due Wednesday: analysis of photographs. Email it to me if you've had success emailing me things; otherwise bring in a hard copy. Hand in your charts as well, electronically if they're on your computer, in person if not.
due Thursday: "Cathedral," pp. 20-31. (Plan ahead!) Also, go to the class blog by clicking on "comments," below, and ask a helpful question about "Cathedral," or discuss someone else's question, as before.
I found this story interesting. I felt it had a strange twist at the end. the wife is now the one being left out, instead of the narrator. But why draw a Cathedral? i wonder if a cathedral holds some other significance than a random thing to trace. Perhaps it doesn't even matter what is being drawn and i'm just thinking too hard about it, or missing something.
Torrie, I was very confused by that as well. The only thing I can think of is that the Cathedral was just a means by which the author got the point across: that these two men could connect and have something in common. I do wonder if there is any other significance to the use of a cathedral though. The part that I had the most trouble understanding was at the end when it starts talking about the husband not opening his eyes. What was the significance of that? Did he ever end up opening his eyes?
I agree with Torrie on the fact that this was an interesting story. I found myself in the place of the husband dreading the arrival of the blind man and his dry attitude for I thought it would be awkward for the two but for some reason I found it interesting and kept reading. Why the author chose a cathedral I'm not sure, but, the more I though about i, cathedrals are difficult to describe. There is an infinite amount of detail that just can't be put into words.
I feel that the story could have a few different interpretations. Perhaps, like Heidi said, the cathedral was just something in common for the two people to relate to. In addition to the fact that Robert and the narrator were drawing a cathedral, the question Robert poses sticks out to me; "...are you in any way religious?" I can't help but think about the connection between the blind and the religious. The blind cannot truly see the world the way the seeing can, while the religious cannot truly comprehend what comes after death. I found the last line interesting as well: "It's really something." That statement could either be a comment on the uniqueness of the drawing or the narrator's blind moment being something to really think about.
i agree this was a really interesting story, i didn't really understand the ending. I guess it was suppose to end weird. But i thought the narrator wanted alot of attention from his wife. I mean she talked about this Blind man and the narrator didn't like the fact she was sending him tapes about her life. he thought it was creepy , but he noticed how much this blind man meant to his wife, so he invites him into their home and the narrator changes his view of blind people, in the end of the story.
I liked this story, i liked how the story began with the wife associating only herself with the bling man and later completely changes. She would talk about how she met him and how she has known the blind man for a long time. When the blind man came to their house there was a really awkeward vibe especially with conversation but when they started smoking the Cannabis I saw a big turning point in the atmosphere of the room. First the wife basicaly passed out and the two men casually talked and nicely bonded by drawing the Cathedral. I feel as if that was the blind mans way of being friendly with her husband.
There were a lot of things that I wondered about while reading this story, but the main thing that I keep going back to is the last thing said: "It's really something." Why does he keep his eyes closed, and what is really something? Thoughts??
I really liked the story and the interesting interactions between the characters. I really didn't like the part where the characters were smoking marijuana and drinking. I just thought that it was a strange and inappropriate addition to the story. Although I am aware that it did have relevance, I just didn't enjoy that aspect of the story. What I did enjoy was the profound but strange ending. "It was like nothing else in my life up to now." "My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything." I think that it's so neat that the narrator was able to finally experience that and have the ability to have his eyes open to what Robert experiences. He was no longer aware Robert's blindness or unkind towards him. I think that it's interesting how that one moment was able to change his life. When it comes to the drawing of the cathedral and what that may represent in the story, I am not exactly sure why that was the thing that they drew as well. Cathedrals are places where people come to pray and ask for help/ get answers to important events in their lives. The sermons that are given help people understand people and the relationships they have with them and can open their eyes to things about they world that they didn't understand before. Maybe that's why Robert asked the narrator to draw the cathedral with him.
In response to Katharine, I think by "really something" he means the sensation of being blind. The narrator's tone at the beginning of the story has a hint of sarcasm and disrespect where the blind man is concerned, but my the end, the two men share a mutual respect and understanding of one another. The narrator discovers something about vision he did not understand before, and the blind man helps him understand what it means to be blind. He says, "My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn't feel like I was inside anything." So the narrator discovers a new way of thinking by drawing the cathedral with the blind man. He is close-minded throughout the story, but his character undergoes a critical change at the end; I think he views the world differently.
It was a really interesting story, but the ending was very confusing. After I read the ending, I didn't feel like I 'finished' the story, I felt there could be something more going on. So I had a similar question with Katharine. Why did the author choose this ending? Is he giving readers to think of their own interpretation? How does this 'closed eyes' and 'It's really something' affect the story?
I found this is a very interesting story, too. But the end of the story is very confusing, I came up with the same questions with you guys. Why used cathedral? why the narrator did not open his eyes? I think maybe the author wants to leave an open space for the readers to imagine... I really like how the author wrote that the narrator did not really like Robert when his wife first tell about him, but at the end, he is kind of experience how Robert lives without opening eyes, and got more understanding about blind people, I I think that would be an interesting moment for tow men to share the "really something".
