1. As a young reader of Harry Potter, I always thought of Snape as the bad guy. I failed to finish the series before watching the movies and so visually taking in his character development was absolutely shocking! Watching the events of his life in chronological order showed that he wasn’t a bad guy from the start. The video put him in such a light that I forgot that Harry Potter was even important! The example of Snape definitely helped me to understand plot vs. story. 2. Mary was actually married to another writer! Percy Bysshe Shelley, the poet! He was married when they fell in love and ran away together. Additionally, her mother was a feminist writer and was the author of The Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Mary wrote many other books, like Valperga (I didn’t know that). And she died of brain cancer.
The Storm Plot: I am unsure of whether this is a piece of a whole work or if it’s a “standalone piece,” but the plot is definitely an intense moment in the story. The reader is unsure if the husband will return in time, which provides a thick tension throughout. Characterization: We do not interact with the father and the child very much, but we learn a great deal about the wife. We see her worry and concern for her family melt away for the brief time Alcee is at her house. What little we learn about the husband is shown in how oblivious he seemed to be. The writer makes it a point to tell us the wife is acting weird by kissing her husband on the cheek. Point of View: The narrator comes off as limited omniscient. As the reader, I was still left in suspense. I was unable to tell what the characters were thinking and learned about them through their actions. Setting: The clues of setting were given primarily through the names of the characters and their speech. Their countryside accents are unmistakable and the purchase of canned shrimp as a treat shows poverty. The first paragraph shows us that there are fields present. Style: The writer chose to provide us with “mini-chapters” which break the story into the parts. I appreciated this, because it eliminated transitions, which are the worst when they are sloppy. This also adds to the tension of the story. Theme: I feel the theme of this piece is that life will go on, and that we are often too comfortable and unassuming. I likely would not have come to this conclusion had that final line not been added: “So the storm passed and everyone was happy.”
The Boarding House Plot: Again, I am unsure of whether there is more to this story or not, but I feel as if this portion should be at the beginning of a book. The introduction was brief, and the remainder of the story had such a good build up I struggle to see how it could just end there. Characterization: This is one of my primary complaints of this piece. Because of where the story ended I do not feel I know much of Bob or Polly and I want to know more. The Madam is, clearly, quite a woman! She is strong and willing to take a step back and allow her daughter to make her own decisions. But we know nothing of Bob’s character; we are left with more questions than answers. Point of View: I appreciated how, even though the narrator was omniscient, they came off as a little limited. Perhaps it was the writing style, but I appreciated the coy, timid manner the narrator told us about Polly and Bob. Setting: Hints at setting are given, at first, by names of locations surrounding the boarding house, such as the Isle of Man and Liverpool. Additionally, Bob tells us we are set in Dublin. However, we never once leave the boarding house. Style: The author wrote very descriptively and allowed the readers to know the thoughts of the characters. Theme: Where this is SUCH a cliffhanger ending I hate to label this with one theme! Perhaps we should take from this that fooling around means you should get married. I think this was the one I had the toughest time with.
The Cask of Amontillado Plot: I feel this reading is the set climax, or the denouement. Something must occur after this event. The plot is very short and spans a mere few hours, much like the Storm, and has a similar tension about it. Characterization: We learn that Fortunato is, actually, rather unfortunate, despite his name, and that he doesn’t know his friends. As the plot goes on, a drunk Fortunato is lured into catacombs and trapped by someone he very clearly trusted. Additionally, we find that our first person narrator is a sociopath. Point of View: The point of view is that of first person. Though I don’t feel sympathy for the main character, I definitely felt his anger and his tension. Setting: The narrator tells us that we are in Italy, as well at Fortunato’s name. He also describes the catacombs very well, painting a picture for us every step of the way. Style: I appreciated how much dialog was involved in this piece. This use of dialog made up for what the narrator could not tell us, specifically about Fortunato. He was able to speak and show us his personality. Theme: I’ve come away feeling that I should be closer with my friends. I mean, who can you trust not to wall you up in an underground catacomb??
The Mortal Immortal Plot: I have always loved plots that involve monologues of flashbacks and this has both! Our first person narrator states his problem and question at the beginning, regales us with his story and builds us back up to the present. Characterization: Partially due to the length of the piece, we become very intimate with Winzy and Bertha. We come to learn that Bertha became a jealous old woman. My favorite part about his piece is Winzy’s development. Even after Bertha’s death we find that he has grown and matured hundreds of years later. Point of View: The point of view is that of first person, but because Winzy could be considered immortal, he comes off as omniscient. This is due to his being the story teller; he’s already lived this. Setting: We never truly find where this story begins, but we do know that poor people live in farms and rich people live in manors which provides us with an English feel. Towards the middle of the story, Winzy states they move to France, and from there Winzy wanders. Style: I liked the idea of a character telling us what happened after the fact. It gives the author a more dramatic flair. This was my favorite style, by far, because of the language. Theme: Though stories like this typically make a reader feel as if they should be appreciating what they have before they die, I feel a lot of Shelley’s message is centered on jealousy and petty things, such as youth. I feel more haunted by Bertha’s miserable end of a life than Winzy’s endless one.