For your post on "The Largesse of the Sea Maiden" please address the following prompts:
1) What are your thoughts/feelings about the narrator/audience relationship in this story? What do you think Bill is trying to say and what is the effect of the accumulation of stories you get in reading the whole piece?
2) Pick a quote from the story that you found especially evocative or meaningful. Analyze why this quote spoke to you.
(For this post, I expect--and will check--that your responses are 200 words at a minimum. You do not need to post questions on reply to your peers' posts, but you most certainly can.)
For full credit, post your response to these prompts by 10pm Sunday night. Have a great weekend!
1. I think the narrator is well connected to his audience. He seems to be an averaged and for most of the story an unnamed guy who we as readers can easily relate to. He represents the general population which allows us to connect to him. At first, I was highly confused as what Bill was trying to say with this piece. At first, the audience isn’t even certain of his identity. He goes back and forth between different stories that may correlate to each other, but the audience is completely unaware of his purpose. I believe his purpose behind writing these things is to reflect on the history of his own life. He mentions that he is now in his sixties, and it seems as though he’s drawing on memorable events in his life that lead him to where he is now. He talks about death and loosing loved ones. He talks about his multiple spouses giving his readers this illusion that he has loved but that the love has been lost somewhere along the way. He even touches on his accomplishments; his award ceremony and going back to New York and find a small bit of his youth again.
ReplyDelete2. “Money tames the beast. Money is peace. Money is civilization. The end of the story is money.” (Denis Johnson, 142) This quote from Johnson’s story stood out to me because it’s so true. We’ve all heard the saying that money is power and that’s exactly the point Johnson is trying to make. People are weak and corrupt. We do things because of incentives; money being the biggest incentive. Essentially anyone can be bought. Johnson is saying everyone has a price and that’s why “Money is peace” because everyone has that dollar amount with which their peace and compromise can be purchased (Johnson, 142). Our society revolves around money. We claim money can’t buy us happiness and maybe that’s true, but Johnson’s right because “the end of the story is money” (Johnson, 142). We go out and search for jobs when we don’t have them, but how many people go out and search for happiness when it seems to be absent in their life? The answer is not many. Whenever people become unhappy, they tend to sulk become depressed or shut-ins. Johnson makes this morbid yet true statement about money because I think he realizes that our world shouldn’t revolve around money and that it needs to change.
ReplyDelete1 part 1) Bill Whit is tired of his life, not of living, but of his monotone, dull, and boring work ,and seemingly futile existence.Very similar to works by Brett Easton Ellis, there is an overall sense of futility and decadence that highlights Bill Whit's feelings towards his life and experiences, but there is also a sense and underlying theme of emotional and physical redemption, and a catharsis of sorts. Bill is trying to give us a sense of what he goes through on a day to day basis by sharing his innermost thoughts and experiences through short, but very detailed encounters with friends, family, and strangers, providing us with his reactions to the experiences and thoughts regarding the experiences, to better understand him as a person, but also to comprehend his emotional state. Bill Whit gives us his perspective to events, so that we can see what he sees, feel what he feels, and respond like he responds. By doing so, we are placed in the same situation that Bill finds himself in, suffering a shift of perspective on what is pure, innocent, and “good” in the world, and how to maintain it, and how emotion gets the better of us by making us dread the world we live in, and making us wish for another one, one that is a construct of what we desire and wish was the true reality. Bill longs for change, longs for uniqueness, and longs for a happiness he once possessed but has lost over time. I can explain this idea but would like to focus more on the aforementioned, the idea of Bill dreading the world he lives in, and wishing for another one to be his reality. Throughout the passage, Bill makes references to his adoration and collection of Folk Tales and what is considered as “Fairy Stories” by the reader, but our , the reader's, understanding of what a Fairy Story is, differs from Bill's understanding. To us, the reader, the stories are a manifestation of the fictitious, inventions of the human mind to bring to life what cannot be done, or what cannot and does not exist. To us, the reader, a fairy story, or in this case,a folk tale, is nothing more than a short story that maybe has some sort of moral or ethical message attached to it, and has no historical or scientific backing. As in, it's fake, unreal, and not possible, something made for children to be read to when they want to be tucked in at night, it is not for adults. We, the reader, posses a mature understanding of what Bills collection of stories are, simply, a grown mans hobby, and maybe, a foible or eccentricity of the said gown man. For Bill though, his Folk Tales aren't a simple collection, nor a manifestation of the unreal, but a manifestation of the surreal, a way for him to escape his reality. It is clear that Bill dislikes his way of life, he is also nostalgic and wishes for his long lost youthful happiness to come back, but opposed to travelling in time and reminiscing about what was and has been, Bill satisfies his need of happiness through his collection of Folk Tales. Not necessarily by reading them, but by using them as an inspiration to escape from his dull existence. Bill uses the Folk Tales as a means to mask and replace his feelings in order to find relief from the life that he so truly despises and wishes was replaced by the one he “built”, and wishes he was in. Bill tells us so when he describes what he does “once in a while” after sitting in front of the T.V. Donning a cape, and heading out to explore the neighbourhood in search of a magic sword and horse, is a ridiculous and ludicrous thing for any sane person to say, let alone actually do.
