Short Story - February 24th, 2011 *The Masque of the Red Death

On Friday I will post the information for a classic short story that we have not read. You may choose to read the story online, in paper format and/or listen to an audio version. Please answer all questions using full sentences and paragraphs (where appropriate). You will be asked to respond to the following:

1)Describe the narrative point of view (4). Is it first person or third person? Is it limited or omniscient? Is the narration retrospective or written in present tense?
The narrative point of view is in third person, this is because the story is not written in dialogue or with 'I' in it. Along with the story being written in third person, it was taken place in a limited point of view, this is mainly because it is based around Prince Prospero. Lastly, the narration is written in present tense.

2)Where is the story set? Why do you think the author chose this setting for this particular story?(4)
The story is set in a very detailed castle. It has many 'apartments' in it, nine to be exact. Each with special features and certain details. I believe he chose the setting for this story because it is a very mythical story taken place in a time frame well earlier than ours, so the reason why this setting was so well to use with this story is because there is a thousand people being used, a dance happening and a fairy tale of a creature roaming around the country.
3)Who is the protagonist in the story? Who is the antagonist? What are each of them trying to accomplish? (4)
The protagonist in the story is Prince Prospero, a well known man in his community for his work. The reason he is the protagonist is because there is not much negativity going on in the story other than the fact that they are all going to die by the antagonist. In this case, Prince Prospero doesn't change throughout the story.
The antagonist in the story is the mythical 'Red Death' that haunts the outer barriers of the castle within. I believe that the antagonist is the 'Red Death' because it is the most feared character in this story, it is very un-reveling and shadowing the very interesting costume ball.
The protagonist is simply just trying to live in his castle life with his many friends in the abbey, meanwhile the antagonist is stalking the outside walls of his castle waiting for a chance to sneak in and destroy all which lies beneath.

4)What theme or themes does this story raise? (4)
The theme of the story was portrayed right at the very end of the short story. There was a reference from within the Bible stating ''peace and safety....shall not escape''. No one escapes death. Human happiness is the way to live now, and is was shown from Prince Prospero when the 'Red Death' came upon them, they all simply just put on some nice clothes and had a costume party. The way I like to hear it put is that live everyday to the fullest potential possible and you never know when death shall be upon you, it can come like a thief in the middle of the night.

5)Explain why you feel Prince Prospero is either a static, dynamic, three dimensional or a flat character. (4)
The Prince Prospero character is dynamic because he relates physically and mentally with the antagonist, either it was him having the worries of his castle members or the random interactions he had with it. I also believe this is true because the dynamic character does not have much change physically, but physchologically they drastically change.

6) In a well written paragraph, explain whether you would like to see this short story adapted into a film format. Use details from the story to explain why you would or would not like to see a film version of the 'The Masque of the Red Death'.
In the future I would very much enjoy to see this film produced into a movie because even after reading it I could picture myself being inside the story, being apart of the castle house people. The very interesting introduction of each room really sucked me into the story when reading it. I would be interested in seeing this film done really well because this is a childhood story that could easily grab the younger audiances attention, I would rate the movie pg-13 and have it filmed in three-dimensions to get the full effects.

The Last Lecture Section One Response

1) What was the most important lesson you learned from the section?
The most important lesson I learned from this section is stated on page 17 in the first paragraph, it is as follows: '' We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand''. This is the most important lesson because when you have all you got and you make the best of it, I'm a firm believer in karma so this way, the respect you put is given back to yourself evenly.

2) Why might this be an important lesson for you -or- how can you connect Paushs'  wisdom to your own life?
This lesson is an important lesson because I can relate to Paushs' wisdom in my own experiences. I think that the way he lives life to the fullest and is always thinking ahead to the future resembles my life in a nutshell.
3) Explain what thoughts or questions this section causes you to have
After reading this section I feel emotions towards Paushs' family, because he doesn't know what his time is set at before he passes away. I also feel bad for his wife because he didn't get to make it to her last one before he passes away.

Simple and Compound Sentences

1) How confident are you now about your ability to tell the difference between a simple sentence, a sentence fragment and a compound sentence?
I am very confident in writing and interpretating simple sentences, a sentence fragment and a compound sentence. A simple sentence is as follows: Alex goes down to the library to study biology. A sentence fragment is as follows: The tree has a bird house. A compound sentece is as follows: Alex played Volleyball, so my mother can go shopping.

2) How well did today's activity suit your learning style? Do you prefer to work through grammar information like you did today, or do you prefer a teacher led lesson?
Todays activity suited me very well, I enjoyed it because it was repetative and got the point through. The sentence fragments I had most difficulty with because i've never made such weird sounding sentences before and knew what they were used for. I prefer to learn through a teacher but did not mind the way we did it. I'd rather use a teacher because i'm more of a visual learner.

3) What questions do you still have about the material?
I don't have any further questions about todays material. I felt as though you did a good job explaining and showing us how things need to be done.

