Below are the 15 most recent journal entries recorded in taurus7's LiveJournal:

Friday, April 28th, 2006
5:38 pm	Geek Love/Sex and the City I was watching season 2 of Sex and the City on TBS the other day, when they aired a show entitled “Freaks.” It was so comical and fitting to our class discussions regarding Geek Love that I decided to do a quick post about it. The show was whether Carrie and her friends think all men are “freaks.” Carrie finds this man and begins to start a relationship with him and the whole time they keep asking each other what was the freak quality in them that was eventually going to scare them away from each other. Their gist was that nowadays there are just so many people out there with “freak” qualities that scare us away. She ends up ruining a great thing when she herself turns into a “freak” when Ben catches her searching his apartment for anything weird or odd. The gist of the show was that “freaks” aren’t always those that have severe deformities but rather personality traits that we term “freak” or odd. The funniest part was that Carrie ends up finding that she herself and maybe everyone has a little “freak” inside them at times whether to admit it willingly or not. Although the characters in Geek Love has severe deformities, they term their envision of freaks as the “norms” because they feel as though those who are quote “normal” are something they wish not to be because of their career. In a way we can relate to these characters in the book because even though us “norms” appear regular and standard, we carry personality traits and qualities that we might just be able to term “freakish.” (I.e. those getting plastic surgery could be termed freaks.) Current Mood: refreshed (Comment on this)
10:07 am	Cult Dynamics-Geek Love It only seems fitting to dissect the cult dynamics of Geek Love after all the in class presentations. When Arty indeed says, “I want you to be like I am!” This is the exact framework where cult dynamics and even simply clicks in high school begin…it is the idea in mind that everyone must be like the almighty powerful leader. (Exactly what a cult it is-excessive devotion or dedication to some person) We see things such as these even through our race and religion, although they may not define a cult for say, they still exhibit the characteristics of one. Oly would not be an example of a follower of Arty’s cult because although she undeniably loves him, she wants to be with him rather than BE him. She never joined into “arturism” she simply wants to be WITH him rather than him. However, Alma Witherspoon would exactly fit the criteria for wanting to be a part of Arty’s cult. Arty’s cult somewhat becomes the downfall of Arty and the detriment of the Binewski family. Current Mood: anxious (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 27th, 2006
8:55 pm	eugenics and geek love After Natasha’s presentation on eugenics, I decided to do some further research into the topic to see how I thought Geek Love related to this interesting idea. I found that eugenics indeed means “a social philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through various forms of intervention.” (wikipedia.com) Undeniably so, I agreed that the Binewski family tried to change the DNAor traits of their children and mutate them into something in which could save their freak show. For example, all of their children were conceived under the influence of drugs and narcotics with the intention in mind to birth a child with severe deformities. I found this to be disgusting and so repulsive because what if every child they birthed was mentally retarded or handicapped…this child in no way would serve the freak show but simply impair and permanently effect this child’s life. Eugenics represents the idea of “selective breeding” which is exactly what the Binewski family had in mind throughout their years of producing children. I saw producing because I feel as though they had these children out of spite and to save the show rather than to love and want children. Eugenics is not far off though because we see humans nowadays selectively breeding or altering their physical features in order to attain a “norm” or improved body component. The failure of eugenics is apparent in Geek Love through the various children Lil miscarried. Even more so, the immediate disappointment from Chick when he was born normal, represents a post-abortion in a way because they almost give him up and abort him even though he’s alive. Eugenics will never be perfect because we constantly envision a new idea of perfection within each decade. Current Mood: bouncy (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
7:50 pm	Final Reaction to Geek Love After finishing Geek Love, I must say I was a bit confused as to the ending with Chick and how the circus tent lit fire. However, it very much appropriately tied into the theme of the book which took us on a rollercoaster of events and characters and we were constantly on the edge of our seat reading. I’ve come to find Arty as my favorite character in the book and I realized this on pg. 200 when Arty decides not to confront Norval Sanderson about how he cut his “balls” off. I would have suspected Arty to have challenge Sanderson about how his balls in a landmine in North Africa several years back; however, Arty likes this guy and lets him believe that Arty indeed thought he chopped his balls off to be more like Arty. I here connected with Arty and saw a compassionate human being for once and not some jerk trying to get all the attention in the circus show. I originally thought my favorite character was going to be Oly and I agreed with Melissa several weeks back when she explained how she pictured Oly as this sweet little thing; however, the ending of the book with the letter to Miranda truly spoiled my impression of her. The fact she was intending to kill Miss Lick and never had the guts to explain to her daughter how she was conceived in person upset me. I also was upset that Chick died because he was the underdog the whole book and I wanted to see him succeed in the show or in life. Overall I was impressed with this book; however, it’s a bit out of my reach or touch of reality. I would recommend this to someone who is entertained by “out there” fictional novels. Current Mood: awake (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, April 15th, 2006