ReplyDelete1 part 2) Obviously, Bill isn't actually looking for a sword, or a horse, though he is wearing a robe, but his imaginative mind creates a fantastical world in which Bill is happy and shielded from the world that he actually lives in. Bill needs his fantastical world, he needs it to sit through meals with his wife, to get through strange public restroom experiences, to get over the loss of so called friends, and to dull the pain of living. I might think that donning a robe and looking for a horse in the middle of a metropolitan city is the doing of an insane individual, but for Bill, it is the only thing that is keeping him from losing the little sanity and emotional normalcy he dearly clings on to. And Bill doesn't just “don a robe” occasionally while sitting in front of his tv, he might be using it all the time. We have already said that Bill distorts reality to satisfy his needs and wants, so we can infer that when Bill is making reference to the horse,sword, and thread, he might not be actually talking about a horse, a sword, and a thread, but similar objects that, in his mind, are somehow related. To this end, we can assume that during all of Bill's experiences, where he could be clothed in a suit, he has been wearing his comforting robe. This is because Bill mentions that he is usually clothed in an overcoat, and therefore is donning the “robe” to act as a reminder of the world he longs to be in. I don't think that my interpretation is the best, but it may be plausible to some extent.
ReplyDelete2) "I note that I've lived longer in the past now than I can expect to live in the future"
ReplyDeleteSaid at the near end of the passage, the emotion and sentiment with which it is said, and the message of longing and nostalgia it sends, not only fits perfectly with what I understood about who Bill Whit is, but also relates to the emotional side of human nature and the loss of youth. Bill Whit is in his sixties, he is , in essence, an old man, and like individuals feeling the effect of time on their physique and physical prowess, Bill wishes and longs to be young again. Not necessarily due to the loss of motor skills but because of the loss of happiness and enjoyment he now lacks in later life. Bill misses the life and emotional spectrum he had in his youth and past years, and what he says tells us a bit more about who he is and how much he misses what he had. Bill is stating that it is difficult for him to live in the present and look towards the future, when he feels as though his life culminated in previous years. Therefore, it is not worth his limited time and effort to look ahead, because nothing can ever be better than what he once experienced. Another interpretation is that Bill can live in the present and look towards the future, but that it is difficult for him to do so, because he spends lots of time reminiscing about what once was. By spending all his time thinking about the past, how could he ever think about the future or the present? He is so focused on what he was, that he cannot see what he has yet to become.
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1. I think that the main purpose of this piece is for the narrator to connect with the audience. Throughout the story, Bill Whitman describes the daily, monotonous occurrences in his life and the various events that he has experienced thus far. His detailed and descriptive style throughout this piece allows the audience to easily connect with and understand more about his life. At first, the disjointed nature of the stories made it hard for me to follow along and understand why the narrator wanted to share these specific anecdotes about his life. As the passage progresses, it is made clear that the narrator is talking about his past experiences and his memories of his life. The reflective tone of this piece further strengthens the narrator/audience relationship as we can empathize with his feelings of nostalgia. A lot of the stories that Bill shares are pivotal moments in his life, such as his youth spent in New York, the ailment of his ex-wife, and the suicide of his friend. Within the stories that Bill shared were relatable events that most of us, as the audience, may have experienced or can at least empathize with. I think that the accumulation of all of these stories makes a clear point to the audience – all experiences in your life lead you to where you are today. I think that the narrator reflecting on these important events in his life shows the reader how even minimal events can affect your life in the long run. All of the events and experiences of Bill Whitman’s life has led him to where he is today. Memories are important, both of good times and of bad. It is important to learn from your mistakes of the past and move forward, always looking toward the future and not focusing on the past.
ReplyDelete2. “This morning I was assailed by such sadness at the velocity of life – the distance I’ve traveled from my own youth, the persistence of the old regrets, the new regrets, the ability of failure to freshen itself in novel forms – that I almost crashed the car.” This quote, in my opinion, is extremely relatable. Life is extremely short. At only eighteen, I know I am still only towards the beginning of my life and that I have so much more to experience and do in the coming years. However, when talking to older family members or friends, it is clear just how fast life goes. Even thinking that I am already in college seems unbelievable, when the memories of my first days of high school are still so vivid. At times, the shortness of life can seem scary, daunting, or, as put by the author, saddening. Looking back at your youth can make age even more apparent. The amount of growth and development that has occurred in what is really only a small period of time can be unbelievable when you think about it. Regrets are something that I believe everyone has to deal with, and as stated in the quote, they can be in the past or in the present and will definitely be in the future. While they are unavoidable at times, I believe that they can be a learning experience for those who look to their regrets in an optimistic light rather than negatively. With every new opportunity that comes our way is the possibility that we will succeed or the possibility that we will fail. And these can occur in all aspects of life – academics, sports, socially, within your family, etc. This quote, however, seems to place a pessimistic view on all of these crucial parts to your life. I believe that if you look to them as opportunities to grow and to further improve yourself, you can life a fulfilled and satisfied life and reach your potential.