I found this story interesting. I felt it had a strange twist at the end. the wife is now the one being left out, instead of the narrator. But why draw a Cathedral? i wonder if a cathedral holds some other significance than a random thing to trace. Perhaps it doesn't even matter what is being drawn and i'm just thinking too hard about it, or missing something.
ReplyDeleteTorrie,
ReplyDeleteI was very confused by that as well. The only thing I can think of is that the Cathedral was just a means by which the author got the point across: that these two men could connect and have something in common. I do wonder if there is any other significance to the use of a cathedral though.
The part that I had the most trouble understanding was at the end when it starts talking about the husband not opening his eyes. What was the significance of that? Did he ever end up opening his eyes?
I agree with Torrie on the fact that this was an interesting story. I found myself in the place of the husband dreading the arrival of the blind man and his dry attitude for I thought it would be awkward for the two but for some reason I found it interesting and kept reading. Why the author chose a cathedral I'm not sure, but, the more I though about i, cathedrals are difficult to describe. There is an infinite amount of detail that just can't be put into words.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the story could have a few different interpretations. Perhaps, like Heidi said, the cathedral was just something in common for the two people to relate to. In addition to the fact that Robert and the narrator were drawing a cathedral, the question Robert poses sticks out to me; "...are you in any way religious?" I can't help but think about the connection between the blind and the religious. The blind cannot truly see the world the way the seeing can, while the religious cannot truly comprehend what comes after death. I found the last line interesting as well: "It's really something." That statement could either be a comment on the uniqueness of the drawing or the narrator's blind moment being something to really think about.
ReplyDeletei agree this was a really interesting story, i didn't really understand the ending. I guess it was suppose to end weird. But i thought the narrator wanted alot of attention from his wife. I mean she talked about this Blind man and the narrator didn't like the fact she was sending him tapes about her life. he thought it was creepy , but he noticed how much this blind man meant to his wife, so he invites him into their home and the narrator changes his view of blind people, in the end of the story.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the story takes a blasé stance on the relationships. First, there was the wife's first husband that just sort of floats in and out of the story, but also there is the whole thing about the wife having this strong friendship with the blind man, but in the end he sort of gets in between the wife and the narrator. I suppose it sort of bother's me that the husband aversion to blind people seems more important in the story than the relationships.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder why the author chose not to name the blind man.. or anyone else for that matter
I liked this story, i liked how the story began with the wife associating only herself with the bling man and later completely changes. She would talk about how she met him and how she has known the blind man for a long time. When the blind man came to their house there was a really awkeward vibe especially with conversation but when they started smoking the Cannabis I saw a big turning point in the atmosphere of the room. First the wife basicaly passed out and the two men casually talked and nicely bonded by drawing the Cathedral. I feel as if that was the blind mans way of being friendly with her husband.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of things that I wondered about while reading this story, but the main thing that I keep going back to is the last thing said: "It's really something." Why does he keep his eyes closed, and what is really something? Thoughts??
ReplyDeleteI really liked the story and the interesting interactions between the characters. I really didn't like the part where the characters were smoking marijuana and drinking. I just thought that it was a strange and inappropriate addition to the story. Although I am aware that it did have relevance, I just didn't enjoy that aspect of the story. What I did enjoy was the profound but strange ending.
ReplyDelete"It was like nothing else in my life up to now."
"My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything." I think that it's so neat that the narrator was able to finally experience that and have the ability to have his eyes open to what Robert experiences. He was no longer aware Robert's blindness or unkind towards him. I think that it's interesting how that one moment was able to change his life.
When it comes to the drawing of the cathedral and what that may represent in the story, I am not exactly sure why that was the thing that they drew as well. Cathedrals are places where people come to pray and ask for help/ get answers to important events in their lives. The sermons that are given help people understand people and the relationships they have with them and can open their eyes to things about they world that they didn't understand before. Maybe that's why Robert asked the narrator to draw the cathedral with him.
In response to Katharine, I think by "really something" he means the sensation of being blind. The narrator's tone at the beginning of the story has a hint of sarcasm and disrespect where the blind man is concerned, but my the end, the two men share a mutual respect and understanding of one another. The narrator discovers something about vision he did not understand before, and the blind man helps him understand what it means to be blind. He says, "My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn't feel like I was inside anything." So the narrator discovers a new way of thinking by drawing the cathedral with the blind man. He is close-minded throughout the story, but his character undergoes a critical change at the end; I think he views the world differently.
ReplyDeleteIt was a really interesting story, but the ending was very confusing. After I read the ending, I didn't feel like I 'finished' the story, I felt there could be something more going on. So I had a similar question with Katharine. Why did the author choose this ending? Is he giving readers to think of their own interpretation? How does this 'closed eyes' and 'It's really something' affect the story?
ReplyDeleteI found this is a very interesting story, too. But the end of the story is very confusing, I came up with the same questions with you guys. Why used cathedral? why the narrator did not open his eyes? I think maybe the author wants to leave an open space for the readers to imagine...
ReplyDeleteI really like how the author wrote that the narrator did not really like Robert when his wife first tell about him, but at the end, he is kind of experience how Robert lives without opening eyes, and got more understanding about blind people, I I think that would be an interesting moment for tow men to share the "really something".