3:09 pm	In response to #8 on the Randomhouse.com Reader’s Guide Questions pertaining to Geek Love, after our in class discussion on the topic in Thursday’s class, I decided to post my views.  The question was Katherine Dunn employs many unusual words in Geek Love: skootching, skuttered, rooched, snorking, frowzled, etc.  What do such words add to the flavor of the novel?  In what ways is such language appropriate to the story Dunn is telling?  Yes, these words do add another level of “freakness” to the novel; however, her style of language unknowingly affects us as readers in how we view certain scenes and descriptive details of character.  I agreed with Melissa when she had mentioned how she thought some of the words in the novel actually were words in real life, which is what Katherine was trying to do.  However, I noticed this book makes the reader have to take a closer look and critically read in certain scenes to exactly understand what Katherine is depicting in certain scenes.  I think Katherine had to use this technique of language style to make us look more deeply into certain scenes.  It is kind of an innuendo for us as readers to look more deeply into the text and the characters.  She uses an extreme descriptive sense of vocabulary because she has to make her readers exactly understand the abnormalcy appearance of these characters in the novel.  She also constantly switches the names of characters in the book.  For example, she constantly juggles back and forth Elly and Iphy to Electra and Iphigenia; Crystal Lil to Lily, Dr. Phyllis to Dr. P.  However, Oly only refers to Arty as Arty which gives me a sense of constant love that Oly keeps for her brother throughout the book and her respect thoroughly follows him throughout the novel.  However, she throws around her sisters’ names and even her mother’s almost giving me a sense of who Oly respects and doesn’t. Current Mood: chipper (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 10th, 2006
11:12 pm	Response to Disability and Freakdom presentation In honor of the disability and freakdom group’s presentation last Thursday, I decided to do some research into the topic and see how the times have changed from what used to be considered “freakish” and “not normal” to a nowadays perspective on the topic. I was surprised at what I found because I came to grips that in the olden days, the “freakish” features of the characters in the circus shows and performances, were those of physical malfunctions…imperfections that these humans were born with and unwillingly faced with every day of their lives. I came to terms that nowadays, we purposely change our appearances in hopes of grasping an audiences’ attention long enough to produce a successful sideshow in hopes of a successful (money based) and somewhat fulfilling career. For example, in the old circus shows we were familiar with that of a skin-disorder called hypertrichosia, which caused six inches of hair to cover your entire body, we were presented with various acts of Siamese twins dancing, singing, and performing, we all have heard the term “elephant man” which was a malfunction of the face, we saw microcephaly, which was a disease that caused severe retardation and in turn a small cranium. These are few of the several cases of human beings which performed in side shows and circus shows with hopes of bringing in some money and entertainment based off a physical retardation of some sort of the body. Nowadays, we are presented with “lizard man” a human completely tattooed in green with a split tongue representing that of a lizard (all of which was voluntarily enhanced in hopes of gaining an audience), people that can shove a fist in their mouth, various people who can hang themselves from a cable through the piercing of their skin…and so on and so forth. The major difference of freak shows between the past and nowadays is the voluntary act of transforming a perfect human body, into something of another kind in hopes of gaining an audience for entertainment. (Comment on this)
4:40 pm	Rooting for Arty.... Although I am not as nearly as far into the book as I should be, seeing as I am about halfway done, I plan on finishing the book tonight. I truly have taken a liking to Arty because I think we all have a bit of him within ourselves. He is a jealous, envious, and money-hungry typed character; however, he is a product of his environment. He is a child who worries about money at an age where most children are learning to write cursive and survive through chapter books. When he should be out playing, he is in a physical therapy typed setting trying to get better to get back into the act after suffering an injury. I was surprised because even after when he tried to kill Chick by smothering him to death, I still found myself to be rooting for him and yearning for him to succeed. I guess I see him as an underdog even when his own act is the most successful at times. He is real and I guess that’s what I like the most about him. Everyone has a little bit of Arty in them at times whether willing to see it or not. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
4:05 pm	Critical Reaction to book 1 After completing book 1 about a week or so ago and moving on to the children’s background in book 2, I decided to post a critical reaction after book 1 and how it has effected and shaped my attitudes towards the characters and further reading in book 2 and so on and so forth. I truly have had a hard time imagining the characters in my mind which surprises me. For how descriptive Katherine Dunn is in this work, I still have the hardest time with Oly, the albino hunchback. I have come to like her for I can take her as a mother figure. As much as I disliked that she gave up Miranda, I respect her because she put her in a better place than she knew herself could provide for her. However, you can see how her childhood and family has shaped her view on “normalcy” for not ever giving her child the life without her tail and perhaps letting her have a normal childhood. We see that she truly cares for Miranda when we read, “This fragile, flammable heap is all that’s left of my life. It is the history of Miranda’s source.” This fascinated and confused me because she so much relies on her past to survive in the future. As much of an oxymoron that may be, that is how I perceived Oly. Oly survives each day through her hardships of her appearance by focusing on the future and the potential that Miranda carries with her. This confused me even more for not allowing her a “normal” future by cutting off her tail when she was young. I truly have grasped the character of Oly within book 1 and hope to continue to connect with the other characters later on in the book. (Comment on this)
