How does an individual's perspective of and response to crisis define him or her? I am struggling with my transition sentences to support my thesis. I have to address: focus is on analyzing and comparing the effectiveness of the elements of theme, setting, symbols, and irony in each of the two short stories in expressing the Essential Question.
Stories: On the Rainy River by Tim O'Brien and Touching Bottom by Kari Strutt
3 years ago
Answered By Ravonna D
Okay, so, I must confess I do not know what is meant by 'transition sentences'. Also, not having read your thesis, it is still difficult to help you with your writing. I am familiar with 'On The Rainy River' (RR), which is one chapter in a larger book by Tim O'Brien called 'The Things They Carried'. A sort of memoir about his experiences being drafted into and then going to the Vietnam War. I was able to read 'Touching Bottom' (TB). I feel like I am writing your paper for you here, but, here's what I can offer: Both stories use water to illuminate theme, obviously. In RR, Tim struggles with the decision to accept being drafted and go to war, or flee his country to freedom. To do either, he must cross the river. He sits in the boat, with the old man, who is purposefully neutral. The river represents many things, yes? He struggles with guilt, pride, shame, dread, fear. To get to safety, he must jump in the water and swim for shore. Inside himself, he is already drowning. He must swim through all of those feelings, now and forever, if that's what he chooses. In the end, he chooses to go back, because, he says, he can not live with what others will think of him. He describes seeing everyone he has ever known standing on the shore, waiting for him. This image is straight out of Greek mythology: When a person dies, they must cross the river Styx to get to the land of the dead. If they cannot pay the ferryman, they cannot cross. If they were wrathful in life, as in: someone who fought in a war they did not believe in, they would drown in the muddy waters for all eternity. It was up to the relatives of the dead to make sure the dead person had that money for the ferryman. Which could be read as Tim's entire family becoming responsible for his shame if he fled and carrying his debt. Does this make Tim brave or cowardly? Brave and selfless for facing death in war instead of bringing shame on his loved ones? Cowardly for not being able to take his stand on something he did not believe in and going to war simply to avoid feeling ashamed of not going? The ferryman (the old man) doesn't care whether you cross or not. He's just there to drive the boat. In that moment Tim defines himself as the man he wants to live with for the rest of his life, even if that means he has to kill and die. He goes to kill and possibly die to avoid doing something that would quite possibly kill who he imagines himself to be and die on the inside for the rest of his life. Kind of ironic, no? Which is worse? Which is better? The Things They Carried: Soldiers in war have to carry a lot of heavy, heavy stuff. But the decisions you make to define who you are you have to carry forever. And their weight is heavier. In TB, Kari uses water as the metaphor for her own life. She is invigorated by water, but there is always a lurking darkness to it. She literally almost drowns as she watches and realizes she is metaphorically drowning in the life she has chosen. She defines herself in that moment by staying and struggling to save the boy, even if she dies trying. She also chooses to be the person she will have to live with for the rest of her life, even if that means her life is over right here and now. One of her earliest memories is of her dad teaching her to swim in the bathtub. He says "You should learn to swim, because you never know when you're going to be in over your head." She marries her husband despite dad's objections. She is in way over her head but she does not accept it until she is literally in over her head, kind of ironic, no? The expression comes to mind: Life will find a way to whisper, then to knock, then to nudge, then to shove, then to shout, etc, until you get the lesson. Being able to swim is her metaphor for the strength one needs to get through life. So, hopefully that helps give you some pespective. Good luck with your paper! Have a glorious day!Ravonna
3 years ago
Answered By Ranjene M
You can say something like: 'In the short stories 'On the Rainy River' and 'Touching Bottom' theme, setting, symbols and irony are elements used to convey the idea that, an individual's perspective and response to crisis defines him or her. Transition sentences: For example, in 'On the Rainy River' the river is a symbol for philosophical uncertainty-a space of limbo between two vastly different and life altering choices. Comparatively, in 'Touching Bottom' [...] is a symbol for... You can use this same formula to express your ideas on all the other elements. Go back and forth between the texts and use the language of the prompt provided. Good luck!