http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/07/249439677/watch-maya-angelous-poem-for-nelson-mandela
UNTIL GWEN--Dennis Lehane
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lXthgpRBoM
Click on this link and read (saving paper):
adlibris.com/se/images/UntilGwen.pdf
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=76576
An interview with Dennis Lehane
theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2004/05/hookers-guns-and-money/3125/
Until Gwen Response
What about "Until Gwen" sticks out the most to you? You could focus on a scene, an image, a character, the style, the point of view, a theme--anything really. Write a perfect paragraph of 5-7 sentences in response.
Also:
"Until Gwen"
Use the title "Until Gwen" in a sentence about the main character of this story: "Until Gwen, he ______. During Gwen, he ______. After Gwen, he ______." Do the same with the main character's father: "Until Gwen, his father ______. During Gwen, his father ______. After Gwen, his father ______." Describe the lasting impact Gwen had on these two men. Are there similarities?
At the story's end, the main character has all the means to completely re-invent himself. Financially he is secure. On paper he has no past. He is able to completely start somewhere new where no one knows him. If you could write an epilogue to this story, one year later, where would he be?
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Wow. You were right Ms.Gamzon this was probably the best and most interesting short stories I have ever read. I loved how Dennis Lehane wrote this story in second-person. It made me actually feel as if I was that character in the story.
ReplyDelete"Your father picks you up from prison in a stolen Dodge Neon, with an 8-ball of coke in the glove compartment and a hooker named Mandy in the back seat." JESUS LORD BUDDHA can I get some room to process?, the story just came at me it didn't even give me time to think (dont get me wrong I read the crap out of those pages), what are we ten year olds in a relationship? This story was really detailed and the fact that he used a second-person perspective was just a great idea for this story, especially the imagery he shoots at your face. And for the people who didn't read yet, be prepared to get kicked in your throat. <3 Hearts to Dennis Lahane.
The point of view in "Until Gwen" stuck out the most to me. Reading second person isn't that common so the way that everything was worded immediately grabbed my attention. The story being in second person make it easier to understand due to the fact that you knew what Bobby was thinking and how he would react the entire time. It defiantly stuck out to me enough to make me want to practice different writing styles.
ReplyDeleteIt kind of gives you like a two way perspective of Bobby. It starts off as you're seeing the world through his eyes but then, you get to see the elements that built up to everything, to the shocking ending. -don't want to give a spoiler alert- You get to actually see Bobby as we would see ourselves as humans. He is not described as like just any ordinary story character. he had a realistic feel and a realistic reaction to the events that occurred in the story and i feel Dennis Lehane did a great job in giving life to Bobby as a character.
ReplyDelete-Branden
This short story was very interesting. I liked the way the author tried to set up a surprise ending. I also really enjoyed all of the flashbacks. They tied together the entire story. I found the father's character kind of confusing. I understand what he does for a living and stuff yet I am kind of confused why his attitude is the way it is. He seemed like a good and caring father until the middle where he acts like a jerk. Bobby's character is also extremely interesting because the author develops him through actions, not just descriptions. I found him the most believable because of how he kept comparing everyday things to how they were in prison. He was also believeable because he always kept Gwen, someone he cared for, in his thoughts and always remembers the memories he has with her. It adds a tiny bit of romance to a very action filled short story. All together, I really enjoyed this short story and we should read more like this one.
ReplyDeleteIn the story "Until Gwen" by Dennis Lehane, the relationship between Bobby and his father is most interesting to me. Throughout the story Bobby is characterized in a noninclusive manner. We get to know him but we end still not knowing much about him because he didn't know much about himself. His father is also characterized as being a shady person who Booby clearly doesn't trust. He asks his father several time what happened to the hooker, many, who he says he took home. Bobby continues to question his father indicating that he doesn't trust what he is saying. The most interesting part of their relationship is how it comes to a conclusion, the irony featured within it. His father seemed to be honest but the entire story Bobby knew Gwen was dead, and that his father was going to try and kill him in search of this mammoth-sized diamond. The irony of the situation was most shocking to me that instead of Bobby being murdered by his father, he murders his father instead and finally finds Gwen's grave.
ReplyDeleteThis short story captured me right away. I love these types; crime, mystery, such things. So I could say that I loved the story as a whole, which is true. But a particular part I enjoyed the most would be the ending, when everything came together, and the reader has to do a little thinking. We now know that Bobby's father killed Gwen, and we know where the diamond has been hidden. The reader also thinks about the main character's new self-evaluation about himself, who he is now, and how he will behave after the actions have passed him. This astounding second person story, which makes the work even more interesting and captivating, had me from the first sentence all the way to the end. It was cleverly written with any stylistic techniques, which tied into the plot to deliver a nice story.
ReplyDeleteWhat stuck out the most to me about "Until Gwen" was the use of flashbacks. For most of the story, it felt like that there were huge gaps what we knew about each of the characters and their situations, and by switching between a sort of flashbacks, slowly the story get filled out. It was almost like you too couldn't remember anything, just like Bobby, and that with each recollection the story and his memory were being fleshed out. It wasn't until the ending really that I felt like I understood each character and all the events that happened over the course of the story. That sort of suspense was very compelling to me.
ReplyDeleteDennis Lehane's short story "Until Gwen" employed an interesting use of second person point of view. The repeated use of the word "you" made me feel more connected to the main character. It was engaging because I didn't really know anything about the first character. The reader didn't even find out what the character's name was until, like, twelve pages into the text. I think the purpose of this was to not give the character too many distinctive traits, so that the reader could project their own traits onto the character. This makes the reader feel like they are really part of the story, which further strengthens the second person narrative.
ReplyDeleteUntil Gwen was a great short fiction story: the plot was well written; the story line was amazing; and the characters were phenomenal. I liked the way the author started the story, the main character was fresh out of prison, and you're wondering who's this female he's talking to? Is it Gwen? The father had no remorse how he would talk about his baby's mom and/or any other females. Bobby his story, his back-story, was well written. Not knowing who he truly is. I liked the way the author developed this character. Even though Bobby has some done bad things to people, you'd still feel for him, and personally I agree with what he did to his father. I was upset at the fact this Gwen character was murdered. I can't believe she died! All I have to say is this story was great, and I can't wait to read more stories just like it!
ReplyDeleteThe short story Until Gwen was a wonderfully written piece. The plot was very intriguing and there was action on top of more action around every turn. Also, there were quite a few plot twists, such as his father having killed Gwen. There was also a plot twist when it was revealed that the main character got shot right after he stole the diamond from the miner. To me, the most surprising turn of events was when it was revealed that Gwen had swallowed the diamond to keep it safe, and then the main character hit his father in the head with a shovel four times, killing him. Overall this was one of the most exciting short stories i've ever read, and it kept me hooked the entire length of the story.
ReplyDelete