- Were you moved by either of these stories? (Did you feel sad? Did you laugh? etc.) When and where?
- Why do so many stories deal w/ trauma? (Death in the case of "Winter Wheat" and birth defect for "Voltaire Night") Both stories also deal w/ class, with the speakers struggling to make ends meet. I suppose there are essays about being rich and having everything you want , but there seem to be more about not having enough. Why is that?
- I wonder about Unferth's use of her students' stories, esp. the last one. Are these "hers" to use in her writing?
Monday, October 16, 2017
Memoir
Both of the essays we're reading this week are memoirs, they're brief true story moments in the authors' lives told like a short story. Some questions I'm interested in:
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Both stories were awesome but both had a sad section in it that made me feel upset. For instance, in "Winter Wheat" Kenny was a loving father, who help these young boys who were working so hard and showed them a different view of a father figured then later in the story they found out that Kenny had died. In "Voltaire Night" there was a guy that shared his story with the group and it was the last night of Voltaire. The purpose of that night was to share there worst memory and the new guy won. The guy did an experiment to earn 15k but had to stay in his home for 12 weeks. Later in the story he finds out that his wife is about to give birth but as the baby came out the doctor said that the baby has a muscle trauma and wouldn't live longer than 3yrs old, by the way the baby surpassed the age of 3 and proved the doctor's wrong.
ReplyDeletei agree the both stories was good but i mostly like is winter wheat the story was so good.
DeleteTrauma could be one of those things that is hard to say or verbalize but we could write pages telling of our heartbreaks. Anytime I write about something that won't leave my mind (you know, when you do that incredibly stupid thing and you keep replaying it in your head and cringe uncontrollably), it helps me process it when my brain randomly recalls those memories. Especially when it's unexpressed sadness. It's the most genuine writing because at this point, a wounded person overflows with emotions that have been suppressed every time they think of that painful memory. As it has been said, writing these things helps remove them from our mind and onto a page where you could just put away on a shelf; or make it into a story and publish it.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, trauma can be very difficult to express by talking. On the other hand writing it on a piece of paper, will help with the persons' emotions and tough times.
DeleteAgreed! w/ both of you.
DeleteWinter Wheat made me feel wretched because kenny was a father figure to the boys because i think having a father figure is important in a kids life. it was extremely heartbreaking when they realized he past away
ReplyDelete"wretched" is such a great word, Kayley. Question: Is it sometimes good to feel wretched? (You guys know the word "catharsis"?)
DeleteAfter reading both stories I felt sad because the stories has emotional ending. In "Winter Wheat" I felt like they were having hard time living as father kenny was teaching young guys how to survive. I guess it shows important of father in our life but after Kenny died story took different turn. And in "Voltaire Night" a guy was sharing his worse moment of his life and the incident with his kid made story more emotional but it was kind of relief when kid prove doctor was wrong.
ReplyDeleteThese two stories are sad but realistic. The family connection I see in these two is the "Winter Wheat" the "perfect" father figure dies and in "Voltaire night" the "imperfect" baby suppose to dies but the baby lives on. Noting is perfect in real life.
Delete"winter wheat" is about a family who struggling economically. kids also struggling with parents because they have to paid off the land. brothers work together on the farm and the women's working inside house because the girls are not allowed to work outside.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many matters to run the life with comfort and unforgotable memories which are lesson for us.In "Winter Wheat" author gives the real figure of humanity and cooperation which analyze your ways and idealism. Kenny was a man who knew how to manage the work and how to behave the person which was admirable. His devotion to his neighbors, work and family was awesome. He looked like a real man who knew to conquer heart. But the end was tragic and leave the sadness to all. The lesson is to win your life with your good behavior which recognize you after life.
ReplyDelete"Voltaire night" is the collection of small pieces in which author discuss the psychological treatment with speech therapy to take out their frustrations and confusion by offering them to tell about the worst thing in their lives. Mostly people had different perspectives but the winner is a young boy who faced difficulties in his life. He felt pain after knew his infant report about her muscles trauma but she lives dramatically longer than doctor's information. But facing a long struggle he was also left which makes the story tragic and depressive.
These stories makes my mind to accept the reality of life, its imagination[poor and rich],[male and female],[love and care],[family and behavior] all these values make empathy and humanity which are the observations of soul.
I agreed on what you said to the "winter wheat" but I had a add on to that, the story is a tragic but from this tragic event I see a hope between the boys and the father, I definitely can tell that the father changed by Kenny, because of that the relationship between the boys and the father will become close, this might be the lesson that Kenny leave to the father.
DeleteIn “Winter Wheat” is an emotional story that moved me. Kenny is a gentleman that treats women well as he insists to pay the sister for babysitting his son while he works with the brother, he also made the girls blushed and giggled when he said “such fine woman” to them. His look is a strong cowboy with thick dark beard, this is a definition of a tough man but he is gentle and lovely to his son by kissing him, hugging him and feeding him more than the protagonist mother did which is a mother’s role. Kenny is a father figure to the brothers, he helps and teaches them like a father would which the brothers never receive from their real father. They begin to made connections but Kenny died. Before the brothers heard the news about Kenny, they were saying that they miss working with him. It was a sad and heartbreaking moment for the boys and me. A gentleman and a father figure and disappear from the brothers. The protagonist needs to decide on what kind of a person he learned from both men will he be when he grows up, a gentleman that loves and care like Kenny or a respectful and admire man like his father. After reading this, as a young adult I don't even know who am I like nor couldn’t decide who I what to be like.
ReplyDeleteI think more stories deal with trama and struggle because that’s what people want to hear about. “Happiness” is what is expected. That’s how everything supposed to go so there’s no point in telling the story. For example, if someone grows up in a good family, graduate school and goes to college no one cares to read about. It’s what suppose to happen there’s no suspense. If someone was neglected and struggled then that’s what people want to read. Sometimes it’s nice to read about other people problems because yours doesn’t seem as bad, or you feel if they made it you can too.
ReplyDeleteReally well stated, Tyesha. And maybe it's a universal story to talk about trauma. Even those people who grow up in a good family and go to college probably have their trauma to tell too, right?
DeleteI realized a theory from the "winter wheat" that people just appear from your life to teach you a lesson, when their mission is completed they will fade out from your life. The story "winter wheat" moved me the most because it remind me of my previous life time, and the people that fade out of my life when they're done teaching me a lesson. I felt really grateful that I meet them, and each one of their lesson is valuable.
ReplyDelete