4) Approach the story through Anders as a character. Who is he? What is his value system? How does Wolfe use different techniques to evoke his character? (What is Wolff's method of characterization?)
In the story Bullet in the Brain Anders is a middle aged sarcastic individual whom thinks he is invincible. He believes that he has a right to say whatever he wants when he wants to say it. After Anders is shot in the brain the story describes what he is not thinking about. It talks about how he doesn't think about his family ( so we can assume he doesn't have strong family values) or his daughter. He does not think about his youth and his times he spend in college (there goes his educational values). When Wolfe is talking about Anders youth and all the things he has experienced. This shows what type of person he is and was when he thought his life meant something. At the end when Wolfe describes how Anders felt on a baseball field it shows that he loved the game. It shows that he misses the days when he used to play with his friends were the best days in his life.
Ps. I know this is kind of rough sorry.
Apr 7, 2011
Bullet in the Brain
6.) Anders is not a sympathetic character from the exposition to the climax. Does your sense of him shift over the rest of the story? Does he become more sympathetic to you? If yes, account for this. While reading Bullet in the Brain, I did not find Anders to be a sympathetic person. He said whatever he wanted, when he wanted, without any regard for others. As the story went on, however, I began to feel that Anders was in certain ways, sympathetic. The things that he should be sympathetic towards, such as his family, or the lives of others, doesn't come through as strongly as it should. But, one thing that Anders is completely sympathetic towards, is baseball. Anders used baseball as an escape when he was in trouble. He thought of the smells, the sound of insects buzzing, "himself leaning against the tree as the boys of the neighborhood gather for a pickup game". Baseball was the most important thing in Anders' life, and that is where his sympathy stemmed from and why he thought of it when he needed an escape.
BITB--narative techniques
What stands out to me in repeated readings of this story is the unusual method of revealing character. Anders appears to be a flat character--stuck in his witty, critical way of distancing himself from others. It seems like he can't help himself. Even when he stares up at the ceiling, he's a witty critic. He reacts to the robber's speech as if it is cliched dialogue from a novel he's reviewing (savagely).
Up until the bullet enters his brain and we go into "brain time," the narrative is 3rd person limited; everything is seen thrugh Anders' sensibility. But then it shifts to 3rd person 'omniscient.' The narrator now can tell us, God-like, what precisely is occurring, physically and psychologically, in Anders' head. The narrator also knows what Anders did not remember at that moment. This method allows the narrator to give us a pretty full sense of what Anders' life was like--his family life as well as work--through a series of touchstones that he does not think of. Interesting twist.
The scene he does recall is significant to me because it's a key to his obsession with language. We know that he memorized hundreds of poems as a teen. How did this get started? This scene with his ecstasy at "they is"--notably without judgment or condescension--shows us the pleasure at language that drove him.
Do you think we are supposed to consider his present orientation to language in contrast to the purity of this moment?
Up until the bullet enters his brain and we go into "brain time," the narrative is 3rd person limited; everything is seen thrugh Anders' sensibility. But then it shifts to 3rd person 'omniscient.' The narrator now can tell us, God-like, what precisely is occurring, physically and psychologically, in Anders' head. The narrator also knows what Anders did not remember at that moment. This method allows the narrator to give us a pretty full sense of what Anders' life was like--his family life as well as work--through a series of touchstones that he does not think of. Interesting twist.
The scene he does recall is significant to me because it's a key to his obsession with language. We know that he memorized hundreds of poems as a teen. How did this get started? This scene with his ecstasy at "they is"--notably without judgment or condescension--shows us the pleasure at language that drove him.
Do you think we are supposed to consider his present orientation to language in contrast to the purity of this moment?
Apr 6, 2011
Bullet in the Brain
2) Focus on foreshadowing and flashback, the tension of anticipation, expectation, release etc.
Tobias Wolff starts out “Bullet in the Brain” with a heavy dose of foreshadowing. The opening paragraph alone has three distinct mentions of words that sound harmful. The very first line the speaker’s reaction to the women in front of him in line puts him in the mood of “murderous temper”. The next line contains two examples, Anders is described as a “savage” writer, who “dispatches” almost everything he reviews.
An entire page of this short story is flashback. The flashbacks are densely packed, what the speaker is surprised about is what thoughts do not occur. What is thought to be the moments of he importance in his life is not what he thinks of in his last moment. Instead there is a brief moment of Ander’s childhood. The phrase “they is” is what he spends his last instant thinking about. The moment that gets the attention of his last moment is a simple recollection of his childhood days playing baseball.
