Monday, March 23, 2015
Starting w/ Best American Short Stories
As we leave behind Charles Dickens and his creation David Copperfield and jump over a hundred years into the future, lets think about the innovations that have happened with the story--and also about what has stayed the same. Obviously, these stories are a lot briefer than David Copperfield, but I think there are probably other differences too. As we begin this book, I'd like us to think about ways in which modern short stories deviate from a canonical text like Dickens'. In what ways are these stories innovative? In what ways are they traditional?
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In the story " The Indian Uprising" the opening of the story introduces a man and a woman having a conversation, from the being I can tell they are not in front of one another, but by reading the story I noticed the girl is young and the man is turning seventy-one. He may be her old professor in college, because they speak about college. As I go further into the reading I noticed they seemed to have had a good relationship in college and many other woman weren't very happy about, but by the end of Page 16 and 17 , I began to think that they were having in affair when she attended college.
ReplyDeleteOn Page 18-20 of Indian Uprising is seems that the older character in the story began to have a conversation of pass things that they remembered and then they speak about how the older man and her ex husband don't get along. He feels that he isn't his equal and you can tell by his response to take him dancing and read poetry to him that he doesn't intimidate him at all. By this time I seem to believe that the young girl and the man in the story just were very close in her college years and he wanted to catch up with her or see her before he died.
ReplyDeleteStarting the work, thy confusion ran deep. My poor bellowed mind weeped over the face's that spoke to each other, the disinterested manner by which two lovers of art conversed.Too whom is speaking and why must there be no clue to the true nature of each protagonist? Am I merely to propose my own image of man onto these nameless face's? Poor author.
ReplyDeleteAh, Finally some exposition. Too truly, thine eyes be more comforting then this moment, there is movement. While hardly any sense has been made, there was progress, a progress not felt yet. A spark.
Resolution, the spark, more like a glimmer of light racing over a dark hill, it was over. I, still a hungry hound gasped for more. Why like this, so sudden so swift. Was the poetic nature after the dame fell, a clue? Confusion dawns, over my thoughts. A bloody foot, the act of a sick man, or the accident of the tight shoe?
The author of "Indian Uprising" firstly keeps the characters anonymous for several paragraphs. She also seems to keep some details of the past hidden.
ReplyDeleteIn the next section, Maude seems comfortable around Franklin, even though he's a somewhat difficult old man. This shows she has a high tolerance level for people and would be considered similar to a caretaker.
Maude appears to have taken on the role of guardian angel for Franklin. Evidence shows that she was probably the only former student that kept in contact, let alone visit. Franklin was aware that someone cared for him even though it wasn't any kind of romantic love.
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ReplyDeleteIt seemed that a conversation took place between the narrator and the teacher about meeting up to discuss people they knew and the teacher hints how spoil she is by saying she can lean on her father to fly her to him. They hung up because the boyfriend seemed to have a coughing fit. You get introduced to Franklin's sarcasm at the beginning. They meet up and decide to go to a Mexican restaurant. He talks about his transgender assistant. They went out to dinner Franklin drank. she spotted blood. she fainted. Franklin kept his sarcasm to the end while leaving to the hospital . He passed away. People who knew them probably knew franklin drank and asked her if that was the cause of death.She replied by saying he is who is he is. Instead of writing a poem which franklin critiqued about she thought to write a story. Maybe franklin had an influence on her. The fact there may have been no memorial service might say a lot about his character. like Maude was his truest friend
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of the "Indian Uprising" the author is trying to introduce the characters in a not so familiar way. A simple phone conversation between two people.
ReplyDeleteThey are walking in the snow to go and get something to eat, nothing fancy. Talking like two old friends catching up. The professor joking about him having diabetes. The story ended with the same way it began simple. It was a nice little friendship that they both shared even though there was a big age difference. After Franklin death Maude still thought about him and it showed in my opinion that he was an inspiration to her since she went on to write her own book of poetry.
The introduction was a little confusing to me. There was a lot going on. I believe the introduction gave us background information about characters to give us some insight towards what is to come. The title "The Indian uprising" makes me believe that maybe one of the characters may be an Indian or warrior in someway. I've also noticed that towards the end of the introduction it seemed as if the character was having a phone conversation because they said "Then i hung up."
ReplyDeleteFor the next part, I believe that the character is at an office, i believe its a doctor's office. He is being accompanied by an old man and it is snowing, so it must be winter. They both are going out to eat at a Mexican restaurant.
For the conclusion, Franklin dies. He refuses dialysis and likes to drink. The death has causes some hurt in her and she hopes to be able to write poems again. She seems to be lost.
ITS A STUDENT TALKING TO HER TEACHER,ABOUT TO MEET WITH HIM AND CELEBRATE THE TEACHERS BDAY.
ReplyDeleteTHEY FINALLY MEET AND ARE CONVERSING ABOUT WHERE TO GO. BEFORE THEY LEAVE, THEY ARE CATCHING UP ON THINGS AND MAKING SMALL TALK AND HAVING A FEW DRINKS IN THE TEACHERS HOME. IT SHOWS HOW CLOSE THEY ARE BECAUSE SHE PUT HIS SHOES ON FOR HIM. SO THE TEACHER DIES. IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT HE HAD A DRINKING PROBLEM AND...