Thursday, March 23rd, 2006
8:45 pm	Final reaction to V for Vendetta In honor of the closing of V for Vendetta, I decided to stick with the number five and list five words beginning with the letter V that impacted this text or something in V’s life. I’ll start with vengeance. Constantly throughout the book there is a theme of revenge upon characters from the past that carries onto the future. There are certain events in life in which some of us will never get over unless we revenge. An eye for an eye. That is exactly what V needed. Vortex was a topic I touched upon in assignment three that I also liked in this book. So many things were spiraling in and out of these chapters, that vortex seemed to fit this book perfectly. V would suck characters in through planned and vicious murders, then kill them or brainwash them and throw them back out into the world. I think this was how he felt at Larkhill. He was sucked in, involuntarily, into this concentration camp, brainwashed, and then thrown out into a world in which he was not prepared to deal with. Exactly like a vortex. Verdict was another word I kept stumbling across through the text. Ultimately, everyone was given a verdict by the end of the book. They either lived or died. Most died and the strong survived. Much like Evey, she was strong and she chose a life of good fortune to carry on the legend V wanted. His Viking-funeral. Others’ verdicts were not in favor of them, and in revenge of V, they were killed and sent to another place. Vicissitude constantly was happening throughout the book. A course of change or a shift in one’s life or surrounding. All V wanted was a course of change from the totalitarian government. He wanted freedom and for people to identify themselves with their morals. The last V-word I thought was important for one of the five was values. Something even we as a society today are beginning to lose. It is so imperative for us to hold them with us throughout life, or what are we here for. V was a firm believer in his and he forced them down on society. Whether that is wrong or right that is for you to decide; however, he made his point clear across to the characters in the book, Evey, himself, and the readers. Down to his dying days he kept his values. (Comment on this)
8:09 pm	Assignment #3, Choice 1-Symbolism             Titles can be symbolic, titles can be meaningless, titles can be figurative, titles can be discouraging, and on a large scale, titles can be representative for the symbolism a text tries to get across to its reader.  In the book V for Vendetta, we are presented with many titles.  We are presented with the title of the book, three individual book titles, and a total of 36 titles (all beginning with the letter V) for each chapter within the book.  I have chosen to dissect the 11 chapter titles in book 1 and discuss the symbolism behind each of their headings.              Chapter 1, The Villain: The word “villain” has everything to do with this chapter and the book as a whole.  When we think of the word villain, we think of an evil character or the “bad guy.”  Within this chapter, we are presented with many villains that quickly shape the way in which we view certain characters throughout this book.  We are first introduced to the city of London.  We hear the “voice of fate” which automatically we can think villain.  This is because there are those out there that are believers of “taking your matters into your hands” and that fate is just a lazy way of letting things play there way out.  We encounter Evey for the first time on her first escapade as a prostitute.  Many may label her as the villain off the bat because of her reckless, dangerous behavior and her degrading performance as a woman.  Quickly we are introduced to the “Fingermen” who try to assault her which instantly snaps our minds over to them as the villain.  We learn of their disgusting “prerogative” and their lack of respect for a woman, regardless of her hooker routine.  Quickly this chapter begins a game of “Hot Potato” bouncing the title “villain” from character to character, never really landing a spot but simply continuing to bounce onto the next without ever pausing.  We next are introduced to Evey’s hero; however, London’s government’s true villain: V.  Before the chapter closes, we meet the leader, or V’s villain.  This is the man responsible for London’s loss of freedom and identity- all that V considers wrong in the world.  This chapter’s symbolism of a villain was essential to open the book with because we never truly connect ourselves or find a true villain.  We know V is the main villain through the government’s eyes and vice-versa; however, V only carries the characteristics of a villain through murdering and bombing.  He carries an ultimate goal of freedom which at the end of the day makes him the reader’s hero.             Chapter 2, The Voice: After plucking my brains on why this chapter was named the voice, I decided to take a step back, and simply try and understand what the voice signifies.  We know “the voice” is the voice of fate which is Lewis Prothero-V’s enemy from camp Larkhill.  It is ironic how a man of such corrupt background, plays such a significant voice for London.  (Fate that is.)  His surrounding co-workers and acquaintances even mock the voice of fate; they make fun of how he collects dolls.  It is sarcastic how a grown man that collects dolls gives the people of London confidence every day by supplying a voice behind such a strong word…the word fate.  Throughout the book, each character faces their own destiny at one point or another.  They individually are faced with decisions concerning their morals and regarding consequences from their past.  Many characters die and the strong survive.  Although V does indeed die in the end, he places his nobility and dignity in the hands of Evey where she faces her final destiny.  This chapter for me became a matter of fate, rather than “the voice.”             Chapter 3, Victims: Although this chapter is very general, it is rather informative in a sense that we learn of Evey’s past.  