think it is soon enough." I don't really know what to make of this, but the way I see it as is if shes just saying well I guess. There can be many ways of interpreting this sentence depending on how the reader hears the tone of the story, but I believe that's what she is saying. I would think that if your father were getting re-married you would want to have a say in whether or not he waits to get married or even never gets married at all. I get the idea that she doesn't want him to marry but its really hard to tell. I think what we learn about the woman is that she can be bitter at times and possibly doesn't really express her true feelings.
Good evening!! My response is for prompt #3.
Based on what we've read about this woman so far, (my understanding is that this woman is the same woman who is John's mother) I really like her character. Paragraphs 3 and 4 do a lot to portray her physical appearance as well as her personality in just a few phrases. She seems to be mature, which I appreciate in her. Her perfectly parted hair and the fact that "her face was calm and her mouth was closed with disillusionment," (end of Paragraph 4) show that she has her life together, or a least appears to. Whatever is upsetting her at that moment (likely her husband) is condensed inside of her and comes out in the form of a simple, calm facial expression.
As we continue to read, we see that she is actually quite frustrated by her husband's absence, but she never really becomes rash or violent about it. Perhaps this is a result of this situation reoccurring frequently, but I am still impressed by her maturity.
The moment with the flowers is interesting as well. She seems sensitive for just a second, yet she is still being clever and efficient when she puts them in her waistband. Within her mature demeanor, we see a glimpse of childlike behavior as she smells the pink flowers, but that quickly fades as she becomes concerned with her son. As it is with many mothers, she seems to have no time just for herself or concerns about her own life, but more importantly about the lives of her family members.
Finally, I just want to point out that she later says that she does not find the smell of chrysanthemums pleasant. This is so peculiar because she just seemed to be enjoying them a little while earlier. I take this as evidence that she has a necessity for maturity in her role as a mother and therefore must keep her own likes and dislikes a secret in order to put others in her life first. Her own happiness is the lowest item on the totem pole, and she has quietly accepted that. Additionally, the smell of those flowers could make her nostalgic and therefore she likes and dislikes them at the same time. They could potentially bring back good memories, but make her sad and haunt her. I find her contradicting opinion on the flowers to be interesting and I really like her character, so I am excited to read more.
I hope everyone has a nice night!
I agree with Maggie that the children are presented sympathetically. Even more than sympathetically, I feel their innocence shines through. The little boy is playing outside and seems to get caught up in the little things as his mother calls him inside. When his mother chides him for being like his father after he complains about not being able to see his food, I feel sympathetic towards the little boy. I feel that the little girl is also presented sympathetically, but not quite as innocently as the little boy. He seems to be in his own world, such as when he is carving wood while he waits with his mother for his father to come home for tea.
I think another reason it is easy to sympathize with the children is because of the situation between their parents. It seems that their mother is the strong figure in their lives. They don't seem particularly bothered by the fact their father is not home, perhaps because of their naivety. I think that the mother is dealing with her trouble relationship and wants to still present a strong figure for her children. Both of them seem to care for their mother, and her for them as well. It seems the little things make the children happy, which makes the story seem that much more precious. The flowers the little girl wants to smell are innocent to her and something beautiful. Yet they hold troubled memories for the mother surrounding her husband. This causes sympathy with the children as the littel girl innocently wants to smell the flowers and pay attention to them, while they hold difficult memories for the mother...yet she was the one to place them in her apron.
I feel the children are presented sympathetically because they seem so unaware at times of what concerns their mother's mind. They seem to focus on the little things and be touched by smaller instances, which makes them seem delicate.
5. Are the children presented sympathetically, or not? Explain.
While reading the story "The Oduur of Chrysanthemums", I thought that the children were presented sympathetically. The children have this kind of personality that makes you feel sorry for them for some strange reason. THe first child that was presented in the story was quiet. The way the author describe the child and the action that he was doing outside made the reader have this sad emotion towards the child.
Hello,
Regarding question number three...