The Indian Uprising, eh. I'm not sure what to think of the beginning. I mean, it does develop the characters' backgrounds and it also shows how crude Franklin can be, but the opening seems to be... lacking? I don't know what exactly, but for some reason it doesn't seem to try to hook me in at all. There does seem to be a bit of foreshadowing though--Franklin seems to possibly be an alcoholic.
ReplyDeleteFor the middle of the story,
blank
For the ending of the story, Franklin's continuous consumption of alcohol seems to be what had killed him. Not in terms of severe liver damage though, but rather "urinary retention." I guess you could say that it was the offset of Franklin's habit of drinking alcohol. I'm not sure what to take from the scene of having Maude's ex-husband take care of her while she had fainted though. Perhaps it's, by chance, a theme that had carried over from Baxter's work, Charity. The love for another that doesn't fade, but isn't on a romantic level as well.
In the story " The Indian Uprising" the beginning leaves you thinking what the author is trying to introduce to the reader. In the beginning I think the two main characters are having a discussion over the phone. They seem to talk about how their lives are in the present and they also seem to talk about their past encounters and journeys at school. The two of them decide that they wanted to grab a bite to eat. He mentions something pretty amusing. He says " Your'e afraid... seduce you". I found that line funny because I wouldn't think that the story would go down that road. While they were walking to the restaurant you also get introduced to Franklin's health problems.
ReplyDeleteWhile in the restaurant Maude fainted because she saw the blood spot on Franklin's leg. As she lie on the floor and eventually regained consciousness, she noticed her ex husband holding her hand, and heard Franklin making smart remarks as to why she possibly fainted. One thing that I noticed was the one line that referred to the title. " There might be an Indian Uprising if we stop him". I found this line interesting because it's saying that they let Franklin take the hat. Being that he is overly scarastic and a bit cooky they just let him do what old men do.....
I think that the beginning of "The Indian Uprising" is mostly showing because most of the scene is dialogue. It is clear that Maude and Franklin have a good relationship.
ReplyDeleteI think that for the first time Maude is seeing that Franklin is in bad shape, but she clearly cares about him because she helps him put on his shoes. I think that Franklin also cares about Maude because he seems a little jealous of her boyfriend. It kind of seems like they have a father/daughter relationship the way she cares for him and he cares for her. Franklin says that Maude's boyfriend is not his equal, not because he loves Maude, but because he wants the best for her. she wishes they would get along kind of how a daughter wants her father's approval of her boyfriend.
The part when Maude wakes up in her ex-husband's arms is a bit confusing. When she says "too much sun and turquoise" and he's puzzled at first, but then gets it, and then he kind of does morse code on her wrist- was that just her describing the kind of touch, or was it another significant message between the two of them? How come Franklin says that when he jokes about why her ex-husband returns....
The Indian Uprising has very modern dialogue that we can relate to. Very natural conversation, nothing really worth noting. They are very friendly to each other and have no trouble keeping a conversation going.
ReplyDeleteThis story reminds me of a movie called Stand Up Guys with Al Pacino, which is basically about old men riding out their last moments in life. Although clearly there is a younger woman involved and she is the main character, the subject matter is the old professor. You can see that he has led a good life by his actions and manner of speech. He does not hold back with flirting with a woman that used to be his student. He is very wise but also very aloof because he knows his time is coming. Nothing he does or says really matters at this point and he makes it known.
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ReplyDeleteThe story Indian Uprising was very interesting about a female former college student dating her professor and how he was much older than her and was about to die because he had diabetes. The drama really started to occur when the professor (Franklin) and his student were in a Mexican Restaurant on a snowy day and out of nowhere the former student's ex husband came and got back with her leaving her professor out to dry and alone
ReplyDeleteThe resolution of the story basically gave a better understanding. She basically spend her old professor's last days with him before he passed away. I still was confused as to why her ex husband was added into that scene and his significance to what was going by that time. But everyone that knew her knew to send condolences to her because she shared such a close relationship with him. He passed on she continued to keep his memories in her heart.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading pages 18 to 20 of Indian Uprising in which Maude and Franklin were joking with each other. And as Maude and Franklin were walking to a Mexican restaurant, Franklin mention about a memorial service which is probably a foreshadow because Franklin knows he's not going to live long. Overall, the relationship between Maude and Franklin in my opinion is realistic.
ReplyDeleteAt first the introduction of the "Indian Uprising" was very confusing. I didn't know weather they were talking face to face or over phone. Pretty much there was alot of information that was given out about the characters. It shows how they have alot of history together. Pretty much after this the story finds themselves in a Mexican restaurant. Talking about the past and having a good time. From what I understand at the end Franklin is a drinker. And having a last drink is what he hopes to have. For Maude is has impacted her greatly and for that she starts to write poetry.
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