We learn she is a victimized child is so many ways that we begin to connect with her on a level of empathy and hope for her future.  Her mother died at a young age during the war and shortly after her father was kidnapped.  Nearly four years later she is almost being raped by three men in an alley for her survival attempt in a tough time.  She has been a victim for so long; she was overdue for a hero-or V-to come into her life and save her from herself and all that is wrong in her life.  This chapter is significant in the book because we connect with Evey and we see a bond starting to form between her and V.  We also see the investigators becoming victims of V’s scams.  He is prepared to have them as his victims more importantly.  He is ready to “bring the house down” and give them the “drama of it all.” (pg. 31)              Chapter 4, Vaudeville: “Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s…Indeed, the scope of the presentations was unique in the history of American live performance: music, comedy, feats of athleticism, magic, animal acts, opera, Shakespeare, banjo, acrobatics and gymnastics, and lectures by celebrities and intellectuals of every scale.” (Wikipedia.com)  In chapter 4, we see an imaginative, ingenious plot that V has created for the brainwashing of Prothero.  V takes a “Vaudeville” style to Prothero by taking the one thing he loves, his dolls, and brainwashing him into one.  This was symbolic because much like V was stripped of the one thing he loved in Larkhill, which was freedom, V strips Prothero of his love for dolls by turning him into one.  V surprised me in the chic and clever way in which he brainwashes Prothero.  This chapter is figurative for V’s brilliance and shows us as a reader there is more to him than his serial-like revenge on Larkhill.   He is rather a smart man that was deprived of his years and simply cannot deal with that fact until he gets retribution.             Chapter 5, Versions: This chapter was a bit abstract, maybe hence the term “versions.”  There are several scenes within this chapter that are left open for interpretation and I will simply leave it at that.  For example, V blows up “Old Bailey” which symbolically dealt with major criminal cases in the UK.  I think he blew this up because he felt as though Old Bailey no longer stood for the good of the community.  He was angered because she stood for justice, but justice no longer exists without freedom.  We also are introduced to the leader, Adam Susan.  He emphasized strength and unity, mocking freedom as a luxury.  He also emphasized fate, which consequently is not in his favor because he is shot in the end.  His version and outlook on life essentially costs him his own later in the book.             Chapter 6, The Vision: We touch upon religion for the first time in this chapter when we meet Bishop Lilliman, the Party's pedophilic representative in the clergy.  He talks of a vision on pg. 45 pertaining to an evil is “ensnar[ing]” the weak.  He also discusses fate and destiny and asks them to help “us perceive thy holy will.”  Consequently, his vision eventually answers him through the form of a cyanide-laced communion wafer.  Evey accompanies V in the death of Bishop by playing the role of a young girl-much to his liking.  This chapter touches upon issues beyond this book because we are facing molestation in the church more than ever nowadays.             Chapter 7, Virtue Victorious: The chapter opens up with the murder of the Bishop.  It closes with V quotes the Holy Bible.  A bit of an oxymoron.  Bishop’s lack of virtue and goodwill bites him in the ass.  A bit of “fate” or karma, Bishop gets what V thinks he deserves in the end.  This chapter is symbolic to the book because again we see the actions of V and he is truly avenging those with malice and corrupt minds.  He indeed becomes the anti-hero and the favored villain within these chapters.             Chapter 8, The Valley: At first glance just looking at the pictures in this chapter, I couldn’t help but notice the line “As I walk through the valley, the shadow of death…” kept replaying in my mind.  The pictures at first glance appear as though Brian and Dominic were walking through the valley (figuratively speaking) into the shadow of [their own] death.  This is symbolic because even though they were walking through the bishop’s when scoping out the crime scene, there’s would be to come later.              Chapter 9, Violence: I was surprised that the title violence came at chapter nine, but according to Anton Szandor LaVey, 9 is the number of Satan.  Keeping that in mind, chapter nine symbolized the ways in which violence affects our lives.  One form Moore used was spousal abuse through Derek and Rosemary’s relationship.  Ultimately this scene does not impact the book; however, Rosemary gets her revenge on the leader by shooting him- the most unexpected person does what needed to be done the whole entire book.              Chapter 10, Venom: This chapter is V’s revenge on Delia for his suffering at Larkhill.  The title was figurative in a sense that she had injected him with venom for so long; it was time for him to inject her.  It was imperative for her to die because she had ruined his life for so long; however, her diary in turn ruined his again.  She truly was venom herself, because her diary gave way to the investigators that V truly was a human being and he was in reach for them to find him.  She herself was figurative of venom.  He surprisingly let her die a bit more peacefully than the others.  As a reader we see that he is human and he does have emotions.  To have her dead was essential to him, but it was a need not a wanting.  Had he wanted her to die, he would have done it as brutally as the rest but he didn’t.              Chapter 11, The Vortex: When the word vortex comes to mind, a cyclone or tornado immediately pops into my head.  It sucks all in and spits all out.  This chapter does this exactly for the investigators and the leader concerning Larkhill.  Delia’s diary spits out, like a vortex, all the information necessary for the investigators to find out who V is targeting next and why.  They can now find ways to suck him in, like a vortex, and get him killed.  This chapter was extremely important to close with in book 1 because we are no longer in a situation where we are above the characters.  They now know what we know about Larkhill.  In a way we fear for V and we fear for the safety of Evey once out of V’s sight.  They essentially are now aware of V’s vendetta and his reasoning for the murders of their fellow acquaintances.  (Comment on this)
