Agenda:
Finish reading Prayer for the Dying for next Tuesday's class. Read Ch. 5 and 6 for Friday.
Be sure to blog responses for questions 1-4. Post here.
Work on Scholastic entries.
Work on new short story assignment if you have completed your poetry cycle:
Work on Scholastic entries.
Work on new short story assignment if you have completed your poetry cycle:
Second person short story (minimum 4 pages double-spaced)--Prayer for the Dying
Discussion Questions (Post responses)
1. The book is narrated in the second person, addressing the main character, Jacob, as “you.” Who is speaking? Why do you think the author chose this mode to tell the story?
2. When Jacob is called to take care of Clytie, he has a very hard time pulling the trigger. Look at the passage (p. 49) in which he has to convince himself to kill her. Why does he agonize when he knows it’s the right thing? What does it mean that he’s “still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness”? Does he continue to cling to that dream later in the story?
3. Why does Jacob elect to bleed and treat the bodies of some victims, even after Doc has told him not to, and even though he knows he’s putting himself in danger? Why is precision and diligence so important to him even when everyone around him is worried only about survival?
4. What role does religious faith play in the story? How does it influence Jacob, Chase, and other citizens of Friendship? Is their faith rewarded?
Discussion Questions (Post responses)
1. The book is narrated in the second person, addressing the main character, Jacob, as “you.” Who is speaking? Why do you think the author chose this mode to tell the story?
2. When Jacob is called to take care of Clytie, he has a very hard time pulling the trigger. Look at the passage (p. 49) in which he has to convince himself to kill her. Why does he agonize when he knows it’s the right thing? What does it mean that he’s “still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness”? Does he continue to cling to that dream later in the story?
3. Why does Jacob elect to bleed and treat the bodies of some victims, even after Doc has told him not to, and even though he knows he’s putting himself in danger? Why is precision and diligence so important to him even when everyone around him is worried only about survival?
4. What role does religious faith play in the story? How does it influence Jacob, Chase, and other citizens of Friendship? Is their faith rewarded?
About Job
Set in Uz, an obscure land far from Israel, during an unknown time period, the book of Job focuses on questions about God's justice and why good people suffer. Throughout the book, Job, his wife, and his friends speculate on why he, an upright man, suffers. Job accuses God of being unjust and not operating the world according to principles of justice, and his friends believe that Job's sin caused his suffering. Job decides to talk directly to God.
God reminds him that the world has order and beauty but is also wild and dangerous. While we do not always know why we suffer, we can bring our pain and grief to God and trust that He is wise and knows what He's doing.
Faith influences the characters in the story primarily because the main character is a preacher.
ReplyDelete1. I think the author wrote the book in this P.O.V so it would be more fun to read, as you would be pretending the character was you.
ReplyDelete2. Jacob has a hard time because he is about to kill something, and I'd imagine that would be hard for anyone. He knows its the right thing so the horse doesn't suffer anymore. I think the quote means that he's still trying to believe he doesn't have to do what he needs to do.
3. Jacob still elects because he wants to do what's right and he feels like its a kind thing to do, since nobody else will because they're too afraid of being in danger.
4. Faith is played in the story because it gives the characters something to live for. Faith helps them do what is right and help people out.
Clytie is a cow...
Delete*cow omg
Delete1. The person speaking is Jacob who is the town's constable and preacher. The author chooses the second person to tell the story to create a stronger connection with the audience by putting them in the perspective of the narrator.
ReplyDelete2. When Jacob is called to take care of Clytie, he has a very hard time pulling the trigger. Look at the passage (p. 49) in which he has to convince himself to kill her. Why does he agonize when he knows it’s the right thing? What does it mean that he’s “still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness”? Does he continue to cling to that dream later in the story?
Jacob agonizes over shooting Clytie, even though he knows its the right thing, because he is, naturally, uncomfortable with ending the life of another being. When the text says that Jacob's “still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness” it is referring to his conscious which tries to justify his actions. Later in the story he still clings to the idea of blamelessness as his daughter and wife die and he doesn't feel remorseful.