Tension of anticipation is brought about by how Anders taunts the robbers. His cavalier attitude offends the adrenaline charged robbers and the tension builds while Anders has a gun pointed at him.
The release occurs with the release of the bullet from the chamber. The story had built to the point where it did not seem that Anders would just walk out of the bank. He’d challenged the robber who is asserting his position of dominance by holding a gun and then by using it.
My expectations when I began reading were right on. I expected Anders to be shot. The foreshadowing was strong. As Anders stares into the eyes of the robber he notices “the man’s left eyelid kept twitching.” It made me think of a twitching trigger finger.
Tobias Wolff starts out “Bullet in the Brain” with a heavy dose of foreshadowing. The opening paragraph alone has three distinct mentions of words that sound harmful. The very first line the speaker’s reaction to the women in front of him in line puts him in the mood of “murderous temper”. The next line contains two examples, Anders is described as a “savage” writer, who “dispatches” almost everything he reviews.
An entire page of this short story is flashback. The flashbacks are densely packed, what the speaker is surprised about is what thoughts do not occur. What is thought to be the moments of he importance in his life is not what he thinks of in his last moment. Instead there is a brief moment of Ander’s childhood. The phrase “they is” is what he spends his last instant thinking about. The moment that gets the attention of his last moment is a simple recollection of his childhood days playing baseball.
Tension of anticipation is brought about by how Anders taunts the robbers. His cavalier attitude offends the adrenaline charged robbers and the tension builds while Anders has a gun pointed at him.
The release occurs with the release of the bullet from the chamber. The story had built to the point where it did not seem that Anders would just walk out of the bank. He’d challenged the robber who is asserting his position of dominance by holding a gun and then by using it.
My expectations when I began reading were right on. I expected Anders to be shot. The foreshadowing was strong. As Anders stares into the eyes of the robber he notices “the man’s left eyelid kept twitching.” It made me think of a twitching trigger finger.
Bullet in the Brain
6) Anders is not a sympathetic character from the exposition to the climax. Does your sense of him shift over the rest of the story? Does he become more sympathetic to you? If yes, account for this.
In the exposition of the story Anders seems like a complete jerk. He was all mad at the women in line at the bank and even hated the clerk that was behind the counter. The part that I hated the most about him was that the whole bank event was his fault because of the way he went right when the bank was closing. If Anders would have went to the bank early on the day or even the night before he would not have had that problem. Even when right before the climax is about to happen Anders was being a complete jerk to the robbers who did not want to shoot him but felt like they had to because he was so loud and annoying. That is not a funny situation and Anders should have obeyed the robbers so the bullet to the brain would have never happened. After the climax, however, Anders really seems to be sympathetic because he can not really do anything. He does not remember his wife and vaguely anything else. The only thing Anders really knows is being on a baseball field years ago with his friends, bugs, and sticky heat. I feel bad for him because even though the guy is a jerk his family may not be and I feel the worst for them having to deal with him. This is how I feel about Anders and if he should be labeled sympathetic.
In the exposition of the story Anders seems like a complete jerk. He was all mad at the women in line at the bank and even hated the clerk that was behind the counter. The part that I hated the most about him was that the whole bank event was his fault because of the way he went right when the bank was closing. If Anders would have went to the bank early on the day or even the night before he would not have had that problem. Even when right before the climax is about to happen Anders was being a complete jerk to the robbers who did not want to shoot him but felt like they had to because he was so loud and annoying. That is not a funny situation and Anders should have obeyed the robbers so the bullet to the brain would have never happened. After the climax, however, Anders really seems to be sympathetic because he can not really do anything. He does not remember his wife and vaguely anything else. The only thing Anders really knows is being on a baseball field years ago with his friends, bugs, and sticky heat. I feel bad for him because even though the guy is a jerk his family may not be and I feel the worst for them having to deal with him. This is how I feel about Anders and if he should be labeled sympathetic.
Bullet in the Brain
1) Trace the structure through plot: “the meaningful fabric of action”—beginning, middle, end—a whole action.
After reading Bullet in the Brain I definitely think that it fits the beginning, middle, end plot schema. After I read the story through the first time, I went back and read it a second time to try and find what I thought were the different parts of the plots. I considered the entire beginning bank scenario to be the exposition. From the time we are told Anders is waiting in line at the bank to the point where he sees the men in ski masks at the door. The rising action would be the bank robbers entering the bank and demanding the money from all of the tellers, while Anders snickers comments under his breath. The climax is when the man with the shotgun addresses Anders about his comment and begins to threaten him. Anders then begins laughing while the man is still holding a gun to him threatening to shoot him and he is then shot in the head. The falling action is the whole part about the bullets travel through Anders' brain and the idea of remembering something before death. The resolution is when that author says what Anders actually does remember, which is a surprising memory about a childhood baseball game and the grammatically incorrect phrase, "they is" said by a friends cousin. Those words stuck with Anders, and that was the last thing he thought of before his death. I enjoyed reading this story, especially because it ended differently than I had been expecting. Being able to read through the plot of the story with the beginning, middle, and end also made it easier to follow and understand.
