My prompt is such: "A man, who is spying, can see but not hear his wife as she talks to her ex-husband."
We're at the grocery store. "I'll get some Cheerios," she says, and so I pause the cart at the end of one aisle. She strides away, and I watch her ass sway from side to side as she walks. I'm like a high-schooler sometimes, I know, but my comfort myself with the thought that this is far more than lust. After all, the fact that I still want her even after I've been her husband for seven years must mean something, right?
She pauses in front of a row of yellow boxes, comparing prices, and then reaches out to take one. As she does this, I notice a man walking up behind her, pushing a cart with a baby in it. As Alice turns, a look of recognition crosses her face. Then it's me who recognizes.
The tall, dark haired man is Jeff, her ex-husband. I didn't know much about him, but that high-school feeling came over me and I felt a wave of jealousy pass over me as well. Alice didn't ignore him. Why, honey, why don't you come back down here and kiss me? Show off for him, I don't care. Make me feel like I should.
Now she's talking to him. She smiles. They shake hands. Why the smile? Why does she have to look so happy? She bends down, smiling at the blonde haired baby in Jeff's cart. I can't hear what that bastard's saying to her. The grocery story music is too damn loud.
Now she gestures towards me. Trying not to seem like I'm spying, I turn quickly and pretend to be fascinated by a nearby display of Pop-Tarts. I take a quick glance back at them when I think enough time has passed. They're talking again, paying no mind to me. I wonder how people can read lips. It makes no sense.
Now she laughs. Damnit. Should I go down there and introduce myself? What if she thinks I don't trust her, though. Alice, honey, I trust you--it's Jeff I don't trust.
Jeff is looking at his watch. He says something to her, I stil can't hear. These aisles are too long, and there's a pair of Hispanic ladies chattering in rapid Spanish behind me. Alice nods. She understands, it seems. Making plans for another, more secret, rondezvous I wonder? Then I want to hit myself. I trust her, right?
She starts walking back toward me. It is in this moment I realize how much she means to me. Do I mean the same to her? This encounter with Jeff makes me wonder.
Now she's talking again, to me this time. "Hey baby, why didn't you come say hi to Matt?"
"Matt?" What is she saying? Now I can hear fine, but can't seem to understand.
"You know, from work, my boss?"
"Oh."
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
"The First Line" Assignment
Visit http://www.thefirstline.com/ for more on The First Line and this assignment.
While not the intended effect, the outcome was surprisingly satisfying. Yes, of course, I was at first disappointed that I could not become a member of the army for which I had long waited to fight. However, after careful consideration, I had realized that my new duty would assist me greatly in becoming skillful enough to execute the mission I had, for five long years, sought to complete. I would now be placed in a far more productive position than how I would be simply fighting as a member of a vast army.
Despite my newfound satisfaction, however, I could not help but be thoroughly disgusted by a certain portion of my new life. I, Charles Pimme, was to be the assistant to the keeper of the palace kennels. Caring for dogs. Vile, gross animals, and it was my duty to care for them each day.
However, the benefits of doing such a dirty task would be well worth it. I was to receive an education equal to that of any king or lord's son. I was to be instructed in the arts, the sciences, the histories, and--most important to my cause--fencing. Unlike the basic members of the army, forced to utilize heavy spears and clumsy shields, I would receive a rapier and learn the ancient and noble art of swordfighting. And it was with these skills that I would kill the king of Oxengrave and avenge the wrong that had gone unpunished for five long years. I would personally kill the man responsible for my brother's death...
While not the intended effect, the outcome was surprisingly satisfying. Yes, of course, I was at first disappointed that I could not become a member of the army for which I had long waited to fight. However, after careful consideration, I had realized that my new duty would assist me greatly in becoming skillful enough to execute the mission I had, for five long years, sought to complete. I would now be placed in a far more productive position than how I would be simply fighting as a member of a vast army.
Despite my newfound satisfaction, however, I could not help but be thoroughly disgusted by a certain portion of my new life. I, Charles Pimme, was to be the assistant to the keeper of the palace kennels. Caring for dogs. Vile, gross animals, and it was my duty to care for them each day.
