AGENDA:
Work on, finish and turn in all missing work and NON-LINEAR STORIES!
Continue to read The Hours, look over the handout on The Hours, look at links to Michael Cunningham and Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway.
POST AN ANSWER TO QUESTIONS 1 and 2 (see questions below) for class participation credit today!
Your next assignment will be to
write in a genre you are most comfortable with (poetry, fiction or
drama). The work needs two historical time periods and needs to weave in
motifs in both time periods
.
What are some common motifs? Go to these websites:
http://literaryterms.net/motif/
http://study.com/academy/lesson/motif-in-literature-definition-examples-quiz.html
http://softschools.com/examples/literary_terms/motif_examples/297/
http://literary-devices.com/content/motif
Think about the motifs evident in The Hours. You might want to use some of them.
Here are the discussion questions you will be working with today:
1. Clarissa Vaughan is described several times as an "ordinary"
woman. Do you accept this valuation? If so, what does it imply about
the ordinary, about being ordinary? What makes someone, by contrast,
extraordinary?
2. Flowers and floral imagery play a significant
part in The Hours. When and where are flowers described? What
significance do they have, and with what events and moods are they
associated? How do flowers affect Virginia? Clarissa?
HMWK: Read to page 87
1. Clarissa Vaughan is described several times as an "ordinary" woman. Do you accept this valuation? If so, what does it imply about the ordinary, about being ordinary? What makes someone, by contrast, extraordinary?
ReplyDeleteShe is anything but ordinary. Clarissa's love for flowers and her connection with them makes her much more than ordinary. From the start of the book, it’s obvious that the flowers are more than just flowers. She is still seen as ordinary because of the live she lives. She’s with Richard, is in good health, buys flowers and just lives the life of a regular 52 yr old. Someone is extraordinary when they do the unexpected. Someone who is extraordinary does the most and aspires to be more than great.
2. Flowers and floral imagery play a significant part in The Hours. When and where are flowers described? What significance do they have, and with what events and moods are they associated? How do flowers affect Virginia? Clarissa?
Flowers form part of all the women’s lives. When they’re celebrating or going through a rough time, flowers tend to be involved. It’s as if flowers are included as both, a way to cope and a way to rejoice. Flowers are simply incorporated into these women’s daily lives because flowers are versatile enough to connect with any emotion or event. From death to happiness, flowers are able to make their lives much more interesting or compelling
1. She's ordinary because she doesn’t have many differences compared to basic people.
ReplyDelete2. Flowers are described when people don’t feel comfortable and are incorporated into all three of their lives.
(done in collaboration with Justice "The KGB Was Framed" Salamone)
ReplyDelete1) From what we know of her so far, she does appear ordinary (i.e., a typical person), but something about her hints she will go on to be extraordinary later. It implies that most people are ordinary when they're in their own situation. Someone who is "extraordinary" will make a lasting impression on the lives of many people.
2) Flowers are seen as feminine, much like women are (due to being female). However, the flowers in the book survive for long periods despite conditions around them, representing the toughness of our female protagonists (despite Woolf giving up and killing herself). They also represent love, life, celebration (Vaughn buys flowers for a celebration) and the numerous joys we get from them in real life. Maybe even death, too. Y'all seen roses at a funeral.
1. Clarissa Vaughan is describes as ordinary because she finds happiness in the simplest things and the changes in her life. She finds herself thinking back to when she was younger and more spontaneous such as the affair that she had with Richard. She's normal because despite all that, she now lives a quiet life in a small home with her partner. Although she does question herself, it's obvious that she's still happy. I don't think anyone is ordinary but if Clarissa is normal based on her life, it definitely changes the definition of normal.
ReplyDelete2. The first sentence of Mrs. Dalloway has to do with flowers and from there, all three main characters in The Hours have some interaction with flowers. Clarissa leaves her house to go and get flowers, Laura places flowers on the table guilty of not interacting with her family as she should, and the flowers Virginia sees around the dead bird adding to the emptiness she feels. The flowers all are associated with different moods and events whether happy or sad.
