Jewel:
"And now them others sitting there, like buzzards. Waiting, fanning themselves. Because I said If you wouldn't keep on sawing and nailing at it until a man cant sleep even and her hands laying on the quilt like two of them roots dug up and tried to wash and you couldn't get them clean. I can see the fan and Dewey Dell's arm. I said if you'd just let her alone. Sawing and knocking, and keeping the air always moving so fast on her face that when you're tired you cant breathe it, and that goddamn adze going One lick less." (15)
In the book, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, he used a narrative method called the stream of consciousness. Unlike most books where the chapters are labeled by numbers or a phrase that ties in with what the chapter is about, the chapters are labeled with a character's name and their point of view. The author used this method to help the readers understand the characters and the story by getting inside the mind of each character; see what the characters are thinking and feeling as the story unfolds. Each character has his or her own personality and thinking process. Take Jewel for example. His personality and thoughts are set off from everyone else, including his family and neighbors. He is a very violent person and seems to be angry all the time. The excerpt above is from the chapter with Jewel's perspectives. While having anger management issues, his English is not exactly polished, for he used the word "them" wrong in a sentence: "And now them others sitting there, like buzzards". Also, he used a run-on sentence and didn't use any commas: "Because I said If you wouldn't keep on sawing and nailing at it until a
man cant sleep even and her hands laying on the quilt like two of them
roots dug up and tried to wash and you couldn't get them clean".
This excerpt shows how a certain character, who is the prize son of Addie, perceives the outside world.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Glogster Process and Analysis
Pictures and Images:
For my Glogster movie poster, I picked the book cover to be the center picture because I wanted the viewers to see that the title As I Lay Dying is an actual book and it may get them interested in reading the book if it perks their interest. A couple of grass pictures are at the bottom of the book cover image. The setting of the book takes place in Mississippi where there are many wetlands and tall grass fields. At the top right corner of the movie poster, there is a black coffin with a skull and crossbones on top, to accent one of the major elements of the story, which is death. The pictures at the top left corner of the poster are a little more symbolic. There is a dead fish in a coffin and a flock of black birds. In the book, the youngest child Vardaman confuses his dead mother with a fish he caught and thinks that his mother is a fish. The black birds symbolize the vultures that follow the stench of Addie's rotten corpse as the family travels to Jefferson for the funeral. Darl takes notice of the carrion birds, which leads to the decision of burning a barn with the coffin inside to dispose of the body properly and logically. But, his actions landed him in a nut house in Jackson.
Text:
For text, the top box said, "A story of death, dysfunctional family ties, and the workings of the human mind." I thought one of the text boxes could say what the three main elements of As I Lay Dying were, so that the viewers could get a general idea. The next text box said, "Through the stream of consciousness method, readers are able to see into the minds of many characters." The viewers should know that the author's method for writing this piece was having chapters where the readers could see their thoughts and feelings. The third box states the theme: "Even from beyond the grave, the dead could still have an influence over the living." Even after Addie passed away, she still had a hold on her children's thought processing and capability of emotion. Lastly, the final text box which is at the bottom of the poster states one of Addie's main beliefs about life: " '...my father used to say that the reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long time.' -Addie". I felt like that one was important, for it tied in with the element of death and with one of Addie's cold beliefs about life.
For my Glogster movie poster, I picked the book cover to be the center picture because I wanted the viewers to see that the title As I Lay Dying is an actual book and it may get them interested in reading the book if it perks their interest. A couple of grass pictures are at the bottom of the book cover image. The setting of the book takes place in Mississippi where there are many wetlands and tall grass fields. At the top right corner of the movie poster, there is a black coffin with a skull and crossbones on top, to accent one of the major elements of the story, which is death. The pictures at the top left corner of the poster are a little more symbolic. There is a dead fish in a coffin and a flock of black birds. In the book, the youngest child Vardaman confuses his dead mother with a fish he caught and thinks that his mother is a fish. The black birds symbolize the vultures that follow the stench of Addie's rotten corpse as the family travels to Jefferson for the funeral. Darl takes notice of the carrion birds, which leads to the decision of burning a barn with the coffin inside to dispose of the body properly and logically. But, his actions landed him in a nut house in Jackson.
Text:
For text, the top box said, "A story of death, dysfunctional family ties, and the workings of the human mind." I thought one of the text boxes could say what the three main elements of As I Lay Dying were, so that the viewers could get a general idea. The next text box said, "Through the stream of consciousness method, readers are able to see into the minds of many characters." The viewers should know that the author's method for writing this piece was having chapters where the readers could see their thoughts and feelings. The third box states the theme: "Even from beyond the grave, the dead could still have an influence over the living." Even after Addie passed away, she still had a hold on her children's thought processing and capability of emotion. Lastly, the final text box which is at the bottom of the poster states one of Addie's main beliefs about life: " '...my father used to say that the reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long time.' -Addie". I felt like that one was important, for it tied in with the element of death and with one of Addie's cold beliefs about life.