3. Jacob elects to bleed and treat some of the bodies, even though Doc advises against it because he believes it is proper and that it would be almost insulting to not do so. Precision and diligence is so important to him even when everyone else around him is worried only of survival because he is a religious man and he values living rightfully rather than simply living.
4. Faith is a motivating force and subject of contemplation in the story. Faith causes both Jacob and Chase to ignore real danger and instead pursue what they feel is right and kind. The other citizens of Friendship are influenced less by faith and only some of them go to church for Jacob's lecture. Faith is not rewarded as Jacobs daughter and wife die as a result of his interaction with the sick.
Excellent!
Delete1. The author is speaking, but putting it into the character. This mode is probably used to better connect to the audience.
ReplyDelete2. He doesn't want to kill her because she's still a person. He wants to cling, "To some dream of innocence, blamelessness,” because I believe she's possessed.
3. Jacob elects the people because he thinks it would be improper not to and his religiousness makes it more extreme.
Clytie is not a person. She is a cow. Are you reading this book?
Delete1. The author chose 2nd person point of view so the reader could feel more of a connection.
ReplyDelete2. He had a hard time killing her because she is still a living thing. He knows its the right thing to do because she is suffering.
3. Jacob wants to do what is right regardless if its dangerous or not.
4. Faith has a strong influence on other characters, she is very motivating. She has a way of making people do what is right.
FAITH is not a character!
DeleteAre you reading this book?
Delete1) The person speaking is Jacob. He is the sheriff and preacher of the town. Stewart O'Nan incorporates his voice into a second person perspective in order to connect to the audience on another level. By bringing the reader into the story and acting as if they are Jacob, this creates empathy for the character and a stronger relationship between the two.
ReplyDeleteJacob struggles killing Clytie because bringing death upon anybody (whether that'd be a person or a cow) makes the person feel uncomfortable. He has too much of a heart to take the life of that cow. The quote means that he wants carry out the rest of his life in innocence, or render his actions as innocent to avoid the feeling of guilt and pain. This is a facade in order to neutralize his feelings. The quote addresses a psychological element in Jacob's character. He continues clinging onto the dream when his wife and daughter dies.
3) Jacob feels that it is only right to treat these bodies. He has no regard for danger. Precision and diligence are characters very important to his character because he is a religious man. He wants to contribute to the world and his community, and not live a simple life in which he is reserved to himself.
4) Faith drives the characters in the story by determining how they live their lives. Chase and Jacob are only concerned morality rather than regard to their own lives. The other citizens are less religious compared to the primary characters. This means that faith does not motivate or encourage their decisions. Jacob's devotion to religion hurts him because he loses loved ones despite worshiping God. This doesn't provide or "reward" him anything.
1)Jacob is the one who is speaking and he is the sheriff. Stewart O'Nan goes into second person perspective so he can get closer to the reader. By giving the reader a chance to be the character it builds a relationship.
ReplyDelete2)He doesn't want to kill the cow because it’s a living thing He has too much of a heart to take its life. In the text “still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness” it is referring to his thoughts which justifies his actions.
3) Jacob feels that it is only right. He has no regard for danger. He wants to contribute to the world and his community, and not live a simple life in which he is reserved to himself.
4) Faith drives the characters in the story by determining how they live their lives. Faith causes both Jacob and Chase to pursue what they feel is right and kind.
1. The book is narrated in the second person, addressing the main character, Jacob, as “you.” Who is speaking? Why do you think the author chose this mode to tell the story?
ReplyDelete- Jacob is speaking, and I think the author chose this mode to tell the story to make the novel more intimate and become more personal with audience, sort of bringing the audience in.
2. When Jacob is called to take care of Clytie, he has a very hard time pulling the trigger. Look at the passage (p. 49) in which he has to convince himself to kill her. Why does he agonize when he knows it’s the right thing? What does it mean that he’s “still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness”? Does he continue to cling to that dream later in the story?
-Jacob agonizes although he knows it's the right thing to do because it was still a living thing. When he says that he's "still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness," I feel as though he tries to justify the death/killing of Clytie to be rid of the feelings of guilt, which in the end does not stick because he gradually gains more weight on his shoulders that sticks as guilt.
