my thoughts...

On the first day of class i was highly intimidated by the amount of analysis needed to get through the class. I'm not the world's best reader. I like to read, but I don't think of myself as the best analyzer. I can read something and have no idea what has happened. I felt this way throughout the entire novel of V but i think i started to get it after the conversations in class. When it came to geek love, i found areas of the book that i could understand and relate to. I did like the short stories. They were interesting and easy to pick apart. My favorite was definitely Until Gwen. I feel i understood that the best out of anything that we have read in class. I feel that my ability to read, understand, and make valid points has increased immensely throughout this semester. I feel that this class has helped me in that way. I originally took this class to fulfill a writing intensive requirement and thought that the subject matter sounded interesting. I learned more than i thought i would in this class.

Katherine dunn employs many unusual words in Geek Love: skootching, skuttered, rooched, snorking, frowzled, etc. What do such words add to the flavor of the novel? In what ways is such language appropriate to the story dunn is telling?

I think that this has alot of to with willing suspension od disbelief. In order to understand this story you have to be able to stop comparing it to what you already know. The things that these characters do in this story are so unbelievable that if you tried to make sense of it you would get a headache. By creating this words you can put a name to an action. It makes it a little bit easier to understand. It gives the actions value, and makes them that much more interesting. This language is appropriate because Dunn is telling a story about circus freaks. There are other things surrounding that idea but the general basis is circus freaks. These words fit, and make the story more appealing.

Why does Oly kill Mary Lick and then herself at the end of the novel? What are her hopes for her daughter?

Oly kills Mary Lick simply to protect her daughter. She knew that deep down in side of Miranda, she was proud of her tail. Though she struggled as a child to deal with it, and prayed every night she would wake up the next morning and it woudln't be there. She eventually grew to appreciate it. She did not want Miranda to make a decision that she would have to live with for the rest of her life. In that scene where Oly kill Lick, you could feel the frustration, determination, and regret from Oly. She felt terrible that Lick had to suffer, but she felt as if she had no other option. She wants her daughter to be herself. Not change for anyone. Just because she is not physically normal, doesn't mean she can't fit into society.

When Oly asks Arty if the ghost stories he reads scare him, he replies, "these are written by norms to scare norms. and do you know what the monsters and demons and rancid spirits are? us, that's what. you and me. we are the things that come to the norms in nightmares....these books teach me a lot. they don't scare me because they're about me" (pg 46) In what sense is Arty right in thinking that he and his siblings are the stuff of normal people's nightmares? what is frightening about them? is dunn's book disconcerting because in some important way it's more a relection of ourselves than we care to admit?

I feel arty is right. These people pay to gawk at their family. Some cry, others gasp and the rest are completly amazed. The norm's worst nightmare would be to end up looking like one of the "freaks" It does not surprise me that arty is so non-chalant about the whole idea of being the monsters in their ghost stories. The norms are scared of looking like them. They are scared of being outcasted like them. They are scary because they are not accepted into their culture. The norms couldn't ever imagine living the lives of the Binewski's. I feel that Dunn did a great job of making us realize what we feel. Though we rarely speak of any of it, we are still scared of it occuring to us. We all like to think that we think of everyone equally, but the truth is we don't. Whether we say it out loud, or keep our thoughts to ourselves, we constantly judge everyone.

Geek Love was written in the early 80's. How does it reflect and satirize American culture at that time?

Everyone knows that the late seventies and early eighties was a crazy time in America. It was the end of the disco era and beginning of heavy metal. People did drugs, partied and rarely worried about what was socially acceptable. Of course you had the business men and women in that time that felt they were classier than the others but they were a rare few. In a way the craziness that the Binewski family was, I could see them having been accepted in society. Not physically, but the way they lived. They lived for themselves, and no one else. And I feel that is how life was lived back in that era.

We could go on talking about normalcy for days and never get anywhere. Who determines it? If you think about it, what is normal. Other than identical twins, not one person looks like another. Who's nose, height, hair color is normal? Throughout history there have been people trying to control the way people look and act. In "Geek Love" the Binewski's feel that the fact that they are all different from one another makes them normal. They think the uniqueness that each of them brings to the family is important. Plus, they are able to make a living off of it. People gawk at those who are less fortunate than us. If you see a homeless person on the side of the street, you look at him, but you try to avoid staring and contact with him. We do this to all of the people that we think of as different. A person in a wheel chair, a person missing limbs, and other things like this. Everyone is guilty of it. In the Binewski's minds, they are normal. Their view of normalcy is the fact that they are all different. Who are we to say that they are wrong and that they are not normal??

