Let me begin by saying that I was impressed by wordle. Making your own is even better than observing someone else’s…so if you did not make one for this assignment, I suggest messing with the site.
Just like in the story, Mel is the biggest part of the conversation. He is surrounded by his smaller thoughts and feelings which amply describe him and his ideas. The random placement and lack of context for words like open and breaking stand out to me. He was open with what he felt, but I as the story continued I thought his points were starting to break apart in the eyes of his friends. More than anything though, the phrase “heart fucking drunk” read off as a concise description of Mel’s state of mind. He walks a fine line with his wife and tells his friend’s girlfriend that he’d love her if things were different. He was definitely f’n some hearts in his drunken tirade.
I randomly organized the words many times waiting for something to strike me. Then I saw love removed from all the other words. It was the focus of the story and most often mentioned, so it is the biggest, but because it was all opinionated philosophizing, love was never neatly packaged. It is as if no one ever approached what it was.
I was struck by the ending of the story. It was anticlimactic, just like passing out after a night of drinking rather than going out. I feel I have been trained to read to the end for the final insight or neat conclusion. I anxiously wait to see what the story will all wind up as, and I think I miss the importance of each page; it was the middle of the story that held the grand statements. As far as applying that to the wordle, I know better than to BS BSers.
I forgot the damn wordle...http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3178745/What_We_Talk_About
ReplyDeleteI really like your point about reading for the conclusion. As an English teacher it's tempting to read for the final conclusion, and maybe this is an important point to show student writers. That the intro and conclusion of anything they write is important, but sometimes the meat of the writing (essay, memoir, short story, poem) is most strongly stated in the middle.
ReplyDeleteI'm also excited to let students play with Wordle. It allows words like open and breaking and crazy to stand out more than they do on a first read. Not the end all, but certainly a fun tool.
Mel does talk himself into a corner, and I like the breaking point you make. They break down love and to me, miss the point and make the point all together. The path of their conversation is familiar to me (as is awkward couples, and a conversation dominator) but I also think that this type of conversation could be a model in that they begin to define something impossible to define (love) with some examples, and by what it is not. The characters never reach a conclusion, but they explore the possibilities.
Tell me if I'm talking out of my English teacher butt... happens sometimes.
Like Adam, I also like your discussion of the ending of the story. I think that most of the stories we have read thus far, with the exception of, "A Small, Good Thing" haven't really had an epic climactic ending. I kind of like it, though. There's something poetic in the way he writes; how stories end like days would: with things happening but not all of those things being resolved.
ReplyDeleteThe Wordle you made is pretty awesome and I do like how love is way out there away from everything. Your claim that "no one ever approached what it was" is pretty interesting to consider. I mean, the characters certainly put in their two cents about it, but at the end of the day there was no progress toward actually defining it. Good point.
I love your thoughts on the conclusion. I, too, have these feelings that there is supposed to be some BANG moment at the end. But sometimes, not having that bang is more beautiful. Especially when put into your drunken Geneseo terms, it's even more poignant.
ReplyDeleteThe Wordle idea looked intriguing, and the things everyone is coming up with are awesome. I especially like your line "He was definitely f’n some hearts in his drunken tirade." haha so true. It's funny how perfect and poetic those things can be