1. Clarissa seems ordinary because she does what everyone else does and seems normal compared to everyone else. Someone becomes extraordinary when they do something that is not normal or something about them seems unexpected. Many times and extraordinary person takes unusual actions that is different form everyone else's normal actions.
ReplyDelete2. Flowers play a significant role throughout the beginning of this book. Flowers are used to symbolize a woman as woman are delicate and sweet as the petals of a flower. Flowers are given to women on many events, like a wedding, graduation, a funeral, celebration, or just a detail given to her for the day. Flowers tend to be involved in hard times (funerals) or in times to celebrate a new chapter in life. The flower affects Clarissa as she is going to celebrate with her son. They affect Virginia has it foreshadows the end of her life and how she is going to die.
1. Our initial impression of Clarissa is one that seems ordinary, but seeing as how this is a book and she's an important character, we can assume that that's not the case. She surely appears ordinary to her peers, though. It implies that the ordinary are people that make no impact.
ReplyDelete2. Flowers are pretty. Women are pretty. Women are often seen as fragile and weak, but these flowers are strong and have incredible longevity. It's symbolism, man. Virginia sees flowers surrounding a dead bird and Laura puts flowers on the table out of guilt.
1. Clarissa is ordinary because the author makes a point to show that the actions she takes are ordinary, she does nothing out of the ordinary or insensible.
ReplyDelete2. flowers are the symbols that appear when the women are going through a tough time as they can mean many many things because of their variety.
1.I think she is an ordinary woman, she is quite your usual woman, I guess? I don’t really know how to explain this but there really isn’t anything special about her. For someone to be extraordinary you need to be very unusual and remarkable. But this is what I think of her so far, I think my perception of her being ordinary will soon change.
ReplyDelete2. The flowers are always shown when someone feels uneasy. The flowers are shown in all three of the women's lives. I think the flowers represent tranquility and love. In Clarissa’s case I think the flowers that she bought for Richard represent that she is trying to show him that she still cares for him and that she won’t give up on him. As for Virginia, the flowers represent her loneliness and they give off more sad, melancholic type of feel.
(Emani & Raina)
ReplyDelete1. Clarissa Vaughan is described as "ordinary" but I would say she's anything but ordinary. She has a very extraordinary relationship with Richard. Though she acts as if she is ordinary, she goes through her day to day life. It almost like she is trying to hide her extraordinary life with ordinary tasks.
2. Flowers are a reoccurring image in the story. They are one of many things that connect all the characters together. They are the first thing described in Mrs. Dalloway's chapter, she focuses on purchasing flowers for Richard, the flowers are a beautiful thing that she wants to use to brighten up and really mask the ugliness of a slow death but even flowers wilt.
1.)Clarissa is seen as ordinary because she acts as a normal person. She acts as everyone else not doing anything unexpected. When you do something unexpected something out of the ordinary is when you are seen as extraordinary.
ReplyDelete2.) Flowers in this book represent women. Flowers are delicate and they are feminine. Flowers are involved in many times of someones life. Clarissa leaves her house to go get flowers and Laura leaves flowers on the table because she feels guilty about how she has been with her family. Virginia sees flowers around a dead bird which foreshadows death. The flowers are all related to the different emotions and moods that are shown whether they are happy, lonely or sad.
1)Although Clarissa is described as an ordinary women she isn't. She does what might seems normal and ordinary but it isn't. Is she was, Cunningham wouldn't make her one of the main characters.
ReplyDelete2)Flowers are one of the motifs in the novel. The characters have flowers for significant events like birthdays and celebrations. They represent many things like life, death, hope, and happiness.
1. Clarissa is depicted as an ordinary woman in the story. She loves flowers, which seem to mean something to her. She lives life just like anyone else.
ReplyDelete2. The flowers symbolize many things in different events: life and death, also happiness.