However, the benefits of doing such a dirty task would be well worth it. I was to receive an education equal to that of any king or lord's son. I was to be instructed in the arts, the sciences, the histories, and--most important to my cause--fencing. Unlike the basic members of the army, forced to utilize heavy spears and clumsy shields, I would receive a rapier and learn the ancient and noble art of swordfighting. And it was with these skills that I would kill the king of Oxengrave and avenge the wrong that had gone unpunished for five long years. I would personally kill the man responsible for my brother's death...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Why “April 2005: Usher II” Is Good Writing
“April 2005: Usher II,” (1950) by Ray Bradbury, is a short story that I was introduced to in my first American Literature class. What is interesting about this piece is that it works equally well as a short story (what it was orginally published as), and as a book chapter in Bradbury’s novel, The Martian Chronicles. It is a work filled with dark humor and irony as well as a great deal of allusion to the work of another master American writer, Edgar Allan Poe. However, to me, this short story is more than just science fiction or a parody of Poe’s short stories; it is a excellent example of Ray Bradbury’s writing mastery.
The story centers around a man named Stendahl, who has comissioned an replica of the House of Usher (from Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”) to be built, and then filled with all manner of things and characters out of books and movies. In the futuristic world that Stendahl lives in, all such fantasy things were banned in 1975, because the government wanted people to face reality instead of escaping into a book. Throughout the house, there are many allusions to other stories of Poes, such as “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Tell-tale Heart,” “The Pit and The Pendulum,” and several others. As a reader familiar with Poe, it was entertaining to read this story by Bradbury and find all of these allusions.
Part of what I enjoy the most about reading Bradbury is the humor and irony that he employs. One of my favorite lines of dialogue from “April 2005: Usher II” is spoken by the character Stendahl, as he is chaining another character to a wall. When the other character, a man named Garrett who was sent to the house to inspect it, asks what in the world Stendahl thinks he’s doing, Stendahl replies, “I’m being ironic. Don’t interrupt a man in the midst of being ironic, it’s not polite!” (146). This line is an excellent bit of characterization as well as humor. For Stendahl to use a literary term like ironic and act as though it is highly important to what is going on shows how much he cares about the world of books and stories—he is so engrossed in this world that he recognizes things in himself the same way he’d recognize them in a book character.
Finally, Bradbury employs an amazing sense of description—always showing, not telling, the reader what is happening. As in the examples on page 140 and 141, he uses precise wording and an almost dramatic sense of detail to construct the scene in the reader’s mind. When the party guests arrive, we know not only what they look like or such superficial things, but we know what kind of people they are—“Spoil-funs... people with mercurochrome for blood and iodine colored eyes” (141). More than just telling the reader that Stendahl is opposed to these people, Bradbury skillfully explains how they are against everything that Stendahl loves. This kind of writing skill is what makes “April 2005:Usher II” as engrossing and compelling as it is.
The story centers around a man named Stendahl, who has comissioned an replica of the House of Usher (from Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher”) to be built, and then filled with all manner of things and characters out of books and movies. In the futuristic world that Stendahl lives in, all such fantasy things were banned in 1975, because the government wanted people to face reality instead of escaping into a book. Throughout the house, there are many allusions to other stories of Poes, such as “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Tell-tale Heart,” “The Pit and The Pendulum,” and several others. As a reader familiar with Poe, it was entertaining to read this story by Bradbury and find all of these allusions.
Part of what I enjoy the most about reading Bradbury is the humor and irony that he employs. One of my favorite lines of dialogue from “April 2005: Usher II” is spoken by the character Stendahl, as he is chaining another character to a wall. When the other character, a man named Garrett who was sent to the house to inspect it, asks what in the world Stendahl thinks he’s doing, Stendahl replies, “I’m being ironic. Don’t interrupt a man in the midst of being ironic, it’s not polite!” (146). This line is an excellent bit of characterization as well as humor. For Stendahl to use a literary term like ironic and act as though it is highly important to what is going on shows how much he cares about the world of books and stories—he is so engrossed in this world that he recognizes things in himself the same way he’d recognize them in a book character.