ReplyDelete1. I feel that the narrator in these stories is trying to communicate a feeling of helplessness and confusion arising from the chaos of life, a force he cannot fully comprehend. All the stories in this collection are events in the author's life that stuck with him, for each event is such a departure from the norm. Another important factor is that every story seems to revolve around others rather than only the narrator, expressing that the author feels a lack of control over his own life. Even the most personal stories, like "Casanova" and "Farewell", focus on an awkward or unusual interaction with another. For example, in "Casanova", the story is almost entirely focused on the narrator until the interaction in the bathroom, which ends the story on an uncomfortable note as the narrator realizes that he is out of touch with others, even those he feels he could recognize anywhere. The collection ends on a somber note as we get to know the narrator more personally, as he confesses his age and home life. He comes to terms with his memory fading, which explains the presence of the previous stories in the collection; those are the strongest memories he still has. The collection as a whole left me feeling a bit gloomy, due to the feeling of life being a series of inconsequential choices that ultimately lead to the same end.
ReplyDelete2. "We live in a catastrophic universe- not a universe of gradualism." This quote spoke to me because I feel that it encompasses the piece as a whole. The entire passage revolves around important events that took place in the narrator's life; gradual effects were only presented in the last entry, as the author speaks about the passing of his own life and his career as an advertiser. As such, this quote represents the meaning of the work as a whole; that we remember our lives in individual, remarkable events, and not in progress made over a period of time. On a personal level, this quote stuck out to me because I can look at my own memories and see the same pattern: if you asked me to describe the memories that stand out to me, I would choose ones like winning the vote for homecoming court, or the first time I tried (and failed at) rollerskating; I doubt I would ever bring up things that occurred over time, such as getting better at a skill or my personality evolving as I get older. It's not that the latter two events are less important than the former, but they are of less immediate relevance in a "catastrophic universe."
ReplyDelete1)The relationship between the narrator and the audience is one of extreme complexity because until almost the very end, the audience has no idea as to the narrator's identity that he portrays for the rest of society. Yet because of the content of the stories that he shares, there is a feeling of great intimacy in the narrator/audience relationship. This at first appears paradoxical, as though the audience can only see the backside of a tapestry but not the actual picture on the front when one would expect the opposite, but once the purpose of sharing what seems to be every single strange experience he has had in his life is revealed, it all becomes clear. The narrator is utilizing the memories to explain his understanding of how strange oddities influence our lives and decisions, and explaining how he used that knowledge to create ads that would have profound impacts on people, as he did with the strange ad of the rabbit and the bear. At the same time, he is challenging the audience to examine how the unusual experiences that we have influence us and warning of the ease with which good advertisements can get under our skin and hit home at our real identities. His main point through all of the stories is to illustrate how certain unusual pieces of memory have the greatest impact on our identities and define who we really are.
ReplyDelete2)"The masquerade continues"- This quote really spoke to me and seemed to connect very well to one of the authors major themes in the story: appearance versus reality. In comparing his entire life to a "masquerade" were everyone wears a mask and hides their true identity from everyone else, the narrator conveys how people in everyday life hide who they truly are from each other by setting forward pretenses and molding themselves into stereotypes in order to fit in, while their real identities, the ones that are heavily influenced by shock, surprise, and oddity, are disguised beneath. I instantly saw the relationship between the narrator, who is just in his "normal guise", with his previously adulterous behavior, and the concept of hiding oneself, which I was excited about. I also was moved because I see the same things in my own life, where people try to bury themselves under societal constructs such as trying to fit in with what is considered cool. At times even I initially present myself within a certain stereotype in order to ease the introduction process, so the connection was even deeper.In fact, this quote can explain why the entire story itself has such an impact, because by presenting himself without the mask first and then donning it later, the narrator catches the audience off-guard and keeps them interested, as this is contrary to the behavior that the readers are used to.
ReplyDelete1.In my opinion, the narrator is trying to connect to the audience by writing of the various events that have happened in his life, but are also common occurrences in the many day life of others. I could feel the connection to Bill when he talked about the various events of his life especially losing loved ones. I must admit at first I was completely confused as to what all these different stories were meant to accomplish. I took the time to look back at look more closely to see if I could come up with some kind of logical answer for each stories purpose. I concluded that each of Bill’s stories to meant to show the various trials and tribulations that he had went through up to this point in his life. The stories were meant to show how Bill himself had grown through these various occurrences and how they shaped Bill into the man he is today. This also contributes to the narrator and audience relationship in the work as a whole. It creates a further feeling of familiarity for the audience and also them the connect more to the work as many of the events like losing loved ones, being recognized for one’s accomplishments yet still feeling like there is more to achieve, and having multiple spouses and the struggle to find the true meaning of love. All this accumulates to build Bill’s individual stories into a work as a whole and the ability of the audience to connect to the narrator.
ReplyDelete2. “Art is man and man is art”. This quote, although it seems quite simple on the surface has much more meaning as you look deeper. The composition of us as humans is simply art as we were created with each one of us as having our own uniqueness about us. We all have our own certain strengths and weakness as well as our passions and hobbies. This is what makes each one of us so special. Every person is a work of art because of all these unique and beautiful traits. As each of us are now attending college outside the shelter of our homes, we are exposed to the uniqueness of many individuals. We are able to meet so many different people from different backgrounds. The interesting thing is that despite the differences each person may have there is still connections we make with one another. The actions that each person completes every day are art in their own sense. Each thing we do reflects us as a person as well as our own individual traits. Like art each man has different traits and style. In art, the style is shown though the different compositions by the artist. While for man, the style is reflected through one’s actions throughout their life. This quote really encompasses the beauty of man and how each little thing we do is art.
