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.
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.
December 3, 2010 at 3:48 PM
you're right that it's contemporary....it was published in 1990. Many students have said that's why they found it more humorous....the sense of humor better matched ours in 2010