Finally, Bradbury employs an amazing sense of description—always showing, not telling, the reader what is happening. As in the examples on page 140 and 141, he uses precise wording and an almost dramatic sense of detail to construct the scene in the reader’s mind. When the party guests arrive, we know not only what they look like or such superficial things, but we know what kind of people they are—“Spoil-funs... people with mercurochrome for blood and iodine colored eyes” (141). More than just telling the reader that Stendahl is opposed to these people, Bradbury skillfully explains how they are against everything that Stendahl loves. This kind of writing skill is what makes “April 2005:Usher II” as engrossing and compelling as it is.
Work Cited
Bradbury, Ray. "April 2005: Usher II." The Martian Chronicles. Doubleday and Company: Garden City, NY, 1958. 132-48.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Character Sketch
"In your writing journal, build on the assignment that we did in class...write a character sketch for a protagonist (main character) that you have in mind for a future work of fiction. Remember to make the character memorable, providing as many clear details about him or her as possible."
Heather Kressman, 19, works at Lindy’s Bookstore downtown. Loves dolphins and Heath Bars, is very bold, and is passionate about protecting the enviroment. Is trying to teach herself how to speak French from a book entitled “Fluent French the Fast and Easy Way,” but as of yet couldn’t conjugate a verb to save an endangered polar bear. She’s into fashion, but has her own funky-casual style. For example, today she’s wearing a red t-shirt that reads “ASK ME ABOUT BEING A DYKE,” a pair of black cargo pants, and Old Navy flip-flops. She always carries a tan canvas tote instead of a purse. Heather’s rather sensitive about her middle name, Alfred, which her father gave her in remembrance of his (late) favorite brother. Heather’s dream is to open up her own enviromentally friendly candy store. That, and get a girlfriend. But neither of those seems to be happening very soon. Oh well. There’s always Greenpeace.
Heather Kressman, 19, works at Lindy’s Bookstore downtown. Loves dolphins and Heath Bars, is very bold, and is passionate about protecting the enviroment. Is trying to teach herself how to speak French from a book entitled “Fluent French the Fast and Easy Way,” but as of yet couldn’t conjugate a verb to save an endangered polar bear. She’s into fashion, but has her own funky-casual style. For example, today she’s wearing a red t-shirt that reads “ASK ME ABOUT BEING A DYKE,” a pair of black cargo pants, and Old Navy flip-flops. She always carries a tan canvas tote instead of a purse. Heather’s rather sensitive about her middle name, Alfred, which her father gave her in remembrance of his (late) favorite brother. Heather’s dream is to open up her own enviromentally friendly candy store. That, and get a girlfriend. But neither of those seems to be happening very soon. Oh well. There’s always Greenpeace.
First Assignment
"One of the most important elements of a good short story is an engaging protagonist (main character). Think of a protagonist that stands out in your mind--either from a TV show, movie, novel, or short story. Then think about WHAT MAKES that character so memorable. Identify and write about that character on an index card. (Provide as many clear details as possible.)"
A character that stands out in my mind is Socrates from the independent film A Peaceful Warrior. The owner of a gas station and mechanic shop, this mysterious, white haired old man is an enigma for the entirety of the movie, at the end of which he vanishes completely. He constantly provides the other main character of the film with Mr-Miagi like advice and challenges--for example, a long hike to the top of a mountain to see a "special place" that turns out to be a small, nondescript rock, with the advice that the journey was more important than the destination. Socrates at many times infuriates his young apprentice with his quiet demeanor; an example of this is in the fact that he never reveals his true name to the boy--causing the boy to dub him Socrates out of frustration. Even though the movie itself wasn't that great, and the other lead was entirely forgettable, Socrates sticks in my head, along with many of the lessons he teaches his apprentice.
A character that stands out in my mind is Socrates from the independent film A Peaceful Warrior. The owner of a gas station and mechanic shop, this mysterious, white haired old man is an enigma for the entirety of the movie, at the end of which he vanishes completely. He constantly provides the other main character of the film with Mr-Miagi like advice and challenges--for example, a long hike to the top of a mountain to see a "special place" that turns out to be a small, nondescript rock, with the advice that the journey was more important than the destination. Socrates at many times infuriates his young apprentice with his quiet demeanor; an example of this is in the fact that he never reveals his true name to the boy--causing the boy to dub him Socrates out of frustration. Even though the movie itself wasn't that great, and the other lead was entirely forgettable, Socrates sticks in my head, along with many of the lessons he teaches his apprentice.
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