PlotYou're Ugly Too has a plot but the story focuses more on the characters than it does on what is happening to them. In the movie of You're Ugly Too, I would add more of a story of Zoe's childhood and her past that makes her who she is in the short story. The earlier information would show why she is the way she is with men because it would show flashbacks to her dating life in highschool and college and it would show how she has grown up to be so quirky. There would also be flashbacks to her job like it says in the text. The students who she teaches do not understand her and if there was more emphasis on her classroom setting, it would affect the overall meaning of how Zoe is lonely and not always confident and she tries to hide that with her humor. Adding more detail from her past overall would give a better sense of who Zoe is and why she is the eccentric woman presented in the story. Point of ViewThe point of view of You're Ugly Too is 3rd person limited to Zoe which is very effective for the story because it focuses on her quirks and eccentricities. In the movie, I would add many thought voice-overs so that it would delve more into the complexity of Zoe's mind. Any other general point of view would completely change the story. Actually, adding a dual point of view would also be effective when it comes to Earl and her relationship. If it went from Zoe's thought process to Earl's thought process, it would show how they are similar they are and how they are both looking for someone to fulfill their lives. Having the thought processes as voice overs would add to the theme of loneliness because her thoughts would emulate how she felt throughout her life. Zoe's point of view is the most important thought because it adds depth to the fact that while she is somewhat self conscious, for the most part she is not afraid to be herself and that is just how she is.CharacterizationThe characterization in this story is based mostly around Zoe, her sister, and Earl. Adding more minor characters like ex-boyfriends and students would emphasize Zoe's eccentricities and how she is different in other people's eyes. Zoe is the most complex character portrayed so she does not need much added to her characterization. I would like for there to be more added to Evan's character and her background and why she is not quite like Zoe. Zoe is definitely different, and it would also be good to have their parents cast in the movie. Having the parents in the movie would show who was more paid attention to in the family (Zoe or Evan), and if their parents were the cause of Zoe's eccentricities. Earl would also require a bit more detail and personality as a character. The most important part for all of the characters in the movie would be the Halloween party because of the significance of the costumes.SettingThe first main setting is in Illinois where Zoe teaches history at a small midwest college. The second setting is in New York when Zoe visits her sister Evan who is going to get married. I think there should be another setting at the very beginning showing her home life and how it was to grow up in Maryland. That would shape her thoughts on the midwest and how they are very ignorant of ethnic variety and cultural changes. The next main setting would be the one where she is visiting her sister. This should have a large emphasis because it shows how she interacts with Earl and with her sister in this new environment since "Illinois makes her sarcastic." The setting in Illinois with her teaching career could be in much smaller segments because it could be the flashbacks. While Illinois is important, it is better to have as a smaller setting because it would not show her growing as a character but more staying stagnant in the similarly stagnant Midwest atmosphere. ThemeThe theme of this story revolves around loneliness and finding someone to love you for who you are despite all of your eccentricities. Zoe is the epitome of eccentric and it could be said that it is difficult to love her because of her differences. It would be important to focus on the fact that while she does random little things, like pinning "Zoe's tree" on the tree outside her first house, she is still a self-conscious woman in many ways as are other women in society. This story could turn into a coming-of-age film in which a not-quite-forty-year old woman realizes who she is and why she is the way she is. Also another theme could go along with finding love and holding on to love because Zoe has had such a problem with finding love in her years and actually holding on to it since she lost her original love from high school. All of these aspects could be tied together to make a really entertaining movie, and it would definitely remind me of Juno or an Indie film of sorts!
Posted in
Film adaptation,
Indie Film,
Juno,
Lorrie Moore,
You're Ugly Too
It's not the typical sci-fi movie, and yet it involves a random baseball field in the middle of a farm, ghosts of the baseball players from the Black Sox scandal, and a bit of time travel. Field of Dreams is based on the short story "Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa" by W.P. Kinsella. The first major difference I noticed was the characters' names. In the short story the narrator or protagonist is not given a name. In the movie he is named as Ray Kinsella (notice: same last name as the author of the short story! What a coincidence :]). I assumed that the characters in the book all had the last name Ullin because the only full name that was given in the book was Glen Ullin, the narrator's father. In Field of Dreams though the father's name is John Kinsella. Plot- In the movie it takes much longer for Ray Kinsella to build the field than it seems to take in the story. While the story says it took him "Three seasons [for] seeding, watering, fussing, praying, coddling that field," (page 4), it seems as if he is buiding the field for half of the movie. The other half of the movie he is traveling to meet with some others that he believes is involved in his destiny.