- Exposition (context)
- Rising action (conflict that leads to a decisive point)
- Climax (the decisive point)
- Falling action
- Resolution or denoument
After reading Bullet in the Brain I definitely think that it fits the beginning, middle, end plot schema. After I read the story through the first time, I went back and read it a second time to try and find what I thought were the different parts of the plots. I considered the entire beginning bank scenario to be the exposition. From the time we are told Anders is waiting in line at the bank to the point where he sees the men in ski masks at the door. The rising action would be the bank robbers entering the bank and demanding the money from all of the tellers, while Anders snickers comments under his breath. The climax is when the man with the shotgun addresses Anders about his comment and begins to threaten him. Anders then begins laughing while the man is still holding a gun to him threatening to shoot him and he is then shot in the head. The falling action is the whole part about the bullets travel through Anders' brain and the idea of remembering something before death. The resolution is when that author says what Anders actually does remember, which is a surprising memory about a childhood baseball game and the grammatically incorrect phrase, "they is" said by a friends cousin. Those words stuck with Anders, and that was the last thing he thought of before his death. I enjoyed reading this story, especially because it ended differently than I had been expecting. Being able to read through the plot of the story with the beginning, middle, and end also made it easier to follow and understand.
Apr 5, 2011
Bullet in the Brain
6) Anders is not a sympathetic character from the exposition to the climax. Does your sense of him shift over the rest of the story? Does he become more sympathetic to you? If yes, account for this.
It is very true to say that Anders is not a sympathetic character from the exposition to the climax. At the beginning of the short story I viewed Anders as witty, rude and sarcastic. He reminded me of a young boy trying to impress his classmates. He also came off as not being a very dynamic character. I would have described him more as a flat character at the beginning. After the gun shooting however, my sense of Anders does shift over the rest of the story. I think Wolff does an excellent job of displaying Anders now as a dynamic character who is sympathetic and very intriguing to the reader. After reading it multiple times and knowing from the beginning what is going to happen you get a sense that every think that he does and says is just another puzzle piece to his life.
It is very true to say that Anders is not a sympathetic character from the exposition to the climax. At the beginning of the short story I viewed Anders as witty, rude and sarcastic. He reminded me of a young boy trying to impress his classmates. He also came off as not being a very dynamic character. I would have described him more as a flat character at the beginning. After the gun shooting however, my sense of Anders does shift over the rest of the story. I think Wolff does an excellent job of displaying Anders now as a dynamic character who is sympathetic and very intriguing to the reader. After reading it multiple times and knowing from the beginning what is going to happen you get a sense that every think that he does and says is just another puzzle piece to his life.
Blog Post Prompt for TH 4/07
Please post this by class time on TH.
For this post, please consider some of the concepts covered in TLE in the reading so far (including the chapter on Character) and apply some of your choosing to the Tobias Wolff short story, "Bullet in the Brain." Try to be specific in your points and use some evidence from the text to back them up. Here are some possible ideas to consider:
1) Trace the structure through plot: “the meaningful fabric of action”—beginning, middle, end—a whole action.
2) Focus on foreshadowing and flashback, the tension of anticipation, expectation, release etc.
3) According to TLE authors, plot has multiple functions. One is to “communicate a compelling worldview by giving larger shape, meaning, and purpose to action” (12). Apply this to the story. What "compelling worldview" does this story communicate? (or fail to?)
4) Approach the story through Anders as a character. Who is he? What is his value system? How does Wolfe use different techniques to evoke his character? (What is Wolff's method of characterization?)
5) Consider the story from the perspective of interaction of static/dynamic, round/flat, and stock characters. Would you consider Anders to be dynamic and/or round? Why/why not?
6) Anders is not a sympathetic character from the exposition to the climax. Does your sense of him shift over the rest of the story? Does he become more sympathetic to you? If yes, account for this.
For this post, please consider some of the concepts covered in TLE in the reading so far (including the chapter on Character) and apply some of your choosing to the Tobias Wolff short story, "Bullet in the Brain." Try to be specific in your points and use some evidence from the text to back them up. Here are some possible ideas to consider:
1) Trace the structure through plot: “the meaningful fabric of action”—beginning, middle, end—a whole action.