Most Significant Content
In the book As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, I felt that the most significant content of the book was the chapter with Addie's point of view. This is the only one chapter where the readers can get inside the mind of Addie. Her chapter is set after her passing. Whether it is her talking in the past or her speaking from beyond the grave, it is up for the readers to decide. What I gathered from the chapter, Addie was a lonely, cold person. She had many beliefs which I find were cold, desensitized, and empty of any human emotion. One of her beliefs "that the [only] reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long time" (169). It is clear that she did not value her life or any other life in general and she hated being a school teacher where she "would have to look at them day after day, each with his and her secret and selfish thought..." (169-170). After she got married to Anse and started to have a family with him, she hated motherhood as much as being a teacher. When she had Cash she "knew living was terrible and that this was the answer to it" (171). From then on she believed that words had no meaning; therefore, motherhood and love meant nothing to her: "I gave Anse the children. I did not ask for them" (174).
Now why are Addie's cold beliefs so important to the story as a whole? Well, she did marry Anse and raised five children and even after her death, most of her family was still under her influence. Her "mothering" influenced their actions, their own beliefs, and what they think. Jewel was a violent person and did not know how to express love healthy, similar to his mother. Dewey Dell was numb from emotion, just like her mother Addie. Cash, the oldest shows his intentions better through action than in words, much like Addie. Mrs. Bundren was basically the foundation of this whole story and characters.
Now why are Addie's cold beliefs so important to the story as a whole? Well, she did marry Anse and raised five children and even after her death, most of her family was still under her influence. Her "mothering" influenced their actions, their own beliefs, and what they think. Jewel was a violent person and did not know how to express love healthy, similar to his mother. Dewey Dell was numb from emotion, just like her mother Addie. Cash, the oldest shows his intentions better through action than in words, much like Addie. Mrs. Bundren was basically the foundation of this whole story and characters.
Personal Response 3
Even though I did not like the book and the characters from the story, I liked the method that the author William Faulkner used. The stream of consciousness narrative method is where a character from a story describes the many feelings and thoughts that passes through the character's mind, and that is the method he used to tell the story. Faulkner did not just use one single character to narrate the story. He used many people from within the Bundren family like Cash, Darl, Dewey Dell, Anse, and Vardaman so that the readers could get different perspectives on the death of their wife and mother Addie. For instance, in the mind of Dewey Dell, she said, "I dont know whether I am worrying or not. Whether I can or not. I dont know whether I can cry or not. I dont know whether I have tried to or not" (64). The readers are able to see that the young woman is clearly numb from her situation with the death of her mother and from being pregnant.
However, Faulkner wanted the readers to be aware of how the Bundren family was not a "typical" normal family, so he added the perspectives of people outside the family. Some chapters had the point of view of their neighbors like Vernon Tull and his wife Cora and the family doctor named Peabody. Cora was their religious neighbor who talked about the concept of sin with Addie back when she was alive: "It is out of your vanity that you would judge sin and salvation in the Lord's place. It is our mortal lot to suffer and to raise our voices in praise of Him who judges the sin and offers the salvation through our trials and tribulations..." (167). To add a little variety in the multiple perspectives, Faulkner added a character that was deeply religious and involved with god.
I do like the stream of consciousness narrative method because there is psychological value behind the character's thoughts and feelings. It is interesting for someone like me, who wants to major in psychology in the future.
However, Faulkner wanted the readers to be aware of how the Bundren family was not a "typical" normal family, so he added the perspectives of people outside the family. Some chapters had the point of view of their neighbors like Vernon Tull and his wife Cora and the family doctor named Peabody. Cora was their religious neighbor who talked about the concept of sin with Addie back when she was alive: "It is out of your vanity that you would judge sin and salvation in the Lord's place. It is our mortal lot to suffer and to raise our voices in praise of Him who judges the sin and offers the salvation through our trials and tribulations..." (167). To add a little variety in the multiple perspectives, Faulkner added a character that was deeply religious and involved with god.
I do like the stream of consciousness narrative method because there is psychological value behind the character's thoughts and feelings. It is interesting for someone like me, who wants to major in psychology in the future.