ReplyDelete1. The narrator is extremely connected to his audience; the style feels very conversational to me, which I enjoy, and I think that the narrator put together a very good story for his readers. To be completely honest, after reading the first two sections, I was very confused. I didn't understand the connection between the two stories and it was slightly difficult for me to follow along with it. It wasn't until "Memorial" that I started really understanding the story. I feel like the first section still had no real help to the plot of the overall story, but I do think it was important in establishing the style and relationship between narrator and audience. I think the purpose of having divided sections in the story instead of just one long passage was so the narrator could tell us bits and pieces of different stories to set the background, and to let us know more about him so that when he told his final section of the story, we would understand exactly how he feels. He feels that his life is very simple now and he has had crazy experiences and wild times in the past, but now he just lives very plainly with his wife. His memories are more exciting than his future and he knows that and because of his story, so do we.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the purpose of this writing is that Bill is reflecting on the milestones in his life both good and bad. He mentions many different situations where he has experienced death or illness. He also talks about the story where his ex- wife called him saying she was dying and he couldn`t tell which ex-wife it was. Then he continued to add that he was unfaithful to both of them.These are events that will stay on your mind forever. He also talks about the good events in his life like his award ceremony which almost seemed like his peak. When reading this piece I was very confused at first by the meaning since he jumped from story to story. The overall tone of the writing comes off as very depressed. The accumulation of stories that explain the events in his life give that depressing tone. Maybe he wants to convey that to the audience so if anyone else feels the same way he can relate to them. Towards the end when he says that he is waiting for some magic to come, it seems like he has accepted that life is almost over and is hoping that maybe something spontaneous and interesting will happen before it does end.
ReplyDelete2. The quote that really stuck out to me would be “I have more to remember than I have to look forward to. Memory fades, not much of the past stays, and I wouldn’t mind forgetting a lot more of it.” (Denis Johnson, 142,143) The quote is found near the end of the story and it helps to conclude the whole narrative. Bill feels like his previous life is a lot more exciting than his future like and he says that he “wouldn’t mind forgetting a lot more of it” (Denis Johnson, 143), which is just very depressing to me. I interpret it as he wants to forget more of his past life so that his current life won’t seem as boring to him. I oddly feel really connected to this quote, not because I think my future won’t be as exciting as my past, but because it’s just a sad thought to have. I hope my life never gets to a point where I would rather forget my memories than remember them. It makes me think about my future and what life has to offer, and it also makes me remember both the good and the bad times from my past.
ReplyDelete1. When reading the story, I felt like Bill was giving his audience (in this case, me) a testimony--like I asked a simple question, and he trailed off into a long-winded, roundabout manner of answering, drawing up a response that might've needed only a paragraph to get to the point, but extensive context to fully understand. And so is the case with many of our own life experiences. You sit around with your friends one night and ask one of them, "what's the strangest thing that's ever happened to you?", and they're not going to pour out some literary masterpiece, but it's going to take some time. They don't say "I saw a ghost in my bedroom of my new house." They set it up, they give background. Our perceptions of our own experiences come from years and years of building our own personal context. As this applies to the story, I gathered that Whitman is trying to explain why he sees the world the way he does--which is the answer to a question with some pretty broad implications. When Whitman is shifting from one anecdote to another, he is not just explaining a vaguely interrelated string of events in his life. Instead, he is building, for his audience, a personal context, which is important in establishing the audience-narrator connection the message of the story hinges on. The Largesse of the Sea Maiden would simply not be the same if it were told in a third-person point of view, absent of Whitman's thoughts and asides, absent of that connection. The story is a look into the way a man sees the world, how he is driven to search for the magical in the mundane, and the point of every little story is to form a greater answer why.
ReplyDelete"I note that I have lived longer in my past now than I can live in my future" I find this quote extremely relatable. Everyone grows older and does not have the ability to be adventurous anymore. Many people begin to get the feeling that anything amazing that was going to happen in life is now behind them. Every person can relate to this quote. For many people it is called a mid-life crisis. The stereotypical assumption is a man buys a sports car or a woman gets botox to make themselves feel younger and full of life. For many others it comes in a form of depression, which I think is how Bill is percieving it. He doesn't believe the best day of his life is going to come around again and it is now in his past. I feel like this is a common fear of many people as they grow older and start to have realizations that life is getting shorter and time is running out. He also means this literally. He is not in his sixties and if the average lifespan is around 80 then he is realizing that he has lied over half his life. You can think about how all the things in life that someone looks forward to doing have come and gone and now you only have memories of them.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite quotes from the story goes, "We live in a catastrophic universe--not a universe of gradualism." In the context of the story, this quote is a musing on the suicide of Tony Fido, an eccentric painter who claimed Whitman to be his best friend. However, on a broader scale, it refers to the fact that life is meant to be challenging, that our experiences can be as much a force of nature as an earthquake or a storm. Loss, pain, disillusionment--all of these things can rupture one's way of life, and it's safe to say we will all encounter them in some form during our lives. Nature aside, there are so many people in the world, so many people prone to error, that it is absolutely impossible to live life without encountering some sort of personal catastrophe. This fact is implied in the quote to be something we must expect without question. But we will, inevitably, question. From a personal standpoint, I've experienced my share of personal catastrophe, and I've come to understand that even though good things may happen to me, I am far from invincible. A similar idea is explored in The Largesse of the Sea Maiden, with Whitman receiving an important award against the backdrop of strange and often depressing memories. The truth is that life does not progress gradually--it fluctuates, it is ecstatic and catastrophic, and often times, it cannot be controlled.