Monday, March 20th, 2006
10:46 pm	V for Vendetta: Context In honor of this week’s discussion for context, I have decided to choose some examples from V for Vendetta and how its context shapes the text as we read it. First and foremost, the fact that this story is a graphic text will already shape the way in which we read it because we are forced to visually see the characters, whereas when we read most stories we use our imagination. We then are introduced to see such striking and detailed pictures. We see different colors for different scenes; i.e. we see lots of blues, blacks, grays, and dark colors for gloomy scenes. This sets the way in which we depict the scene and certain characters. For vibrant, thrilling, and adventurous scenes, we see lots of oranges and yellows. We also see bright colors that don’t necessarily represent happiness, but rather an intense and important scene that is not in a sense absolutely horrific. Another area of context within the graphic pictures are the scenes containing the rose. The roses represent a larger scale within the text as well; however, we must take notice of it rather than read about it because it is a picture after all. The linguistics of the text and the way in which the author uses language also affects how we perceive certain characters and certain situations. I.e. V always tends to state bold, short answered, and meaningful statements. We do not read lots of small talk from him which led me to perceive him as a bold, confident, and strong character right off the bat. These are only a few examples on the large scale of context and its impact on the reader. (Comment on this)
Monday, February 27th, 2006
9:01 pm	Reaction to ch 19 When beginning chapter 19 on “Geography matters…” I couldn’t agree more with Foster’s idea behind setting and how “where a story takes place” actually matters. When beginning a story, we need to know where the story takes place. It allows our preconceived notions and our stereotypes to unknowingly judge the story’s characters. If the story is taking place in Ireland or in North Philadelphia, we immediately connect with the characters on an individual level based off a stereotype. We will mistakenly judge these characters because of preconceived notions of geography. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. This is a good thing because we can understand why our characters are the way they are. We will understand their culture due to their surroundings. As Foster puts it, “Geography can also define or even develop our character.” A person who has grown up on a farm will differ in a lot of ways than someone who grew up in an urban setting. This goes the same for someone who lived in Japan and someone who lives in Alaska. Our geography, or as some of us put it, our “hometown” shapes who we are. Geography also shapes a story. It shapes the story by the way in which the author perceives it, and the way in which a reader perceives it. The bad thing about geography would be when an author sets up a story in an entirely inappropriate setting. This can throw off an entire story. Fosters makes an excellent point when he says, “writers send characters south, it’s so they can run amok.” This can be true and this can be false. When I think of South, I think of America south, as in Virginia or South Carolina. Foster’s south is Vietnam and Africa. This is an issue where Foster and I view south as different places and atmospheres. I view southerners as calm and easy going people due to my past experiences. He on the other hand, views south as southern countries with characters running rampant. Foster’s point about geography truly makes sense and truly shapes a story or novel where it wants to or not. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, February 23rd, 2006
10:14 pm	Assignment #2, question 3...The Girls             After much contemplation and evaluation on the past several short stories we as a class have read these past couple weeks, I chose “The Girls” for assignment #2.  I decided on this piece due to its unique and animalistic plot.  I thought I could easily make an awesome and creative twist for #3 for this particular assignment.  What I decided to do, was to break the story down into scenes that I believe I could work with as a director of a movie.  I then took each scene and highlighted the descriptive settings within the book and made sure that through my setting, my viewers would get a sense of what was going on internally with the characters.  I ended up with seven scenes which I will individually break down for you in a list format. Scene I: It begins with the girls snooping through Arleen’s room while she was in the shower.  The purpose of beginning the scene in a bedroom for this story is more important than the reader or viewer would think.  Off the bat, we know we are in a bedroom which is someone’s private quarters and which can tell a lot about a person.  We immediately are directed to an opened suitcase, which allows us to see that this is a guestroom.  A journal is zipped inside one of the pockets which unwillingly is read by the girls.  We know the owner of this journal values this because it was tightly zipped away and we know they have depth, or at least something of value to write about.  The relationship of this bedroom to the story, is the journal in the room.  We know that a journal is something some people are driven to do, often as a way to put their existence into perspective.  This bedroom scene where the girls are reading this journal in the guestroom, allows us to judge these girls as caddy, curious, conniving, and snoopy.  Had we started in a kitchen with a journal, we would not get a sense of the privacy related to this woman’s journal or the curiousness behind what was in the journal.  We wouldn’t understand the curiosity from the girls that they carry with them about their guest.  We almost feel connected with this guest and their bedroom because already we feel bad that their territory was invaded while in the shower. Scene 2: This scene begins with a sound.  The sound is of the shower water withdrawing back to its pipes and the girls rushing out of Arleen’s room and downstairs.  