The Destructors

1) What do you feel is the main theme or themes explored in this story?
Throughout the story I couldn't really tell what the theme is because these kids are so destructive and demeaning. The story takes place after the world war, the second. So the kids were brought up thinking 'destroy'.  I feel the main theme is the fact that the kids followed their peers. Considerably following the World war they found interest in taking apart an abandend building.
2) Who is the most static character in the story? Who is the most dynamic? Explain.
The most static character was the boy named Blackie. This is because he is the leader of the gang, and hates anyone who thinks down to the group, even the upper class.
The most dynamic character was Trevor 'T'. This is because he goes from being a gang member, to not being a gang member to being a gang member. This shows that he is undeciding on where to go.
3) It's been said that "little in literature is black and white, rather most fiction is about the grey area in between." Write a paragraph responding to "The Destructors" in which you agree or disagree with this statement.
I believe this statement is true about short stories because the fact that is said to be 'black and white' means such that the facts in the story are strong, appealing and grab your attention. Once you start reading the destructors you realise that there is much information that needs to be taken into account. The black and white part that is described in this phrase is such that the strong points in the book is starting in the world war and how the kids react to it.

The Shinning House

1) Write a brief (one paragraph) character sketch of Mary. Be sure to include information about her age, gender, marital status, profession, ethnicity and also describe what she's like as a person.
The main character Mary is a kind lady who ignores the town's thoughts on Mrs Fullerton, and she continues to create a relationship with this lady despite the mean things people say. Mary is an older women, over the age of 21 with kids and a husband. On a personal level, Mary is a quiet and understanding women, this is shown when she listens to Mrs. Fullerton on her porch step.

2) Why do you think that Munro chose to tell the story using Mary as a reflector character?
As Mary, the author chose to use her as a reflector character because it shows  the relationship she had with Mrs. Fullerton, but on another level it shows how Mrs.Fullerton is as a lady. The way the author interacts with the two characters is really reveiling from the readers perspective.

Sentence Work/Paragraph Work

a) The city of Vancouver wanted to celebrate Prince Charles' wedding so they hosted the worlds largest tea party on July 29, 1981
b) Jubiel Wickheim won the largest log rolling championship, which is a popular sport across North America
c) Louis Cyr 'the strongest man in the world' pitted his strength against horses and steam engines, which astonished everyone
d) In 1975 Paul Mears smoked thirty-five full sized cigars at once, which is a fact that may not be worth much
e) People talk about Canada-U.S relations as they mention with pride, the worlds longest undefended border that stretches 6500 km from coast to coast

In order for people to conserve energy, they should look to the sea. Specifically, the people who are interested in alternate energy sources should know about the tides in the Bay of Fundy. These tides, are the highest in the world and the province of New Brunswick are exploring these tides as a source of future power.

Mrs. Brill

1) From what point of view is "Miss Brill" told?
The story is written in third person.

2) Is the narration (storytelling) told using present tense or past tense (retrospective)?
The storytelling is told using past tense.

3) "The storyteller (aka the narrator) seems to know exactly what is going on inside Miss Brill's head. In fact, the narrator is too close to Miss Brill for a reader to know exactly what is real and what is imagined." Do you agree or disagree with this remark? Why?
I agree to this repsonse because as you read through the story you think most if not everything is of the unknown or not real. Once through the story, and finished you realise that is all imagined which is astonishing.

The Lottery

1) Describe the setting in "The Lottery" (Remember, the best answers will take into account both time and place... and be written in full sentences)
The story begins on June 27th, in a small village located in England.

2) What do you expect "The Lottery" to be about, based upon the setting? It may be particularly helpful to consider the opening paragraph(s).
Upon the first couple paragraphs, i suspect that the short story is going to be about someone winning the lottery in this small town.

3) Does the ending surprise you? Look at the story again and list any clues you find that hint that the story will end tyhe way it does.
The ending does not surprise me at all, the women of the village were questioning the lottery event throughout the story so I kind of suspected the village to back fire on her, which is what happened. She got rocks thrown at her.

4) Consider the story as a whole. How important is the story's setting in terms of the surprise ending? Why is it important?
The ending surprise is so important for it to be placed in a small village because back in the day the women were more or less used as 'tools', which shows the respect given to them in the end. It is important that they were in a small village because everyone knew each other, everyone knew everything about each other so this contributed to the village on a whole to pretty much kill the lady at the end.

Last Lecture Opening Chapter Response

Use full sentences and as many details as possible. Answer the first 3 questions on your blog after you have read the opening chapter of the novel:

1. What is the author's purpose for writing? For whom is he writing?
The author's purpose for writing is a way that he can continue what he began on stage. And than during his last few months of life, he took 53 bike rides while on a headset with his friend Jeff and than the book began..
The author has chosen to write this book for the peers around him and the people that read the book. He states that, ' but engineering isn't about perfect solutions; its about doing the best you can with limited resources'.

2. Consider the way the book has been put together (particularly the way it is divided). How does the way it has been put together (its structure) help the writer's purpose for writing?
The way the book is put together is very clever. It is divided many times into small 6-10 pages of life cycles. Each chapter illistrates a point or day in this mans' life. The way this helps is because it describes exactly what went on in his life, during these last 53 bike rides.

3. Describe Pausch. Explain which of his character traits makes you want to listen to him more or less.
Randy Pausch is the author. The reason why his writing style makes me want to read more on throughout the story is because it isn't too hard to read literally; the words aren't the hardest and it flows smoothly with very descriptive wording. This grabs my attention in the book and furthers my interests into reading it.