ReplyDelete1. In this story, the narrator has a unique relationship with the audience. Without giving such a hint till the end of his identity, he tells stories that seem relatable to many different audiences. As he tells stories of life events, he also expresses this lack of admiration for the things he has done and the people around him. In many narratives, the character expresses his or her emotions in more of a charismatic way. In contrast, Bill describes his life in a less than mediocre tone. He can’t distinguish between two of his ex wives and emotionlessly apologizes to whomever is on the phone, in which he is unaware of. When speaking of Elaine, his wife, he doesn’t describe her in a loving, life giving way but instead makes her seem as another average person. This is very apparent when describing his daughters. He doesn’t give a bias description, putting them on the pedestal most fathers do, but instead describes them as “unattractive” and “dull”. In ways, he relates to the audience by showing the hard facts of life. Instead of sugar coating his years of life, he tells the truth of how he really feels. He expresses the emotions of death and despair and how he aimlessly lived through his career, not being much. These emotions are very common with the average person and allow the audience to feel as if they are experiencing those events as well.
ReplyDelete1.I believe that Bill’s intention for constructing this short story is to tell of the many events in his life that he has found so memorable. Several of these events relate to and tell about death, whether it be the death of his friend, the death of someone who is a relative of someone he encounters, or a widow. However, the reason these short stories are able to come together as one solidified final story is because they are all somehow connected. Bill could have arranged these stories in a different order and the reader would still be able to formulate connections between these events in his life. It is very important in a story that is constructed the way that “The Largesse of the Sea Maiden” is to have those connections or else it will appear random to the reader and they will be unable to understand the story. The reader is able to connect to the narrator and as a reader I felt an understanding for the narrator. It is of the utmost importance that the reader feels what the speaker is experiencing in order to give the story true meaning to the audience, I feel that Bill did a fantastic job of providing several opportunities for the reader to relate to the stories and events in his life.
ReplyDelete1)With each individual story the narrator seems to be trying to show the audience the way he views the world. Bill seems to be trying to show how disconnected and random the life is. He does this through the stories that are rather unrelated and strange. He shows us a man destroy a masterpiece simply to prove he is capable of it and the relationship between a murder and a journalist. He doesn’t seem to like to talk about himself. Even when he does volunteer information about himself, it has to be in relation to another purpose. He uses the call with his dying ex-wife to give us greater insight into himself. He seems to be defining himself through his relationships. The odd characters that populate his life impress upon the reader that he must be rather strange himself. At the same time, he seems rather detached from these people. Several of his stories revolve around him loosing contact with friends and family for years. In some cases, he hasn’t even realized they died. Overall the story takes on a rather sad tone. While each event may seem random, they are part of the life that is past its prime. Bill knows this and seems to spend most of his time reliving the past. He seems to be trying to get the audience to enjoy life with all its oddities because one day all you’ll have is the past.
ReplyDelete2)The quote that stands out to me is “before long, we wandered into a discussion of the difference between repentance and regret. “ At first, like most of the story, this line felt rather random. However, when it is eventually revealed that Bill is recounting various events in his life at an old age, it takes on greater meaning. It brings to light the fact that all of us in our old age will be faced with our past. There will be things we regret doing at all. That we could just wish away. At the same time, we will also have to face all the opportunities that passed us by. Bill doesn’t set out to offer any answer to these questions. In fact, he essentially admits that this is unavoidable.
ReplyDeleteIt spoke to me because I want to avoid falling into either category to a significant degree. Its hard trying to find the balance between being happy and trying to avoid causing problems for yourself and others. It’s too easy to simply live life entirely short term or long term. The quote is more than simply another reminder of that fact. It comes with a man’s entire life story and forces you to wonder what yours will be.
1. Bill, the narrator of the story, maintains a conversational tone with the audience throughout the short story. I enjoyed reading it because it made me feel more involved in the story as a result of Bill giving me the feeling that he was telling it to me. It makes it feel more personal and allows you to connect with the characters more. He tells the reader stories that are seemingly unconnected from different points in his life and is good at telling them in a way that seems very stream of consciousness and less like a real story with proper grammar and structure. You feel a personal connection when he talks about his emotional struggles. When he references not knowing which of his past wives it is and him remembering that he wronged them both in the same way so it didn't actually matter, the reader can tell how bad it makes him feel. Even though all the stories aren't necessarily about Bill, the reader uses his reactions and the way he tells those stories to determine who he is as a character. At the beginning of the story you can't see any correlation between his stories but as it progresses you get to know Bill more and start to see why he is telling them. I think he's telling them as sort of a recount of prominent memories in his life and things that he feels deeply affected him or had a significant impact on the person he became.