3. Why does Jacob elect to bleed and treat the bodies of some victims, even after Doc has told him not to, and even though he knows he’s putting himself in danger? Why is precision and diligence so important to him even when everyone around him is worried only about survival?
-Jacob wants to treat the bodies because he is a virtuous man and would like to do the right thing. Precision and diligence is so important to him more so than survival because of him being a religious man and wanting to contribute to the world and the community and help people.
4. What role does religious faith play in the story? How does it influence Jacob, Chase, and other citizens of Friendship? Is their faith rewarded?
- Faith is a driving force for the characters within the novel; it drives their actions and way of thinking. Faith specifically affects Jacob and Chase because they move based on their morality and their religious views of what's right and what's wrong. Other characters are not as driven by faith as Jacob and Faith which can be looked at as a good thing because faith does not necessarily reward them as death comes crashing down throughout their lives.
1. The book is narrated in the second person, addressing the main character, Jacob, as “you.” Who is speaking? Why do you think the author chose this mode to tell the story?
ReplyDeleteThe author chose this mode to tell the story because it allows the reader to actually experience what Jacob has went through and what an epidemic truly feels like. It's a way to look inside the mind of Jacob and go through the same pain and grief.
2. When Jacob is called to take care of Clytie, he has a very hard time pulling the trigger. Look at the passage (p. 49) in which he has to convince himself to kill her. Why does he agonize when he knows it’s the right thing? What does it mean that he’s “still clinging to some dream of innocence, blamelessness”? Does he continue to cling to that dream later in the story?
He struggles to do so because he doesn't want to kill Clytie but he knows that when he sees someone in a state where living isn't a possibility, he has to end her life. What it means is that he wants to make sure that everything he does is right, so he won't have a sense of blame and guilt won't be riding on his shoulders.
3. Why does Jacob elect to bleed and treat the bodies of some victims, even after Doc has told him not to, and even though he knows he’s putting himself in danger? Why is precision and diligence so important to him even when everyone around him is worried only about survival?
Precision and diligence are important to him because it allows him to do his job(s) without hesitation. It allows him to have a sense of duty and to not have any guilt attached. Jacob electing himself to bleed the bodies was just another attempt to show everyone how good of a person he is, at least that's what his superego would say. If he tried to treat the bodies, it would take the guilt away from him.
4. What role does religious faith play in the story? How does it influence Jacob, Chase, and other citizens of Friendship? Is their faith rewarded?
In a way, no one's faith is rewarded except Jacob's. Jacob survives the epidemic all alone. Everyone else either died from the diphtheria epidemic or natural causes. It's a motivation for everyone in the town. It allows people to have a person to turn to when stuff hits the fan.
1) The author chose this point of view in order to allow the reader to connect to the story and the main character. As if both the reader and the main character are having a conversation with their conscience.
ReplyDelete3) Jacob feels responsible for everyone in town considering his roles. Therefore as everyone is getting sick he feel he must do all he can to help the his health aside. Therefore precision and diligence are the most important thing to him in that he does not intend to give up on any of the sick until every possible method is used.
4) Jacob's religious faith or really his sense of morality are the bases of his actions. They pushed him to try to save everyone yet he ends up the only one surviving making him feel guilty even further.
1-Jacob is speaking, and I feel like the character choose this way to write the novel because it feels more personal and you could try to relate more to the protagonist that way- because the story is in a point of view where you are being told "your" story.
ReplyDelete2- He has a hard timer killing her because he feels empathetic, but he knows it's his job. He knows that soon down the road she will die anyways so he would have to end her suffering now. He tries to do it in a way that he won't feel guilt, or like this burden on her back for killing her.
3- He knows or feels that it is right to try to treat them, and so he does. Also, the way he thinks is background to the way he was brought up because I am certain some of the guilt that he feels comes from religious point of views
4- It gives the people something to run off of, to count on. without faith I am sure a lot of things would go wrong because without faith what do they have. They run on this in hopes that 9 times out of 10 things will turn for the better, or what they did was an act of God and faith.