"I've read some of your stuff, and, you know, I never thought that anyone could get so much drivel onto half a hundred pages. It's beyond imagination" (Yerofeyev 53).
Imagine a writer going about creating a story. What does it look like? How long does it take them? Where does it come from? Is there some sort of real life connection to the writer? Alternatively, is it a completely imaginative endeavor, created out of thin air and electrical nerve impulses occurring in the author's brain? Perhaps it a bit of both? How many times a day does a story occur in your head? How many times do you write it down?
Often during my time in grade school English classes, we would be tasked with writing a story. I could never really tell you why we were writing a story, nor do any of those stories really stick in my head as making a big impact on my growth as a writer. The creation of these stories followed a simple and in my humble opinion lifeless process:
- Read mentor text where "x" happens.
- Writing prompt assigned: "What was a moment in your life where "x" happened?"
- Scavenging and scouring my brain, searching endlessly for some sort of memory or figment of my imagination where my life even partially relates to "x." It is at this time that it appears to me my life has completely nothing worthy of writing about in regards to this illusive "x."
- Eventually settle on some blurry memory which (might) relate to "x," and which I figure I (might) be able to stretch out into a scrappy story.
- Drafting
- Perhaps a forced revision?
- Submission
- A receival of a grade, with a swift and immediate death of the story to follow. Maybe some sort of insight or writing skills are gained.
The purpose of this blog post and text set is to avoid this pitfall entirely. To examine stories, writers, poems, novels, short films, and video games (?!?) for their masterful ability to take a simple premise and make a full and imaginative story out of it. Despite being full fledged stories, each text is simultaneously able to be summarized in one simple sentence.
(Before I dive into the texts, can I rant just a bit longer on something which I could never understand in school? Why is it that we (students) were always forced to write about ourselves in relation to a text? I am all for exploring identity, and writing from a personal perspective, but that doesn't mean I will always be able to have a story to tell. Forcing students to make a connection which they don't feel first for themselves is like fitting a square peg in a round hole. It provides a narrow idea of what good writing is to students, as if to suggest that you only have a story to tell if it relates to your real life. The reality is, many great books are entirely works of fiction, yet why is it that we discourage or don't give students the opportunity to write this way? Anyways, I digress...)
Text #1 - Stoner by John Williams (Print novel)
1) Williams, John. Stoner. University of Arkansas Press, 1988.
2) Stoner follows the life and story of William Stoner, described as a "quiet English professor in a small town in the mid-west who never does anything newsworthy, knows little joy, and dies to be forgotten almost at once." Despite this, Stoner draws a captivating picture of life, loss, love, and peace in just under 300 pages.
3)
Quantitative: According to storytoolz, Stoner is suited for readers ranging from 9-12th grade.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level - Grade 9.8
Automated Readability Index - Grade 10.8
Coleman-Liau - Grade 11.3
Average grade level - Grade 10.6
Qualitative: As a whole, Stoner is a generally simple read. I believe a large reason why it earned a higher lexile/storytoolz score is due to it's usage of language revolving around university practices (masters, doctors, dissertation, etc.). As long as these processes are given some explanation for students, it won't impact their ability to understand the story at heart. Furthermore, due to the story taking place in the 19th century, some of the literature and content discussed among Stoner and his colleagues may not be very relatable to readers (myself included!). That being said, this doesn't impact the story's impact and plot. Words to be discussed beforehand or during the reading include:
- Humanity
- Potentiality
- Prosodic
- Incompetent
- Conventional
- Dissertation
- Rigidity
- Finality
4) In a way, I view Stoner as the catalyst for my topic of this text set. It is a book with an extremely simple plot and set of events, yet it is written so eloquently and vividly that it leaves a lasting impression on me and has entirely changed my viewpoint of storytelling. Growing up, I thought good storytelling would involve a multitude of dramatic and eventful things occurring. I think this belief can be extended to other students who struggle with starting storytelling/writing, as they might see it as a goliath of complex varying scenes when in reality it doesn't need to be that; which Stoner demonstrates perfectly.
5)
- How does Williams utilize timing and pacing in Stoner. Given that the story spans across a large majority of Stoner's life, what choices does he make to imply and draw the passing of time?
- How do you perceive Stoners life? Is it worthy of the story? Is it mundane, inspiring, sad, hopeful, neither, both? Why?
- Throughout all of history, a common recurring concept we find is for the human desire to be remembered for something. Do you feel that Stoner portrays that, why or why not?
Text #2 - "Going" from Beth Nugent's City of Boys (Print short story)
1) Nugent, Beth. City of Boys: Stories. Vintage Books, 1993.
2) Anne and her partner David are on a road trip to visit her family in Marion, IN. Somewhere along the way, Anne has made the final decision: To leave David upon their return. Anne's time with her family is met with hushed conversations, awkward silences, and a promise to her sister's children which she struggles to keep.