First off, I agree with a lot of what Kacie said, especially regarding the childlike quality of smelling the flowers and then tucking them away. I also think the scene with the flowers portrays her as a very simple woman, tied to her son and accepting of the small pleasures in life. When she first comments to her son about how pulling the flowers is "nasty," her son stops but it seems that she feels some sort of remorse or regret for telling her son this. Directly after she pulled a flower herself. This suggests she is very caring for her son. It is almost like by taking the flower she is silently motioning to her son, "Sorry, that was a bit rash, there is really no harm done in picking the flowers." Regarding the simplicity of the woman's life, looking back on the beginnings of the story she seems to lead a fairly simple life; the opening scene portrays her holding a basket and walking along tracks, near what might be bushes or a forest. The basket indicates that she is not just walking for pleasure, and that she was probably walking to fill the basket with food or clothing of some sort. There is a simplicity in the opening of this story that coincides with the action of her tucking the flowers into her apron. I feel that she definitely had the choice to drop the flowers back on the ground, but tucking them into her apron makes it seem as if she cares about them in some way. It's almost as if she puts them there so that later she can pull them out and smell them once more. I see where Kacie is going especially in this part, as it would seem that her son would more inclined to this. Or any child, really.
However I would also like to address the part where she mentions all the connotations the chrysanthemums have. "It was chrysanthemums when I married him and chrysanthemums when you were born, and the first time they ever brought him home drunk, he'd got brown chrysanthemums in his button-hole." I feel that after reading this statement, it would seem that the act of putting chrysanthemums in her apron was also a way to remember all the things they stand for. It seems that they bring about mostly good feelings but also bad, such as her husband's drunk qualities. I feel that maybe she is using the flowers as a way to look back on the big events in her life. It's not really known whether the chrysanthemums make her happy or sad, but it is apparent they bring out strong emotions in her. In a way though, I feel that by tucking them into her apron she is remembering the good things, otherwise she would have just dropped them.
I think all of this really justifies the explanation that she is very simple. I almost feel that you could go as far to say that the chrysanthemums are a metaphor for the simplicity that exists within the woman's life and memories.
Thanks, have a good night.
"The pit-bank loomed up beyond the pond, flames like red sores licking its ashy sides, in the afternoon's stagnant light."
I am commenting on diction in this sentence. The constonants are all hard sounding and it is like you are biting them when the words come out of your mouth. There is a lot of sonic density packed together.
Hey guys
Im going to attempt to adress question number 3. I felt that this reading assignment ended suddenly and left me with a lot of questions stuck in my head. The lady that was introduced in paragraph 3, has her hair perfectly parted. To me this shows a sign of sophistication and class. She seems like a very well put together women and takes very good care of her children. Also the mother picked up Chrysanthemums and tucked them in her waist. When i originally saw that i figured she must really like that beautiful flower. Yet later on in the story she says "Not to me, it was chrysanthemums when i married him, and chrysanthemums when you were born..............." She is speaking in a nostalgic tone here. She speaks a lot of her husband in the past. Im not sure if he is not around anymore, maybe he died in an accident or he left their family. But this flower brings back important memories to her and it should be interesting to see what happens later on in the story. Also this shows me that she may not be as well put together as i thought she was. Clearly she has trouble getting over the past.
Hey Guys
Soo pertaining to the question 3 that refers to the details of the woman, I think it says a lot about her and her personality. Because her hair was parted in a "perfect" fashion, I think it shows that she is very concerned about how she presents herself and she enjoys looking good no matter where she may be. Also, since she is wearing the flower, it shows that she is very into fashion and beauty and portraying herself in a nice and civilized manner. As Kacie said, "I just want to point out that she later says that she does not find the smell of chrysanthemums pleasant. This is so peculiar because she just seemed to be enjoying them a little while earlier. I take this as evidence that she has a necessity for maturity in her role as a mother and therefore must keep her own likes and dislikes a secret in order to put others in her life first." I could not have said it any better. I agree completely with this statement and it shows how obnoxiously unusual she seems to be. There are other things that trigger her unusual behavior: When she calls for John, the way she treats her father, the way she talks about her husband behind his back and comparing her son to that for simply asking a question. Little things eventually add up and contribute to her character, which at this point in this story, seems to be very strange, ignorant and unusually awkward.
