Response 7

Gentlemen. Sorry for my absence from the blog. I've returned. For response 7 I have created a cartoon of the story "Fever." This story really got to me. I can't get the line "Happy. As if, Carlyle thought, happiness was all there was to life." I feel it's one of those sentences that gets right to the heart of what Carver is writing about. That there's so much more to who we are and what we want and what we experience than just seeking happiness. It may be part of it, but by no means is happiness all that life is about. Genius.

I have mixed feelings about the Toondoo website I used. For one thing, the name is stupid and childish, but the real danger with this website and places like goanimate, and even glogster is that I think there is a chance of mocking the literature we read in high school English class. There are good, all-in-fun parodies, but some of these websites have the potential for completely missing the point when in students hands. They also have potential for beautiful creation. It is incumbent on the teacher to build that respectful classroom community, I suppose. But I get nervous. I'm the same way as a dad. I can see the 300 ways my daughter could lose an eye or a tooth at anytime, and have to convince myself that taking risks is good for everyone's development. Just as it is our students. Ah well. Here is the cartoon.

By MisterAA | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

I tried to incorporate the scenes that really stuck out, made an impact, and carried the story. Let me know if I succeeded. The story is beautiful and terrible like the best of Carver's works and I worry about walking the line between parody and disrespect.

Peace.