- Ray Kinsella helps many people along his journey to figure out why he is building this baseball field. He helps Terrence Mann and Dr. Graham to fulfill each of their dreams. Mann gets to see his baseball heroes all play together again on this dreamlike-field and Graham gets to go back to his old self, play a little bit more baseball in the major leagues, and then realize that he really wasn't meant to play baseball. He was meant to be a doctor and save lives.
- "The Voice" speaks much more in the movie than in the story. "The Voice" tells Ray three key phrases that drive him to build this field and come to terms with his father: "If you build it he will come. Ease his pain. Go the distance."
- The Kinsella family all gets to meet Shoeless Joe Jackson in the movie rather than just the narrator in the story.
- The story only speaks of how Shoeless Joe plays on the field and not of when the rest of the Black Sox players play as well.
Point of View- The point of view remains the same in both the movie and the short story. Ray Kinsella tells the story in the movie and the narrator tells the story in the short story. In the movie, however, the narrator is more omniscient and general because Ray Kinsella does not have a voice over in the entire movie.
- Annie has more personality and dialogue in the movie rather than the book. Her character adds more flavor to the point of view because she better embodies the crazy, loving girl her husband describes her as in the story. She affects his point of view on the baseball field because she does not condemn the idea and call it crazy.
- There is not as much detail in this point of view in the movie as there is in the story. The protagonist in the story provides so much detail about Shoeless Joe and baseball in general. Also, in Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella seems much less fond of his father than he does in the short story. The movie point of view is more focused on building the field than the detail of his father's relationship as it is in the story.
CharacterizationRay Kinsella- "I'm 36 years old, I love my family, I love baseball, and I'm about to become a farmer. But until I heard the voice, I'd never done a crazy thing in my whole life." This quote from the movie embodies Ray's character in the movie and how he views his life. First, he loves his family, then he loves baseball, then he loves his farming. He is different in the movie because he does not seem to be as into farming or Iowa as he claims in the story.
- In Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella still has the same drive and determination that his character does in the short story, but he seems to resent his father more in the movie. In a way, he exalts his father in the book because he recounts many stories his father used to tell him. He also looks up his father's statistics and quickly accepts him back into his life when he figures out that he had been searching for his father the whole time.
Annie Kinsella- Annie is given much more dialogue in the movie ethan in the story, but she is still portrayed as a young, free spirited wife who loves her husband very much. She loves him so much that she does not think he is insane or crazy for cutting their livelihood in half. She knows how much he sacrificed to have this farm with her, and she is willing to help him reach his dreams like he has helped her reach hers.
- "Hey, what if the voice calls while you're gone?"
"Take a message."
This quote from the movie, said by Annie and Ray respectively, emulates their relationship. They are not afraid to be sarcastic to one another, but they still respect each other. I really like their relationship because they seem to still love each other as they did when they first met. Their love has not fizzled out even in their difficult economic times or even just through the hardships of marriage and life. Annie is a playful character who shows her love through her humor.
Karin Kinsella- While Karin doesn't have a huge part in either the book or film, she is more prominent in the film. In the book, Annie is the first person to see Shoeless Joe Jackson out on the field. In the movie, Karin says "Daddy, there is a man on your lawn."
- Karin is still the innocent child who experiences and embraces magic. At the end of the story, Mark (Ray's brother-in-law), knocks Karin off the bleachers and she causes him to be able to see the magic of the field. She is the character that has a somewhat minor role but she causes everyone else to believe because she is an innocent child who still believes.
Shoeless Joe Jackson- In both the story and the movie, Shoeless Joe comments about how there are lights on the field.
SJ: "What's with the lights?"
RK: "Oh, all the stadiums have them now. Even Wrigley Field."
SJ: Makes it harder to see the ball."
He also says the same dialogue from the story in the movie about his passion and love for baseball. He felt as if he had a part of him "amputated" when he was no longer allowed to play baseball. - Shoeless Joe is sort of the guardian angel figure in the movie. Ray Kinsella believes that he is looking for Shoeless Joe the whole time, but in reality he is looking for a better relationship and a sort of do-over with his father. At the end of the movie, Shoeless Joe says one more time "Build it and HE will come," and points to Ray's father John as a young baseball player. In the movie, Shoeless Joe brings him to his father again and helps to rekindle their relationship.
John Kinsella- In the book he is named Glen Ullin and has been given many details. His son Ray seems to like him more in the book rather than the movie. John became burnt out after he didn't make it any farther in the minor/major leagues and he settled down and had a family. He just doesn't seem like he was happy with his life, and Ray is most afraid that he will end up like his father was.