Goodnight!
Mason
6. Comment on a sentence or a phrase.
“At the back, where the lowest stairs protruded into the room, the boy sat struggling with a knife and a piece of white wood” (page 335).
I find this description to be shocking and moving. The image of a child holding a knife is quite disturbing because kids can be careless enough to hurt themselves. Also, this image reminds me of a scene from a horror movie where kids are left neglected and learn to hold a weapon to defend themselves from killers and monsters. The way he is neglected from his mother gives me a sense that the mother does not really gives much thought about her child. The mother contemplates on her husband and treats her child indifferently; she scolds at her child for being disobedient. The idea that a child holding a knife at the lowest stairs is gives me an idea somewhat that he is waiting to deliver his vengeance against his mother who misunderstands him.
Hello,
Regarding question five, I feel the children are viewed in a very sympathetic manner. Straight to my point, the children seem scared. I am not sure why but I feel they are hiding in their own shells because of a fear. I think the fear is probably derived from their mother. The childhood of these children is certainly based strongly on the decisions and actions of their mother. Therefore, I must say that the children do indeed appear sympathetic to the reader. They seem like victims. With uncertainty I would suspect this family is not happy and ordinary but living by the rules of a larger control. It is hard to say what that is at this point in the story.
Seeing as all the prompts have been responded to, I will go with prompt 6.
The sentence is: "The child became serious. She looked at her mother with large, wistful blue eyes" I just wanted to comment on the imagery. From that sentence alone I think a person could understand the tone of the story at this point. I think a person would be able to make pretty accurate assumptions of the childs point of view. And there is also wonderful diction with words like "Serious", "large," and "wistful." To me this is just a very well rounded sentence and should be used as an example of a useful sentence.
Pall
#2
There are three words that I would like to discuss. First, the word 'loom.' I don't know if anyone else thinks this way, but I always associate the word 'loom' with the word 'doom' and with some sort of inevitable fear. The author could have replaced 'loom' with 'rose' or even 'was,' which makes me think that the author wants that sort of greater than life, impending doom feeling. Second, the word 'licking.' When I read this, i have an image of red body sores (like boils or something) getting down on their hands and knees and licking the sides of the pit-bank. To me that sounds not only creepy but also very painful. I also think it fits in nicely with the connotations I feel for the word 'loom.' Last, and third, the word 'stagnant.' The word 'stagnant,' in context, really poked my brain in a precise place, making me think of the part of the afternoon during the summer when it feels like early morning, except that all the shadows are the wrong way, and it's much to warm to be morning. For me, that time of day always seems to last much longer than it actually does, and when it changes i feel like it changes quite suddenly. I definitely think that the author made a consciences choice to use this word. Any other words, such as 'Waning' or 'Fading' or 'Bright' or 'Mellow' would not poked that same spot in my brain. Altogether this paragraph makes me feel like something painful is looming towards me right around the corner, of far in the distance, and that I'm stuck where I am in every dimension.
2. "The pit-bank loomed up beyond the pond, flames like red sores licking its ashy sides, in the afternoon's stagnant light." (par. 1) Comment on the diction or imagery (same thing really) of this sentence.
I think the diction that the author uses makes the scene beautiful although it is talking about ash near I assume some sort of mine. Earlier, the word "whimsy" was used which sort of stayed with me and made me picture every image the author gives us as whimsical and oddly beautiful. This quote gives us the image of smoke and flame reflecting over a nearby pond against an orange sky. The woman and her son are not in good moods but they are described as "handsome" and sturdy. The language throughout these pages contrasts the plot. Everything is described so beautifully but the people are unhappy. Just as this quote makes me think of a beautiful landscape but it is not necessarily seen that way by the characters.
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