This is the kind of story I was used to reading in Intro to Lit. The kind with just a few main characters, with a first person narrator, and a smaller setting. You can really get lost in a story like this because you are so close to the characters. There were some things I had questions about. First of all, this is a multi-ethnic class, yet no race or culture was specified. Because of the way I interpreted the story, I pictured two African American kids back in the 70's or 80's, one about 6 or 7 years old and the other about 12. I found myself wondering what they did all day. It seemed like they were locked in there room because they were in there for so long, or because that was pretty much the only setting. So I also interpreted them to be brothers, although it doesn't say they are. If they aren't, they sure are close.
Also what about their parents? Moms is mentioned but only when she is having a panic attack. That was easy to interpret because I know plenty about those. But who was Sir? Obviously Moms man, but what was he to the kids? Were they like slaves or something like that? It didn't say anything about them having to work but they did get beat, but a lot of kids got beat (whooped) back in the day. That's just how parents used discipline. This story leaves so many questions unanswered that it would be a great one for class discussion. Lots of room for interpreting. Lots of possible answers, and no room for wrong ones. This would be a good story to do a response paper on too, because everyone would come up with something different.
I like how these kids had a close relationship. They way they messed with each other it sure seemed like they were brothers. I liked how these characters seemed real, and the idea of a place called Dreamsville for a young kid is neat. This was a neat little story, but now that I learned so much about the characters personalities, I want to know more about their culture, which I'm sure we will discuss in class.
Until next time,
Keri Jo
No comments:
Post a Comment