- Exposition (context)
- Rising action (conflict that leads to a decisive point)
- Climax (the decisive point)
- Falling action
- Resolution or denoument
2) Focus on foreshadowing and flashback, the tension of anticipation, expectation, release etc.
3) According to TLE authors, plot has multiple functions. One is to “communicate a compelling worldview by giving larger shape, meaning, and purpose to action” (12). Apply this to the story. What "compelling worldview" does this story communicate? (or fail to?)
4) Approach the story through Anders as a character. Who is he? What is his value system? How does Wolfe use different techniques to evoke his character? (What is Wolff's method of characterization?)
5) Consider the story from the perspective of interaction of static/dynamic, round/flat, and stock characters. Would you consider Anders to be dynamic and/or round? Why/why not?
6) Anders is not a sympathetic character from the exposition to the climax. Does your sense of him shift over the rest of the story? Does he become more sympathetic to you? If yes, account for this.
Quote from criticism of "She Had Some Horses"
"Joy Harjo's "She Had Some Horses" consists of eight stanzas punctuated by a common refrain with a coda at the end of the work. The poem, written in the form of an American Indian chant, explores a woman's struggle to shape her identity as a modern Native American living in the alien environment of Euro-American culture. The mythic image of the horse, repeated at the beginning of and between every stanza, is juxtaposed with paradoxical images and events from the speaker's life in twentieth century America. These juxtapositions not only sharply define the psychological, spiritual, and cultural conflicts at war in the woman's conscious and subconscious minds, but also build toward the speaker's self-recognition. At the end of the poem, the speaker achieves psychological and spiritual unity by accepting the contradictory sides of her psyche, thereby giving birth to a new and complete being."
This is the first paragraph of an online essay on the poem by Pegge Bochynski. You can access the rest of the essay at the above URL. The essay features a well-articulated thesis statement (see above) that is developed throughout the rest. The author makes some points about the elements/themes of storytelling, American Indian mythology, naming, paradox, and survival in the poem.
This is the first paragraph of an online essay on the poem by Pegge Bochynski. You can access the rest of the essay at the above URL. The essay features a well-articulated thesis statement (see above) that is developed throughout the rest. The author makes some points about the elements/themes of storytelling, American Indian mythology, naming, paradox, and survival in the poem.
Mar 31, 2011
Welcome to our blog
Hello textual analysts,
You are each an author on this blog, meaning that you can post to it. Here you will compose and publish at least one post per week through most weeks of the term. You'll also read others' posts and leave substantive comments on at least some of them.
This adds some dimensions to our reading beyond class discussions. One is writing to learn and explore, which aids in thinking. Another is getting feedback, encouraging and critical, from others on your points and responses, which develops the social, collaborative dimension of interpretation.
While blog writing tends to be less formal than essay writing, you do want to work your writing some here. Proofread, do a bit of substantive revising. You can always edit your posts after you publish them too. Although few outsiders will visit our blog, it is possible.
Timeliness is important. You need to post by either T or TH by class time. You need to read and comment on others' posts within two days of your posting or by Saturday. There is a little give in this, but late posts and comments tend to lag behind the topic and get ignored. The blog publishes the most recent, displaying the most recent ten posts. After that, you have to click on 'older posts' or use the archive links to get to posts. You'll need to do that some to access those who post early in the week.
I look forward to reading your posts and will post some myself.
--Dr Rouzie
You are each an author on this blog, meaning that you can post to it. Here you will compose and publish at least one post per week through most weeks of the term. You'll also read others' posts and leave substantive comments on at least some of them.
This adds some dimensions to our reading beyond class discussions. One is writing to learn and explore, which aids in thinking. Another is getting feedback, encouraging and critical, from others on your points and responses, which develops the social, collaborative dimension of interpretation.
While blog writing tends to be less formal than essay writing, you do want to work your writing some here. Proofread, do a bit of substantive revising. You can always edit your posts after you publish them too. Although few outsiders will visit our blog, it is possible.
Timeliness is important. You need to post by either T or TH by class time. You need to read and comment on others' posts within two days of your posting or by Saturday. There is a little give in this, but late posts and comments tend to lag behind the topic and get ignored. The blog publishes the most recent, displaying the most recent ten posts. After that, you have to click on 'older posts' or use the archive links to get to posts. You'll need to do that some to access those who post early in the week.
I look forward to reading your posts and will post some myself.
--Dr Rouzie
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