ReplyDelete2.) The quote I found meaningful was “You repent the things you’ve done, and regret the chance you let get away”. It is so interesting how he separated the meaning of the words “repent” and “regret”. I have always categorized those two words together as meaning the same thing, but the separation altered the way I interpret the connotation of the words. Repent and regret are both feelings associated with the past but in this situation regret is the feeling that you have missed out on something that could have been a great opportunity in your life. Whereas, repent is something where you are upset by something that you actually did at an earlier point in your life. So, the difference is that you repent an event that actually happened or something that you actually did, and regret is what you feel when you wish you could have done something differently. This quote spoke to me because every person has felt regret at some point and I always thought that something I did was considered a regret if I was disheartened by it. However, now I will separate the two things in my mind when I consider the past and in my opinion it is better to repent than to regret things because at least you can have the life experiences.
ReplyDelete1)1) The relationship between the narrator and the audience is characterized by the desire of the narrator to share his true self with the audience but finds himself unable to breach the deadness inside his heart. The composition relies on a series of loosely related narratives that all contain themes of the contrast between fantasy and reality. Additionally, the entire work echoes with a dreamy sadness, which aids in communicating the narrator’s perception of himself as distant and inauthentic in relationship with the world. Each story ends in an eerie note, usually reflecting some kind of loss or destruction, repeatedly reminding the reader, if anything, that the speaker feels like a missed out on something life had to offer and is stuck in a dead end is all aspects, including his career, his marriage, and his friendships. He speaks of the dreamers he knew, particularly Tony, who believed himself to be second only to God as an artist. With all his talent and aspiration, he is later discovered to have been relatively friendless, and a mystery to everyone who knew him. His suicide represents the death of the fantasies the author himself held. The composition itself can be compared to that of a dream-sequence; these unrelated anecdotes might even play in the mind of a person who is dying, highlighting the most revealing stories of that person’s life. In this case the death is to hope. As the dream comes to a close, there is still an echo of dreams lost and fantasies drowned beneath the incessant tide of trial and monotony.
ReplyDelete2) "This morning I was assailed by such sadness at the velocity of life--the distance I've traveled from my youth, the persistence of the old regrets, the new regrets, the ability of failure to freshen itself in novel forms--that I almost crashed the car". This quote was particularly captivating to me because time truly does fly. I know I am young and haven't experienced the majority of my life yet but every adult I've ever talked to always says the expression "Where has the time gone?". My dad claims that time speeds up as you get older. Now, time doesn't literally speed up but I'm sure it begins to feel like the best parts of your life have come and gone and you might feel a little helpless because time continues to tick on. From my perspective, I can't believe I am already in college. It's surreal that I am done being a kid and I am on the threshold of adulthood and preparing to enter the real world. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was excited about being in high school marching band for the first time at my very first band camp and now I am a Marching Chief at FSU. Life seems like a blur and this quote reminds me that we need to hold on to every moment and enjoy the little things because one day it will all be over and we'll wish for those little things to come back.
ReplyDelete2) ‘She lifted one hand and beckoned me with her fingers. She was weeping. The lines of her tears sparkled on her cheeks. “I am a prisoner here,” she said.’
ReplyDeleteThis quote is beautiful in its composition and deep in its symbolism. The title of the whole story is “The Largess of the Sea Maiden.” This woman that the narrator met in the lonely bar was his mermaid, and her generosity laid in the fact that she embodies what has been eating away at the narrator’s soul for the larger portion of his adult life. She was beautifully adorned as if she had intended to go out dancing or socializing, but was instead found alone in the bar with no companion other than her tears. The scene around her, the untouched saxophone and the distant piano music, seem an unfit venue for a woman of her class and beauty. There are several references that evoke and image of a shipwreck on the floor of the ocean, and this woman is caught in its decay. She symbolizes the dreams of the author, trapped in the wreck his life. In that moment the narrator can see the personification of his fantasies about the world, how he had developed and prepared them, but instead of being brought to life, they got caught in his encounters with sadness and suffering, and sank down into the oblivion of his mind. After years of not understanding, not knowing why he felt so dead inside, he saw this woman and remembered. He recalled the fairytales and the hope that had made him feel alive, and for the first time in years he felt “ecstasy.” But he pressed this emotion down, just as he had been doing with every other feeling, and he faded back into his reality, devoid of the dreams.
