sin (2 sin1 x)

Additional Notes for Cathedral by Raymond Carver  BINARY MOTIF between sight and touch ­ Robert allows the narrator to see through touching him ­ Robert sees things through touch ­ narrator can literally see, but not make a connection with anyone because he refuses intimacy (touch)  INTIMACY ­ the closer someone is to you in an intimate embrace, the lesser they are a visible object for you; you have to be kinda far away in able to be seen ­ To what extent are the senses used to connect and communicate ­ love, religion, blindness: all make you see something that is not there ­ Cathedral is a literal synthesis of sight and touch ­ the act of drawing is what brings together sight and touch at once ­ sight (observation), touch (communication) ­ task is to communicate to us what is unseen in the scene ­ text needs to be read actively 3/2: Understanding the Text, p. 85­92 1. PLOT  theme: one common message  action: the events recounted in a fictional work, the “what”, raw data, will never be accessed by the reader, the action will always be plotted  plot: the way the author sequences and paces the events so as to shape our response and interpretation; gives significance to the action; the how, forcing us to ask why; conflict drives the plot, must be some destabilization of a situation  sequencing: the precise order in which events are related  in media res: “in the middle of things”; to start a work in the middle of the story; things have happened before the first scene and will happen after it  flashbacks  episode  flashforward  “a story might jump forward in time to recount a later episode or event in a flash forward”  foreshadowing: when an author merely gives subtle hints about what will happen later in the story  subplot: a plot that receives significantly less time and attention than another 2. PACE  pacing: the duration of particular episodes (events)  discriminated occasion: when an author slows down the pace and homes in on a particular moment and scene, ex: “Late that evening” or “The day before…” ­ paragraphs devoted to minutes 3. CONFLINCT  conflict: struggle  external: arise between characters and something or someone outside of them  internal: when a character struggles to reconcile 2 competing desires, needs, or duties; or 2 parts or aspects of himself, ex. head vs. heart The Shroud by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm  lovable seven year old died and taken from mother  son came back as ghost ad cried when mom cried in previous play sites  son can’t pass to heaven unless mother stops grieving  child passed and mother silently grieves instead of crying 5 Parts of Plot 1. Exposition: introduces character, their situations a setting (time and place)­ all basic information ­ usually revels some source of potential conflict in the initial situation; characters may be unaware 2. Rising Action: begins with an inciting incident (a destabilizing event) or some action that destabilizes the initial situation and incites open conflict ­ complication: an event that introduces a new conflict or intensifies an existing one 3. Climax/Turning Point: the moment when the outcome of the plot and the fate of the characters is decided ­ epiphany: a sudden revelation of truth inspired by a seemingly trivial event ­ crisis: precedes and precipitates the climax, the confrontation of the climax 4. Falling Action: brings a release of emotional tension and moves us toward the resolution of the conflict(s) ­ deus ex machina: “god out of a machine”­ from ancient theatrical practice of using a machine to lower onto the stage a god who solves the problems of the human characters 5. Conclusion: presents us with a new and at least somewhat stable situation, gives a sense of closure, conflicts have been resolved ­ many plots end with a situation that is similar to one it began with ­ why and how are things different ­ epilogue: ties up loose ends, updates on what happened to the characters after conflicts are resolved, provides commentary on story’s larger significance  denouement: can be a synonym for falling action, conclusion, or resolution, or epilogue (not used much in the textbook)  plot summary/synopsis: recount of plot briefly; define terms action and plot  “guests… are a convention of chivalric romance and epic”… heroes are of high rank, sent by someone of higher power  tragedy: trace a downward movement centering on the character’s fall from fortune into misfortune and isolation; end unhappily (death)  comedy: end happily in marriage or celebration Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin (a punishing story)  Narrator learns of brother’s arrest and rehab for heroine  druggy friend waits for narrator in schoolyard to tell about Sonny’s incident  narrator writes to brother in rehab after daughter Gracie passes away  flashback to memory of last time with mother who expresses concern for Sonny ­ gives light to a dead uncle who narrator didn’t know about, he died by being run over drunk by whites, destroyed narrator’s father ­ STOPPED NOTETAKING AFTER P. 105 Background Context:  post war  middle of 20 century  pre­civil rights Harlem (ghetto)  rising of Jazz and musical expression  WW2 for equal rights of others even though America itself was struggling for equality  Harlem not approached by whites, always a segregated circle  rebuilding/coping  all residents of Harlem are African American  must think of political context in order to realize the anchor of the story  zero opportunities for advancement in Harlem  Harlem is a world that offers its citizens no hope  narrator’s coping strategies: teaches in Harlem, embedded himself in education, obeys the rules to keep from drowning  fear characterizes the narrator, fear of life, gives himself a safe life  Sonny can’t hide from life so he has the 2 outlets­ drugs and music Re­read last page and listen to Blues for Alice by Charlie Parker Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates (1938) Background:  Arnold Friend character written in thought of “The Pied Piper of Tucson” who raped and killed teen aged girls ­ kids knew but kept his secret ­ crazy because girls always gave in ­ “the fateful attractions of death (or the devil)” Setting: ­ written in the 60’s, white middle class suburban, generic ­ ambiguity of the setting maybe shows how the story can occur anywhere ­ mother/daughter relationship is not universal but archetypal; a very immediate legibility to how Connie feels about her mom and how her mom thinks Connie feels about her  Connie’s fantasies referred to as “trashy daydream”  Connie’s duality or reality vs. fantasy ­ Arnold Friend coming to her home clashes the separation between her 2 worlds  fantasy almost overwhelms her reality  Connie wants to be special, to be looked at, to be wanted/desirable, reach sexual maturity (romanticized­ LOVE), to be possessed, to find her value in/through others, to be an OBJECT not a SUBJECT, an OBJECT OF DESIRE  Connie gets her fantasies from MUSIC  desire is based off of distance; we want the things that we don’t really want Narration and Point of View p. 174­178  narrator: someone that mediates and tells us the events in fiction  voice: the verbal quality of the narration  focus: the visual angle, chooses direction of our gaze and the framework of which we see things  style, tone, irony  everything above ^ makes up the point of view Types of Narration 1. 3 person: narrator tells an unidentified listener or reader what happened, referring to all characters using pronouns he, she, or they ­ always external, narrator isn’t a character ­ omniscient/unlimited: has access to the thoughts, perceptions, and experiences of more than one character ­ limited: tells story from a distinct point of view, usually that of a single character revealing that character’s thoughts and perspectives, also known as the central consciousness ­ objective: does not explicitly report thoughts and perspectives but hints at them through the character’s speech and actions; consists mostly of dialogue 2. 1 person: pronoun I, can be major/minor character of story, making he/she an internal character, either tells a story about someone else or one from personal experience ­ can address an auditor: a listener in fiction whose possible reaction is part of the story ­ unreliable narrator: ironic, unintentionally reveal flaws when trying to impress, may make false claims ­ first person plural: pronoun we, shared perspective of a community nd 3. 2 person: consistently speak to “you”, turns the reader into a character of the story, instructional manuals or “how­to” books  past and present tense used to be conversational  implied author: thoughts and perspectives of both the narrator and the author ­ the narrator is neither the real or implied author