- In the end, John has a deeper connection with his son when he is a ghost than the whole time he was alive.
RK: "Hey...Dad? You wanna have a catch?"
JK: "I'd like that."
This simple conversation shows a significant resolution in the story. Ray realizes there was more to his father than just baseball and a crushed dream. He realizes how his dad may have been unhappy, but without him, he wouldn't have the drive or passion for his own life.
Mark- Mark is a new character in the movie who has a small yet significant role. He is the doubting Thomas who cannot see why his brother-in-law Ray is building this baseball field. He wants to take control of the farm so that he can get it back on its feet since his brother-in-law had some kind of crazy fit and decided to turn it into a baseball field.
- He is very involved in his sister and brother-in-law's financial situation and pushes to take the farm into his own control. He thinks that Ray is crazy for cutting their livelihood in half for something that seems like such a liability.
- In the end, Mark knocks Karin off the bleachers which causes Dr. Graham to run over to help her. She is choking on a hot dog and he is able to save her life. From there, Dr. Graham cannot go back on the field as he previously was in his youth. He realizes though that his call was to be a doctor and definitely not baseball even though it is a great past time. Mark is finally able to see this amazing baseball game, which shows how even the most doubting of people are able to open their imagination to magic.
Setting- The setting is still in rural Iowa on a family's farm. It is a small town that is very concerned with how much their children should be exposed to certain "evils" such as books that some of the PTA deem inappropriate.
- The baseball field that Ray Kinsella constructs is completely finished whereas in the story he only finishes the left field. He looks after the field for quite a long time and takes a long time to build it. In the story he was only concerned with making the left field look nice so that Shoeless Joe would be comfortable and happy playing there. In the movie he looks to finish the entire field which would take even more money.
- The movie is also set in places such as Boston, Fenway Park, and Minnesota as Kinsella journeys to figure out what "The Voice" is saying to him. In Boston he finds Terrence Mann and then he takes him to a baseball game at Fenway Park. In Minnesota he finds Dr. Graham and speaks to his ghost form. Then on their way back to Iowa, Mann and Kinsella pick up Archie Graham, Dr. Graham's youth that played baseball for less than a season.
Theme- The themes from the story still carry over into the movie. Hardwork, passion, and love all are shown in the same ways in both the story and the movie. The more prominent theme in the movie though focuses on the relationship between parent and child.
- "The Voice" says three things in the movie:
"Build it and he will come."
"Ease his pain."
"Go the distance."
-All three are advice on mending a relationship with a parent and/or child. All along, Ray doesn't really know why he is building this field until he believes that it is so he can meet Shoeless Joe Jackson. He builds this field as a shrine to Jackson when in reality it turns out to be for his father. In order for him to see his father again, he must build the field. In the end, he comes.
-Ray believes he must ease Terrence Mann's pain in order to see Shoeless Joe on his field. While he travels to see Terrrence, he ends up easing his pain and giving him the greatest joy of his life to see the infamous baseball players. In the end, he was supposed to ease his father's pain who was connected to this author in a way because the author happened to use John Kinsella as a name of a character in a book. Ray's father was in much pain because of his unfinished dream with baseball and his unhappiness in his life. Ray was able to ease his pain by playing catch with him at the end of the movie.
-Ray literally goes the distance to find Dr. Graham and in the end his father. He travels across the country and constructs this baseball field in hopes to have "him" come to the field. He figures out in the end that he had to go the distance to reach his father because his father was at a distant place and he struggled with their relationship. - These three statements by the voice say how a relationship can be mended. They can easily carry over into the real world where a person doesn't have to build a baseball field because they are hearing voices. In the real world, that would be considered insane. The details might be different from story to movie, but the moral or idea remains: relationships are not around forever, and most difficult are sometimes worth the extra effort. Build it and he will come. Ease his pain. Go the distance.
Posted in
Field of Dreams,
Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa,
W.P. Kinsella
4. Why is the couple splitting up? Do we know? Does it matter? Explain your response.It honestly isn't important whether or not we know why the couple is splitting up. It is not told why they are splitting up, but I got the impression that one or the other cheated on his or her spouse because the wife says "I'm so glad you're leaving...You can't even look me in the face can you?" This gives me the impression that he did something wrong (ie cheated) and is too guilty to even look at her. It honestly doesn't matter why they are splitting up but it matters that they are both very selfish in their split. They are both so concerned with their own pride and selfishness that they do not pay any attention to the baby's needs. I blame the mom for bringing the baby into the situation because it never said that the baby was crying or in need of care. It says that she saw a picture of the baby and then went to hold the baby as if rubbing it in her husband's face that she still has the baby and he has nothing since he is leaving. I believe that the husband wouldn't have started fighting for the baby if she had not brought the baby into the room. They are so selfish that they end up hurting the baby in some way, most likely killing the baby, because of the last line that says "In this manner, the issue was decided." It was decided who wouuld have the baby: neither. They allowed the baby to become something material instead of a human being they should be nurturing and caring for above themselves. These people are the not the kind of people you want to be having kids since they obviously can't take care of their own personal problems in a mature way.