We then begin the scene with the two girls sitting on the couch with their cats sipping tea.  These pet cats symbolize the girls’ sense of power, because a female cat is actually referred to as a “queen” much like these girls are within the story.  Little princesses if you must.  The sipping of the tea, almost reminded me of gossipy old ladies sitting at a tea party discussing their daughter-in-law’s pet bunny that ate apart their shoe at the last communion party and never offered to repay her for it.  We then are directed to a mantelpiece where two colorful and elaborate urns stand.  The ceramic feet of the one urn mimicked that of a rabbit, and the other of a mouse.  These urns symbolize how valued and cherished the past “queens” of the house were, and the elaborate measures taken to display their grief and loss for the cats.  However, the rabbit and mouse feet allow us as viewers to see how carefully crafted these urns were and just how valued these pets were.  This lets us see that the owners at least valued these pets and they probably died of old age and not neglect.  Scene two also describes a particular pair of unusual khaki shorts that Arleen was wearing.  The viewer might take this is Arleen not having a lot of money, or that she does not necessarily care about her appearance or view of what the girls may think of her.  Later in the scene, Father Snow and Arleen give “Mommy and Daddy” a silver-plated cocktail shaker with their initials engraved on it.  We see this as a kind gesture; however, the girls go on to show the guests the collection of which they already have.  They even show the dented and tarnished ones which in a way belittles the gesture of their ever so popular gift.  We later in the scene see Father Snow crying in the garden and Arleen at his feet.  In this scene, we as the viewers and the girls as well see a connection or a bond between this duo.  The girls, looking through the glass, take this as something more than a friendship.  This is because they have never been in love before; at least, besides the love they have for each other.  The scene then goes on to compare these girls as Siamese twins.  When we think of Siamese twins, we’re reminded of Siamese cats, which are known to be talkative and have a center of attention personality.  For as we know, Siamese cats often “engage themselves in crazy antics to get the attention of their people, and often attach themselves to one human in a household.” (wikipedia.com)  This scene really gives us a sense of the girls’ common bond they share with one another.  The setting aids the viewer by expressing their unusual fascination and love for their cats, once again we see them snooping on their houseguests, and we are introduced to Father Snow in this scene.  Although we may not see a conflict in the story yet, we see the girls’ internal struggle with the presence of these houseguests.  Their cats connect us to their world and we begin to see the story from their point of view. Scene 3: We are introduced to this scene in a large glassed-in porch on the south side of the house.  Immediately we now know this house is of value or an older era.  This is partly due to its particular description of the girls’ attractive assemblages which are artifacts.  Then we are further given the complete description of the house: a three-storied nineteenth-century house with fish-scale shingles and wide golden floorboards.  As a director here, I would pan out and allow the viewers to see this spectacular house.  This would be important to connect us to the characters so we can better understand their background and level of wealth.  Had this taken place in a country cottage, we would not understand the level of class these people and the girls are surrounded with.  This physical landscape of the house and the porch also introduces us to the style of “Mommy and Daddy” and what they have decided to surround their girls with for so many years.  This appears to be luxury and a lavishing lifestyle.  Scene 4: This scene begins in the kitchen where Mommy is putting away the tea things.  Right away, this is a dead give away that the girls’ Mommy very much takes care of them.  Most women at 31 and 33 are living on their own; nevertheless, having their own mother pick up after them.  We are given a precise description of Mommy who is wearing a lovely floral dressing gown and silk slippers, “just like the girls.”  Here, we either can take this as the girls mimicking their mother’s lovely attire like 4 and 5 years olds tend to do.  Or, we could spin this in another direction and see Mommy as copying her own girls.  I saw this as the ugly step sisters from Cinderella with Mommy acting as Cinderella, cleaning up after her own daughters.  This would be Mommy’s internal struggle: her need to have her children get out on their own and discover life on their own terms.  This kitchen scene is important because we almost view the girls as having a sense of empowerment over their own mother.  The setting is obsolete.  This is because the mother is taking on the old-fashioned duties in the kitchen while the girls go on to tan nude outside for an upcoming beach trip.  The girls begin to take over the story in this scene because we see them as the mother’s internal struggle. Scene 5: This scene begins in the garden with the girls passing under the rose arbor.  We are told in this scene that there is a nest containing two rotted eggs, in which the girls do not inform their mother of.  This is important here because it allows us to see the grotesque nature of these girls and how little of importance they feel towards an innocent unborn animal besides their cats.  They do not even have decency to clean up the rotted eggs or throw the nest away.  They let it sit to rot, much like they probably do with most of their problems.  When entering the kitchen after their sunbath, they find a letter from their Mommy saying that Arleen and Father Snow have left to go in town and she is napping with Daddy.  Immediately the girls bolt upstairs to investigate the journal in Father Snow’s room.  They are surprised to find two black round stones on the table by his single bed.  They assume it is his invisionment of him and his dead lover, Donny.  This scene shapes the simplicity of Father Snow and his longing for this man who no longer is in his life.  