When I first found out that we were going to read V for Vendetta I was sort of excited. When I opened up the book and realized it was a novel sized comic book I thought that it would be so easy to read. I was looking forward to getting to read it. That is, until I started to read it. I was so confused by every aspect of the novel. I read the first ten pages over and over again. I could not seem to grasp the ability to read the words and pay attention to the pictures as well. I was extremely baffled at the fact that I could not read a comic book. The way that I dealt with it was by solely reading the words and only paying attention to the pictures every once in a while. Usually when there were no words in a box. So I feel that reading it the way that I did, helped me understand the book as best as I will be able to.
I feel the graphic novel form complicates the story of V, but I feel that it only affects certain people. If you are someone who is used to reading comic books or graphic novels, then I do not feel that the fact that V is written in graphic novel form would affect you. When others, who are reading a graphic novel for the first time, I feel that V could not get any more confusing. It does not help that the material and plot of V is very heavy. The plots involve everything from personal vengeance, to interpersonal changes, to changes in society, to corruption in the government. There are also many scenes from the past, so you are thrown from the current to the previous and back and forth.
The artwork in the novel seemed to change throughout. At one point it would be very clear and crisp. Every detail of a person and background was drawn well. Other parts were not cared for as much. It makes you wonder if you are supposed to pay more attention to the one that is crisper. Maybe that scene is more important. Also, because I paid more attention to the words, I noticed that the handwriting in the bubbles changed very slightly throughout the novel. Also, when the words were written with a slurring accent, I noticed that the words tended to be written less nicely. I feel that the colors used in certain scenes gave a very strong emotion effect to the people involved and what was happening. The reds and pinks tended to be used when it was a warm, loving, and sexual scenes. The blues were used a lot to tell what happened previously at the camps. It gave a very cold and unhappy vibe.
If the novel was written in simple text form I do not think that it would make as big of an impact as it did. You may be able to communicate the plot and explain the characters better, but I do not think it would have been as interesting. I think that the story would definitely been easier to follow, but I do not think that the intensity of the novel would still exist. On the complete other side, I think if V was written in just pictures and illustrations, it would be even harder to understand. The use of words and images in the novel go hand in hand. Though I mainly read the words, I did use the illustrations to help me understand who was talking or what exactly was going on.
I feel that the graphic novel form is like wine. It is an acquired taste. Usually you either love it or you hate it. You try it once, and most likely will never experience it again if you disliked your first experience. When I told my brother that I had to read V he was excited for me. He loves comic books and graphic novels. I on the other hand do not really have a taste for it. My brother finds them to be amazing. He loves the images that go with the words and how they can do so much in such little space. We went on for a long time talking about this subject. And in the end, we realized that because he gets it I do not have to and vice versa.

I don't feel that I understand the story to be able to make any valid points or feelings about it. So I thought if I asked you guys a couple of questions, maybe I would understand some of the story more. It has taken me a while to read it, but I have found a few things that I find interesting.

1. Every once in a while, I have noticed that when V enters and exits the scene, there is a small picture of his face in the bottom right corner of the page. Did anyone else notice this? I wonder why it only happens during key scenes and not every time when he appears.
2. Can anyone explain the main guys to me, besides Evey and V. I understand what happens in the story, but I can't get past who's who and what they do.
3. I have also noticed that the type of bubble changes depending on what is happening. It's not constant, but for most of the story it happens. A square bubble is usually from things that have occurred previously. A circular bubble is when they are speaking in the present. And the crazy spikey bubble is usually when the radio/loudspeaker is being used. Does anyone else agree to this or is it just me? Is there any special meaning to it.


This is all I can think of right now, but I'm sure since I'm at the end of the book, more questions will come soon. THANK YOU!!!