Posted in
cheating,
Popular Mechanics,
Raymond Carver,
selfish
1. What is the significance of Zoe's many eccentricities--for instance, her keeping all her pocketbook items in Baggies, and her unusual way of interacting with her students? Does her eccentricity make her more or less sympathetic as a character?This story seems much more contemporary than other stories we have read. Zoe is an intriguingly complex character who has so many different layers that the reader cannot even uncover because she is somewhat mysterious. The significance of her eccentricities involves the fact that she is a free spirit but at the same time a sort of OCD neat freak. She seems bored with the normal practices of life, especially since she couldn't really be a rebel in the small town that she still lives in. I think she interacts with her students in such a different way because she wants them to enjoy her class and she also wants to show them how passionate she is about her teaching career because she likes to make things interesting. Her eccentricity makes her somewhat more sympathetic because people respond to those who are different from the norm. She is a relateable character because everyone has little quirks that differentiate them from others. In general, I think Zoe is just a person who is more willing to show her true self in a world where people are still very superficial.
Posted in
eccentricity,
Lorrie Moore,
superficial,
sympathetic,
You're Ugly Too
1. What are the sources of humor in this story? Does the humor arise from observation of life or from distortion of life? What elements of the story seem to you funniest?The sources of humor are somewhat dry but at the same time give off great mental images. Alcohol seems to be the father's downfall when in reality it is his pride that gets him. He is proud to have information others do not and he is proud to be especially good at something. The bad thing about is pride is that when he is particularly happy about something he decides to celebrate with alcohol. Then he is mad at himself for giving in to that temptation, so he drinks to "reprimand" himself in a way. Then he drinks to forget about his previous drinking. That part is pretty amusing as well. The humor arises from the observation of life because he observes how great he is then he is upset that he gave into such temptation. The funniest part of the story is when the young boy is walking home with his dad and there is a sort of role reversal. Larry is being loud and obnoxious to everyone on the way home and his father is being whiny and embarrassed like his son usually is. It seems that when the kid becomes the adult, the adult reverts to a childlike state. Then another part that is humorous is when the mom praises Larry for being drunk because he was her "brave little man" and he was his dad's "guardian angel" (page 352) because he prevented his father from getting drunk which allowed him to go to work the next day.
Posted in
drunk,
Frank O'Connor,
humor,
irony,
The Drunkard
This story is very deceiving because the title makes it seem like it is going to be something happy or prosperous for someone, but it is just the opposite. The Lottery is an annual event that includes stoning a person chosen at random for good luck in growing crops. There are many foreshadowing events that happen early on in the story though before it is actually announced what the lottery is. The people are acting nervously with their smiles rather than laughter at jokes (page 364) which only happens when someone's mind is not in the conversation or the present. It is required that everyone must attend this lottery, which would not be the case with a lottery as I think of it, winning money. When the women are speaking about the lottery they say how it seems as if it was only last week, implying that they do no look forward to what is going to happen. Then when the reader finds out that someone dies in this process, the primitive nature of the community is revealed. I think there is some sort of conspiracy with Mr. Summers because he is the person who is instigating the practice in that he wants a new box, meaning he wants to continue on with the barbaric tradition. He seems to have ulterior motives because he does not stay completely with the tradition that it used to be, but he changes it ever so slightly. Since Mrs. Hutchinson is late to the ceremony, It seems like there is some way that Mr. Summers chooses who is going to die. He is very unsentimental toward Mrs. Hutchinson and her family when she has been chosen. I also think that it is odd when she arrives that the narrator says "...and Mr. Summers, who had been waiting, said cheerfully, 'Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie." (page 266). That really gave me the feeling that Summers knew she was going to die or someone in her family was going to die because there was no way the practice could have gone on without her. This barbaric practice of the community really freaks me out and I hope this doesn't actually happen around the world...
Posted in
conspiracy,
foreshadowing,
Shirley Jackson,
The Lottery