The girls mock this simple idea and Father Snow’s internal struggle for Donny’s abrupt departure.     Once the girls do not find the journal here, they move onto Arleen’s room where they successfully retrieve the journal.  Arleen stands in the doorway where they describe her as a “smudgy thing…a wretched souvenir of this perfect island.”  We see the simplicity and tiresome description of Arleen, much like the lives of the girls and the atmosphere of the house.  Arleen was becoming a product of the house, not like the girls who were a product of her parent’s disillusioned marriage.  The journal was a disgusting pink.  This is relative to the thoughts written in it about the family.  Arleen caught the girls reading it and almost as revenge, allowed them to see the comments she thought about this dysfunctional duo.  This scene was very important and informative because we see Arleen get her revenge at the girls through her words written in a grimy journal.  These stupid words affect the girls because they see that Arleen has connected with their mother.  Their flesh.  The girls begin a shared internal conflict on their own, and the setting throughout this whole scene sets up the last few lines which ultimately affect the girls. Scene 6 and 7: Scene 6 and 7 is very simplistic in that it takes place at dusk which always carries a weary vibe.  We are set in the basement in a world of martinis and cigarettes where a sort of shared happy hour is taking place.  This impersonal and laid back gathering of drinks is a very classy basement at that.  A basement filled of Chinese rugs and madder rose wall paper cannot even hide the tension filled within this scene.  Father Snow discusses Donny while Mommy serves expensive cheese.  We still see Mommy’s role as a type of maid or servant, constantly catering to others around her.  The cats come in the room later in the scene and jump on Arleen.  She begins to pick leaches off of them, and one by one places them in Mommy’s fine china where Daddy’s cigarette ashes are resting.  The leaches look out of place in the floral china, much like Father Snow and Arleen look in the room.  When Arleen reaches her breaking point and makes the comment to Mommy to rid the house of the girls, Mommy passes out and dies.  This scene is picture perfect in the low-lit basement with all the family there to witness her abrupt death.  It wouldn’t fit the mood if she died over dinner or out in the garden.  All the cigarettes in this scene are representative of the addictive nature of Daddy who we rarely are informed of or is spoken about in the scenes until now.  Individually in each scene throughout this short story, we in some way through the settings, grasp a sense of each of the characters’ internal struggles and conflicts.  In the end, I believe the book belonged to the girls; however, feel free to think beyond the box and beyond my own opinon. (Comment on this)
Monday, February 20th, 2006
10:43 pm	Stone Animals     My first reaction after reading Stone Animals was to find out all the hype about rabbits and how they related and affected this story. I first found that rabbits are most often used as a symbol of fertility. I thought ok…Catherine is pregnant after all. I also found out that rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk. Then I thought, hmm…these are the times we are most connected between Catherine and Henry. Henry is always running late to work or arriving home late from work at dusk or dawn upsetting Catherine. Then I thought, no that can’t be it. What stood out was that rabbits are a symbol of a cunning animal that can outwit its enemies. Also, they are protective and guarding, such as in the Holy Grail.     In the beginning of the story, we are connected to these rabbits as statues to the house. To me, they guard this house and symbolize the historic era the house holds. To Catherine and Henry, they “didn’t suit the house at all.” (pg. 69) Catherine slowly begins connecting with this house and we see this through her gift she gives to Henry. Later in the story, actual rabbits begin taking over the house’s lawn, covering it. The rabbits almost help protect the house; like the stone rabbits symbolize in the beginning. Rabbits slowly appear in Catherine’s and Tilly’s dreams and in Henry’s drawings on the wall. The house is slowly becoming infested with the rabbits haunting everything within and about the house. However, Catherine continues to love the house. But even when she plants flowers, the rabbits eat away at the leaves. The rabbits slowly begin haunting the children. The children were becoming rabbits; Tilly was eating the grass out front.     Throughout this whole time, Catherine and Henry are equally trying to convince one another that the house is not haunted; even though they continuously throw out things and discontinue using the microwave and dishwasher. They convince each other, when in reality; they are trying to convince themselves that the house is not haunted. The house they LOVE is not haunted. By the end of the story, I truly was confused behind the author’s meaning of the rabbits. I concluded that the rabbit was a sign of struggle and battle. A struggle for Catherine and Henry’s everyday lives and the battle for them keeping it alive. (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 9th, 2006
9:44 pm	Assignment #1, option #2. Beth Lawless "Until Gwen" Beth Lawless Assignment #1     3.Divide a story into sections (possibly organized by scenes, but not necessarily). Create a soundtrack for each section, as though you were planning the music for a film. Explain each one of your choices. Until Gwen by Dennis Lehane     This particular short story appealed to me the most compared to the other short stories we have read so far because of its rough and irregular plot. Dennis Lehane, also known for Mystic River, always writes captivating plots filled with deviant characters and twisted hardships. The “Atlantic Monthly” describes Lehane’s story by stating, “‘Until Gwen,’ the magazine's June short story by Dennis Lehane, is not your typical Atlantic story. ‘Your father picks you up from prison in a stolen Dodge Neon,’ the story begins, ‘with an 8-ball of coke in the glove compartment and a hooker named Mandy in the back seat.’ From here, Lehane slowly reveals the events that preceded the narrator's prison sentence, a past replete with murder, greed, lost love, and—if you're not hooked yet—stolen diamonds.” I chose number three for this assignment because I thought it would be a challenge to write a soundtrack filled with songs that individually relates to each character. I will briefly describe each character and their contribution to the story along with their chosen individual song for the soundtrack. Until Gwen the soundtrack… 1. Highway to Hell by AC-DC (Bobby’s Father) 2. Yesterday by The Beatles (Bobby) 3. Right to be Wrong by Joss Stone 4. Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder (Gwen) 5. Father and Son by Cat Stevens (Relationship between Bobby and his father) 6. Julia by The Beatles (Bobby’s mother) 7. Is it luck? By Primus (George Brunda)     The first song on the soundtrack, “Highway to Hell” by AC-DC, describes Bobby’s father because of his “don’t give a shit” attitude he carries throughout the story. From the time he picks his son up from jail, he is accompanied by a hooker and some coke. Not a worry in the world, he essentially is driving his son and this woman on a “highway to hell” taking them down with him, much like the verses in the song read. AC-DC is a well known rock band that plays fun and simple music, much like the simplicity of Bobby’s father. This style of music would impact the listener to believe that this man is from an older era like the Highway to Hell album from 1979. The line, “taking everything in my stride” reminded me of this man because he is a man who takes action without thinking and without plan. He illegally sells airport security jobs by collecting checks from strangers; all the while not thinking of what might happen if he gets caught. This song adequately portrays an image to readers/listeners about a man living on the edge “livin’ easy, lovin’ free.”     The main character, Bobby, was a bit of a challenge to find the proper and most fitting song for his personality. When I stumbled across my father’s The Beatles 1 album, the song “Yesterday” stood out to me most because of its lyrics referring to a yesterday. The lines, “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away… Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be…Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play…I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday” reminded me of a Bobby sitting in prison longing for his yesterday. His yesterday before prison, when Gwen was still alive and in his life, when George’s mother was alive, and more importantly when his own mother was alive. I feel as though listeners could relate to Bobby and his misfortunes through the Beatles because this group represents their own genre of music, much like how Bobby represents the deeper person like Gwen saw in him.     The third song, “Right to be Wrong” by Joss Stone, is a song that describes the story “Until Gwen” in an overall sense. What caught my eye about this song were some of her lyrics which related to this story such as, “I’ve got a right to be wrong…My mistakes will make me strong…I’m stepping out into the great unknown…I’m feeling wings though I’ve never flown…” These few lines reached out to me because I interpreted the story as though all past mistakes the characters had ever made always had excuses behind them. They felt they had a right to be wrong. Bobby was stepping into a “great unknown” after prison without Gwen. The father had a hooker and coke waiting for his son as a gift for getting out of prison.     Although Stevie Wonder’s song “Isn’t she Lovely” is written about his daughter, I feel as though this song touches upon the beauty of Gwen through the eyes of Bobby. She saw things in him he never even saw in himself, making her the most lovely, wonderful, and precious woman he knew. This song would impact the readers due to its mellow and catchy verses allowing the listener to understand the gracefulness behind Gwen’s soul. The style of this song in relation to Gwen is important because we never actually meet her. In fact, we find out later she is dead; we only hear of the past encounter of her with Bobby and George.     The fifth song, “Father and Son” by Cat Stevens somewhat represents the relationship between Bobby and his father. The lines that stood out to me in this song were, “Father/It’s not time to make a change” which comes from the father’s point of view in the song. In reality, Bobby needed a change and his father was holding him back. The lines, “Son/How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again/It’s always been the same, same old story.” This touches upon Bobby needing to stray away from his father but him never getting the chance.     “Julia” by The Beatles was written for John's mother Julia Lennon, who was killed by a drunk-driving policeman in 1958, when he was 17. (Wikipedia.com) This song reminded me of Bobby’s mother because she too died when Bobby was at the young age of seven. Although the lyrics are brief, they touch upon the sorrows and grief of losing a mother. When listeners hear this track, they might not know at first how it relates to the story; however, The Beatles mention Julia’s eyes and smile in one of the lyrics in the song. “Julia, seashell eyes, windy smile, calls me.” In the short story, Bobby mentions his opaque vision of his own mother’s eyes and jaw line. Little details such as these shape a child’s vision of their mother. This shows us the internal conflict that Bobby was having with the loss of his mother or rather the mere fact that she was no longer around.     The last song on this soundtrack I put on was for fun in honor of George Brunda. He was an overweight but smart man who had probably given up on life until one day he found a diamond the size of his palm. He was a caring man who took care of his sick mother and he was robbed by the Bobby and Gwen when his unfortunate mother was shot in the line of fire by George himself. So the song entitled “Is it luck?” by Primus truly fits the title because had he not found the diamond, his mother may still be alive. So was it luck? Probably not.        This soundtrack lightly touches upon each of the main characters in this brief but thrilling short story. The flashbacks come into play with some of the above songs, whereas others are descriptive of characters’ personalities. Hopefully the listeners of this soundtrack would agree with the chosen artists and their lyrics in relation to “Until Gwen.” (Comment on this)