3)
Quantitative: According to storytoolz, "Going" is suited for readers ranging from 9-12th grade.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level - Grade 10.0
Automated Readability Index - Grade 11.7
Coleman-Liau - Grade Grade 6.5 (?)
Average grade level - Grade 9.9
Qualitative: Nugent's short story serves as a good companion to Stoner, because each story has a fair bit of differences while holding some key similarities. To start, both stories are third person fictional narratives following the lives of a specific individual, also illustrating the people and world around them. Furthermore, each story explores moments of tension between characters, while coming in and out of these character's psyche. Their differences lie primarily in the time in which the stories take place, as well as their tone. "Going" opts for a much more tense and spiteful tone, while Stoner is more wistful and self-pitying. Words to be discussed beforehand or during the reading include:
- Relations
- Orientation
- Strain
- Apropos
- Patronizing
- Dismayed
4) I have been very outspoken about my love for City of Boys for as long as I can remember. For this topic, I feel as if I could pick just about any of the stories in it for this text set/subject. I ultimately chose it for it's thematical parallels to Stoner while also offering a more sassy and emotional set of characters. Nugent's stories are haunting as they are beautiful. The writing is dark, gripping, and offers a nice change of pace following Stoner. More specifically, I think "Going" is worth examining for it's ability to portray emotions through its scenes and imagery. Ultimately, Anne holds up her promise to her sister's children, yet the looming rain and strange carnival worker leave everyone involved in an underwhelming state of disarray.
5)
- What are some words in which you would describe Anne? Do you find her thoughts and feelings relatable or not?
- Given the story's ending, what are you left feeling as the reader? Are you able to imagine what each character's future could look like?
- How does Stoner and "Going" relate/differ in their ability to paint scenes. Which of the two do you find to be more captivating and why?
Text #3 - The Stanley Parable by Crows Crows Crows (Multimedia video game)
1) Crows Crows Crows. The Stanley Parable. 2022, https://www.stanleyparable.com/.
2) The Stanley Parable follows the story of a faceless and voiceless man named Stanley. You as the player control Stanley, essentially writing his story with the very decisions you make throughout the game. The game starts with everyone in his office job suddenly disappearing, and you're left with nothing but a witty narrator and your free will. It is your decision whether or not you will follow the story of the narrator, or rebel and carve out your own path. The Stanley Parable is a choose-your-own-adventure taken to new heights.
3) Since The Stanley Parable is a video game, it's tricky to categorize and evaluate its qualitative and quantitative elements. That being said, the game is rated E10+ by the ESRB, meaning it is appropriate and suitable for almost all 6th grade students and above. Furthermore, the language and themes explored in the game are perfectly appropriate for the classroom, especially when it's considered that the mass majority of high school (and even younger) students are playing games rated 17+. Although the game doesn't have a specific set of words which would need to be explained, some words and concepts which would serve as good scaffolding would include:
- Freedom
- Narration
- Parable
- Game
- Choice
- Beginning/End (of story)
4) The Stanley Parable is included in this text set for a variety of reasons:
- Video games offers a fun yet still educational break from reading texts.
- The game is unique as it doesn't have a traditional "goal" or way to "win" compared to most games.
- The game is assessable and easy to pick up by students regardless of their prior experience with video games.
- The outcome or events are entirely up to the individual player's choices, leaving a large assortment of different outcomes. This causes each playthrough to have different occurrences.
- Similarly to the texts explored above, The Stanley Parable takes a simple and quite dry premise and turns it into something fun, strange, off-the-wall, and memorable. There isn't anything quite like it.
5) A question or thinking activity for students to consider when interacting with the text.
- How does Stanley as a character differ from Stoner and Anne? What impact does this make on the story.
- Giving the player choices made for a personal experience. Do you think this made the game more impactful compared to stories which are predetermined by the author? Why or why not?
- What impact does the Narrator have on The Stanley Parable? Did you feel inclined to follow his script, or did you carve your own path? Why?
- What lessons has The Stanley Parable taught you about the limits and possibilities in storytelling?
Text #4 - Eskos by Barnaby Dixon (Multimedia short film)
(Warning: Eskos contains scenes with blood along with mild violence)
1) Dixon, Barnaby, director. Eskos. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUZ0VS9LZhQ.
2) Eskos follows two puppet "workers" who face a disagreement on how to deal with a bird disturbing their daily tasks.
3) Similarly to The Stanley Parable, Eskos is hard to evaluate for a few reasons. Firstly, it is completely void of dialogue. The characters are not only mute, but the story itself contains little to no text. Thus, the viewer is left to comprehend and pick up the story entirely through body language and visual storytelling. That being said, the story itself is generally simple and easy to understand for it's intended audience (13+).