Personal Response 2
Even though this book was not my favorite, the chapters that had Vardaman's point of view perked my curiosity a bit. What made me curious was his diction and thought process. It seemed to be more simple and more repetitive than the perspectives of his family and neighbors. Maybe it is because of his age, since he is the youngest in his family, but I have a feeling that maybe there is something wrong with him mentally. For instance, when Vardaman saw his mother die right before his eyes, he was so traumatized that he got his dead mother confused with the dead fish he caught moments earlier. He kept saying repeatedly, "My mother is a fish" (196). When they coffin was swept into the river when the Bundren family tried to cross the overflown bridge, Vardaman asked, "Where is ma, Darl?... You never got her. You knew she is a fish, but you let her get away." (151). Why Vardaman thinks his mother is a fish... I am not exactly sure. He could have some sort of mental disorder that makes his coping skills impaired.
Furthermore, Vardaman tends to be very repetitive in speech and diction. Towards the end, his brother was deemed insane for burning down a barn. Vardaman kept saying, "My brother he went crazy and he went to Jackson too... He had to get on the train to go to Jackson... Darl. Darl is my brother. Darl. Darl" (252). He was saying over and over again that his brother went crazy and went to Jackson by train and repeated that Darl was his brother.
Viewing the text from a psychological point of view, Vardaman's thinking process and his diction made me wonder if that is how mentally challenged or mentally ill people perceive things in life. His chapters do contrast greatly with his family and neighbors' diction and thought process. Of course, the readers do not know one hundred percent if something is mentally wrong with Vardaman, but his chapters give off big clues that suggest that something is off about him.
Furthermore, Vardaman tends to be very repetitive in speech and diction. Towards the end, his brother was deemed insane for burning down a barn. Vardaman kept saying, "My brother he went crazy and he went to Jackson too... He had to get on the train to go to Jackson... Darl. Darl is my brother. Darl. Darl" (252). He was saying over and over again that his brother went crazy and went to Jackson by train and repeated that Darl was his brother.
Viewing the text from a psychological point of view, Vardaman's thinking process and his diction made me wonder if that is how mentally challenged or mentally ill people perceive things in life. His chapters do contrast greatly with his family and neighbors' diction and thought process. Of course, the readers do not know one hundred percent if something is mentally wrong with Vardaman, but his chapters give off big clues that suggest that something is off about him.
Personal Response 1
Since I'm such a book lover, its kind of rare for me to dislike or despise a book. The novel As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner that I read for the second quarter made my "dislike" list this time. Even though there were times where the book made interesting points or thoughts to think about, I could not connect with the story and the characters like I did with my last independent reading book, The Color Purple. Basically, the story is about a dysfunctional family that goes on a
journey to bury their mother who did not really love them all equally.
Also, each family member is going through their own personal issues and
their own selfish reasons of coming to Jefferson other than the funeral.
The last independent book I read dealt with racism and feminism, themes that I find very interesting and pulls me in from the very beginning. I was drawn into Celie's story of pain and survival. But with As I Lay Dying, only the strange little boy named Vardaman perked my interest. The other characters I found displeasing or boring. For instance, I found the dead mother Addie to be a cold woman who was a mother but did not love all of her children. The husband Anse, I find him vain because he only wanted to go to Jefferson to get new teeth and a wife. The oldest son Cash, I find boring and the third son Jewel, seriously violent and has anger management issues. At first, I thought I would like it because it was about death, and strangely, I like books that deal with the issue of death and how living loved ones cope with the passing of a relative or a friend. But after reading it, I did not like most of the characters and could not connect with them. Also, the back of the book said that the novel had dark comedy, but I did not find it funny or sarcastic in any way. Hopefully, for next quarter when I choose another independent reading novel, I will find a book I can connect with.
The last independent book I read dealt with racism and feminism, themes that I find very interesting and pulls me in from the very beginning. I was drawn into Celie's story of pain and survival. But with As I Lay Dying, only the strange little boy named Vardaman perked my interest. The other characters I found displeasing or boring. For instance, I found the dead mother Addie to be a cold woman who was a mother but did not love all of her children. The husband Anse, I find him vain because he only wanted to go to Jefferson to get new teeth and a wife. The oldest son Cash, I find boring and the third son Jewel, seriously violent and has anger management issues. At first, I thought I would like it because it was about death, and strangely, I like books that deal with the issue of death and how living loved ones cope with the passing of a relative or a friend. But after reading it, I did not like most of the characters and could not connect with them. Also, the back of the book said that the novel had dark comedy, but I did not find it funny or sarcastic in any way. Hopefully, for next quarter when I choose another independent reading novel, I will find a book I can connect with.
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