1) The narrator tells his stories in a way that is easy for the audience to relate to because he has a wide variety of emotions and experiences. He tells the stories with a lot of detail so that the audience feels like they are a part of his life but throughout the whole story he has a dry and uninterested tone. He does not try to be positive about his life and all of his experiences. Instead, he seems empty, defeated, and dissatisfied with himself. There doesn't seem to be anything that makes him truly happy because even when he talks about his family he uses a dull almost distant tone instead of one full of love and appreciation like most people would have. The progression of the stories is like putting a puzzle together. At first things may seem jumbled and abstract and might not make sense but as we put more of the puzzle together the picture becomes more clear. The author does this to build a foundation with the audience by giving them details so that by the final anecdote we are able to see the big picture and truly connect with his feelings and his perspective on life.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most prominent quotes to me from the story was Tony saying ""We live in a catastrophic universe- not a universe of gradualism." Like Bill, I think it sounds really profound but it's also interesting to me how after Tony's death he worries that he should've paid more attention to it as it could have been a clue to his suicide. I think that the story is told in a way that embodies the quote. The story is compromised of a seemingly random mix of stories that had a significant meaning to Bill, but looked almost catastrophic to the reader. At the end there is a little gradualism, but for the most part the story as a whole to the reader looks like a catastrophic random collection of stories. In some ways I agree that we live in a catastrophic universe because there are things that are beyond anyones control but in other ways we live in a universe of gradualism because some things, such as aging of the universe or of living things, have a progression to them and are absolute not catastrophic.
ReplyDelete1. Within the short stories of "The Largesse of the Sea Maiden," The protagonist Bill has a unique relationship with the audience. The entire piece is broken up into smaller short stories. These short stories add conciseness. They prove the point Bill is trying to put out and it shows that he is trying to show the important events with no unneeded filler. The stories all have titles, most of them being one word. This briefness shows that Bill is organizing all of his life events in his head and the one word descriptions are what keep it together. Bill remains in the story and does not get distracted often. But, occasionally he addresses the audience and gets them to think about what he is saying or to picture exactly what he is trying to describe. That means he doesn't want any part of the story to be misinterpreted or confused. He is not bitter or angry, just telling the story how he believes it needs to be told. By the end, he reflects on himself and his entire family. This reflection causes the audience to also reflect upon their own lives. The effect of these short stories has makes the reader remember to not live their lives for granted and to appreciate the world around them. Bill makes connections with life that his audience could also make, making "The Largesse of the Sea Maiden" a very personal blend of reflective short stories.
ReplyDelete2. I found the quote “the only painter I admire is God, he is my biggest influence” to really stand out to me on a bit of a personal level. This is what Tony was saying as he evaluated the works of others. In some ways, he is describing how the only true art is the unexplainable and Devine works God has created. He is his biggest influence because God is who brought him through all of his internal struggles, whether it was family or life in general. Ultimately, it was him who brought him home in the end when he couldn’t handle his life on Earth anymore. His artistic view combined with his strong faith really stands out. Personally, I can sense how he is not impressed with worldly things. He only sees Gods art impressive because all else is imitation. Also, it is a bit depressing as well. Given Tony’s circumstances and cause of death, he seemed to be a very morbid person. Not only was God an inspiration to him, he also used him to look at death in a funny way. He used his beliefs to cover up how dull he personally saw the world outside of his art. He had few friends, indicating that he wasn’t much on socializing. This quote really got me thinking about what he really meant, in what was he was influenced in his life that led to his demise and how he lived his life.
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ReplyDeleteThe narrator connects with the audience of all sorts through the vicarious stories that just about anyone can relate to even if its just the growth of a person Bill is becoming and became. The narrator does a great job of making me think about what each story means and how they relate and makes me think to myself … what is the purpose of some of these. But after taking another look or rereading I realized how Bill’s relations especially with his loved ones is extremely relatable and it has the same message as Ivan Illich in the way that he speaks in a manner that expresses his unfulfilling life and how he wasn’t really living life he was just going through the motions. This is so relatable as in “The Death Of Ivan Illich “ the main character also doesn’t describe his wife as loving, or as work being fulfilling and overall all the emotions raging around are extremely connectable to anyone reading .I basically got the message that if we are so caught up in the mundane small things in life we aren’t living – or we have no future really. Even from the beginning when he is describing the people around the table its as if he can’t make a connection with them, he’s as I said just going through the motions.
ReplyDelete"This morning I was assailed by such sadness at the velocity of life—the distance I’ve travelled from my own youth, the persistence of the old regrets, the new regrets, the ability of failure to freshen itself in novel forms—that I almost crashed the car."
ReplyDeleteThis quote truly spoke to me while reading. It mixed in all of his past suffering in one huge conglomerate that actually effected his driving. For a mental thought to become something physical, there must be extreme emotional pain or suffering. He literally could not perform a normal day-to-day activity because of what was happening in his brain. This quote also plays on the well known 'loss of innocence' theme. He explains how he has "traveled from [his] own youth." Its been so long since he could act and react like a child and have no lasting regrets or innocence. He also describes how he feels "old regrets" and "new regrets." Having the memory of old regrets often make the new regrets even worse, because sometimes it is the same mistake you made in the distant past that you make now. All you can think is the fast that you should have learned your lesson the first time. It is the same situation with "the ability of failure to freshen itself in novel forms." Failing once is always tough enough, but failing again and again can do damage on the body. These damages are usually internal, but as we can see from Bill's experience, sometimes the damage can become physical when the emotions are too strong. The morning is usually meant for new beginnings, so the fact that the pain was still so strong that early into the new day means that he truly cannot get away from his painful and regretful past.