In “Until Gwen” there are many settings in the story that are important to the main conflict. Every detail has something to do with another thing. Whether it is important at that time, or comes back with importance, it is imperative to pay attention to these details. The setting of a scene can tell you a lot about a character. It can also set the mood of that particular section. I have found nine different settings in “Until Gwen” two of which are returned to twice.
The beginning of the story starts off by setting the scene in a dirty old stolen Dodge Neon. The beginning of every story is one of the most important settings. It gives off the feeling for the whole movie. This car is parked outside of a prison which is a setting in itself. Inside of the car is an 8-ball of coke and a hooker. This makes you judge the characters in the story right off the bat. So, the one guy just got out of prison, the father is giving him coke, and there is a hooker there ready to do her job. This basically sets up the relationship the father has with the son. He does not show much care for him as a father. He has coke and hooker waiting for him on his first few minutes out of prison. If the location was different, either the car or where the car is, it may give you a different feeling about the characters. But I think that the author did a good job of showing us what these people are like. The main character (you) sends off this feeling of being uncomfortable, yet like he is at home. Looking back after reading the story this scene’s setting makes much more sense to me. The main character is in this place where things are given to him that will not help him. He just wants to know who he is, and I do not feel he can receive this in the setting he is stuck in.
The next setting is in the Econo Lodge. This is where the father has gotten two rooms for him and his son. After he sends the hooker away, he is stuck there alone eating peanuts and drinking Jim Beam while watching a bad reception of ESPN. All he can do while sitting around is think of his first and only love, Gwen. This is where you can see a little bit into him as a person. She was the only one to make him feel like whole and like he knew himself. I think if the setting was different in this scene that you would not get this insight.
After this scene, they leave the motel and go out to Gwen’s place. This is where the main character finds out that she is no longer there and a black family has moved in. Then they start conversing about something that the main character could have hid there. And then all of a sudden you find out that the main character was shot in the head. A different location may not have brought this information out to the reader. You also see how the main character got somewhat upset by this setting and he starts standing up for himself towards his father. This was where his love lived. It has a connection to the deepest part of him.
Next, there is a flashback to the night that he was shot in the head (twice). This is a very intense scene. The setting is in a car on a highway. There are airbags and water barrels exploding, and then all of a sudden the main character has been shot. The way this is described is very intense, and the author does a good job of writing this in the reader’s perspective. There are not many descriptions of the car itself, but of what is occurring. This is a very short scene, but the setting is important because it comes back later in the story.
His father then takes him to a low red-brick building. This is apparently his office. There is somewhat of a murky feeling in the vicinity of the building. This setting explains the most about the father and the experience the main character has had with him. The area that the building is in is not a nice neighborhood. I guess you could call it a little bit ghetto. This is where you find out that the father is a con man. His current scam is that people send him money to become citizens and fight against terrorism. When they first walk into the building, there are letters everywhere from people paying, and asking why they have not yet received what they have paid for. These types of operations are how the two of them have “made a living” over the years. It shows how money hungry his father is, and how he does not care about others, which is key later in the story. This could have been set in a different part of town, or in a different building, but I think that the “dirtiness” of the setting is important to the way the father is to be perceived. The connection in this setting towards the main character is you see how he has grown up and what he has been taught.
The next setting is in a Nebraska wheat field. We can also call this the fairground. This setting also appears twice in the story. This is more of a set up for the second showing. You learn the character’s previous experience in this setting, and where and how he met Gwen. This is a very open setting. It is where the character finally feels open in his life. Had this setting not been in the story, parts would make no sense. The main conflict would make no sense.
The next scene seemed to come out of left field. I had no idea where the author was trying to go. Then after finishing the scene, it made sense. It is another flashback, explaining how the main character was shot. It is set, in what I think of as a pool hall. This is where Gwen and the main character meet George. I do not think that the actual setting of this part of the story is utterly important. I think that it could have been set in any type of bar type setting. Later in the story you realize how conniving the main character can be.
The next scene is in a hospital or old person’s home. This is where the con in the main character comes out to play. It is supposed to be a quiet, clean and relaxing setting. But what occurs there is craziness. The man George that they met previously shoots his own mother. This was because they were trying to steel a gem that he was hiding with his mother. The plan went wrong and this quiet setting was turned into a hectic mess.
As soon as they left the hospital they get into the car that I mentioned previously. This is where you get more of the story. This is where you again realize how much the main character cares for Gwen. Through all of the chaotic things that occur in the car, the bullets, the glass breaking, all of the things happening, the author is still able to get out their feelings. It is very subtle, but you know what the author is trying to get across.
Then the father and son return to the fairground. Again this is a very open space. This is the setting that the entire story culminates. In this open space, the son takes control of the situation. He knows that his father killed Gwen because that is the type of person his father is. He hid the gem with Gwen, and knew that this would kill her. He knows that his father is a very ruthless man. This is by far the most important setting and scene in the story. This setting is where the main character finally acts on his own and shows how he has grown.
I think that there is one more setting in this story. I think that this setting is the hole he made his father dig. It is where the three characters are together for the last time. The main character is connected to this hole because it is where Gwen was buried, and it is where his father will die. It is also where he will say goodbye to his previous life. This is the point in his life that he will move on and try to start over again.

