AGENDA:
1. Review last class--some of you have not posted a comment!
2. What is parody--see earlier post
3. New questions for discussion
4. Choose a writing exercise from these two posts --setting, tone (rewrite Jody's experience with a different tone), or a "monster" attack
Bloodsucking Fiends
1) 1. Moore uses the contrasting beauty of the San Francisco skyline and a homeless man to set the stage for his tale. How do these contrasting images work to create a feeling of mystery? Why does the image of the Emperor lead the reader to believe that things are not always what they seem in San Francisco?
2. Writing exercise: Using Moore's first chapter as an example, write an introduction to a short story in which you establish the setting. This exercise should be no more than one page in length.
3. Explain why setting the scene in a story such as Bloodsucking Friends is important. Would the book still be as interesting if the author did not take the time to establish the setting for his interesting characters?
After Jody
wakes up in the dumpster, she is surprised to discover she feels completely
changed. After traumatic experiences, we often must change to cope with what
has happened to us. Everyone deals with it differently, and Jody is no
exception. The change can be for the good or make one's life worse, but pushes
us to accept change.
1) 1. Rewrite
Jody's experience waking up in the dumpster. As you rewrite the passage, try a
different tone than Moore's. What type of tone did you choose to address this
passage? How does it differ from Moore's tone?
Nathan Pembrook
ReplyDeleteRewritten Jody waking up
Jovial (happy) tone
Moore uses a shocked or panicked tone when telling the tale of Jody waking up in the dumpster
The last thing she remembers is being mugged, bitten on the neck by her attacker, and then sucking the blood out of her attackers arm before blacking out. She woke up under something. She pushed the thing on top of her off and it went flying across the alley. Her left hand was burned badly, and her arm was as pale as a piece of paper. It only took her a moment to realize what had happened. Her mugger was a vampire, and now she was a vampire too. She was delighted. She jumped around the alley with her hands above her head and dancing like she just won the super bowl. She wanted to tell everyone. She went out into the street in search of a pay phone, still jumping around and now singing. She called her aunt to tell her, but she didn’t have any change. As she ran back to the alley to search for a quarter, a wad of hundred dollar bills fell out of her shirt. She lifted up her shirt and many more fell out. She was a vampire and made ten thousand dollars. She stopped and smiled and thought to herself; could life be any better?
Kayli Zeluff:
ReplyDeleteA zombie, a dead being. No longer living. Decaying flesh drooping from everywhere. The skin about to splat on the cement, the glazed-over, far-away eyes watched. Not sure if they were actually seeing. Chunks bitten out of the face bled and oozed. His clothes were ripped and hanging awkwardly off his body. Dirt clung to every bit of him. The soles of his shoes were longer than the actual shoes themselves and were torn in random places. The stench was potent. My eyes watered the closer he got. A deep groan came out every tiny step he took. Chunks of missing hair gathered on his neck and fell down his back, making a pile by his feet.
Ethan Gresko
ReplyDeleteRewrite tone
Matter-of-fact
Moore’s tone: Panic
She woke up to a furry thing on her head. She tried to shake it off, however was unable to due to something big weighing her down. She lifted herself, like doing a push up. The object, which she found out was a dumpster, flew off her as if it were instead a feather. She was cold. Trying to warm herself by wrapping her arms around her, she felt her skin. It was cold to the touch, like a chilled mug or something. Curious of how long she was out, she began to walk out of the dark ally.
Her facial expressions were calm as she walked down the street. She reached for the object on her chest that was bothering her. She dropped the stacks of hundred dollar bills as she noticed her charred hand. It didn’t hurt. As long as I’m okay, she thought, it was fine. Free money was fine, and a furnace could just cure a chilly night. But who gave her the free money, and who did this to her? A toothache interrupted her thoughts. She touched her fingers to the roof of her mouth and felt to rather sharp teeth piercing through her mouth and establishing herself on the top corners of her teeth. Was she a vampire? That would be pretty neat. It would definitely mix up her life, add some adventure. Jodi the vampire. A fitting title.
Gena Driscoll-Brantley
ReplyDeleteTask: Describe a monster
It was the smallest monster I had ever seen. It was as small as my fingernail. I found it hiding under a leaf in the forest when I was out for my morning stroll. I gave it a bit of my chamomile tea, which made it fall asleep instantly. I wrapped it in a leaf and carried it gently back home with me. Once home, I laid it on my desk and peered at it under a magnifying glass. It had eight legs. It was brilliant purple with streaks of lime green. A terrifying color scheme. It had at least three eyes. There might have been a fourth, but it was hard to tell whether it was an eye or a venomous horn. An unruly hot pink lion’s mane surrounded its head. I wondered if it had a perm, or if its hair was naturally that curly. I put it in a glass of orange juice, just to see what would happen. Tentacles sprouted out from between its legs. And the legs were now inflating and merging together, giving it the appearance of a monstrous life raft. I took it out of the orange juice and placed it on one of the propellers on my ceiling fan. Then I turned the fan on. Its tentacles slipped back into its squishy body and it morphed into a dragonfly. What a marvelous contraption! I got bored and took a nap. When I awoke, I looked around for the monster, but all I found was a spider. The monster could morph into other creatures! Amazing. Then I fell asleep again.
Frances Brown
ReplyDeleteRewrite Jody's waking up
I knew that it was nighttime when I woke up but I could not tell how long I had been there. The last thing I remember before blacking out was being attacked by large figure, which caused me to feel very frightened and paranoid. Now I had to get home and tell Kurt what happened so he may take me to the hospital. However, I don’t remember what the ominous figure looked like. What if he decided to attack me again? I felt so tired but I began to run. At that point I boarded the bus. It felt like everyone was staring at me and I didn’t know if one of these people was my attacker. I sat in the back of the bus so I could watch everyone.
Describing a monster:
ReplyDeleteThe Headless-Horseman
He rides the black, strong-legged, long-mane, stallion with pride and one-handily. With one hand he holds a glowing jack-o-lantern, which has great artistry. He has a deep, evil, chuckle, while he terrifies his city. Sleepy Hallow. The head-less horse rocks out in style with a long, red-velvet cape, and the black, ashy gloves to match. His straight, faded black pants, fits his strong, long legs, followed by his tall revolutionary foot-wear. He wears a double breasted metallic vest, with a long black ruffled collar. The headless- horseman usually with a sharp hatchet, to chop people heads off. Instead he would rather have fun by tormenting the little kids on Hallow Eve.