4) I find Eskos serves as a nice contrast to The Stanley Parable just as Stoner does to "Going." It opts for a more serious tone and relies less on words/dialogue and instead opts to rely entirely on visuals and body language. Even the lack of music is noticeable in its overall hushed delivery. Because of this, sound is also emphasized as an essential aspect of storytelling. The sparseness of Eskos gives it a style which perfectly compliments the maximalist approach of The Stanley Parable.
5) A question or thinking activity for students to consider when interacting with the text.
- Do you think Eskos could be made into a good written short story? Why or why not?
- With the absence of dialogue, music, and text, do you think the visual and auditory elements served enough of a purpose to make Eskos an interesting/captivating story? Why or why not?
- What elements of Eskos did you find most noticeable? (sound or lack thereof, aesthetics, characters, setting, etc.) Why?
Text #5 - All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury (Culturally relevant short story)
2) A classroom of children living on Mars gather around for an hour of sunshine in an otherwise perpetually raining world, which only occurs once every seven years. All but one of the students are able to enjoy this moment.
3)
Quantitative: According to storytoolz, "All Summer in a Day" is suited for readers ranging from 5th grade and above.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level - Grade 4.2
Automated Readability Index - Grade 4.6
Coleman-Liau - Grade 5.8
Average grade level - Grade 5.6
Qualitative: Personally, I expected the storytoolz score to be lower compared to the other texts included in this set, but I wasn't expecting it to be as low as it is. Of course, this is just another reason why quantitative aspects don't mean everything for texts. In terms of qualitative, I find the story's themes are very relevant even for older readers. Specifically, its exploration of jealousy, envy, and cruelty stick out to me for further exploration. Words to be discussed beforehand or during the reading include:
- Remembrance
- Consequence
- Repercussions
- Tremor
- Resilient
- Civilization
4) "All Summer in a Day" stands out specifically as a culturally relevant text for the possible discussions it can spawn. The children's treatment of Margot portrays a very realistic scenario, and could garner self reflection from students. Furthermore, the story engages with the sci-fi genre without indulging in the genre's typical qualities such as dense worldbuilding and an overreliance on technology. The simple premise of a world which has a significant absence of sunlight also gives more context to the cruelty of the characters in which inhabit it. I think the briefness and humanity of "All Summer in a Day" makes it stand out among sci-fi stories and texts.
5) A question or thinking activity for students to consider when interacting with the text.
5) A question or thinking activity for students to consider when interacting with the text.
- Do you think the students/children understand the gravity of their treatment of Margot? Why or why not?
- How does the ending of "All Summer in a Day" leave you feeling? Why?
- How can "All Summer in a Day" be related to modern day on Earth? Specifically in regards to jealousy, privilege, envy, etc.?
Text #6 - "VESSEL" by Terrence Hayes (Culturally relevant poetry - taken from Arbor for Butch)
1) Hayes, Terrence. VESSEL. 2009, https://www.aprweb.org/poems/arbor-for-butch2.
2) A son, another son, and a father in a run down motel. The story lies in a lack of one, due to the father's unexplained absence, which the narrator seems to prefer over a presence.
3)
Quantitative: According to storytoolz, "VESSEL" is suited for readers ranging from 9-12th grade.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level - Grade 11.4
Automated Readability Index - Grade 11.4
Coleman-Liau - Grade 4.0 (?)
Average grade level - Grade 9.9
Qualitative: Despite the language being generally simple in "VESSEL," I actually quite agree with the quantitative rating of grades 9+. I think the poems heavy subject matter of family discord and trauma is best suited for older students and "VESSEL" in specific gives them a poem which contains many contrasting emotions. From the frustration directed towards the dad in the beginning, to the alternative tone of almost indifference or even thankfulness of an absence of the eldest father. Hayes' choice to personify and compare the father to a stained mattress, leaves readers with a few interesting avenues of interpretation.
4) I chose "VESSEL" as one of my two culturally relevant texts for its ability to transcribe and encapsulates the narrators relationships and life despite not giving away specific details. Furthermore, it demonstrates writing for its unique ability to provide catharsis. The English classroom needs to be a space for students to engage and interrogate what is on their mind. Of course, I'm not suggesting or implying I would overtly tell students to "write about their trauma" or "share their deepest and darkest secrets." Rather, I would expose them to the possibilities in which writing offers ways for them to channel those frustrations and individual hardships into something creative and life-affirming.
5) A question or thinking activity for students to consider when interacting with the text.
- Considering Hayes' writing, who do you think he is writing for in regards to "VESSEL?" For himself, his son, his family, anyone?
- Additionally, WHY do you think that Hayes wrote "VESSEL?" To be read, to be heard, to be understood, something else?
- Do you feel that writing gives you a power to let out your thoughts, feelings, struggles, etc.? Why or why not?
No comments:
Post a Comment