This story is about a couple of very immature women. The title in itself explains alot of these two females. It is titled, "The Girls" but very early on in the story you find out that they are 31 and 33. They are not girls in anyway except in their minds. They are very young in the mind. My first impression of them did not really change much throughout the story. I thought that they were annoying brats. I also compared them to the siamese cats from Lady in the Tramp when they were going through Arleen's room. I thought that they were sneaky and conniving. Which brings me to my next point.
The cats in this story stood for something more than cats. I think that they represent the two girls well. The description of them killing many birds in the garden was somewhat shocking to me. I know that cats are like this, but the fact that the girls were proud of them for it amazed me. I would definitely say that these cats represent the girls if they were an animal.
Then there is Arleen. I thought that she seemed weird through the whole story. I thought that her character was important and I knew that she was going to be a part of the major plot. And she was. She seemed very spiritual to me during the story, and it turns out that she was. She also seemed to be someone that the mother could talk to openly.
Father Snow was someone that I did not really get though. I was trying to figure out how his problem was tied into the plot of the story. I think that this mystery that the author created worked well at the end. A pastor is someone you can talk to and look for if you need help. And since he just dealt with the loss of a loved one, the fact that the mother died made it important that he was there.
I would have liked to get to know the mother more, but I did like this story. It made you have somewhat of a hatred for the girls. As sad as it is that the mother dies at the end, it's somewhat of an ironic ending for the girls. What are they going to do now? They worship their parents because they have spoiled them their whole lives. I guess the whole story can be summed up by one of Arleen's last quotes. "You should get rid of them".

I think that this story had so much going on in such a short amount of space. Once I started reading it, I wanted to keep going. I think that these two women are alot alike in many ways, even though their personalities are very different. I feel that Rebecca is a very open person, but she constantly pushes until she gets her way. I also feel that Freda is a fairly closed person. She went through alot in her lifetime and that has made her this way. It is hard for someone to trust people when they have been through what she has been through.

I think that the changes that occured to both of these women throughout this story is immense. Freda started off almost bitter and unwanting a relationship with Rebecca. Throughout the story she started to realize that just by reading the letters from Rebecca that she had created a relationship with her that she almost depended on. Rebecca changed by becoming less in your face with what she wants. I feel that they each rubbed off on each other in different, but good ways. One thing I did notice is the way that Rebecca wrote out the dates. Freda writes hers in a very European way, with the day first then the month. Rebecca changed throughout the story. She started off writing them like we do, then changed to Freda, showing me she has so much respect for her. Then Rebecca changed back to the ways that we write it. I think she did this because she doesn't feel as if she is as good as her cousin.

I liked the ending to the story. It was fairly open ended. I also believe that Rebecca died at the end, or else the letters would have kept on coming. The end was interesting. I did not see the cancer coming, but it made you realize why Rebecca was so impulsive. All in all, I did like this story because every word meant something. It's one of those stories where you're wondering why they chose to say this, and realize it later.