"We live in a catastrophic universe- not a universe of gradualism. “This quote probably stood out to me the most probably because I had to read it over a few times and I get it. Life is constantly moving and we don’t notice the change or the effect it had until later as we reflect back. Time doesn’t stop and we usually only remember the big picture or the big things that are going on and other minute details kind of get lost in it all. Life’s too short to be unfulfilling and to be going through the motions but if we are only living and taking a look around when the big things happen then it may be too late and we may end up in our sixties wondering where the time went and realizing how fruitful our attempt to live to our fullest really is. I don’t want to just be caught up in the wind of things and not experience everything or do things that aren’t making me happy. At the end of the piece is makes us as the audience to reflect on not only Bill’s life but also his families and maybe even our own to wonder where ours are going. I’m only 18 but I don’t want to get caught up in the big things and have it be too late.
ReplyDelete1) The narrator goes about telling his story in the manner of a man verbally conveying a tale. The stories aren’t particularly dialogue heavy, with only memorable phrases that would be easy to recall for a future telling. The relationship between the narrator and the audience seems both personal, yet also detatched. Bill uses first person perspective to talk, but doesn’t appear to address the reader until the last story. Bill seems to be trying to impart his story and speaks as though no one in particular was listening, until the end when he implies the lesson he wants to teach. He says he has lived in the past for too long and that he wouldn’t mind forgetting some of the things he has encountered. Bill seems to believe that living in the past fills one with regret, as also demonstrated in the Widow story. The stories appear to be full of lost chances and missed connections, such as Bill not getting to know Tony before his suicide despite Tony calling Bill is best friend, or Bill not knowing about Carl Zane’s passing, or the spell that was broken in the first story. The effect of his narration evokes a sense of sympathy for the man’s past, as through these stories we see the world through his eyes.
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ReplyDeleteIn Bill’s story on the Widow, he closes his thoughts with, “You repent the things you’ve done, and regret the chances you let get away.” This sentence speaks to nearly every person in the world, because only the sociopathic or the naïve live with no regrets or remorse. It is a tough discipline to let go of the things one cannot change and cleanse oneself of the ghosts of the past. There will always be at least one thing that left a mark on oneself and altered the course of one’s life. And even if the path taken is satisfactory, it is human nature to wonder if going a different way could have resulted in an even more positive outcome. While this lack of contentment plays heavily on humanity’s fears of missing out or guilt of taking certain actions, it also pushes people to try to change their paths for the better or to atone for past deeds, so long as one does not get stuck in the past and fail to look towards to a better future. The quote resonates with people because it is a part of the human condition, and it has been so since time immemorial. Bill’s stories are a warning not to fall victim to living in the past, as one will regret or repent regardless. It is far better to live in the moment and save oneself from the grief towards times one cannot change.
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ReplyDelete"I dreamed of a wild landscape - elephants, dinosaurs, bat caves, strange natives, and so on." This quote stood out to me because of the whimsical appeals used to describe the visions the narrator had. In order to draw in all different types of readers, the narrator mentions a variety of animals. It presents a change from normal, day to day life, showing that he wants excitement in his life. The quote itself stands out in the story because of the change of scenery. Surrounding it is mainly dull imagery, such as "long terry-cloth robe", making the "wild landscape" of his dream seem exciting and new. I think what appeals to me the most is the narrators desire to escape the normality and to enter a world that is full of imagination and exploration.
ReplyDelete... The speaker has found himself stuck in a white fence town and, furthermore, stuck in a rountine. Often, I feel trapped in my rountine and in the life around me to the same extent that the narrator is. Dreams become an escape from stressors of class and relationships. The dream is described in a brief yet detailed way that drew my attention. "Farewell" by Denis Johnson represents the regularity life can become, while also giving a glimpse into the excitement it can hold.
Delete1) I believe that the narrator is trying to connect with the audience by telling pieces of his life. He is looking back on past experiences in his life and telling the stories of past friends. All of Bill’s stories have a connection with life/death in them. In the first story, the characters are reflecting on events that had happened in their life. They described “the loudest sounds they ever heard” and the “most silent thing.” (Denis Johnson, 121) In Farewell, one of his previous wives has received the news of her death and was trying to fix past relationships. “Ginny wanted to shed any kind of bitterness against certain people” before her last day. (Denis Johnson, 127) At first reading the stories was little confusing. I could not quite seem how they all connected into each other until I reached the end. I got the feeling that the stories were all reflecting on life. Some of the stories dealt with death while the others were just common events of life which all fit together. From Bill’s nightly strolls of the New York City streets to his friend, Tom Ellis’s interview of a death-row inmate, Bill’s stories are completely different yet they all tie together.
ReplyDelete2) “I have more to remember than I have to look forward to.” (Denis Johnson, 142) This was my favorite quote from the passage. I feel as if it tied the entire book together. It is crazy to think that at some point in our lives we reach our half way mark of life. We will one day have more past than we will have future. This quote jumped out to me because it made me question whether I have reached my mark. (I really hope I have not.) In my senior high school English class, we were required to reach the book Into the Wild. The book really inspired me to give my life a purpose. This quote has the same effect on me. It makes you question what do you want to look back and remember because one day that is what you will be left with. I want my past to be filled with meaningful memories. I want to reach the end and be okay with not having any more future. This quote really makes me reflect on life and what I want to do with mine. I really liked how this quote was placed at the end of the passage.
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