When you look at “Eight Pieces for the Left Hand” the stories paints vivid pictures on ironic subjects. I have decided to go through and give each mini-story a song to represent it. And instead of looking at it as a movie soundtrack, I thought of it as each story is the video for each song. The stories would be the image that you see in the video. Plus, irony always makes something interesting when watching it.
One
I have chosen High School Hellcats from Crybaby. This story has a lot to do with two different classes/schools. It revolves around a rivalry between them. We see this, rich vs. poor storyline in many different things. This one focuses more on younger people who are involved. This story immediately made me think of the final scene in Crybaby. In this scene, the Square/Drape rivalry reaches its highest peak. The two opposites end up having a chicken fight (when two cars go straight for each other and one looses when they turn away). This song is the song they sing in this particular scene. The song is about raising hell in high school. I think that this fits perfectly with this particular story. It is also a very fast paced song which is how I feel the story was. “Stand back look out we're renegade teens, friends of the devil but twice as mean” and “Everyone says just to be like them, But We're high school hell school hell cats and well never fit in” are two of the lines from the song. I think we can all agree that the kids in this story are not perfect angels. I personally think they are crazy with all of the things they did. Plus, you always root for the underdog and I think this song really looks out for the Flats in our story. I think it would make a very interesting video if you use this story.
Two
For this section I have chosen the song “No Poetry” from Wilco. This story is basically about an ironic situation where a poet’s work was changed, and accepted. Then when the public found out that it was changed, they not only disapproved the original material, but they also did not accept the material from the reviser. I feel that this song is this story. It’s about the loss of poetry due to restrictions. “Maybe my verses ain’t that free, cause they’ll be no more, poetry” is a prime example from this song. The song has a very depressing vibe to it, which I feel is the vibe of the story. It seemed like no one had a good time in the story. I think this would also make a very entertaining video.
Three
I have chosen Howard Jones’s “No one is to blame” for this section. I feel that this is the theme of the story. The irony of how all of this stuff happened, it was like a domino effect, an in the end no one was to blame. Not only is thing song literal but I think that the mood of the song starts off strong and ends up very mellow and somewhat depressing. “Doctor says you're cured but you still feel the pain” I think that this one line can sum up the feelings of everyone in the story. They were all looking forward to an answer, and someone to blame, but in the end there wasn’t anything they could do and it still hurt.
Four
The Flashcubes song “She’s not the girl she used to be” I feel fits with this story in a very comical way. This may be the least literal of all of the song titles that I have chosen. It’s a comical type of song, and fairly upbeat. I do not feel that this story is depressing at all. I just think that the way the woman found out about her cat, then realized the changes that had occurred are somewhat entertaining. “It’s so strange, the way she’s changed; she’s not the same old girl” pretty much says what the woman thought of when she realized her cat was not really her cat.
Five
This is probably my favorite song that I have chosen. For this section I went very literal and chose Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”. This song is fun. And it explains the feeling of the story very clearly. The couple in this story is so stuck on superstition that it takes over their lives until they get rid of the sign. And they know that it’s stupid to think that because the sign is there then it is going to affect their unborn child, but it bothers them anyway. As Stevie puts it “when you believe in things that you don’t understand, then you suffer”
Six
I think that this story was definitely the most absurd of the bunch. I actually did not like it because I didn’t really see a point to it. So I feel that the song I have chosen not only represents how the reader feels when reading it, but it also represents the six children in the story. The Kinks “State of Confusion” is the song that I chose. The feel of the vocals on this track seem frustrated and confused. I think that it represents the story well because the lines in it are things that leave you confused and it doesn’t really make sense that they do. “Don't know why I feel this way. I don't know whether I'm coming or I'm going”. This lyric makes me think of the children because they didn’t know what they were doing.
Seven
The Sparks “Everybody’s Stupid” is the song that I have chosen for this section. When I finished reading it, that’s exactly what I thought. I thought that every person in this story was an idiot. It’s unfortunate what happened to them, and that their mistakes were pointed out fairly cruelly, but I found it somewhat entertaining. The repeated line in this song is “Everybody’s stupid, and that’s for sure”. The song is upbeat and fun, and I think it represents what I received out of the story.
Eight
For this last section, I have chosen Bob Dylan’s “Don’t think twice, it’s alright”. The story that the song and story tell are two different stories but I think they give off the same meaning. This story basically is about how this woman wrote a masterpiece and drove herself crazy by editing it, to the point where it was unable to be published. “You just kinda wasted my precious time. But don't think twice, it's all right.” The feel of the song is slow and depressing which is how I feel the story was. The message both of them give out is don’t be upset by things you have done, if you think twice, it won’t work out for you in the long run.

I’m happy with the songs that I have chosen. I think they each represent the stories very well. They also not only represent the stories with their lyrics, but with the tempo and feel of the song as well.

So, when I first started reading this story I was very worried. The introduction to the whole story seemed very not normal to me. A father picking up a son from prison, and has coke and a hooker waiting in the car for him. The the hooker started to speak and I just wanted to smack her. She's an idiot. Of course, I had no idea she'd barely be in the story. The father and main character have an odd relationship. They don't sound like parent and child to me. It sounds more like boss and worker. The father is a terrible influence on him. Then they introduce the character of Gwen. She seemed to be somewhat of an angelic person when described by the main character. He idolizes her. Then when the father starts asking where he "left it" you learn that the main character was shot in the head twice. That's craziness. Then you learn a little bit about what happened after he was shot but I just wanted to know more. When I found out that they were con artists it didn't really surprise me. I figured they weren't your average working class citizens from the beginning. I thought it was awkward when he talked about his mom to his father. The voice the father had was very upsetting. He was very sarcastic and almost rude about the fact that she is dead. All the son wanted was a picture and wanted to know why they never had one. I also believe that the main character is supposed to be a smart person, and by smart I mean potentially book smart(unlike his father). Then the whole story about George the fat man threw me for a loop. I couldn't figure out what the author was trying to do. He was going from one storyline to the next. Then I finally got it. The last two pages of the story make the whole thing make sense. George had a diamond, the main character and Gwen stole it, the main character was shot, went to jail, and when he got out, he was the only one who knew where the diamond was. He also knew how ruthless his father was and knew that he had killed Gwen. The only thing that I am unsure of, is that Gwen had the diamond in her. That is what I got from the story but I'm not sure. Either way, I really thought the way the main character ended everything by saying "I wish I had a picture of her." He puts her on a level with his mother, which in my mind, is a very deep connection and appreciation. I really liked this story. As crazy as it was, it was eventful and kept you interested and thinking the entire time.